Airheads.

Review #2566: Airheads.

Cast: 

Brendan Fraser (Chester "Chazz Darby" Ogilvie), Steve Buscemi (Rex), Adam Sandler (Pip), Chris Farley (Officer Wilson), Michael McKean (Milo Jackson), Judd Nelson (Jimmie Wing), Ernie Hudson (Sergeant O'Malley), Amy Locane (Kayla), Michael Richards (Doug Beech), Joe Mantegna (Ian "The Shark"), Nina Siemaszko (Suzzi), Marshall Bell (Carl Mace), Reg E. Cathey (Marcus), David Arquette (Carter), Michelle Hurst (Yvonne), and Harold Ramis (Chris Moore) Directed by Michael Lehmann (#307 - Hudson Hawk, #1490 - Heathers)

Review:

"My feeling was that I had never done something like this. I was a young filmmaker. I had done a couple of independent movies that were really liked and out of the mainstream. And then I did Hudson Hawk, where definitely the sensibility was a little out of the mainstream and it didn’t play that well out of the mainstream. But I still hadn’t learned my lesson, thankfully, and I thought, I’m going to get people in this movie that you wouldn’t expect to see in a movie like this and that’s going to make it more like something I want to see."

You'll never believe this: an ensemble movie with a bit of music and plenty of attempts at comedy that didn't exactly gel with audiences. The script was done by Rich Wilkes, who had been inspired by a movie he loved with Dog Day Afternoon (1975), specifically in doing a comedic rendition that involved rock and roll. He had done music journalism and interviews prior to writing the spec script that eventually went from Island Pictures to 20th Century Fox. Apparently, Lehmann was the first choice in mind for the movie, with Airheads being his fourth movie as a director, after Heathers (1988), Meet the Applegates (1990), and Hudson Hawk (1991)*. While the studio and Lehmann traded disagreements that resulted in a PG-13 movie rather than, say, the R-rated one he hoped to do, at least the studio did not win the request before production where they wanted to have a comedian to "do a pass on the script" (according to Wilkes, Dennis Miller was that guy). As it happened, Wilkes was involved in two film productions in the year of 1994: The Stone Age, which he co-wrote with James Melkonian that was released in February, and this film, which came out in August. Released in the first week of August alongside such films as Clear and Present Danger and The Little Rascals (with The Mask being a few days beforehand), Airheads was not a financial hit, making barely a third of its reported $15 million budget. Lehmann carried along as a director, with his next movie being The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996) and the reputation of the movie has probably increased in recent years if it inspired people to talk about it for, say, an anniversary retrospective (link here).

For whatever reason, there were actual critiques about the movie either not being an outright comedy or a "satire". Now, I'll level with you: do you really care about "satires"? Do you really care about being subtle in a comedy? Do you really care about anything other than the rockin' beat of a song? Does knowing the "scene" of music such as alternative rock truly matter? Some of those answers are "yes", some of those answers are "no", but I was fine with the overall trip as a whole (besides, it can alway be worse with insulting music, just as The Big Lebowski and that stupid Eagles joke). Sure, it works best when cribbing from The Blues Brothers (1980) rather than Dog Day Afternoon, but it is a neat little movie. It's kind of funny to look at a cast like this and say, yes, one of these folks ended up winning an Academy Award years later.  You've got a little cameo for Harold Ramis (and Lemmy, because hell yeah), Arquette mostly being in the background, three Saturday Night Live guys of the time (Sandler, McKean, and Farley*), a Mike Judge cameo (who among us?), Richards lurking around in his giant frame, but most importantly: a lovable trio of goofballs with Fraser, Buscemi, and Sandler. They have a type of charm that can only come from people wrapped in enough confidence to believe that they really could just waltz in and become rock stars because their stuff is totally the stuff "for the '90s" (not being to actually listen to their songs, for the most part, is kinda funny). They make for quite the trio together in timing, toeing the line in amusement where one likes to see where they go rather than say, laughing at their dream. Sure, I could take it or leave it with Locane* or Farley, but the supporting folks that go around the film such as McKean and his delightfully rat finky performance (less so from Nelson and his attempt to match) or Mantegna and his wannabee Howard Stern* act. I'm a sucker for the people and voices that pop in and out as a time capsule for its time (I imagine that over 30 years, Marky Mark does still suck, although the jury is probably still out on the "Rodney King" chant). For a 92-minute ride, it's a neat comfort movie for those who buy into what it is selling in goofy enthusiasm that likes its folks and likes the scene enough to make it a movie that definitely deserved better.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Song of the day!

Next up: At last: Reynolds and Eastwood in City Heat.

*I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that Applegates is probably the most mediocre of the first four Lehmann movies if only because it is highly unlikely that Heathers, a movie I didn't like that much, is lower than Hudson Hawk, Airheads, and also a movie about mutant shapeshifters from Brazil living in Ohio.

*Yes, Michael McKean was on Saturday Night Live as a 46-year-old. Also, that would be *future WCW Heavyweight Champion* David Arquette. Hey, I didn't really give that much of a shit about watching him in Scream, were you expecting me to actually cite that movie? By the way, if you read the retrospective link, you'll probably be shocked as I was in the following sentence: Kevin Spacey wanted to be in Airheads! Good lord, imagine that guy being in the movie, what a dodged bullet. 

*Can I state a small pet peeve? I love Ghostbusters (1984), but am I the only one who thinks Ernie Hudson doesn't get the credit he deserves for being a key part of that movie? It's a QUARTET team, not a trio. Hell, The Real Ghostbusters didn't even let him play Winston, what kind of dumbass show does that? I think at least one percent of folks forgetting about Winston in comparison to the others is at least 0.1% based in weirdo prejudice where they can't even admit to being prejudiced. 

*In 2010, Locane, who was found to be over the blood alcohol level, was involved in a car collision that resulted in the death of a woman. She served a few years for vehicular homicide and assault by auto. Incidentally, in 1984, Vince Neil was involved in a car accident that resulted in vehicular manslaughter and DUI charges when a passenger in his car died. He served only 15 days in jail and paid restitution to the victims of the crash - The moral of the story: don't drink and drive.

*Remember when Howard Stern tried to be funny and not whatever the hell he is now? Incidentally, John "Stuttering John" Melendez appears in the movie and even has a song featured. 

Air America.

Review #1205: Air America.

Cast: 
Mel Gibson (Gene Ryack), Robert Downey Jr. (Billy Covington), Nancy Travis (Corinne Landreaux), Ken Jenkins (Major Donald Lemond), David Marshall Grant (Robert Diehl), Lane Smith (Senator Davenport), Art LaFleur (Jack Neely), Ned Eisenberg (Nick Pirelli), Marshall Bell (O.V.), David Bowe (Saunders), and Burt Kwouk (General Lu Soong) Directed by Roger Spottiswoode (#171 - Tomorrow Never Dies and #191 - The 6th Day)

Review: 
Perhaps this film was made at the wrong time. The film's development began with director Richard Rush in 1985 in an attempt to be the first comedy about the Vietnam War, writing a script that at one point was slated to star Sean Connery in the lead role, with various actors thought of for the other main role ranging from Bill Murray to Kevin Costner. In any case, a new direction was taken that led to the hiring of John Eskow to make changes, for which he received a co-writing credit. The film is loosely based off the non-fiction book of the same name from Christopher Robbins. As a action comedy, the only interesting thing about the movie is how it manages to flounder in two genres. This should seem surprising with Gibson and Downey Jr heading the cast, but it becomes apparent by the halfway point of its 113 minute run-time that the film doesn't have the energy to drive many laughs or thrills to carry a whole movie. The film tries to have it both ways - it has its bits of gags and oddball characters, such as ones who like to dangle sleeping people on a rope while flying or playing with coloring books while also trying to show dramatic elements (namely involving the war or the nature of their trade, including a fictionalized portrayal of an actual Laotian general), but it never truly clicks together in making something that actually seems interesting to follow along with. Perhaps the makers of this film really thought that a mish-mash of genres would serve the material well, but it just feels disconnected most of the time, where the implications never really seem to make an impact or matter. Wondering how factual the film is to real-life events is probably a bit more useful a task to do instead of giving the film too much effort. At least there is some decent plane action. It sure is nice to see Gibson at least, and he sure tries to make this maverick type seem interesting to follow along with, but he just seems to be going through the motions by the time his character arc suddenly turns up in the climax. Downey is fine with making some snide reflections, but he doesn't really seem to be interesting enough for the audience to go with when the film wants to try and present some sort of dilemma for its climax. Travis (in a role originally meant for Ally Sheedy) is fairly forgettable, with the oddball pilots somehow standing out better. Grant and LaFleur are a bit amusing for their patches of showtime, but they can't help the film gain footing because it just seems aimless with or without them. Obviously I wasn't expecting something loaded with action, but by the time it tries to reach for some sort of moral ground, it's easy to not care and lose oneself in awaiting the credits, the last thing one wants in a action comedy. It serves best as a time-waster, one that will generate a few chuckles alongside a possible yawn or two that makes this more of a disappointment than a complete disaster.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Total Recall.

Review #632: Total Recall.

Cast
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Douglas Quaid), Rachel Ticotin (Melina), Sharon Stone (Lori Quaid), Michael Ironside (Richter), Ronny Cox (Vilos Cohaagen), Mel Johnson, Jr. (Benny), and Marshall Bell (George/Kuato) Directed by Paul Verhoeven (#002 - RoboCop)

Review
This is a movie that probably has its own checklist of ways to be fun and/or awesome to people. Schwarzenegger making faces while trying to act? Check. Verhoeven style of over the top action? Check. Ronny Cox? Check. Effects that are really cool to look at? Check. This could go on for a while, but the point is that this is is at heart a really fun movie to watch. Does it have its moments to make fun of? Sure, but even looking at the reaction to being exposed to the Martian atmosphere is still a good effect, no matter how the face looks like. The story (Inspired by the short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, but who's counting) is decently made, it leaves you to figure out if all of this is part of Quaid's Rekall experience, or if it's something more to it, but it doesn't really matter all too much. The action is what you expect from Verhoeven, RoboCop was like this as well, and just like that movie, they are both fun in their own ways. It is always refreshing to see Arnold trying to act as a normal person placed into a tough situation, no matter the decade. Cox and Ironside (I resist typing that as IRONSIDE) are pretty good villains, they make for a good team together, they go a bit over the top, but that just makes it better. Ticotin and Stone are good opposites, they make for fine leads who do get to have some action. In the end, it's a movie that has its quirks, but also a good deal of fun as well.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.