Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Review #2375: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Cast: 

Robert Downey Jr (Harold "Harry" Lockhart), Val Kilmer ("Gay" Perry van Shrike), Michelle Monaghan (Harmony Faith Lane), Corbin Bernsen (Harlan Dexter), Dash Mihok (Mr. Frying Pan), Larry Miller (Dabney Shaw), Rockmond Dunbar (Mr. Fire), and Shannyn Sossamon (Mia Frye (Pink Hair Girl) Directed by Shane Black (#396 - Iron Man 3)

Review: 

"I have always assumed that in a very over compensatory way that I will come back tomorrow and the treasures will be gone. Then you have those days when you have not written for a while, you are a bit rusty and you think the vault is empty. Eventually you have to take a leap of faith. But I have never been too big on faith. Deep down I hope I have this overall positivism within. I have faith in life’s ability to provide terrific crescendos but there is also this nagging certain that what awaits me are these horrible pitfalls."

It sure has been a while since we talked about Shane Black. The UCLA Drama School graduate rose to prominence with a spec script he manage to sell to Warner Bros... which ended up being Lethal Weapon (1986). Well, okay, that isn't the whole story. For one, the Pittsburgh native actually had an interested in hardboiled fiction from his printer father before he went to UCLA for film, and while he liked to write from a young age, it was his friend Fred Dekker who inspired him to go for a living in the film industry by showing him a script he was doing. He worked as a typist and in data entry before his "The Shadow Company" script had gotten an agent and executives to basically guide him to do something for them, and, well, Lethal Weapon (among other observations)*. His first draft for the sequel (which was darker in tone that basically is referenced here) was not accepted, and he had lingering doubts in his confidence, but he followed this with scripts that got turned into movies with The Last Boy Scout (1991), a re-write of Last Action Hero (1993), and The Long Kiss Goodnight (1994). The relatively quiet reception to that script led to Black being disillusioned for a number of years. When he decided to try and write a script different from his usual stuff with a romantic comedy, he asked James L. Brooks for advice (Brooks apparently told Black that he "always pictured [Black] doing something like Chinatown which was character driven with a lot of twists") but found that the only way to solve his problems with the script was to make it a movie about a murder with detectives. The script, which was inspired by the 1940s novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday, ended up at Warner Bros. with Joel Silver (already familiar with Black in previous ventures) as producer; with a budget of $15 million, the movie wasn't a big hit at the time, but Robert Downey Jr called the movie "my calling card to Iron Man". Black would next direct (and write) with Iron Man 3 in 2013.

Admittedly, it is a shaggy type of neo-noir that balances its 103-minute runtime with varying levels of humor and enjoyment that comes from such a curious ensemble and style on screen. Far from just being a namedropping tribute (note the titles for its "chapters"), it goes and coasts in shrouding mystery and sharp amusement that may not be a great movie at first glance but sure is at least a good enough time to possibly encounter again anyways. Downey Jr** in particular seems to be having a fun time as a crook that is wrapped up in the growing hijinks that arise in overbearing people and situations and handles it with worthy timing (it helps to narrate the movie at times to general chuckling). We roll along with things just as Downey does in being quick on one's feet to make for a delightfully clumsy guy to follow along with. Apparently, it was Kilmer who suggested that his character should be gay (with Black being fine with a character that is going to kick the door down, gay or not). Obviously, Kilmer knew what he was doing in terms of matching Downey in pace and timing that has passion for what he does in terms of results that breezes through the film in a way that buddy films could only dream to have. Monaghan accompanies the proceedings with peppy charm that has enough of a curious rapport with Downey Jr to balance the movie out beyond the procedures that come in mystery without needing to go to all of the obvious romcom things. Bernsen lurks in the ground probably not nearly as much one might want to see, but he lingers enough to sell the trick that comes in looking past appearances and smiles while Mihok and Dunbar make for useful henchmen to pop in and out as well. In general, the movie does coast along with charm that eventually levels its machinations for a suitable enough climax with fair closure that at least lets the audience have the satisfaction in being on the ride without throwing out on their end, if you know what I mean. As a whole, Black's debut as a director works out the best in having enough charm from its main cast in hardboiled chuckles to make this a worthwhile recommendation for those looking for a little bit of everything.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

*Okay, there was also The Monster Squad and acting but blah blah blah, get on with it, right?

**Noted at the time for slowly making his way out of addictions rather than say, previous noirs like The Singing Detective (2003) or his Academy Award nominated role in Chaplin.

Radioland Murders.

Review #2241: Radioland Murders.

Cast: 

Brian Benben (Roger Henderson), Mary Stuart Masterson (Penny Henderson), Scott Michael Campbell (Billy Budge), Michael Lerner (Lieutenant Cross), Ned Beatty (General Walt Whalen), Brion James (Bernie King), Stephen Tobolowsky (Max Applewhite), Michael McKean (Rick Rochester), Corbin Bernsen (Dexter Morris), Bobcat Goldthwait (Wild Writer), Anita Morris (Claudette Katzenback), Jeffrey Tambor (Walt Whalen Jr), Larry Miller (Herman Katzenback), Christopher Lloyd (Zoltan), Harvey Korman (Jules Cogley), and Dylan Baker (Detective Jasper) Directed by Mel Smith.

Review: 

Believe it or not, I have had this film very, very, very loosely on the radar for years. Here's a good question for you folks: would you believe that this film had George Lucas as a writer? Among the fifteen films where he has been credited as a writer (story or otherwise), it probably goes without saying this is the most obscure of the group. Lucas thought of the story for the film around the time he had developed American Graffiti, which if one remembers was released in 1973 (Lucas equated the friendship had in the film between the kids and the disc jockey to a phenomenon that Radioland would explore further when it comes to radio infused with fantasy). The co-writers of that film in Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck were asked by Lucas to work on the script for the film, which in the mind of Lucas was meant to be aimed as a homage to films such as Who Done It (the Abbott and Costello film from 1942); strangely enough, if one looks up this film on Wikipedia, it lists two other films involving murders at a radio station. The success of films such as Star Wars (1977) among other things kept Lucas busy, but eventually he came back to the idea of a film based on his interests in old-time radio, once stating that "You can trace radio back to the old storytellers around the fire. It's been lost over the years." By the time of the 1990s, one could utilize computer technology for their films, and this apparently is one that really used it to distinct usage, such as the sights in the exterior of the main building the film takes place to go along with select interior walls to go with a certain shot for the climax. Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn (best known for their work on the TV show Moonlighting) were hired to deliver re-writes to the script, evidently under the request of Universal Pictures. The director was Mel Smith, who had done plenty of work within sketch comedy in his native England prior to directing his first film with The Tall Guy (1989), which Lucas liked. The result was a production that had plenty of rushed work near its ending stages, with Lucas apparently doing some unit work alongside Smith. One description of the film was "cinematic pickup sticks." The film, once budgeted for $10 million that eventually rose to $15 million as a Lucasfilm production for Universal, came and went into theaters to incredibly small audience turnout. Smith directed three further films before his death in 2013 at the age of 60, most notably with Bean (1997).

Why don't we be a little nice for a moment when it comes to a movie now three decades old: there are gags in it that are worth a chuckle (heh, radio will never die...), and it is actually a bit interesting to figure what is an special effect in a movie that one wouldn't expect to need many effects, which make for a curious eye (or what have you) on the chase at times. It looks like a radio production for worthwhile decor. One gets a slight chuckle at seeing George Burns basically play himself for one last film bit (incidentally, Burns, playing a 100-year-old comedian for a bit, would die in 1996 at the age of 100). Now, where were we? You don't usually see it happen, but this is one of those sad, sad, sad times where you can see just where a film is about to die that makes one really understand the meaning of "death by a thousand cuts". I feared it would happen late in the 108-minute runtime but nope, this is a movie that either ropes you in with its barrage of slapstick and zany nature or makes you internally scream for it to shut up and breathe. It tries to be quick in pace with its 1939 setting that tries to make one interested in the workings of its radio trappings and the growing murder mystery...and it really strains credibility once you wonder why it couldn't just have been one or the other instead of this miserable mishmash. See, one really wants to like these people and the strange quirks that come with a soundman being played by the most lucid actor possible in Lloyd or the goofy military-stylings of Beatty...and then one gets to the leads and finds the charm levels are essentially right down the tube. It doesn't seem particularly fair to denigrate Masterson (then known for roles such as Immediate Family [1989]) and Benben (the then star of the HBO sitcom Dream On), because surely, they were at least game to do the gags with quick timing and the routine I'm sure you would expect of a once burning romance. But with Benben and his preening mugging in a role that is meant to be funny in its comedy of circumstance (get it? he happens to be around when murders keep happening? eh?!), you can't craft a winner when essentially stuck in a pit with a plastic spoon when Masterson is essentially left adrift to try and match. The sitcom-level dynamic just comes off as noise bereft of life. Even seeing Lerner there makes one sad because if you're going to see someone play a familiar role, you sure as hell want it to be in something more rewarding (Goldthwait somehow makes his performance in Scrooged seem subtle). Campbell isn't even on the level of a goofy Baker while poor Tobolowsky is merely ordinary until the film remembers it has a mystery to solve. By the time the film lumbers to the end of who did what and why to go with how and where it will go, you are gladder that it has ceased transmission. In trying to capture what one thinks the screwball was all about in the realm of rapid-fire construction, being outclassed by previous throwback attempts like Oscar (1991) is a sad state of mind to be in. With middling interest in characters that don't win one's attention for an overcooked script, one can only find pity within a film that never really had a chance.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Next up: Hell, come on down Dutch.

Foodfight!

Review #1766: Foodfight!

Cast: 

Charlie Sheen (Dex Dogtective), Wayne Brady (Daredevil Dan), Hilary Duff (Sunshine Goodness), Eva Longoria (Lady X / Priscilla), Larry Miller (Vlad Chocool), Christopher Lloyd (Mr. Clipboard), Robert Costanzo (Maximillus Moose), Chris Kattan (Polar Penguin), Ed Asner (Mr. Leonard), Jerry Stiller (General X), Christine Baranski (Hedda Shopper), Lawrence Kasanoff (Cheasel T. Weasel), Harvey Fierstein (Fat Cat Burglar), Cloris Leachman (Brand X Lunch Lady), Haylie Duff (Sweetcakes), Shelley Morrison (Lola Fruitola), and Edie McClurg (Mrs. Butterworth) Directed by Lawrence Kasanoff.

Review:

“We’ve got the movie, we’ve got the property, the place, the equipment, the talent, we’re there. Do we believe our next movie, Foodfight! is going to be a huge hit? Of course we do!”

Why don't we just do a whole review of short sentences that will sum up this film's sad history? I'll start: In development for a decade. Managed to lose the hard drive of assets that resulted in a restart. Directed by a guy who produced movies like Mortal Kombat while responsible for a Live Tour edition...with no other directing projects since. Managed to be sold off by debt collectors for at least $2.5 million after being made for roughly $45-60 million. Released in a theater for exactly one week in the United Kingdom, while everyone else "received" it on DVD or video-on-demand. Meant to aim for a cartoonish animation like the Looney Tunes shorts but ended up requiring motion capture animation (you thought The Polar Express was odd? Try this for ten minutes). A hodgepodge attempt at making a studio like Pixar with a cross between Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) and Toy Story (1995). Kasanoff planned a variety of media to tie-in with the film, including an ice show. Made by a director who was described by his crew as "idiosyncratic" that thought animation is the only part of film production where quality is on the rise while costs are going down. Filled with an assortment of brand names for supporting characters. Manages to have worse (unfinished) animation than Hoodwinked! (2005). Made by Threshold Entertainment, whose next animation venture was Bobbleheads: The Movie (2020). Written by Sean Catherine Derek, Lawrence Kasanoff, Brent Friedman, Rebecca Swanson with a story by Joshua Wexler & Kasanoff (who also co-produced the movie).

Inept. Irritating. Incoherent. Inconceivable. Trainwreck. Embarrassment. Need I go on with one-word sentences? How much can one really say about this movie? The very idea of brand names as lead characters for a film is cynically embarrassing on its own, but the very fact that this is the most embarrassing animated film I have ever seen is the saddest thing about the whole experience. 91 minutes of pain, pure and simple. You can laugh at the animation, true. To an extent, you can also laugh at the inexplicable innuendo and crass attempts at humor presented here. But one just seems downright sad at recognizing the various voices present to be in such a travesty. Sheen being here isn't exactly a surprise, because I can equally believe he would stoop to something for a paycheck regardless if it was the mid 2000s or 2012, mostly because one has to breeze a middling collection of cliches and not clap their hands in anticipation. Brady is obviously better to view on television, as I think anybody who is familiar with the medium will tell you, because heaven help the next person to say that cartoon sidekicks are the best thing ever. Duff doesn't even have to try when she spends half of her time off screen, so there is that. There are no winners in the cast, but at least Longoria seems to have a go at playing sultry and adversary in the same length. The less said about Miller, the better. Lloyd obviously likes to keep busy with roles (because this was the same year as The Oogieloves movie), and since he only has a handful of lines to go with a character that is jerkily animated, it sure makes an amusing sight more than a performance. Pairing Kattan and Sheen for a gag is probably better than eating year-old brand cereal. Asner (rest in peace) has less lines than one would expect, because clearly more time needed to be on the market and not the bare attempts at whatever "Brand X" is supposed to do with "Marketopolis". Kasanoff playing a weasel is a sentence that writes itself. As a whole, you don't need 1,000 words to say that the movie has no fundamental story worth investing in, because you can also look at the movie and hear its crass jokes and puns that confirm what a colossal waste one could have here. This is one of the worst films made with a substantial budget and likely one of the all-time worst animated films ever made. Might be good if you take certain substances or if you want to know what not finishing all of your work looks like.

Overall, I give it 0 out of 10 stars.

Next Time: Once more, because everyone deserves an eighth piece of awfulness. Fateful Findings.

Incidentally, if you ever find this review, check out this video someone made about the making of Foodfight! that provides more insight: ROTTEN: Behind the Foodfight

Movie Night: Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.

Review #466: Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.

Cast
Eddie Murphy (Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/Granny Klump/Mama Anna Klump/Papa Cletus Klump/Ernie Klump, Sr./Lance Perkins), Janet Jackson (Denise Gaines), Larry Miller (Dean Richmond), John Ales (Jason), Richard Gant (Mr. Gaines), Anna Maria Horsford (Mrs. Gaines), Melinda McGraw (Leanne Guilford), and Jamal Mixon (Ernie Klump Jr) Directed by Peter Segal.

Review
I liked the first film, for all of its awkwardness in some of the jokes, it didn't veer too far from laughter, and Murphy did a nice job. The formula is slightly changed, and the comedy...nearly veers the film into being being unenjoyable. Murphy is all well and good, but it seems the film is nearly out steam by the end, contrary to popular belief, flatulence jokes do not in fact always remain funny, rather they are only funny for a millimeter of a second, depending on the level of work actually devoted to making that joke. Janet Jackson is our new lead actress, with the last actress (Jada Pinkett) explained off as "just being friends", which isn't the worst way of disposing of a character, believe me. At least Larry Miller is in it, which brings some joy, and while the film doesn't necessarily succeed, it doesn't fail spectacularly. It may not be a good film, but there is some sort of care put into this film, though I do wonder if anyone would actually want a third Nutty Professor.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Nutty Professor (1996).

Review #457: The Nutty Professor.

Cast
Eddie Murphy (Sherman Klump, Buddy Love, Mama Anna Klump, Grandma Klump, Papa Cletus Klump, Ernie Klump, Sr, and Lance Perkins), Jada Pinkett (Carla Purty), John Ales (Jason), James Coburn (Harlan Hartley), Larry Miller (Dean Richmond), Dave Chappelle (Reggie Warrington), John Ales (Jason), Jamal Mixon (Ernie Klump, Jr.), and Montell Jordan (Himself) Directed by Tom Shadyac (#148 - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)

Review
I'd compare this to the original version, however since I didn't see the 60s film beforehand, there is no point of comparison. Eddie Murphy can be funny, given the right material (Trading Places, Coming to America), but when you give him the wrong material (Norbit), it fails. This film thankfully has the right stuff to work. Murphy does a nice job because while the jokes aren't always funny, at least when the joke misfire, it isn't a spectacular failure. Murphy plays other roles (with make up by the fantastic Rick Baker), but it doesn't overwhelm the film to a halt, more a near afterthought. The actors are good, especially Larry Miller. He may have brief scenes, but he certainly leaves an impression. Jada Pinkett is fairly decent, and with Murphy, they do well. It's a pretty decent film that while not all that it could have been, it certainly makes its mark.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.