Last night I saw a double feature at the Aero in Santa Monica. (two movies-$8) Two heist films that I have never seen before- the first being THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE
Awesome. I loved this film. Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Walter Matthau. Tony Roberts is the Lt. Mayor. The orderly Washington- from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, plays a transit cop, his name is Nathan George. Jerry Stiller plays a cop who could give a shit. The movie is PACKED with amazing one-liners, great jokes, refreshing political incorrectness and it is a hell of a heist film. Every character actor in this film is so on their game- it’s sick. Like a Preston Sturges (or for you younguns- Coen Bros) film. Skillfully written by Peter Stone- who wrote Charade- he effortlessly moves between the remorseless character played by Robert Shaw and killing innocent people in cold blood to laugh out loud funny bits with Matthua and every other city employee character involved. The mayor is so silly he could be Mel Brooks taken down just 12%. That guy who runs out holding the Blue Letter in Hudsucker Proxy is in it and he looks exactly the same- it is amazing- he doesn’t age. Pelham is directed by Jo Sargent.
This film has been remade once for TV – and is being remade again with Denzel Washington- they are shooting now. Tony (throw up in my mouth) Scott directing. Everyone has stolen from this movie, everyone, if you’ve never seen it- do yourself a favor and go buy it- it should be studied.
After the film Hector Elizondo was there for a Q&A. I have realized that you can only hope for maybe one good story and rarely anything too insightful from Q&A sessions. Its not anyone’s fault really, well actually sometimes it is and sometimes they are fun, but usually not- especially when the geeks of the geeks are asking the questions. There was the gem, “I think improv works for people with a sense of humor” there was some random pettiness about Robert Shaw being a hard-ass drinker and kick ass ping pong player and some other random shit. A story about Garry Marshall that started good (he got hit in the face with a basketball) but ended with a bad kicker that false laughter over the years has not improved. And too many people asking about an actor’s process on a film he shot 30 or 40 years ago- he even said he hadn’t seen the film in 20 years- and people are asking him about the working relationship between him and the director- or who came up with what business. Come off it, guys.
Then I watched Joel Siegel’s CHARLIE VARRICK- starring Walter Matthua and featuring John Vernon. Things started good- a heist went wrong and the wrong thing was there was too much money, some people and small town New Mexico cops got shot. Not bad. Then the writing went south- forced bits of comedy with a kooky old woman, scenes so inconsistent I was shaking my head- but John Vernon has the weirdest bits of business in it I have ever seen, its like he’s coming up with things to do that make no sense- or beyond no sense- so that someone could think they might mean something. Pretty weird and amazing stuff from him in this film-doing lines while strattling (sp?) a fence next to cows (and making groanful cow analogies), doing lines and then playing the piano like Rock Monanoff, having a conversation while pushing a retarded girl with a kitten in a swing. There’s a decent joke or two- a bad ass El Camino that the “sociopath” killer drives- but Joe Don Baker doesn’t play much of a sociopath.
I don’t want to ruin this movie telling you all the things that made me “huh?” so watch it. You’ll laugh and get a bit bored toward the end but so what. Its John-Fucking-Vernon and Joel-Goddam-Siegel.
Ok- more movies to watch will report soon. I tried to watch the whole godfather trilogy in the past day or two. I and II -as we all know- are amazing. Part III is so amazingly unnecessary and poorly constructed that I have invented a drinking game to make the piece of shit watchable.
One person drinks every time the word “family” is said.
One person drinks when Sofia Coppola gives a shitty line reading(or in other words, appears on screen).
One person drinks when Talia Shire gives a shitty line reading. (drink twice when it is obvious she made up the line on the spot)
One person takes the combo shitty lines of Eli Wallach and Andy Garcia and Joe Montenga (drink twice when either of them fails at acting anything like a gangster)
Whoever takes that last one ain't making it through Act I.
Every time there is a clip reel from I or II- everyone drinks.
Every time someone says “Fredo” all older brothers drink.
Every time someone says Sonny or Santino- all loose women drink (which is all women who are sitting around getting bombed to Godfather III, I'm sorry)
Everyone drinks until they black out when Sofia Coppola gets shot and all the characters flail around.
I shouldn’t be so hard on the film- it must be a sore spot with everyone involved and I’m sure it has been trashed enough by everyone but me, but hey- whaddya gonna do, eh?
Oh, that last crack was so bad.
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