Robert Forster – 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: ★★★★☆

New & Old Twofer – ‘King Cohen’ and ‘God Told Me To’

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen

Written and Directed by Steve Mitchell
Interviewees: J.J. Abrams, Rick Baker, Eric Bogosian, Barbara Carrera, Larry Cohen, Joe Dante, James Dixon, F.X. Feeney, Robert Forster, Megan Gallagher, Mick Garris, Yaphet Kotto, Paul Kurta, John Landis, Laurene Landon, Traci Lords, Michael Moriarty, Frank Pesce, Tara Reid, Eric Roberts, Martin Scorsese, Fred Williamson
Soundtrack: Joe Kraemer

Even before seeing this documentary, I was reasonably familiar with Larry Cohen, as I’d seen his collaborations with Bill Lustig (aka the Maniac Cop trilogy and Uncle Sam), as well as (and perhaps more importantly) The Stuff, which he wrote, produced, and directed (as he often did), and which I have great affection for.

If you’re completely unfamiliar with Larry Cohen (which I imagine is most people), he’s mostly known for being a purveyor of low-budget exploitation films throughout the Seventies and Eighties, but he actually started out as a mainstream television writer (including creating a little series called Branded), and he’s continued to sell screenplays throughout the Nineties and into the Aughts (most notably Phone Booth).

More often than not telling stories on the streets of New York (where he was born and raised), Cohen was notorious for shooting without permits and stealing whatever shots he could to add production value without adding to the budget, giving his films a realism and an energy beyond many other similarly budgeted projects.

The documentary itself isn’t as out-and-out entertaining as, say, Electric Boogaloo, but this is more than made up for by the content, as Larry’s career arc is quite fascinating unto itself. Mostly though, King Cohen is a testament to choosing artistic control over more money, and a record of a time gone by when Americans were allowed to enjoy a little more everyday danger (before the terrorists won).

Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker, a cinephile, or just a fan of documentaries, this is a worthwhile watch all-around.

Rating: ★★★★☆

God Told Me To

Original Release Date: October 22, 1976
Written and Directed by Larry Cohen
Cast: Tony Lo Bianco, Deborah Raffin, Sandy Dennis, Sylvia Sidney, Sam Levene, Robert Drivas, Mike Kellin, Richard Lynch, Sammy Williams, Harry Bellaver, Andy Kaufman, Randy Jurgensen, Mason Adams
Soundtrack: Frank Cordell

I’d seen the trailer for this at many an Alamo Drafthouse pre-show and always laughed it off, but, to my surprise, God Told Me To is highly watchable, engaging, and, in general, probably much better than it has any right to be (although the final button didn’t make much sense to me, but I’m feeling generous, so I can forgive that).

The film starts out as something of a police procedural. There’s a string of mysterious mass murders perpetrated by separate and unrelated people. The only element that connects them is they all tell NYPD Det. Peter Nicholas (Tony Lo Bianco, in one of his best performances) that “God told me to,” before they themselves die. Det. Nicholas, being a devout Catholic (yet maintaining an extra-marital affair; it’s complicated), is understandably shaken by this, yet is nevertheless determined to discover the truth behind the murders, be it God, Satan, mass hysteria, or something else entirely.

I won’t say anymore about the plot as it would spoil the movie (spoiler alert: they reveal it in the aforementioned documentary), but, suffice it to say, the movie most likely does not go where you think it will, and as such is an enjoyable ride.

Is it a masterpiece? Hardly, but if nothing else it’s noteworthy for featuring Andy Kaufman in his first role (in one of those trademark grandiose Larry Cohen stolen sequences), and, as Cohen’s films often do, it punches above its weight class.

Rating: ★★★½

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.