John's Sick Weekend of Movies, 02/15 - 02/17/02

Not sure where to start off... so I'll start off with my story.

I was sick. Siiiiiick. I left work on Friday morning, after I'd gotten there at 9... oh, I'd say around 10:30 or so. My head was hurting... my stomach was doing the mashed potato... I had to get out of there, find a place to lie down... and wait this thing out.

Something, some bug, flu, virus... you name it... was going around. I knew a lot of people who had it. And the horror stories I heard about, well... I won't get into it.

Basically, it was bad.

So, I kept myself in check on the ride home... got some soup at the store, got into my apartment... and crashed down on my open futon, feeling dead to the world.

Now, I know movie goers usually determine what they'll watch, depending on mood. Now-a-days, I choose based on stuff I've gotten in, but haven't watched. At least, I try to.

So, the first movie that caught my eye, that I wanted to watch, hadn't seen in a long time, was M*A*S*H.

M*A*S*H, 1970

MASH, the show, was lots of things. A comedy, drama, satire, sometimes all three at once... heartbreaking... and still one of the most popular television shows ever.

The movie was very similar. It had mostly comedy, to be sure... but there were serious moments, most specifically in regard to the setting.

Originally taken from the novel by Richard Hooker (retelling his experiences as a Korean Army Medic) and adapted by Ring Lardner Jr. (who had won an Academy Award for his work on Woman of the Year and MASH)... I would have to say that much of the work that made it into this film had to be ad-libbed. The setting called for it. The actors were (at the time) made for it. I've never read the script... and what I'm saying (ad-libbing) isn't a bad thing... certainly there was a script to reference... to develop characters, scenes, relationships between characters, etc...

The structure of the story, though, was very smart. I find this to be common for all of Altman's movies... the layers of involvement (of specific characters) that are segmented throughout the story... jumps, but with a consistent character development. True to the story, true to the characters. We even get a brilliant transition of Hot Lips, after constant teasing and practical jokes, that comes out of nowhere... and fits perfectly.

Donald Sutherland was pretty much perfect in this role. I love his work, but this is, by far, my most favorite of his. He's got such an incredible sense of personality, humor, intelligence and wit about him, as Hawkeye Pierce. After working on The Dirty Dozen and Kelly's Heroes, this role seemed tailor made for him. I won't get into his career as an actor, which spans almost forty years... but suffice it to say, I think his ability helped shape this film.

Elliot Gould. A young Gould. Sheesh! Having recently seen him in Ocean's Eleven, what an enormous difference between the two 'actors'. Gould has had a comparable career as an actor, to Sutherland (both of whom starred in SPYS, directed by Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner). I think Gould used comedy as an excuse to over act in this film. There were moments when he and Sutherland worked very well together, and there was no sense (for me) of overacting... but other times, I couldn't help but feel it.

Tom Skerritt was hysterical as Duke Forrest, a character that did not make it into the television show. His role was much more subdued than Sutherland and Gould, but his presence was strongly felt when he was around. MASH was at the beginning of his career, and I think it was one of those platforms, where actors (hell, where everyone) learns more as they are going along and doing, then they had at any other time. I liked him in this, very much.

Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Roger Bowen, Rene Auberjonois and Gary Burghoff rounded out the remainder of the cast. All of them did wonderful jobs. I was particularly surprised at Duvall's performance, which was so stinted and anal... a far cry from his Lt. Colonel Kilgore character in Apocalypse Now. Duvall would, soon after MASH, star in The Godfather, starting his career with Coppola. I'm curious if Coppola saw him in MASH, and used this as a deciding factor to use him.

In 1970, in war, in comedy... you could get away with one of your characters, a black character, being called Spearchucker. To me, now, in this PC world, it was very strange. I was slightly (slightly) taken aback by it. It's almost as if that world never existed... that world where derogatory statements like that were commonplace, among both blacks and whites... or maybe they were using that as a backdrop to war, like "Hell, we could be dead tomorrow, I don't care what you call me." Sure, that was his nickname in college... all of his teammates called him that... but today, that nickname would have severe consequences, and wouldn't be tolerated.

Just something funny I noticed, that's all.

MASH was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Editing and Best Supporting Actress (Kellerman). Lardner won for Best Adapted Script.

Robert Altman won the Golden Palm at Cannes in 1970, for directing MASH. Much of his early career was in television. Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Sugarfoot, Maverick, Peter Gunn, Bonanza, Combat!... MASH was, after his stint in television, his fourth or fifth feature film. His work has always been heralded as 'slice of life' vignetes... trying to wrap up the lives of everyday people, with the situations and circumstance that make them who they are. This was readily aparent in his later features, such as Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts... though he's also directed mainstream films, such as Popeye in 1980.

Unfortunately, for me, his work has slipped off the wayside. I tuned out after The Player... having sat through Short Cuts without killing myself... a feat, believe me.

But his work... his earlier work... is inspired, raw and intelligent. MASH was, to me, a defining moment in his ability to take the lives of wartime and to give them a linear feel... of personal growth and experience... to use time and life the right way... not molding it to suit the plot, or fudging it to make a character more real. His characters in his films are just that... and it's obvious that this singular thing is something he strives for, in every film.

Having started on early Superman reels, and working on Superman television shows, Harold E. Stine began his career as a cinematographer. I can't recognize much of the films he's worked on, especially in the beginning of his career. In fact, I can't recognize all but two of the films he shot. MASH and, two years later, The Poseidon Adventure, in which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Working with a war movie, shooting a script based on actual experiences... dealing with the personalities of the actors, their characters, Altman... I think Stine pretty much shot as much material as he could possibly shoot. A lot of the film looks like pieced together parts... sometimes with obviously looped over dialog... but the shots themselves are incredibly nice ones, though some are more straight-forward than others.

It's too bad Stine didn't live longer than 1977. I'm curious if Altman would have used him in any of the other films he shot, after MASH, and what his eye would have added or taken away from those films.

All in all, it's a great war movie. Very well done, well acted, well scripted, well directed. And, spawned an incredible television show, which is still one of my favorites.

Ok. By this time, it was Friday night. I had spotty sleep, I was drooling, and I decided to turn in for the night.

On Saturday, I awoke to find myself sweating... the fever I had had broke. Lucky me. But my head was still hurting, my stomach was not entirely happy... but I wasn't shivering with chills... so I decided to spend another day in doors. On Friday, my Special Edition of Groundhog Day came in... and I couldn't think of a more perfect movie to watch... since it's one of my favorites.

Groundhog Day, 1993

I've been a Bill Murray fan since forever. I saw this movie while I was in college (second year), around the time that I also saw Dead Alive. I remember the two because I went with this girl Angela, who was my friend and semi-girlfriend. We both loved movies, and cracked up when we saw Groundhog Day.

Harold Ramis has been in the Murray/Aykroyd/Bellushi group since it's inception... late 1970's. His first work, writing the cult classic Animal House, would pretty much solidify his relationship with the group, all of whom were on SNL (save Ramis). Four follow-ups, in a row, would Ramis write, that would include at least one, if not two of this core group. Meatballs, Caddyshack, Stripes and Ghostbusters.

Ramis would not only write these films, but would direct Caddyshack, and also star in both Stripes and Ghostbusters with Murray and Aykroyd, respectively.

I would have to say that the 1980's were definitely open season for comedy stars, writers and directors. The work that Ramis and Murray would do in those few years set them apart from other comedic writers/actors. Their films were incredibly successful, especially Ghostbusters, which was the top grossing movie of 1984.

Ramis continued on with the National Lampoon front, and in 1983 directed Vacation.

After Ghostbusters, I think Reagan pretty much depressed the country. Ramis would write a few other comedies, trying to resurrect his original wit... and these are good movies, but in no way compare to his earlier works. Back to School (producing, too), Club Paradise, Armed and Dangerous... he would direct Club Paradise... and would stop directing, until 1993, when he directed Groundhog Day.

After Armed and Dangerous, he went to sequels, which started to become almost automatic money makers, after Beverly Hills Cop II came out. So, Caddyshack II, Ghostbusters II... and then he would help re-write Danny Rubin's script of Groundhog Day.

Now, along with being a great writer/director... I've always loved Ramis as an actor. One of the first things I've ever seen him in, even though he's uncredited, is Spacehunter. If you get a second, watch the movie, and in the beginning you'll see him on a video monitor, talking about... well, something. It was on Spacehunter that Ramis would meet Ernie Hudson, and they would work on Ghostbusters together, a year later.

Surprisingly, Ramis will be producing Jon Favreau's script The First $20 Million, for 2002. I thought that was pretty cool. He will also be shooting the sequel to Analyze This, called Analyze That. Wow. I did not like Analyze This... so chances are, I won't be tuning in. But...

The work done in Groundhog day is flawless. From the directing, the choice of shots... the re-working of the script that Ramis did (he talks about some of the details in a behind-the-scenes featurette on the DVD)... all of it helped craft what is an all around incredible film.

Bill Murray. I won't go into him. He's a genius. He's been in more fan favorite movies than just about anyone else. His switch from straight comedy to sometimes darker, sometimes more dramatic roles... I think was a very smart move. His work, his range is enormous. All around, a brilliant actor, and the only one who could have pulled this role off.

Andie MacDowell's first role was in Greystoke, in 1984. She went on to shoot St. Elmo's Fire, but got lost in the 80's Rat Pack. Then, in 1989, Steve Soderbergh and Nancy Tenenbaum grabbed her for a lead role in what would become one of the true first independent films of the decade, Sex, Lies and Videotape.

Green Card, Hudson Hawk, The Player... all of them continued to help solidify her as a competent actress. I think her work in Groundhog Day is pretty great. Better than her work in Hudson Hawk, which I still think is a fun movie.

She had a great repore with Murray, and provided a perfect opposite for him... as they said in the featurette, a beauty and the beast quality. She fit the role very well.

But, for me, it was after Groundhog Day, that I got sick of her work. Short Cuts, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bad Girls, Michael... I was pretty much through. Which is a shame because she's very attractive... but the projects and some of the acting... I just didn't like.

The rest of the cast helps round out the film in such an incredible way that one change in casting might have changed the entire movie. Chris Elliot. I've loved him since the beginning. Get a Life is one of my favorite 80's tv shows. Brian Doyle-Murray. He's the Man's brother. He's fun, you can see him coming a mile away... great. Stephen Tobolowsky. When watching the featurette, you can just see him as a balls-to-the-wall actor who takes his roles seriously... even as Ned Ryerson, the goof. He was incredible, too.

Danny Rubin helped create an incredible film, with his brilliant story. From what I've gathered, a lot of the original story was re-worked by both he and Ramis. Unfortunately, his other work isn't as up to speed. Hear No Evil and S.F.W., both inside of a year of Groundhog Day... and not a peep since.

All in all, this movie is brilliant. The structure, the editing, the character development... and the way the story was handled, in such a way that we've got an idea of how much time is passing... the torture that Phil is going through... the resolve... each of these key moments... the original script had Phil living this day for over a thousand years... and even though that would have been virtually impossible to show on film, Ramis was able to show us that there was a significant amount of time passing... very clever work by Ramis, Rubin and Murray.

Ok. At this point, you wouldn't believe this... but my mom comes down from Scranton, Pennsylvania (she was headed towards Long Island... hell, she doesn't love me THAT much), and drops off a ton of food. Chicken soup. Beef stew. Baked ziti. Rolls. Apple juice. I mean, can you believe it? So, I'm sick, but I'm loaded for bear.

After she left, I heated up some chicken soup, and I put in #4 of my all time favorite movies.

Fight Club, 1999

Fight Club. Survivor. Invisible Monsters.

All three are incredibly brilliant. Survivor, in my opinion, is the best novel to come out in the last ten years. It's that good.

Jim Uhls had the task of adapting the novel. This was his first script... thus far his only script... and he masterfully arranged the novel, its dialog, characters, plot... into a slightly more cohesive form. The novel is different. Marketably different. Palahniuk went on to say that he liked the movies ending better...

Certain aspects of the film, in regards to the differences between script and novel, are incredible original and brilliant. I would have to say, though, that this was a combined effort between Uhls' writing and David Fincher's directing.

David Fincher is, in my opinion, the most important new director of the last ten years... pretty much tied with P.T. Anderson.

Having directed commercials and music videos, his first feature was the doomed Alien 3. Doomed, I say, because after having two directors create two different films... both groundbreaking... sure, audiences were jazzed about another Alien film... but were not jazzed about the story rumors, plot rumors, or director rumors. David Fincher had never directed a film... and for such an 'important' movie like this (fan important), an unknown... well, it wasn't a good idea.

Alien 3 isn't a bad movie. There are some incredible shots in that film. The opening sequence is cool, too, which is constant for Fincher films. The acting, the direction... all of it was well done... but the main problem was the story. And if you don't have a good story, it doesn't matter how good the directing is. The majority of the moviegoing audience will still turn on you, the director.

Three years passed between films, when finally Fincher got his hands on an incredible script by Tower Records employee Andrew Kevin Walker. Se7en is, I have to say, right up there with Fight Club as a smart, incredibly acted, directed, photographed and edited film. I was very impressed by this movie, as was most of the movie goers, and this film really shot Fincher into space.

The Game came right on the heels of Se7en, with leading man Michael Douglas at the helm. This time, the script came from the producer/writer team of Brancato and Ferris, the two responsible for The Net (two years earlier) and the upcoming Terminator movie, T3: Rise of the Machines.

I cannot say enough about the brilliant work in Fight Club. Working closely with Jeff Cronenweth (the cinematographer), Chris Gorak (art direction), Jim Haygood (editor), Rob Bottin (effects god), and the rest of the production crew... this movie is as original as it was innovative.

For me, I look forward to Fincher movies as I do for David Lynch, P.T. Anderson and John Carpenter films... and Scorsese. That's about the best contemporary directors there are, in my eyes.

Ed Norton was just perfect for his role as Jack, or Narrator, as he's credited. His work over the past ten years has been nothing but stepping stone after stepping stone. He's been hailed as the next Robert De Niro... I couldn't tell you if that's right or wrong. But his work is definitely comparable, I will say that. The People vs. Larry Flint, American History X... along with two films to come out in 2002. Death to Smoochy and the remake of Michael Mann's Manhunter, Red Dragon. I'm looking forward to both of these films, very much, for Norton's work alone.

I can't say much about Brad Pitt. The guy is an acting machine, and is able to bring an energy to each and every role he portrays. From Thelma and Louise to his latest role in Ocean's Eleven, his work is very enjoyable. I think the role of Tyler Durden, for him, was another breakthrough performance, completely challenging and rewarding.

This was the first thing I've seen Helena Bonham Carter in. I should say 'remember' seeing her in.

One of her first big roles was in A Room with a View, in 1986. She went on to larger roles in the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet, Howards End, Frankenstein, The Wings of the Dove...

She was great in this role... a far cry from the Merchant/Ivory type roles she was playing. I'm not exactly sure how the casting agent found her for this role, but she works perfectly. The Marla Singer in both the book and the movie are pretty much identical... I'm always fascinated by casting directors. Sometimes they really know their jobs.

Meat Loaf, Jared Leto, Eion Bailey... all of them did wonderful jobs with their respective roles. Meat Loaf was the only one, though, who's character didn't get drowned out over the acting of the main characters. His work was just incredible, too. I think it's a testament to how good Fincher is as a director, his ability to get brilliant performances out of his actors.

One of the incredible things about this film is the music. The soundtrack was written and performed by The Dust Brothers, John King and Michael Simpson. I highly recommend getting the soundtrack... it's some of the most original and interesting music I've heard in a long time.

Jeff Cronenweth. I think one of the key relationships in a film is between the director and the cinematographer. The two need to trust each other, in regards to the look of the film. There are two different types of directors. One who is more concerned about the performance, and the other who's more concerned about the shots. Fincher seems to be both. But with a DP like Cronenweth, I think he was able to relax a little, and trust his DP.

Having worked as a camera operator and DP (second unit) on both Se7en and The Game... it's easy to understand why Fincher chose him to do the work on Fight Club. The lighting, the blocking of shots, camera angles... the use of effects... all of them were masterfully shot. I was very impressed with the overall feel of this movie, by and large because of the beautiful photography.

Cronenweth did not work with Fincher on his most recent film, Panic Room... he has two movies coming out in 2002 that he shot, though. The first one is the thriller One Hour Photo, which is starring Robin Williams in yet another dramatic role. The next is Kathryn Bigelow's return to the big screen (after Strange Days and The Weight of Water), K-19: The Widowmaker. This is starring Harrison Ford, and should be very interesting.

All in all, this film is a must own. The DVD is chock full of incredible features, and was voted best DVD on a number of lists, in 2001. Behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, four commentaries... just incredible.

All right. I was eating chicken soup, drinking apple juice, relaxing as much as possible... I even squeezed a nap in there, somewhere. I think. I can't really remember. All I know is, Saturday I was feeling slightly better. After Fight Club, I was feeling better still. I got up, walked around some, hung out with my cats... generally feeling better.

At the time, I was reading Christine. I'm a big Stephen King fan... I'm an even bigger John Carpenter fan... and so I figured, with forty pages left of the book (and with a massive headache that stopped me from reading), I put the movie in.

Christine, 1984

Carpenter, with each of his films, was able to create a stable universe, dealing with aspects of science fiction and horror, which were more acceptable to the movie audience. How he did it, I have no idea, but I've seen it in the majority of his films, including those over the top ones like Big Trouble in Little China.

The Stephen King Saga, his assault on moviegoers did not start until 1976, when Brian De Palma adapted Carrie. From there, I don't think anyone could have stopped the floodgates. I couldn't tell you what is attributed to the phenomena of Stephen King. He's a good writer. His earlier work is filled with a fresh, original look at horror and of the human condition. His later work, you can see the cynical side of him creeping in, and I think he lost his grip for a few years.

But, his earlier work, well, I don't think there's been a book of his not adapted in some form or another. Plus, I think he genuinely likes the medium of film.

You can say that Harlan Ellison, who has written more short stories than just about any other human, has been adapted into some fine movies... but I don't think Ellison has a love for film, or for film producers.

Elmore Leonard. He's another writer who's work, I think, is specifically designed to be, after consumed as fiction, to be made into film. And, over the past several years, his work has been adapted into a number of great movies.

But King, well, he tops them all.

By 1983 (when Christine came out), King had already had five of his novels adapted. Four of them were adapted by well known directors. De Palma, Kubrick, Tobe Hooper and David Cronenberg. Carpenter was, in my opinion, the last perfect director in line to work on a King project. At least, back in the 80's.

Even though it was faithfully adapted (the book has a much more complex plot developed), there are some moments of simple storytelling that kind of ruin the film. It's rushed. There were moments from the book that could have been highlighted better, in regards to Arnie and his car, Christine, and the ghost that haunted her.

Keith Gordon and John Stockwell were perfect casting choices in this film.

Gordon started his career in Jaws 2, in 1978. He would work with De Palma in 79 in Home Movies, All That Jazz and again with De Palma in 1980, in Dressed to Kill. I was impressed with his work then, and saw the progression of his technical abilities. Christine came at a perfect time for Gordon, who continued to work on television movies. After Christine he would star opposite Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School. And then, he quit acting.

Gordon went on to direct and produce, full time. He produced/directed the Kurt Vonnegut novel Mother Night in 1996, along with the 2000 film Waking the Dead. I was very surprised by this move, when I found out, and also very impressed.

John Stockwell went on to do some deccent acting, following Christine. Eddie and the Cruisers, My Sience Project, Top Gun... but the majority of it were bit roles. But, again, I went digging a little on Stockwell to find out that he'd become a writer/director. His first film was called Under Cover, an 80's crime drama that didn't do too badly, but did not do very well. His next work would be the HBO film Breast Men, which he wrote. Following the success of Breast Men he would write and direct Cheaters, starring Jeff Daniels.

In 2001 he directed the Kirsten Dunst film Crazy/Beautiful. In 2002 we should expect to see his next writing/directing attempt, Blue Crush. Should be interesting.

Alexandra Paul, who played Leigh Cabot, went on to have a pretty busy career herself. I wasn't particularly impressed with her work in this film, although it wasn't bad. She did go on to star in some fairly mainstream films after Christine, though a lot of it were TV shows and series. She became a regular fixture on Baywatch for five seasons, and pretty much continues in the B-movie vein, straight to video type films. At this stage, and I'm being serious, work is work.

I find it interesting to go through the histories of actors that we know by their faces, but their names escape us. Christine has always been a favorite of mine, and I'm happy to see that the actors who made the film went on to continue to have a career in Hollywood. I hope they're happy.

There is some great info on Christine here, on The Official John Carpenter web site.

Others whose performances stood out were Harry Dean Stanton, of course... Robert Prosky (who's played so many bit roles in all types of movies), Roberts Blossom and William Ostrander, who (out of nowhere) got a small bit part in Mulholland Drive, after having not acted for sixteen years.

Steven Tash, who played Rich (one of Buddy Reperton's goons) showed up a year later in Ghostbusters, as the Male Student being experimented on by Dr. Venkman.

It's strange to find out where all of these people went.

With the Carpenter music (along with Alan Howarth), and Larry J Franco's incredible ability as a producer, this is one of my favorite Carpenter movies. He continued to scare us with his use of the steady-cam, and his ability to get the most out of his actors and his crew... in this case, specifically Daniel Lomino (Production Design), Roy Arbogast and Mike Reedy (Special Effects).

Both Lomino and Arbogast have worked on Carpenter films in the past. Mike Reedy has an incredibly successful filmography over the last twenty-seven years. Working on such films as Earthquake, Pete's Dragon, The Black Hole, Dragonslayer, Tron, Real Genius, Always, Batman Returns, Demolition Man, U-571, Spy Kids and the soon to be released Once Upon A Time In Mexico (the final film of the Desperado trilogy)... you can see how working with such talent was able to bring out some of the dazzling car effects in this film.

Finally, I want to bring attention to Donald M. Morgan, the cinematographer. Working with these types of special effects, the work of a DP (especially in the fledgling times of the 1980's, in regards to special effects) is twice as hard.

Morgan worked with Carpenter on his film Elvis in 1979. His work after that was mostly TV, although he did shoot Used Cars with Robert Zemeckis, probably due to Kurt Russell having starred in Elvis and Used Cars...

After Christine, Morgan went to shoot Meatballs II and then another Carpenter flick, Starman. But, from there, he must have gotten sick of film because the majority of his work there-after was in television. Unfortunetaly, I'm not a big television-movie fan. He did shoot Carrie 2: The Rage, but I didn't see that.

The work in this film was very similar to the work I saw in The Thing. With the steady-cam shots and the blocking of shots... it makes me think that Carpenter, in his early years, used DP's he could trust, strictly on their technical ability... since he would be controlling the look of the film completely.

Christine is definitely one of the better King adaptations. I think Carpenter chose his project carefully, and brought all of his ability to give us a crafty effects movie. It's one of my favorites.

I couldn't tell you how sick I was at this point, because after Christine, I fell asleep, for hours on end. I woke up late Sunday, still tired... but feeling better. I'm glad this review is done, to be honest. My hands hurt and my head hurts from thinking about it sooooo much, and so long after the fact. But, movies are my passion, and I hope you enjoyed my Sick Weekend Review.

John Painz