John Vigiano was one of New York City's most decorated firefighters. He was proud when his namesake, John Jr., joined the fire department, and younger son Joseph became a member of the police emergency rescue unit. Then September 11, 2001 happened, and John Vigiano lost two of his sons in a span of minutes at the World Trade Center. "Twin Towers" is one of the thousands of stories from that day.
Producer Dick Wolf shot a reality show pilot centering around one of New York City's police emergency rescue units. The two dozen unit members are an extended family, and are called upon to do everything from S.W.A.T.-like arrests to water and air rescues. The men are close knit, but Joseph Vigiano stood out. He had been shot five times on two different occasions in the line of duty, a bulletproof vest saving his life each time. He is rather quiet in front of the cameras, talking enthusiastically about how much he loves his job. He also is sure to kiss his three young sons goodbye before he goes to work each day, just in case the unthinkable would happen.
On September 1st, 2001, Joseph's infant son was baptized. Ten days later, the unthinkable did happen. Joseph called his father on a cell phone, telling him he was headed to the World Trade Center. After the towers' collapse, another co-worker called the cell phone, and got a male voice. It was an EMT worker, who had no idea where the cell phone's owner was. It was confirmed that both Joseph, and his older brother, were killed in the collapse while trying to get people out. Fourteen officers from Joseph's unit alone died.
John Vigiano's pain is almost unbearable to watch. He talks about passing on what he learned about having a life-threatening career- no matter what the fight or how you feel, kiss your loved ones goodbye no matter what, in case something happens. His pride at raising two competing brothers who drove him crazy sometimes before becoming heroes on that day is uplifting.
"Twin Towers" is both a reference to the World Trade Center, and these two men who were lost. The filmmakers spend most of their time on Joseph, since his unit was the subject of the television pilot. The film is just thirty four minutes, and I would have liked to see more about Joseph and John Jr. The directors do incorporate news footage from that day, and it still puts a lump to my throat. The Vigiano boys died heroically. This film is small, tells its story, and leaves the viewer wanting more. Not only more about these men, but wanting to get that day back. Wanting to know something about all three thousand people who lost their lives that day. It takes a film like "Twin Towers" to remind us that politicians and their spin, petty family problems, and all the other little things that seem so big now are in fact meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
September 11, 2001 was just another day until the first plane hit. Doesn't today seem like "just another day," too? How about yesterday? Last week? We can prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and forgive the small differences- almost impossible advice in this day and age.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
The Sugarland Express (1974)
Steven Spielberg's first theatrical film shows some signs of things to come.
Lou Jean Poplin (Goldie Hawn) has recently been released from jail after serving eight months for larceny. Her husband, Clovis (William Atherton), has just four months left on his sentence, but there is a problem. Their toddler son has been taken by welfare and placed in a foster home. Lou Jean comes up with a scheme to break Clovis out of prison. The couple hitches a ride, but are pulled over by highway patrolman Slide (Michael Sacks). They panic, run, wreck, and kidnap the law officer and hijack his patrol car. Tough captain Tanner (Ben Johnson) begins negotiations with the pair, with about two dozen police cars on their trail. Lou Jean has pie-in-the-sky dreams of getting their child and living happily ever after, but Clovis and Slide know otherwise.
Spielberg uses southern Texas locations to the fullest extent. I'm familiar with the area where the film takes place, and the only problems I found were geographical- "Sugar Land" is actually two words, and not anywhere near a ten minute drive from the Mexican border. Vilmos Zigmond's cinematography is lovely without calling attention to itself, and John Williams' score is great, not a French horn in sight. This is a gritty film, different from the clean looks of some of his films.
While Goldie Hawn is the top billed star here, the film really feels like a team effort. Lou Jean is in her own little dream land, and Clovis is not much smarter. These two are not Bonnie and Clyde, murderers romanticized to make a good flick. Maxwell Slide does not simply give in to the couple's charm, trying to escape when he can, but also getting to know the pair eventually. While the "criminal as populist hero" routine has been done before, Spielberg shows some incredible confidence behind the camera. As in "Duel," every supporting character seems to have a story of their own which never crowds the main narrative. Tanner has personal problems, and is sometimes seen as weak by his men. Lou Jean's crotchety father wants to take her over his knee. The two old snipers called in to end the chase are professional yet normal. Even the child's foster parents try not to fold under the pressure, a middle aged couple who love this angelic child in their care. Spielberg lets them all have moments, and he shows he can deal with adult actors. Spielberg also generates some suspense, especially the finale, another trait found in "Duel," and his next film, "Jaws." I would love to see him go back to this kind of simple film making, forget the effects, forget the kids, just make an out-and-out Hitchcockian or even horror thriller.
If you are a Spielberg nut, you simply must get "The Sugarland Express" for your collection. Spielberg is now an icon, as famous as his films, and it is great to see where his film roots began.
Lou Jean Poplin (Goldie Hawn) has recently been released from jail after serving eight months for larceny. Her husband, Clovis (William Atherton), has just four months left on his sentence, but there is a problem. Their toddler son has been taken by welfare and placed in a foster home. Lou Jean comes up with a scheme to break Clovis out of prison. The couple hitches a ride, but are pulled over by highway patrolman Slide (Michael Sacks). They panic, run, wreck, and kidnap the law officer and hijack his patrol car. Tough captain Tanner (Ben Johnson) begins negotiations with the pair, with about two dozen police cars on their trail. Lou Jean has pie-in-the-sky dreams of getting their child and living happily ever after, but Clovis and Slide know otherwise.
Spielberg uses southern Texas locations to the fullest extent. I'm familiar with the area where the film takes place, and the only problems I found were geographical- "Sugar Land" is actually two words, and not anywhere near a ten minute drive from the Mexican border. Vilmos Zigmond's cinematography is lovely without calling attention to itself, and John Williams' score is great, not a French horn in sight. This is a gritty film, different from the clean looks of some of his films.
While Goldie Hawn is the top billed star here, the film really feels like a team effort. Lou Jean is in her own little dream land, and Clovis is not much smarter. These two are not Bonnie and Clyde, murderers romanticized to make a good flick. Maxwell Slide does not simply give in to the couple's charm, trying to escape when he can, but also getting to know the pair eventually. While the "criminal as populist hero" routine has been done before, Spielberg shows some incredible confidence behind the camera. As in "Duel," every supporting character seems to have a story of their own which never crowds the main narrative. Tanner has personal problems, and is sometimes seen as weak by his men. Lou Jean's crotchety father wants to take her over his knee. The two old snipers called in to end the chase are professional yet normal. Even the child's foster parents try not to fold under the pressure, a middle aged couple who love this angelic child in their care. Spielberg lets them all have moments, and he shows he can deal with adult actors. Spielberg also generates some suspense, especially the finale, another trait found in "Duel," and his next film, "Jaws." I would love to see him go back to this kind of simple film making, forget the effects, forget the kids, just make an out-and-out Hitchcockian or even horror thriller.
If you are a Spielberg nut, you simply must get "The Sugarland Express" for your collection. Spielberg is now an icon, as famous as his films, and it is great to see where his film roots began.
Surfer, Dude (2008)
I don't know if this is a lark. I don't know if we are supposed to take it seriously. I don't know how much marijuana was actually consumed during production. I do know that "Surfer, Dude" is an uninteresting mess that does not bring enough laughs.
Matthew McConaughey is ace surfer Steve Addington, returning to the United States from an extended surfing vacation overseas. His sponsoring company has been bought by former surfer Eddie Zarno (Jeffrey Nordling), who is cashing in on Addington and others with a virtual reality computer game and stupid reality television series. All of this harshes Addington's mellow, as a sudden wave drought threatens his mental well-being. After his equally high manager Jack (a pretty good Woody Harrelson) is tossed in jail, Addington is slowly squeezed financially by Zarno. Will he cave in and sign with Zarno as the world turns against him, or will he stick to his morals?
No, "Surfer, Dude" is not the first stoner comedy, or the first surfing comedy, but it is one of the strangest. Dope comedy can be funny, and this gets some laughs when Addington and his buddies- all of whom blend into each other and bore quickly- are pulled over by the cops. A scene after the end credits involving Addington and a Korean sponsor should have been the whole movie. Instead of many missed opportunities, we get tons of shots of McConaughey staring out to sea with onscreen titles telling us how long the wave drought has gone. Not exactly comedic gold. Harrelson, as Addington's manager with a lawn mowing business on the side, is actually pretty funny. Addington's minimalist lifestyle and clueless ideas about money is entertaining, but McConaughey is so laid back he almost puts the viewer to sleep. The rest of the cast includes names like Scott Glenn and Willie Nelson, but everyone looks so high, and refers to each other as dude or bro so often, I finally gave up on a linear plot and laughs and just patiently waited for it to end.
Bindler's direction sure likes McConaughey's shirtless physique. The cinematography has a grimy look to it, even though most of it takes place on the beach. The reality TV and virtual reality game angles never work, and when Addington's friends turn against him, you really don't care because they seem like a bunch of shallow hangers-on anyway. Hope you like reggae, as the music pulses and lurches, but never adds anything.
"Surfer, Dude" (one of the worst titles in the history of cinema- for fun and to annoy others, be sure to place a pregnant pause where the comma is) isn't completely rotten, but I wish McConaughey had pulled a few more Hollywood strings to get a decent movie made. It's sad when your surfing philosophy was made more understandable using a bunch of penguins in "Surf's Up."
Matthew McConaughey is ace surfer Steve Addington, returning to the United States from an extended surfing vacation overseas. His sponsoring company has been bought by former surfer Eddie Zarno (Jeffrey Nordling), who is cashing in on Addington and others with a virtual reality computer game and stupid reality television series. All of this harshes Addington's mellow, as a sudden wave drought threatens his mental well-being. After his equally high manager Jack (a pretty good Woody Harrelson) is tossed in jail, Addington is slowly squeezed financially by Zarno. Will he cave in and sign with Zarno as the world turns against him, or will he stick to his morals?
No, "Surfer, Dude" is not the first stoner comedy, or the first surfing comedy, but it is one of the strangest. Dope comedy can be funny, and this gets some laughs when Addington and his buddies- all of whom blend into each other and bore quickly- are pulled over by the cops. A scene after the end credits involving Addington and a Korean sponsor should have been the whole movie. Instead of many missed opportunities, we get tons of shots of McConaughey staring out to sea with onscreen titles telling us how long the wave drought has gone. Not exactly comedic gold. Harrelson, as Addington's manager with a lawn mowing business on the side, is actually pretty funny. Addington's minimalist lifestyle and clueless ideas about money is entertaining, but McConaughey is so laid back he almost puts the viewer to sleep. The rest of the cast includes names like Scott Glenn and Willie Nelson, but everyone looks so high, and refers to each other as dude or bro so often, I finally gave up on a linear plot and laughs and just patiently waited for it to end.
Bindler's direction sure likes McConaughey's shirtless physique. The cinematography has a grimy look to it, even though most of it takes place on the beach. The reality TV and virtual reality game angles never work, and when Addington's friends turn against him, you really don't care because they seem like a bunch of shallow hangers-on anyway. Hope you like reggae, as the music pulses and lurches, but never adds anything.
"Surfer, Dude" (one of the worst titles in the history of cinema- for fun and to annoy others, be sure to place a pregnant pause where the comma is) isn't completely rotten, but I wish McConaughey had pulled a few more Hollywood strings to get a decent movie made. It's sad when your surfing philosophy was made more understandable using a bunch of penguins in "Surf's Up."
Surrender (2000)
Lauren (Kira Reed) is tracking a spirit, a spirit that is making your average, ordinary folk turn into sexual monsters. The spirit has been nicknamed Eros, and Lauren experienced it after breaking up with a boyfriend and almost loving up a stranger in a parking lot. She then interviews people who also share her experiences, but find the chain of lust suddenly broken until her hot-to-trot roomie finds the spirit again.
This is not any sort of mystery or investigation as much as it is a lot of sexy scenes and badly decorated sets. All the women here are beautiful, the men are hunky, the soundtrack is appropriately laden with saxophones, but everything about this film has an air of familiarity to it. The script is a disaster- the storyline tries to engage the viewer on a level other than wanting to see women in thongs. The acting is above par for this kind of project, but the special effects are of the Video Toaster variety, and no conclusion is ever reached. This will anger anyone who must sit through ninety minutes of this, hoping something new will be tried. The sex is all softcore, there are a couple of shots where the actors' "socks" are evident.
"Surrender" is run-of-the-mill straight-to-video softcore sex. If you are hoping for some sort of "The X Files"-spin on a tried and tired genre, look elsewhere.
This is not any sort of mystery or investigation as much as it is a lot of sexy scenes and badly decorated sets. All the women here are beautiful, the men are hunky, the soundtrack is appropriately laden with saxophones, but everything about this film has an air of familiarity to it. The script is a disaster- the storyline tries to engage the viewer on a level other than wanting to see women in thongs. The acting is above par for this kind of project, but the special effects are of the Video Toaster variety, and no conclusion is ever reached. This will anger anyone who must sit through ninety minutes of this, hoping something new will be tried. The sex is all softcore, there are a couple of shots where the actors' "socks" are evident.
"Surrender" is run-of-the-mill straight-to-video softcore sex. If you are hoping for some sort of "The X Files"-spin on a tried and tired genre, look elsewhere.
Sweet Charity (1969)
Bob Fosse brought the musical "Sweet Charity," based on Federico Fellini's film "Nights of Cabiria," to the stage in 1966. Starring Gwen Verdon, the story of a dance hall hostess' search for love was a smash. A film version was greenlighted but Fosse had never directed on camera before. Universal Studios took a chance, creating this late 1960's curiosity.
For the film version, Shirley MacLaine took over the title role. She plays Charity Hope Valentine, a dance girl in New York City. In the opening minutes of the film, she is both dumped and robbed by her unofficial fiance, but still tells her friends at the Fandango, where she works, white lies about her relationships. Best friends Nickie (Chita Rivera) and Helene (Paula Kelly) have heard it all before, and constantly humor the naive Charity. Charity meets up with Italian movie star Vittorio (Ricardo Montalban), and in an overly long scene, solves his love problems to the deference of her own. Charity finally decides to leave Herman's (Stubby Kaye) club for good, but an interview at an employment agency quickly shows her that she is trained for nothing. She gets stuck in an elevator with Oscar (John McMartin), an insurance company actuary with a variety of psychosomatic mental issues, and both are smitten. Charity lies and tells Oscar she works in a bank, and the two begin a whirlwind, but chaste, love affair. Oscar is the man Charity has been waiting her whole life to be with, but once again, things in Charity's love life don't go as planned.
Bob Fosse does everything at his disposal to make sure "Sweet Charity" is not another stage-bound film. Fosse opens it up with actual New York City location filming, and increases the size of the cast almost twenty-fold. He uses still-shot montages, jump-cut editing, double exposure, and dolly camera angles to keep the picture constantly moving, and every scene is a visual treat. The film eventually turns into one very long disjointed sequence of really good scenes. While I recognized three of the songs here ("Big Spender," "If My Friends Could See Me Now," and "The Rhythm of Life"), the rest of the tunes by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields blend together into a meandering soundtrack. Sure, Montalban's bit as Vittorio, leading to MacLaine's rendition of "If My Friends Could See Me Now," is fun, but it drags and drags, and then the audience is let down by the scene's payoff- Charity makes another poor choice in men, *yawn*. Same with "The Rhythm of Life;" Sammy Davis, Jr. and a few dozen hippies belt out the song in a giant parking garage/church, but the scene is pointless in the greater scheme of the film. I loved the extended dance sequence to the instrumental "Rich Man's Frug" when we see Charity out of her element in a mod club, but it also dwells to the point of tediousness.
This film clocks in at just under two and a half hours, joining the ranks of bloated 1960's and early 1970's musicals like "My Fair Lady," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Doctor Dolittle," "Lost Horizon," "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," and pretty much anything Barbra Streisand or post-""Mary Poppins"" Julie Andrews warbled in. Many fans look at a lot of these films fondly, but a hundred and fifty minutes of Charity Valentine is a lot for anybody. MacLaine is adorable without being cutesy, and Rivera, Kelly, and Kaye are all great. The "Big Spender" number is pure Fosse, and he repeats a number of elements here just a few short years later in "Cabaret," which in my opinion is the greatest motion picture ever made. Fosse would also direct "Lenny," "All That Jazz," and "Star 80," always returning to the stage before dying at age 60 from years of self-abuse with drugs and alcohol.
The musical's book was done by Neil Simon, and Peter Stone's screenplay has many funny moments including Charity's rescue after falling into a lake, and Oscar's freak-out in the trapped elevator. The tone is weird in that while Charity's possible part-time prostitution is danced around and hinted at, Davis' Big Daddy delivers a speech about marijuana, and hippies play a large supporting role. Fosse seems to hold back and get in your face all at once, which makes for a sometimes off-putting viewing experience. Even the film's ending is uncommon (it was changed after the original ending was deemed too goofy; I saw the original ending- it was too goofy).
"Sweet Charity" was the only Fosse film I had not seen until this, and I recommend it to see this genius just beginning his short but rewarding film career.
For the film version, Shirley MacLaine took over the title role. She plays Charity Hope Valentine, a dance girl in New York City. In the opening minutes of the film, she is both dumped and robbed by her unofficial fiance, but still tells her friends at the Fandango, where she works, white lies about her relationships. Best friends Nickie (Chita Rivera) and Helene (Paula Kelly) have heard it all before, and constantly humor the naive Charity. Charity meets up with Italian movie star Vittorio (Ricardo Montalban), and in an overly long scene, solves his love problems to the deference of her own. Charity finally decides to leave Herman's (Stubby Kaye) club for good, but an interview at an employment agency quickly shows her that she is trained for nothing. She gets stuck in an elevator with Oscar (John McMartin), an insurance company actuary with a variety of psychosomatic mental issues, and both are smitten. Charity lies and tells Oscar she works in a bank, and the two begin a whirlwind, but chaste, love affair. Oscar is the man Charity has been waiting her whole life to be with, but once again, things in Charity's love life don't go as planned.
Bob Fosse does everything at his disposal to make sure "Sweet Charity" is not another stage-bound film. Fosse opens it up with actual New York City location filming, and increases the size of the cast almost twenty-fold. He uses still-shot montages, jump-cut editing, double exposure, and dolly camera angles to keep the picture constantly moving, and every scene is a visual treat. The film eventually turns into one very long disjointed sequence of really good scenes. While I recognized three of the songs here ("Big Spender," "If My Friends Could See Me Now," and "The Rhythm of Life"), the rest of the tunes by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields blend together into a meandering soundtrack. Sure, Montalban's bit as Vittorio, leading to MacLaine's rendition of "If My Friends Could See Me Now," is fun, but it drags and drags, and then the audience is let down by the scene's payoff- Charity makes another poor choice in men, *yawn*. Same with "The Rhythm of Life;" Sammy Davis, Jr. and a few dozen hippies belt out the song in a giant parking garage/church, but the scene is pointless in the greater scheme of the film. I loved the extended dance sequence to the instrumental "Rich Man's Frug" when we see Charity out of her element in a mod club, but it also dwells to the point of tediousness.
This film clocks in at just under two and a half hours, joining the ranks of bloated 1960's and early 1970's musicals like "My Fair Lady," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," "Doctor Dolittle," "Lost Horizon," "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," and pretty much anything Barbra Streisand or post-""Mary Poppins"" Julie Andrews warbled in. Many fans look at a lot of these films fondly, but a hundred and fifty minutes of Charity Valentine is a lot for anybody. MacLaine is adorable without being cutesy, and Rivera, Kelly, and Kaye are all great. The "Big Spender" number is pure Fosse, and he repeats a number of elements here just a few short years later in "Cabaret," which in my opinion is the greatest motion picture ever made. Fosse would also direct "Lenny," "All That Jazz," and "Star 80," always returning to the stage before dying at age 60 from years of self-abuse with drugs and alcohol.
The musical's book was done by Neil Simon, and Peter Stone's screenplay has many funny moments including Charity's rescue after falling into a lake, and Oscar's freak-out in the trapped elevator. The tone is weird in that while Charity's possible part-time prostitution is danced around and hinted at, Davis' Big Daddy delivers a speech about marijuana, and hippies play a large supporting role. Fosse seems to hold back and get in your face all at once, which makes for a sometimes off-putting viewing experience. Even the film's ending is uncommon (it was changed after the original ending was deemed too goofy; I saw the original ending- it was too goofy).
"Sweet Charity" was the only Fosse film I had not seen until this, and I recommend it to see this genius just beginning his short but rewarding film career.
The Taint (2011)
Phil (Drew Bolduc) is a really dumb high schooler, held back two years, who has just been run off a farm girl's property by her reaper-bearing, openly-defecating father. After his escape, Phil notices something is up with the people he is meeting. All the men are sexually excited, and murdering women- not an every day occurrence.
Phil is saved by Misandra (Colleen Walsh), who explains that the drinking water has been tainted, and then she tells the story of her perfect marriage being upset by the water. Misandra eventually had to kill her husband in self-defense, emotionally cradling his brain in her hands. As the pair travel to a fabled well that has not been tainted, they meet a band of men led by Phil's gym teacher Mr. Johnson (Cody Crenshaw), now going by the name Houdini. He then tells his story to the pair, also recounting how his life has changed due to the mass poisoning. Eventually, Phil and Misandra find out how the taint came to be, and Phil's own past is examined before he fights back.
I'll say it outright- "The Taint" may be one of the grossest films I have ever seen. Thanks to some top-notch gore and digital effects, blood and other bodily fluids fly across the screen and drench the cast in sticky goo. I have seen some weird stuff in my years as a film fan- about 8,000 films watched, and about a thousand reviewed- but this film is "special" in every sense of the word. Do you know what? When I wasn't cringing at the lead actor actually vomiting onscreen, I was laughing out loud at instantly quotable dialogue along the lines of "Who was that large cocked man?". Drew Bolduc also wrote the script, and it spoofs all those post-apocalypse films we have had to sit through in the past few years. However, Bolduc doesn't take a winking approach to his subject, he out-Tromas Lloyd Kaufman himself, coming up with psychotically offensive material about misogyny, assault, abortion, abuse, homosexuality, and even American flag desecration.
I guess I am recommending this, to only the strongest stomachs and jaded eyes, because directors Bolduc and Dan Nelson force the viewer to watch this skewed world. This flies at a breakneck pace, and if you can make it through the first ten minutes, you should be "alright" through the following hour.
While the screenplay's structure is a good idea, once in a while I was lost as to what I was watching. Phil's flashbacks are not as well defined as the other characters', but I eventually caught up. Just a small problem in an otherwise memorable film. Technically, the film is outstanding for such a small budget. Nelson did the special effects as well, and they are pretty incredible. Bolduc has the musical credit, a professional soundtrack with one of the funniest montage songs ever recorded.
Bolduc is hilarious as Phil. With his Ziggy Stardust haircut and open-mouthed expression, it was a joy to watch him stumble onscreen. The rest of the cast all deserve kudos, especially in a film that many of them probably couldn't slip into the DVD player at Grandma's house to show what they have been doing while away at college in Virginia.
I cannot reiterate enough how violent "The Taint" is. However, in this day and age, and in light of current events, it's like a breath of fresh sewer stench to remind us of how human we are.
Phil is saved by Misandra (Colleen Walsh), who explains that the drinking water has been tainted, and then she tells the story of her perfect marriage being upset by the water. Misandra eventually had to kill her husband in self-defense, emotionally cradling his brain in her hands. As the pair travel to a fabled well that has not been tainted, they meet a band of men led by Phil's gym teacher Mr. Johnson (Cody Crenshaw), now going by the name Houdini. He then tells his story to the pair, also recounting how his life has changed due to the mass poisoning. Eventually, Phil and Misandra find out how the taint came to be, and Phil's own past is examined before he fights back.
I'll say it outright- "The Taint" may be one of the grossest films I have ever seen. Thanks to some top-notch gore and digital effects, blood and other bodily fluids fly across the screen and drench the cast in sticky goo. I have seen some weird stuff in my years as a film fan- about 8,000 films watched, and about a thousand reviewed- but this film is "special" in every sense of the word. Do you know what? When I wasn't cringing at the lead actor actually vomiting onscreen, I was laughing out loud at instantly quotable dialogue along the lines of "Who was that large cocked man?". Drew Bolduc also wrote the script, and it spoofs all those post-apocalypse films we have had to sit through in the past few years. However, Bolduc doesn't take a winking approach to his subject, he out-Tromas Lloyd Kaufman himself, coming up with psychotically offensive material about misogyny, assault, abortion, abuse, homosexuality, and even American flag desecration.
I guess I am recommending this, to only the strongest stomachs and jaded eyes, because directors Bolduc and Dan Nelson force the viewer to watch this skewed world. This flies at a breakneck pace, and if you can make it through the first ten minutes, you should be "alright" through the following hour.
While the screenplay's structure is a good idea, once in a while I was lost as to what I was watching. Phil's flashbacks are not as well defined as the other characters', but I eventually caught up. Just a small problem in an otherwise memorable film. Technically, the film is outstanding for such a small budget. Nelson did the special effects as well, and they are pretty incredible. Bolduc has the musical credit, a professional soundtrack with one of the funniest montage songs ever recorded.
Bolduc is hilarious as Phil. With his Ziggy Stardust haircut and open-mouthed expression, it was a joy to watch him stumble onscreen. The rest of the cast all deserve kudos, especially in a film that many of them probably couldn't slip into the DVD player at Grandma's house to show what they have been doing while away at college in Virginia.
I cannot reiterate enough how violent "The Taint" is. However, in this day and age, and in light of current events, it's like a breath of fresh sewer stench to remind us of how human we are.
Take the Money and Run (1969)
Woody Allen's crime comedy is a mockumentary telling the story of Virgil Starkwell, possibly the world's worst criminal.
Narrated by Jackson Beck, we find Virgil started out life with petty crime, and never really became successful after that. He meets a pretty girl, Louise (Janet Margolin), and falls in love, but the call of easy money keeps drawing him into failed schemes to rob banks. As we see his plans go awry time after time, we also hear from psychiatrists and authority figures, all of whom think they know what is really wrong with Virgil. His parents, ashamed of their son, don disguises to hide their identities- Groucho Marx noses and glasses. Most of the film revolves around Virgil's misadventures in prison after his bank jobs fail. I cannot decide which is funnier, the first prison scene where he gets out on his own after his gang forgets to tell him the breakout is off, or the second chain gang scene where six men escape into a field and try to split up while still chained together.
The first ten minutes of this film are among the funniest in cinematic history. Watching Virgil try to play the cello in the marching band is so good, I rewound it to watch again. The film is rich with great lines and dialogue, and boldly steps into the surreal and ridiculous on more than one occasion: the best example is Virgil's attempt to run over a woman who is blackmailing him- in her living room. Allen is not yet in those New York films that some roll their eyes at- do not get me started on "Alice" or "September." He is in almost every scene, and he is out to make a comedy, nothing more. Of course, the film cannot sustain the laughs through the whole thing. Some scenes fall flat, but are immediately forgotten by whatever Allen pulls out of his bag of tricks next. This film served as inspiration for comedies like "Airplane!," and borrows its maniacal pace from the Marx Brothers' pictures. Allen is not quite a great director here yet, his editing is sloppy and the sound quality is awful, but the characters and writing are great.
Very cheap, a little fitful here and there, but still one of the great comedies of all time and one that will have you laughing more often than not. I highly recommend "Take the Money and Run."
Narrated by Jackson Beck, we find Virgil started out life with petty crime, and never really became successful after that. He meets a pretty girl, Louise (Janet Margolin), and falls in love, but the call of easy money keeps drawing him into failed schemes to rob banks. As we see his plans go awry time after time, we also hear from psychiatrists and authority figures, all of whom think they know what is really wrong with Virgil. His parents, ashamed of their son, don disguises to hide their identities- Groucho Marx noses and glasses. Most of the film revolves around Virgil's misadventures in prison after his bank jobs fail. I cannot decide which is funnier, the first prison scene where he gets out on his own after his gang forgets to tell him the breakout is off, or the second chain gang scene where six men escape into a field and try to split up while still chained together.
The first ten minutes of this film are among the funniest in cinematic history. Watching Virgil try to play the cello in the marching band is so good, I rewound it to watch again. The film is rich with great lines and dialogue, and boldly steps into the surreal and ridiculous on more than one occasion: the best example is Virgil's attempt to run over a woman who is blackmailing him- in her living room. Allen is not yet in those New York films that some roll their eyes at- do not get me started on "Alice" or "September." He is in almost every scene, and he is out to make a comedy, nothing more. Of course, the film cannot sustain the laughs through the whole thing. Some scenes fall flat, but are immediately forgotten by whatever Allen pulls out of his bag of tricks next. This film served as inspiration for comedies like "Airplane!," and borrows its maniacal pace from the Marx Brothers' pictures. Allen is not quite a great director here yet, his editing is sloppy and the sound quality is awful, but the characters and writing are great.
Very cheap, a little fitful here and there, but still one of the great comedies of all time and one that will have you laughing more often than not. I highly recommend "Take the Money and Run."
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