10. Last Action Hero (1993, J. McTiernan)
I debated greatly as to whether to include this on my list, as it already has quite a cult following to be considered a "guilty pleasure". However, it was pretty widely panned by the critics on it's initial release, but still managed to gain a respectable return on it's budget. The film's problem is that it has absolutely no subtlety to it's satire at all, so much so that people take it at face value they don't bother to read between the lines. The film is a cinephile's dream with so many references to other action genre films, as well as cinematic classics such as Olivier's Hamlet and even Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. With Olivier's ex-Wife Joan Plowright playing the teacher who introduces the main character's class to the film, in which he promptly imagines as Arnie's latest blockbuster. The cast is also impressive, boasting such luminaries as Anthony Quinn, Charles Dance, F. Murray Abraham and even Sir Ian McKellen, along with cameos from Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick, the film seems to relish and indulge it's target audience. Again it falls into the trap of giving it's audience to much credit, but for those who have discovered John McTiernan's aim of the film, they have been rewarded an amusing and charming action adventure that they can revisit time and again. One last point I'd like to make is that like the film, Arnold Schwarzenneger is severely underestimated for his film choices. I don't think it's any coincidence that he did The Terminator, Predator, Total Recall, Last Action Hero and True Lies. The films I haven't mentioned are the ones where he's made his name, established himself as an action star and those have more often than not been box office hits. An underestimated man, whose state governership only serves to enhance this opinion.
9. Billy Madisson (1995, T. Davis)
Liking an Adam Sandler film, that isn't Happy Gilmore, has got to come under the category of "guilty pleasure". Like most oher Sandler film's he's at his obnoxious and abrasive best, but despite this the film has some absolute comedy gold. Totally irreverant and over-the-top, it's pure juvenile silliness, 'just like other Sandler films' you might say, well no, not really. It benefits greatly from the fact it's Adam Sandler's first main role, and so the comedy isn't totally reliant on him throughout to deliver the lines. Centred around Sandler's character having to go back through grades 1-12 in order to earn his high-school diploma in order to take over his father's company. Along the way he meets a teacher, played by the stunning Brigette Wilson (her second film after... Last Action Hero of course), he falls for her, but like us finds him obnoxious. She somewhat unconvincingly lightens up to him, but it matters not, as the film is all about the gags. It still suffers from slight moments of cringe from Sandler, but overall it's a riot, with interesting support from established character actors.
8. Batman: The Movie (1966, L. Martinson)
Again, I'm not sure this should be included on this list, I'm pretty sure everyone involved with the TV series and movie knew what they were doing. I think it was made as a kid's show, but the comedy must have been put in for adults to enjoy too, as well as the insatiable Julie Newmar. Sadly Newmar wasn't involved in the movie version of the show, but Lee Meriwether proved an adequate replacement as Catwoman. The movie centres around the big four villains (Catwoman, The Riddler, The Penguin and The Joker) de-hydrating members of the UN Council into molecules, it's up to the dynamic duo to track down and recapture the molecules and rehydrate the members. Of course the plot is ludicrous, like much of the "action", but this is what makes the Adam West Batman the stuff of legend. 'Shark Repellent Batspray', 'self sacrificing manatees' and "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb." are just a brief snippet of some of the gold that this film offers. The series is equally as fun, some people take this version too seriously, they shouldn't as it doesn't treat itself with an integrity. It is for the most part pure slapstick, though it does in some way capture the spirit of the original DC comics.
7. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (1979, B. Melendez)
This low budget animated version of the C.S. Lewis classic, is my favourite adaptation. Although the animation is slow and simple, I think the film as a whole summises the whole story wonderfully for children. I grew up watching this, and now own the DVD, which I still occassionally watch. It was directed by the father of the Charlie Brown TV show, but suprisingly the animation does have a more British feel to it, than American. It also has a lot of noticeable names amongst it's voice artists such as Leo McKern, Arthur Lowe, Leslie Phillips and Sheila Hancock as The White Witch. It's interesting to note, that the American release feature American voice over actors in it's version, including Victor Spinetti. The thing I love about this film is it's score, for such a low budget animation, it's is one of the best scores I've heard from any animated movies. Most impressive of which is the music accompanying the chase of the White Stag at the end, it really suits the epic story it's accompanying. Whilst overall, this film leaves a lot of room for better adaptations to be made, no one as of yet, has made a film that I feel is as charming, or encapsulates the heart of the tale, quite like this underrated and somewhat forgotten piece.
6. Calamity Jane (1953, D. Butler)
"Oh..... The Deadwood stage is rolling on over the plain"... yep an MGM musical now, starring Doris Day and Howard Keel. Based on the wild west legend of 'Wild' Bill Hickcock (Keel) and tomboy 'Calamity' Jane (Day), it centres around "Calam" having to bring in some female talent from "Chicagy", after being dared by her childhood friend 'Wild' Bill. Once brought back, it is soon discovered (unknown to "Calam" that the show girl is an imposter called Katie. The town folk soon forgive Calamity, and she and Katie, strike a friendship. Calamity starts to become more like a lady and attempts to woo Lieutenant Gilmartin, with 'Wild' Bill after Katie.
Ok so you already know where this one is going, but still it's a nice film that's synonymous with MGM musical's of the 50's. The numbers are great, and Doris Day is great as "Calam", for me though it's Keel's baritone voice and brilliant chemistry with "Calam" that makes the movie worth watching again and again. Most people will identify the character with the recent hit series "Deadwood", but whereas that is gritty and "real", this is twee and fun.
5. Muriel's Wedding (1994, P.J. Hogan)
A chick flick now, Muriel's Wedding was very much a film of the 90's, during a time when the Oceanic film industry was starting to garner greater international attention (Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Strictly Ballroom and Braindead). Interesting to note all these films apart from Braindead featured the late Bill Hunter, who plays the family patriach in this. As an aspiring politician, dodgier than a Jeffrey Archer and Jonathan Aitken testimony, he resents his family who are a bunch of underacheivers. Muriel (Toni Collete) his daughter goes on a journey of her own, having been ditched by her peers for been uncouth, she manipulates her slow-witted mother into giving her a blanque-cheque, in which she uses to try and follow her peers on holiday. Again she is rejected, but soon meets an old school-friend Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths), who takes a shine to Muriel and the two soon become firm friends. Muriel forever dreams of her own wedding and listens endlessly to ABBA for solace, but after meeting Rhonda, she resolves to improve her life and get what she wants.
Toni Collete is brilliant in the title role, and as she has proved since she has a real knack for immersing herself into a character, sacrificing weight, make up and even her hair for subsequent roles. Her character's development is well charted throughout the film, it never comes off as contrived, which is a real acheivment. Equally Rachel Griffiths compliments Collete's performance beautifully and their spontaneous friendship feels genuine. It's a very endearing movie, and very matter of fact, one of the few chick flicks that has something different and original about it. Also, the ABBA themed score, makes this a far superior ABBA-centric movie to the over-bloated Mamma Mia.
4. Logan's Run (1976, M. Anderson)
This film was made just a year before Star Wars, but comparing the two you would say there were at least twenty. Set in a dystopian future where life is terminated at the age of 30, in an amphitheatre like structure called 'Carousel'. Of course you could always run, however the runners will track you down and kill you unceremoniously. Cue Michael York who plays one of these trackers (a 'Sandman'), who's assigned by the city's computer to infiltrate the runner's 'Sanctuary' by becoming a runner himself. He uses the lushes and sultry Jenny Aguter to acheive this goal, whilst being hunted by his fellow Sandmen.
It really is quite camp, espescially by today's standards, but it is quite an interesting film, even if I do think George Lucas better acheived the concept in his first feature project THX 1138 five years earlier. The reason I like it so much, is probably more nostalgic rather than anything else, I'm pretty sure Jenny Aguter is the first woman I saw naked. Aside from that fact, which I dwell on almost daily, the adventure is quite entertaining as they move from this exciting "modern" city, into the city's dark underworld and into the ruins of modern America. Again like all guilty pleasures, it's fun and easy watching and a great Sunday afternoon flick.
Of course no 'guilty pleasures' list is complete with out an entry from Kevin Costner. 'Prince of Thieves', 'Tin Cup' and 'The Bodyguard' were all a bit too entertaining and quite good, to be considered "guilty". 'The Postman' on the otherhand, a bit too self-indulgent and boring to be considered a "pleasure". Waterworld manages to find the balance. It was of course the most expensive film, at that time, ever made, the fact that Costner and director Kevin Reynolds had a huge fight over the film, only adds to it's legend. Other alleged problems came after Costner was given a $4,500-a-night luxury villa, whilst the rest of the crew had to make do with comparable squalor, thus causing further on-set tensions.
Regardless, the film is filled with a lot of cringetastic lines and action sequences, that the problems seemed to have stemmed long before production had begun. Dennis Hopper's cartoonish portrayel of the villain Deacon, only serves the cynics to lampoon the movie further. But you know what, it works for me. I think a lot of people attack this film because of Costner, but it's not awful, at the end of the day films are designed to be a form of escapism and a piece of entertainment and Waterworld certainly achieves this. Ok, it might not be the most gritty or even believable portrayel of a post-apocalyptic Earth, but it's kitsch. And I don't know too many $180m film's that are kitsch. It's another reason that I like it, it's extravagance, over sentimentality and sheer waste seems like a thing to marvel at rather than ridicule. It's one of those, that if people let themselves go, they'd enjoy this film. Dry land is not a myth, and neither is Waterworld.
2. Finian's Rainbow (1969, F. F. Coppola)
Before Coppola made a series of great films in the 70's, including The Godfather Part 1 and 2, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now! he made this tacky Irish musical starring Petula Clark, Tommy Steele and Fred Astaire in his last musical role. Clark's mousy bland persona, Steele's over-the-top sense of showmanship and Astaire's awful Oi'rish accent are all the ingredients needed to make this film be a complete failure. Though it was in fact a commercial success, but naturally panned by critics. It isn't at all bad though if taken for what it is, which I think is a fun, gentile and simplistic look at Irish folk tales, mixed with a bit of song and dance. Steele is fun and charming as the leprauchaun Og, who wants to get his pot o' gold back before turning into a mortal. Whilst there are no signature tunes, they are pleasant enough to make this film worth watching on a slow Sunday.
1. I Spit On Your Grave (a.k.a. Day of the Woman) (1978, M. Zarchi)
Now to my favourite exploitation piece. I've always loved horror movies, but despite the boundaries pushed by 70's classics such as The Exorcist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I didn't discover exploitation pieces until university. I Spit On Your Grave was my first one, and despite never seeing the uncut version, it's always stuck with me. I know it's referred to as "Exploitation" but for me I don't find any of the film particularly gratuitous, especially compared to today's movie which are far more gratuitous, if maybe a little less explicit. In comparrison to Wes Craven's Last House on the Left, I feel the rape scene is far more purposeful. Last House on the Left comes across as pure snuff film, with little plot towards it. I find this far more captivating as a vengeance piece as we are solely centred on the one victim throughout the movie. Most feminists will strongly disagree, but I view this as one of the most undetected counter-culture feminist pieces of our time. It may suffer a bit from being undercooked in character development, but let's face it, this was very low budget. I haven't seen the remake, but I doubt it capitalised in trying to explore the more intelligent elements of this film. Below is just a trailer for the film, but my scene would be the bathtub one.
No comments:
Post a Comment