4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Today is Francis Ford Coppola’s birthday! Coppola is a bit of a controversial figure among some film scholars. While everyone agrees that, with the first two Godfathers, he directed two of the greatest films of all time (and some people would include Apocalypse Now on that list as well) and that he was one of the most important directors of the 70s, his post-Apocalypse Now career is often held up as a cautionary tale. Some say that Coppola’s career suffered because of his own excessive behavior and spending. Others argue that he was treated unfairly by a film industry that resented his refusal to compromise his vision and ambitions. Personally, my natural instinct is to always side with the artist over the executives and that’s certainly the case with Coppola. Coppola has only completed five films since the start of this current century and three of them were not widely released. Say what you will about the films themselves, that still doesn’t seem right. For the record, I liked Megalopolis when I saw it but I don’t remember much about it now.
Regardless of how one views his latter career, Coppola is responsible for some of the best and most important films ever made. And today, on his birthday, it’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Francis Ford Coppola Films
The Godfather (1972, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)
The Conversation (1974, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Bill Butler)
The Godfather Part II (1974, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Gordon Willis)
Apocalypse Now (1979, dir by Francis Ford Coppola, DP: Vittorio Storaro)
In 1963, teenage Richie Gennaro (Ken Wahl) may not be much of a high school student but he’s the coolest kid on his block. He’s the leader of the Wanderers, an Italian-American street gang. Among his friends are the neurotic Joey (John Friedrich), Turkey (Alan Rosenberg), and Perry (Tony Ganios — yes, Meat from Porky’s), who has just moved to the Bronx but whose height and ability to fight makes him a key member of the Wanderers. Richie dating Despie (Toni Kalem), the daughter of the local mob boss (Dolph Sweet). However, when Richie meets Nina (Karen Allen), he wonders if there’s something more out there than just spending the rest of his days in the Bronx.
Based on a novel by Richard Price, The Wanderers has always been overshadowed by 1979’s other big gang movie, The Warriors. That’s too bad because they’re both great films. Walter Hill has always said that he envisioned The Warriors as being set in the near-future. The Wanderers, on the other hand, is very much a film about the past. An episodic movie that is more about capturing a time and a place as opposed to telling a traditional story, The Wanderers portrays 1963 with a mix of nostalgia and realism. The soundtrack is heavy with early rock and roll. There’s a scene where Richie sees a group of adults crying as they watch the coverage of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Nina listens to Bob Dylan at a coffeehouse and the local mob boss is a fan of The Hustler. But for Richie and his friends, adulthood is something to be put off for as long as possible. Life is about wearing their jackets, giving each other a hard time, trying to get lucky, trying not get slapped upside their heads by their parents, and preparing for the big football game against a rival gang. When a Marine recruiter tricks the members of one gang into enlisting, it’s a big deal to Richie because he no longer has to worry about being harassed by them. Those of us watching, however, know that Vietnam is in thee future. Scenes of Richie and Joey joking around are combined with moments of sudden violence. For the most part, the Wanderers and their neighborhood rivals are amiable rivals but, take a wrong turn, and you might find yourself being chased by the viscous Ducky Boys. For Richie, his life revolves around being a Wanderer but nothing can last forever and the film ends with a celebration that feels like a last hurrah for a changing world. Some will escape The Bronx and find a new world with new possibilities and new freedoms. There’s a particularly interesting subtext to the friendship of Perry and Joey, with the film ending on a subtle note that suggests that there’s more to their relationship than just being members of the same gang.
The end result is one of the best coming-of-age stories out there. Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Alan Rosenberg, and Tony Ganios all give excellent performances as the main Wanderers. Karen Allen and Toni Kalem are perfectly cast as the two women who represent Richie’s possible future. (The strip poker scene is a highlight.) Kalem’s Despie represents the Bronx while Allen’s Nina represents the world outside and the film treats both of them with respect. At first, Despite might seem like a stereotype but she soon proves herself to be more aware of what’s actually going on around her than anyone realized. Richie may like Nina but it’s hard to imagine him ever being truly happy away from his home.
The Wanderers deserves more attention than it has received over the years. It’s funny, touching, and sometimes scary. (The Ducky Boys, despite their name, will haunt you.) Wander over and watch it.
As a baseball fan, it feels like heresy to admit that it took me this long to watch The Natural. I had seen plenty of scenes from the film. I knew the music because there’s no way you can watch as much as baseball as I do without hearing it at least a few times every scene. I knew about Wonderboy and the big home run and how Roy Hobbs came out of nowhere to lead the perennially last-place New York Knights to the championship series but I had never actually watched the entire film from beginning to end.
Until this afternoon.
When the movie started, I was worried. Robert Redford plays Roy Hobbs, an outstanding hitter whose promising career appears to be over when a mysterious woman (Barbara Hersey) shoots him in the gut. At the start of the movie, Roy and his girlfriend Iris (Glenn Close) are supposed to be teenagers but Redford was nearly 50 and Glenn Close was close to 40. The whole point of the first part of the movie is that Roy and Iris are young and they have their whole future ahead of them but the actors were both clearly middle-aged. There was a scene where Roy strikes out the best batter in the league (Joe Don Baker) and the batter kept calling Roy a kid but Redford looked like he was older than Baker.
The good thing is that you only have to buy Redford as being a teenager for about 15 minutes. After he gets shot, Roy stops playing for several years. By the time Roy makes it to the major leagues, he’s supposed to be older than everyone else. No one gives Roy much of a chance when he’s first signed to the New York Knights. The other players (including Michael Madsen) don’t respect him and the manager (Wilford Brimley) refuses to play him. But when Roy Hobbs finally does get a chance to swing his home-made bat, he hits homer after homer. Roy is a natural, the next great player even if he is at an age when most players retire. A journalist (Robert Duvall) tries to uncover his background. A seductress (Kim Basinger) tries to lead him astray. A gambler (Darren McGavin) and the team’s owner (Robert Prosky) try to get him to throw the big game. Anyone who has watched a baseball game knows how it ends because we’ve all heard the music and seen that clip. But even if everyone knows how the story concludes, it’s impossible not to cheer when Roy gets a hit and to feel bad when he takes a strike. Redford may have been old for a baseball player but he looked good out there, swinging that bat and throwing that ball.
I loved The Natural. It’s extremely sentimental movie. Sometimes, it feels old-fashioned. That’s perfect for baseball, though. Baseball is a sentimental, old-fashioned game and the story of Roy Hobbs is what baseball is all about. The Knights are behind for most of the season. Roy hits a slump. But neither he nor the team ever give up because they know that baseball is a game of endurance. It’s not like football, where you just have to win 9 games to make it to the playoffs. Baseball is about never giving up, no matter what the score is. Even the movie’s supernatural aspects — the sudden storms, a lightning bolt hitting a tree and creating Wonderboy, and even Glenn Close looking like an angel in the stands — work because baseball is a mystical sport. It’s the closest thing we have to a spiritual sport.
You couldn’t make a movie like The Natural about football or basketball. Only the game of baseball could have given us The Natural.
2010’a Groupie tells the story of the Dark Knights.
The Dark Knights are a legendary band with devoted fans. I’m not sure why because, from what we hear of their music, they really suck. I don’t mean that they suck in a funny deliberate way, like Spinal Tap. I mean, they literally suck. Maybe some of their popularity has to do with their habit of setting their lead singer on fire during their performances.
Unfortunately, during one performance, the fire gets out of control. There’s a panic in the club. A 16 year-old fan is stomped to death. A year later, The Dark Knights are ready to launch their comeback tour. And they’ve got a new groupie, Riley (Taryn Manning)! Riley likes to make death masks. Well, I guess everyone needs a hobby. Riley is also the sister of the fan who was stomped to death. She’s looking for revenge against the Dark Knights and their manager, Angus (Eric Roberts).
That this film appears to be based on a real-life tragedy (i.e. the Station Nightclub Fire) gives the whole film are rather icky sheen. Also adding to the film’s oddness is how straight-forward it is. Riley shows up. A mysterious killer strikes. Riley appears to be the killer and, hey — she is the killer! There’s no real attempt to create any sort of suspense or misdirection as to who the killer may be. That said, Taryn Manning is entertainingly unhinged and director Mark L. Lester keeps the action moving quickly.
As far as Eric Roberts is concerned, he plays a pretty sleazy character but he does so with good humor. Indeed, it’s hard not to have sympathy for Angus. While the band is busy setting things on fire, he’s the one who keeps the tour bus moving.
Previous Eric Roberts Films That We Have Reviewed:
Hi, everyone! Tonight, on twitter, I will be hosting one of my favorite films for #MondayMania! Join us for 2016’s The Perfect Stalker!
You can find the movie on Prime and Tubi and then you can join us on twitter at 9 pm central time! (That’s 10 pm for you folks on the East Coast.) See you then!
Happy birthday to the one and only, Billy Dee Williams!
I remember the first time I watched The Empire Strikes Back, I was shocked when Lando betrayed his friend Han Solo. Luckily, Lando was able to later redeem himself but the Cloud City betrayal scene remains one of the best moments in the original Star Wars trilogy.
4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Happy birthday to Baltimore’s own Barry Levinson!
4 Shots From 4 Barry Levison Films
Diner (1982, directed by Barry Levinson, DP: Peter Sova)
Tin Men (1987, directed by Barry Levinson, DP: Peter Sova)
Avalon (1990, directed by Barry Levinson, DP: Allen Daviau)
Liberty Heights (1999, directed by Barry Levison, DP: Christopher Doyle)
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in hosting a few weekly live tweets on twitter and occasionally Mastodon. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of Mastodon’s #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We snark our way through it.
Tonight, for #MondayActionMovie, the film will be 1991’s The Hitman!
It should make for a night of fun viewing and I invite all of you to join in. If you want to join the live tweets, just hop onto Mastodon, find the movie on YouTube and hit play at 8 pm et, and use the #MondayActionMovie hashtag! The watch party community is a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
Undercover Brother is exactly the kind of movie that earns the phrase “guilty pleasure.” It is messy, broad, and often ridiculous, but it is also packed with enough energy, attitude, and sharp-enough satire to make its flaws feel like part of the joke rather than dealbreakers. The result is a comedy that may not always land cleanly, but it absolutely understands its own vibe and commits to it hard.
At the center of it all is Eddie Griffin, who gives the title character a big, swaggering, old-school cool that carries the movie through its shaggier patches. He plays Undercover Brother as a throwback spy hero with a giant Afro, loud fashion sense, and nonstop confidence, and that exaggerated persona is a big reason the film works as well as it does. Griffin’s performance is not subtle, but subtlety is not really the point here; he sells the movie’s cartoonish energy without making it feel lazy.
What makes Undercover Brother more than just a random parody is how committed it is to poking at both blaxploitation iconography and mainstream spy-movie clichés. The film was directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written from material based on John Ridley’s earlier animated series, and it leans into that satirical roots-and-gadgets formula with a lot of style. It clearly wants to be playful, but it also wants to say something about race, image, and the way Black identity gets packaged or watered down in pop culture.
That said, the movie is not exactly a model of precision. Some of the jokes are sharp and immediate, while others feel like they are still revving the engine long after the punchline should have arrived. The plot is basically an excuse to move from one set piece to another, and the film knows it, which helps, but it also means the whole thing can feel more like a high-speed sketch comedy than a fully shaped story. If you go in expecting airtight narrative logic, you will probably be annoyed; if you go in wanting a fast, funky send-up, you will have a much better time.
The supporting cast gives the movie a lot of its flavor. Dave Chappelle, Aunjanue Ellis, Billy Dee Williams, Chris Kattan, Denise Richards, and Neil Patrick Harris all add to the film’s chaotic mix, and the casting itself becomes part of the joke. Billy Dee Williams especially feels perfectly placed in a movie that is constantly riffing on cool, style, and old-school charisma, while Denise Richards gets a knowingly exaggerated role that plays into the film’s cartoonish battle between seduction and resistance.
What helps Undercover Brother age a little better than some early-2000s comedies is that it is not just throwing random nonsense at the screen for cheap laughs. There is a genuine satirical target here, and even when the movie gets clumsy, it still feels like it has a point of view. The movie clearly aims to be both goofy and observant, and even when the balance is uneven, it is hard not to appreciate the effort.
The best thing about Undercover Brother is its attitude. It moves like a movie that wants to be loud, stylish, and a little bit too much, and that confidence gives it a strange charm. The humor is often broad, sometimes cartoonish, and occasionally uneven, but the film’s willingness to fully commit to its bit makes it easy to forgive a lot. Even when the satire is more enthusiastic than elegant, the movie keeps its foot on the gas, and that momentum is a big part of its appeal.
Its biggest weakness is also the thing that makes it memorable: the movie can feel overstuffed with ideas, references, and gags, some of which work better than others. A few jokes feel a little dated now, and the film’s style of satire is not always as clean or as clever as it seems to think it is. Still, the movie has enough bite, personality, and goofy confidence that those rough edges become part of its charm instead of sinking it. That is the hallmark of a true guilty pleasure: you can see the flaws clearly, but you keep smiling anyway.
So Undercover Brother is not a perfect comedy, and it is not trying to be one. It is loud, silly, politically aware in a very pop-movie way, and shamelessly committed to its own funk. If you want polish, you will find plenty to criticize; if you want a movie with attitude, quotable energy, and the kind of swagger that makes its imperfections oddly lovable, this one delivers. It is a flawed satire, sure, but it is also a genuinely fun one, and that is why it still plays like a guilty pleasure worth revisiting.
In 2023’s If I Can’t Have You, Michelle (Bailey Kai) is the host of the hottest late night radio show in town but she’s been getting creepy phone calls from someone identifying himself as Curtis. Michelle and her producer (Gina Haraizumi) can’t get get any help from the cops (played by Jackee Harry and Tracy Nelson) so they decide to investigate on their own.
Who is Michelle’s stalker? Could it be the creepy guy (Michael Pare) who lives next door? Could it be their geeky engineer, Keith (Phillip McElroy)? Could it be Stan (Eric Roberts), the owner of the radio station who seems to be really determined to get them to change their time slot? Or could it be just some other random guy with too much time on his hands?
To give credit where credit is due, director David DeCoteau does manage to generate some suspense as to who the stalker actually is. I wouldn’t say I was exactly shocked when the stalker’s identity was revealed but DeCoteau still did a good job of giving us plenty of suspects to consider. That said, this is still a David DeCoteau film and the real pleasure of the film is spotting all of the standard DeCoteauisms. In this case, Joe’s Restaurant — previously seen in The Wrong Mr. Right — makes a return appearance.
In the end, this one isn’t as much fun as DeCoteau’s “Wrong” films. There’s no Vivica A. Fox saying, “Looks like you suspected the Wrong Stalker.” Still, it’s entertaining enough and Eric Roberts appears to have been in a good mood during filming.
Previous Eric Roberts Films That We Have Reviewed:
Through the Shattered Lens 