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He's dangerous sir. // Yeah, so are his movies... bring him in. So... American action hero Kurt
Russell... The Thing, Tango & Cash, Backdraft, Tombstone, Stargate, Breakdown, Poseidon,
Death Proof... some fine films. It's just too bad we're not gonna discuss any of them
tonight! // Who are you? // The reviewer. // Why are we talking? // I have a deal for
you. A full pardon for all your crimes against cinema... all you have to do is watch and
critique three of your own films in the next 24 hours. // 24 hours, huh? // I'm making
you an offer. // ***. // You won't get another opportunity like this. // I'll think
about it. // You're not getting it... this is your last chance, Kurt... because this
is Movie Night!
Hello and welcome to Movie Night, proudly defeating YouTube's Content ID system for
over four years. I'm your host, Jonathan Paula. "Action Movie Month" continues into week four
tonight, as we review a trio of Kurt Russell films, beginning with one of his earlier hits,
"Escape From New York".
This science fiction action film from imaginative director John Carpenter was released in July
of 1981, and grossed over four times its small $6 million dollar budget. In the distant future
of 1997, the entire island of Manhattan is a giant super-max prison, and a convicted
bank robber and ex-special forces operative is sent in to rescue the President of the
United States. Playing the famous war veteran everyone thought was dead is Kurt Russell,
who does a great job portraying the gruff and heartless wounded anti-hero. The iconic,
eye-patch wearing protagonist eventually became the inspiration for the "Solid Snake" character
in the hugely popular "Metal Gear Solid" franchise, and is easily the most entertaining part of
this 99-minute feature, especially when he answers the Commissioner's question of "what
are you doing?" with a sarcastic, "Playing with myself!" One fun, but entirety unrealistic
sequence has Russell fighting to the death in an underground battle against a giant brute
twice his size. Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Donald Pleasence, Issac
Hayes, and Harry Dean Stanton make up the large supporting cast - some of whom do a
better job than the others blending in with their dangerous surroundings. The consequences
and stakes are clearly spelled out early, with frequent cut-aways to a ticking digital
clock reminding us how much time Russell has left. Despite this urgency, the movie drags
along at a snail's pace... with a very quiet and almost incomplete-sounding audio mix - paired
with Carpenter's heavily synthesized self-composed score, which is often grating, and even irritating.
The
movie does boost some inventive special effects though, like a rendering of New York from
above, accomplished by painting a scale model of the city entirely black, with neon trim
- giving the illusion of a 3D computer animation. The production design is quite tremendous,
vividly portraying a hellish and futuristic landscape, including Los Angeles's Sepulveda
Dam sitting in for the prison's massive control center. A dark a shadowy universe filmed with
a wide, anamorphic frame, Carpenter's slower, static approach to cinematography is a welcome
one: and a far cry from the shaky mess most action films today look like. That said, this
is the sort of unique premise, hampered by the limitations and style of its era, that
could likely benefit from a 21-century remake. Fortunately, the equally ridiculous 1997 sequel
is a strong improvement in several of the categories this R-rated film comes up short.
Mindless cinema with no real purpose, this is still a mildly amusing picture worth checking
out at least once. "Escape From New York", "Patently absurd. Weird, but watchable." Now
that you've heard my review, let's read some of yours from the YouTube comments.
Our scores for "Escape From New York"... an EIGHT and a FIVE. You applauded the fresh
style, action, and of course, Russell's performance, giving this a GREAT. From a technical standpoint,
this film seems a bit half-baked, and despite its unique characters and premise, I just
wasn't really all that entertained... I think it's ALRIGHT. Which, I feel needs reiterating,
is a *positive* score under my system. For tonight's poll question: what is your favorite
Kurt Russell movie? Leave your response as a comment below. Our second review is for
"Big Trouble In Little China".
Released on Fourth Of July weekend in 1986, this martial arts action fantasy film was
a commercial disappointment, earning back only half of its $20-million dollar budget.
Directed by the inconsistently successful, but nonetheless influential John Carpenter
- this is a unique and ambitious bit of filmmaking. Originally envisioned as a western, the story
follows an American trucker who gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical and magical
battle in the underworld of San Francisco's China Town, in search of a kidnapped girl,
and of course, his semi truck. In the lead role, Russell is perfectly charming, but given
the circumstances of his surroundings, his incredulity is often too subtle for the over-the-top
script, even remarking, "I'm a reasonable guy. But, I've just experienced some very
unreasonable things." As a result, there's no one to really relate to in this picture,
no one for the audience to truly sympathize with or even understand. The 99 minute story
starts off normal enough... but when three Asian dudes wearing lampshades fly down on
lightning bolts and start murdering people, things take a turn for the completely bizarre.
Indeed, this now cult-classic plays out almost like a live action cartoon, and remains difficult
to take seriously. The R-rated narrative also moves faster than its own exposition, which
is delivered in nearly every other line of dialogue... leaving the audience left to figure
out what's going on after it happened. One 60-second sequence has our heroes escaping
a mysterious flooding elevator, only to find themselves in a room of dead bodies where
one of the lampshade guys is beating up Russell with his magic, all before the impossibly
old wheelchair bound villain lectures him on the truth. To say this movie is strange
and unpredictable would be an understatement. A young and beautiful Kim Catrall is feisty
and fun to watch... but there's nothing behind her performance, she just rattles off ridiculous
plot points without any emotional connection to them. The rest of the lesser known, but
still talented cast includes character actors like Dennis Dun, James Hong, and Victor Wong.
As with all his films, Carpenter provides the score himself, a sort of ominous drone
that pulses throughout the quickly paced picture. The wide anamorphic shots are filmed with
vibrant colors, dark shadows, and plenty of cool VFX work - all aided by wonderfully ostentatious
costumes and art design. Although this is a well-made adventure with lots of neat ideas
and concepts... it just isn't for me. The stranger things got, the less I understood,
or cared about the story. I certainly can understand its tongue-in-cheek appeal with
others though - but seeing it twice was enough for me. "Big Trouble In Little China", "So
completely weird, it's unappealing." Now, here are your thoughts from the YouTube comments.
Well, I was definitely out-voted on this one, a NINE and a FOUR for "Big Trouble In Little
China"... you praised this film's inventiveness, and cite it as an 80's classic, scoring it
an AWESOME. While the movie delivers on its name, there's really no way else to say it,
I just don't really get this movie... I'm scoring it a MEH. A reminder now to check
out the Movie Night archive channel for my trailer commentaries, and an organized library
of all 370 movies we've reviewed. Finally tonight, let's discuss "Executive Decision".
This Stuart Baird action film doubled its $60 million dollar budget following its March,
1996 release. The long-time film editor who has cut everything from Superman, James Bond,
Star Trek, Lethal Weapon, and Zorro, does a wonderful job with his directorial debut
- keeping everything tense and exciting without ever becoming confusing. The R-rated story
follows Kurt Russell as an intelligence analyst who tags along with some army commandos during
a midair boarding operation to thwart an airplane hijacking in progress. Inherently, it's yet
another movie involving an airplane in distress... I swear we've seen a variation on this disaster
theme one hundred times already, but the implementation here is unique enough to keep you entertained.
In fact, the doomed airline here bears the "Oceanic" insignia, which we'd see crashing
landing again eight years later in the TV series "Lost". Russell is confident and charismatic
in the lead, able to quip jokes and flirt with the gorgeous flight attendant Halle Berry
while keeping his cool under duress. The expansive and well-utilized supporting cast includes
Steven Seagal, John Leguizamo, David Suchet, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, and a few other
familiar faces. In a daring move, one of them is even killed off early in the film, in a
surprising, but effective first-act twist. Another hair-raising sequence sees an incapacitated
Morton attempting to talk Platt through diffusing a bomb using only household products and a
mirror, reminding his friend, "If you screw up, you'll never know it." Although it perpetually
flirts with the unbelievable, the 133-minute film remains realistic enough to allow some
suspension of disbelief. The high-stakes plot bounces between parallel narratives with well-framed
shots and visual effects, especially considering the claustrophobic environment. Jerry Goldsmith's
original and patriotic music is an excellent backdrop for a film that unfortunately wallows
a bit in the second act... but comes roaring back with a thrilling climax. Watching Russell
think out-loud to himself as he attempts to fly the jumbo jet, almost by trial and error,
is a particularly awesome scene. A well executed script of familiar ideas, that's greater than
the sum of its parts, this is a very re-watchable adventure with plenty of memorable moments.
"Executive Decision" is an "Old fashioned aviation nail-bitter". Here are some of your
now in the YouTube comments.
A SEVEN and an EIGHT for "Executive Decision". While you admitted its issues, you were also
thoroughly entertained by this, and scored it a COOL. What can I say? As repetitive as
they are, I'm a sucker for airplane-based thrillers... I thought this picture was GREAT.
Finally tonight, let's see what you're saying about films currently playing in theaters
with some Tweet Critiques.
If you see a new movie in theaters, Tweet your review with the #JPMN hashtag. Action
Movie Month presses on next week with the grand daddy of them all, Arnold Schwarzenegger
- as we'll review five of his movies from four decades, "Commando", "Predator", "Kindergarten
Cop", "The 6th Day", and his brand newest, "Sabotage". Once you've seen these films,
share your opinions by voting in the polls below, or by leaving a comment review. If
you'd like to watch more Movie Night reviews, check out the "related videos" on the right,
or click SUBSCRIBE to be notified of all new content. Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter,
Facebook, or Google+ for updates between episodes - or if you just want to see what I'm up to
at Playlist Live this weekend. Once again, my name is Jonathan Paula, thank you for watching
and listening. Until next time, have a good Movie Night!