“He wouldn’t ask me to do anything that wasn’t right.”
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Peary notes that while the “picture has a strong underground reputation”, he “can’t figure out why” — and I must say I agree. I wanted this mish-mosh of a film to be much more (and much less) than it is. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“It kills like an animal — and when we find it, we’re going to have to destroy it like one.”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Peary points out that Ryan — a classically trained actor who spent many years of his career on stage — gives a “surprisingly fine performance”; indeed, he elevates the entire script up a notch, particularly during the touching moments near the end of the film. I like how the L.A. River Basin is used as a metaphorical watery womb for Ryan and his baby to bond within and emerge from (albeit to a fatally hostile crowd). Equally sympathetic and nuanced is Farrell as the creature’s mother, who knows something is “not right” but is ignored by the men-in-power around her throughout her pregnancy, during the birth process, and after her baby has gone missing. I agree with Cohen’s choice to not show much of Rick Baker’s mutant baby design, instead hinting at Its demonic appearance through quick flashes without dwelling on It; appropriately enough, It exists primarily in the shadows. (Cohen has cited Val Lewton’s horror films as an influence, and this makes sense.) Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“Hey — you wanna see something really scary?”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Peary accurately notes how disappointing Spielberg’s “Kick the Can” is on every level, and laments that the ending of “It’s a Good Life” has turned moralistic, with “even a boy… capable of terrible deeds want[ing] help, need[ing] sincere friendship, and prefer[ing] guidance… to being a spoiled brat.” He argues that the final episode — in which “John Lithgow takes over William Shatner’s role” — is the best, and that it works well to have Lithgow playing a “sane man” who “no one will believe” rather than a “former mental patient.”
Finally, Peary discusses the tragedy of “Time Out”, which infamously resulted in the death-by-helicopter of Vic Morrow and two illegally hired children he was acting with, thus making “it difficult to appreciate the episode on any level.”
He notes that “special-effects experts Rob Botton and Craig Reardon should be singled out for creating some truly spectacular creatures”:
— and that “best of all is Landis’s truly wacky and terrifying prelude with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks.”
Note: Watch for Dick Miller (naturally!) in a cameo role during the beginning of “It’s a Good Life”:
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“What you see on that show — it’s for real; it’s not acting.”
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(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die) Links: |
“You’re my only witness to this murder, and you’re a peeper. In my book, that’s a pervert and a sex offender.”
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and “the storyline’s so predictable that the intricacy of De Palma’s direction seems wasted” (only the fact that Wasson’s clearly being duped is predictable; everything else caught me by surprise). Meanwhile, he asserts that “when De Palma starts showing off with one of his long non-dialogue passages (when Wasson follows Shelton), the picture becomes boring.”
He adds (I agree) that “as a platinum-blond [adult film] star, Melanie Griffith is the best reason to see this picture”.
While I’m not as dismissive of this film as Peary seems to be, I’ll agree it’s not must-see viewing and ultimately one of De Palma’s lesser films. However, there’s enough creativity to recommend it for one-time viewing, especially if you’re a De Palma fan. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“But I wrote the music!”
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Response to Peary’s Review: While Phantom of the Paradise was “poorly received by many critics when released, it has attained a large cult following” — and in his Cult Movies 2 book, Peary discusses this movie at greater length. He writes that, “Remarkably, De Palma put together a simple storyline despite combining plot and theme elements from numerous sources, including Goethe, Oscar Wilde, Nathanael West, Gaston Laroux’s 1911 novel The Phantom of the Opera as well as the 1925, 1943, and 1962 movie adaptations, King Kong (1933), Beauty and the Beast (1946), possibly The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923 and 1939 versions), and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), with its assassination-attempt-at-concert sequence.” He notes that, “looking back, it’s hard to believe the hostility some critics felt toward the film” — but it’s equally fortunate that Pauline Kael “expressed admiration for [De Palma’s] wit, manic theatricality, and wild love for his medium,” in addition to recognizing “back then that De Palma’s amateurish streaks and erratic talents (which are still very much in evidence) are not, in his case, liabilities.” Indeed, “his unpredictability — you can’t count on him to direct or write two scenes in a row that are polished or follow cinematic conventions — is one of the reasons he’s been an interesting filmmaker.” I agree with both Kael and Peary. Peary points out how appropriate it is that this film “begins with [a] Rod Serling… narration,” given that “most episodes on Serling’s classic television anthology The Twilight Zone were about characters who lose their identity” — and “in Phantom, Winslow [Finley] becomes the symbol of all struggling young songwriters whose music (their identity) is stolen by big-shot record producers and musicians.” In fact, he notes, Winslow “represents all young artists, filmmakers included, who are used and discarded without the world ever knowing they existed.” Indeed, while this black comedy is often played for laughs — it’s easy to ridicule how naive and inept Finley’s Phantom comes across time and again — he does metaphorically represent the extreme result of every insult ever hurled at a deeply creative person. Meanwhile, Beef’s campy performance instantly evokes The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1976), which at the time was still just a stage production; while Graham can’t really hold a candle to Tim Curry (who could?), he has a lot of fun with his role and is consistently enjoyable to watch. Also weirdly good is Williams as the gnome-ish Swan: the sway this guy holds over seemingly the entire world is truly diabolical. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“It’s the voices in my head; they’re driving me crazy.”
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He adds that “McGoohan and Ironside give solid performances”:
… but “Lack isn’t an appealing lead.”
Meanwhile, “Jennifer O’Neill (who’s part of the guerrilla band Lack helps” is impressive during one key scene in a doctor’s office, but her role isn’t substantial enough.
Though it’s hailed by some as a classic and considered Cronenberg’s breakthrough film, I was unimpressed by the inane dialogue (along the lines of, “Do it now or I’ll kill you.”) and incessant gun brandishing. This film is really all about its special effects — and if you enjoy that kind of thing, you will certainly want to give it a look (and be sure to check out a short documentary entitled “The Scanners Way” for plenty of fascinating background information on how the effects here were creatively produced by masters of the trade). Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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“I’d like to say hello to my mother, if you don’t mind.”
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We next see Jon re-engaging with the “smut peddler” (Allen Garfield) from Greetings:
… who produces adult films and is begrudgingly willing to give Jon a chance once he hears about his plan to violate the privacy of countless apartment dwellers by filming them. (A quick note here that all concern with ethics must be set aside while watching this film in order to go with the flow of its dark humor.) Jon’s crafty, deceptive “pick up” of a young woman (Salt) — with detailed plans to carefully “trap” her into performing on camera for/with him later — goes hilariously sideways, giving Jon a much-needed taste of humility.
Meanwhile, the extended sub-plot about a Black theater troupe attempting to provide white participants with an authentic taste of what it’s like to “Be Black Baby” in America is surprisingly hard-hitting (albeit hard to watch at times).
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“I don’t want anybody interfering with my private life.”
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“Love is nice; marriage is not nice.”
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