Jaws

The ocean is a big old place. Anything could be lurking in that water, right? It's a criminally simplistic fear, that of the unknown and the ocean is a perfect example. In a film that was the first real example of a summer blockbuster, 1975's Jaws is the rare perfect movie. Scared of the water? I am, and I won't be going anywhere near the water after watching this one.

Amity Island is a quiet, little resort town off the coast of New England, a town readying itself for huge crowds of tourists and vacationers on the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. The new police chief, Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), has a problem though as the bloody remains of a teenage girl wash up on shore. The culprit seems obvious; a shark, but no one else is willing to back the Chief up. He gets help -- and a confirmation on the shark -- from marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) who recommends the beaches be closed with the immense, hunting shark in the waters. More attacks come fast and furious though, leaving Amity no choice but to pay for an experienced, grizzled shark hunter, Quint (Robert Shaw) to kill the great white shark once and for all. But as the trio heads to open waters, even they can't imagine what awaits in their hunt.

From a director who would go on to create a halfway decent name for himself, Steven Spielberg, 'Jaws' seemed doomed almost from the start. Based off a novel by Peter Benchley (the rare film better than the book here), the production went overbudget, over schedule and over everything as issues with a mechanical shark delayed shooting. A $4 million budget turned into $9 million. The end result? A classic film that audiences loved, the final product making $470,000,000 million in box office. It spawned three sequels -- none of them even remotely as good -- and changed the way films were made and the type of films Hollywood looked to make, market, and release for audiences. Not a bad formula for success, huh? Not at all.

On a very basic level, 'Jaws' is a horror movie. What is scarier than a creature that seemingly can't be stopped? The dark, gloomy, shadowy water can hide anything, and in this case it is an immensely terrifying 25-foot great white shark. As Hooper explains, all this oceanic creature does is swim and eat, eat and swim, nothing else. Maybe the best thing that could happen to Spielberg's famous film is the mechanical issues he had in shooting the shark. Because there were such issues, Spielberg tried to minimize the shark's actual on-screen time. We don't even get a really clear look/view of the shark until 80 minutes into a 124-minute movie (and it's a doozy of an appearance, watch the iconic scene HERE). It's all about the dread and impending doom. We know the attacks are coming, but that doesn't take away from that sense of doom hanging over every scene. It becomes almost unbearable at times, but more on that later.

I'll get to the actors and more focus on the story, but an additional star here is composer John Williams and his score, maybe the most instantly recognizable score EVER. Who doesn't know the dun-dun-dun-dun-DUNNA-DUNNA! theme that's paired with all of the shark's attacks? What separates a really good score from a great score is that ability to bring you into a movie. Williams' score succeeds on that level in epic fashion. You hear that theme, and for me, I get goosebumps right up my back (and I've seen this movie a ton of times!). It is moving and epic, unsettling and adventurous, a score that runs the gamut over the course of the entire flick.

From the opening scene -- skinny-dipping teenager eaten in pre-dawn darkness -- through the attacks and up to the finale, there's not really a weak point. Are there some parts that are better than others? Yes, most definitely. As good as the first hour is, the second hour is by far the best thing going here as Brody, Hooper and Quint board Quint's beat-up, shark-hunting ship, the Orca, and head out on the hunt. The next hour produces some of the most exciting chases and action scenes ever; just three men on a small boat doing battle with a shark of epic proportions. On a more personal level, the chemistry among Scheider, Dreyfuss and Shaw is phenomenal. It is perfect and simple and natural, three very different individuals forced to work together to accomplish a pretty suicidal mission. The movie is at home most on the high seas, Spielberg filming the entire shark hunt on the ocean. It sounds simple to do so, but it doesn't feel like a studio. It looks and feels like....the OCEAN!

When you think 'blockbuster,' you don't normally go to hugely impressive acting. Working with a scene-stealing shark, the cast here is spot-on and without the benefit of huge A-list stars, just hugely talented, reliable actors. I love Scheider as Brody, land-loving, water-hating Chief who wants to do right by the people nothing else. Dreyfuss as the highly intelligent Hooper is a perfect mix between inexperienced Brody and highly experienced Quint. Shaw of course is the biggest scene-stealer of them all, his grizzled veteran of the sea who's seen it all and done it all. Shaw's monologue explaining his involvement with the USS Indianapolis is a scene to behold as well (watch it HERE). Talk about a captivating, eye-popping scene, it's unreal and unsettling to watch. Kudos Mr. Shaw. Also look for Murray Hamilton as Amity Island's greedy mayor and Lorraine Gray as Ellen, Brody's wife.

It's easy to look past it when we're talking about the shark, the characters, the music and such that Spielberg at a young age is already showing a knack for the director's chair. If it gets lost in the shuffle, it's a shame, but this is an interesting visual movie to watch as Spielberg keeps us on our toes with his camera. Calm, cool long shots with little editing. Close-ups of Quint's eye, of the equipment clicking as the shark goes for the bait, the little things. The moral of the review is simple, I love this movie. It's got it all and features several of the greatest one-liners ever (my personal favorite being the subtle, perfectly delivered 'We're going to need a bigger boat.') It is a classic that deserves any and all of the accolades its received over the years. Look for reviews in the coming weeks of the sequels too.

Jaws (1975): ****/****

Stakeout

The 1980s were a lot of things, but as far as sub-genres in movies, I can't think of a bigger one from the decade than the buddy cop movie. We've got Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, Running Scared and probably plenty more I'm missing. Well, we can add one more to that list, 1987's Stakeout.

Deeply into a long-running investigation, Seattle detectives Chris Lecce (Richard Dreyfuss) and Bill Reimer (Emilio Estevez) are reassigned to a case assigned by the F.B.I. A convicted killer of a federal agent, Stick Montgomery (Aidan Quinn) has escaped from prison, but there are few clues as to where he would head. Their solution is simple; set up stakeouts anywhere they think Montgomery might show up at. Chris and Bill -- along with another detective duo -- draw some of that stakeout duty, setting up an apartment observation post across the street from Stick's ex-girlfriend, Maria (Madeleine Stowe). The detectives brace for hours and days of mind-numbing duty...until they actually set eyes on Maria. That is trouble on one level, but what about when a lovelorn Chris falls madly in love with the woman they're observing. Uh-oh, here we go.

Like a good, old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich, there is something comforting about a buddy cop movie done correctly. From director John Badham, 'Stakeout' in its best moments follows that precise if familiar formula. That formula isn't exclusive to the cop angle, but it doesn't hurt either (think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). Put two like-minded men together, opposites or as similar individuals, who have worked together for an extended time, and let the hijinks begin! The partner relationship, like two close brothers, feels natural and real. The duo are friends -- maybe even best friends -- but they're always busting each other's chops, always ready to knock them down a peg, but when it comes down to it, they're always going to be there for each other.

'Stakeout' isn't a perfect movie, and as far as buddy cop flicks go, it's average, paling in comparison to the other ones listed above. When it does work though, it works because of that dynamic between Dreyfuss and Estevez. I was somewhat surprised by the casting, but it works. They play ridiculously well off each other, reflecting a partnership that goes back quite a few years. So go figure, the familiar cop partnership is the best part of this movie. I loved the bitching back and forth on stakeout, the bickering in the precinct, the jabbing back and forth at...every...given...moment. It works, simple as that. I won't go as far as saying it's the "science of stakeout," but it is fun to see the actual stakeout develop. The on-going rivalry between Chris and Bill and rival detective duo Dan Lauria and Forest Whitaker provides some very funny moments as the two pairs switch shifts, an escalating prank war going back and forth between the two. It's good stuff.

So it didn't take a nuclear physicist to figure out what the story was here. Two cops on stakeout, one falls in love with the woman they're observing. I can say I was surprised by how this developed. For one, I didn't think -- SPOILER WARNING STOP READING SPOILER -- that it would be Dreyfuss's Chris falling for Stowe's Maria instead of Estevez's Bill. Two, I didn't think it would work, but Dreyfuss and Stowe have a surprisingly strong chemistry. It's not their fault, just how their storyline develops. In a case of mistaken identity that Bill does nothing to correct, even promoting it, Maria starting to develop feelings right back at him. It gets to be a little much, disappointing because for the most part I enjoyed this one.

As the story focuses more on the surprising crush/love develops, Estevez gets left in the background unfortunately, but he makes the most of his screentime, especially with the escalating prank war. Stowe is quite the looker and holds her own in an otherwise all-male cast. Quinn too makes the most of his sinister appearance as Stick, drifting in and out of the story with his accomplice and cousin (Ian Tracey). In the final act, things get back to basics with the buddy cop angle as Quinn's Stick arrives on the scene in Seattle. The showdown in the end has all sorts of crazy shenanigans and mistaken identity, and oh yeah, wood chippers, shootouts and lots of random punching and fighting. It's a good movie, just not a great one. Give me a couple months and maybe I'll check out the rather unnecessary sounding sequel, 1993's Another Stakeout. No promises though so don't hold your breath.

Stakeout (1987): ** 1/2 /****

Red

What do action stars do when they're past their prime?  I'm not talking about actors who happen to be in some action movies either.  We're talking rough and ready action stars always willing to mix things up if needed.  Do you age gracefully and take some supporting roles in movies you used to star in?  Do you find another gig out of the action genre?  Bruce Willis is an interesting example of this situation, the 56-year old star not the box office sure thing he used to be, but still a reliable enough star that audiences will come out to see. In 2010's Red, his character is even a variation on that idea, a man slightly past his best days (no offense, Mr. Willis, I'm a big fan) who refuses to move on. 

The first time I saw the trailer for Red, I smiled.  I couldn't help it.  This is some cast for this action-heavy popcorn flick with a dose of comedic value added for good measure.  It reminds me of a lot of movies from the 1960s and 1970s that brought together casts of huge stars that maybe just didn't shine as bright as they used to.  I don't mean any of that as a dig at this cast -- just the opposite -- but it's almost like The Expendables plus 15 or 20 years.  Loosely based on a series of three graphic novels, this movie is just a lot of fun.  Seeing half the cast together would have been worth it, but all together? We're talking can't miss, no matter how much the movie might have struggled in theaters.

A recently retired CIA agent, Frank Moses (Willis) lives in his suburban house outside Cleveland, leading a quiet, orderly, lonely and generally boring life. The one enjoyment he gets out of life is his weekly calls to his pension agent/representative, Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker), with whom he clicked with right away. One night though, Frank's house is attacked by a hit squad, but he manages to escape, heading to Kansas City to find Sarah because she'll eventually be tracked down too.  Of all the dangerous jobs he pulled off, why years later is someone gunning for him and all his associates? With some help from those past associates, including crazy conspiracy theorist Marvin (John Malkovich), aging ex-agent Joe (Morgan Freeman), and killer extraordinaire Victoria (Helen Mirren), Frank goes about figuring it out. One of the CIA's top agents, Cooper (Karl Urban) is on the hunt too, trying to figure out exactly what the legendary Moses is up to.

When I see that a movie is based off a graphic novel, I'm usually pretty skeptical.  For every 300, there are a lot of really awful movies to counter with that just didn't translate well to the screen.  This is one of the exceptions.  It's good, mostly because of the cast, but more on that later.  While I liked The Expendables which I watched a few weeks back, it could have been better.  It took itself too seriously.  Not the case here because director Robert Schwentke knows how far to push it and still have fun with it. The tone is both serious while still maintaining a bit of the crazy, off the wall humor that works so well.  It's not quite tongue in cheek, but Red is close without trying too hard to be the end-all classic action comedy.

Okay, I don't care who you are, but if a cast that includes Willis, Mirren, Freeman, Malkovich, Parker and others (keep reading, next paragraph) doesn't get you interested, I don't know what to tell you.  Movies just may not be for you.  Willis plays the steely-eyed former agent to perfection, a variation on many of the action heroes he played over the last 20-plus years.  The sub-plot with Parker is pretty good too, not distracting from the main story but interesting enough it doesn't detract overall. Mirren is dead sexy as Victoria, plain and simple.  She doesn't make an appearance until almost an hour in, but she makes up for lost time. Freeman too isn't in it much, but it's Morgan Freeman.  Come on, that's not a bad thing. Malkovich is hysterical, and the main reason to see Red.  His paranoid agent was dosed LSD once a day for 11 years, and he's clearly a little off his rocker.  Physical comedy, subtle facial reactions, throwaway one-liners, he does it all, his Marvin Boggs the breakout star here.

With an ensemble like that, it's hard to go wrong, but three more supporting parts jumped out at me.  They're the type of parts that could have been thrown away, but with the right actor in the parts, they bring the movie up a notch on their own.  First, Brian Cox as Ivan, a Russian adversary turned ally in Moses' battle against the CIA. He has a past with Mirren's Victoria, but he's that relic from the Cold War who misses the old days.  His one-on-one scene with Willis discussing those days is priceless.  Second, Richard Dreyfuss as Dunning, a black market arms dealer who is involved with the past mission that now has Moses in the CIA's crosshairs.  I've always been a fan, but it's great to see Dreyfuss in full-on, evil bad guy role.  Third, Hollywood legend Ernest Borgnine (still chugging along at 90-plus) as Henry, the CIA's basement records keeper.  In just two quick scenes, he shows what makes him the legend he is.

Why did this movie struggle so badly in theaters late last summer and early fall?  I can't put my finger on it.  It's nothing new when it comes to movies, but how many new movies are particularly unique? I didn't love the movie, but I did really like it.  There are some genuinely funny, laugh out loud moments, including one of my new all-time favorite lines.  Malkovich deadpans after an epic shootout, "How about we get some pancakes?" It's a really good movie that could have been great.  Still, with a cast like this, it's impossible to pass it up.

Red <---trailer (2010): ***/****

American Graffiti

Before he was ever involved with the Star Wars franchise, director/producer/writer extraordinaire George Lucas made a movie that has impacted a completely different genre, one you probably wouldn't associate with his mega-successful sci-fi movies.  The genre? The teen comedy.  The movie is 1973's American Graffiti and it set out the groundwork for countless teen movies to come from John Hughes 1980s movies to the American Pie series more recently and everything in between.

It's a story Lucas based off of growing up as a teenager in California in the 1950s.  Looking at the cast and even the main credits may throw you for a loop, making you think you're watching Happy Days: The Movie.  Some of the storylines and characters will almost certainly seem cliched for younger audiences, but there's a funny thing about movie cliches.  They've got to start somewhere, right?  'Graffiti' was one of the first as it tells the story of four teenagers and their adventures and misadventures in one late summer night.  If a 1973 teen comedy doesn't sound appealing to you, I'd recommend 1998's Can't Hardly Wait which is basically a more modern remake of the same story.

The night before they're supposed to head east for their first semester of college, Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) meet up at the local burger joint early in the night. They've got big plans for their last night in town, but of course nothing goes smoothly.  Steve wants to spend the night with his girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams) but gets things started off on the right foot by saying he'd like to date other girls at college. Curt is wavering about a decision if he should even go to college, all the while looking for a mysterious blonde.  Two other friends, underclassmen Terry (Charles Martin Smith) goes cruising with Steve's car newly given to him, and John (Paul Le Mat), the town's designated cool kid is looking for challengers for a drag race while driving around a young girl (Mackenzie Phillips) who refuses to go home. No matter what happens, a lot of things could change before morning rolls around.

If you could bottle the late 1950s and early 1960s as a decade and sell it, American Graffiti could corner the market.  Lucas -- writing and directing -- creates a feeling and look of the 50s/60s like few others have been able to.  The soundtrack is full of classics from 'Rock Around the Clock' to 'Johnny B. Goode' and everything in between.  Add in famous disc jockey Wolfman Jack, and you've got a winner. Everything from the souped-up cars to the lingo to the jeans and t-shirt look (cigarettes folded in the sleeve of course) feels authentic like you're there with the characters cruising through town on a warm late summer night.

The story is divided fairly equally among the four main characters, Steve, Curt, Terry and John, but thankfully Lucas decides to spend just a little more time with Terry and John -- by far the more interesting of the four characters.  Terry is an underclassmen who meets Debbie (Candy Clark) and ends up feeding her every line in the book to try and convince her how cool he is.  Naturally, nothing goes smoothly.  John Milner is a couple years older than the others and though he's still the coolest guy around -- think of the Fonz -- he's beginning to wonder if his time has passed.  The dynamic Le Mat and Phillips together is perfect and blends humor with drama flawlessly.

None of that is meant to say the other characters aren't interesting.  The problem is it's clear from the start Steve and Laurie are going to end up together even with all the bickering they do.  Howard and Williams -- a year before they'd work together on Happy Days -- do have some great chemistry, but their story is dull compared to the others.  Dreyfuss' story is the weirdest as he starts off questioning what he should do with his life and ends up with the Pharaohs, a local gang of toughs (led by Bo Hopkins).  This movie also starts a tradition where late 20-year olds play teenagers 10-15 years younger than they actually are.  Also look for a scene-stealing Harrison Ford as Bob Falfa, an out of town drag racer, and Suzanne Somers as a mysterious blonde who puts a hex on Curt. 

Now where it seems every teen comedy is a mindless sex romp, it can be refreshing to see a story as good as this one.  A coming of age story can be just as interesting and entertaining -- although these characters are always looking for a little action even if it never ends well.  Reading through the cast, I found a sequel to this one which seems weird.  At the end, four weirdly out of place title cards explain what happened to the four main characters, two of them extremely depressing.  Apparently the sequel wanted to explain those explanations.  Stick with the original, it's about as good as a teen comedy can get.

American Graffiti <---trailer (1973): ***/****

Netflix review: Dillinger

So for those keeping track at home, 'very long wait' on the Netflix queue is about a month so not too bad. After seeing Public Enemies its opening week, I guess I wasn't the only one who wanted to see other movies about infamous bank robber John Dillinger so it took a little while for 1973's Dillinger to become available. And let me say this, it was well worth the wait.

The story focuses exclusively on Dillinger and his year-plus rampage through the Midwest with his gang. Nothing new here if you know the history, and for those who don't there's some helpful subtitles to guide you along with locations and dates. As Dillinger becomes Public Enemy No. 1 for the FBI, top agent Melvin Purvis leads the hunt to bring him in and if need be, kill him off. While director John Milius plays fast and easy with the historical facts at times, it's never enough to take away from the story.

'Dillinger' can't help but be compared with this summer's Public Enemies, but there are enough differences to set them apart. I'll start off with the obvious, the casting. Typically playing a supporting character, and usually knocking those roles out of the park, character actor Warren Oates gets a rare shot at the lead role. He plays Dillinger as a man who is fully aware of his reputation and tries to live up to it. Oates' Dillinger revels in the fame and popularity he's gained, refusing to escape to Mexico with $70,000 because 'what would his fans think?' But even with a bigger than life persona, Oates brings a humanity to the role much like Johnny Depp does. It's a great performance from Oates, and it is always nice to see a character actor get a shot at the spotlight. He handles both the dramatic scenes, like John's relationship with Billie Frechette (Michelle Phillips in her first starring role), and then the action/bank robbing scenes.

As his opposite, Ben Johnson plays FBI agent Melvin Purvis. Other than the obvious age differences, Johnson is 55 here and Purvis was 30-31 during the time frame, the casting works. This isn't the historically accurate Purvis with Johnson putting his own spin on the character. In real life, the FBI agent in charge of the Midwest struggled early on in the hunt for any number of high-profile crooks. Here it's the polar opposite, Johnson's Purvis is an experienced, veteran agent who knows how to get the job done, promising to smoke a cigar over the dead body of each of the crooks he's hunting down. And just for some odd movie connections, five years prior Oates and Johnson played brothers in Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch but find themselves here trying to kill each other.

One significant improvement in the 1973 movie is the attention given to the rest of the Dillinger gang. We learn about them, see their interactions among the group, and get to know them. And while Oates plays the lead well, his Dillinger doesn't have a huge amount of screentime with the supporting cast, including the gang, getting their fair share too. The list includes an impressive grouping of 70s character actors that should make any movie fan smile. Harry Dean Stanton and Geoffrey Lewis play Homer Van Meter and Harry Pierpont, two key members of the gang, with Steve Kanaly and Richard Dreyfuss giving support as Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson. All four actors bring a humanity to their parts, something easier said than done when considering these weren't exactly God-fearing folks. Even Cloris Leachman has a brief part as Anna Sage, the lady in red, who helped betray Dillinger.

With the caliber of actors that 'Dillinger' boasts, it makes everything else fall into place. When the gang does start to ultimately meet their ends, I was surprised by how moving the scenes were. You're hit with these crazy amounts of action with BARs and Thompson submachine guns going off and then these shocking scenes of death, often shot so quickly it can be hard to catch. It's Kanaly as Pretty Boy Floyd that stands out in his final scene, talking with an old couple on their farm about his sins.

It is those scenes where the movie shines. From the shootout at Little Bohemia until Dillinger's death, about the last 35-40 minutes of the movie are about as perfect as they could be. The Little Bohemia shootout (<----check it out there, SPOILERS obviously) is loud, chaotic and bloody and stands out as the best scenes in the movie. It's in the aftermath as the gang gets away that the members start to get picked off, leading up to Dillinger's death outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago. In directing a movie that most people know the story of at least somewhat, Milius really brings the year-long spree to life. The feel of the Depression-era in the mid 1930s is brought to life with period cars, clothing, music and weapons. There's an artsy quality to certain shots as Milius lets the camera linger on the aftermaths of certain shootings that could have been out of place but fit seamlessly into the story. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed 'Dillinger' especially Oates in the lead, the chaotic gunbattles, and the supporting cast. Just beware of the 'very long wait.'

Dillinger <----trailer (1973): *** 1/2 /****