Get Shorty

This week is a rewatch. I decided to re-visit the comedy:

Get Shorty (1995).

We meet Chili Palmer (John Travolta), a loan shark from Miami. He is a movie lover that is getting sick of the whole gangster thing. He has to chase down Leo Devoe, a gambler with an outstanding debt, in order to satisfy his new boss Ray 'Bones' Barboni (Dennis Farina). Chili and Bones do not get along and Bones is looking for a good excuse to get rid of Chili. The chase for Leo goes to Las Vegas and from there to Los Angeles.

In LA, Chili has to call in a marker held against a director of cheesy movies, Harry Zim (Gene Hackman). The problem is that Harry is also in deep debt to Bo Catlett (Delroy Lindo), who is having trouble with Pablo Escobar. In the middle of all this chaos, Chili has the chance to ditch his gangster life and become a movie producer, as long as he can take care of all the outstanding business, all the players involved, as well as learn how Hollywood works.

There is a lot more to this story, but that synopsis is already confusing enough as it is. Get Shorty is not really a gangster movie, despite featuring a fair amount of criminals. At the heart it is a comedy about Hollywood. It points a finger at the criminal elements that surround the movie industry, it jokes with the vain, flaky and unreliable nature of movie stars, personified in Martin Weir (Danny DeVito) who eats breakfast at the same table every morning and always faces west so he can look at his own billboard. He also shows up to a lunch meeting, orders something for the whole table that no one wants and dips before the food arrives. According to author Elmore Leonard who wrote the book the movie is based on, the lunch scene is based on a real event featuring Dustin Hoffman.

Get Shorty is directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and as is usual, it is lovely to watch. Not all of Sonnenfeld's movies have been hits, like Wild Wild West, though others have been, like Men in Black. Whether they were hits or not, his movies are visually great and Get Shorty is no exception.

But lets talk actors. Yes we have John Travolta, Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito, but we also have Rene Russo, James Gandolfini and in a small uncredited role, Bette Midler amongst others. It is a heavy cast, which can sometimes become problematic. If there were problems on set, you can't tell in the movie. It is wall to wall veterans and it works.

Funnily enough, Travolta didn't want the role of Chili Palmer, even though it was written for him, until Quentin Tarantino convinced him to take the role. Likewise, Gene Hackman turned down his role at first, citing that he didn't really do comedies. Sonnenfeld told him that's perfect and that Harry should be played completely straight anyway.

So, do I recommend this movie? Definitely. Get Shorty is a funny movie that doesn't try too hard to be funny, it just is. It is partially a comedy of errors and partially a fish out of water story. Chili Palmer is essentially the prototype for every “too cool for school” character Travolta ever played, but set against all the madness it really works. I do think Get Shorty is the kind of movie anyone can sit down and enjoy. Oh, and the soundtrack is great!

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!

 

Lisa and the Devil

I wanted to watch something so I blindly chose:

Lisa and the Devil (1973).

I was aware of this horror title but I knew nothing about this movie. Turns out it is co-written and directed by the legendary Mario Bava, who has appeared on this blog at least four times.

This is the story: Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) is on holiday in Toledo, Spain. There she sees a famous fresco called “The Devil takes the dead”, which disturbs her. The devil is portrayed as a leering, bald man and Lisa quickly wants to go somewhere else. Wandering away from the tourist group, she finds a small shop selling all kinds of things. The owner is apparently also a maker of mannequins and to her horror the owner is talking shop with a customer who is a dead ringer for the devil from the fresco. This is Leandro played by Telly Savalas. Lisa flees from the shop but gets lost and can't find the tour group.

Suddenly a well dressed man appears and talks to her as if they are old friends, calling her Elena. She flees again and encounters a wealthy couple and their chauffeur. She begs them for help and the husband, Francis, agrees to give her a ride. Soon the car breaks down outside an ancient villa and they are invited to stay the night. To Lisa's shock, the butler of the house is non other than Leandro! Soon people are killed, and the mystery deepens. Why do some people call her Elena? Why is Max, the son of the countess who owns the villa so in love with her? Is Leandro the devil himself, or just a butler with a very sardonic and macabre sense of humor? You'll have to watch it to find out.

Since this is a Mario Bava movie it came as no surprise to me that Lisa and the Devil is a gorgeous film. Shot after shot are beautiful and actually the best part of the movie. There can be no doubt that Bava was a master craftsman, and he proves it here yet again.

The actors range from very good to decent. Savalas, Sommer and Alida Valli (the countess) are excellent, while Alessio Orano (Max) and Eduardo Fajardo (Francis) are more hammy and less enjoyable.

Overall, Lisa and the Devil is a mixed bag for me. The story could have been a lot better, with the middle dragging surprisingly much. With the focus on the story being Lisa, I would have liked it if she would have done something besides run around in a state of panic and confusion as well as fainting a lot, but alas.

I'm not the kind of movie watcher who wants everything explained down to the last detail, but I find that Lisa and the Devil leaves a bit too much of the story a mystery. Watching it you can easily accept some things as fact but only by not asking any more questions.

On the other hand, the atmosphere is excellent and Telly Savalas steals every scene he's in. Fun fact: Savalas had just quit smoking, so he used suckers (or lollipops) as a substitute, so Leandro cheerfully sucks on the candy while “taking care of business”. This trait was something he moved over to his most famous role, the TV detective Kojak.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes and no. If you are on a Bava completionist journey, then I think you're going to have a good time, but I fear most casual viewers are going to be bored. Lisa and the Devil is not a bad movie, but it could also be a lot better, though it has to be admitted that ending was surprisingly good considering the slow story.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

 

The Gentlemen

I first saw some clips on Youtube which peaked my interest, so I watched:

The Gentlemen (2019).

Directed, co-written and co-produced by Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), this is a return to form for the British director.

Michael Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) is the top producer of marijuana in Great Britain, and he's looking to sell up and retire. One evening on returning home, his number two man, Ray (Charlie Hunnam) finds reporter and scumbag Fletcher (Hugh Grant) in his house. Fletcher has an interesting story to tell, and wants 20 million pounds for what he knows and has in evidence. Thus begins an amazing and convoluted story about crime and manners.

I can't really say much more about the story without going head first into heavy spoiler territory, and that I won't do. The Gentlemen is a movie that has to be experienced first hand. It's worth noting that the movie is not told in pure chronological order, but as a story told by Fletcher, as far as he knows what is going on. It's not a case of an unreliable narrator, as that implies that the narrator lies, it's more a question of who knows what and how things really happened.

From a movie making standpoint, The Gentlemen is a masterpiece. The cinematography, the props, the actors, the dialogue, everything is perfect. I can genuinely say I wouldn't change a thing. Seeing as it is a Guy Ritchie movie, it's worth noting that The Gentlemen is nowhere near as funny as his previous crime movies. But this is not a negative. Instead of funny, it is witty. The dialogue is smart and eloquent which fits this story better than the dialogue in his previous movies.

As I sat there happily watching, it struck me that the plot in The Gentlemen is pretty chaotic, but in the end everything is solved, wrapped up and finished. This is not a small feat considering how many moving parts this story has. Again, a masterfully directed movie.

I want to return to the actors. Matthew McConaughey is amazing as he always is. Not a stand out performance, but great anyway.

Charlie Hunnam, perhaps best known as Jax in Sons of Anarchy, is superb, with his poise and soft spoken demeanor. He is threatening because he isn't yelling.

I can genuinely say I have never enjoyed Hugh Grant as much as I do in The Gentlemen. He is a scene stealer and I loved every minute of his sleazy presence.

Colin Farrell likewise runs away with every scene his Coach character is in. He trains fighters and combines humility with confidence is an amazing way.

So, do I recommend this movie? Of course I do. There isn't a bad thing I can say about it. If you have seen and liked Guy Ritchie's other crime movies, and you haven't seen The Gentlemen, do something about that as soon as possible. If you haven't seen them, The Gentlemen is not a bad place to start. I will absolutely have to re-watch this movie as soon as possible.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have great week!

 

The Real Deal.

Back in 1997 I saw Donnie Brasco in the movie theater.

This gangster movie features Johnny Depp as FBI agent Pistone who goes undercover in the Mafia as Donnie Brasco, and much longer than anyone should be undercover.. Other stars are Al Pacino, Michael Madsen and many more. It is a great movie and even then I knew it was based on a true story. 

Of course, "based on a true story" can mean different things depending on the film. Some follow the events closely while others keep a name or two as well as a few minor events before pulling the rest of the script from where the sun doesn't shine.

 

Today I have a documentary for you about the real events depicted in Donnie Brasco. What happened and what was fiction

 Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7YBiST_wcI 

 

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!