The Cannonball Run

Remember Burt Reynolds? That fresh-faced guy from The Longest Yard; that hairy-chested guy from Deliverance, that guy with the cool name and moustache from Smokey & The Bandit. One of the world's most famous actors, like so many others, Burt experienced something of a downfall in his career in the mid to late 80s, and would not be back in the movie limelight until 1997's Boogie Night. But with all that said, when Burt is good, he's great, and today I'm going to review one of his, in my opinion, greatest films. The legendary road movie The Cannonball Run.

Released in 1981 under the direction of former stuntman Hal Needham (Smokey & The Bandit), The Cannonball Run features an all star cast including Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett, Roger Moore, George Furth, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and many others. The movie is based on the real life

'Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.' It has over-the-top characters, over-the-top jokes, over-the-top stunts, and over-the-top scenarios.It's so crazy it can't possibly be described, but I'm gonna give it a shot anyway.

The movie opens with our main characters, J.J McLure (Reynolds) and Victor Prinzi (DeLuise), 2 mechanics preparing for the upcoming Cannonball Run, which J.J is determined to win. In order to obtain victory they need to find a vehicle that they can drive fast, doesn't look suspicious and, in the case of police trouble, will provide a good cover. After several suggestions, they settle on an ambulance. Other contestants include Jamie Blake (Martin) and Fenderbaum (David, Jr.) who dress as priests and drive a Ferrari, and Seymour Goldfarb Jr, (Moore, parodying his James Bond persona) who drives an Aston Martin, rigged up with Bond-style gadgets.

The contestants gather in Connecticut for the start of the race. With a female patient name Pamela (Fawcett) and a Doctor, Nikolas Van Helsing (Jack Elam), J.J and Victor are ready and raring to go. Unfortunately, a Safety Enforcement Unit representative, Arthur J. Foyt (Furth), finds out about the race and plans to put a stop to it, but with so many Cannonballers on his hands, the odds don't appear to be in his favour.

The film has everything you'd expect from a car movie. High speed driving, crazy stunts, carnage, and a fat man in a superhero costume. Added together, you get the epitome of cinematic excess. The scale of the movie is incredible, as you would expect from a movie that features hundreds of competitors racing across one of the world's largest countries. The performances are wonderfully eccentric, the dialogue is quirky, the jokes are wild and always hilarious, and when it's over, it truly feels like you been taken on a huge road trip with the craziest bunch of folk. It's not so much of a film, more of an epic adventure, one I could enjoy every single day.

Jackie Brown

It's time to look at another film by Quentin Tarantino, but unlike last week's movie True Romance, he both writes and directs this one. It's his follows up to the renowned movies Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, the twisting and turning crime drama Jackie Brown.

Released in 1997, Jackie Brown stars Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Bridgett Fonda and Michael Keaton. Based on the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard, the movie pays homage to 1970s Blaxsploitation films, though the film itself is not one of these. It involves a middle aged airline stewardess who smuggles money in from Mexico for a gun runner. It has everything Tarantino has become famous for. Intelligent dialogue, an intricate storyline, and some of cinemas most memorable and original characters.

The film opens with Jackie Brown (Grier), a flight attendant for a small Mexican airline. In order to make enough money to get by, she smuggles illicit cash on her routine flights for a Compton gun runner named Ordell Robbi (Jackson). Ordell lives in his house with Melanie (Fonda), and Louis (De Niro), a former cellmate who has recently been released from prison. Ordell's activities are being monitored by the ATF, who apprehend Jackie after she arrives in the USA with some of Ordell's money, and a bag of cocaine she was unaware was in her handbag.

                                                    Don't say one more f*cking word!

Worried that Jackie may snitch on him to avoid jail time (as a previous employee had done), Ordell bails her out with the help of Bondsman Max Cherry (Forster), whom Jackie becomes close to as the film progresses. Ordell plans to kill Jackie, but instead she comes up with a plan to get $500,000 of his money, enough for him to retire, while also pretending to help the ATP agents apprehend him. One of the agents, Ray (Keaton) formulates a plan with Jackie to put Ordell and his money together, completely unaware that Jackie has made her own plans for the cash.

From there, the movie unfolds into one of the smartest crime movies in history. You are kept guessing up to the very end. The movie's tagline is 'Who's playing who'. You never know which way it's going to go. Will the money go to the agents, to Jackie, to Ordell? Even when they are doing a trial run of the hand-off you can't be sure what is occurring. On top of that, you have performances that revitalized the acting careers of both Pam Grier and Robert Forster, and garnered 2 BAFTA nominations, 1 for Grier, and 1 for Jackson.

The movie contains some of my favourite Tarantino scenes, such as where Jackson and De Niro are watching 'Chicks With Guns', and where Jackson is convincing one of his soon-to-be victims to climb into the boot of his car. In all honesty, I prefer Pulp Fiction to Jackie Brown, mainly because of the characters and the story lines, but I still love this movie. It holds up in pretty much every area. I loved it when I first saw, and I still love it years later.

True Romance

Quentin Tarantino is, without doubt, one of histories most popular filmmakers.With movies such as Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs, and my personal favourite, Pulp Fiction, Tarantino has built a solid film-making reputation. In the majority of his films, including the aforementioned ones, he both writes and directs. But in today's movie, he only carries 1 of those responsibilities, the screenplay, and does a terrific job. This is my review of True Romance.

Released in 1993 under the direction of Tony Scott (The younger brother of Ridley Scott), True Romance feature an ensemble cast including Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Michael Rapaport, Dennis Hopper and Bronson Pinchot among others. It follows 2 newlyweds travelling across America to sell a stolen drugs cache. It has Tarantino's trademark witty dialogue, combined with a great story, engaging characters and some great performances to make it one of the most original and enjoyable films in history.

The movie opens in Detroit, where movie buff and Elvis Presley idolizer Clarence (Slater) meets Alabama (Arquette) at a local cinema. After watching the film and having some pie, they go back to Clarence's apartment and sleep together. The next morning, Alabama reveals she is a call girl, hired as a present by Clarence's boss. However, she claims that she has fallen in love with him. He reciprocates, and the 2 of them get hitched.

Clarence takes it upon himself to break the news to Alabama's pimp Drexl (Oldman). In the ensuing confrontation, Clarence kills Drexl, one of his henchmen, and takes a bag he thinks belongs to Alabama, which turns out to be full of cocaine. Clarence visits his father Cliff (Hopper) to find out if he is implicated in Drexl's murder, and is informed that he is in the clear.

Clarence and Alabama set out for California to visit Clarence's close friend Dick (Rapaport). Clarence plans to sell the cocaine to a film producer using one of Dick's contacts, an actor named Elliot (Pinchot). The plan seems solid, but Elliot gets caught by the police with some of the coke. Afraid of the ramifications, Elliot makes a deal with 2 detectives to give them the parties involved in the deal in return for avoiding jail time.

This film itself is, like most Tarantino movies, not of a simple structure. It is multi-layered and intricate. It does, however, play in chronological order, unlike some of his most famous work. But unlike many movies that try hard to be complex, eg The Matrix, the movie is not hard to follow, and that makes it so much more enjoyable. You don't have to analyse it to the point that you get frustrated. As a result, we are allowed to enjoy all the twists and turns that lead to it's fitting and heart-warming climax. The star-studded cast are all great in their respective roles, and we are lucky enough to have a cameo from Christopher Walken, who is brilliant in anything he does. An awesome movie, no doubt about it.

Point Break

Opinion is very divided on the acting merits of Keanu Reeves. Some say he's a straight-up action star, others say he's dull, emotionless, and dismiss his as the next Kevin Costner. Myself, I think he's pretty good. Let's face it, there are far worse actors. But whatever you think about him, there's no doubt that The Matrix films are his biggest success, and anyone who has seen them knows that they are very confused, very contrived, but still a lot of fun. So if you're looking for a much simpler thrill starring Mr. Reeves, then look no further than today's movie, Point Break.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Oscar-winning Director of The Hurt Locker), Point Break was released in 1991, and starts Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. A critical and commercial success, the movie follows the FBI's efforts to catch a group of bank robbers. In order to do this, Keanu Reeves has to learn how to surf. The result is one of the greatest action movies of the nineties, and one of the best in Reeves' repertoire.

The movie opens with Johnny Utah (Reeves), a new FBI recruit, who gets teamed up with veteran agent Angelo Pappas (Busey). They are tasked with apprehending a group of bank robbers known as the 'Ex-Presidents', so-called because they wear masks resembling 4 formers Presidents, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Regan. Pappas has noticed several significant things about them, such as the fact that they never rob the vault, and simply stick to the registers. His other discovery, or rather a theory, is that the 'Ex-Presidents' are actually surfers. To investigate this, Utah, with the help of surfer girl Tyler (Petty) , learns how to surf, and attempts to infiltrate the group in order to investigate them. The task proves to be more difficult than he first thought, due to him forming a complex friendship with the surf group's leader Bodhi (Swayze), and becoming emotionally involved with Tyler.

                                                                 We are not crooks!

Following up on a lead, Utah and Pappas conduct a raid on another surfer group, not only failing to find the guilty party, but also ruining a DEA undercover operation. With their attention turned back to Bodhi's crew, they notice Bohdi and Roach casing a bank, so they wait for them to make their move. When the 'Ex-Presidents' show up, Johnny chases Bodhi through the neighbourhood and over a fence into an aqueduct, causing an old knee injury to flare up. He pulls his gun on Bodhi, but is unable to pull the trigger. Anyone who has seen Hot Fuzz will immediately recognise this scene.

So that's the plot. Pretty straightforward and not especially original. It's a classic good-guy-befriends-bad-guy-and-has-to-make-a-heartfelt-choice flick. But it's all done in a very stylish and entertaining way, and we can see Bigelow's directing prowess that would eventually bag her an Oscar nearly 20 years later. There's great chemistry between Reeves and Swayze, and while the romance between Utah and Tyler is not especially developed, it weighs heavily on the later part of the story, and does make for a pretty epic climax. The final scene finishes the movie perfectly, bringing the complicated bond between our 2 main characters to a fitting conclusion. A superb end to a superb movie.

Human Traffic

If you mentioned John Simm to anyone who has heard of him, they will probably most closely associate him with Life On Mars. But over 10 years ago, after his 1995 movie breakout role in Boston Kickout, he starred in the 1999 independent cult movie hit Human Traffic, a film about, life, love, partying and heavy indulgence.

Written and directed by Justin Kerrigan, Human Traffic stars John Simm, Lorraine Pilkington, Shaun Parkes, Danny Dyer and Nicola Reynolds. The film revolves around 5 close friends as they enjoy a drink-and-drug-fuelled Friday night out in Cardiff. It explores the connections, relationships and conflicts that arise and develop over the course of the weekend. There's so many things to enjoy in this film, so let's not waste any time.

The start of the film introduces our central characters, and is narrated by Jip (Simm), the main character. He's depressed with his mundane, uneventful job, and the fact that he has had little sexual success as of late.
Koop (Parkes) is a record store retailer who is increasingly jealous of his promiscuous girlfriend Nina (Reynolds). She is annoyed because, after screwing up a college interview, she is forced to work in a fast food outlet where she is constantly harassed by her slimy boss.
Lulu (Pilkington) has become tired of relationships with men since the last 3 she dated cheated on her.
Moff (Dyer), the newest member of the group, lives at home with his oppressive dad, and makes money for the weekend by selling small amounts of cannabis.

The films follows their day-to-day lives, including Nina quitting her job, Lulu dumping her 3rd philandering boyfriend, Jip being approached by one of the women he 'failed to satisfy', Koop visiting his dad in a mental hospital, and Moff being hassled by his dad for being unemployed for such a long time.

When the weekend finally arrives, the group meet up in a nearby bar, bring Nina's brother Lee, so he can try Ecstasy for the first time. They head to a club called The Asylum, where they all 'drop' E, and enjoy the music. After the club, they all head to a massive house party, where events take an unusual and unfortunate turn after everyone is hit with a drug 'come down'.

This movie is like a journey, told through the eyes of an idealistic, fun-lover who just wants to go out with his friends and embrace the excess and exuberance of youth. It's a film that someone manages to encapsulate the spirit and feelings of an entire generation: Rebellion, alienation, angst, and the love of freedom and hedonism, kind of a like a movie rendition of 'The Catcher In The Rye'. We get such a great insight into the lives of these people, and how they just try to get a long and enjoy life, even when things never seem to be in their favour. On top of that, the movie has the music, the atmosphere, the vibe, all the elements that culminate in what 1 critic called "The last great film of the nineties".

Jumanji

Robin Williams is, undoubtedly, a great actor. Good Morning Vietnam, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire, all great films that showcased not only his comedic talent, but also allowed him, in certain scenes, to reveal his serious side, and connect emotionally with the audience. Well another classic film in which we get the Robin Williams Yin and Yang is his mid-nineties supernatural romp Jumanji.

Under the direction of Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Captain America: The First Avenger), Jumanji was released in 1995 and was met with almost perfectly average reviews, but was a box office success. It stars, of course, Robin Williams, alongside, Bonnie Hunt, Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce. The story follows a board game that has serious repercussions on the people who play it and the world around them. It's immersive, well-paced, has an authentic feel, and is a hell of a lot of fun.

The movie opens in 1869, where 2 boys bury a chest, hoping that no one will ever find it. But, would you believe it, exactly a hundred years later the chest is found by a young boy named Alan Parrish, the son of a shoe factory owner. Inside the chest he finds a board game called Jumanji, which he decides to play with his friend Sarah Whittle. They both notice the game's strange behaviour, such as the pieces moving on their own, and cryptic messages appearing after each turn. After Alan's turn, he is pulled into the game, and Sarah flees in terror.

26 years later, 2 kids called Judy (Dunst) and Peter (Pierce) and their Aunt Nora move into the Parrish house. Judy and Peter discover the Jumanji game in the attic and start playing, soon realizing that every move they make unleashes something dangerous into the world. When Peter rolls a 5, Alan is released form the board game, where he been trapped in the jungle for over 2 decades. According to the game, the only way to restore everything is by completing it. Alan is initially reluctant, but is eventually coaxed into co-operating. Unfortunately, 1 more player is required to finish it, Sarah Whittle. Upon seeing the game, she freaks out, stating that it pretty much destroyed her life. But eventually, the four of them unite to complete Jumanji. This leads to riots, monsoons, wild hunters, poisonous plants, killer spiders, crocodiles and earthquakes.

What a film! I don't think there is a single boring moment in it. It keeps you hooked from the opening scene, right up till its climax. With more and more terrors emerging from the game the action and suspence increases exponentially.

Robin Williams gives a great performance as the protagonist forced to confront his greatest fears, and Bonnie Hunt is a great supporting actress, having witnessed Alan being sucked into the game and being forced to complete it to make all the horrors go away. The kids Judy and Peter are great too, mainly because they don't whine and complain like most children do in films like this, and they play an intergral part in the story, they're not just there to look cute.

If, like me, you grew up in the nineties, you would almost certainly have seen this film. If not, you have to. It's funny, exciting, investing and is just as enjoyable every time you see it. Miss at your peril.

Idle Hands

I'm going to open this review with a question: Have you ever heard of Devon Sawa? Probably not. But have you ever seen him. Probably. He was the human form of Casper in the eponymous movie, Alex Browning in Final Destination, and played Stan in Eminem's music video of the same name. Yet in 1999, he appeared in one of his most famous roles, a film called Idle Hands, which almost nobody seemed to notice. Well, the truth it is, underrated films are often pretty damn good, and this one is no exception.

Directed by Rodman Flender (The Unborn), and starring Devo Sawa, Jessica Alba, Seth Green, Elden Hensen and Vivica A. Fox, Idle Hands tells the story of a teen whose right hand becomes possessed by a demon that forces him to kill as many people as possible, before dragging a soul down to Hell. But please don't let that morosity put you off, it's very tongue-in-cheek.

The story begins with Mr. and Mrs. Tobias, the parents of our main character, getting killed after seeing a message on their ceiling. We then meet our hero, Anton (Sawa), a lazy stoner who spends all of his time flunking out of school to smoke weed, watching TV and hanging out with his equally sedentary friends Pnub (Hensen) and Mick (Green). They inform Anton that several people have been murdered in the last few days, and that, coincidentally, Anton has not seen his parents recently. During this scene, he notices the girl who lives across from him, Molly (Alba), dropping her lyrics book, so he awkwardly tries to return it to her.

Upon discovering that his parents are dead, Anton also finds out that he is responsible, but before he can do anything about it, his right hand attacks and kills both Pnub & Mick. But they don't stay deceased for long, and come back as the undead, since they were too lazy to approach the white light at the end of the tunnel. No, that's no a joke, it's literally the explanation they give.

We then meet Debi LeCure (Fox), a priestess that has sworn to fight the evil that has apparently possessed Anton's hand. She tracks Anton down, and tells him exactly what has happened to him, and how little time they have to stop it.

                                                           One of those morning huh?

It's not what you'd call a spectacular movie, or even a great movie. It's a pretty rudimentary stoner comedy. I enjoy the funny twist they put on what other films would portray as a very serious supernatural phenomenon. It also has very lovable characters, especially our layabout hero, who tries so hard to have the most idyllic and eventless life that we can't bear to see him get up off the couch, let alone fight an evil, homicidal power.

One of the most surreal additions to the film is the school band who play at the Halloween dance, who just so happen to be The Offspring, one of my favourite bands. They play their own song 'Beheaded' and a cover of The Ramones song 'I Wanna Be Sedated'. Both great songs, but the best part comes when Anton interrupts their performance to warn everyone about the hand. Dexter, the bands lead singer, shoves him aside, recites a single line, then gets graphically scalped by the hand. It's a hilarious moment, just a shame that his 1 line is about as a hammy a recital as you would expect from a non-actor.

But I'm digressing. Idle Hands is a very enjoyable flick. Like any stone comedy, it's easy to watch, and easy to like. Nothing more, nothing less.