Significant Hollywood Moments in Despot Disrespect

By now everyone knows the situation. Entertainment mega-company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, whose servers were hacked in a cyber-attack reportedly linked to North Korea, were the victims of terroristic threats. Threats that were promised to come to fruition if they released the upcoming film, The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as would-be assassins of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. As of yet, Sony has indefinitely shelved the film and has no plans to release it theatrically, or on DVD or VOD. This decision by Sony, though entirely understandable, is a major strike against American free expression. It is also a slap in the face to an film industry that has, for many decades, satirized world dictators freely! Yes, some might have forgotten but Hollywood has been "sending up" dictators for years!

Here is a look back at the top five films that had the "chutzpah" to go into wide release with their impertinence!

#5 The Big Lebowski (1998)

That's right! The Dude (Jeff Bridges) did not abide Middle Eastern tyrant, Saddam Hussein! In a dream sequence, we see Saddam in charge of issuing bowling shoes. Not too disrespectful you say? Okay, Saddam might have been a bowling fan, but we're only at #5...

#4 The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

If it's a Zucker-Abrahams film, everyone is fair game! The police parody found Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) taking it to all of our nation's arch-rivals of the era: Gorbachev, Castro, Khomeni, Gaddafi and Arafat! Heck, "Mr. October"-himself, Reggie Jackson was supposed to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II! It was satire, no one got upset!

#3 South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut (1999)

When it comes to satirizing current events, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are the unholy heirs to the style that made the Zucker-Abrahams movies so great! These two hold nothing holy and will make fun of anything, or anyone, that they feel needs to be brought down a peg. Some see it as a rite of passage or an indication that they have "made it" to be parodied on the duo's television show, "South Park." Their feature film took it a step further and lampooned a world leader, and not a Canadian one, no, it was the despotic Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. Depicted as Satan's gay lover, Saddam's caricature was insanely funny! Reportedly, U.S. Marine guards for Saddam Hussein, after his overthrow and capture, showed the film to him repeatedly. What was his attitude toward his depiction? Probably wasn't good! However, those same marines were able to get Saddam to autograph a photo to be brought back and presented to Parker and Stone. I wonder what the inscription was? "I can change! I can change!"

#2 Team America: World Police (2004)

Before Kim Jong-un, there was Kim Jong-il. He was the autocratic tryant ruler of North Korea, and he was huge film fan! I wonder if he ever saw this cinematic gem by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Before Hollywood screenwriters were trying to assassinate the son, Parker and Stone made a movie about a paramilitary puppet force tasked with assassinated the father! This film seemed destined to restore American faith in free speech after The Interview was pulled from release, however, due to the unwanted publicity, Paramount Pictures cancelled all requests to screen the film theatrically for the moment. But for those who saw it back then, it's classic! Maybe we should put Parker and Stone in charge of our nation's retaliatory jab against North Korea. I definitely see a great "South Park" episode coming out of this.... However, as classic as this film is, it is not the #1 Hollywood dig at dictators...

#1 The Great Dictator (1940)

This classic Charlie Chaplin satire takes on the then-powerful leader of the Third Reich of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler. You have to remember, when this film was released, Hitler was at the height of his power; Europe had been crushed under his heel, Great Britain was on the brink of defeat, and the Soviet Union was trying its best to avoid being invaded. Chaplin's, and Hollywood's, courage in releasing this film was a big risk. Chaplin's biting indictment of Hitler and his anti-Semitic views is a true classic, and a testament to free speech. Actor Steve Carell cited this film when he called the moment Sony cancelled the release of The Interview, a "sad day for creative expression."


This is just my take on the films. My opinions. Feel free to voice yours. Can you think of any others that should be on this list? Let me know!

Check out my latest article over at Influx Magazine!

http://influxmagazine.com/the-blob-1958/

Review of Christopher Nolan's latest, Interstellar!

Without giving too much away, Christopher Nolan's latest film, Interstellar, follows engineer/pilot-turned-farmer, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) as he embarks on a do-or-die attempt to save mankind.  It appears Earth is dying, due to some type of ecological cataclysm, and humanity only has one generation left before the planet becomes uninhabitable.   In a twist of fate, Cooper stumbles upon N.A.S.A.'s top secret base of operations and is drafted to pilot a secret mission through a wormhole in hopes that the human civilization can be relocated to a planet in this new galaxy.   Cooper has to make a choice, accept the mission which means leaving his own family behind, perhaps never to return to them, or stay and possibly die with them.

The visuals are stunning!  I don't know what a wormhole or black hole looks like up close, but Nolan came up with some incredible versions!  There are some intricate story details being thrown around, mostly science-related, that might be perplexing for many viewers (Hey, this is a Nolan film, after all).   Quantum theory and astrophysics aside, this film is all about journeying into the great beyond.  At first glance, this seems like a rehash of 1997's Contact, directed by Robert Zemeckis, as both are about traveling to another galaxy on faith, with characters having daddy-issues, but to be so dismissive would do Nolan's film an injustice.   Even I came into this viewing with reservations, having fallen into the oldest of reviewer traps.... reading someone else's review first! I watched and looked for items to nitpick, but honestly, I came away with a totally different feeling; one of hope.   One of the characters in the film, Professor Brand (Michael Caine) regularly quotes poet Dylan Thomas, "Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rage at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."   And, understanding that passage is the key to understanding this film, that mankind is at our best when out of options, when we let go to passion and dive into the unknown, as Cooper does in this film. He dives in, his own future unknown, yet he dives in out of love and for a need greater than himself.

Have you seen Keanu Reeves' new film, John Wick?  Check out my review in Influx Magazine!

http://influxmagazine.com/john-wick-review/

Top Ten Worst Film Remakes of All Time!

Well, some time ago, I gave you my the list of the top film remakes of all time. An old friend of mine asked me when I was going to do this for the worst film remakes. Well, I secluded myself, meditated, sequestered myself to ponder the myriad possibilities and the mysteries of the universe. Then I emerged, had a shave, a steak, an ice cold Coke, and started to type. Now, here it is. Because you asked for it, you got it!


#10 Godzilla (1998)

I like Roland Emmerich. I think he's a talented filmmaker and I honestly liked this movie when it came out. I think it's a horrible remake, a disgrace to the original, but a fun film nonetheless. With a $379 million worldwide haul it was definitely not a bomb. The critics overwhelmingly panned it but it has still managed to gain a cult following. Fans of the original 1954 classic, of which I consider myself one, have generally panned the film. Toho, creators of the original, have embraced this mockery and made the creature part of canon, albeit as a small sideline and unrelated to the real Godzilla. In having this new incarnation attack New York City, the film did throw a kink in the theory that the first thing these giant creatures do when they wake up is head straight for Tokyo. Also, we could have done without all the Godzilla "mini-me's".

#9 Planet of the Apes (2001)

'Nuff said, right! No, I'll go ahead and give you my two cents worth anyway. Mark Wahlberg as an astronaut! Not enough, still want more? This film is not a worthy successor to Charlton Heston's original, it just isn't! The film isn't convincing and all the special effects and makeup in the world aren't going to get the audience to invest emotionally and buy into the film. The original 1968 film might have been a product of that generation but it is still sacred, and still watchable. If you're going to attempt a remake, or a reboot as it were, try a different angle with better writing, better acting, such as in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and the subsequent 2014 sequel. They got it right.

#8 The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

Opening to mixed reviews, this movie ended up with $233 million worldwide. That doesn't make it a good movie. I never invested in the whole Jennifer Connelly/Jaden Smith family dynamic and I believe that this movie furthers the stereotype that Jaden Smith is a good actor! A fan of Keanu Reeves I may be, but he is not a worthy successor to Michael Rennie of the original 1951 classic.

#7 The Wolfman (2010)

I tried to like this film. I honestly did! However, as fan of the original 1941classic, this incarnation just didn't stand up. The classic films were passionate and full of excitement, but this version had only marginally attention-grabbing moments and very little in the way of suspense. This film opened to just plain poor reviews and ended up grossing $139 million worldwide (on a $150 million budget, can you say flop!). It is hard to capture the thrill of the original Universal horror classics that many people grew up with, so why bother.

#6 A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

Okay, let's get one thing straight: Robert Englund is Freddy Krueger. That 's just the way it is. I recently watched a 4-hour documentary on the story of the entire Nightmare franchise. In it they discussed the idea of recasting the character for one of the sequels. The actor they hired tried, bless his heart, but just couldn't capture the energy or attitude that Englund brought to the character. It was a reality check and the studio met Englund's price and rehired him. I love Jackie Earle Haley but there was no way he was going to win this battle. Also, the original 1984film, and subsequent sequels, had a bit of humor and had more fun in the overall tone of the films. This one was just plain sad!

#5 When A Stranger Calls (2006)

"Have you checked the children?" Wow! In 1979, Columbia pictures took the urban legend and brought it to the big screen. It was scary to say the least, absolutely creepy! Not a classic film in terms of plot, but the beginning and ending were where it was at! This remake valiantly tried to modernize the story and tighten the plot of the original, but the gag is already known. There is no shock to be had. "We traced the call! It's coming from inside the house!" it's just not the same when you know it's coming...

#4 Arthur (2011)

Dudley Moore was a genius! Liza Minnelli was perfect in her role! Sir John Gielgud, for crying out loud! The original 1981 film was perfect! The character chemistry was perfect! We didn't need a remake! Why would anyone try to do this? I hope the studio executive who greenlit this travesty is wasting away in a dark dungeon somewhere. Helen Mirren must've thought she was signing on to some other film because I can't fathom how she was cajoled into wasting her talents in this drivel! If you are given a choice of whether to watch the original or watch this new version, do yourself a favor and watch Dudley Moore. With a $45 million worldwide gross, many film goers must've chose to do just that!


#3 The Bad News Bears (2005)

Do you remember this film? Probably not and for good reason! The original 1976 version had Walter Matthau's sad sacked coach up against the tough Tatum O'Neal. What did this one have? Billy Bob Thornton? Yeah, in the right circumstances his Bad Santa act could've worked but it just didn't come across. Bottom line, the new team lacked the appeal of the original. The film opened to mixed reviews and quickly sunk, grossing only $34 million worldwide!

#2 Psycho (1998)

What can I say about this film? Gus Van Sant... you disappoint me. Basically a shot-for-shot remake of the original 1960 Hitchcock classic. I studied the original intensely in one of my film classes. That film had layers to it! The scenery, the mood, every prop had a story, the mise-en-scene was brilliant! Van Sant just couldn't provide those layers in just duplicating what was already done once before; it just wasn't there for me.

#1 Rollerball (2002)

Oh, just a horrible movie all the way around! The original 1975 James Caan action-sci-fi film seemed so real, so visceral. In fact, there is an urban legend that that stunt men took the action so seriously that many actually died in the filming (they didn't, by the way, die; not take it serious, that they did). James Caan has gravitas, he's tough, believable. Chris Klein, ...ehhhh, not so much. Now if this film was about a Calvin Klein model forced into a runway model-off to the death, maybe he could pull it off. With a worldwide gross of only $26 million, this movie genuinely suuuuuucked!

Honorable Mentions! I got 'em:

Friday The 13th (2009)
Prom Night (2008)
Guess Who (2005)
Get Carter (2000)
Halloween (2007)
The Karate Kid (2010)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) 

A Review of The Pick-Axe Murders Part III: The Final Chapter

This past Saturday evening, I had the distinct pleasure to coordinate the Houston premiere and Q&A of this film, The Pick-Axe Murders Part III: The Final Chapter.  First, to understand the impetus behind this film, you have to understand the director, Jeremy Sumrall.  He is a lifelong fan of the genre, especially the neo-classic 80's slasher era and all the sequels they generated.  Jeremy understood the pitfalls of delving into this type of filmmaking.  Jeremy himself put it best at the Q&A when he mentioned that the first film in any horror series is the undoubtedly the best.  They tended to get campier and campier as more sequels were released.  Owing to the fact that Jeremy was still new to feature-length film directing, he says he chose to dive into the deep end and make the usually schlocky sequel first!  So that means, there is no Part I or Part II, not yet at least.

Jeremy gets around this by having old-school title inserts explaining the back story of the characters, or what you might have missed in the first two non-existent films. It was the Summer of 1982, ten teens were horribly murdered in the rural area of Woodland Hills.  The murders were committed by the reputed son of Satan himself, Alex Black, an indestructible killing machine.  Black was imprevious, I mean, impervious to injury (inside joke for those who have seen the film) due to his link to an mystical amulet he wears.  Eventually, he is hunted down and killed by the locals.  The only survivors were a teenage camper named Adrienne and young sheriff's deputy Matthews.  Black's evil amulet is reportedly lost somewhere in the woods.

Approximately one year later, now a sanitarium patient, Adrienne, is again tormented by the monstrous Alex Black as he returns and begins his killing spree anew.  Once again, Adrienne is one of the only survivors to escape.  Is Alex Black gone for good this time?  No chance.

Part III picks up about 5 years later, young Matthews is now Sheriff Matthews (he won the election, that no one seems to remember) and Adrienne is a disturbed alcoholic, haunted by the memories of what she has endured.  A pair of teen campers have unwittingly resurrected Alex Black after they stumble across the amulet, albeit after having genre-mandated sex in the woods.  Black is now back and free to spread death and mayhem across Woodland Hills.  Are Sheriff Matthews and Adrienne up to the task of stopping this seemingly unstoppable killing machine once and for all?  You have to see the film to find out!

This film is Jeremy's love letter to the slasher films of the 1980s.  It is chock full of easter-egg callbacks to those classic horror films we all loved so much.  There is no new ground to be broken here, the formula for classic slasher is definitely evident.  However, it's a formula that horror fans carry a fondness for and can appreciate.  Jeremy aims to give his audience a roller-coaster ride of slasher excitement and he delivers.  There is ample blood, gore and nudity to go around (as one of his producers so succinctly put it, Jeremy exceeded his "budget for boobs").  This film will hopefully get a wide release.  Right now it is making the film festival rounds.  If you get a chance to see, definitely check it out.  This is only the beginning for Jeremy Sumrall.  He will undoubtedly make many other films, but hopefully, someday, he will make a return to Woodland Hills.  The Pick-Axe Murders Part III: The Final Chapter is 50% blood, 50% boobs, 100% fun!

Tusk Q&A with Kevin Smith and Justin Long

Well, I watched the new film by Kevin Smith, Tusk, starring Michael Parks and Justin Long.  It was interesting to say the least!  Inspired by one of Kevin Smith's weed-infused podcasts, Tusk has to be seen to be believed!  Without giving away any spoilers, the film begins with a great premise, a podcaster (Justin Long) in search of his next big story.  He takes a trip to the Great White North, Canada, to meet up with a local internet sensation. His plans go awry when he finds that his intended interviewee is, shall we say, unavailable.  On the verge of a wasted trip, he comes across an odd, old seafarer (Michael Parks) who wishes to exchange his adventurous stories for some company, but in truth has more devious intentions.  We learned all this from the trailers.

The film's first half plays like a good horror flick, the mood is set, the suspense building, the special effects/makeup have to be seen to be understood.  The last half of the film doesn't take itself too seriously.  Don't get me wrong, this is no Jay & Silent Bob flick, think more Cabin in the Woods.  The ending was a little disappointing to me.  However, after you see it you'll realize the film could have only ended one of two ways and neither would have been very happy.

Justin Long's character doesn't draw much sympathy from the viewer; he's funny but just not a likable guy.  The incomparable Michael Park's character is deranged and psychotic!

Ultimately, Tusk was a fun ride.  It was satirical, fun, sad, and at points just gross!  But gross that makes you smile!  And that's all that Kevin Smith wants, for you to have a good time.

Afterward, I stuck around for the Q&A.  It was live-streamed from Austin at Fantastic Fest, where the audience there had just finished watching a simultaneous screening of the film as well.  It was moderated by Alamo Drafthouse founder, Tim League. It was usual Kevin Smith shenanigans!  If it wasn't for the time constraints of the film festival, he could've talked for hours!

The questions were good allowed Smith to elaborate on such things as producing the film, motivating young aspiring filmmakers, and what it felt like to work with his daughter, Harley, in her first film role, alongside her schoolmate, Lily-Rose.  He also discussed very briefly the chemistry between the two young girls and how he's finishing up filming Yoga Hosers, which is centered around the characters portrayed by Harley and Lily-Rose.  He even talked the possibility of Jay & Silent Bob possibly making a cameo appearance, possibly.

Being that his daughter and Lily-Rose Depp go to school together, Smith was on friendly terms with Lily-Rose's father, Johnny Depp.  He briefly spoke about being "that guy" who asks Depp if he wants to be in his new film.  Surprisingly, Depp was enthusiastic about doing a role, a somewhat uncredited role.  If you see the film, Depp is unmissable and unforgettable.  I won't go into details (spoilers) but if you see it, you'll know what I mean!

I ran into a lot of friends at the event and a great time was had by all!  Until next time, see you at the movies! (oh wait, I keep forgetting someone already uses that line.  Oh, I got one... Snoochie Boochies!)