Eating Raoul

Posted on 24 augustus 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Paul Bartel
Written by: Paul Bartel, Richard Blackburn
Cast: Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, Robert Beltran

Year / Country: 1982, USA
Running Time: 83 mins.

After directing racing flicks Death Race 2000 and Cannonball!, Paul Bartel decided to make a more personal movie. Roger Corman, who had kick-started Bartel’s career with Death Race 2000, would not finance it, so Bartel raised the 500.000 dollar himself by putting up his parents house for sale. The result was Eating Raoul, a demented comedy of sorts about Hollywood, cannibalism and weird sex. It became a sleeper hit and got good critical reviews, especially in Europe.

The story revolves around Paul and Mary Bland, a square couple living in Hollywood. The couple is played by Bartel himself and Mary Woronov, another Corman veteran. The Blands want to open up a countryside restaurant, but lack financial means. A solution presents itself in the form of a swinger (their apartment building is full of them), a lifestyle the Blands – with their refined taste – disapprove of. When this swinger accidentally dies in their apartment, they come up with a very distinctive business model: lure swingers into their apartment and murder them for their money. It becomes a great financial success.

Then Raoul from the title gets involved (played by Robert Beltran, later Star Trek Voyager actor). He is a blacksmith, who discovers their secret and wants a partnership. After not too long, Raoul becomes a big problem the Blands have to deal with. Witty lines such as: ‘We’re having a friend for dinner’ (sounds familiar?) and a couple of hilarious gags make this an enjoyable little film. If you have a taste for the bizarre (it even got dwarves and stuff), Eating Raoul is an oddity that won’t disappoint.

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Biography: Paul Bartel (1938, New York – 2000, New York) majored in theater arts at UCLA and studied film directing in Rome. After getting his first work experience with Roger Corman he directed a number of low budget cult films. He also worked as a writer and an actor. He died in 2000 from a heart attack.

Filmography: The Secret Cinema (1968, short), Naughty Nurse (1969, short), Private Parts (1972), Death Race 2000 (1975), Cannonball! (1976), Eating Raoul (1982), Not for Publication (1984), Lust in the Dust (1985), The Longshot (1986), Amazing Stories (1986/87, TV episodes), Shelf Life (1993), The Comic Strip Presents…(1993, TV episode), Clueless (1996, TV episode)

The Ice Pirates

Posted on 20 augustus 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Stewart Raffill
Written by: Stewart Raffill, Stanford Sherman
Cast: Robert Urich, Mary Crosby, Michael D. Roberts, Anjelica Huston

Year / Country: 1984, USA
Running Time: 91 mins.

This is a pretty odd movie: a Star Wars-like comedy; a sci-fi spoof that doesn’t always feel like one; a cult classic. In terms of special effects and production design, it looks good. Especially considering that this must have been – by Hollywood standards at least – a modestly budgeted flick. The cast of relatively unknown actors is – like in Star Wars – good enough to arouse and maintain interest from the viewer. The main problem with The Ice Pirates is that it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be.

The setting is a dried-up galaxy where there is virtually no water. Evil Templars from the water planet Mithra have gained control of this life-giving resource. A group of rebel pirates, under command of the roguish Jason (Robert Urich), survive by stealing ice from the great Templar fleets. During one of their missions, they are captured by the evil rulers, but with the aid of Princes Karine of Argon, they escape and start searching for the all-problem-solving Seventh World.

The story, including a romance between Jason and the princes, ensures a strangely entertaining ninety minutes. Only too often, does the movie shift from one genre to another and doesn’t go full throttle in any of them: the comedy at its best is only good for a modest smile; there is too little action to create a real sense of excitement and finally, the spoof level doesn’t go nearly over the top enough. Nevertheless there is still a lot of creativity and fantasy to be discovered. Especially the altered time element during the climax is a lot of fun. Those looking for more serious sci-fi should avoid this flawed film. But B-movie fans are – like many others – probable to embrace it as a classic in its kind.

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Biography: Stewart Raffill (1945, USA) is a US writer and director. He mostly made adventure / family films such as Lost in Africa, Mac and Me and Three.

Filmography: The Tender Warrior (1971), When the North Wind Blows (1974), The Adventures of the Wilderness Family (1975), Across the Great Divide (1976), The Sea Gypsies (1978), High Risk (1981), The Ice Pirates (1984), The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), Mac and Me (1988), Mannequin: On the Move (1991), Tammy and the T-Rex (1994), Lost in Africa (1994), The New Adventures of Robin Hood (1997, TV-episodes), The New Swiss Family Robinson (1998), Grizzly Falls (1999), A Month of Sundays (1999), Adjustments (2001, short), While You Were Waiting (2002, short), Three (2005), Croc (2007, TV), Mysterious (2007)

TV Dungeon: Cold Feet

Posted on 20 augustus 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

(1997 – 2003, UK)

Creator: Mike Bullen
Cast: James Nesbitt, Helen Baxendale, Robert Bathurst, Hermione Norris, John Thomson, Fay Ripley, Jacey Sallés, Kimberley Joseph

5 Seasons (35 Episodes)

The British comedy-drama Cold Feet follows the lives and times of three young couples in Manchester. Both their ages and the times they live in, make it hard for them to commit to any one person. Adam (James Nesbitt) is the typical bachelor who just can’t stick in a relationship. Until he meets the attractive Rachel that is. They start a relationship in the pilot which will prove a challenging enterprise in the five seasons that follow.

Adam’s best friend Pete is married to the inglamorous Jenny. They are past the early ‘in love’ stage and face another challenge: their first child. Through Pete and Jenny, Adam and Rachel meet another young couple, the more upper-class David and Karen Marsden. The three couples deal with all the typical relationship problems; cheating, cold feet, honesty, commitment and sometimes separation. The themes are treated in a light and comical way, but a little drama is thrown in as well. Especially in the later seasons.

What is impressive about the series is that the writers work around the same subjects, but no episode ever feels repetitive. Every minute of Cold Feet feels fresh and inspired. They do an equally outstanding job in developing the very recognizable characters. Who doesn’t know an Adam? Always funny and charming, but in a relationship constantly on the brink of either cheating or running off. Or a Rachel: pretty and a tad demanding, but irresistible for Adam beyond any doubt. In fact all three couples are perfectly cast, forming matches that feel absolutely natural.

As the series progresses the characters go through thick and thin together and for the viewer it will become harder and harder to say goodbye to them. Only towards the end of the series, the writers slip up a bit. A dramatic event occurs which, although it’s part of life, changes the tone of the series and makes it a bit more soapy. Nevertheless, this is a magnificent feel-good series that you are likely to get hooked on after viewing the amazing pilot episode.

The acting deserves mention as well. Especially Nesbitt and Norris stand out. Nesbitt is the biggest provider of laughs through marvelous comic timing, while Norris gives the most balanced performance showing a wide spectrum of emotions throughout the course of the series. Neither actors won awards for their roles, but the series did win a number of awards for writing and best TV comedy. Cold Feet is great because it perfectly captures the spirit of the nineties and one of the major problems of that age: sticking in relationships.

Brooklyn Rules (2007)

Posted on 3 augustus 2008 by Jeppe Kleijngeld

‘Not made to be broken’

Directed by:
Michael Corrente

Written by:
Terence Winter

Cast:
Freddy Prinze Jr. (Michael Turner Jr.), Scott Caan (Carmine Mancuso), Alex Baldwin (Caesar Manganaro), Jerry Ferrara (Bobby Canzoneri), Mena Suvari (Ellen), Monica Keena (Amy), Robert Turano (Mr. Canzoneri), Phyllis Kay (Mrs. Canzoneri), Ursula Abbott (Angela), Paulo Araujo (Young Michael)

The premise of friends growing up in a mob-infested neighborhood is a natural fit for coming-of-age dramas like A Bronx Tale. Brooklyn Rules unfolds against the backdrop of Aniello Dellacroce’s death, a pivotal moment that sparked a violent power struggle within the Gambino crime family.

Amid this turmoil, the film follows three close friends – Michael, Bobby, and Carmine – from their 1974 church service, where a young Michael (Freddie Prinze Jr.) steals from the collection plate, to their complicated lives in 1985. Perhaps because of his early lack of conscience, it’s Carmine (Scott Caan) who gravitates toward the mob, drawn into the orbit of Gambino captain Caesar (Alec Baldwin), a ruthless figure who dominates their neighborhood.

Bobby (Jerry Ferrara), the gentle soul of the group, dreams of a simple life: marrying his girlfriend and becoming a mail clerk. Michael, however, faces a more complex path. Though intelligent enough to attend Columbia and pursue a law career, he finds himself increasingly desensitized to the violence around him. A brutal brawl with a local thug forces the friends to confront their mortality, and Michael’s choices grow darker; stealing from a church is one thing, but murder is another.

Written by Terence Winter, known for his sharp work on The Sopranos, Brooklyn Rules delivers a solid screenplay about friendship, choices, and growing up. While it lacks the razor-sharp edge of The Sopranos, director Michael Corrente compensates with an authentic atmosphere, a stellar soundtrack (featuring ‘Sympathy for the Devil’), and evocative Brooklyn locations.

The trio of lead actors brings their characters to life, making their friendship feel genuine despite some uneven dialogue. The romantic subplot between Michael and Ellen (Mena Suvari of American Beauty) adds a welcome layer to the story. Though not groundbreaking, Brooklyn Rules is a worthy entry in its genre, offering an engaging 90 minutes for viewers.

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