Today's Herald Sun. How could anyone confuse John Belushi's Joliet Jake Blues from the Blues Brothers, with John Goodman's Mighty Mac McTeer from the vastly superior Blues Brothers 2000? Imbecile! The latter, a fin de siècle classic, has funnier dialog, better songs, cooler performances, a cute kid - a cute kid! - and is not at all an exercise in cashing in, kerching, kerching, by the numbers movie making.
"The light was yellow, sir."
That didn't stop the movie from being worse than Glenn McGrath's batting, though...
Posted by: Chade | 16 September 2008 at 18:26
Well I did have to look up what "fin de siècle" meant.
"Are you the 4th estate faux pas police?"
"No ma'am. We're bloggers."
Posted by: The Green Man | 16 September 2008 at 19:23
C: An absolute shocker.
GM: No review of high art cinema is complete without a French expression.
Posted by: Tony T | 16 September 2008 at 21:52
she grimacing at the fact that it was her choice
Planet of the Apes is the worst movie I've seen this last decade at the cinema. Yes, it was my choice. Yes, I was grimacing.
Posted by: Big.Ramifications | 17 September 2008 at 12:37
I've seen so many bad movies this last decayed - not a mipsprint - they have all blended into one hideous blob.
But I will say that, surprise surprise, the remake of the Italian Job went alright.
Posted by: Tony T | 17 September 2008 at 12:59
You, Sir, are a cad and a bounder, unable to recognise art and talent when you see it.
"Blues Brothers" is one of the treasures of my VHS collection, which includes such masterpieces as Steve McQueen in his seminal work "On Any Sunday" and Michael Caine despatching assorted tinted people in "Zulu", not to mention the delightful Jane Fonda (in her pre Viet Cong days) as "Barbarella".
Posted by: Pedro the Ignorant | 17 September 2008 at 23:28
Well, Pedro, to be fair to this bounder and cad, I was being sarcastic.
Zulu I love - "chin, chin" - but On Any Sunday and Barbarella would have been better had they been reduced to about half an hour.
In fairness to On Any Sunday, it is better than the over-rated Stone-wank Any Given Sunday, but is not as good as Sunday Too Far Away, the Bava Black Sunday or even the Frankenheimer Black Sunday.
Posted by: Tony T | 18 September 2008 at 10:08
My FFF (fave Fonda film) is The China Syndrome - life imitating art was never so scary.
Although she was pretty cute in Klute too.
Posted by: The Green Man | 19 September 2008 at 11:07
Big Ram: At least the original POA provided us with some juicy quotes:
"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" and "You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"
Go Charlton!!
Posted by: The Green Man | 19 September 2008 at 11:19
I saw a doco some time ago where Caine said he modelled his style on The Duke of Edinburgh. He was very very conscious and worried about what to do with his arms. And then he made some joke about the producers complaining in the initial rushes "why doesn't the baladdy lad move his baladdy arms?"
In Zulu that is.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 19 September 2008 at 15:32
after seeing the initial rushes.
You know what I mean.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 19 September 2008 at 15:35
You know something.
Apart from Cat Balloo, which I liked when I was 14, and Coming Home, which I liked for the soundtrack when I was 17, I can't think of a Jane Fonda fillum I've enjoyed watching.
Maybe The Chase has its appeals.
Oh, and the MARVELLOUS On Golden Pond, which was just so cute and family and wasn't Henry was just such a wonderful curmudgeon. "A dentist? Wanna see my teeth?" Noice.
Posted by: Tony T | 20 September 2008 at 10:38
Blues Brothers 2000 had a bonus James Brown performance AFTER all the credits had rolled, which was noice for those of us rooted to our seats and unable to move.
At TheSun, they probably stil don't know Belushi died.
Posted by: Ann O'Dyne | 20 September 2008 at 20:22