Review: Airplane! (1980)

Posted on November 19, 2014 by 4 Star Films

In the wake of Jaws came another film almost just as riveting in its intense thrills and human drama. Let’s hear it for Airplane! Okay, well it may be the farthest thing from a real melodrama, but that does not take away from the good ol’ fashioned fun of it all. It’s quirky. It’s goofy. And it has the prototypical ZAZ humor laden with sight gags and boatloads of puns with an accompanying score courtesy of everyone’s favorite comic composer Elmer Bernstein.

The faux drama stems from former war pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays), who has an aversion to flying due to his devastating experiences and a drinking problem to boot. Now all he does is drive a taxi, and it has cost him his love, the airline stewardess Elaine (Julie Hagerty), who lost all faith in him because he lost confidence in himself. Things used to be so marvelous when they first met in the throes of romance and yet…

Who am I kidding? This film hardly has any plot, but instead, it’s one big excuse for often childish, sometimes innuendo-filled, off the wall antics. Seriously though, Airplane! rifts off a lot of things from gushy romances, to disaster films, and old Hollywood serials. But this plane is only a vehicle for gags. There’s a whole scene about a little girl who is deathly ill just so Captain Oveur (Peter Graves) can say over the telephone resolutely, “Give me ham on five hold the mayo.”

Then there’s co-pilot Kareem Abdul-Jabbar moonlighting as Roger Murdoch. He eventually breaks out of character following the nagging of a little boy named Joey (You try dragging Walton and Lanier down the court)! Why is he even in this film? We don’t know and it doesn’t matter because it’s hilarious.

There’s a kiss parodied straight out of From Here to Eternity, an appearance by the always loud-mouthed Ethel Merman, and even a jab at incumbent president Ronald Reagan. And of course who else would know how to speak jive with the two African-American passengers but June Cleaver or Barbara Billingsley? I’m not sure which one is funnier.

What stands out most about this film is all of its old vets playing this insanely wacky film straight. From Peter Graves to Leslie Nielsen on the plane, to Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges down in the tower, their performances are priceless.

By the way, what ever happened to that guy in the taxi? If I’m not mistaken the meter’s still running.

4/5 Stars

“We have clearance, Clarence.”
“Roger, Roger. What’s our vector, Victor?”

Wings of Desire (1988)

Posted on November 3, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Directed by Wim Wenders, this German film has almost a stream of consciousness feel. It opens over the skies of West Berlin where a couple angels watch over the humans as unseen and unheard guardians. They pay attention to the thoughts, desires, joys, and fears of a plethora of folks from all walks of life and act as unobserved comforters. These angels are immortals and although they are familiar with humanity they are not a part of it.

Among others, the angel Cassiel observes an old man named Homer who dreams of a world of peace. Damiel on his part finds himself infatuated with an utterly lonely circus trapeze performer, and he also watches over the actor Peter Falk as he begins shooting his next film. Because of his newfound love, Damiel desires to feel what it is to be human. Aside from affection, he yearns to be able to do the little things that go along with being mortal like drinking a hot cup of coffee. Finally, determined Damiel does indeed shed his angel wings and immortality for a chance to be human. He knows what it is to breathe, to tell colors apart, and he finally does get his cup of coffee.

Quite by chance, he has an encounter with Falk who tells Damiel a secret and encourages him in his new life. Cassiel, still an angel, tries to stop a suicidal youth from jumping, but he is unsuccessful and it hits him hard.

In the final moments of the film, by fate, Damiel meets his girl at a concert, and they embrace as if they had known one another for an eternity and in a way they had. This film is beautifully photographed in a sepia tone that reflects the viewpoint of the angels. It is only the humans who see the world in all its glory, bursting with different colors. This film was quite fascinating, and it is the type of film I would want to make that really gets up close and personal with some many people without actually focusing on them. Furthermore, Peter Falk was a wonderful addition to this film, and he was a pleasure to watch because he gave off the impression that he was simply being himself. And I think he was.

Next on my list to see from Wim Wenders is Paris, Texas, but I would also like to explore more of the New German Cinema from the likes of Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog.

4.5/5 Stars

My Dinner with Andre (1981)

Posted on October 25, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Directed by Louis Maille and starring Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory playing characters named after themselves, this interesting film has a relatively simple, albeit, unique premise. A writer who lives in New York goes to a dinner engagement with a man who he used to know well.

However, he approaches their meeting with some anxiety not knowing what to expect from a man who has no doubt changed. Andre greets Wally and pretty soon they are talking about this and that as they wait for their food. Andre initially talks about his experiences abroad in Poland, Findhorn Scotland, and even the Sahara. All the while Andre experimented with spiritual encounters, met unusual artists, and took part in performance art. During his time away he was made to contemplate humanity, life, death, and many other profound subjects.

Wally for his part describes his own life in contrast and what he thinks about his more droll existence. It includes spending time with his girlfriend, reading an autobiography on Charlton Heston, sleeping with an electric blanket, and trying to write plays. Andre on his part believes there are problems with this lifestyle because it is more like a dream than reality.

Both men leave the meeting content and Wally rides off in a taxi ready to tell his girlfriend about his dinner with Andre. Andre Gregory represents your philosophical existentialist who is discontent with the normalcy of life. Then, Wallace Shawn is your common everyman who lives his days simply, content with simple comforts and a normal existence. Maybe not your normal dinner conversation, but after all it is a movie. This film is certainly not for those with a short attention span and I myself find this film more intriguing in concept rather than in practice. However, there are many philosophical issues here so if you are ready to ponder and sit back so the conversation can flood over you, it can be an interesting film to take in.

3.5/5 Stars

A Room with a View (1986)

Posted on October 21, 2014 by 4 Star Films

With direction by James Ivory and a cast including Helen Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, and Daniel Day-Lewis, the film opens in Italy where a well to do English woman is on holiday with her significantly older cousin. While staying in Italy she falls in love with the country and comes to appreciate the many different people you come across there.

It could be a commanding author, a pair of kindly old women, or a father and son with a more open way of thinking. In fact the Emerson’s reflect the change that is coming to England while Lucy and her cousin Charlotte reflect the old Victorian way of England. They are so caught up in manners and etiquette that they never give much thought to their actual desires and feelings. This becomes extremely important when Lucy returns home to her family and the snobbish but well-meaning young man she is to marry. She believes she is in love, but then the Emerson’s come to live nearby and Lucy is in conflict, especially after an incident in Italy.

Lucy continues to follow the norms of what she is supposed to do, and it is only after much lying to others and herself that she truly confesses her feelings. Things are not turning out the way she had expected and thanks to kindly Mr. Emerson she finally leaves the pleasantries behind for love. She returns to Italy with her love and is met with another group of colorful individuals and she once again has a room with a view. This film is obviously very English and it is made by the characters like Mr. Beebe, Charlotte, and the Emersons who all make this a pleasant film to watch.

4/5 Stars

Die Hard (1988)

Posted on October 3, 2014 by 4 Star Films

Starring a cast including Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, the film opens during the Christmas season with cop John McClaine arriving in L.A. to be with his estranged wife and kids. He goes to an office party to meet his wife and that is when terrorists strike. John gets away unnoticed and he must wage a one man war against the criminal mastermind Hans Gruber, and his henchmen. First the police, then the FBI get involved but they can do little to remedy the situation from the outside. It comes down to the grit and determination of McClaine to take on his adversary all throughout the skyscraper. Fittingly, it all culminates with a showdown with the man behind it all. This film is definitely full of action and excitement. Several of the characters are enjoyable to watch and a handful are quite irritating.

4.5/5 Stars

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Posted on September 23, 2014 by 4 Star Films

To the casual viewer, Cinema Paradiso can seem like a plodding film, but this pacing is almost necessary since it reflects the passing of the years for one individual. It has been 30 years since Toto left his hometown as a young man never to return. Now he gets a call from the mother he never talks to, with the message that Alfredo has passed away.

The memories become coming back from when he was a young boy in the post-war years. He had a knack for getting into trouble, falling asleep as an altar boy, and getting scolded by his mother. She was especially displeased with his obsession with the movies played at the local theater called Cinema Paradiso. It is there where Toto has his first encounters with the great legends of film, but also perhaps more importantly, the projectionist Alfredo. Initially, the middle-aged man finds the boy a nuisance but slowly a close bond forms between the two. Alfredo teaches little Toto the tricks of the trade and the movie hall flourishes with packed houses all the time. You see, it was the age when movies were a family affair, and the whole town showed up to be entertained. They were the perfect escape from disillusioned post-war years. However, there still is a local priest who censors all kissing in film because after all, that’s highly objectionable. Very racy indeed.

One such night a near fatal accident occurs when the projector overheats then burns the film setting the whole projection room ablaze. Toto barely pulls out Alfredo alive and he is permanently left without sight. From that day on his young prodigy takes over the job but never forgets his mentor and friend. The boy is soon turning into a man and it means young love and a stint in the army, and still Alfredo is around for him. He is always ready to give a bit of homespun wisdom from a movie or do a simple favor. However, finally on the advice of his old friend Toto left town and never returned in order to make something of his life.

Now he finally returns to pay his respects and the old has passed away. Some familiar faces still inhabit the town but the Cinema Paradiso is about to be demolished and the end of an era has arrived. The days of cinema halls are waning as videos and the like grow bigger. As a gift to his friend Alfredo left Toto (now Salvatore Di Vita) one last reel of film containing a montage of big screen kisses. It is less a lesson in Italian and American classics and more of a lesson in life. Our relationships matter. More on that later.

Cinema Paradiso made me crave watching films with a big audience because that is something modern moviegoers often do not experience. Movies were initially meant for the masses (ie. Sullivan’s Travels) and they were meant to be enjoyed in community with one another. That’s part of their magic I suppose.

This is also a highly sentimental, highly nostalgic look at film, but as I alluded to before, it is less about film and more about the people. I tried to recognize actors and films while I saw bits and pieces of old black and white footage, but then I realized it was arbitrary because the audience members are what really mattered. As Alfredo points out in one of his last chats with Toto, “Life isn’t like in the movies. Life…is much harder.” However, the reward of living life is great despite the risk involved, and so it is necessary to leave the movie theater, television, or your laptop behind at times. Life and the relationships that fill it are the most paramount of all and although nostalgia is wonderful there is something to be said for living in the present. That is some of what Cinema Paradiso teaches us and it is a message to take to heart.

4.5/5 Stars

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Posted on September 22, 2014 by 4 Star Films

This film should really be called Planes, Train, Automobiles, buses, trucks, burnt-out cars and …well you get the idea. This John Hughes comedy is set during the Thanksgiving holiday and it has a plot foretelling, Home Alone, although acted out in reverse. Let me explain.

Instead of being stuck at home, home is, instead, the unreachable destination that Neal Page struggles to get to on a return trip from work in New York. As with many Americans, he is excited for time with his wife and kids over a thanksgiving dinner in Chicago. But Chicago is very far away and from the beginning everything goes wrong. He struggles to hail a cab, his flight gets delayed, and he must share a hotel room with a friendly but annoying shower curtain ring salesman named Del Griffith.

Their relationship is strained from the start as Del is the man who unknowingly takes Neal’s cab. They get fed up with each other, accuse each other of stealing, and in general take a strong disliking for each other at one point or another. Del’s genial nature is initially a major turn off for the reserved Neal who just wants to be home.

There comes a point where so much has gone wrong it does not matter anymore and, despite all the grief, they must either go crazy or laugh it off and become friends. Ultimately, they choose the latter and it ends up working out. Neal heads home thankful that Del was able to finagle his passage across country and then in a moment of charity he goes back for his new found friend. The truth comes out and Neal brings one more guest to his Thanksgiving dinner. Once more they carry Del’s hulking case together, this time up the front steps. He may have combated freezing snow, fire, and much more general discomfort, but most importantly Neal learns a little bit about himself. So it’s a travel comedy with a moral at the end.

Although my travel experiences certainly have not been this outrageous, I did relate to bits and pieces which made the film that much better. Furthermore, Steve Martin and John Candy are wonderfully cast alongside each other as complete polar opposites. There is a lot of fun slapstick and yet the characters never lose their humanity and so to the end we can still appreciate them, despite their flaws. However, I sincerely hope my thanksgiving is better than theirs. No promises, though.

3.5/5 Stars

Broadcast News (1987)

Posted on September 22, 2014 by 4 Star Films

I didn’t laugh at James L. Brook’s Broadcast News like I would your typical comedy (This is no Anchorman). However, I did find myself chuckling, in spite of myself, because these characters are humans and as humans, they are screw ups, petty people, and have errors in judgment. The humor comes in the everyday occurrences of working with a news station. There is constant chaos paired with egos butting heads and somehow the news still gets reported.

At such a news station there are three seemingly everyday people who form a triangle of sorts. First off there is Tom Grunick (William Hurt), a handsome anchorman who is often sincere but lacking in the smarts and experience of others. Then, you have Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), an experienced reporter with a gift for writing and a dream to be an anchorman as well. Finally, caught between the two fellows is manic producer Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) who excels in her career.

Aaron is a longtime friend and partner of Jane who secretly loves her. Tom comes into the picture as the inexperienced one, and it looks like he won’t be going anywhere. However, he gets his chance with a special report and thanks to Jane he hits it out of the park. It so exhilarating and all of a sudden he feels a lot closer too. That’s what Broadcast News does to these people. It makes them feel that much closer and it begins to make it difficult to filter their feelings. That’s how Jane finds herself caught between two men who both seem to love her.

It takes a major layoff to shake up the status quo and it reveals a bit more of the pettiness that exists within the industry (reflected some by Jack Nicholson’s evening anchor). Aaron quits his job, Tom gets promoted to a post in London, and Jane gets the position of her old boss who receives the boot. Aaron is jealous of Tom and his goodbye to Jane is a rather sour one. Jane, on the other hand, has some choice words for Tom when she finds out how he manipulated one of his news reports. That’s the way life is. It might be set up like a perfect love triangle initially, but then no one seems to win in the end.

We come back to the three individuals a few years down the road and they have all moved on with their careers and their personal lives. Not everything is patched up and they hardly have much in common anymore, but they can still talk and continue living their lives as before.

This film did not strike me as laugh out loud funny or remarkably spellbinding, but it was a truthful look at life at a news station. That in itself is a compliment to the film even if it is not altogether extraordinary because it seems genuine. I will certainly always be a fan of two of Brook’s other creations for the small screen, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi. He has a great breadth of work to be proud of.

3.5/5 Stars

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Posted on September 19, 2014 by 4 Star Films

When you hear the names Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (Airplane!, Top Secret) you automatically know there are boatloads of zany sight gags, puns and parodies to be had. Although weaker than the previous films, thanks to another bang up job by Leslie Nielsen, this police drama parody is still a lot of fun.

After single handedly beating up on the United States biggest enemies, Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Nielsen) returns to the L.A. precinct to investigate the case of a heroin ring and the brutal injury of his colleague Nordberg (O.J. Simpson). Drebin gets the obligatory briefing from his superior (George Kennedy) and the necessary gadgets for the mission. The case brings our hero in contact with the villainous Vincent Ludwig (Richardo Montalban) as well as his alluring assistant (Priscilla Presley). Drebin and Ms. Spencer’s relationship soon becomes sappily romantic (cue I’m Into Something Good) with hot dogs, movies and jaunts on the beach.

The rest of the case involves car chases, fires, incriminating documents, the arrival of the Queen and of course California Angels Baseball. That’s right. The Queen is to be assassinated and what better location than a baseball game? It is Drebin’s responsibility to stop the attempt at all costs and he makes quite a mess of the game (like he did with everything else), but he does get the job done. His methods are far from orthodox to be sure but he gets the girl and the bad guy pays for his misdeeds. Nordberg certainly is lucky to have such a loyal partner, maybe.

This comic trio pushes the wackiness as far as it can possibly go, oftentimes with mock seriousness and overdone tropes that get made fun of. For instance Drebin gives us voice-over narration, Spencer is very much a femme fatale at first and the story is your not so typical procedural format. Unexpected cameos by Weird Al, Jay Johnstone, Reggie Jackson and a whole host of professional announcers are certainly memorable. Furthermore the uproarious baseball sequences with “I Love L.A.” playing were certainly a hit. This is a comedy classic from the files of the police squad and I cannot help but enjoy it.

3.5/5 Stars

Review: Blade Runner (1982) – Final Cut

Posted on September 18, 2014 by 4 Star Films

“Too bad she won’t live but then again who does?”

It’s the year 2019 in Los Angeles but this is a far cry from the world we are used to as you will soon see. Blade Runner is a hybrid neo-noir, dystopian, and sci-fi film. The Tyrell Corporation has successfully created humanoids called replicants that are near perfect copies of humans except at one point some went rogue and special policemen called Blade Runners were called in. Their services are still required to get rid of a few remnants

Unlike your typical Noir, the film is not in black and white but it still is faded, dank, and dreary. It’s a world-weary L.A. that doesn’t see the light of day anymore. The sterile environment is filled with unnaturally bluish light, old technology, and spaceships coupled with neon lights. The 1980s aesthetic actually adds to the atmosphere which fills all the more dilapidated and old by modern standards. It is weirdly sci-fi while also being time worn. On the ground, it has the appearance of a Chinatown where it is perpetually raining. There is a melding of cultures, time, and place. The ultimate melting pot.

This is the strangely foreign earth that four replicants escape to. One of the fugitives soon blows away a Blade Runner and thus, the best man for the job is brought in: Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Finding 4 so called “Skin jobs” is like finding needles in the proverbial haystack. But Deckard has the experience.

Initially, he pays a visit to replicant mastermind Dr. Elden Tyrell and does a test on the woman Rachael (who appears to be a replicant but without any knowledge of it). Deckard proves his skill to Tyrell and heads off on his investigation. Meanwhile, two of the replicants Roy Batty and Leon interrogate a replicant eye manufacturer (James Hong) who points them to one J. F. Sebastian. Another replicant Pris pays a visit to the hapless man named Sebastian and he invites her into his home.

Deckard’s search leads him to snake scales and his first target. He gets to Zhora by putting on an act as a dweeby member from the American Federation of Variety Artists (reminiscent of Bogart in The Big Sleep). She has none of his pitiful guise but he soon pops her. One down. But Leon sees what happens and is ready to make Deckard pay for his deeds. Luckily the Blade Runner gets some much-needed help. Two down. Two to go.

The leader of the replicants, Roy Batty goes with Sebastian to the lair of Tyrell. Batty meets his maker literally and they trade some choice words. In a strangely horrifying instance, he gives his father a kiss before proceeding to cave his head in. A modern reincarnation of Frankenstein and his creature. Except Batty cannot take his life yet.

Deckard finds his third replicant and barely notches his third kill. Now it’s only Roy and Rick left to duel it out. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse where a frantic Deckard is playfully stalked by a seemingly deranged Batty. At times both men seem inhuman (I thought you were supposed to be good. Aren’t you the “good” man?), but it is ultimately Batty who remains the unfeeling one. That’s what makes his quiet death all that surprising. Deckard is left looking on bewildered as Batty’s dripping head hangs limp. Four down.

Deckard returns one last time for Rachael. He has fallen for a replicant, but he could care less. Then again, she might not be the only one left. If Gaff’s origami unicorn and Deckard’s dream mean anything at all. The identity of Deckard is one of the many ambiguities that is left for the audience to mull over. That is the beauty of Blade Runner because, with the many different versions, there are various interpretations that can be made. You be the judge of which one is correct. I still say they should have kept the name “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” but then again what do I know? Blade Runner will continue to befuddle me as well as others and that’s probably a good thing. If all movie mysteries were solved and tied up nicely with a big bow they would all but lose their allure. Not so with this one.

4.5/5 Stars