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Larry Cohen Collection: “It’s Alive 3: Island Of The Alive”

April 29, 2015 Gordon Maples 14 Comments

It’s Alive 3: Island Of The Alive

Next up in the Larry Cohen Collection is the finale of the “It’s Alive” trilogy: “It’s Alive 3: Island Of The Alive.”

“It’s Alive 3” was once again written, directed, and produced by Larry Cohen, almost 10 years after the release of “It Lives Again,” the second installment in the franchise.

The cinematographer for “It’s Alive 3” was once again Daniel Pearl, who contributed significantly on the photography for “It Lives Again,” and also worked on “Full Moon High” and “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”

The special effects on “It’s Alive 3” were provided in part by Brent Armstrong (“Starship Troopers,” “Class of 1999,” “In The Mouth Of Madness”) and Bill Hedge (“Piranha,” “Species,” “Airplane!”), replacing Rick Baker, who worked on the first two films in the series.

The music for “It’s Alive 3” was provided by Laurie Johnson, who worked extensively on the soundtrack for “It Lives Again,” and has provided scores for movies such as “Dr. Strangelove” and “Tiger Bay.”

The producers for “It’s Alive 3” included Paul Kurta and Barry Shils returning to the series after working on “It Lives Again,” along with newcomers Paul Stader, a proficient career stuntman who worked on “Star Trek” and “The Planet of the Apes,” and Barabara Zitwer, who went on to produce “Vampire’s Kiss” and Larry Cohen’s “The Ambulance.”

“It’s Alive 3” was edited by David Kern, who went on to edit the “Maniac Cop” trilogy and do sound editing for larger movies like “Rush Hour” and “Scream 3.”

James Dixon is the only returning actor from the first two films, reprising his role as Lt. Perkins. Larry Cohen regular Michael Moriarty (“The Stuff,” “Q: The Winged Serpent”) joins the franchise, along with Karen Black (“Nashville”), Laurene Landon (“Full Moon High,” “Maniac Cop”), Macdonald Carey (“Days of Our Lives”), and Gerrit Graham (“C.H.U.D. II: Bud The Chud”).

The events of “It’s Alive 3” take place an undisclosed amount of time after the events of “It Lives Again,” after a number of more sinister baby monsters are born. The story starts with a trial to determine what to do with the apprehended baby monsters, during which it is decided that they will be placed in isolation on an island. Some time later, a team of hunters is hired by a drug company to kill all of the babies, in order to erase any proof tying one of their drugs to the monstrous mutation.

“It’s Alive 3” was filmed back-to-back with “A Return To Salem’s Lot,” using much of the same cast and crew, much like Stuart Gordon’s “From Beyond” and “Dolls.”

“It’s Alive 3” was filmed on location in Hawaii, despite the story theoretically being set in the Caribbean.

The opening sequence of “It’s Alive 3” was used in the 1988 movie “The Dead Pool” starring Clint Eastwood, as an example of the film work of a murdered fictitious b-movie director played by Liam Neeson.

“It’s Alive 3” was given a limited theatrical release, but I wasn’t able to dig up any information in regards to its budget or finances. However, the reception certainly wasn’t positive: it currently holds a 4.5 rating on IMDb, along with Rotten Tomatoes ratings of 50% (critics) and 15% (audience).

Many saw “It’s Alive 3” as milking the very last drop out of the “It’s Alive” franchise, seeing it as a purely profit motivated production. This is obviously not entirely untrue, but I think it caused some unreasonable hostility towards the film’s existence.

Michael Moriarty, as always, is fantastic. He delivers another memorable performance, as he always seems to do when working with Larry Cohen. I’m a bigger fan of his character in “The Stuff,” but his portrayal in “It’s Alive 3” is certainly an interesting one, and is probably the best reason for checking out the film.

“It’s Alive 3” is without a doubt more overtly humorous than “It Lives Again” and “It’s Alive,” which didn’t exactly resonate with many fans of the franchise. However, above all, this movie is fun by design. That’s not a bad thing if you ask me, but it is certainly a departure from the earlier movies. It also follows up the story and consequences of the first two films very well, and does fit with the trilogy thematically in my opinion.

Something I absolutely did not expect was the revelation that the baby monsters have telepathic powers, which seems to come totally out of left field. It isn’t totally if they develop the skill over time, or if they always had mind powers in the previous movies.

There are a few moments in “It’s Alive 3” where stop motion is used to portray the baby monsters, which looks absolutely awful. The movie notably doesn’t try to hid or obscure the babies, instead choosing to keep them out in the open. I actually don’t have as much of a problem with this, given the entire foundation of the story is about the babies being normalized and exposed to society, and ultimately rejected. That said, they certainly don’t look very good, but that somewhat adds to the comedic element of the film.

A lot of reviews compare “It’s Alive 3” to “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” which I find kind of hilarious, because the two films are astoundingly similar. The babies are left to roam free on an isolated island, a corporation tries to exploit them for their own benefit, a secret team is sent to the island covertly, and the monsters ultimately escape to the mainland. They were even both filmed primarily on the same island. I will say, I kind of wish Jeff Goldblum and Michael Moriarty could have been in both movies, because the combo would have improved both pictures drastically.

Overall, “It’s Alive 3” is the black sheep of the franchise without any doubt. However, it is a damn fun movie, and I recommend it highly for anyone looking for a good bad watch. Moriarty is gold, the babies are ridiculous, the plot is outlandish, and there are plenty of great horror movie deaths to enjoy. As much as I like the first two, I definitely have a soft spot for the ridiculousness of “It’s Alive 3.”

Larry Cohen Collection

Larry Cohen Collection: “It’s Alive” (2008)

April 27, 2015 Gordon Maples 13 Comments

“It’s Alive” (2008)

The next installment in the Larry Cohen collection is the little-seen 2008 remake of the cult classic “It’s Alive.”

The screenplay credit for “It’s Alive” is not given just to Larry Cohen, but also to two other people: Paul Sopocy, who has no other major writing credits (outside of a few episodes of “Elvira’s Movie Macabre”), and producer James Portolese (“The Ledge,” “Simon Sez”). It is unclear exactly how much input Cohen’s screenplay draft had into the ultimate film product, but at one point he had planned on writing, directing, and producing the remake according to an oft-quoted interview. He has also openly and bitterly denounced the film in interviews since the release, claiming:

I did give them a script and they, more or less, ignored what I gave them completely. I did make a lot of money on the deal, so I really can’t complain. I certainly didn’t want to give them their money back, so I’ll just have to live with it. I would advise anybody who likes my film to cross the street and avoid seeing the new enchilada.

“It’s Alive” was directed by Josef Rusnak, who also worked on such features as “The Thirteenth Floor” and “Godzilla” (1998), the latter as an assistant director.

The effects team for “It’s Alive” included makeup artist Timothy Huizing (“Smokin’ Aces,” “Scary Movie 2,” “Jack & Jill”), as well as such visual effects workers as Simeon Asenov (“Shark Attack 3: Megalodon,” “Drive Angry,” “The Legend of Hercules”), Velichko Ivanov (“Kingsman: The Secret Service,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”), and Silviya Mariyanova (“Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Expendables 3”).

The cinematography for “It’s Alive” was provided by Wedigo Von Schultzendorff, a German director of photography who has worked on films such as “Igby Goes Down” and “Pandorum.”

The producers for “It’s Alive” included Mark Damon (“Mac and Me,” “Monster,” “Orgazmo”), Moshe Diamant (“Timecop,” “Simon Sez,” “Double Team,” “Dark Angel”), Boaz Davidson (“The Wicker Man,” “Mansquito,” “The Iceman”), Danny Dimbort (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Rambo,” “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”), and Robert Katz (“Stuck,” “The Ambulance”), among others.

The “It’s Alive” score was contributed by Nicholas Pike, who also composed music for other features, including “Captain Ron” and “C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud.”

The editing of “It’s Alive” was done by James Herbert, who has cut a number of Guy Ritchie films such as “RocknRolla” and “Revolver,” and Patrick McMahon of “The Shining” mini-series and “A Nightmare On Elm Street.”

The cast for “It’s Alive” includes Bijou Phillips (“Almost Famous,” “Choke”), James Murray (“Primeval”), Owen Teale (“Game of Thrones”), and Todd Jensen (“The Mangler”). The collection could generously be called “low-rent,” and honestly be called “weak,” something that is immensely clear from the peripheral performances.

The story of “It’s Alive” centers around two young parents and their newborn child. At the child’s birth, the doctors and nurses are mysteriously murdered during the delivery, with no suspects or apparent motive. As the child becomes rapidly stranger and more violent, the parents are forced to confront the possibility that their baby is a serial killer.

“It’s Alive” was released straight to video by First Look Pictures, but was apparently given a very limited theatrical run specifically in the Philippines. In any case, I would be shocked if it made any money on its estimated $10 million budget.

“It’s Alive” was received very harshly, particularly by fans of the cult classic original. It currently holds a score of 3.5 on IMDb, and a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 6%. Larry Cohen himself went on record saying that the film was “a terrible picture…just beyond awful.”

There frankly isn’t a whole lot positive to say about “It’s Alive.” It features some inexplicably dreadful character and plot writing, which I assume is due to the inexperience of the two primary writers. There are also some awful performances as you get deeper into the accessory cast, such as the E.R. doctor who is slaughtered at the beginning of the film. I will say that Bijou Philips is not terrible, but her character’s writing just doesn’t make any sense. She never seems as disturbed as she should be by the events that happen throughout the film, and takes way too long to descend into panic over the baby’s violent outbursts. The effects overall are pretty cheesy (the baby is both ridiculous and wildly inconsistent), but the film doesn’t particularly look awful from a production standpoint, which is about all I can say for it.

Overall, “It’s Alive” is just way off the mark from what it should have been. It lacks charm and thought, two qualities that distinguish Cohen’s films from most of the rest of the b-horror pack. I’m not sure what happened over the course of the production, but Cohen’s creative lock out seems like it doomed the effort out of the gate. There are a few decent deaths in the film, but the overall experience just isn’t fun or memorable enough to recommend.

Larry Cohen Collection

Larry Cohen Collection: “Full Moon High”

April 27, 2015 Gordon Maples 10 Comments

Full Moon High

Today, I’m going to be kicking off my coverage of the career of writer/director Larry Cohen with 1981’s “Full Moon High”: a horror parody movie which he wrote, directed, and produced.

The cinematography on “Full Moon High” was provided by Daniel Pearl, whose career goes all the way back to “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” and includes a handful of other Larry Cohen films such as “Deadly Illusion,” “A Return to Salem’s Lot,” and “It’s Alive III.”

The score for “Full Moon High” was composed by Gary William Friedman, who is probably best known for providing the music to the television program “The Electric Company.”

“Full Moon High” features makeup effects by Steve Neill, who also worked on such b-movies as “Laserblast,” “God Told Me To,” “The Stuff,” “Battle Beyond The Stars,” and “Saturday the 14th.”

The art director for “Full Moon High” was Robert Burns, who also worked on such iconic horror movies as “Re-Animator,” “The Howling,” “Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” and “The Hills Have Eyes” over his career.

The editor for “Full Moon High” was Armond Lebowitz, who was Larry Cohen’s go-to editor for many of his most well-known features, including “The Stuff,” “The Ambulance,” and “Q: The Winged Serpent.”

The cast for “Full Moon High” is led by Adam Arkin in his first major film role, who is best known as the son of acclaimed actor Alan Arkin. It features a lot of familiar faces in the accessory cast, including Ed McMahon (“The Tonight Show”), Kenneth Mars (“The Producers”), Pat Morita (“The Karate Kid”), Bob Saget (“Full House”), Demond Wilson (“Sanford and Son”), Roz Kelly (“New Year’s Evil”), and even Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “Argo,” “Catch-22”).

The story of “Full Moon High” follows a high school football star who, while on a vacation to Romania, becomes an immortal werewolf. After he discovers how little control he has over his abilities, he leaves his hometown to wander the Earth. 20 years later, he decides to return home under the guise of being his own son in order to win the big high school football game that he never got to play.

“Full Moon High” was dedicated to the memory of Fenton Hamilton, who was Larry Cohen’s cinematographer and director of photography for “Black Caesar,” “It’s Alive,” “Hell Up In Harlem,” and “It Lives Again.”

The reception for “Full Moon High” was generally negative: it currently holds a 39% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 4.8 rating on IMDb.

The premise for “Full Moon High” is primarily a parody of “I Was A Teenage Werewolf,” a notorious 1950s horror movie. Most viewers now would probably assume some connection to the movie “Teen Wolf” with Michael J. Fox, but “Full Moon High” actually predated it by a number of years.

There are definitely some brilliant moments here and there throughout “Full Moon High,” but it is really uneven in its quality. As many reviewers have pointed out, the film starts really strong, and then slows down and loses its comedic edge after the first half hour. It feels like a clever movie that didn’t get to percolate long enough to be really outstanding, like it may have been rushed through production too quickly.

That said, there are a number of golden and clever moments interspersed throughout the film. For instance, the use of spinning newspaper transitions, which is one of the most overdone elements in old movies, is poked at brilliantly. There are also other horror and teen movie tropes that get put over the fire, like the overuse of dramatic violin music as a cue.

Personally, I think that one of the biggest issues with the movie is that Adam Arkin isn’t quite strong enough to carry the film from a comedic point of view. It certainly doesn’t help that his character is pretty inconsistently written: sometimes he is a bit of a moron, and other times he seems pretty sharp.

The style of humor in “Full Moon High” is also a bit perplexing. It is generally dark and sexually charged, and fairly biting with satiric elements. At the same time, it is also very traditionally goofy, which makes for a weird combination. It also doesn’t help that it has a few awkward moments of jokes that don’t land, which might be due to Cohen not having comedy writing experience previously, and still deciding to write it on his own.

Here are a couple of the memorable quotes from “Full Moon High” that have stuck with me:

“I’m not the type to believe in vampires, werewolves, or virgins. I’ve never seen any of those.”

“They got me Joe. The commies turned my son into a wolf. I don’t know how they did it…might have been something in the water? Fluoride…they say fluoride is good for your teeth. Did you get a load of his teeth? I’ve heard about being long in the tooth, but that’s just too long. Oh Joe, why didn’t they listen to you back then when they had a chance?”

Overall, “Full Moon High” certainly isn’t is good as it could be, but it is undoubtedly more daring and clever that “Teen Wolf.” For big fans of Larry Cohen’s work, it is worth checking out, but it isn’t quite solid enough to recommend to general audiences.

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Predator 2

April 24, 2015 Gordon Maples 33 Comments

Predator 2

Today’s feature is the urban jungle set follow-up to the action classic “Predator”: “Predator 2,” starring Danny Glover and Gary Busey.

“Predator 2” was written by Jim Thomas and John Thomas, the same duo that penned the original “Predator.” However, the screenplay went through a number of different forms, primarily based on the casting, which I will dig into a little bit later.

“Predator 2” was directed by Stephen Hopkins (“A Nightmare on Elm Street 5,” “Lost in Space”), after “Predator” director John McTiernan priced himself out of the production. The cinematographer for “Predator 2” was Peter Levy, who worked on other films such as “Lost in Space” and “Torque” over his career.

The music for “Predator 2” was once again provided by Alan Silvestri (“Predator,” “Forrest Gump,” “Van Helsing,” “Super Mario Bros.,” “Mac & Me”), who modified the original “Predator” theme to include new instruments to reflect the change of location and plot (such as drums to match the Jamaican voodoo gang).

The editing for “Predator 2” is credited to both Mark Goldblatt (“The Punisher,” “Dead Heat,” “Enter The Ninja,” “Super Mario Bros.”) and Bert Lovitt (“RoboCop 3,” “Days of Thunder”), likely because it had to be so extensively edited and re-edited to get the eventual R rating from the MPAA.

One of the producers on “Predator 2” was Joel Silver, who has produced such memorable action flicks as “Hudson Hawk,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Demolition Man,” “The Matrix,” “Dungeons & Dragons,” “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “Commando,” and “The Warriors.”

The creature creation and effects in “Predator 2” were done by the Stan Winston Studio (“Jurassic Park,” “Lake Placid,” “Congo”), including the Predator’s new alien hunting devices. The production also featured special effects foremen Larz Anderson (“Small Soldiers,” “Smokin’ Aces”) and Albert Delgado (“Tank Girl,” “Scrooged”), as well as pyrotechnician Roy Goode (“Robot Jox”).

The cast of “Predator 2” is headlined by Danny Glover (“Lethal Weapon,” “Saw”), with an accessory cast featuring Gary Busey (“The Gingerdead Man,” “Lethal Weapon,” “The Buddy Holly Story”), Bill Paxton (“Aliens,” “Twister,” “Slipstream”), Robert Davi (“Maniac Cop 2,” “License to Kill,” “Die Hard,” “In The Mix”), and Adam Baldwin (“Firefly”).

The story of “Predator 2” centers around a police officer investigating a grisly series of murders amidst a gang war and a record heat wave in Los Angeles. The further he digs, however, the stranger the case becomes: leading to an ultimate face off with an alien killing machine.

“Predator 2” features a famous throwaway Easter egg of a xenomorph skull (from the “Alien” franchise) in the Predator’s trophy room. This was meant partially as an homage to the popular comic book series that crossed over between the franchises, but it caused an immense amount of hype among fans, eventually leading to an “Alien vs. Predator” film franchise.

The Predator alien race wound up getting another film all to themselves in 2010’s “Predators,” which was directed by Robert Rodriguez (“From Dusk Til Dawn”) and stars Laurence Fishburne and Adrien Brody. It is a bit more loyal to the original concept of “Predator,” and was certainly better received than “Predator 2” by audiences and critics.

“Predator 2” features some interesting alternate casting trivia. Apparently, Gary Busey’s role was intended initially for Arnold Schwarzenegger to reprise his character from the first film, but he turned it down to do “Terminator 2.” Rumor has it that Patrick Swayze approached to play the lead, and that at least one producer pushed heavily for Steven Seagal to be cast.

predator23 — This could have been Schwarzenegger and Seagal. Weird.

The movie was filmed on site in some rougher neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Reportedly, human feces in bags were thrown at the cast and crew from windows above them while filming (something that also happened on “Daredevil” according to the director’s commentary), and a dead body was shockingly discovered at one of the filming locations.

The somewhat outlandish and ruthless Jamaican voodoo gang in “Predator 2” was apparently based on real crime organizations that existed in Kansas City and New York in the 1980s.

“Predator 2” marked the first acting role for Gary Busey after the traumatic motorcycle accident that nearly ended his career, and arguably marked the begin of his decline into b-movies and obscure features.

“Predator 2” was apparently the first film to get an NC-17 rating by the MPAA after it replaced the X rating in September of 1990. This resulted in further editing to get the film down to an R, as films with X / NC-17 ratings have historically struggled to receive significant theatrical distribution.

“Predator 2” had a worldwide theatrical gross of just under $60 million on an estimated budget of $35 million, which made it fairly profitable. However, critics and audiences weren’t particularly impressed with it at the time: it currently has a 6.2 IMDb rating, along with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 25% (critics) and 44% (audience).

“Predator 2” faced a significant amount of criticism for its depictions of violence, as well as the less than optimal lack of a Schwarzenegger-style action lead. People were mixed on the change of setting from the jungle to the city, but I’m personally a big fan of the change of backdrop and context.

Bill Paxton, as always, is a controversial comedy relief element. Some people love him, and others just can’t stand him. I think this is probably his best comic relief role next to “Aliens,” which I’m sure was no coincidence on the part of the casting.

My biggest issue with the film is that the ending drags on a bit too long, and doesn’t feel particularly satisfying because of it. I generally liked the casting and performances, but there is no doubt that it lacks the staying power of the testosterone-fueled super-cast of the first “Predator.” The effects are probably the biggest strength to the film, but I feel like the cuts made to bring the film down to an R rating did it a bit of a disservice. The Predators still look great though, as do their weapons and gadgets.

Overall, I think “Predator 2” isn’t all that bad of a movie. I believe that it mostly suffers from the comparison to the original, which is by far more memorable and enjoyable. On its own, it is still a bit too slow paced for my liking, but it isn’t awful. Paxton and Busey both ham up their roles, which keeps things a bit entertaining. In general, I just don’t feel strongly about the film, which isn’t good, but also not necessarily bad. If you like the concept of the Predator alien, this is certainly one of the better movies to feature them. In comparison to those “Alien vs. Predator” flicks, it might as well be a lost Orson Welles film.

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Caddyshack 2

April 23, 2015 Gordon Maples 7 Comments

Caddyshack 2

Today’s feature is another one of the most reviled sequels in cinema history: “Caddyshack 2.”

The script for “Caddyshack 2” was written and rewritten by multiple people, but the ultimate credit went to Harold Ramis and Peter Torokvei. While they penned the first draft of the screenplay, they had little to do with the ultimate product that made it to the screen, particularly after the many rewrites and changes.

“Caddyshack 2” was ultimately directed by Allan Arkush (“Heartbeeps”) after the original director, Alan Metter (“Back to School”), was fired from the production.

The director of photography for “Caddyshack 2” was Academy Award nominee Harry Stradling Jr. (“1776,” “The Way We Were”), whose father, Harry Stradling Sr. was also an Academy Award winning cinematographer who racked up 14 Oscar nominations over his career (including “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “My Fair Lady,” and “Guys and Dolls”).

The music for “Caddyshack 2” was provided by Ira Newborn (“Police Squad!,” “The Naked Gun,” “Mallrats,” “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”), with a theme song once again contributed by Kenny Loggins, who contributed memorable songs to films like the first “Caddyshack” and “Top Gun.”

The special effects team on “Caddyshack 2” included eventual Academy Award winners Donald Elliott (“Life of Pi,” “Congo,” “Wild Wild West,” “Jurassic Park”) and Michael Lantieri (“A.I.,” “Jurassic Park,” “Minority Report,” “Congo”), as well as at least three different crew members with credits specifically for work on the gopher, including Eben Stromquist (“Howard the Duck,” “Mars Attacks!”), Mark Miller (“Hudson Hawk,” “Baby’s Day Out”), and Tad Krzanowski (“Event Horizon,” “Tank Girl”).

Two of the producers for “Caddyshack 2” were Peter Guber and Jon Peters, who would eventually become studio heads at Sony Pictures Entertainment on top of accruing significant producing credits over their careers. Writer/director Kevin Smith has a delightful story about working under Jon Peters for an eventually cancelled “Superman” reboot, which is worth listening to if you haven’t heard it.

The production design for “Caddyshack 2” was provided by William Matthews, who also worked on films like “Captain Ron,” “Gremlins,” and “Poltergeist.” Additionally, the film was edited by Bernard Gribble, who worked on movies like “Death Wish” and “Top Secret!”

The cast of “Caddyshack 2” includes “Saturday Night Live!” alumni Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, and Randy Quaid, alongside notables like Jackie Mason (“The Jerk”), Dyan Cannon (“Heaven Can Wait”), Robert Stack (“Airplane!”), Chynna Phillips (“Bridesmaids”), and Paul Bartel (“Chopping Mall”).

In an interview with David Letterman, star Jackie Mason said of “Caddyshack 2”: “I am proud of one thing: it is a clean movie.” This isn’t exactly an ideal quality for a sequel to a particularly raunchy comedy classic. Also, you can’t help but wonder if he actually watched the finished product, because it is still relatively raunchy, and he clearly changes the subject as quickly as possible.

The story of “Caddyshack 2” basically boils down to a class conflict between a traditionally upper class country club elite and a boorish self-made entrepreneur, who goes on a vendetta against them after having his country club membership application denied.

Due to burned bridges with most of the original cast over the course of pre-production, the only returning element on-screen from “Caddyshack” is Chevy Chase, who only appears sparingly. It is clear that the script initially planned on a number of characters from the original returning, but was improvised as actors declined roles. For instance, Dan Aykroyd’s character is very clearly a modified version of Bill Murray’s role from “Caddyshack.” Behind the scenes, Harold Ramis (who co-wrote and directed “Caddyshack”) only co-wrote an initial draft, leaving producer Jon Peters as the only major returning crew member.

Due to the multiple issues and delays in getting “Caddyshack 2” off the ground, the film didn’t get released until a whole 8 years after the first film hit theaters: a significant amount of time for a unanticipated sequel.

Apparently, the idea for a “Caddyshack 2” was initially pushed heavily by Rodney Dangerfield, who dropped out of the picture after he wasn’t allowed to re-write the script (which led him being sued by the studio for breach of contract). At that point, producer John Peters became the determined driving force that brought the movie to fruition, in spite of better judgement from nearly the entire cast and crew of the original feature.

In addition to the studio suing Dangerfield for leaving the production, Bill Murray sued the movie’s production over the use of the gopher character, which he created. Apparently, the suit was eventually settled out of court, but it certainly didn’t bode well for the fortunes of the film.

“Caddyshack 2” ultimately won two Golden Raspberries, for Worst Original Song and Worst Supporting Actor (Dan Aykroyd), and also won the Stinkers Bad Movie Award as the worst film of the year. Needless to say, the reception to the movie was not good: it currently has Rotten Tomatoes ratings of 4% (critics) and 17% (audience), along with an IMDb score of 3.6

In a 1999 interview for The A.V. Club, writer Harold Ramis said the following about “Caddyshack 2”:

[The studio] said that Rodney [Dangerfield] really wanted to do it, and we could build it around Rodney. Rodney said, “Come on, do it.” Then the classic argument came up which says that if you don’t do it, someone will, and it will be really bad. So I worked on a script with my partner Peter Torokvei, consulting with Rodney all the time. Then Rodney got into a fight with the studio over his contract and backed out. We had some success with Back To School, which I produced and wrote, and we were working with the same director, Alan Metter. When Rodney pulled out, I pulled out, and then they fired Alan and got someone else [Allan Arkush]. I got a call from [co-producer] Jon Peters saying, “Come with us to New York; we’re going to see Jackie Mason!” I said, “Ooh, don’t do this. Why don’t we let it die?” And he said, “No, it’ll be great.” But I didn’t go, and they got other writers to finish it. I tried to take my name off that one, but they said if I took my name off, it would come out in the trades and I would hurt the film.

“Caddyshack 2” had an estimated budget of $20 million, and ultimately grossed a total of less than $12 million worldwide, making it a significant flop, and paled in comparison to the financial success of the original.

There is certainly no lack of criticisms to be leveled at “Caddyshack 2.” Most people understandably saw the film as a disservice to the original, and as little more than a shallow cash grab. The writing certainly isn’t as strong as “Caddyshack”: the plot is simpler, the jokes aren’t as funny, and the characters aren’t nearly as memorable. A number of moments essentially just retread highlights the original film, like “be the ball” and the gopher. Speaking of which, the gopher can inexplicably talk in this movie. The film does have a few highlights that are few and far between, but they are certainly fleeting.

Overall, “Caddyshack 2” is justifiably forgotten in the public consciousness, and is the perfect example of a sequel trying to hard (and failing) to replicate the charm of its predecessor. As far as a recommendation goes, the behind the scenes context is far more entertaining and intriguing than the movie itself, making it more interesting to research than to actually watch. If you are a die hard fan of “Caddyshack,” you might at least enjoy the handful of solid Chevy Chase moments. As a bad movie, however, it isn’t anything special outside of an academic curiosity.

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Daredevil

April 22, 2015 Gordon Maples 32 Comments

Daredevil

In light of the recent trailer debut of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and the high acclaim garnered by the Netflix “Daredevil” series, today’s feature is the infamous “Daredevil” film, which marked Ben Affleck’s first superhero role.

“Daredevil” was written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson (“Ghost Rider,” “Grumpy Old Men”), adapted from the lauded comic book character and series created by Stan Lee, Bil Everett, and Jack Kirby.

The cinematography for “Daredevil” was provided by Ericson Core, who is best known for his work on “The Fast and The Furious” and “Invincible.”

The production designer for “Daredevil” was Barry Chusid, who also worked on films such as “Mystery Men,” “Blade,” “Anaconda,” and “The Day After Tomorrow.”

One of the producers on “Daredevil” was Kevin Feige, which was one of the first producing credits of his career. He has gone on to become President of the enormously successful Marvel Studios, and has overseen such hit films as “The Avengers,” “Thor,” “Iron Man,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

The special effects team for “Daredevil” included coordinator John McLeod (“Howard the Duck,” “Sin City,” “Face/Off,” “Batman Returns,” “Planet Terror”), foreman Mike Edmonson (“The Avengers,” “Iron Man,” “Theodore Rex”), makeup by Eddie Vargas (“Epic Movie,” “The Midnight Meat Train”), as well as elements from films like “Pulp Fiction,” “12 Monkeys,” “Training Day,” “Deep Blue Sea,” and “R.I.P.D.”

The score was provided by Graeme Revell, who has also composed music for films such as “Street Fighter,” “Spawn,” “Red Planet,” and “Sin City.”

The cast for “Daredevil” is headlined by Ben Affleck (“Gigli,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Argo,” “Gone Girl,” “The Town”) and Jennifer Garner (“Alias,” “Juno”), with an accessory cast that includes Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Swingers”), Colin Farrell (“Winter’s Tale,” “In Bruges,” “Phone Booth,” “Minority Report”), Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile,” “Armageddon”), Ellen Pompeo (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Catch Me If You Can”), Joe Pantoliano (“Memento,” “The Matrix”), and Kevin Smith (“Clerks,” “Chasing Amy”).

Apparently, “Spider-Man” crossover references had to be removed from the screenplay due to the rights divide between Sony and Fox over the characters. The Kingpin and Ben Ulrich, characters who are regulars in both franchises, were given specifically to Fox and “Daredevil” for the film, and couldn’t be mentioned in association with Spider-Man specific institutions like The Daily Bugle.

The story of “Daredevil” centers on a blind criminal defense lawyer with superhuman senses who moonlights as a vigilante in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. His activities run him afoul of a number of criminal elements in the city, who try with all of their might to take him down.

“Daredevil” has a 5.3 IMDb rating, along with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 45% (critics) and 36% (audience), making the reception generally negative. However, it was a significant box office hit, grossing over $179 million worldwide on a budget estimated at $78 million. It even justified a spin-off / sequel in “Elektra,” an arguably even more infamous and reviled superhero film.

Apparently, attempts to make a “Daredevil” film started in the 1990s, but took a long time to get of the ground. Likewise, there were a couple of attempts to reboot “Daredevil” by Fox after the 2003 hit, in order to prevent the rights from reverting to Marvel. These ultimately failed, however, which resulted in Marvel and ABC creating the acclaimed Netflix “Daredevil” series that debuted in 2015.

It has been claimed that the original concept for the “Daredevil” film was to aim for an R-rating, including nudity and extreme violence. The film still certainly maintains a very dark tone for a superhero movie, and the Director’s Cut features a good deal more violence than the version that ultimately made it to theaters.

Jon Favreau, who plays Foggy Nelson in “Daredevil,” was apparently already in talks about making “Iron Man” during filming on “Daredevil,” which launched the eventual Marvel Cinematic Universe that would absorb the Daredevil character in 2015.

It reportedly took 8 months to perfect the “Daredevil” costume, and the ultimate product was apparently very uncomfortable for Ben Affleck to wear. Affleck has been quoted as saying:

“by playing a superhero in “Daredevil,” I have inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero. Wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn’t want to do again soon.”

Of the many criticisms of “Daredevil” that I have heard, two consistently stand out. First, most people feel that the film is far too melodramatic, and hard to enjoy because of it. Second, many feel that the pacing and action in the film is far too slow to hold their interest.

Personally, I have never felt that “Daredevil” was excessively dark or gritty in comparison with, say, the Nolan “Batman” movies. However, it certainly isn’t written well, which is where I think the weakness is. Nothing is particularly subtle, so all of the dark elements are bashed over the audiences heads, which isn’t exactly the best way to go about that. As far as the pacing goes, there’s no arguing that “Daredevil” is a high-octane action movie. I honestly think that would have been even worse: Daredevil strikes me as a character that needs to be a bit more atmospheric and human. That said, that doesn’t make the movie any more interesting to watch.

My biggest problem with the film is the amount of digital effects used throughout that have aged about as well as shrimp lost in the back of the fridge. It was still pretty recent technology at the time, but looking back now it really doesn’t hold up, and makes the whole film look more artificial and strange. The other major issue I have is with the obnoxious soundtrack, but that is neither here not there: just a product of the times I suppose.

Overall, “Daredevil” is certainly one of the lesser modern superhero movies. It isn’t nearly as bad as the 1990 “Captain America,” “Howard the Duck,” or even “Green Lantern,” but it is certainly a pretty long way from good. However, I don’t think of it as all that bad, either. It certainly isn’t bad enough to enjoy as a bad movie. Mostly, “Daredevil” mostly serves as a cautionary tale of how not to do a superhero movie, and as a warning that audiences will eventually tire of “gritty, realistic” heroes after a while. It is probably worth a rewatch given the release of the Netflix series and in anticipation of Affleck returning to the realm of superheroes, but there isn’t all that much to get out of it as far as laughs go.

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Bargain Bin(ge) Las Vegas: Record City

April 21, 2015 Gordon Maples Leave a comment

Welcome to the newest installment of the Bargain Bin(ge), where I cover used DVD stores from around the country and the various movies I have plundered from them.

Earlier this week, work took me out to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. With the limited free time I had, I decided to check out some used media stores in search of DVDs.

One place I checked out was a little hole in the wall on Sahara Ave. called Record City, which proved to be a pretty spiffy spot for digging up DVDs, VHS tapes, and records.

The thing that most stood out to me about Record City was the significant stock of VHS tapes, which is becoming increasingly less common to see. I didn’t wind up picking up any as they are a little unwieldy for air travel, but a VHS copy of “Heavy Metal” definitely stuck out to me on a cursory look-over of the section.

The DVD prices weren’t too bad, but the selection left a little bit to be desired. I still managed to find plenty to walk away with, but it was probably the least impressive of the three shops I visited in Las Vegas, at least from a DVD standpoint.

Apocalypse

From the looks of it, “Apocalypse” is a lower-budget “Left Behind” knockoff, which leads me to hope that it will make excellent fodder for a (God)Awful Movies segment. From the looks of the trailer, this is going to be an absolute hoot to watch through.

The Vampire Bat

“The Vampire Bat” is an old vampire movie from the 1930s directed by Frank Strayer, who was behind a ton of horror movies from 1920s through the 1950s. It should make for an interesting watch from an era in horror that I don’t typically cover.

Mitchell

I already wrote about “Mitchell” back as part of the IMDb Bottom 100, and I even already have a copy of it. I just couldn’t resist picking up this obviously fake DVD copy of the movie. What are the odds that “Mitchell” is even on the disc in this box?

Bride of the Gorilla

“Bride of the Gorilla” is a b-movie about a man who is cursed into becoming a gorilla. It is one of countless movies out there to feature a man in a gorilla suit as the central monster. The writer/director, Curt Siodmak, was a prolific screenplay writer best known for penning “The Wolf Man,” and Lon Chaney, Jr. even pops in for a role in the feature.

The Undead Express

“The Undead Express” is apparently a movie about vampires living in the New York subway system. From what little I have read, it sounds like it was catered to a younger audience, which certainly isn’t clear from the trailer. Ron Silver of “The West Wing” and “Timecop” leads the cast, which also features a bit role by Wes Craven, which the DVD box advertises as much as possible. I’m not sure what to make of it, but I’m planning to give this movie a shot at some point.

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Timecop

April 20, 2015 Gordon Maples 14 Comments

Timecop

Welcome back to the Misan[trope]y Movie Blog! Today’s feature is the 1994 time travel action flick, “Timecop.”

“Timecop” was directed by Peter Hyams, whose other films have included “End of Days,” “Capricorn One,” and “Stay Tuned.” He also provided the cinematography for the movie, something that he has done on a number of his features.

“Timecop” is an adaptation of a Dark Horse comic story by Mark Verheiden and Mike Richardson. It was written for the screen by Verheiden, who has worked on films and television shows such as “Smallville,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and “The Mask” as both a writer and a producer.

The music on “Timecop” was provided by Mark Isham, who has provided scores to films like “Point Break,” “Lions For Lambs,” “The Net,” “Quiz Show,” “October Sky,” and “The Hitcher.” Over his significant career, he has accumulated nearly 150 composition credits for films.

The special effects team for “Timecop” included elements from such productions as “Robot Jox,” “E.T.,” “A.I.,” “Lake Placid,” “The Cabin In The Woods,” “Watchmen,” “Superman,” “It,” and “First Blood,” among many others. The visual effects supervisor for “Timecop” was Gregory McMurry, who has worked on such films as “Argo,” “The Core,” “Con Air,” “Predator 2,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” and “Blade Runner” over his film career since the 1970s.

The production design on “Timecop” was done by one Philip Harrison, who worked on films like “The Core,” “Spawn,” “Mississippi Burning,” and “Stay Tuned.” “Timecop” was edited by Steven Kemper, who has cut such features as “Face/Off,” “Mission: Impossible II,” and “Harry And The Hendersons.”

The cast for “Timecop” is headlined by Jean-Claude Van Damme, one of the most iconic and recognizable action stars of the era. The accessory cast is filled out by Mia Sara (“Daughter of Darkness,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”), Ron Silver (“The West Wing”), Bruce McGill (“Lincoln,” “Collateral”), Gloria Reuben (“ER”), and Kenneth Welsh (“The Aviator”).

The story of “Timecop,” predictably enough, is about a police officer tasked with stopping crimes committed via time travel. He winds up attempting to thwart a vast power play helmed by an ambitious politician who is exploiting his access to time travel technology as a criminal enterprise.

The success of “Timecop” eventually spawned both a sequel and a television series, and rumors of a remake in the near future have been floating around for a couple of years (without the involvement of JCVD, reportedly).

The Jean-Claude Van Damme movie “Sudden Death” was made back-to-back with “Timecop,” and featured many of the same players from the “Timecop” production team.

“Timecop” wasn’t generally received well by critics, though it is one of the higher regarded films from Jean-Claude Van Damme’s filmography. It currently holds a 5.8 IMDb score, along with Rotten Tomatoes ratings of 43% (critics) and 35% (audience).

“Timecop” was made on a $27 million budget, and grossed close to $102 million worldwide in its theatrical run, making it a significant hit. It is one of the very few Jean-Claude Van Damme movies to break 100 million in total grosses, and is regarded as one of the highlights of his career.

In his review, Roger Ebert called “Timecop” “a low-rent ‘Terminator,'” and that influence can certainly be seen throughout the film. The financial success of the first two “Terminator” movies spawned a horde of imitators, and while the plot to “Timecop” bears less similarities than most of them, the focus on time travel action goes a long way towards inviting comparisons.

A number of the critical complaints I saw about “Timecop” were regarding the way that time travel is treated in the film, in the sense that not enough thought or originality is put into it’s portrayal or repercussions. I think it is a little ridiculous to expect hard science in this sort of action movie, but there are certainly some moments in the story that require some significant suspension of disbelief.

“Timecop” is arguably a showcase of Jean-Claude Van Damme at his peak physique, and that is something the film definitely uses. He is absolutely a believable action hero, and the somewhat infamous shots of his splits certainly aren’t done with special effects.

Speaking of which, the special effects that are used in the film have not particularly aged well, especially when compared to other early 1990s movies. I have seen a number of complaints about this from more recent reviews, but I am sure that in the context of the time they were at least passable. “Timecop” is essentially a step above a b-movie, but not quite an A-list feature, and it definitely looks like it.

Overall, “Timecop” certainly isn’t an elite sci-fi or action movie, and isn’t anywhere near my go to “-cop” movies (“Robocop,” “Maniac Cop,” “Samurai Cop”…). There are better action movies and better sci-fi movies, but “Timecop” finds a perfectly OK middle ground. It isn’t incredibly memorable, but I don’t think most would regret watching it.

“Timecop” certainly has some fun moments, and if you are a fan of JCVD, this is almost sure to be up your alley. I definitely recommend checking out the We Hate Movies podcast episode on the movie to get a more thorough idea of what you are in for. It treads the line between being a bad movie and just being a generic action flick, but either way you can find some enjoyment here.

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Bargain Bin(ge) Las Vegas: Zia Record Exchange – Eastern

April 19, 2015 Gordon Maples Leave a comment

Welcome to the newest installment of the Bargain Bin(ge), where I cover used DVD stores from around the country and the various movies I have plundered from them.

Earlier this week, work took me out to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. With the limited free time I had, I decided to check out some used media stores in search of DVDs.

I wound up visiting two locations of Zia Record Exchange, a chain of used media stores in the Southwestern states of Arizona and Nevada. This particular segment covers the Eastern Avenue location in Las Vegas, a little ways off the beaten path.

As with the Sahara Ave. location, the Zia on Eastern is very much defined by its ambiance. I will say that it isn’t quite as distinctive as the Sahara location, and that it is a little better spaced out (I think the floorplan may be a bit bigger). This location proved to have an equally impressive movie selection, and plenty of good deals to go around.

As you might expect, I came away with a pretty good haul after spending some time scouring through the bargain bins and shelves. Here’s are the flicks I came home with:

Destroy All Planets / Attack of The Monsters

I am a total sucker for old kaiju movies, and these are two of the most ridiculous entries into the infamous “Gamera” franchise. I marathoned all of the classic ones a while back, and I thoroughly recommend checking out the MST3k treatment for “Attack of the Monsters” (“Gamera vs Guiron”).

The Beast of Yucca Flats

Here’s a flick I covered as part of the IMDb Bottom 100: “The Beast of Yucca Flats.” It is usually in high consideration for being one of the worst films ever made, and the director, Coleman Francis, is easily one of the most notoriously awful filmmakers in history. Tor Johnson of “Plan 9 From Outer Space” stars in it, making it a sort of perfect storm of awfulness. I recommend checking out the MST3k treatment if you want to watch it, or else it is not a pleasant experience.

Gamera: Return of the Giant Monsters / The Magic Serpent

“Gamera: Return of the Giant Monsters” is better known as “Gamera vs Gyaos,” and is one of the classics in the “Gamera” franchise. “The Magic Serpent,” on the other hand, seems to be a more obscure kaiju creature feature that leans more towards being a fantasy ninja epic. I’m curious to see how it is, because the few reviews out there about it seem positive.

It’s Alive

“It’s Alive” is a cult classic from Larry Cohen, and a movie that I have had a lot of trouble finding on DVD. I’m a pretty big fan of the Cohen stuff I have seen, so this one has been on the top of my “to watch” list for a while now. Also, it is about a ridiculous killer baby. I am totally down with that. It got a remake a few years ago that I have also been meaning to check out. Keep your eyes peeled, because this one is for sure going to be popping up on the blog soon.

Active Stealth

“Active Stealth” is a movie that stars Daniel Baldwin of “Car 54, Where Are You?,” “King of the Ants,” and “Vampires.” I think of him as a modern version of Joe Estevez, in that he is related to a famous person that he kind of looks like, and uses the similarities to rack up endless b-movie acting gigs. As for “Active Stealth,” director Fred Olen Ray has over 130 directing credits on b-movies like “Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers” and “Super Ninja Bikini Babes,” so I have to assume that this is a quality action flick.

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Bloody Birthday

April 18, 2015 Gordon Maples 1 Comment

Bloody Birthday

Today marks my 26th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, I decided to surround myself with close friends and family, and take a little break from the world of awful movies. Just kidding! I watched a shitty movie with a birthday theme.

1981’s “Bloody Birthday” was co-written and directed by Ed Hunt, whose credits include a documentary called “UFO’s Are Real” and an episode of “Greatest Heroes of The Bible.” Sounds like just the sort of person I try to avoid in my daily life. The other co-writer on “Bloody Birthday” is one Barry Pearson, who primarily producers television programs that I assume no one has ever seen.

The music for “Bloody Birthday” was done by Arlon Ober, who provided scores for such horror films as “Incredible Melting Man,” “Q,” “Child’s Play,” and “House.”

The cinematographer on “Bloody Birthday” was Stephen L. Posey, who might be best known for his work on the much-maligned “Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning.”

The special effects on “Bloody Birthday” were provided by Roger George, who worked on films like “Blacula,” “The Terminator,” “Saturday the 14th,” “Chopping Mall,” “Ghoulies,” and “Repo Man.”

The cast of “Bloody Birthday” includes Lori Lethin (“The Day After”), Susan Strasberg (“Scream of Fear,” “Picnic”), Billy Jayne (“Cujo”), Julie Brown (“Plump Fiction,” “Earth Girls Are Easy”), Jose Ferrer (“Dune”), and Michael Dudikoff (“American Ninja”) in a background role, the same year as “Enter The Ninja.”

The story of “Bloody Birthday” centers around three children who were born on the same day, and are apparently ravenous killers due to the astrological situation at the time of their birth. Around their 11th birthdays, they decided to go on a spree, picking off parents, teachers, and local teenagers. One of their classmates and a babysitter start to catch on, but the town refuses to believe that children are behind the string of horrific murders.

“Bloody Birthday” went by a number of alternate titles in foreign markets, including “Killers of the Eclipse” and “Children of the Devil,” which are both easily more appropriate names for the film. I assume “Bloody Birthday” was chosen because of the trend of naming horror movies after assorted holidays, despite how tangential the birthday actually is to the story.

“Bloody Birthday” currently has a 5.7 score on IMDb, as well as a 38% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it does have a little bit of a cult following among horror aficionados, but it is still a bit of an obscure film. I couldn’t dig up any financial information on the film, but I assume that the budget was plenty low and that it didn’t receive any kind of wide release, given that the production company behind it has no other credits.

There are certainly plenty of things to criticize about “Bloody Birthday.” First off, the trio of evil children aren’t exactly stealthy killers, but the small town is apparently incapable of hearing gunshots ring out in the night. They also kill in broad daylight on a couple of occasions, giving little mind to the fear of witnesses.

Speaking of which, how strong are these children supposed to be? It could be argued that they are cursed by their astrological destiny, but that doesn’t really excuse their ability to beat a grown man to death. I happen to know that there are plenty of scientifically accurate studies out there about how many 5th graders grown adults can take in hand to hand combat, and this film doesn’t seem to fit with those findings.

I don’t think I need to go into the problems with the astrology-based mythos behind this movie’s plot. Basically, the alignments of planets do not affect people’s personalities. Also, why aren’t there thousands of maniacal children in this movie? Surely there were more than three kids born on the astrologically significant day in question?

To the credit of the child actors in “Bloody Birthday” the killer kids are genuinely creepy in this movie. I usually dread any movies that rely on children in key roles, but this trio is absolutely passable here. The rest of the acting in the film is your typically b-movie mixed bag, but it is all serviceable enough in my opinion.

Overall, “Bloody Birthday” isn’t a great horror movie. It has a few creative deaths that are worth watching, and the evil children keep it interesting, but this is more of a copycat of other horror movies than anything unique to itself. There also isn’t a very satisfying conclusion, which brings it down a peg.

As far as a recommendation goes, you could certainly do a lot worse. The movie is paced well enough, and never quite felt boring. If you want to watch an obscure horror movie or are itching to watch children murder people, “Bloody Birthday” will satisfy you.

Destroy All Planets / Attack of The Monsters

Gamera: Return of the Giant Monsters / The Magic Serpent

Reviews/Trivia of B-Movies, Bad Movies, and Cult Movies.