The whole minefield scene in Kelly's Heroes is misplaced. This is essentially a heist film and they put this utterly serious war drama scene smack in the middle of it. It ruins the momentum of the film and it takes a while to regain its footing.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
I had the opposite reaction. I really liked the film up until the ending which required too much suspension of disbelief for me. Still, the film kept me totally into it up to that point and it is one that I kept thinking about a long time afterwards. The acting is outstanding, especially by the lead actress (her name is escaping me at the moment).
No, M*A*S*H did a better job of combining humor and drama. It's a tricky formula and hard to pull off. M*A*S*H was a satire and that somehow helps. Like I said, Kelly is basically a heist movie. I love heist movies but if you want to veer into the serious within it you have to have a really fine balance. That mine scene came out of nowhere. If they had interspersed a few more scenes like it in the movie it might have been more balanced. I love Kelly, I've seen it numerous times and own the DVD. But I insist that the mine field was something they should have never attempted. More Oddball and Moriarty, less landmines.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Just remember that for the most part, the events of Raiders Of The Lost Ark would have unfolded exactly the same, whether or not Indiana Jones had been there to interfere. The Nazis would have found the Ark, Belloq and Toht would have insisted on opening the Ark, and they'd and they're entire cadre of idiots would have been destroyed by the Ark.
The only Indy really does is:
a. saves Marion Ravenwood's life (one suspects that Toht and his henchmen would have almost certainly killed her, probably raping before and/or afterwards, then setting fire to the bar to cover their tracks)
and
b. making sure the Ark is put in the hands of the American government and deposited into a warehouse someplace where it can't "fall into the wrong hands" (though one might argument that the American government is "the wrong hands").
I don't think a lighthearted movie having a serious scene or two should be an issue.
I see many people complain that certain movies have both light and dark scenes and come to the conclusion that the "tone of the movie is uneven" or "it cant decide what it wants to be". ie, it has to be one or the other.
I have never understood this...why cant movies have elements of both?
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
The best bit of Indy is the confrontation with the swordsman in the marketplace. Apparently Spielberg was coming up with all sorts of ways that he'd fight Indy. Harrison Ford had been sick for a few days and bone-tired. He said, "how about I just shoot the fucker?" And it worked. We saw it in the theater the week after its release and packed theater went absolutely nuts.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
They can, and many do. Which is not to say they don't always work. I actually liked the minefield scene and found it pretty intense, bringing the movie back to being more about war, adding some needed action to the film and yet being poignant too.
Actually I preferred that over some of the Sutherland snippets of being some crazy dude.
Cool. Dissecting to oblivion.
In that case, Raiders of The Lost Ark should have been centered around the teachings of Professor Jones in his college setting. That would have been THE kickass adventure summer film of 1981!!! See Professor Jones dodging staples and misguided paper clips lobbed from disgruntled students! Witness death-defying acrobatics as Henry Jones Jr. scales the massive 18.2 foot wall of encyclopedia Britannicas, Volumes 6-20, 29-41!!! You'll be on the edge of your seat in the climactic final scene as Dr. Jones battles the evil Dean of Students after Jones uncovers a memo proclaiming all rubber cement will have to be purchased by Professors and not provided by the University!!!! Raiders of The Lost Ark: The College Years opens June 12, 1981.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Does that mean we get to see more of the young woman flirting with Dr. Jones in class?
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
For the record, the "Indy didn't really change the outcome of Raiders Of The Lost Ark" is a plot point of an episode of The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon shows the movie to Amy, who has never seen it before. At the end, she basically explains that the movie's plot would have unfolded the same without Indy's presence, thus "ruining the movie" for Sheldon.
Subsequently, the guys try to prove that isn't true. I forget who it is who says "But the Nazis were digging in the wrong place", but then it's explained that was only because of Indy's intercession at the bar (they were digging in the wrong place because they only had the side of the headpiece that was burned into Toht's hand). Sheldon then sets about to ruin something that Amy loves, with comically unsuccessful results.
Whether anyone was actually talking about this before the Big Bang Theory episode, I have no idea.
Marion's life was in danger because she owned the headpiece to the Staff Of Ra, having been given to her by her father, Professor Ravenwood. The Nazis would have figured out one way or another that she might know where the headpiece was, and as such, would have surely tortured her to get that information. Actually, they might not have had to torture her much, given that's she's wearing it around her neck. But I reckon they'd have raped and murdered her (not necessarily in that order) if Indy hadn't been there...which would never have been in danger if he hadn't been involved in the first place...
The only time I feel that way is when I'm watching something like Tintorrera, which is setup like it's a Jaws knock off, but half it plays like the script was based on a Harlequin romance novel. That was a movie that really didn't know what it wanted to be."it cant decide what it wants to be".
Yeah, I guess there was supposed to be an elaborate process of Indy disarming the swordsman. Ford, I think, said he had food poisoning or something, but yeah, he just didn't feel like doing what was scripted. But as you say, he asked if he couldn't just shoot the guy. Steven thought for a few seconds, and then said, "Yeah, that'll work!".Apparently Spielberg was coming up with all sorts of ways that he'd fight Indy. Harrison Ford had been sick for a few days and bone-tired. He said, "how about I just shoot the fucker?"
Funny thing to me, they played off of that gimmick in Temple of Doom, which actually takes place before Raiders.
My wife watched the trilogy for the first time with me over the past couple of weeks, and she really dug them. But that joke was lost on her because I had her watch Temple first, then Raiders and Last Crusade.
I'd have to see Temple Of Doom again, I haven't seen it over 30 yras. The main thing I remember is the gag where Kate Capshaw won't eat anything because she finds everything the natives eat to be unappetizing, and the scene where the main baddie reaches into the guy's chest and pulls his heart out. Oh, and the minecar "rollercoaster" chase.
I remember seeing a "making of" featurette on TV at the time, and Harrison Ford is shown explaining that the movie takes place 3 years before the first one, and it's been two years since they made the first one. Therefore, he reckoned he was five years too old to be doing all the stuff he had to do in that one, or something like that. One assumes he was being facetious but he delivers the comment in such a deadpan way, you might miss the humor.
Super Troopers 2
Laughed my ass off during this. If you liked their first one, this is a no brainer!
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
Apollo 11 - extraordinary new doc about the Apollo 11 mission using newly discovered and never seen before 70mm footage, which has been enhanced for 4K resolution. From the shots of the launch, to the extraordinary scenes on the moon and the re entry and splashdown, its a fascinating and interesting take on the mission.
There is no narration, its all done using the voices of those involved at the time, with some nostalgic old style graphic animations to show the path and trajectory of the craft. The filmmakers also try to use footage that is not familiar to us, alternate angles and shots rather than the familiar footage we usually see. Also included is footage shot by the astronauts themselves.
To appreciate it you will need a decent size 4K TV, and a surround system. Good soundtrack too, made using only instruments that were available in 1969.
If this is the sort of thing you like, and as someone who is old enough to have watched the moon landings live, then this is right up your street and highly recommended.
I only clicked on it because I thought it was going to be something more interesting...
Sounds very impressive!
Watched, Murder by Death, yesterday and it's always made me howl. But, is Blazing Saddles, still one of the funniest films of all time? What say you?
The older I get, the better I was.
Bookmarks