list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Eating Raoul on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Eating_Raoul/10127/default.aspx Title: Eating Raoul
Year: 1982
Director: Paul Bartel
Plot: Eating Raoul was celebrated at the time of its release as the perfect marriage between mainstream moviemaking and the so-called "underground" cinema. Cult-film icons Mary Woronov and Paul Bartel (both of whom directed) play a married couple who decide to cash in on the sexual perversions of others. Posing as a hooker, Woronov lures the "johns" in and indulges their every kinky whim, whereupon Bartel kills the unwary client, steals the valuables, and sells the corpse for dog food. Though they see nothing wrong in what they're doing, they react in prudish disgust at the sexual preferences of their victims. Eventually, Raoul (Robert Beltran), the fellow who transports the corpses to the dog food concern, proves expendable--and extremely edible. Eating Raoul features a high-powered comic supporting cast, among them Buck Henry, Ed Begley Jr., Richard Paul, Hamilton Camp, and Edie McClurg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 24
Number of Lists: 10
Number of blog posts: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:00:31 GMTEating Raoul1982Paul BartelEating Raoul was celebrated at the time of its release as the perfect marriage between mainstream moviemaking and the so-called "underground" cinema. Cult-film icons <a href="/players/P___117342/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Mary Woronov</a> and <a href="/players/P_____3926/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Paul Bartel</a> (both of whom directed) play a married couple who decide to cash in on the sexual perversions of others. Posing as a hooker, Woronov lures the "johns" in and indulges their every kinky whim, whereupon Bartel kills the unwary client, steals the valuables, and sells the corpse for dog food. Though they see nothing wrong in what <I>they're</I> doing, they react in prudish disgust at the sexual preferences of their victims. Eventually, Raoul (<a href="/players/P____81319/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert Beltran</a>), the fellow who transports the corpses to the dog food concern, proves expendable--and extremely edible. Eating Raoul features a high-powered comic supporting cast, among them <a href="/players/P____94069/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Buck Henry</a>, Ed Begley Jr., Richard Paul, <a href="/players/P____10453/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Hamilton Camp</a>, and <a href="/players/P____47057/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Edie McClurg</a>. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide24Tag Target (>10)1043http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t41188ydsrc.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Eating_Raoul/10127/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/12/38295.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/12/2008 12:00:31 PM
Body: Earlier this month, Production Weekly reported that Alex Cox and David Lynch would begin shooting their Repo Man sequel, titled Repo Chick, next month. Fifteen years after the release of the first movie, Cox revealed that it’s a timely revisit, as the new movie will “unfold against the background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is at a new high.” Coupled with the recent announcement that John Carpenter is producing a remake of his own They Live, the news of a second Repo Man film has us wondering what other ‘80s cult classics should appropriately be remade or revisited now that the economy is shit again. Depending on your definition of “cult film” (many people call Ghostbusters a cult classic), some of the selected films may not be fitting for that term. Regardless, the following ten movies, if redone today, would have definite relevance to these troubled times. Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) With unemployment on the rise, and homelessness sure to increase, it’s time for Hollywood to break out the ol’ Capra-esque stories of bums hitting the big time. Some films, such as Trading Places and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, don’t need to be touched. But this forgotten yet somewhat beloved movie could use a redo. Alan Arkin stars as an unemployed baseball player who may have a new job in the minors if he can only raise the money to get across the country. Fox could remake this story without retaining the title or the profession (though what’s more American Dream-like than baseball player? Capra employed the same idea in Meet John Doe), so as not to associate the new film with this ancient box office disappointment. Eating Raoul (1982) We recently spotlighted this “gold standard for black comedies” on a Thanksgiving-related list of cannibal movies. But it fits here as well. A couple in need of money ends up killing people and selling the corpses for cash. While the original film has the human meat sold to a dog food company, it might be even a greater gag in this financial crunch to have it feed the homeless. Or, better yet, in the U.S. Capitol’s cafeterias. The Survivors (1983) The opening premise alone will have the recently laid off feeling better about their own firing. One guy (played by Robin Williams) is let go by a parrot, while another (Walter Matthau) loses his business when it blows up. From there, anything goes with the remake as long as it still shows desperate measures resulting from unemployment. As a buddy movie, though, it’ll be worthwhile to pit a financial layoff with a blue-collar layoff. Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) Don’t say it makes no sense to remake a sequel without remaking the original. Nobody cares about the first Breakin’. Besides, Electric Boogaloo is the one that features the cliché plot involving a greedy real estate developer wanting to tear down a community center. And evil real estate developers and bankers ought to be making a comeback. Rappin’ (1985) If nobody wants to touch the sacred icon that is Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, then here’s another hip-hop movie involving an evil real estate developer. Despite a similar cheesiness, it’s not nearly as celebrated, or remembered. A remake could right all the wrongs of the original, especially with regards to the rhymes. The Goonies (1985) Hardly a cult classic, sure, but it does have the feel of one, especially to all those people who take trips to Astoria, Oregon, just to visit the film’s locations. Anyway, more evil real estate developers here, and more kids trying to save the day. Rather than truly remake the movie, which would be met with disapproval, and rather than completely bypass the reunion sequel that’s been talked about for so long, Warner Bros. ought to make a separate remake-type sequel titled The Goonies Too. The new movie will simply follow another group of kids on another adventure that will similarly stop the impending foreclosure of their homes. One Crazy Summer (1986) Yeah, yeah, more greedy real estate developers. But this one involves saving the house of an old man who nobody in the audience cares about. And a regatta. Actually, without the warped genius of Savage Steve Holland and without John Cusack in the lead, a remake of this comedy would be pointless, even if relevant. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood made a pointless remake, right? The Money Pit (1986) It may not technically be a cult classic, but it’s so rarely celebrated for its good qualities (like the excellent scene involving a cataclysmic sort of Rube Goldberg machine) that it deserves to be here. Plus, few plots are more relevant to the subprime mortgage crisis than one involving a couple (played by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) that finds a deal on a new home that’s too good to be true. Wisdom (1986) If a cult classic requires only a cult of one member, then Wisdom is a cult classic. And since every economic recession needs its own Robin Hood movie, this is ripe for a remake (never mind Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Nottingham). Repo Man star Emilio Estevez wrote, co-directed (with Robert Wise) and co-starred (with Demi Moore) in this Bonnie and Clyde tale of a pair of bank “robbers” who bomb bank file cabinets in order to erase records of loans and mortgages, thereby helping out the struggling debtors. This time, though, it’s key that the main characters don’t get killed. Hiding Out (1987) Jon Cryer stars as a stockbroker on the run from mobsters he’s cheated. Does he flee to Florida and join an all-girl band? No, he shaves off his beard and magically becomes a teenager again. Then he reenrolls in his cousin’s high school and falls in love with a young girl who’d probably get him in worse trouble than he is already in. A remake of this film could be more depraved, more American Psycho than Some Like it Hot, by having the protagonist on the run from the government rather than the mob (he’s guilty of insider trading or some other form of Wall Street corruption), and his unlikable traits would extend to his multiple affairs with minors while pretending to be a high school student. And this time, it’s key that the main character does get killed. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:00:31 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/12/2008 12:00:31 PMEarlier this month, Production Weekly reported that Alex Cox and David Lynch would begin shooting their Repo Man sequel, titled Repo Chick, next month. Fifteen years after the release of the first movie, Cox revealed that it’s a timely revisit, as the new movie will “unfold against the background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is at a new high.” Coupled with the recent announcement that John Carpenter is producing a remake of his own They Live, the news of a second Repo Man film has us wondering what other ‘80s cult classics should appropriately be remade or revisited now that the economy is shit again. Depending on your definition of “cult film” (many people call Ghostbusters a cult classic), some of the selected films may not be fitting for that term. Regardless, the following ten movies, if redone today, would have definite relevance to these troubled times. Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) With unemployment on the rise, and homelessness sure to increase, it’s time for Hollywood to break out the ol’ Capra-esque stories of bums hitting the big time. Some films, such as Trading Places and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, don’t need to be touched. But this forgotten yet somewhat beloved movie could use a redo. Alan Arkin stars as an unemployed baseball player who may have a new job in the minors if he can only raise the money to get across the country. Fox could remake this story without retaining the title or the profession (though what’s more American Dream-like than baseball player? Capra employed the same idea in Meet John Doe), so as not to associate the new film with this ancient box office disappointment. Eating Raoul (1982) We recently spotlighted this “gold standard for black comedies” on a Thanksgiving-related list of cannibal movies. But it fits here as well. A couple in need of money ends up killing people and selling the corpses for cash. While the original film has the human meat sold to a dog food company, it might be even a greater gag in this financial crunch to have it feed the homeless. Or, better yet, in the U.S. Capitol’s cafeterias. The Survivors (1983) The opening premise alone will have the recently laid off feeling better about their own firing. One guy (played by Robin Williams) is let go by a parrot, while another (Walter Matthau) loses his business when it blows up. From there, anything goes with the remake as long as it still shows desperate measures resulting from unemployment. As a buddy movie, though, it’ll be worthwhile to pit a financial layoff with a blue-collar layoff. Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) Don’t say it makes no sense to remake a sequel without remaking the original. Nobody cares about the first Breakin’. Besides, Electric Boogaloo is the one that features the cliché plot involving a greedy real estate developer wanting to tear down a community center. And evil real estate developers and bankers ought to be making a comeback. Rappin’ (1985) If nobody wants to touch the sacred icon that is Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, then here’s another hip-hop movie involving an evil real estate developer. Despite a similar cheesiness, it’s not nearly as celebrated, or remembered. A remake could right all the wrongs of the original, especially with regards to the rhymes. The Goonies (1985) Hardly a cult classic, sure, but it does have the feel of one, especially to all those people who take trips to Astoria, Oregon, just to visit the film’s locations. Anyway, more evil real estate developers here, and more kids trying to save the day. Rather than truly remake the movie, which would be met with disapproval, and rather than completely bypass the reunion sequel that’s been talked about for so long, Warner Bros. ought to make a separate remake-type sequel titled The Goonies Too. The new movie will simply follow another group of kids on another adventure that will similarly stop the impending foreclosure of their homes. One Crazy Summer (1986) Yeah, yeah, more greedy real estate developers. But this one involves saving the house of an old man who nobody in the audience cares about. And a regatta. Actually, without the warped genius of Savage Steve Holland and without John Cusack in the lead, a remake of this comedy would be pointless, even if relevant. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood made a pointless remake, right? The Money Pit (1986) It may not technically be a cult classic, but it’s so rarely celebrated for its good qualities (like the excellent scene involving a cataclysmic sort of Rube Goldberg machine) that it deserves to be here. Plus, few plots are more relevant to the subprime mortgage crisis than one involving a couple (played by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) that finds a deal on a new home that’s too good to be true. Wisdom (1986) If a cult classic requires only a cult of one member, then Wisdom is a cult classic. And since every economic recession needs its own Robin Hood movie, this is ripe for a remake (never mind Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Nottingham). Repo Man star Emilio Estevez wrote, co-directed (with Robert Wise) and co-starred (with Demi Moore) in this Bonnie and Clyde tale of a pair of bank “robbers” who bomb bank file cabinets in order to erase records of loans and mortgages, thereby helping out the struggling debtors. This time, though, it’s key that the main characters don’t get killed. Hiding Out (1987) Jon Cryer stars as a stockbroker on the run from mobsters he’s cheated. Does he flee to Florida and join an all-girl band? No, he shaves off his beard and magically becomes a teenager again. Then he reenrolls in his cousin’s high school and falls in love with a young girl who’d probably get him in worse trouble than he is already in. A remake of this film could be more depraved, more American Psycho than Some Like it Hot, by having the protagonist on the run from the government rather than the mob (he’s guilty of insider trading or some other form of Wall Street corruption), and his unlikable traits would extend to his multiple affairs with minors while pretending to be a high school student. And this time, it’s key that the main character does get killed. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/25/37625.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/25/2008 2:01:13 PM
Body: When you gather with your loved ones this week, be sure to give extra thanks for that turkey or soy-based equivalent on which you’re about to dine. Times are hard, but for most of us, we’re still able to eat. Nevertheless, we need to prepare for the even tougher times that inevitably lay ahead. As countless movies attest, desperate times call for desperate measures at the dinner table. Like cannibalism. The circumstances under which “eat or be eaten” becomes the rule vary widely. Plenty of films have taken on this ancient taboo; in fact, a search for the tag “cannibal” on Spout.com yields eleven pages of results. For your holiday viewing pleasure, I’ve narrowed the list down to ten. Alive Often the best cannibalism stories are the true ones. The tale of the Uruguayan rugby team that crash-landed in the Andes and eventually resorted to eating the dead is one that filmmakers can’t get enough of. Not only was it the source for 1993’s Alive, starring Ethan Hawke, the story was also told in a documentary that same year, Alive: 20 Years Later. Recently, there have been two more documentaries: an episode of the National Geographic show Trapped, and Stranded: I Have Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains (2008). I wonder what’s harder, surviving 72 days in the mountains with no food, or repeatedly being asked, “So, when did you decide to eat you friends?” Soylent Green Sure, putting this on the list is a spoiler. But if this movie hasn’t been ruined yet by The Simpsons or one of the many other references to soylent green’s mysterious ingredient, you’ve been living under a rock. While there are plenty of sci-fi movies that depict a future where desperation leads to cannibalism, Soylent Green is notable because the taboo is the act of a corporation, rather than a savage choice by an individual. Eating Raoul (This clip is NSFW) A gold standard for black comedies, this 1982 film follows the story of Paul and Mary, a married couple hard up for cash. While fending off a would-be rapist, they realize they can make a decent living killing unsuspecting swingers and taking their money. Raoul, a locksmith/burglar, finds out about their scheme, and wants in on the action. He helps them dispose of bodies, until his desire for Mary complicates the arrangement. If you want to know how it ends, um… read the title again. Zombie Movies It’s impossible to pick just one, when there are so many great flicks about brain-hungry walking dead. George Romero, godfather of all things zombie, must be mentioned. His first film, Night of the Living Dead, was the first zombie movie where the creatures wanted to eat the flesh of the living. Romero continues his Dead series of zombie apocalypse movies, along with countless imitators. BRAAAAAINS!!! The Silence of the Lambs Know what we need more of? Academy Award winning cannibal movies. There aren’t enough of them. This is a total classic. Anthony Hopkins holds two records: one, the shortest amount of screen time to ever win a best actor Oscar (16 minutes). And two, being the creepiest human being on the planet. 301/302 This Korean horror film is notable because it is centered only on female characters. Two women, neighbors in an apartment building, have very different ways of dealing with the travails of life. Their differences come to a head in a final scene that you should probably skip if you have a weak stomach. You’ve been warned. C.H.U.D. Another staple of obscure Simpsons references, the 1984 cult classic C.H.U.D. tells the story of “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers” who are eating the homeless in New York City. The C.H.U.D.’s, once homeless people themselves, were mutated by improper storage of nuclear waste, turning them into flesh-hungry beasts. Delicatessen Before Jean-Pierre Jeunet made Amelie, he made some dark and freaky movies. His first was Delicatessen. It’s a darkly comic post-apocalyptic tale about a small apartment building with a butcher shop on the ground floor. Meat is becoming scarce, and you know what that means. This film is actually a great companion piece to Amelie, because it shares the playful quality and fun cast of character with the later film. And people get eaten. Keep The River On Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale As a young man, Tobias Schneebaum lived with the Harakambut people of Peru and the Asmat people of Indonesia, both cannibalistic tribes. In true “going native” style, he not only joined them in their wars against other tribes, he also partook or their unsavory meals. He returned in 1999 with a documentary crew, was reunited with his former lover, and confronted the scars of war and fear. Interesting bit of info: the Asmat tribe are suspected of killing and eating Michael Rockefeller, son of New York Governor Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, but there is no proof. This was before Schneebaum arrived. But it would be pretty crazy if Schneebaum, a native New Yorker, ate one of his city’s elite. Hopefully a fictionalized version will come to the screen that’s not afraid to take some artistic license in this matter. [minor spoiler alert] The Road This adaptation of the award-winning Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name was once my most highly anticipated 2008 release. Sigh. It is now my most highly anticipated 2009 release. The film version will star Viggo Mortensen as the father of a young boy, the two of whom struggle to traverse a burned, post-apocalyptic landscape. I understand that simply putting it on this list could be seen as a minor spoiler, so I won’t say anything else about it. We’ll have to wait a little while, but The Road offers hope that The Silence of the Lambs will no longer be alone as an Oscar-snagging tale dealing with the most taboo of food choices. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:01:13 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/25/2008 2:01:13 PM When you gather with your loved ones this week, be sure to give extra thanks for that turkey or soy-based equivalent on which you’re about to dine. Times are hard, but for most of us, we’re still able to eat. Nevertheless, we need to prepare for the even tougher times that inevitably lay ahead. As countless movies attest, desperate times call for desperate measures at the dinner table. Like cannibalism. The circumstances under which “eat or be eaten” becomes the rule vary widely. Plenty of films have taken on this ancient taboo; in fact, a search for the tag “cannibal” on Spout.com yields eleven pages of results. For your holiday viewing pleasure, I’ve narrowed the list down to ten. Alive Often the best cannibalism stories are the true ones. The tale of the Uruguayan rugby team that crash-landed in the Andes and eventually resorted to eating the dead is one that filmmakers can’t get enough of. Not only was it the source for 1993’s Alive, starring Ethan Hawke, the story was also told in a documentary that same year, Alive: 20 Years Later. Recently, there have been two more documentaries: an episode of the National Geographic show Trapped, and Stranded: I Have Come from a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains (2008). I wonder what’s harder, surviving 72 days in the mountains with no food, or repeatedly being asked, “So, when did you decide to eat you friends?” Soylent Green Sure, putting this on the list is a spoiler. But if this movie hasn’t been ruined yet by The Simpsons or one of the many other references to soylent green’s mysterious ingredient, you’ve been living under a rock. While there are plenty of sci-fi movies that depict a future where desperation leads to cannibalism, Soylent Green is notable because the taboo is the act of a corporation, rather than a savage choice by an individual. Eating Raoul (This clip is NSFW) A gold standard for black comedies, this 1982 film follows the story of Paul and Mary, a married couple hard up for cash. While fending off a would-be rapist, they realize they can make a decent living killing unsuspecting swingers and taking their money. Raoul, a locksmith/burglar, finds out about their scheme, and wants in on the action. He helps them dispose of bodies, until his desire for Mary complicates the arrangement. If you want to know how it ends, um… read the title again. Zombie Movies It’s impossible to pick just one, when there are so many great flicks about brain-hungry walking dead. George Romero, godfather of all things zombie, must be mentioned. His first film, Night of the Living Dead, was the first zombie movie where the creatures wanted to eat the flesh of the living. Romero continues his Dead series of zombie apocalypse movies, along with countless imitators. BRAAAAAINS!!! The Silence of the Lambs Know what we need more of? Academy Award winning cannibal movies. There aren’t enough of them. This is a total classic. Anthony Hopkins holds two records: one, the shortest amount of screen time to ever win a best actor Oscar (16 minutes). And two, being the creepiest human being on the planet. 301/302 This Korean horror film is notable because it is centered only on female characters. Two women, neighbors in an apartment building, have very different ways of dealing with the travails of life. Their differences come to a head in a final scene that you should probably skip if you have a weak stomach. You’ve been warned. C.H.U.D. Another staple of obscure Simpsons references, the 1984 cult classic C.H.U.D. tells the story of “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers” who are eating the homeless in New York City. The C.H.U.D.’s, once homeless people themselves, were mutated by improper storage of nuclear waste, turning them into flesh-hungry beasts. Delicatessen Before Jean-Pierre Jeunet made Amelie, he made some dark and freaky movies. His first was Delicatessen. It’s a darkly comic post-apocalyptic tale about a small apartment building with a butcher shop on the ground floor. Meat is becoming scarce, and you know what that means. This film is actually a great companion piece to Amelie, because it shares the playful quality and fun cast of character with the later film. And people get eaten. Keep The River On Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale As a young man, Tobias Schneebaum lived with the Harakambut people of Peru and the Asmat people of Indonesia, both cannibalistic tribes. In true “going native” style, he not only joined them in their wars against other tribes, he also partook or their unsavory meals. He returned in 1999 with a documentary crew, was reunited with his former lover, and confronted the scars of war and fear. Interesting bit of info: the Asmat tribe are suspected of killing and eating Michael Rockefeller, son of New York Governor Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, but there is no proof. This was before Schneebaum arrived. But it would be pretty crazy if Schneebaum, a native New Yorker, ate one of his city’s elite. Hopefully a fictionalized version will come to the screen that’s not afraid to take some artistic license in this matter. [minor spoiler alert] The Road This adaptation of the award-winning Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name was once my most highly anticipated 2008 release. Sigh. It is now my most highly anticipated 2009 release. The film version will star Viggo Mortensen as the father of a young boy, the two of whom struggle to traverse a burned, post-apocalyptic landscape. I understand that simply putting it on this list could be seen as a minor spoiler, so I won’t say anything else about it. We’ll have to wait a little while, but The Road offers hope that The Silence of the Lambs will no longer be alone as an Oscar-snagging tale dealing with the most taboo of food choices. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/8/26/34403.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 8/26/2008 2:39:25 PM
Body: I can only imagine what compromising pictures there must be floating out there of Joan Allen to get her to agree to a role in director Paul W.S. Anderson's car porn flick, “Death Race.” Granted, her role in the “Bourne” films was a supporting one, but this woman was thrice nominated for an Oscar. I mean, she's got to be more proud of starring in Saturday Night Live's “The Best of Chris (Mr. Peepers) Kattan” video than this. I know the argument: “It's just pure fun, it's a Roger Corman film, for crying out loud. Loosen up, Mr. Stuffy Movie Critic Guy!” And while I will admit to a few inventive scenes (the one prisoner's head that seemingly explodes when he gets plowed into was a nifty little effect. But the director must have thought so too, and decided to show it on three separate occasions), the overall effect is nothing that watching a 90-minute string of Mountain Dew (or whatever your “Extreme” beverage of choice) commercials on a loop. Sure, of Corman's 300-plus film credits, he's produced such titles as “Attack of the Giant Leeches,” “Eat My Dust,” “Bloodfist” and “Chopping Mall.” But in the original film, he was working with witty, subversive director Paul Bartel, who went on to direct the camp classics “Eating Raoul” and “Lust in the Dust.” “The 1975 original stung with social commentary, from the rising tide of violence in professional sports to the Orwellian machinations of Big Brother inherent in the United States. As over-the-top as it was, “Death Race 2000” was at least about something. I suppose the new incarnation is as well. It's about 90 minutes. Other than that, there is little to recommend for anyone other than the most adamant auto enthusiast who reads “Car & Driver” as if it were a “Penthouse Forum”: “She had a dual-door, quad-wheel, semi-hemi-V8, stacked with a 440 Mopar and a body for gear-grinding glory! Yeah, baby! Say it slower!” Jason Statham, who is contractually obligated to release his films in cinematic dust bowl known as late August, stars as Jensen Ames, a laid-off steelworker and devoted family man who coincidentally happens to be a one-time racing champ. I say “coincidentally” because it is only after Jensen is framed for the murder of his wife and imprisoned that we find out this little piece of exposition. Allen plays the icy warden of this futuristic prison, who is in dire need of a new driver for her popular “Death Race” television show that pits prisoners against one another buzzing around the facilities in “Mad Max” - like vehicles. One by one, prisoners meet their demise as Jensen, fueled by the rage of his predicament and the promise of release if he wins, eliminates the competition. This is the point in the review where I would list some of the supporting actors and the characters they portrayed, but, really, what's the point? Director Paul W.S. Anderson (who apparently added the initials so we would not confuse his oeuvre -- “Alien vs. Predator,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Soldier” -- with that of Paul Anderson, director of award-winning films such as “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “There Will Be Blood”) is solely invested on playing to the ADHD crowd. There is not a camera held steady for more than 20 seconds and both the race and fight scenes are seemingly filmed by hiccup-plagued cameramen. To compensate, he fills the speakers with death-metal dirges designed solely to increase adrenaline or elicit spontaneous ear-bleeding. And atop this wreckage of twisted metal Allen is perched, barking out lines as though she was attempting to hold back the bile induced by even having her name affixed to it. Forget menacing, it would be a stretch if she even appeared interested during her minutes on screen. One can only hope that after the sobbing concludes, she can dust herself off and head back into roles the captivating actress so richly deserves.
]]>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:39:25 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog8/26/2008 2:39:25 PMI can only imagine what compromising pictures there must be floating out there of Joan Allen to get her to agree to a role in director Paul W.S. Anderson's car porn flick, &ldquo;Death Race.&rdquo; Granted, her role in the &ldquo;Bourne&rdquo; films was a supporting one, but this woman was thrice nominated for an Oscar. I mean, she's got to be more proud of starring in Saturday Night Live's &ldquo;The Best of Chris (Mr. Peepers) Kattan&rdquo; video than this. I know the argument: &ldquo;It's just pure fun, it's a Roger Corman film, for crying out loud. Loosen up, Mr. Stuffy Movie Critic Guy!&rdquo; And while I will admit to a few inventive scenes (the one prisoner's head that seemingly explodes when he gets plowed into was a nifty little effect. But the director must have thought so too, and decided to show it on three separate occasions), the overall effect is nothing that watching a 90-minute string of Mountain Dew (or whatever your &ldquo;Extreme&rdquo; beverage of choice) commercials on a loop. Sure, of Corman's 300-plus film credits, he's produced such titles as &ldquo;Attack of the Giant Leeches,&rdquo; &ldquo;Eat My Dust,&rdquo; &ldquo;Bloodfist&rdquo; and &ldquo;Chopping Mall.&rdquo; But in the original film, he was working with witty, subversive director Paul Bartel, who went on to direct the camp classics &ldquo;Eating Raoul&rdquo; and &ldquo;Lust in the Dust.&rdquo; &ldquo;The 1975 original stung with social commentary, from the rising tide of violence in professional sports to the Orwellian machinations of Big Brother inherent in the United States. As over-the-top as it was, &ldquo;Death Race 2000&rdquo; was at least about something. I suppose the new incarnation is as well. It's about 90 minutes. Other than that, there is little to recommend for anyone other than the most adamant auto enthusiast who reads &ldquo;Car &amp; Driver&rdquo; as if it were a &ldquo;Penthouse Forum&rdquo;: &ldquo;She had a dual-door, quad-wheel, semi-hemi-V8, stacked with a 440 Mopar and a body for gear-grinding glory! Yeah, baby! Say it slower!&rdquo; Jason Statham, who is contractually obligated to release his films in cinematic dust bowl known as late August, stars as Jensen Ames, a laid-off steelworker and devoted family man who coincidentally happens to be a one-time racing champ. I say &ldquo;coincidentally&rdquo; because it is only after Jensen is framed for the murder of his wife and imprisoned that we find out this little piece of exposition. Allen plays the icy warden of this futuristic prison, who is in dire need of a new driver for her popular &ldquo;Death Race&rdquo; television show that pits prisoners against one another buzzing around the facilities in &ldquo;Mad Max&rdquo; - like vehicles. One by one, prisoners meet their demise as Jensen, fueled by the rage of his predicament and the promise of release if he wins, eliminates the competition. This is the point in the review where I would list some of the supporting actors and the characters they portrayed, but, really, what's the point? Director Paul W.S. Anderson (who apparently added the initials so we would not confuse his oeuvre -- &ldquo;Alien vs. Predator,&rdquo; &ldquo;Mortal Kombat,&rdquo; &ldquo;Soldier&rdquo; -- with that of Paul Anderson, director of award-winning films such as &ldquo;Boogie Nights,&rdquo; &ldquo;Magnolia&rdquo; and &ldquo;There Will Be Blood&rdquo;) is solely invested on playing to the ADHD crowd. There is not a camera held steady for more than 20 seconds and both the race and fight scenes are seemingly filmed by hiccup-plagued cameramen. To compensate, he fills the speakers with death-metal dirges designed solely to increase adrenaline or elicit spontaneous ear-bleeding. And atop this wreckage of twisted metal Allen is perched, barking out lines as though she was attempting to hold back the bile induced by even having her name affixed to it. Forget menacing, it would be a stretch if she even appeared interested during her minutes on screen. One can only hope that after the sobbing concludes, she can dust herself off and head back into roles the captivating actress so richly deserves. http://www.spout.com/blogs/unclefestering/archive/2008/8/11/33885.aspx Post By: unclefestering
Post To: unclefestering Blog
Post Date: 8/11/2008 11:00:19 PM
Body: Eating Raoul is a black comedy of the sharpest kind. It is set in the last heyday of the sexual revolution and mocks both those who embraced that revolution fully as well as the prudish sensibilities of those who objected to it. This movie has a withering and ironic detachment to the story that adds a vicious bite to all the jokes. Paul and Mary Bland (real life couple Paul Bartell and Mary Woronov) hope to open a very classy restaurant, serving only the best food and they want to call it Chez Bland. They don’t have the money for the restaurant as they barely scrape by with Paul working at a cheap liquor store. Ever the wine snob, Paul often criticizes his customers’ choice in cheap wine, comparing it to lighter fluid. As well as being wine and food snobs, they are a very prudish couple, sleeping in separate beds like a 1950s sitcom couple. The apartment building they live in has been renting out to more and more swingers whom the Blands abhor for their lewdness and crassness. One night they invite a banker over to their apartment hoping that he’ll be impressed enough by their food and wine to grant them the business loan they need. Paul has to run out to get a last minute ingredient. While he is away, one of the swingers breaks into their apartment and attacks Mary. Paul kills the swinger with Mary’s best frying pan and they hide the body until after the dinner. Luckily, a locksmith/cat bugler, Raoul ( Robert Beltran) breaks in to their apartment as they are trying to dispose of the body. They discover that with Raoul’s help they can make the money they need to finance their restaurant by killing swingers and selling their stuff. They really start to make out well, but how long can all three trust each other? The scenes of the prudish couple luring swingers into their home and attacking them really make this movie special. I love how, although they keep their prudish attitudes while they circulate in the swingers’ world, they are able to fully justify killing and robbing their victims. The humors isn’t detracted by knowing the ending and this movie justifies multiple viewings just to see how complexly layered the jokes really are.
]]>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:00:19 GMTunclefesteringunclefestering Blog8/11/2008 11:00:19 PMEating Raoul is a black comedy of the sharpest kind. It is set in the last heyday of the sexual revolution and mocks both those who embraced that revolution fully as well as the prudish sensibilities of those who objected to it. This movie has a withering and ironic detachment to the story that adds a vicious bite to all the jokes. Paul and Mary Bland (real life couple Paul Bartell and Mary Woronov) hope to open a very classy restaurant, serving only the best food and they want to call it Chez Bland. They don&rsquo;t have the money for the restaurant as they barely scrape by with Paul working at a cheap liquor store. Ever the wine snob, Paul often criticizes his customers&rsquo; choice in cheap wine, comparing it to lighter fluid. As well as being wine and food snobs, they are a very prudish couple, sleeping in separate beds like a 1950s sitcom couple. The apartment building they live in has been renting out to more and more swingers whom the Blands abhor for their lewdness and crassness. One night they invite a banker over to their apartment hoping that he&rsquo;ll be impressed enough by their food and wine to grant them the business loan they need. Paul has to run out to get a last minute ingredient. While he is away, one of the swingers breaks into their apartment and attacks Mary. Paul kills the swinger with Mary&rsquo;s best frying pan and they hide the body until after the dinner. Luckily, a locksmith/cat bugler, Raoul ( Robert Beltran) breaks in to their apartment as they are trying to dispose of the body. They discover that with Raoul&rsquo;s help they can make the money they need to finance their restaurant by killing swingers and selling their stuff. They really start to make out well, but how long can all three trust each other? The scenes of the prudish couple luring swingers into their home and attacking them really make this movie special. I love how, although they keep their prudish attitudes while they circulate in the swingers&rsquo; world, they are able to fully justify killing and robbing their victims. The humors isn&rsquo;t detracted by knowing the ending and this movie justifies multiple viewings just to see how complexly layered the jokes really are. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/comedy/MemberTagFilms.aspxcomedy
Number of films tagged: 1086

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]]>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:43:54 GMT221424Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/laugh/MemberTagFilms.aspxlaugh
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