For those who know me, or maybe even just know my writing, you could be forgiven for thinking that I am a bit of a doom-merchant, but hopefully this will show a lighter side to me, hopefully! Just a quick piece about those films that leave me feeling optimistic, smiley, or just makes me laugh like a drain.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - Where to start with probably the smartest animated movie ever? Apart from managing to be a mash of action, noir, comedy, thriller, satire and adventure, it also has some of the funniest scenes in any genre of film. The plot itself is straight of Raymond Chandler, with the eponymous Roger being set up for the killing of animation mogul R. K. Marroon and studio owner Marvin Acme, and Bob Hoskins' Eddie Valiant is the detective sent to investigate allegations of corruption and infidelity surrounding the men and Roger's ludicrously sexy wife, Jessica. From this surprisingly dark premise comes some of the best slaptstick ever put on screen, from the breathless Baby Herman and Roger cartoon short that opens the film, to the audacious gag in Toontown where Valiant is almost saved by Mickey and Bugs, and given short shrift by a devious Tweety Pie ("Oh no, ran outta piddies!"), it dares to cast the animated characters with believable human traits, including sarcasm and sociopathic tendencies. Other high points include the introduction of Kathleen Turner as Jessica in THAT dress as Valiant can only gape open-mouthed, to the genuinely thrilling ending with Christopher Lloyd banishing the spirit of Doc Brown for good, and possibly scary the shit out of a generation of children in the process. but it is the hardest heart who doesn't smile at the final victory, and playing the ultimate who's who? of star-spotting. Oh, and no matter what anyone says, it is the best thing in both Hoskins' and Turner's careers, period.
Dirty Dancing (1987) - This is the one I will never stop loving, and couldn't give a fig what people say. It seems to have garnered a strangely cheesy reputation over the years, which is odd for those who come to it for the first time or after a long absence, as they will find a great coming-of-age story with brilliant period detail from 1963 and believable characters in believable situations, and of course that stunning soundtrack. Jennifer Grey brings real innocence but intelligence to the part of Frances "Baby" Houseman, she is falling for Swayze's Johnny Castle, but takes no shit ("I can';t do lifts, I'n not sure of turns, and I'm doing all this to save your ASS!"), and equally, he sees the woman in her, and more importantly the potential as a great dancer. As his dance partner Penny succumbs to the dubious charms of waiter Robbie, currently trying to woo Baby's sister, she gallantly steps up to fill in, learning to stand up for her beliefs and her man in the process. The dance practices are of course merely the calm before the storm, leading to the end of season show, where Johnny proclaims those now infamously corny lines, but leads to a dance so full of feeling and outright love that it must go down as one of the best, and most unexpected, ever to grace the screen. A fitting tribute to the thoroughly likeable Swayze, and one for girls (and some boys) of a certain age everywhere.
The Fifth Element (1997) - A film to divide people if ever there was one, even for a sci-fi movie. From a screenplay written by Luc Besson as a teenager, no-one is going to say that being all the bluster that the story is especially original, but by God the bluster and window-dressing are something to behold, and the performances make it such a pure joy to watch. From the bonkers casting of Luke Perry in the stunning opening scenes, to Ian Holm at his most endearing, this is a show character actors playing firmly against type but as a unit, and quite evidently having a ball in the process. It obviously takes a strong sense of humour (and kitsch) to enjoy a film so quite gleefully over-the-top, but if you give in to it's charms, garish Gaultier design and bonkers techno soundtrack, then it is a thrill. Bruce Willis playing his most likeable part in years, Mila Jovovich being the Supreme Being in every sense of the term and Gary Oldman chewing the intergalactic scenery, not to mention WTF performances from Chris Tucker and Lee Evans, and it all comes together with shape-shifting aliens, camp humour and one of the most genuinely arresting sci-fi scenes ever in the performance from the Diva Plava Laguna. And that ending is just off the chart exciting.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Part pitch-black comedy, part revenge thriller, part romance, PT Anderson's follow-up to the magisterial "Magnolia" took almost everyone by surprise, casting Adam Sandler as borderline-autistic social reject Barry attempting to woo Emily Watson's far more intelligent but no less awkward Lena. The feelgood in this twisted romance comes from the most unlikely of sources; the fact that the protagonist has an entire family of ugly sisters, and that his one attempt to alleviate his loneliness results in possibly the funniest blackmail plot since "Ruthless People", orchestrated by a wonderfully villainous Philip Seymour Hoffman (playing thoroughly against his nice-guy image). To see Barry stand up to his vile siblings, make a (surprisingly violent) stand against his antagonists and eventually win Lena's heart is a thing of pure joy; and for all those who doubt Sandler's acting ability, this should change many minds, watching him hold his own against arguably two of the finest working character actors on the planet, in the shape of Hoffman, and in particular Watson, give her best "less is more" performance to date. A proper underdog story that kicks the ass of films Like "Rocky".
Hairspray (2007) - Before certain parties start screaming "Sacrelige!" I must add that I am a long-time lover and follower of John Waters' work, but see this film-to-stage-back-to-film version as a completely different entity, thus not comparible to the brilliant original. For me, this is the best and most emotionally honest musical since "Little Shop Of Horrors", and like that film, roots for the underdog while never pandering to easy stereotypes or finding easy answers, while providing unlikely musical leads from some well-known leads. The key here is onbviously the wonderful Nikki Blonsky, a virtual unknown at the time who has free reign with her interpretation of Tracey Turnblad, making her the likeable, naive-but-never-dumb, proud chubby girl who falls for the wrong/right boy , Link Larkin, who just happens to be the school heartthrob and star of the local TV sensation, "The Corny Collins Show". Tracey's colour-blind attitude to love and life get her into all sorts of scrapes - witness her treatment at the hands of TV station manager Velma Von Tussle and her popular daughter/head dancer amber, played with relish by Michelle Pfeiffer and Britanny Snow. The main triumph here is the music itself, which could so easily tip over into camp triumph-over-adversity schlocky cheese, but thankfully stays rooted to the pop and R'n'B of the time, but also has some wonderfully sly touches in songs such as "Ladies' Choice", giving Zac Efron his moment to show that he has real balls, and "The New Girl In Town", a still-pertinent reminder of high school bitchery. This is all small fry really though, as Tracey's belief that the local TV dance show should be racially integrated leads to the most amazing stand-off, and possibly the most exultant finale in film history. From a personal point of view, never have I saw a cinema audience come from a screening with such huge grins on their faces, and a negative opinion on this film I have yet to hear. Even for those who think they don't like musicals I say give this one a chance, it may just surprise you
Dirty Dancing (1987) - This is the one I will never stop loving, and couldn't give a fig what people say. It seems to have garnered a strangely cheesy reputation over the years, which is odd for those who come to it for the first time or after a long absence, as they will find a great coming-of-age story with brilliant period detail from 1963 and believable characters in believable situations, and of course that stunning soundtrack. Jennifer Grey brings real innocence but intelligence to the part of Frances "Baby" Houseman, she is falling for Swayze's Johnny Castle, but takes no shit ("I can';t do lifts, I'n not sure of turns, and I'm doing all this to save your ASS!"), and equally, he sees the woman in her, and more importantly the potential as a great dancer. As his dance partner Penny succumbs to the dubious charms of waiter Robbie, currently trying to woo Baby's sister, she gallantly steps up to fill in, learning to stand up for her beliefs and her man in the process. The dance practices are of course merely the calm before the storm, leading to the end of season show, where Johnny proclaims those now infamously corny lines, but leads to a dance so full of feeling and outright love that it must go down as one of the best, and most unexpected, ever to grace the screen. A fitting tribute to the thoroughly likeable Swayze, and one for girls (and some boys) of a certain age everywhere.
The Fifth Element (1997) - A film to divide people if ever there was one, even for a sci-fi movie. From a screenplay written by Luc Besson as a teenager, no-one is going to say that being all the bluster that the story is especially original, but by God the bluster and window-dressing are something to behold, and the performances make it such a pure joy to watch. From the bonkers casting of Luke Perry in the stunning opening scenes, to Ian Holm at his most endearing, this is a show character actors playing firmly against type but as a unit, and quite evidently having a ball in the process. It obviously takes a strong sense of humour (and kitsch) to enjoy a film so quite gleefully over-the-top, but if you give in to it's charms, garish Gaultier design and bonkers techno soundtrack, then it is a thrill. Bruce Willis playing his most likeable part in years, Mila Jovovich being the Supreme Being in every sense of the term and Gary Oldman chewing the intergalactic scenery, not to mention WTF performances from Chris Tucker and Lee Evans, and it all comes together with shape-shifting aliens, camp humour and one of the most genuinely arresting sci-fi scenes ever in the performance from the Diva Plava Laguna. And that ending is just off the chart exciting.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Part pitch-black comedy, part revenge thriller, part romance, PT Anderson's follow-up to the magisterial "Magnolia" took almost everyone by surprise, casting Adam Sandler as borderline-autistic social reject Barry attempting to woo Emily Watson's far more intelligent but no less awkward Lena. The feelgood in this twisted romance comes from the most unlikely of sources; the fact that the protagonist has an entire family of ugly sisters, and that his one attempt to alleviate his loneliness results in possibly the funniest blackmail plot since "Ruthless People", orchestrated by a wonderfully villainous Philip Seymour Hoffman (playing thoroughly against his nice-guy image). To see Barry stand up to his vile siblings, make a (surprisingly violent) stand against his antagonists and eventually win Lena's heart is a thing of pure joy; and for all those who doubt Sandler's acting ability, this should change many minds, watching him hold his own against arguably two of the finest working character actors on the planet, in the shape of Hoffman, and in particular Watson, give her best "less is more" performance to date. A proper underdog story that kicks the ass of films Like "Rocky".
Hairspray (2007) - Before certain parties start screaming "Sacrelige!" I must add that I am a long-time lover and follower of John Waters' work, but see this film-to-stage-back-to-film version as a completely different entity, thus not comparible to the brilliant original. For me, this is the best and most emotionally honest musical since "Little Shop Of Horrors", and like that film, roots for the underdog while never pandering to easy stereotypes or finding easy answers, while providing unlikely musical leads from some well-known leads. The key here is onbviously the wonderful Nikki Blonsky, a virtual unknown at the time who has free reign with her interpretation of Tracey Turnblad, making her the likeable, naive-but-never-dumb, proud chubby girl who falls for the wrong/right boy , Link Larkin, who just happens to be the school heartthrob and star of the local TV sensation, "The Corny Collins Show". Tracey's colour-blind attitude to love and life get her into all sorts of scrapes - witness her treatment at the hands of TV station manager Velma Von Tussle and her popular daughter/head dancer amber, played with relish by Michelle Pfeiffer and Britanny Snow. The main triumph here is the music itself, which could so easily tip over into camp triumph-over-adversity schlocky cheese, but thankfully stays rooted to the pop and R'n'B of the time, but also has some wonderfully sly touches in songs such as "Ladies' Choice", giving Zac Efron his moment to show that he has real balls, and "The New Girl In Town", a still-pertinent reminder of high school bitchery. This is all small fry really though, as Tracey's belief that the local TV dance show should be racially integrated leads to the most amazing stand-off, and possibly the most exultant finale in film history. From a personal point of view, never have I saw a cinema audience come from a screening with such huge grins on their faces, and a negative opinion on this film I have yet to hear. Even for those who think they don't like musicals I say give this one a chance, it may just surprise you
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