The full movie of They Live is available here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYJIIPs-5rQ
They Live, John Carpenter’s 1988 dark comedy science fiction movie, produced on a budget of $3 million. They Live is based on Ray Nelson’s short story ‘Eight O’Clock in the Morning’. The original content does not have the political commentary of Carpenter’s adaptation, Carpenter’s movie critiques the consumption and commercialisation of the 1980’s America. Carpenter felt They Live was the suitable movie to comment on themes of greed, competitiveness, unemployment and inequality after watching TV and “realised that everything we see is designed to sell…the only thing they want to do it take our money”. Not a profound discovery, but an interesting subject for a dark comedy. During Carpenter’s attempts to sell the idea of the film to a Universal executive he was asked “Where’s the threat in that? We all sell out every day”, a question which was eventually included in Frank Armitage’s screenplay.
The plot of the movie revolves around Nada (Rowdy Roddy Piper - WWF and Hell Comes to Frogtown) and his eventual buddy Frank (Keith David - The Thing), who join a revolutionary force, led by Gilbert (Peter Jason - Carpenter film veteran), who are able to see the true identity of the ruling financial elites and collaborators (trade unionists, police and management). The tool of sight for the revolutionary forces are a brand of sunglasses. The sunglasses show the ghoulish alien identity of the financial elites. It is the plan of Nada and Frank to destroy the signal, which transmits subliminal messages for humans to consume and blinds them from the true nature of the financial elites.
They Live contains many highlights which stick in your memory long after the movie, which has helped this movie achieve cult status. A five minute brawl between Nada and Frank, which required 3 weeks of rehearsal, and one of my favourite scenes in film - Nada entering a bank to exclaim ‘I have come here to kick ass and chew bubblegum…and I’m out of bubblegum’.
They Live is a fun film, with dark contents. All aspect of the movie are brilliant, apart from the music (John Carpenter and Alan Howarth) which is the true bad guy of the 1980’s! They Live is the movie which Jean-Luc Godard could never make, a film which takes aim at capitalism and doesn’t alienate the viewer.
5/5
13/08/2011
12/08/2011
The Long Goodbye - Review
There are spoilers in this post, specifically at the end of paragraph three.
The Long Goodbye, Robert Altman’s adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s final published novel in the Phillip Marlowe Mysteries series. Phillip Marlowe, the troubled, chain smoking, excessive drinking private dick is played by Elliot Gould (Friends, M*A*S*H).
Robert Altman has taken Phillip Marlowe from his 1950’s setting of the Raymond Chandler novels, and placed him in the 1970’s living amongst a group of hippie birds who spend the entire film topless and baked. Marlowe’s fish out of water nature is shown through his old car, references to old movie stars (albeit, Jimmy Stewart) and his interest in jazz. The music is the most interesting feature of the entire film, the music composed by John Williams (Star Wars and Indiana Jones) and performed by Jack Sheldon.
The plot follows the disappearance of Marlowe’s best friend Terry Lennox, the death of Terry Lennox’s wife, a rich Malibu beach community couple, a lifestyle hospital, the L.A. police and L.A. gangsters who Lennox owes $250,000. However, none of the aforementioned are neatly woven, and the story is never as complex and interesting as Chandler’s novels are. This is the greatest shame of this spirited adaptation. The female half of the Malibu beach community couple is Eileen Wade, who gives Marlowe his biggest breakthrough in his case with little to no detective interrogation, panache or wit which the Phillip Marlowe of the novel series uses in obtaining information from witnesses, suspects and police. For example, Eileen Wade gives up the information that “Yeah, Roger Killed (Terry Lennox’s) wife” and “Yeah, Terry Lennox is alive”.
Elliot Gould’s performance is entertaining and offers a different take on Chandler’s anti-hero, and Altman’s movie is anaesthetically pleasing, but the major let down, which ruins the entire adaptation is the lack of an exciting & challenging plot and witty screenplay.
2/5
The Long Goodbye, Robert Altman’s adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s final published novel in the Phillip Marlowe Mysteries series. Phillip Marlowe, the troubled, chain smoking, excessive drinking private dick is played by Elliot Gould (Friends, M*A*S*H).
Robert Altman has taken Phillip Marlowe from his 1950’s setting of the Raymond Chandler novels, and placed him in the 1970’s living amongst a group of hippie birds who spend the entire film topless and baked. Marlowe’s fish out of water nature is shown through his old car, references to old movie stars (albeit, Jimmy Stewart) and his interest in jazz. The music is the most interesting feature of the entire film, the music composed by John Williams (Star Wars and Indiana Jones) and performed by Jack Sheldon.
The plot follows the disappearance of Marlowe’s best friend Terry Lennox, the death of Terry Lennox’s wife, a rich Malibu beach community couple, a lifestyle hospital, the L.A. police and L.A. gangsters who Lennox owes $250,000. However, none of the aforementioned are neatly woven, and the story is never as complex and interesting as Chandler’s novels are. This is the greatest shame of this spirited adaptation. The female half of the Malibu beach community couple is Eileen Wade, who gives Marlowe his biggest breakthrough in his case with little to no detective interrogation, panache or wit which the Phillip Marlowe of the novel series uses in obtaining information from witnesses, suspects and police. For example, Eileen Wade gives up the information that “Yeah, Roger Killed (Terry Lennox’s) wife” and “Yeah, Terry Lennox is alive”.
Elliot Gould’s performance is entertaining and offers a different take on Chandler’s anti-hero, and Altman’s movie is anaesthetically pleasing, but the major let down, which ruins the entire adaptation is the lack of an exciting & challenging plot and witty screenplay.
2/5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
