We're now up to the second week of June 1985. At last, something for the grown-ups!
Prizzi’s Honor
A hit man for the mob falls in love with a woman, who turns out to be a hit woman. It seems like a good match until they’re ordered to kill each other.
How did it play in 1985? It did fairly well at the box-office but it was more successful at receiving multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor and the award it won, Best Supporting Actress which went to Anjelica HustoN in a role directed by her father John Huston.
Did I see it then? No way. I saw very few R-rated movies in 1985 and probably wouldn’t have been interested in this one anyway. This is the first time I’ve seen it.
How does it play today? Summer movies are usually full of action, comedy and special effects, so it must have been refreshing for a movie aimed at adults to open up alongside the likes of The Goonies and Rambo. Prizzi’s Honor is a mob movie with lots of black comedy. It’ s similar to The Godfather and GoodFellas although it isn’t quite as good as either of those two. I’m sure if it came out today, it would be compared to The Sopranos (a show I never warmed up to).
The film’s main strength is the performances. As mentioned above, Anjelica Huston won an Oscar for her role as the manipulative outcast of the Prizzi family. She’s very good and I wish she’d had more scenes. Also good is William Hickey (better known to some of you as Uncle Lewis in Christmas Vacation) who plays the patriarch of the family. He was only 58 when he made this, but thanks to good acting and makeup he looks twice that age. Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner are also good in the leading roles.
I always have a difficult time with mob movies, mainly for the relative morality of the characters. Almost every person is violent and unpleasant. So what’s the attraction? I think audiences are fascinated by the family dynamics of these characters. They struggle to deal with their family, just like everyone does, except their differences are often resolved with guns and knives. The humor, as dark as it is, certainly helps. The most intriguing element of Prizzi’s Honor is the moral choices faced by Nicholson’s character. Will he uphold the Prizzi family honor, or go his own way? Will he remain loyal to his adopted family or will he kill his own wife? Without saying too much, let me once again refer to the film’s moral relativism which is the main problem. The viewer is forced to “root” for one group of immoral people against another. Making a rationally moral choice isn’t an option. The ending left me frustrated.
Next time: A science-fiction movie that was very popular and a fantasy movie that no one saw.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Back to the 80s: The Goonies
Continuing my series on the summer movies of 1985.
The Goonies
A group of kids try to save their homes from being turned into a country club and have the adventure of a lifetime involving escaped convicts and a pirate treasure in this movie directed by Richard Donner that has become a cult classic.
How did it play in 1985? Very well. It opened in second place behind Rambo and became the ninth highest grossing movie of 1985. It’s continued popularity has led to numerous rumors of a sequel involving the original cast.
Did I see it then? Yes, and I loved it.
How does it play today? This is tough. A large part of my enjoyment of the movie today depends on nostalgia, which makes it difficult to be objective. It’s fun to see actors like Sean Astin and Josh Brolin looking so young. The sense of adventure so critical to the story survives (the many booby-traps are fun in an Indiana Jones sort of way and the pirate ship is still pretty cool) but some of the flaws are more apparent now. It’s much too long and the kids (and some of the adults) yell and talk over each other throughout the film. I doubt an adult who never saw the movie as a kid would get much out of The Goonies and I wonder if today’s kids would enjoy it. I guess it would be fine for kids too young to see the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
The other movie that opened up in the first week of June 1985 was the box-office bomb Perfect starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis. I’m not opposed to seeing bad movies, but this sounds so awful it’s not worth it.
Next week: An Oscar nominee for Best Picture.
The Goonies
A group of kids try to save their homes from being turned into a country club and have the adventure of a lifetime involving escaped convicts and a pirate treasure in this movie directed by Richard Donner that has become a cult classic.
How did it play in 1985? Very well. It opened in second place behind Rambo and became the ninth highest grossing movie of 1985. It’s continued popularity has led to numerous rumors of a sequel involving the original cast.
Did I see it then? Yes, and I loved it.
How does it play today? This is tough. A large part of my enjoyment of the movie today depends on nostalgia, which makes it difficult to be objective. It’s fun to see actors like Sean Astin and Josh Brolin looking so young. The sense of adventure so critical to the story survives (the many booby-traps are fun in an Indiana Jones sort of way and the pirate ship is still pretty cool) but some of the flaws are more apparent now. It’s much too long and the kids (and some of the adults) yell and talk over each other throughout the film. I doubt an adult who never saw the movie as a kid would get much out of The Goonies and I wonder if today’s kids would enjoy it. I guess it would be fine for kids too young to see the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
The other movie that opened up in the first week of June 1985 was the box-office bomb Perfect starring John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis. I’m not opposed to seeing bad movies, but this sounds so awful it’s not worth it.
Next week: An Oscar nominee for Best Picture.
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