Jay Chattaway – People Talking

Larry Cohen Twofer – ‘The Ambulance’ and ‘Original Gangstas’ – Perpetual Motion

There’s no shortage of love for writer/director/producer Larry Cohen in this space.

It’s now a couple of months on since his passing, and I think we can safely say that while not all of his movies were great (some may have even been downright bad), he always exuded a true independent spirit while making films intended to be entertaining, his last two theatrical features being no exception.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

Many filmmakers have done great New York movies (William Friedkin and Martin Scorsese perhaps chief among them), but few could do NYC on a budget like Larry Cohen (though this one did have a little more money behind it than usual).

Which is not to say that The Ambulance is on the level of The French Connection or Taxi Driver (far from it, to be honest), but there is a certain
je ne sais quoi about it that still resonates with those familiar with the city today.

Eric Roberts plays a Marvel Comics illustrator (before you even ask, yes, Stan Lee is in the movie in his first film appearance) who meets a girl on the street. She collapses and is taken away in a ambulance. The only trouble is that he can’t seem to find her in any known hospital, thus igniting the mystery plot.

If I have one big issue with The Ambulance, it’s that the tone is a bit muddled. It’s a little more lighthearted than you’d expect, which isn’t the worst thing, but overall the movie would have benefited from a harder edge.

However, the cast is solid, especially James Earl Jones in a literal scenery-chewing role, and there’s some classic death-defying practical stunt-work; and, on the whole, the film just looks good (shout-out to cinematographer Jacques Haitkin, who does action unit work on a lot of big movies these days).

It’s not Larry Cohen’s best movie, but, like much of his work, it’s fun, enjoyable, and an interesting time capsule of pre-Giuliani New York.

Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)

So, it’s Super Bowl weekend, and I’m sitting in a Pam Grier marathon at Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers. Movie #1 was Jackie Brown, which is great, but basically impossible for any other film to follow; Movie #2 was Friday Foster; and Movie #3 was Scream Blacula Scream. After #2 and #3, I said to myself, “You know, I think I would have enjoyed those a lot more had they been directed by Larry Cohen.”

Enter Movie #4: Original Gangstas, his last theatrical feature (Movie #5 was Black Mama, White Mama, just in case you were curious).

Shot on location in Gary, Indiana (the murder capital of the U.S. at the time, and sadly still deeply struggling today), Original Gangstas is mainly a big Blaxploitation reunion, featuring an incredible top-to-bottom cast, including Fred Williamson (Hammer), Jim Brown (Slaughter), Pam Grier (Coffy), Paul Winfield (Gordon’s War), Richard Roundtree (Shaft), and Ron O’Neal (Super Fly).

It may seem like an odd fit for someone like Larry Cohen to direct, but he and Fred Williamson go all the way back to Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem in 1973, so he’s well familiar with the tradition at play, and of course he brings his trademark budget-efficient panache to the Midwestern venue; in particular getting a lot of mileage out of Gary’s abandoned Union Station.

Original Gangstas was a flop at the time of it’s release, and I can understand why (I mean, it’s no Boyz n the Hood); for one thing, the synthesized music score hasn’t aged well at all, and thematically it’s a bit messy, but, again, it’s entertaining, and it’s fun to see so many familiar faces (both young and old).

I’ll admit, I may be over-hyping it, but in this case I’m not going to feel bad about it.

Because we love Larry Cohen.

Rating: ★★★★☆

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 – Spring Round-Up

Someday I won’t be writing these posts months after the fact, but, for now, we press on.

‘Big Trouble in Little China’ (1986)

Sure, technically speaking, ‘Ghostbusters 2′ is the sequel to ‘Ghost Busters‘, but ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ isn’t exactly far off. The tone is similar, the stakes are about the same, and the proportion of comedy to horror is almost equal. The one major difference is John Carpenter was moving from horror into comedy whereas Ivan Reitman was moving from comedy into horror.

Point is, you’ve got Awesome Mode Kurt Russell as a fish-out-of-water on a great adventure against some dark Chinese magic. Throw in a diverse supporting cast (including, but not limited to, the ever-wonderful James Hong, as well as Kim Cattrall at peak loveliness) and some classic 80s special effects (led by Richard Edlund, whose team also did ‘Ghost Busters’), and you’ve got a recipe for a good time. I also think it might be the first Western production to make use of Chinese wire-fighting techniques, but I can’t confirm that.

If you still haven’t seen this one, I understand your trepidation. It took me a while to take the plunge on it, but, trust me, it’s more than worth your time.

Rating: ★★★★☆

‘Vigilante’ (1983)

I have to admit, I’m not sure how highly I’d rate this one if I hadn’t seen it complete with a Q&A session with both the director “Bill” Lustig and former NYPD detective turned all-around movie guy Randy Jurgensen, but they helped me put the film in its proper context, and hopefully I can do the same for you.

On the surface, William Lustig’s ‘Vigilante’ is a poor man’s ‘Death Wish‘, as evidenced by the inexplicably multi-racial gang members, but, more than that, it’s essentially a cinematic cartoon of New York Post headlines from the late-70s and early-80s. Many events and characters have some basis in reality (including the judge, who was based on Bruce McMarion Wright, aka “Turn ‘Em Loose Bruce”).

Just as a movie though, ‘Vigilante’ is a solid enough exploitation revenge film. Robert Forster brings his unique everyman quality to a character pushed to the limit by violence against his family, and Fred Williamson brings his imposing screen presence (and perfectly manicured beard, of which I am jealous) as a man who’s long decided he’s not going to take it anymore.

Perhaps what’s most interesting about ‘Vigilante’, like many movies of its era, is simply New York City as a location. It really is like another character on screen.

Other than that, it’s pretty standard fare.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

P.S.
One note of particular interest from Bill Lustig was that when the film got distribution in countries with oppressive governments (including Brazil and the Philippines, which were under dictatorships at the time), there had to be a title card inserted at the end of the film stating that the vigilante was brought to justice himself. This reminded me of the end of ‘Blood Debts‘, famously highlighted by Red Letter Media, in which a similar title card exists, no doubt because it was a 1985 Filipino production.

‘Alien’ (1979) + ‘Aliens’ (1986)

I’ve heard people accuse me of not being very festive, and I don’t know where they get the notion; you have to be pretty festive to go see ‘Back to the Future 2‘ on October 21, 2015, or go to an ‘Alien’ double feature on 4/26 while sitting in seat 426, but I digress.

I’ve been familiar with ‘Alien’ at minimum since I watched it to prepare myself for ‘Prometheus’, but obviously it’s a different animal on the big screen As I’ve said on many occasions, I’m not a big horror guy, but ‘Alien’ is transcendent, thanks largely to its hard sci-fi base. To say it’s a great looking movie is an understatement; everything has substance, everything feels lived-in, and it’s all in service of what is essentially a blue collar sci-fi story, which is rather uncommon.

What also helps ‘Alien’ in its effectiveness is its small cast (not unlike ‘Predator‘ in that regard). The low number of space truckers and focus on their daily grind ensures we get to know them all pretty well, not to mention a good bit of improvised dialogue in group settings. Sure, it becomes a bit of a haunted house movie in the final act, but between the limitations they had in 1979 and the groundbreaking design of the alien monster, I’m not taking points off for that.

All-in-all, the movie is a timeless classic.

Now, ‘Aliens’ I had never seen before, on any sort of screen. We can debate til the end of time which movie of the two is better, but one thing for certain is that they are different.

‘Aliens’, like most great sequels, builds upon and expands the world we already know, and in this case switches up the genre as well, adding in a whole mess load of action thanks to our friendly neighborhood space marines. James Cameron was correct in keeping the visual aesthetics of the first movie while also adding his own signature touches and new bits of lore (like the M41A Pulse Rifle and the Alien Queen). It’s a fairly unique watch in terms of the simultaneous level of action and terror.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the true thread holding these films together, that being Sigourney Weaver. Her portrayal of Ripley is nearly flawless (although I like her hair better in ‘Alien’, but that’s superficial).

Ultimately, both ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens’ are must-see, Whether you prefer more slow-moving hard sci-fi or futuristic action will likely determine which you think is better, but, personally, I don’t feel compelled to choose.

Ratings:
‘Alien’ ★★★★☆
‘Aliens’ ★★★★☆

P.S.
Shout out to NECA Toys for showing off some wares and doing some giveaways before each movie.

Quick Thoughts – Summer Round-Up, Part 5 of 5

Whew, we finally made it. The last bit of backlog left from the summer.

‘Best in Show’ (2000)

As far as I know, Woody Allen invented the comedic “Mockumentary” with ‘Take the Money and Run’ back in 1969, but it was Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer who took it to the next level with ‘This is Spinal Tap’ in 1984.

Christopher Guest writes, directs, and acts in this pastiche of dog shows, and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in particular. Every Guest regular (Eugene Levy, et al.) is in the film, save for Harry Shearer, and everybody gets their moment to shine and give the audience a good laugh.

What makes movies like this so tremendous is that there’s not a single bit of written dialogue. Every line is improvised by the actors and the reactions are equally on-the-spot, like watching a bunch of great jazz musicians playing together. Not only that, but the details in this production’s design are spot on as well; I mean, I think the filmmakers pretty much had to put together a reasonable facsimile of a dog show in a real venue, which gives the movie a grounded sense of realism, even when the dialogue is getting over-the-top silly.

I can’t say if ‘Best in Show’ is the best of Guest, but it’s definitely worth seeing.

Rating: ★★★★☆

‘Maniac Cop 2’ (1990)

I can’t lie, I think this one got a little overhyped for me. People were saying it’s definitely better than the first ‘Maniac Cop’, but I don’t know. To me, both movies work fine as a continuous story, and seeing as how they’re both 90 minutes or less, you could easily watch them back-to-back in a single evening (I have yet to see the third installment, but will definitely check it out one of these days), but the first one has Tom Atkins, so, I’m hard pressed to say the sequel is superior.

‘Maniac Cop 2’ is pretty good for a late-80s B-horror flick, and, like its predecessor, an interesting time capsule for New York City, but it’s hardly any sort of required viewing in my opinion. The one sequence of particular note is the police station shootout, which rivals an analogous scene in ‘The Terminator’.

Performance-wise, Robert Davi is strong as usual, and Bruce Campbell and Laurene Landon do a fine job continuing their roles from the first movie.

Other than that, not much else to say.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

‘Above the Law’ (1988)

This isn’t the best Steven Seagal movie, but it is the first, which makes it somewhat important. It’s also the first of two collaborations between Seagal and director Andrew Davis, who would later reunite for arguably Seagal’s best movie, that being ‘Under Siege’.

‘Above the Law’ is far from perfect. Seeing it now, many of the performances come off as rather hackneyed, but, it does offer some quintessential Steven Seagal martial arts action, and some signature Seagal one-liners. My personal favorite: “Ever notice how clean babies smell? Like nothing in the world has touched them yet.”

‘Above the Law’ is also a very Chicago movie. Not only was it mostly shot on location in the Windy City, but every working Chicago actor of note is in the movie. You’ll recognize them from other movies such as ‘The Blues Brothers’, ‘Backdraft’, ‘The Fugitive’, even ‘The Dark Knight’.

If you’re a Steven Seagal fan, this one’s a must see; otherwise, it’s hit or miss.

Rating: ★★★☆☆