Repo Man.

Review #2338: Repo Man.

Cast:

Harry Dean Stanton (Bud), Emilio Estevez (Otto Maddox), Tracey Walter (Miller), Olivia Barash (Leila), Sy Richardson (Lite), Vonetta McGee (Marlene), Richard Foronjy (Arnold Plettschner), Susan Barnes (Agent Rogersz), Fox Harris (J. Frank Parnell), Tom Finnegan (Oly), Del Zamora (Lagarto Rodriguez), Eddie Velez (Napoleon "Napo" Rodriguez), Zander Schloss (Kevin), and Jennifer Balgobin (Debbi) Written and Directed by Alex Cox.

Review:

"Nuclear War.  Of course. What else could it be about?  And the demented society that contemplated the possibility thereof.  Repoing people’s cars and hating alien ideologies were only the tip of the iceberg.  The iceberg itself was the maniac culture which had elected so-called “leaders” named Reagan and Thatcher, who were prepared to sacrifice everything — all life on earth — to a gamble based on the longevity of the Soviet military, and the whims of their corporate masters."

Admittedly, it isn't every day you get to cover a director who basically used up Hollywood for a few movies and then got shuttered into independent work in the span of a decade. Cox was educated at the University of Bristol in film studies and got a scholarship to UCLA with its School of Theater, Film, and Television. Repo Man came about when Cox approached two UCLA friends about producing a film (since they were doing commercials), having failed to get a script about a World War I deserter off the ground. Cox wrote a script about nuclear blast veterans and thieves that was thought of as too expensive, so he then went on a script that was based on "my own personal Los Angeles horrors" along with a neighbor that happened to be a repo man. A key influence was also a script called "Leather Rubberneck" that had been written by an acting student named Dick Rude that had insight about punk culture (incidentally, Rude plays a minor character in this film). Eventually, "Repo Man" attracted enough attention to get Universal Pictures to do distribution, although the studio dragged its feet in actually releasing the movie for a time (to the point where the soundtrack probably had more to do with the movie getting out than anything). The movie was a light success at the time it was released in 1984. His second venture with Sid & Nancy (1986), a loose biopic of Sid Vicious and his relationship with, well, Nancy Spungen, has become a cult curiosity in recent times. Straight to Hell (1987) wasn't exactly a commercial hit (he elected to make it rather than Three Amigos), but any movie that tries to play Spaghetti Western with cameos that revolve from Dennis Hopper to the Circle Jerks can't be all bad. And then there was Walker (1987), a movie released by Universal Pictures that was filmed in Nicaragua during the Contra War loosely based on the life story of William Walker (a "president of Nicaragua") that received polarized reviews and got Cox on a "blacklist" from the major studios when it came to distribution. Cox could not find a job in Hollywood because of the failure of the film and also because he was blacklisted from the Writers Guild because of his work on scripts during a strike in the late 1980s. Cox persisted on with productions that would be made in a variety of places such as Highway Patrolman (which premiered in its native Mexico in 1991), Liverpool productions in Revengers Tragedy (2002), "microfeatures" in Repo Chick (2009) or crowdfunded ventures with Bill, the Galactic Hero (2014). Overall, Cox has directed thirteen films (with plans for a movie of the novel Dead Souls possible, even in his seventies) while also serving as a professor in film production and screenwriting at the University of Colorado at Boulder for a number of years.

For a feature debut, this is a pretty slick movie. It will vary a bit in how much time it takes to really get into its satirical bent, but it ends up delivering a few good laughs with a worthwhile atmosphere that seems strangely in-tune to the times of now when it comes to the wide variety of characters one sees in the film that range from working men with habits (read: speed) to punks to strange travelers that wander in and out of the plot while one can see packages of food or drink with generic labels (evidently there was a time when one really could just buy generic-brand stuff at a market). Basically, it is the kind of movie that would fit right in being paired with Suburbia (1983) or a Roger Corman type of feature, complete with abject paranoia built right in. The days of living by codes or standards are flying by the wayside so one might as well live with the chaos that reigns free in "society among us". Estevez achieves that tightrope that arises in detached timing that sells the disillusionment that comes in growing youth and seeing hucksters all along the path that makes for a few good amusing lines, mostly because he sells the trip in actual commitment to what a punk looks like without just being a mug. Stanton has the disposition of a guy ripped out of a Western that he sells for a grizzled sense of charm and, well, humor in causal intensity, one that actually has a quote about hating ordinary people, which, well, it does kind of ring true for a certain type of working man. The rest of the cast is comprised of a few good kooks that range from Harris and basically being a man of both the background and foreground (consider where the movie jumps after the start) or the wide expression in Walter. The 92-minute runtime coasts along with confidence for its quirky characters and blend of genres for a fun time to think about when it rides off to the climax. Cox had an idea for a sequel in the late 1990s but never got to do it the way he wanted. Named "Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday", it was adapted into a graphic novel in 2008. In general, what we have is a pretty decent comedy that runs the gamut in punk flavor for expressing a howl at the times one is living in when it comes to consumerism and the presence of nuclear war in the face of all absurdities for a strange little fable.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Might as well update you with the upcoming stuff ahead as we march onto the last few days of New Director Month:

Pedro Almodóvar - Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 

Todd Haynes - Safe (1995). 

However, I have a special surprise coming up on Sunday, after not being able to do so last January. Be ready.

The Way (2010).

Review #1555: The Way.

Cast: 
Martin Sheen (Thomas Avery), Deborah Kara Unger (Sarah Marie Sinclair), James Nesbitt (Jack Emerson Stanton), Yorick van Wageningen (Joost Michael de Witt), Emilio Estevez (Daniel Avery), and Tchéky Karyo (Captain Henri Sébastien) Written and Directed by Emilio Estevez.

Review: 
"This is a film we believe in. We're proud of it and excited. It was a privilege to be able to make it."

As the old saying goes, the son becomes the father and the father becomes the son. In the case of a film like this, I would say that is adequately appropriate with a feature that stars Martin Sheen directed by his son Emilio. Sheen (born Ramón Estévez before adopting the stage name as an invention to try and make a living with acting, which he described later as one of his great regrets) found his way in acting first from television in the 1960s before finding his way into features through highlights such as Badlands (1973) and Apocalypse Now (1979). As for Emilio, the eldest son, he found interest in working with the camera from a young age, and he aspired to get into acting after graduating high school. He made his debut in 1980 with television before moving into features that led to highlights such as Repo Man (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Young Guns (1988). He moved himself into directing with Wisdom (1986), and he has continued doing a few features alongside work in television from time to time. Estevez was inspired by his own son Taylor and his travel with Sheen across the route through car years prior, with Estevez describing the film as "pro people, pro life — not anti — anything."

This is based on the real life pilgrimage of Camino del Santiago (Way of St. James), where folks follow routes (as there are numerous ones, such as the Camino Frances) to a shrine as a form of spiritual retreat or path for their growth that hundreds of thousands set out to do each year (with an actual office giving out certificates of completion for those who walk on the Camino); various media had been made depicting this journey in some form prior to this film, such as Luis Bunuel's The Milky Way (1969) and the TV program The Naked Pilgrim (2003). Sometimes it is the journey that attracts one more so than the destination. It is an interesting movie that takes a walk for two hours with a small cast headlined by the interest in seeing the result of the son directing the father with honesty and touching interest. It cultivates inspiration for those who seek it without preening for too long in a pilgrimage without becoming an excuse to show off, moving with sensitivity without becoming an excuse for sentimentality or the inverse in cynicism that has a trek reminiscent in some way of The Wizard of Oz (1939) with people that discover something in themselves without needing it spelled out in obviousness. Sheen is exactly the right one to lead the film, settling well on a journey of growth with maturity, going across the road that handles his surroundings with dignity through a 2-hour trek of grief and discovery for himself. The main three that gradually accompany him on the intersecting journey do just fine in their own ways. Unger rolls along with pain and charm wrapped in thorns, while Nesbitt and Wageningen each do well with adding some levity and persistence in curiosity, respectively.  It isn't a great film by any means, but it is a nice little journey that aspires for inspiration and interest in one's fellow man, and it takes a well-versed cast to back it up, which has a small ensemble to go with appearances of actual pilgrims and in one scene Romani people. It maintains enough strength in inspiration to deserve a look, particularly if one if yearns to look for a journey of their own.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

The Outsiders.

Review #1469: The Outsiders.

Cast:
C. Thomas Howell (Ponyboy Curtis), Matt Dillon (Dallas "Dally" Winston), Ralph Macchio (Johnny Cade), Patrick Swayze (Darrel "Darry" Curtis), Rob Lowe (Sodapop Curtis), Emilio Estevez (Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews), Tom Cruise (Steve Randle), Glenn Withrow (Tim Shepard), Diane Lane (Sherri "Cherry" Valance), and Leif Garrett (Robert "Bob" Sheldon) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (#592 - Dementia 13, #1139 - Supernova, and #1460 - Apocalypse Now)

Review: 
"I used to be a great camp counselor, and the idea of being with half a dozen kids in the country and making a movie seemed like being a camp counselor again. It would be a breath of fresh air. I'd forget my troubles and have some laughs again." 

The 1980s were an interesting time for coming-of-age dramas along with Francis Ford Coppola. It was the busiest decade of his career, if not the most difficult. Having reached a peak with Apocalypse Now (1979), he tried to further innovation in films with the music fantasy One from the Heart (1982), which proved a failure with audiences and wrecked his finances with Zoetrope Studio (now known as American Zoetrope). He would ultimately direct six further films in this decade (including a segment for New York Stories in 1989) while trying to get out of his debts, and two of his films were uniquely released in the same year that were adaptations of S.E. Hinton novels in Rumble Fish and this film (based on the 1967 novel of the same name). The inspiration for the film came from an interesting source: a petition on the behalf of middle school students of Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California by school librarian Jo Ellen Misakian, since the students felt that Coppola would be a great director to make a film out of such a key book of reading from the famed author in Hinton (who wrote it as a teenager inspired by rival gangs in her high school in Oklahoma, where the film would be shot). She was very involved with the making of the film, having numerous moments of enjoyment spent with the actors of the film. One can only imagine how much interest can be generated from a film with so many young and aspiring actors present in one film: Cruise (in the first of four key roles in a breakthrough year), Swayze (a talented dancer in his second film role), Dillon (a teen idol that starred in two other Hinton adaptations in Tex and Rumble Fish), Lane (making her transition into older roles after debuting in theater at age six and film at 14), Macchio, Lowe and Estevez (with this being a breakthrough for the latter three).

There exists two different versions of the film: The original version of the film ran for 91 minutes after Coppola edited it down from 133 minutes of shooting because of studio fears of it being too long. In 2005, he decided to do a new version of the film, inspired to do a version that restored the film to be more faithful to the book that his granddaughter could watch. The newest edition of the film, called "The Complete Novel" release, runs at 114 minutes, since Coppola re-incorporated 22 minutes of deleted footage while also taking out footage from before while also replacing most of Carmine Coppola's musical score with comtemporary 1960s music. Regardless of how one sees the film, there is a fine sense of craftsmanship in making a captivating coming-of-age story with touches of realism and style that reach most of what it desires to say about the nature of teenagers when it comes to class and adapting to the way one was raised by a family (whether the traditional one or not). Nothing comes easy in life, particularly when it comes to trying to belong in society - that applied in the 1960s and it applies just as much now more than ever, as trying to find a place to belong with others doesn't change the struggle within us no matter the supposed evolution of community over the years. With a young and hungry ensemble like this, there is plenty to generate interest in making things come alive. As our focus for a primary amount of time, Howell proves himself worthy of our attention, a complicated kid on the crossroads that we can buy into fairly well. It is Dillon who commands attention with an irresistible and irascible hardened spirit. Macchio follows along with well-done conviction to follow along with Howell, with a sequence involving the sunset being a key highlight for each in idealism that will inevitably clash with reality. Swayze (the oldest of an teenaged/twentysomething ensemble at 31) is a weary but worthwhile presence to see help lead his family of brothers and outsider brothers. The others in Lowe, Estevez, and Cruise make their own interesting impressions (the best likely being a short scene of Estevez waiting for a conversation to end with Howell and someone else by cracking wise), while Lane proves a steady counterpart of the other side of town, bright in conviction.

In the end, The Outsiders still manages to reach an audience today because of what it can say about youth on the fringes. By the time it reaches its rumble for the end, one can find themselves swept over whose actually fighting who, as if the lines of conflict can muddle between what really matters, as signified by its true ending (or at least in its burning sequence), poignant in hardened reality without drowning its viewer in what really matters - to belong. In that sense, I would say Coppola certainly made a film worth belonging to, which all came together from kids that wanted to see the folks try to "stay gold" on screen.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

D2: The Mighty Ducks.

Review #869: D2: The Mighty Ducks.

Cast:
Emilio Estevez (Gordon Bombay), Kathryn Erbe (Michelle McKay), Michael Tucker (Mr. Tibbles), Jan Rubes (Jan), Carsten Norgaard (Wolf "The Dentist" Stansson), Maria Ellingsen (Maria), Joshua Jackson (Charlie Conway, #96), Elden Henson (Fulton Reed, #44), Shaun Weiss (Greg Goldberg, #33), Matt Doherty (Les Averman, #4), Brandon Adams (Jesse Hall, #9), Garette Ratliff Henson (Guy Germaine, #00), and Marguerite Moreau (Connie Moreau, #18) Directed by Sam Weisman.

Review:
Though the first film isn't technically a great piece of film, it was at least (to me, anyway) a moderately entertaining movie that had some sort of charm to it, even among its hokey-ness. Maybe it was the hockey, or maybe it was just the way it flowed. But with the sequel (and its bizarre title), there doesn't seem to be as much faithful charm. It seems to be more a movie muddled it wants wants to be. There is nothing that seems convincing (in both characters and plot), with no real motivation to care about this team trying to win (the Junior Goodwill Games, of course). Norgaard is moderately entertaining as the villain (did you expect Iceland as the final opponent? Me either), fitting his nickname of "The Dentist" as well as one can. The slapstick and hockey don't really stand out from what you might expect, not really being entertaining enough to talk about (roping an opponent isn't as cool as it seems), going through the motions you'd expect. As a whole, it's a mediocre Disney film that would be good to watch once, but it isn't anything special enough to want to watch more than that.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

The Mighty Ducks.

Review #868: The Mighty Ducks.

Cast:
Emilio Estevez (Gordon Bombay), Joss Ackland (Hans), Lane Smith (Coach Jack Reilly), Heidi Kling (Casey Conway), Josef Sommer (Mr. Gerald Ducksworth), Joshua Jackson (Charlie Conway, #96), Elden Henson (Fulton Reed, #44), Shaun Weiss (Greg Goldberg, #33), M. C. Gainey (Lewis), Matt Doherty (Lester Averman, #4), and Brandon Adams (Jesse Hall, #9) Directed by Stephen Herek (#021 - Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and #502 - Man of the House)

Review:
What is it about this movie that inspires joy? It's not as cynically honest as The Bad News Bears (though it does have a similar premise), but there is a sort of charm to this film in its silliness. The characters are about as interesting as the movie allows them, with Estevez being good at being a grouch, with some sort of believably as a coach. There is at least a semblance of atmosphere, with some nice shots of Minnesota. It has its interesting moments (mostly involving hockey, with the flying V standing out), and though it ends like the way you would expect there is at least some sort of closure to the plot. Sure, the movie waddles between ridiculousness (especially when it starts quacking) and legitimacy, but it is serviceable. The villain (of sorts, played by Smith) is also serviceable in his ridiculous competitiveness. The movie is funny when it is being itself and not going for something inherently ridiculous. The child actors are fairly decent as well, with the varying kinds of of personalities that are in some way charming. I wouldn't say the movie breaks any real ground, but it is at least a good way to spend 100 minutes. Obviously there are other sports films to watch and obviously there are other kids films to watch, but I suppose that if you really need a fix of both Disney flicks and hockey this is the one for you.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Mission: Impossible.

Review #801: Mission: Impossible.

Cast
Tom Cruise (Ethan Hunt), Jon Voight (Jim Phelps), Emmanuelle Béart (Claire Phelps), Henry Czerny (Eugene Kittridge), Jean Reno (Franz Krieger), Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell), Vanessa Redgrave (Max), Kristin Scott Thomas (Sarah Davies), and Emilio Estevez (Jack Harmon) Directed by Brian De Palma.

Review
Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of this film, and I decided to honor that by reviewing it, since it has been a while since I actually watched one of the five films (#128 - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol). While I will admit I have never watched the television series Mission: Impossible, I went into the movie with the expectation of watching something that would at least be entertaining, not necessarily going into it expecting a completely loyal version of the show. As it turned out, that was probably the right idea, because the original cast did not exactly have a positive reaction to the movie, and Peter Graves (the original Jim Phelps) rejected the offer to play the role again. With all that in mind, the movie was still pretty good for me. Cruise does an excellent job, seeming very comfortable in the role, with his action scenes (and stunt-work) being enjoyable to watch. Voight, while not exactly up to Cruise's strength, is at least a capable villain, with at least some sort of motivation (honestly though I think I would probably take up a hobby instead of well, doing an elaborate ruse). Béart doesn't get much to do, but she is at least decent. My favorites are Rhames and Redgrave, with the former being cool to watch who works well with Cruise, and the latter being an interesting character who's not necessarily a villain, just a middle-man in all of this. The action is well done, being entertaining along with feeling real enough. The movie's story seems destined to try and twist itself almost too much, but it manages to come off as serviceable, with enough spy elements to make for what is at least a fine experience that has spawned four sequels in the 20 years that have passed since this movie's release

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Maximum Overdrive.

Review #192: Maximum Overdrive.

Cast
Emilio Estevez (William "Bill" Robinson), Pat Hingle (Bubba Hendershot), Laura Harrington (Brett Graham), Yeardley Smith (Connie), John Short (Curtis), Ellen McElduff (Wanda June), Frankie Faison (Handy), Leon Rippy (Brad), and Christopher Murney (Camp Loman) Directed by Stephen King.

Review
The first thing to mention is that this is Stephen King's only directed film which he also wrote (adapted from a short story of his own named Trucks) It's like he wanted to say, "Hey you think you can adapt my novels to books good? Well I can do better!" But...It isn't. The acting is standard, with Estevez doing his best given the role (It's like he acted angry because he had to be in this film) The action is...well action, standard for an action film. The violence is even more standard, getting a bit old after a while. The one thing I find of note to be worthy is the soundtrack by none other then AC/DC. Pure awesome. The film in a way is enjoyable, even with its bizarre explaining in the beginning that's contradicted in the end. It's a weird film, that can be only enjoyed if you let yourself go (there are films you must do that other wise you'll hate it, like...Transformers 2 *snickers*). Countdown to 200: 10, 9, 8....

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Breakfast Club.

Review #046: The Breakfast Club.

Cast
Emilio Estevez (Andrew "Andy" Clark), Paul Gleason (Richard "Dick" Vernon), Anthony Michael Hall (Brian Ralph Johnson), Judd Nelson (John Bender), Molly Ringwald (Claire Standish), Ally Sheedy (Allison Reynolds), and John Kapelos (Carl Reed) Directed by John Hughes.

Review
This film is a classic that outlines the high school trouble that some (Okay, fine, most) people have. It's a funny film that has fine acting, and a classic tone for it. The writing is good, with fine directing by Hughes. It's a film that's fun to watch, from beginning to end, with many memorable scenes, characters, and all in all, a memorable movie.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.