American Movie Classics: The Official "Wellsian" Rant
10/04/2006 10:10 Filed in: Faith & Reason
A special movie rant by completely unhinged guest commentator Andrew Wells
Because I’m recovering from my latest hospital visit, because Rick is so nice to share his blog, because I’m stuck in a chair, because I’m pumped full of steroids, because I’m on a quixotic quest, because I love all of you, you get three mini-movie rants for the price of one. Thank you for putting up with my insanity; enjoy the freakshow.
Rant 1: Turner Classic Movies is king. But American Movie Classics (AMC) used to be a strong runner up. Then they decided to go “hip” by adding commercials and picking really lousy movies. AMC has a “movie of the month.” Perhaps because of the recent issues involving privacy and wiretapping, their current selection is Enemy of the State. Basic plot: Will Smith unknowingly receives evidence that will indict a high-level government official. In order to get it back, the government turns his life to dust.
As a movie, Enemy is competent. But, along with Forrest Gump, Enemy is perhaps the most hypocritical movie I’ve seen in ten years. It says we need privacy, that government intrusion is bad. Yet the movie practically drools over the electronics. If there is such a thing as technology pornography, this is it. Everything it shows contradicts its message. It’s genuinely insulting when you stop to think about it.
The ridiculous icing on the cake is who helps Will Smith. It’s Gene Hackman, and he must have been desperate for the money, because he’s already made the definitive movie about privacy and secrecy, The Conversation.
The Conversation is Francis Ford Coppola’s forgotten fourth masterpiece (after Godfather One and Two and Apocalypse Now). Hackman plays Harry Caul, the best wiretapping expert in the business (back when wiretapping was using reel-to-reel). Caul moves to the West Coast because his work back east may have led to a murder. He’s anti-social but desperately in need of human connection, reclusive and racked with guilt. Hackman absolutely nails Caul, and the character type has become critical to the movies. There’s genuine fear and menace from outside forces here, as Caul discovers that no matter how much he tries to insulate his life, he’s powerless. It’s the true message we need to get out of the current debate, not a nifty gizmo movie like Enemy of the State.
Rant 2: AMC is also showing the remake of The In-Laws, starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. The produces thought if no one remembered the original, they could get away with it. Judging from the commercial, they may have just used the title. Big mistake; the original In-Laws is one of the funniest farces ever. The daughter of a Jewish dentist (Alan Arkin) is getting ready to marry the son of Peter Faulk. Faulk may or may not be a CIA agent, and he may or may not be trying to get Arkin killed. Faulk plays it hilariously loose and improvised, but by the time they wind up in front of a Central American firing squad, you realize it’s been Arkin’s movie all along. Watching him completely lose it, using only his facial features and mumbling, is one of the funniest acting bits I’ve ever seen. Comedies usually fall apart for me, but The In-Laws builds and builds and holds on all the way through.
Rant 3: The one thing AMC is doing right is its DVD enhanced movie edition, which is actually kind of cool. You’d think otherwise, but other than having a good picture and sound, I’m not a big fan of DVD extras and releases, especially commentaries. They are hit and miss, and I don’t like people talking over a movie [Rick's note: This is true. Andrew is no fun at the movies because he yells at you if you make any comments--even during the trailers]. AMC solves that problem by using letterbox and providing lots of facts and details printed underneath, so you can read and watch. They had an excellent one on the first James Bond movie Dr. No and (of all things) the first Rambo movie (First Blood) a few months ago. The current one is Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (BCSK).
There’s been talk of a remake—with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, for crying out loud—and that’s about as ridiculous as they come, because BCSK is one of the most unique and timeless movies ever made. However, I’m convinced that the characters have become so iconic that people have forgotten the movie.
Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) rob trains, but they’ve become so notorious a posse has been formed to hunt and kill them, no matter what. Along with Sundance’s girlfriend, they head to Bolivia, but their problems follow. The movie is supposed to be anti-establishment and funny, and it is, largely because of Newman and Redford and how well they inhabit the characters. And there is a lot of humor--“Do you think you used enough dynamite, Butch?” is one of the great understatements of all time.
The timeless movies are the ones that give you new things to think about long after you’ve seen them, and that’s what makes BCSK great. The movie plays very differently to me now, especially after 9/11 (never thought I’d say that). The pathos and fatalism of the characters and the story come to the surface early. These characters may have fun--especially Newman--but their world is changing and they can’t hide from that, and every time they face it, the movie grows darker. It feels far more representative of our reality now then it must have in 1969.
To even try to remake this seems ridiculous. Redford is pure star power here, and this, along with Cool Hand Luke, is the definitive image of Newman. Their chemistry is unmatchable. They re-teamed for The Sting, but that movie is much more about plot; the characters are what matter here. Newman has announced that he’s probably going to do one more movie before retiring, and he wants to do it with Redford, but they’ve had a frustrating twenty years trying to find a good script. Having them together would be a lovely way to go out. Here’s hoping AMC doesn’t chop that movie up.
Andrew Wells can be reached at arwell012002@yahoo.com.
Because I’m recovering from my latest hospital visit, because Rick is so nice to share his blog, because I’m stuck in a chair, because I’m pumped full of steroids, because I’m on a quixotic quest, because I love all of you, you get three mini-movie rants for the price of one. Thank you for putting up with my insanity; enjoy the freakshow.
The ridiculous icing on the cake is who helps Will Smith. It’s Gene Hackman, and he must have been desperate for the money, because he’s already made the definitive movie about privacy and secrecy, The Conversation.
The Conversation is Francis Ford Coppola’s forgotten fourth masterpiece (after Godfather One and Two and Apocalypse Now). Hackman plays Harry Caul, the best wiretapping expert in the business (back when wiretapping was using reel-to-reel). Caul moves to the West Coast because his work back east may have led to a murder. He’s anti-social but desperately in need of human connection, reclusive and racked with guilt. Hackman absolutely nails Caul, and the character type has become critical to the movies. There’s genuine fear and menace from outside forces here, as Caul discovers that no matter how much he tries to insulate his life, he’s powerless. It’s the true message we need to get out of the current debate, not a nifty gizmo movie like Enemy of the State.
Rant 3: The one thing AMC is doing right is its DVD enhanced movie edition, which is actually kind of cool. You’d think otherwise, but other than having a good picture and sound, I’m not a big fan of DVD extras and releases, especially commentaries. They are hit and miss, and I don’t like people talking over a movie [Rick's note: This is true. Andrew is no fun at the movies because he yells at you if you make any comments--even during the trailers]. AMC solves that problem by using letterbox and providing lots of facts and details printed underneath, so you can read and watch. They had an excellent one on the first James Bond movie Dr. No and (of all things) the first Rambo movie (First Blood) a few months ago. The current one is Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (BCSK).
There’s been talk of a remake—with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, for crying out loud—and that’s about as ridiculous as they come, because BCSK is one of the most unique and timeless movies ever made. However, I’m convinced that the characters have become so iconic that people have forgotten the movie.
The timeless movies are the ones that give you new things to think about long after you’ve seen them, and that’s what makes BCSK great. The movie plays very differently to me now, especially after 9/11 (never thought I’d say that). The pathos and fatalism of the characters and the story come to the surface early. These characters may have fun--especially Newman--but their world is changing and they can’t hide from that, and every time they face it, the movie grows darker. It feels far more representative of our reality now then it must have in 1969.
To even try to remake this seems ridiculous. Redford is pure star power here, and this, along with Cool Hand Luke, is the definitive image of Newman. Their chemistry is unmatchable. They re-teamed for The Sting, but that movie is much more about plot; the characters are what matter here. Newman has announced that he’s probably going to do one more movie before retiring, and he wants to do it with Redford, but they’ve had a frustrating twenty years trying to find a good script. Having them together would be a lovely way to go out. Here’s hoping AMC doesn’t chop that movie up.
Andrew Wells can be reached at arwell012002@yahoo.com.