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chotzinger
Reviews
The Great Race (1965)
the best of the best
Many other comments here on the excellence of this movie, so I'll just add my 2 cents worth. No one has mentioned the greatest oneliner ever filmed. On the iceberg Pro. Fate tells Leslie that they are sinking. Leslie tells Fate to be quiet, there is no point alarming the others trapped with them. Fate mutters "Oh I'll keep it to myself alright. Until the water reaches my lower lip and then I'm gonna mention it to SOMEbody." Trivia. Natalie wanted nothing to do with Tony Curtis and insisted that her new husband Robert Wagner be given the part of the Great Leslie. The producers insisted they had to have a big name. Curtis and Lemmon had teamed up before and Curtis got the part. Wood was furious. The weather halted filming in Salzburg raining day after day while the film went spectacularly over budget. The producers fired Edwards twice and once had him arrested for trespassing when he returned to the set. Eventually, they realized that he would have to finish the movie. There was no traditional cast party after the filming was done. Supposedly when the topic was brought up, Edwards said. "What shall we do for entertainment? Watch Tony kill Natalie, or watch Natalie kill Tony?" The movie bombed at the box office. It was very long and audiences couldn't sit through 2:43 minutes despite an intermission. Terrible cut versions showed on TV before the days of VCRs. They used to start with the start of the race, skipping all the prior rivalry between Fate and Leslie, squeeze in 40-50 commercials and still finish the entire movie in 1:30 minutes. People today can't make it through a 30 minute episode of The Simsons so I'm not surprised that they think it is too long. There were probably 250 other memorable classic lines. Anyone in my extended family would instantly recognize the reference to them, including my nephew, Max. Fate: I'd like to see the Great Leslie try THAT on for size Max: Hey, Professor! Fate: Max... We're Car #5. Leslie: I have... champagne. M. Dubois: And another thing! (kicks wildly) Hezakiah: All right Lady, let's go Fate; Kids, kids, Stupid Kids. Fate: But I don't want to BE the guest of honor Fate: Push the button, Max Texas Jack: Now give me some fightin' room Fate: Lily's his girl Lily: But Jack honey, he's the guest of honor. Max: But there's a Polar bear in our car. The Baron Von Shtupp: I have a boat waiting Max & the Prof. We won! I WON! We won! I WON!
Police Academy (1984)
very bad taste can be very funny
Some of the funniest scenes on film. When Guttenberg says to Gaynes, "You mean I'm trapped here?" and the hapless Gaynes replies, "Yes... We all are." I nearly died laughing. Twenty years later the line is still hilarious! In the one dimensional world of Police Academy, they really are all victims, trapped in their one dimensional roles. Of course Blanks and Copeland walking into the Blue Oyster bar deserves immortality. The joke was so good they put it in the 2nd or 3rd movie again. It was worth it just for the great tango music. Cadet Hooks (Marion Ramsey) singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" during the driving test was great. Tackleberry is stereotyped as every guy I served in the Army with, (that I didn't particularly like), yet manages to be very very funny. Hightower (Bubba Smith) was excellent as the child trapped in a football players body. Many of the other gags are forgettable slapstick and the makers added enough gratuitous breast shots of naked girls and bad language to appeal to teenage boys. I think only the first 2 PA's are worth watching. The second one is an excellent vehicle for Bobcat Goldthwaite and Tim Kasurinsky. Oh, watch for a very young Ed O'Neill (not credited) handing out uniforms on the first day at the Academy. Cheers
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Noir Film Excellene
The rights for the screenplay of this movie were actually purchased in 1934. Because film censorship was running so strong, they didn't think they would be able to get the movie made as it should be and sat on it for over ten years. After Double Indemnity (by the same author) was made and became a huge hit, they went ahead with Postman. Frank hitchhikes onto the scene and meets Cora. Cora quickly falls for Frank and decides to run away with him. But she doesn't have to walk too far to realize that she doesn't want to start over with Frank, "Like a couple of tramps." Cora talks Frank into killing Nick and things go downhill from there. It's the old "Most accidents occur in the home" trick and they plot out every foreseeable circumstance except the obvious one... "This is a movie."