Smokey and the Bandit

 

 "Atlanta to Texarkana and back in twenty eight hours? That ain't never been done before. "
"That's cause *we* ain't never done it. "
"Suppose we don't make it? "
"Hey, we ain't never not made it before, have we?"

Big Enos (Pat McCormick) and Little Enos (Paul Williams) Burdette need a truck driver to transport 400 gallons of Coors beer from Texarkana, TX to their party in Georgia.  Everyone they approach gets caught by the police, since it is illegal.  Eventually they offer Bo "Bandit" Darville (Reynolds) $80,000 to haul the beer 1800 miles in 28 hours.  Bandit accepts the bet.  He requests an advance for a fast car to serve as a blocker, while his friend Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Reed) and his dog Fred drive the truck.

They get to the Coors warehouse without any issues, load the truck and head towards Georgia.  Once they hit the road again, Bandit stops to pickup a woman in a wedding gown, Carrie (Field), who ran away from her wedding.  She is being pursued by her dimwitted groom Junior (Henry) and his father Sheriff Bufford T. Justice (Gleason).  Can Bandit and Snowman make the deadline and collect their sizable payday, or will  "Smokey" catch them and send them to jail?

What we're dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.

A definite guilty pleasure kind of movie...  Don't worry about plot, it's basically just an excuse for an extended car chase.  Yes, it's an awesome car chase, but the plot isn't really important.

Burt Reynolds is awesome!  He has an entertaining rapport with Jerry Reed, who also wrote the theme song "Eastbound of Down."  The song is catchy and is featured throughout the film.  Reynolds also works well with Sally Field, who was his girlfriend at the time.  Jackie Gleason and Mike Henry are a great comedic duo.  Gleason does all the heavy lifting, but Henry gets some fun reactions / moments.

Check it out... a must-see for any car-chase junkies!

Smokey and the Bandit (1977) minutes
Director: Hal Needham
Starring: Burt Reynolds as Bo "Bandit" Darville
Sally Field as Carrie "Frog"
Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford "Smokey Bear" Justice
Jerry Reed as Cledus "Snowman" Snow
Mike Henry as Junior Justice
Pat McCormick as Big Enos Burdette
Paul Williams as Little Enos Burdette

Thor

"So is this how you normally look?"
"More or less."
"It's a good look!"

After reigniting an ancient war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, warrior and heir-apparent Thor (Hemsworth) of Asgard is in trouble.  His father, King Odin (Hopkins), strips Thor of this heritage and source of power and sends him to Earth.  His giant hammer, the Mjolnir, is sent to Earth separately.

On Earth, Thor is discovered by scientist Jane Foster (Portman).  Jane was in the midst of an important scientific discovery, when she hits Thor with her car.  Jane and her associates, Dr. Erik Selvig (Skarsgard) and Darcy (Dennings), think Thor is crazy, but agree to help him.

Meanwhile, Odin cannot cope with his decision and enters Odinsleep, leaving control of the kingdom in his younger son's, Loki (Hiddleston), hands.  Loki has the ability to talk his way out of any situation, but is not a warrior like Thor.  With the threat of attack by the Frost Giants, out to reclaim the source of their power, which Odin took when he defeated them years before.  Can Thor reclaim the Mjolnir and return to Asgard to protect his home?


The fourth film in the Marvel cannon: following Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man 2, as part of the lead-up to the release of The Avengers in 2012.  Marvel Comics created a franchise by making a plan for their films: each film sets up the next, with just a brief scene.  Agent Coulson appears in Iron Man 2, and is called away when they find Thor's hammer, which appears in the scene after the credits.  And the scene after the credits of this film sets up the Avenger movie.

Kenneth Branagh, a Shakespeare actor / director, directing a comic book movie?  It sounds strange, but at the same time I can't imagine anyone else better for the task.  Branagh brings his years of experience in classic dramas to create a film that reveres its origins, without reverting to camp.  He created the world of mystical world of Asgard and it's frozen counterpart of Jotunheim that look believable and intriguing.  His Asgardians and Frost Giants are awe-inspiring, but not completely out of reach.

Chris Hemsworth is an excellent choice for Thor.  Hemsworth was an obscure actor, but has been launched into celebrity with this film.  Tom Hiddleston also excels in this film, which also rocketed him to stardom.  The rest of the cast is good, but it is Hemsworth and Hiddleston that own the film.

An excellent entry into the superhero genre.

Thor (2011) 115 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence.
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Stellan Skarsgard as Erik Selvig
Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis
Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson

Creature from the Black Lagoon

"We didn't come here to fight monsters, we're not equipped for it."

A team of geologists in the Amazon make a rare discovery: a claw fossil.  The leader of the expedition, Dr. Carl Maia (Moreno), leaves the dig to get more help.  He turns to Dr. David Reed (Carlson), who is studing marine biology in Brazil.  After seeing Maia's claw, Reed gathers a team to help excavate the site.  The team includes Reed's girlfriend Kay (Adams), his ambitious boss Dr. Mark Williams (Denning), and Dr. Edwin Thompson (Bissel).

They hire Captain Lucas (Paiva) to take them to the site and serve as their guide in the jungle.  But when they arrive, they discover the camp destroyed.  They learn that the culprit is the same species as the claw they found.  Mark sees this as the ultimate discovery, capturing the "gil-man" and presenting him before the scientific community.  David is more interested in keeping their discovery alive, to better study it.  As they try to find the gil-man, he is entranced by an unsuspecting Kay.


The story was inspired by legends of half-men half-fish creatures living along the Amazon River.  It is an interesting premise, but the actual creature is a bit of a disappointment.  Unlike other Universal monster movies, this one does not have much resemblance to a person.  Two actors portray the creature, one takes the underwater portions, while the other is the creature on the land.  Ben Chapman, who was the creature on land, underwent hours of makeup and prosthetics.  He could barely see and confined movements, which translated into his portrayal of the creature.  The creature is more interesting when Ricou Browning portrayed him underwater... there is a poetry to the movements, and he is more menacing / intimidating underwater.

The story is too talky, and the creature is a bit of a let down.  But the most interesting / stressful sequence is when Kay goes swimming in the lagoon, with the creature mirroring her strokes.  Every time she stops or dives under to do flips, you keep waiting for her to notice the creature or for him to do something about her presence.  The rest is ok, but not overly memorable.

Ok, but not great... but since there are 2 sequels, someone must like this.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) 79 minutes
Director: Jack Arnold
Starring: Richard Carlson as Dr. David Reed
Julia Adams as Kay Lawrence
Richard Denning as Dr. Mark Williams
Antonio Moreno as Dr. Carl Maia
Nestor Paiva as Captain Lucas
Whit Bissel as Dr. Edwin Thompson

Another Thin Man

"I got rid of all those reporters."
"What did you tell them?"
"We're out of scotch."
"What a gruesome idea."

Nick (Powell) and Nora (Loy) Charles, and their baby Nicky Jr., are summoned to the Long Island home of Colonel Burr MacFay (Smith), who manages their money.  On the way to the Colonel's home, they pass a dead body and are met at various checkpoints by men with guns.  The Colonel is paranoid that someone is trying to kill him.  A disgruntled former employee / ex-convict, Phil Church (Leonard), has dreamed of the Colonel's death twice.  His dreams always come true after three times.  While Nick dismisses the idea, strange accidents keep happening involving the Colonel.

That night the Colonel is murdered in the way Church described, making him the ideal suspect, but Nick isn't sure.  Many people would benefit from the Colonel's death: his daughter Lois (Grey), Lois' fiance Dudley (Patric Knowles), his shady housekeeper (Phyllis Gordon), his assistant Freddie (Tom Neal) who is secretly in love with Lois, Church's associates Dum-Dum (Abner Biberman) and Smitty (Muriel Hutchison)...



The third film in the successful Thin Man series (after The Thin Man and After the Thin Man).  The story picks up about 2 years after it's predecessor, with Nick and Nora enjoying time as parents as well as renowned detectives.  With the baby in the picture, neither drink as much as the previous films, which is the only major change to the successful formula.  The baby isn't a major piece of the story, but does help setup the climax of the film, which begins with a birthday party for Nicky, thrown by ex-cons with baby boys around the same age.  It is an interesting premise and gives ample screen time to Shemp Howard from the 3 Stooges.

The story brings back the character of Lieutenant Guild (Pendleton) from the first film, who is a welcome addition to the Charles' sleuthing: a familiar tete-tete.  A decent film, but the series is starting to show wear... It's ok, but not great.


Another Thin Man (1939) 103 minutes
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell as Nick Charles
Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
Virginia Grey as Lois MacFay
Otto Kruger as Assistant District Attorney Van Slack
C. Aubrey Smith as Colonel Burr MacFay
Ruth Hussey as Dorothy Waters
Nat Pendleton as Lieutenant Guild
Sheldon Leonard as Phil Church

The Invisible Man (1933)

"We'll begin with a reign of terror, a few murders here and there, murders of great men, murders of little men, just to show we make no distinction."

A mysterious stranger, wrapped in bandages and wearing dark glasses, arrives in the town of Iping and rents a room in the inn.  He expects complete secrecy and spends most of his time working.  When he falls behind on rent,  the innkeepers (Forrester Harvey and Una O'Connor) plan to evict him... and discover their tenant is invisible.

The invisible man is revealed to be Dr. Jack Griffin (Rains), a brilliant scientist who has been missing for months.  Griffin had been assisting Dr. Cranley (Travers), but became obsessed with own research.  Griffin found the secret to invisibility, and forces his co-worker Dr. Kemp (Harrington) to help find the cure.  The drug that caused the invisibility has also lead to Griffin's deteriorating mental state.  Kemp reluctantly agrees, while calling Cranley, his daughter / Griffin's fiance Flora (Stuart), and the police.  Will the research be successful in time, or will Griffin begin his reign of terror?


After successfully adapting Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" novel to film (Frankenstein), director James Whale turned his attention to H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man" novel.  Once again Whale was met with success and solidified his status as a legendary horror director (he would go on to direct The Bride of Frankenstein two years later).  The film used ground-breaking special effects to achieve the illusion of invisibility.  When he was completely invisible, wires were used to move items.  When he was clothed or removing clothes, Claude Rains (or his double) wore a black suit (also covering the face) and was shot before a black screen... which is similar to the use of green screens in modern films.

Whale made the interesting choice to begin the film during the action.  While other monster films setup the characters and legends first, this film opens after Griffin is invisible.  There is no flashback to his discovery or his transformation, forcing the audience to imagine it.  The beginning also forces the viewer to figure out what is happening, as the scene jumps from the chaos at the inn, back to Cranley's lab where they discuss Griffin's disappearance.  Also, the audience is forced to identify with a character they cannot see and that is going crazy.  Do you cheer for him, or for the people who are trying to stop him?

Apparently Universal Studios wanted to re-team Whale with his monster, making Boris Karloff the invisible man.  Karloff ultimately turned down the role, where he would only be seen for a few minutes.  This allowed Whale to use his first choice, the unknown Rains, who had the perfect voice for the role.  This part launched Rains successful Hollywood career.  This film also marked the first pairing of Whale and Una O'Connor, who played the innkeeper's hysterical wife.  O'Connor worked with Whale again in The Bride of Frankenstein.  In each film she has a small, but memorably comic performance.

The film keeps most of the characters and action from the novel.  The main change is the temperament of Griffin, making him psychotic.

A classic monster movie, still entertaining after all these years.

The Invisible Man (1933) minutes
Director: James Whale
Starring: Claude Rains as Dr. Jack Griffith
Gloria Stuart as Flora Cranley
William Harrington as Dr. Arthur Kemp
Henry Travers as Dr. Cranley

After the Thin Man

"Are you packing?"
"Yes dear, I'm putting away this liquor."

Nick (Powell) and Nora (Loy) Charles return home on New Year's Eve.  They plan to go to bed early and have a nice quiet new year, but they arrive home to find a raging welcome home / New Year's Eve party  in their living room.  Then they are summoned to the home of Nora's Aunt Katherine (Ralph) for dinner, despite Katherine's dislike for Nick.  Nick's skills are needed to find Katherine's missing son-in-law Robert (Marshall).

Meanwhile, Robert is having an affair with nightclub ingenue Polly (Singleton), but Polly is just using Robert for his money.  They plan to run away that night, after Robert collects a sizable sum from his wife, Selma (Landi).  But Robert is shot leaving his home, and Selma is discovered holding a gun over his body.  Nick sets out to prove Selma's innocence, but who shot Robert?  Was it Polly, her scheming brother Phil (Paul Fix), her gangster boss / boyfriend Dancer (Calleia), Selma's former fiance David (Stewart) who wanted Robert out of the picture permanently, or a member of Selma's family to get rid of a scandal?


The second film in the Thin Man series, the story picks up a few months later.  The script was penned by Dashiell Hammett (author of The Thin Man novel), and features many of the same components as it's predecessor.  Like it's predecessor, the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar.  This time Nora is more involved in solving the crime, as she is related to the main suspect.

Myrna Loy and William Powell continue to light up the screen, with playful banter and an easy chemistry.  There is even a subplot for their dog Asta, who gets a family.  The subplot is distracting, but cute.  James Stewart is a nice addition to the cast, but his part is rather strange.  Once again, the murderer is revealed at a gathering of the suspects: an apartment.

The original is better, but still a great detective film.

After the Thin Man (1936) 112 minutes
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell as Nick Charles
Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
James Stewart as David Graham
Elissa Landi as Selma Landis
Joseph Calleia as Dancer
Jessie Ralph as Aunt Katherine Forrest
Alan Marshall as Robert Landis
Teddy Hart as Floyd Casper
Sam Levene as Lt. Abrams
Penny Singleton as Polly Byrnes

Tower Heist

"You know this was a bad idea, right?"
"That's it, I don't want you talking to me for the rest of the robbery!"

The Tower is the most expensive apartment complex in New York, boasting the best service in town.  Josh Kovacs (Stiller), the building manager, knows everything about the building and his clients.  He enjoys a friendly relationship, and online chess games, with financial guru Arthur Shaw (Alda), who lives in the highest penthouse apartment.

His life is good, until the FBI arrest Shaw for financial corruption.  Shaw oversaw the pensions for the Tower employees and the life savings of Lester (Stephen Henderson) the doorman.  According to Agent Claire Denham (Leoni), Shaw swindled millions on phony investments.  The Tower was his smallest investment, so there is minimal chance their money will be recovered.  After Lester attempts to take his own life, Josh decides to take matters into his own hands.

Shaw is released on bail and confined to his penthouse with a round-the-clock guard.  The FBI are unable to find the $20 million that Shaw removed from his bank accounts, and it looks like Shaw will get away with his crimes.  Josh thinks the money is hidden in the penthouse and recruits a rag-tag team to steal it back: his nervous brother-in-law Charlie (Affleck) the concierge, Enrique (Pena) the new elevator operator, evicted tenant Mr. Fitzhugh (Broderick), and feisty maid Odessa (Sidibe).  They don't know anything about stealing, but they know the building.  To pull off the heist, he enlists the help of professional thief Slide (Murphy).  Josh, Enrique, and Mr. Fitzhugh are banned from the building, and Shaw is careful to cover his tracks.  Can they find the money without getting caught, or are they doomed from the beginning?


The latest entry in the comedy heist genre feels familiar.  The story sticks close to the “heist movie” formula, but it works here.  The story starts slow, but the laughs build as the plot progresses.

Ben Stiller receives top billing, but the film belongs to Eddie Murphy.  Stiller’s Josh carries the story and plays the straight man, with occasional funny moments.  He comes alive when Murphy is on the screen.  Murphy is the best part of the film. This film truly reminds the audience of his comedic talents, which haven't been fully utilized in most of his films.  I enjoy Murphy, but I have absolutely no desire to see The Nutty Professor or Norbit, which rely too heavily on stupid body humor and crass jokes.  He can pull off those roles, but he truly shines here, especially with good co-stars.  His best scenes involve Gabourey Sidibe.  They have great chemistry and draw the best performance out of each other.  Sidibe was nominated for an Oscar for her first major motion picture, but proves she can do comedy as well.  She is an adept comedienne, and should have a strong future in both comedy and drama.

The rest of the cast is decent.  Casey Affleck is an unexpected delight as Charlie, while Matthew Broderick sticks with his usual neurotic schtick.  The film tries to be a new Ocean's 11, but falls short.  It has some funny moments, but never reaches it's full potential.  I enjoyed it, but it was not too memorable... the ending is far fetched, but do really expect realism in a film like this?

A fun and funny film, that may be by the books, but still has a few tricks.

Tower Heist (2011) 104 minutes
Director: Brett Ratner
Rating: PG-13 for language and sexual content
Starring: Ben Stiller as Josh Kovaks
Eddie Murphy as Slide
Casey Affleck as Charlie
Alan Alda as Arthur Shaw
Matthew Broderick as Mr. Fitzburgh
Tea Leoni as Agent Claire Denham
Michael Pena as Enrique Dev'reaux
Gabourey Sidibe as Odessa

Tea for Two (400th post)

Look who made it to 400!

It's hard to believe another 100 has passed... just last year I celebrated the big 300 mark.  To celebrate, let's keep with the tradition of reviewing a musical made before I was born... (100 & 200 & 300).

In the wake of the 1929 stock market crash, the future looks bleak for many, but Nanette Carter (Day) isn't worried.  Her sizable wealth is handled by her Uncle Max (Sakall), and is tied up in government bonds.  In reality, her uncle placed the money in the stock market, and things are not looking good.  Their lawyer, Mr. William Early (Goodwin), tells Max they could save a significant sum by saying "no."

Meanwhile, Nanette's friends, composer Jimmy Smith (MacRae) and choreographer Tommy Trainor (Nelson), are having trouble finding financiers for their new show.  Their slimy director, Larry Blair (De Wolfe), puts all of his hope into Nanette: if she agrees to fund the show, others will come forward as well.  But Larry and Nanette have a checkered past, and she has no desire to invest any time or money into him.  Her reaction changes when she hears some of Jimmy's songs.  Jimmy and Tommy believe that Nanette should play the lead in the show, which currently belongs to Larry's girlfriend Bea Darcy (Wymore).  Nanette dreams of a career on Broadway and accepts.  With no other choice, Larry agrees to give her the part in exchange for funding the show.

When Nanette asks her uncle for the money for the show, he refuses.  So they make a bet, Nanette has to say to everything for 48 hours:  if she wins, she gets the $25,000 for the show ... if she loses, she can't spend any money for a year.  They enlist her sarcastic assistant Pauline (Arden) to serve as the judge, while Max does everything in his power to make her lose.  Can Nanette win the bet, even if it means losing her budding romance with Jimmy?


Inspired by the Broadway musical "No, No, Nanette," this film bears little resemblance to the show.  They kept some character names and a few names, and scrapped the rest.  The story is brand new, and several songs were added to the score.

Apparently Doris Day planned to be a professional ballerina, but an automobile accident ended her dream.  This film marked the first time she danced on screen, and went on to make several more musicals.  Her dancing looks great.  She is joined by Gordon MacRae, who has an incredible voice, and Gene Nelson, who dances circles around the rest of the cast.  MacRae and Nelson went on to star in Rogers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma (also Rogers and Hammerstein's Carousel for MacRae).  Eve Arden is the only cast member to appear in both the Broadway show No, No, Nanette and this film.  As usual she just about steals the show.

The songs are o.k., but are not as well known as other songs from musicals.  Not the greatest musical ever, but worth seeing early Doris Day.

Tea for Two (1950) 98 minutes
Director: David Butler
Starring: Doris Day as Nanette Carter
Gordon MacRae as Jimmy Smith
Gene Nelson as Tommy Trainor
Eve Arden as Pauline Hastings
Billy De Wolfe as Larry Blair
Bill Goodwin as William Early
S.Z. Sakall as J. Maxwell Bloomhaus
Patrice Wymore as Bea Darcy

My Top Cancelled TV Shows #7

Scrubs

"Are you an idiot?"
"No, sir, I'm a dreamer."

The staff at Sacred Heart learn to deal with death, relationships, and life.  The new interns, awkward dreamer John "J.D" Dorian (Braff), neurotic Elliot Reid (Chalke), and macho surgeon Chris Turk (Faison), are under intense pressure and have to decide what is more important in their lives: career or relationships outside the hospital.  The interns are under the care of Dr. Cox (McGinley), who has nicknames for each intern and goes on long rants with every mistake.  They are aided by the nurses, led by Carla (Reyes), who are bitter after years of watching hot shot doctors take credit for procedures the nurses completed.  The hospital is run by Dr. Bob Kelso (Jenkins), who has no interest in the doctors or the hospital "who has two thumbs and doesn't give a crap? Bob Kelso," and inept sad-sack lawyer Ted (Lloyd).  With the psychotic Janitor (Flynn) roaming the halls, and stiff competition for any advancement, can they survive to become real doctors?


While hospital shows are nothing new, "Scrubs" embraced the lighter side to a stressful job.  Much like MASH, the doctors played pranks on each other and joked around as a way to cope with the hard times and constant presence of death.  The show was narrated by J.D. (except the "His Story", "Her Story", "Their Story" episodes that were narrated by other cast members) who had odd daydreams throughout the day.  The daydreams and narration served as the focal point of physical comedy and outrageous situations.  The writers managed to straddle the line between absurdity and sentimentality with tact, with the docs dealing the life outside the hospital and the emotional punch of the patients they were treating.

The first 7 seasons appeared on NBC, ending with a fairytale episode told to Dr. Cox's son "My Princess."  The show was picked up for an 8th season by ABC.  The 8th season allowed the writers and cast to say a proper good-bye to the show, ending with J.D. leaving the hospital in "My Finale."  At the end of the 8th season they show was offered the chance to continue, despite the departure of creator Bill Lawrence and star Zach Braff.  They decided to reimage the show as Med School, with the Sacred Heart docs serving as teachers / mentors.  I prefer to think of the 9th season as a spinoff... while some of the "Scrubs" cast returned for Med School, it wasn't the same show.  Braff returned for the first few episodes to co-narrate with his protege Lucy, who become the series lead.  I enjoyed the 9th season, but preferred the earlier seasons.

The show worked best when it embraced the eccentricities of the staff.  By the end of the 8th season the audience was familiar with the main characters, and all the people they came in contact with: Hooch ("Hooch is crazy"), Snoop Dog Intern, Mickhead (who may have killed his wife), Doug (who is a hopeless doctor and eventually works in the morgue), The Todd (who always spoke in double entendres and believed in high 5's), among others.  The writers toasted different writing styles: there was a musical episode (featuring a song called "Everything Comes Down to Poo"), an episode from the POV of a nervous intern, etc.

It wasn't realistic, but it was certainly fun.  The show also featured cameos by the cast of Spin City, another show by Bill Lawrence.  Lawrence now helms the hysterical Cougar Town on ABC.  The show features cameos by Scrubs cast members, as well as a leading role for Scrubs alum Christa Miller.

Scrubs (2001-2010)
Created by: Bill Lawrence
Starring: Zach Braff as J.D.
Donald Faison as Turk
Sarah Chalke as Elliot
Judy Reyes as Carla
John C. McGinley as Dr. Cox
Ken Jenkins as Dr. Kelso
Sam Lloyd as Ted
Neil Flynn as Janitor
Christa Miller as Jordan
Aloma Wright as Laverne
Robert Maschio as Todd