NostalGeoff

Tag: Movies

• Clueless…25th Anniversary

  Posted at 11:01 pm by Geoff, on July 17, 2020

  

  The other night I was watching Clueless and realized that I still remember so many of the lines. That’s a testament to the great movie that writer/director Amy Heckerling created. It holds up all these years later and stands out as one of the best comedies of the 90s. For its anniversary lets count down Clueless’ best quotes.

  25. “Whatever!” – Amber

  Short and to the point. You need to make the W hand gesture, like Amber (Elisa Donovan), to really sell it.

  24. “Wasn’t my mom a total Betty? She died when I was a young. A freak accident during a routine liposuction.” – Cher

  RIP, Cher’s mom.

  23. “I believe that was your designer impostor perfume” – Cher

  Is designer impostor perfume still a thing? It should be.

  22. “No shit, you guys got coke here?” – Tai

  Coca-Cola, honey.

  21. “Yo, you’re getting on the freeway!” – Murray

  When I lived in LA, the freeway scared the hell out of me too.

  20. “He does dress better than I do. What would I bring to the relationship?” – Cher

  It’s a valid question.

  19. “Cher’s saving herself for Luke Perry.” – Dionne

  Weren’t we all?

  18. “I am totally, butt crazy in love with Josh.” – Cher

  That’s the greatest love of all.

  17. “You see how picky I am about my shoes and those only go on my feet.” – Cher

  Cher (Alicia Silverstone) knew her worth.

  16. “Do you prefer the term fashion victim or ensemble-y challenged?” – Cher

  Ironically, when Amber gets slammed here, her outfit looks cute.

  15. “Girlie, as far as you’re concerned, I’m the messiah of the DMV.” – Instructor

  That driving instructor was drunk with power.

  14. “Would you call me selfish?” “No, not to your face.” – Cher & Dionne

  Dionne (Stacey Dash) was a true friend.

  13. “I do not wear polyester hair, ok. Unlike some people I know, like Shawana.” – Dionne

  We never did get to meet Shawana and her bad hair extensions.

  12. “May I please remind you that it does not say RSVP on Statue of Liberty.” – Cher

  This entire speech is amazing. Worthy of a least a B+.

   11. “It’s a dress.” “Says who?” “Calvin Klein.” – Cher & Mel

  That was a cute CK dress. The jacket gave it an extra, transparent, layer.

  10. “Dionne and I were both named after great singers from the past who now do infomercials.” – Cher

  The early 90s were a rough time for Cher and Dionne Warwick…and their psychic friends.

  9. “So ok, I don’t want to be a traitor to my generation and all, but I don’t get how guys dress today. I mean, come on, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants and take their greasy hair and cover it up with a backwards cap and like we’re expected to swoon? I don’t think so.” – Cher

  This monologue describes 90% of the guys I went to high school with. Wash your hair and pull up your pants, dude.

  8. “Rollin’ with the homies.” – Tai

  Coolio was a wordsmith.

  7. “Oh, no, you don’t understand. This is an Alaia.” “An Awhatta?” “It’s like a totally important designer.” “And I will totally shoot you in the head.” – Cher & the Mugger

  I had never heard of Alaia until I saw this movie.  It was educational.

  6. “He’s a disco dancing, Oscar Wilde reading, Streisand ticket holding friend of Dorothy.” – Murray

  I can relate.

  5. “She’s a full-on Monet. It’s like a painting, see? From far away it’s ok, but up close, it’s a big old mess.” – Cher

  The nastiest read in the movie. Very descriptive.

  4. “My plastic surgeon doesn’t want me doing any activity where balls fly at my nose.” “There goes your social life.” – Amber & Dionne

  Dionne served Amber with some wicked shade.

  3. “You’re a virgin who can’t drive.” – Tai

  Tai’s (Brittany Murphy) delivery and facial expression always kill me. She’s a savage.

  2. “The was way harsh, Tai.” – Cher

  The only appropriate response when someone calls out your hymenly-challenged-driver’s-license-less existence.

  1. “As if!” – Cher

  As if anything else could take the top spot. It’s the best line in the movie. Iconic as F.

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• St. Elmo’s Fire…35th Anniversary

  Posted at 8:43 pm by Geoff, on July 9, 2020

  

  In 1985, Columbia Pictures released Joel Schumacher’s coming-of-age-in-your-20’s drama, St. Emo’s Fire. The movie focuses on seven friends who have recently graduated from Georgetown University in D.C. The gang includes philandering Alec (Judd Nelson), his steadfast girlfriend Leslie (Ally Sheedy), moody Kevin (Andrew McCarthy), wild Jules (Demi Moore), reckless Billy (Rob Lowe), loyal to a fault Wendy (Mare Winningham), and infatuated Kirby (Emilio Estevez). Their post-grad year is filled with strife, heartbreak, laughter, and reluctant steps toward adulthood. The critics roasted the film, summing it up as a bunch of yuppies whining about having to face the real world. One writer even gave the actors the unflattering nickname, The Brat Pack. But the audience loved the movie, making it an 80s favorite. Let’s revisit St. Elmo’s Fire.

  Alec/Leslie/Kevin

  After college, Alec begins to pressure Leslie about marriage. When she puts him off, his next natural step is to begin cheating on her. Oh, ok. Kevin is also in love with Leslie, but since he can’t be with her, he stops having sex altogether. Hence, his moodiness. When the truth comes out about Alec’s cheating, Leslie flees to Kevin’s place. He confesses his love for her and they sex it up all over his apartment. Leslie keeps her pearl necklace on the entire time. That’s extremely yuppie. Alec unexpectedly comes over to see Kevin and Leslie smacks him in the face with the news that she slept with his best friend. Drama. After this all goes down, Kevin assumes he and Leslie will be a couple now, but she puts the brakes on that. It’s interesting because we get both guys’ points of view about what they want, but very little from Leslie. It’s not until the end of the movie when she tells Alec and Kevin that she’s not going to be with either one of them and is instead choosing herself, that we finally hear her side. It would have been nice to see more of this. Sidenote, since Kevin stopped sleeping with women, everyone thinks he’s gay. Jules even theorizes that he’s in love with Alec. That would have been a much more interesting storyline. Later, after they both realized Alec was an asshole, Kevin and Leslie could have become a 1985 Will & Grace.

  Jules

  Jules was wild in college, but after graduation she takes it to a new level. For one, she can’t manage her money. Who knew getting an advance on your salary was a thing? She maxes out her credit cards, buying clothes and garish home décor. There’s a terrifying giant ceramic clown head in one scene. Then she has the brilliant idea to start sleeping with her boss, which ultimately leads to losing her job. This is followed by a cocaine spiral. In a misguided suicide attempt, she locks herself in her apartment and opens all the windows, letting in the freezing cold air. The stupidity of this proves she’s really just crying out for help and not trying to end it all. Billy is able to comfort her back into reality. She tells him that she’s so tired. Yes, dear, adulting is hard. Now close your windows, find a new job, and get on with your life. Also, throw away that scary ass clown head.

  Kirby

  This is the nuttiest story in the movie. Basically, Kirby went out on a date with Dale (Andie MacDowell) back in college. One date that led to nothing. Four years later, he runs into Dale. She barely remembers him, but Kirby is still hooked on her. This fixation escalates. He follows her to a party, where he creepily watches from the window. Then he crashes the scene and tells her he’s obsessed. No shit. Instead of calling the cops, Dale invites him over to her place. Girl, really? She tries to dissuade him from his infatuation. Instead, Kirby has tantrum, because things aren’t going his way and storms out. Later, he throws a big party to impress Dale, but she doesn’t show up. Incensed, he tracks her down at a cabin in the snowy mountains that she’s sharing with her boyfriend and throws another fit. Again, instead of calling the authorities on this psycho, she invites him in after his car gets stuck in the snow. The next day, when Dale is politely seeing Kirby off, he kisses her. Instead of telling her boyfriend to kick his ass, she actually swoons. WTF? Kirby speeds off, thrusting his fist in the air triumphantly. I truly cannot figure out what we’re supposed to think about this story. Stalking is romantic? If you pressure a woman enough into liking you, she’ll eventually cave? This behavior isn’t acceptable and yet everyone in the movie goes along with it. Not me!

  Billy & Wendy

  Out of everyone in the group, Billy has the hardest time letting go of college and stepping into the real world. It’s funny because he has the most adult attachments. A wife and baby. Instead of trying to gain some stability for them, he remains selfish and irresponsible. He loses jobs as soon as he finds them and gets drunk every night. He’d rather run around with his friends than grow up. It’s a sad Peter Pan situation. Wendy, unfortunately, enables Billy’s behavior. She’s in love with him and can’t call him out on his ridiculous behavior. Even after he gets drunk and totals her car, nearly killing her, Wendy forgives him. I found that plot point to be really stupid. But not as bad as Wendy offering her virginity to him. Sigh. So, Billy realizes he needs to get his shit together. He’s going to divorce his wife so she can be with a guy who actually wants to be a husband. And, Billy is moving to NY. If you can make it there…well he probably won’t. As a going away gift, Wendy gives him her V-card. Now, I know Billy is incredibly good looking (this is prime Rob Lowe hotness here), but he’s still a tool. He doesn’t deserve your “flower”, Wendy.

  **BONUS**

  The theme song to the movie, “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” is pretty awesome. It incorporates the themes of the movie (growing up, finding your future) in one jazzy-pop-rock moment. Plus, the video, starring singer John Parr and his enormous fluffy hair, is perfectly 80s.

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• RIP…Joel Schumacher

  Posted at 10:48 am by Geoff, on June 23, 2020

  

  Director Joel Schumacher passed away yesterday at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer. He started out as a costume designer (The Last of Sheila) in the 70s before transitioning to screenwriting (Sparkle, The Wiz). In 1981, he made his directorial debut with the comedy The Incredible Shrinking Woman. Looking at his IMBD page, you can see how eclectic his directing career was. There were big blockbusters (Batman Forever), dramas adapted from books (A Time to Kill, The Client), thrillers (Flatliners), and even a musical (The Phantom of the Opera). He didn’t allow himself to be pigeonholed as one type of director, but instead made the movies he enjoyed.

  I’ll remember Schumacher best for The Lost Boys. It’s one that I have to stop and watch whenever I come across it on TV, which is often. He was able to put together the perfect mix of horror and comedy. It’s a very fun film. 

  I’m looking forward to re-watching my favorites from Schumacher and discovering his other films that I haven’t gotten around to seeing.

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• Can’t Stop the Music…40th Anniversary

  Posted at 10:04 pm by Geoff, on June 18, 2020

  

  Forty years ago, someone thought it would be a great idea to make a pseudo-biopic-musical about the Village People called Can’t Stop the Music.That someone was Allan Carr. At the time, he was on top of his game after producing Grease two years earlier. Given that blockbuster success, it’s not surprising that Carr was able to get any film he wanted green-lit. Similarly, the Village People were a very popular disco act. The kitschy group, consisting of the Cop (Ray Simpson), Cowboy (Randy Jones), Native American (Felipe Rose), G.I. (Alex Briley), Construction Worker (David Hodo), and Leatherman (Glenn M. Hughes), had sold tons of albums worldwide. The movie could have been a hit in theory, but it crashed and burned. The box office was horrible, critics ripped it apart, and it won the first annual Razzie Award for Worst Picture. That’s the triple crown of sucking. Over the years, CSTM has bounced back somewhat and become a cult classic, mainly because it’s so delightfully absurd. Here are ten ridiculous things about the film.

  10. The writing

  The plot is very thin. Musician Jack (Steve Guttenberg) enlists his roommate Samantha (Valerie Perrine), a former supermodel, to help him get a record deal. He can’t sing, so a group is needed to perform the music. They assemble a motley crew and brand them as the Village People. Now they just need to get Samantha’s ex-boyfriend Steve (Paul Sands), president of Marrakech Records, to sign the group. There’s also a silly subplot about Samantha falling for uptight lawyer Ron (Caitlyn Jenner). The movie needed a bit of romance I suppose. Bronte Woodard wrote the screenplay and you have to wonder how high he was while doing so. The story is just a bunch of nonsensical moments and wacky hijinks thrown together. There’s also the wooden dialogue with lines like, “The 70s are dead and gone. The 80s are going to be something wonderfully new and different, and so am I”. Yikes.

  9. Nancy Walker

  On one hand, it’s fantastic that actress Nancy Walker was hired on as the director. She became the first woman to helm a multi-million-dollar movie. On the other hand, this is what she made. CSTM marked her first and last feature film. There’s also the fact that before this she was best known for starring as the “quicker picker upper” lady in Bounty commercials. No amount of paper towels could clean up this mess of a film though.

  8. Samantha

  A lot of CSTM revolves around Samantha, which is a bad choice. Perrine isn’t a bad actress, but she can only do so much with such an empty character. She mainly bounces from scene to scene being bubbly. Carr originally wanted Olivia Newton-John for the role. She turned him down and signed on to be in Xanadu instead, which is the equivalent of dodging a bullet only to get hit by a bus.

  7. Audition

  At one point, Jack and Samantha hold auditions for new group members. There are some random acts, like a clown on stilts and a stripper. Then the Leatherman struts in and sings a stirring rendition of “Oh Danny Boy” while standing on a piano. Perhaps they were trying to add some gravitas to the film?

  6. I Love You to Death

  I-I-I-I love this song to death. It’s dumb and repetitive, yet fun. The Construction Worker sings it ferociously, in a fantasy sequence, as female dancers in tight red dresses slink around him. I think it’s supposed to be sexy, but it fails on that front. Once a dancer bites his bicep, it’s impossible to take this seriously. Not to mention all the glitter that rains down on them.

  5. Guttenberg’s gusto

  Guttenberg is dialed up to a 23, on a 1 to 10 scale, every moment he’s on screen. The best is the opening where he enthusiastically roller skates through the streets of NYC as “The Sound of the City” plays on the soundtrack. He’s just so damn jazzed up about…everything. 

  4. Do the shake

  In order to finance the Village People, Samantha comes out of supermodel retirement to do a TV commercial for milk that also features the group. The beginning of the ad has little boys dressed up as the VP characters. They drink their milk and grow up to be strong macho men. Then they do an intricately choreographed Busby Berkley-type number to “Milkshake”. It’s nuts. Also, a DJ should put together a mashup of the song and Kelis’ “Milkshake”. A shakeoff.

  3. Lulu

  Lulu (Marilyn Sokol) is Samantha’s sidekick. She’s also an incredibly horny woman. Sex jokes and double entendres fly out of her mouth at a rapid pace. Sokol comes off as plain goofy, though, as she vamps and gyrates for the camera. You feel so embarrassed for her, yet you’re unable to turn away. 

  2. YMCA

  The Village People, Samantha, Jack, and Ron take a trip down to the local Y and find themselves caught in the middle of a cluster of hot muscular guys. A gay fever dream ensues. There’s locker room lip syncing, synchronized diving, slow-motion wrestling, and some very 80s special effects. Side note, CSTM is the only PG movie to feature full-frontal male nudity with a flash of peen in the shower scene. Someone at the ratings board must have been asleep at the wheel. There’s also a boob shot with Perrine. Something for the straight guys in the audience. All zero of them.

  1. The fact it exists at all

  But, really, how did this movie get made? In the summer of 1979, when production started up, disco was dying due to oversaturation and the “disco sucks” movement. Building a movie around a fading music genre/scene probably wasn’t the best idea. Someone should have stepped in and pulled the plug before it even began. Of course, then we wouldn’t have this craziness to “enjoy”. Maybe you shouldn’t try to stop the music afterall.

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• How to Build a Girl…Review

  Posted at 8:15 am by Geoff, on May 20, 2020

  

  How to Build a Girl is a quirky endearing coming of age movie. Set in mid-90s England, it concentrates on sixteen-year-old outcast Johanna Morrigan (Beanie Feldstein), who is continually bullied at school. While her family is supportive, they are pretty unstable. Plus, the only “people” she can talk to are the pictures of famous figures on her wall that come to life in her fantasies. She’s desperately yearning for something to happen in her life and take her out of this mess. That something arrives in the form of a job at an indie rock magazine.

  At first the douchey all-male staff dismisses Johanna, but she manages to win them over with her genuine writing talent. She takes it a step further by reinventing herself as Dolly Wilde, a brash, biting music critic. Armed with a new persona and look (shocking red hair and even louder outfits), Johanna’s star quickly rises. But she soon realizes that she doesn’t necessarily like the girl she has become.

  The movie is adapted from Caitlin Moran’s memoir and her life makes for an unusual yet enjoyable story. You root for Johanna to succeed and cringe when she falls on her face. Feldstein is extremely charming in the role. She brings both heart and the humor to her character. I also thought it was great that director Coky Giedroyc wasn’t afraid to show Johanna as a sexual person. She hops from man to man, like a sexual anthropologist. Usually with plus-sized women in movies, their sexuality is downplayed or ignored. Giedroyc puts it all out there in a frank manner.

  I liked the overall message of the film: being comfortable in your skin and owning who you are despite what others think. Johanna sees that she has built herself up into someone she doesn’t recognize, so she breaks it all down and rebuilds. She ultimately becomes the person she is most proud of. It’s something anyone can identify with, in your teen years and beyond.

  *Side Note*

  It wasn’t until a few days after seeing Girl that I realized how much it reminded me of the 1994 comedy Muriel’s Wedding. They each feature outrageous young women that don’t fit in with the popular crowd and decide to make themselves over into someone new. Both protagonists have oddball families. Plus, music (ABBA, indie rock) is featured heavily. Feldstein’s Johanna also has a similar affable energy as Toni Collette’s Muriel. The two films would make a great double feature. Maybe at a drive-in.

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• Fame…40th Anniversary

  Posted at 11:38 pm by Geoff, on May 12, 2020

  

  “Fame, I’m gonna live forever!” Or for at least 40 years. Back in the 80s, Fame gave a fresh take on the big screen musical and instantly left a mark on pop culture. The movie follows eight students (musicians, actors, dancers) at New York’s High School of Performing Arts. Working from a script written by Christopher Gore, director Alan Parker captures all the highs and lows over a four-year period. Let’s remember, remember, remember, remember (yeah, I did it) Fame.

  Auditions

  During the audition process we meet the fresh hopefuls looking to secure a spot at the prestigious PA school. Coco (Irene Cara) is a confident triple threat. Bruno (Lee Curreri) is the innovative musician. Lisa (Laura Dean) lacks confidence and direction, but still manages to get into the dance department. Shy Doris (Maureen Teefy) gets pushed into auditioning by her overbearing stage mother. She’s joined in the drama dept. by closeted Montgomery (Paul McCrane) and class clown Ralph (Barry Miller). Rounding out the group is Leroy (Gene Anthony Ray), who quickly impresses with his dancing. Parker cuts between the main characters and a bunch of other wannabes, establishing the culture of the school. Everyone is striving for something.

  Freshman Year

  The kids arrive for freshman year (with the thoughtful “Dogs in the Yard” playing over a montage) where they discover that PA is not an easy school. It’s especially difficult for Leroy since he’s illiterate. I could have done without the stereotypical “inner city youth who can’t read and the hard-nosed teacher (Ann Meara) who pushes him to learn” storyline. But it was 1980, so what do you expect? Doris and Montgomery become fast friends as the awkward outsiders. She worries she’s not colorful enough for this school. Whereas he is trying to blend into the background.

  The big rousing number in this year is “Hot Lunch Jam”. The students dance on tables, bang on the piano, and sing about macaroni and baloney. It’s a fun song.

  Sophomore Year

  Hilary (Antonia Franceschi) arrives on the scene in the dance department and promptly pisses off Coco by going after her boyfriend, Leroy. Lisa is kicked out of the department by her harsh teacher. We think she’s going to jump in front of a subway train, but she just dumps her dance gear on the tracks instead. I’m glad Gore spared the audience from the usual teen suicide story. It would have been too afterschool special. Meanwhile, Montgomery comes out to his drama class. A safe space for a gay guy if there ever was one.

  Bruno is reluctant to share his music with others, so his enthusiastic dad, a taxi driver, steals his tape and blasts it from his cab outside of the school. In the most over the top musical moment in the film, students rush out of their classes and start dancing in the street, or on top of cars, as “Fame” plays. Off-screen the song was huge, going to number #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning the Oscar for Best Original Song.

  Junior Year

  Doris comes out of her shell and rebels against her bossy mother. She also falls for Ralph, leaving Montgomery out in the cold. He expresses his loneliness with “Is it Okay if I Call You Mine”, a very pretty sad ballad.

  My favorite song on the soundtrack, “Out Here on My Own”, is featured in this year. Coco’s vocals and the beautiful piano accompanying her are perfect. The track became the film’s second hit single and garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. It was the first time two songs from the same movie were nominated.

  Senior Year

  Ralph’s stand-up comedy career takes off, but his need to party like a Belushi after his shows hurts his personal life. Luckily, he comes down to earth before something tragic happens. Meanwhile, Hilary gets pregnant and decides to have an abortion. She won’t let a baby get in the way of her ballet career. On a better note, Leroy is offered a spot in Alvin Ailey’s dance company.

  In the worst moment in the movie, a sleazy producer manipulates Coco into taking off her top for a “screen test”. She’s sobbing as the camera rolls. But there’s no follow up since we don’t see her again until the end of the film. I would have liked to see more of her POV. Without that, the scene feels exploitative. Maybe that was the point, to show how terribly young women trying to break into the industry are treated. Still, it could have been handled better by Parker and Gore. That’s actually a recurring problem I have with the film. They’re constantly bouncing around from character to character. I wish there was more of a plot and time to flesh out these stories.

  The finale comes with the graduation ceremony and a performance of “I Sing the Body Electric”. Lisa, Coco, and Montgomery have solos, Leroy dances; and Bruno plays the piano, finally sharing his music with the world. The lyrics talk about looking forward to the you yet to come and knowing you’ll shine brightly then. It’s appropriate for these kids with their dreams of success, yearning to shed their old skin and be reborn as stars. I also like the arrangement with the full orchestra, rock band, and choir. The song does get schmaltzy, but it’s still works for me. It’s a touching end to the movie and a great sendoff for these characters headed towards their next chapter.

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• Friday the 13th…40th Anniversary

  Posted at 7:56 am by Geoff, on May 8, 2020

  

  On Friday, May 9, 1980, Paramount Pictures released Sean Cunningham’s Friday the 13^th. The low budget horror film about a serial killer picking off camp counselors was a surprise hit that year. It proved that a simple premise with genuine scares can go a long way. A thousand sequels followed, but none of them matched the original. Here are the five scariest moments from the movie.

  5. Don’t Have Sex

  The film opens at Camp Crystal Lake in the 1950s. An amorous young couple sneaks off to a storage room to get busy. They don’t count on a killer joining them. Not the kind of threesome you want. They’re cornered and quickly murdered. This is a prime example of why you shouldn’t have sex of any kind in a horror movie. But, if you do, have an escape route.

  4. In the bathroom

  Here’s one reason I’m not into camping: the bathroom situation. I have zero interest in walking through the woods to get to a toilet or a shower. Especially when a psycho could we hanging out in there. Marcie (Jeannie Taylor) thinks her friends are playing a trick on her, waiting to pop out from one of the shower stalls. The tension builds as we watch her pull back every curtain. But then, surprise, the killer is actually behind her and Marcie gets an ax to the face. 

  3. Afterglow

  While Jack (Kevin Bacon) and Marcie were having sex (don’t do it!), a dead body was above them, on the top bunk, and the killer was underneath their bed. That’s a sinister sandwich. After Marcie exits, the killer drives an arrow through Jack’s throat from below. It’s disgustingly bloody. On a side note, back in the day I worked for Laura Kightlinger’s agent and got to know the actress/writer a little. Great woman. Laura worked on Will & Grace. Kevin Bacon guest starred on W&G. So that makes me two degrees away from Kevin Bacon. Kinda.

  2. Kill her, Mommy, kill her

  If you’ve seen Friday the 13th or the first Scream, you know that Mrs. Voorhies (Betsy Palmer) is the killer, out to avenge her son’s death. She seems like a sweet middle-aged mom when she pops up towards the end of the movie. But she quickly shows her crazy ways and it’s quite frightening, especially when she speaks in Jason’s voice. Mommy has gone around the bend. She chases Alice (Adrienne King) through the camp in a series of near misses. Alice manages to get the upper hand and chops her head off. In slow-motion.

  1. Beneath the surface

  After Alice has wacked Mrs. V., she decides to climb into a canoe and take a nap. Sure. She wakes up the next morning in the middle of the lake. Tranquil piano music plays as she looks at her reflection in the peaceful water. Then a deformed zombie-like Jason suddenly surfaces, dragging her into the lake. It’s one of the best last scares in a horror movie. If that doesn’t scare the bejezus out of you, you’re already lacking in bejezus.

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• Q&A…30th Anniversary

  Posted at 10:18 pm by Geoff, on April 26, 2020

  

  In 1990, prolific director Sidney Lumet released his latest feature film, Q&A. The plot focuses on Michael Brennan (Nick Nolte), a New York City cop who has murdered a criminal in cold blood and made it look like self-defense. A young rising district attorney, Al Reilly (Timothy Hutton), is assigned to what he’s told will be a simple case. As he digs deeper, he discovers Brennan’s complicated misdeeds. The veteran cop bullies and intimidates witnesses, covers his tracks with lies, and ultimately kills to keep his secrets. He’s empowered by higher ups in the system who look the other way or mobsters who provide the additional muscle he needs. But Al refuses to enable Brennan. He’s committed to upholding the law, even if it could get him killed.

  During his investigation, Al encounters Bobby Texador (Armand Assante), a notorious drug boss who witnessed the murder. He’s a colorful character that just so happens to be dating Al’s ex-girlfriend, Nancy (Jenny Lumet). Al still loves her and regrets the breakup. This is actually one problem I found with the movie. Every time Al and Nancy are on screen together the movie grinds to a halt. Nobody cares. The audience for this film didn’t come to see a stale love story. The better interactions are between Hutton and Nolte or Hutton and Assante. They are all excellent in their roles and have great chemistry.

  Lumet adapted the screenplay from Edwin Torres’ novel of the same name and it’s easy to see why he was drawn to the material. The book uses themes that the director had explored before in his movies (Serpico, Prince of the City, The Verdict): corruption, abuse of power, and the little guy fighting back against it all. Lumet expertly weaves a David & Goliath story into a crime thriller, adding complexity to the gritty action. The film also touches on issues of race, class, and sexuality. The last one, specifically how the LGBT characters are treated, could have been executed better though.

  Q&A didn’t perform well at the box office or get a lot of acclaim from the critics, but I find it to be an interesting film. Even though Lumet has gone down this road before he manages to cover the material from a fresh perspective. It’s still worth taking a look all these years later.

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• Happy Easter…with Godspell

  Posted at 10:12 am by Geoff, on April 12, 2020

  

  I enjoy celebrating Easter Sunday by watching Godspell, which is as close as I wanna get to church. The film, based on the stage play of the same name, came out in 1973. That same year another musical about Jesus Christ, of the Superstar variety, was also released. I prefer Godspell, mainly because it’s so wacky. The gist of it is that Jesus (Victor Garber), John the Baptist/Judas (David Haskell), and a bunch of hippie disciples are traipsing around an empty New York City reenacting parables, singing, and dancing. It’s like a Sunday school lesson on acid. The cast, led by a baby-faced Garber, is very talented. You also have beautiful shots of early 70s NYC, including the recently built World Trade Center. The music is my favorite part, though. These are my top three songs.

  Day by Day

  When the hippie troupe first comes together, they sing this number while building their home base in an old junk yard. It’s a fun one to sing and clap along to, if the spirit moves you.

  By My Side

  A beautiful ballad with perfect overlapping harmonies. I like how stripped down it is.

  Turn Back, O Man

  This sultry number contains the line, “Come here Jesus, I got something to show you”. WTF?? But, I’m here for it. They filmed this at the historic Andrew Carnegie mansion. Great setting.

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• The Boys in the Band…50th Anniversary

  Posted at 11:40 pm by Geoff, on March 28, 2020

  

  Fifty years ago this month, The Boys in the Band debuted in theaters. The movie was groundbreaking in depicting gay men and their lives at a time when it was taboo to do so. Other films alluded to homosexuality or danced around the subject. Boys put everything out in the open with three dimensional characters and plot lines. Warts and all. That’s what makes it so memorable.

  Stage to screen

  In 1968, Mart Crowley was struggling to establish his career as a writer. His friends encouraged him to develop a play, which ultimately became The Boys in the Band. The story focuses on nine gay men who have gathered together for a birthday celebration. At first the tone is fun and not-so-serious, but halfway through things take a turn. You wouldn’t want to be invited to this party. Boys debuted Off-Broadway and instantly became a hit, running for 1,001 performances. This led to a film adaptation written by Crowley and starring the original actors from the show. Robert Moore, the play’s director, was dropped because he had never directed for the screen. The production company instead hired a young pre-Exorcist William Friedkin and shooting began. The majority of filming took place on one stage in a NYC studio, maintaining the static feel of the play. That beautifully 1970s apartment set is one of my favorites from any movie.

  Breaking down the boys

  Even though it’s not his birthday, Michael (Kenneth Nelson) manages to take center stage. He’s deeply troubled about his life and that comes pouring out as the play goes on. The main reason for his drama is his sexuality. He drinks excessively and attacks others rather than deal with his issues. Nelson expertly plays Michael’s highs and lows, going from jovial to lethal in a second.

  Harold (Leonard Frey), the birthday boy, is Michael’s best friend and sometimes his worst enemy. They love to trade barbs and tear each other down. They’re very similar except Harold does a better job of distracting from his insecurities and faults. His acidic wit hides a lot of pain.

  Donald (Frederick Combs) is Michael’s ex-boyfriend, but they still care for each other. Like Michael, he’s not too happy with himself. Do you see a pattern? But he’s seeing a psychiatrist to deal with his problems. Ironically, he ends up being Michael’s shrink in a sense, but fails to save him from himself.

  Alan (Peter White) crashes the party and changes the entire mood. Before arriving, he calls Michael, telling him that he desperately needs to talk in person. Michael believes his straight married friend is actually gay and on the verge of coming out. If Alan’s not willing to do so on his own, Michael will drag him out of the closet.

  Flamboyant Emory (Cliff Gorman) is a textbook sissy, swishing and mincing through every scene. Some might argue that a character like this shouldn’t have been included in the play. But Crowley and Gorman give Emory depth beyond the superficial stereotype. I also think he’s the strongest one at the party. He’s unabashedly himself, refusing to change for anyone. 

  Bernard (Reuben Greene) acts as the one black friend in the group. It’s a little surprising that Crowley included a person of color when it could have easily been an all-white affair, reflecting the era. He’s not a token either. Bernard’s race does become a focal point, but he’s also a fully-formed character.

  Hank (Laurence Luckinbill) and Larry (Keith Prentice) are a couple, but they’re not in sync. Hank was once married to a woman and he’s eager to have that same sort of relationship. Larry is allergic to commitment and would rather play the field. Their differing points of view make for an interesting conversation about monogamy in the gay world.

  Cowboy (Robert La Tourneaux), a hustler that Emory finds on the street, is Harold’s birthday present. We never learn much about him, including his real name. He’s mainly there to say stupid things for comic effect. But to La Tourneaux’s credit, it takes a good actor to play dumb so well.

  Backlash

  In between the stage play and the release of the movie came a major event: Stonewall. The riots at a gay bar in NYC where members of the LGBT community fought back against injustice, kicked off the gay liberation movement. Gays felt empowered to break out of the closet and feel proud. So just like that, Boys became obsolete. A story about a bunch of self-hating gay men felt out of touch with what was going on in the world. Yes, it was great to have a film that focused primarily on gays, but the way they were portrayed was repellent to most in the community. When you’re seeking representation onscreen, something so seemingly negative can be disheartening. Nobody wants to be a miserable gay. 

  Legacy

  Over the years, the film has gained more good will, though. I think this is because new, younger audiences are seeing it. These are people who didn’t live through that time period and are somewhat detached from it. They can only imagine what pre-Stonewall life was like, so the film doesn’t feel as personal or hurtful. It’s just a movie now, whereas for gay men in 1970 it was a reality from which they wanted to escape. But I think it’s actually good to look back at a film like Boys and appreciate how far we’ve come. Also, artistically, it’s captivating and well-conceived.

  In 2018, the play finally made it to Broadway. Ryan Murphy produced the revival that proudly featured a cast made up entirely of openly gay actors. The show was extremely successful and won Best Revival at the Tony Awards. Crowley accepted the honor and gave a tearful speech honoring the original cast of Boys. It was an incredible full circle moment. Unfortunately, Crowley died earlier this year. I’m glad he got the chance to receive that acclaim after so much criticism was leveled against his work in the past. He didn’t need the justification, but he deserved it. Later in 2020, another film adaptation, starring the same cast from the revival, will be coming to Netflix. I’m anxious to see this new chapter of Boys and revisit a great story.

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