James Gammon – People Talking

Classic Twofer – Hudson Horror Show: ‘Silver Bullet’ & ‘Fright Night Part 2’

Sometimes curiosity is dangerous, and sometimes it can lead you to some wonderful places.

My own curiosity in these particular films stemmed largely from their relative rarity. ‘Silver Bullet’ can be found on DVD, but I can’t attest to the transfer quality, and ‘Fright Night Part 2’ appears to be out of print completely. Regardless, neither movie has gotten a proper Blu-ray release, which is an utter shame. So, in order to get a high definition viewing experience of each one, I found myself once again at the Alamo Drafthouse (Yonkers) for another abbreviated edition of the Hudson Horror Show.

Movie #1: ‘Silver Bullet’

Original Release Date: October 11, 1985
Directed by Daniel Attias
Written by Stephen King, based on his novel ‘Cycle of the Werewolf’
Cast: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim, Megan Follows, Robin Groves, Terry O’Quinn, Bill Smitrovich, Joe Wright, Kent Broadhurst, Lawrence Tierney, William Newman, James Gammon
Soundtrack: Jay Chattaway

I
Loved
This
Movie.

If you’re a fan of 80s cinema, I can’t recommend ‘Silver Bullet’ highly enough, because it has just about everything you could ask for from such a film: a score from synth veteran Jay Chattaway, a cast chock full of “that guy” actors, Corey Haim in a motorized wheelchair, visual effects from Rick Baker and Rob Bottin, and, if all that weren’t enough, the man himself, Gary Busey as hard drinking “Uncle Red”.

Oh, and did I mention that it’s a Stephen King screenplay adaptation of a Stephen King novel?

That’s right. In fact, ‘Silver Bullet’ plays out like a Stephen King greatest hits album. You’ve got a small town attempting to deal with a mysterious threat, an ineffective band of vigilantes, a clergyman under duress, a killer monster, and a pair of children who are the only ones who know the truth.

All of these aspects add up to one of the best and most fun teen horror movies ever made.

Now, I’m not saying it’s perfect. For one thing, the movie bills itself as a period piece, taking place in 1976, and there aren’t any elements placed in to convince you of this (unlike John Carpenter’s ‘Christine‘); and, on a related note, the story is bookended by some voice-over narration that is as unremarkable as it is extraneous. Also, and this is admittedly nit-picky, I’d say the werewolf looks fine for this particular movie, but, compared to ‘An American Werewolf in London’ or ‘The Howling’, it feels just a bit lackluster.

However, as a whole, ‘Silver Bullet’ is tough to beat. It’s got solid performances all around, it’s well-paced and not too long, and, most importantly, it knows exactly what it is, which is a horror film that’s meant to be fun.

Hopefully we’ll get a proper high definition home release in the not too distant future, because this is a movie I’d love to own.

Rating: ★★★★½

Movie #2: ‘Fright Night Part 2’

Original Release Date: May 19, 1989
Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace
Written by Tommy Lee Wallace, Miguel Tejada-Flores, and Tim Metcalfe, based on characters created by Tom Holland
Cast: Roddy McDowall, William Ragsdale, Traci Lind, Julie Carmen, Jon Gries, Russell Clark, Brian Thompson, Merritt Butrick, Ernie Sabella, Matt Landers
Soundtrack: Brad Fiedel

Tommy Lee Wallace has a decent enough horror resume, having come up alongside John Carpenter on such films as ‘Halloween’ and ‘The Fog’, making his directorial debut with ‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’, and, eventually, helming the television adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘It’ in 1990. Frankly, with a C.V. like that, I expected a little more out of ‘Fright Night Part 2’ than what I saw.

The original ‘Fright Night‘ is one of the better major studio horror films of the Eighties, and one of its biggest strengths is a nice, tight script, in addition to a lot of wonderful practical visual effects.

By contrast, ‘Part 2’ has a similar sense of style, but the story is much more meandering, often frustratingly so, to the point that the movie doesn’t really jell overall. It’s very much a classic “It happened again!?” sort of sequel, which I’m okay with, but I think they actually go a little too far in trying to connect it to the original movie.

However, there are particular elements and scenes that are creative enough on their own to make the movie worth seeing once. Naming Brian Thompson’s character “Bozworth” was a nice touch, the bowling stuff is hilarious, and, as I said, practical effects still rule the day.

It may be a bit of a letdown after watching the original ‘Fright Night’ (or ‘Silver Bullet’), but I’d still recommend this one for 80s horror fans, and I hope it gets a proper home release someday as well.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

So, that’s about it. Thanks again to Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers and Hudson Horrow Show for putting on another entertaining event, and I look forward to more in the future.

Quick Thoughts – Winter Round-Up

Winter is cold, but luckily most movie theaters have heat. Although it’s basically Summer now, so…

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

If you ever played the Grand Theft Auto games Vice City and San Andreas and ever wondered what was going on in the latter during the events of the former, then To Live and Die in L.A. is the movie for you.

Another underrated William Friedkin special to go alongside 1977’s Sorcerer, To Live and Die in L.A. delves into the true calling of the U.S. Secret Service: cracking down on counterfeit cash.

William Petersen (now of CSI fame) plays a Secret Service agent determined to take down a notorious counterfeiter who killed his partner, and he’s going to bring him in BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.

Similar to last year’s Man From U.N.C.L.E., what Live and Die lacks in substance, it [mostly] makes up with style, including a sensationally 80s score composed by none other than Wang Chung, as well as the usual William Friedkin hallmarks: gorgeous photography, profanity, and an insane car chase, not to mention some well done foot chases to boot. It’s also great to see actors like Willem Dafoe and John Turturro before they hit it big.

Honestly, it might be more of an interesting time capsule than outright entertaining, but it’s still a gem more than worth pursuing.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Iron Giant (1999)

I’m rather ashamed to admit that I was asleep to this movie for a very long time (not entirely my fault, apparently, as Warner Bros. grossly mishandled the initial marketing). I mean, I’d heard of it, I’d seen part of it on TV, but I’d never given it a proper viewing.

After having seen it on the big screen, I’m willing to put it among the best films of the past 20 years.

Directed by Brad Bird (who has since directed The Incredibles and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which are both fantastic), The Iron Giant is the story of an unlikely friendship between a lonely young boy and a massive robot from another world (voiced by Vin Diesel in a proto-Groot performance), the lengths they go to in order to keep everything secret (especially from a government agent voiced by Christopher McDonald, in arguably his most nefarious role), and one teaching the other what it means to be human (or “not a gun”). Beyond that, it’s a beautiful and thought-provoking 1950s period piece with deep emotional resonance (so many tears), but still enough laughs to balance it out.

In many ways, The Iron Giant is the kind of “family film” that we don’t see too much of anymore, in that it deals with actual issues (life, death, loss, sacrifice, etc.) and puts the characters in real danger. Perhaps the closest recent comparison would be Big Hero 6, although it’s not nearly as charming as Giant.

If you’ve never seen it or haven’t watched it in a while, go ahead and put a pre-order in for the Signature Edition, to be released on home format on September 6th. You won’t regret it.

Rating: ★★★★★

The Evil Dead (1981) & Evil Dead II (1987)

I can see how someone could watch these movies and think, “You know, that Bruce Campbell, he’s got some acting chops; I like his charisma.”

I’m less sure how someone could watch these movies and think, “You know, that Sam Raimi, he’s got some directing chops; let’s hand him a huge comic book franchise.”

Now, perhaps there are other Sam Raimi movies that I just haven’t seen that are actually worth my time, but I’m not impressed by what I’ve witnessed so far.

I know there is much debate as to which is better, The Evil Dead or its first sequel. For me, I prefer the original, because it does take itself seriously, and the attempts at horror slapstick in Evil Dead II don’t do anything for me. Either way though, I don’t have any plans to revisit one or the other. Labors of love as they may be, I just don’t get the cult surrounding them.

If you’re not already drinking the Evil Dead Kool-Aid, I don’t recommend it. There’s plenty of other stuff in the genre worth looking at.

Dual Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Classic Movie Review – ‘Major League’ (Grant & Danny’s Movie Madness)

Original Release Date: April 7, 1989
Written and Directed by David S. Ward
Cast: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton, James Gammon, Rene Russo, Wesley Snipes, Chelcie Ross, Dennis Haysbert, Andy Romano, Bob Uecker, Neil Flynn
Soundtrack: James Newton Howard

Sometimes in life you get REESE’S moments.

It’s no secret that I love Alamo Drafthouse more than I love cake, ice cream, or a combination of the two, but what may be surprising, given that I am an out-of-market listener, is that I’m a loyal fan of The Grant & Danny Show (on 106.7 FM in the greater Washington D.C. area).

So, when the guys on the program said that not only would they be creating a “Movie Madness” bracket (not to be confused with National Lampoon’s Movie Madness, which also featured Margaret Whitton) of sports films to vote upon, but would also be showing the winning movie at their local Alamo Drafthouse, of course I said to myself, “I’m there,” despite the near-300 mile drive entailed.

Was it worth it?

Yeah, it was worth it. After all, it’s not every day you get to meet the crew from one of your favorite XM radio programs, as well as other loyal listeners. Plus, we all got to watch a great movie together.

As I said when I briefly talked about Goon, I have one rule about comedic films: make me laugh. Major League achieves this, and so much more; I think one could say it actually affected professional baseball as we know it (more on that later).

Let’s start ~~when he was twelve~~ at the beginning, with the opening credits: a montage of Cleveland sights and sounds as well as back page headlines chronicling the Indians’ mediocrity though the decades, all set to Randy Newman’s “Burn On”. Now, did they choose this song only because it’s about Cleveland? Or were they also making a subtle reference to the fact that Randy Newman scored The Natural? Either way, it’s the perfect choice.

It sounds horribly obvious, but good choices seem to be the key as to why Major League works so well (especially when compared to Major League II, which goes full-on broad comedy and I don’t want to talk about it). Take the casting. Tom Berenger as grizzled veteran catcher Jake Taylor works; he’s the steady hand that keeps the team together. Charlie Sheen (who I believe actually pitched in high school) as reprobate hardball thrower Rick Vaughn is believable, despite some of the innate silliness of the character. Wesley Snipes as Ricky Henderson clone Willie Mays Hays is as cocky as he needs to be. And last, but absolutely not least, James Gammon as manager Lou Brown is the perfect combination of heart and toughness that I’d want in a real-life baseball manager. Even smaller roles like Andy Romano as coach Pepper Leach have the right je ne sais quoi.

The plot of a trophy widow owner assembling a team so bad that attendance will drop to the point of being able to get out of the contract with the city and move to Miami is a fine comedic premise, but what makes Major League truly special is that even though there are some wacky funny bits (like the nominally Christian pitcher who tells the voodoo practitioner, “[Jesus] isn’t fooled,” while he himself is reading a Hustler magazine), it also legitimately works as a sports movie. I have to admit, in spite of all the silliness, I got a little emotional at the end.

It’s because the baseball scenes are largely taken seriously that the movie triumphs. Not to say that somebody couldn’t nitpick it to death (for one thing, I’ve never seen that many women at a ballgame), but there’s nothing as egregious as the “Martell crossed” moment in The Replacements (where Shane Falco goes from quarterback to fisherman in an instant, because there are no backups in this universe). On the contrary, when Pedro Cerrano hits one out of the park, rounds the bases, celebrates with his teammates, and then comes back out of the dugout for a curtain call, it feels completely real; by far one of the best sequences in the film. I also like the “calm before the storm” ahead of the one-game playoff, when everybody’s in the locker room just trying to relax, or get stretched out, or visualizing the big moments to come.

All of this of course brings us to the sequence that actually changed baseball, where “Wild Thing” Ricky Vaughn walks from the bullpen to the mound while the crowd goes crazy to his eponymous theme music (performed by X, of all people), setting the standard for Closers to come (although it was a non-save situation for Ricky). As far as I can find, no pitcher before the release of Major League ever walked onto the field to music, but it’s certainly become commonplace since.

In the end, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give proper credit to writer and director David S. Ward. It was his movie, it was his dream, it was his labor of love, and it’s fantastic. You know you’re doing something right when you can get an audience to cheer for the Cleveland Indians when they never would otherwise.

Much like real March Madness brackets, Major League might not the best sports movie of all time, but it sure felt like a worthy champion this year.

Rating: ★★★★½ (out of five)

P.S. Shout out to Wookie of the Year for bringing Astro donuts to the event. I had a s’mores donut and it was ¡muy delicioso!

P.P.S. Bob Uecker. That is all.