Film Review: SHAKES THE CLOWN (1991, Bobcat Goldthwait)

Stars: 3.75 of 5.
Running Time: 87 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Bobcat Goldthwait, Tom Kenny (HOW I GOT INTO COLLEGE, the voice of SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS), Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Kathy Griffin, Julie Brown (BLOODY BIRTHDAY, EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY), Paul Dooley (DEATH WISH, SIXTEEN CANDLES), Florence Henderson, LaWanda Page (ZAPPED!, Aunt Esther on SANFORD AND SON). Costumes by Stephen M. Chudej (WEDLOCK, RAISING ARIZONA, TAPEHEADS, ANGEL TOWN).
Tag-line: "Loved by children. Desired by women. Adored by bartenders everywhere."
Best one-liner: "You didn't see nothing old man. We're just five happy party clowns, sitting down to a plate of beef. White, powdery, beef." or maybe "Shakes- take a bath, will ya?"

Shakes the Clown. SHAKES THE CLOWN. He's here, he's in your space, he's in your face, he's crashin' at your place, and it's just too late to do anything about it. He already drank half your beers, soiled your sheets, and has intimately acquainted himself with your lavatory. I guess this is par for the course when you live in Palookaville, U.S.A. and choose to tussle with the crass, colorful, 'n caddish clown cliques. But Shakes is the best of 'em. He's our hero.

MYTH: To quote Martin Scorsese (!), SHAKES THE CLOWN is the CITIZEN KANE of substance-abusing clown movies.
FACT: SHAKES THE CLOWN is the FRANKENHOOKER or substance-abusing clown movies.

Taking place in an irreverent, psuedo-noirish universe, SHAKES THE CLOWN is Bobcat Goldthwait's satire on the catty cabal that was L.A.'s stand-up comedy scene in the late 80's and early 90's, though I feel as if it could certainly be applied to just about any bitchy subculture, with in-crowds, unnecessary intrigue, watery self-importance, and behavior becoming of twelve-year-old girls. Shakes (Bobcat himself) is having a hard time dealing with the pressure, the drama, the drug abuse, the schoolyard antics- and so he lives on the fringe, an alcoholic clown with low self-esteem and a penchant for swirling around the bottom of the barrel.

Our film begins with a dog- clad in a paper party hat- scarfing down some congealed, day-old pizza as a record skips interminably in the background. A floozy (Florence Henderson!) with smeared lipstick and a torn slip is passed out on a couch amidst a sea of empty beer bottles.

And is that a lei?

A groggy child wanders by on his way to the bathroom, and, failing to espy Shakes' comatose body on the tiled floor, lets loose with a stream of urine which, naturally, showers Shakes' face in a demeaning, grotesque display.

You are on the same page as Shakes- distraught, befuddled, wondering how it's come to this. We're less than two minutes in, Shakes is hitting the bottle, and you don't blame him. You can't blame him. What a world. Next, he's applying his whiteface in a ramshackle, yellowed gas station restroom, ready to zip off to some kid's birthday party. A game of hide-and-go-seek becomes an opportunity to raid the liquor cabinet.

It's like a circus-tinged version of WITHNAIL & I. In an era where comedies were becoming a little too self-aware, too awkwardly 'dark,' and too self-congratulatory, SHAKES THE CLOWN is that rare early 90's black comedy that (mostly) works! Though Bobcat is not above introducing the occasional groan-inducing misfire of a joke or setpiece, it's imbued with a genuine slice-of-life sincerity that sees it through.

You want zany saxophone action? You got it. You want a brutal double low-blow delivered to nettlesome clown flunkies? Comin' right up.

You want Kathy Griffin? A peculiar request, but SHAKES THE CLOWN is ready and willing to oblige you.

You want clown-on-mime violence? All yours. Paul Dooley beaten to death by dope-addled clowns? Knock yourself out. One-liners like, "I bet you were a big hit in lock-up...your checkered pants around your ankles..." We aim to please. THIS tableau?:

It's all here. How generous of you, SHAKES THE CLOWN- you're a veritable cornucopia of clown-related oddities and horrors.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe: "Everybody loves a clown...so why don't I?" Shakes spends a great deal of the film hanging with his buddies (including a surprisingly bearable 1991 Adam Sander!) and deflecting their attempts at intervention. On one such occasion, while touring the town in a convertible, Shakes deflects their admonishment by offering everyone beers, which leads to a Kenny Loggins-style montage set to a tune named "Me and the Boys" (See also: TOP GUN's "Playin' with the Boys").


Again and again, he's confronted regarding his alcohol problem and diffuses the situation by offering dudes beers, or by raising a toast to sobriety.

Then, despite mounting obstacles relating to substance abuse, Shakes is framed for the murder of a mentor by Tom Kenny's diabolical Binky, which leads to Shakes' undercover stint as a mime aerobics instructor alongside (again, surprisingly bearable for 1991) Robin Williams who went uncredited in his typically loopy role.

Possibly the only scene in film history to combine these two favorite diversions: Bobcat Goldthwait and PERFECT.

But I must take a moment to speak about Tom Kenny's performance as the villainous Binky.

The man, usually confined to voice-over roles (like SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS), is a very physical actor with a great look- clearly he was destined to one day play a venemous clown baddie. And he plays it with ghoulish, snakelike, irresistible aplomb- tossing knives, doin' dope, and laughing boisterously for the duration. He is the self-assured, monstrously Machiavellian clown of your nightmares- so get ready for some sleepless nights.

The technical elements are very strong, too: Stephen M. Chudej's candy-colored costume design heightens the almost otherworldliness of this noirish carnival, Bobby Bukowski and Elliot Davis' cinematography is as wide-angled and disorienting as an inebriate clown's night on the town, and Tom Scott's musical score is sax-heavy and down n' dirty (or is that redundant?).

And in one final side note, I must point out a detail which I really appreciated- during the "This is a rodeo clown bar, and you ain't rodeo clowns!" scene, the sign at the bar- 'The Broken Saddle' is accentuated by an actual man in a barrel, raising and lowering himself mechanically so as to appear like an animatronic.

It adds the proper bit of eerie, Lynchian flair to the scene and really pulls it all together. Anyway- and make sure you're sitting down, I suppose- for the reasons I've outlined, I have to give SHAKES THE CLOWN nearly four stars. Let the outcry commence!

-Sean Gill

Film Review: O.C. AND STIGGS (1985, Robert Altman)

Stars: 2.5 of 5.
Running Time: 109 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Daniel Jenkins (GLORY, CRADLE WILL ROCK), Neill Barry (AMITYVILLE 3-D, FATAL BEAUTY), Paul Dooley (DEATH WISH, TALES OF THE CITY), Jon Cryer (PRETTY IN PINK, GLAM), Ray Walston (THE APARTMENT, EERIE INDIANA), Cynthia Nixon (SEX AND THE CITY, TANNER '88), Victor Ho (Hill's CROSSROADS, Kitano's BROTHER), Melvin van Peebles (SWEET SWEETBACK'S BADASSS SONG, WATERMELON MAN), King Sunny Ade and Bob Uecker as themselves, Nina Van Pallandt (AMERICAN GIGOLO, THE LONG GOODBYE), Martin Mull (CLUE, FM, 'Gene Parmesan' on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), Jane Curtin (THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN, CONEHEADS), and a very special appearance by Dennis Hopper.
Tag-lines: "A Robert Altman Film."
Best one-liner: "Loud, real loud. It has to generate a terrifyingly seismic field of noise. If we could combine really loud noise with the ugliness of poverty, we'd have the ideal car."

Disturbed by the popularity of hollow teen fare and Reagan consumerism, Robert Altman deigned to make his very own juvenile 80's romp- the idea being that it would be a scathing send-up of the films which were currently all the rage.



Unfortunately, the script and the execution, based on a NATIONAL LAMPOON article entitled "The Utterly Monstrous Mind-Roasting Summer of O.C. and Stiggs," are disastrous, and, based upon popular opinion, it's not the fault of the source material. Furthermore, our two leads, Neill Barry and Daniel Jenkins, though basically designed to be unlikable, are simply insufferable. I couldn't help but keep wishing that I were watching, say, James LeGros and Anthony Edwards, who actually would've been perfect in the roles:

Am I right or am I right?

In terms of actual content, the film is a series of malicious yet dopey pranks (beginning with the MGM lion whimpering "oooceee...stigggs" instead of its usual roar) perpetuated by O.C. and Stiggs, first upon a bourgeois family who have wronged them, and later upon Western civilization in general. The customary satirical barbs are flung primarily at targets such as menopause, insurance salesmen, and kitschy lawn decor. A typical groan-inducing joke within O.C. & STIGGS would be the following:
"It was the last case that gramps had before he retired... she got off with a hung jury."
–"They hung the whole jury?"
...

"It failed quite successfully," later mused Altman, and I must agree with the master that it is one of the weakest- if not the weakest film he ever made. (Feel free to debate the merits of QUINTET, BEYOND THERAPY, POPEYE, and DR. T & THE WOMEN in the comments section). Curiously, Altman admits in the DVD's special features that he would often have friends over who would want to watch 'an Altman film' while they were hanging out at his place– and often, according to the man himself, these (hopefully booze-soaked and wisecracking) guests would request to see O.C. AND STIGGS. Go figure.

Despite it all, great swathes of O.C. AND STIGGS remain fairly watchable. And most of the actors, from the effervescent young Cynthia Nixon to the crusty Paul Dooley to the dweeby Jon Cryer to the dipsomaniacal (she's got a flask in her oven mitt!) Jane Curtin, acquit themselves accordingly. So allow me to explain in detail a few of the elements which prevent this flick from becoming one of the absolute worst of the 1980's:


#1. "We need some brain-powered liquor!" Melvin Van Peebles is 'Wino Bob,' our dynamic duo's number one booze connection, who, coincidentally, lives in the oleander bushes behind the local 7-11.

One exchange where he describes the dangers of being snuck up upon by 'Sneaky Pete Wine,' is particularly illuminating. He explains that Abe Lincoln embarked upon a serious Sneaky Pete binge the evening before signing the Emancipation Proclamation, but when reality set in, there was the inevitable "Whutttt? I freed the who?!..." It's a true-to-form Peebles moment that, unlike most of the satire here, actually hits its mark.

#2. Dennis Hopper as 'Dennis Hopper in APOCALYPSE NOW.'

I guess 1985 was a big year for Hopper to repeat past performances (he also appeared in MY SCIENCE PROJECT as his character from EASY RIDER). While playing 'Ride of the Valkyries' over footage of helicopters is the laziest form of parody, Hopper himself never ceases to amuse. At one point, he hands a teen a grenade- "This is real!" exclaims the kiddie. "Everything gets to be, sooner or later," murmurs Hopper in that inimitable, whacked-out way which he is wont to do.

#3. Ray Walston enthusiastically muttering phrases like "God-damn huevos!"

This pretty much speaks for itself.

#4. MONSTER TRUCKS

I really can never say anything bad about monster trucks. Or regular trucks made to resemble monster trucks. Monster trucks're good. I like monster trucks.

#5. Martin Mull, AKA... the show-stopper.

For about three glorious minutes, this becomes a five-star movie, and it's all thanks to the moneyed, tiki-swigging bastard played by Mull. O.C. and Stiggs wander into his nouveau riche, island-themed backyard and find themselves in a bizarre alternate universe run by the Captain Ron of sweatshop owners. "Have a double or a triple," Mull commands, whilst offering umbrella drinks- "There are no singles here." Rules to live by, Mr. Mull. He then reclines in his plush 80's basement furniture and pontificates, "I wonder what the poor people are doing tonight..." He allows the comment to settle into the tranquil night air. "I know where 634 of them are gonna be Monday morning... working in my sweatshop." Alright, Mr. Mull- you just earned this movie an extra star.

So, in the end, O.C. AND STIGGS cannot be labeled an utter failure. In fact, as per these highlights, it could be categorized as a 'fragmentary success.' And perhaps nowhere else does the film succeed more than in convincing the viewer it's in their best interests to avoid the 110-degree, sun-bleached, bilious, gelatinous ignominies of Phoenix, Arizona...

Two and a half stars.

-Sean Gill

Television Review: TALES OF THE CITY (1993, Alastair Reid)

Stars: 5 of 5.
Running Time: 360 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Laura Linney (ABSOLUTE POWER, MYSTIC RIVER, THE TRUMAN SHOW), Olympia Dukakis (MOONSTRUCK, DEATH WISH, SISTERS), Donald Moffat (THE THING, ALAMO BAY), Chloe Webb (SID AND NANCY, GHOSTBUSTERS II, TWINS), Marcus D'Amico (SUPERMAN II, 'Hand Job' in FULL METAL JACKET), Billy Campbell (THE ROCKETEER, Coppola's DRACULA), Thomas Gibson (EYES WIDE SHUT, 'Greg' on DHARMA & GREG), Paul Gross (MEN WITH BROOMS, COLD COMFORT), Barbara Garrick (THE ICE STORM, THE FIRM, DOTTIE GETS SPANKED), Rod Steiger (DUCK YOU SUCKER, John Flynn's THE SERGEANT, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT), Robert Downey Sr., County Joe McDonald (of Country Joe and the Fish), Parker Posey, Paul Bartel, Ian McKellen, Mary Kay Place, Karen Black, Michael Jeter (TRUE CRIME, JURASSIC PARK III), Stanley DeSantis (THE AVIATOR, BOOGIE NIGHTS), Marissa Ribisi, Janeane Garofelo, and many others. Based on the book by Armistead Maupin. Cinematography by Walt Lloyd (KAFKA; SEX, LIES, & VIDEOTAPE; PUMP UP THE VOLUME, TO SLEEP WITH ANGER).
Best one-liner: "Come on, and try not looking like Tricia Nixon reviewing the troops."

"We don't have people like her in Cleveland." –"Too bad for Cleveland!"
Capturing 1970's San Francisco with genuine loving care and paying no heed to the social mores of standard network broadcasting, TALES OF THE CITY arrived on the scene in 1993 to critical praise and a fair amount of controversy (it was funded by Channel 4 and televised in the U.S. on PBS). I've watched it many times over, and I'm unsure if a series has ever quite so wonderfully, wistfully, and mystically captured the experience of moving to a big city and spreading your wings. TALES OF THE CITY is life in transition–

Mary Ann Singleton (Laura Linney) comes all the way from Ohio to emerge from her chrysalis: she becomes an independent young woman of her own construction- adapting and absorbing, but never mimicking, never losing her sense of self (or her housecoat that looks like a mattress cover!):

Note housecoat.

Mona Ramsey (Chloe Webb, in an electrifying performance) has lived in San Francisco long enough to traverse her life with complete confidence and quaalude-tempered charm, but recently she's been thirsting for something more, maybe even that house in Pacific Heights…or perhaps she’d settle for a few dear friends:

Webb and Marcus D'Amico's Michael Tolliver polish off some Chinese takeout.


Edgar Halcyon (the lovably gruff Donald Moffat) finds himself nearing death.

Years of inhibitions have calcified like a disease, and he yearns for one final last (or is it the first?) affair de coeur before he's just a heap of moldering dust.

These characters (and many more- from Thomas Gibson's leering scamp:

to Marcus D'Amico's cheerful Florida boy to Billy Campbell's earnest gynecologist:

to Paul Gross' self-possessed waiter to Barbara Garrick's meandering high society wife in crisis to Stanley De Santis' awkward loner) all find themselves affected, in one way or another, by the epicenter of it all: Miss Anna Madrigal of 28 Barbary Lane (played with tranquil aplomb by the devoted, maternal Olympia Dukakis).

With all of these beings (and even the era itself) in transition, Madrigal becomes their guardian, their friend, and their icon- representing the human ability to break free of one's self-imposed limitations and redefine oneself, to build a community. There’s a spiritual element to it all, with Madrigal’s parable of lost Atlantis and her desire to congregate like-minded individuals, but there’s a profound goofiness as well, from Parker Posey’s Snoopy-obsessed party girl:

to Karen Black as herself (at a fat farm!) to Paul Bartel & Ian McKellen as the height of snobbery:

The height of snobbery and loving it.

to Mary Kay Place’s ludicrous roundtable.


The work explodes with these juxtapositions- profundity and disco; tourist hotspots and dubious holes-in-the-wall; dance competitions and suicide hotlines; epochal, life-changing events and casual conversations struck up at the supermaket; serious, kitchen-sink drama and an atmosphere that occasionally smacks of VERTIGO fused with ALICE IN WONDERLAND – and, as such, it's a true portrait of the city and a tribute to those irresistable souls who inhabit it…

-Sean Gill

Junta Juleil's Summer '10 Movie Series
1. HELL IN THE PACIFIC (1968, John Boorman)
2. KUFFS (1992, Bruce A. Evans)
3. THE OUTFIT (1973, John Flynn)

4. FOR Y'UR HEIGHT ONLY (1981, Eddie Nicart)

5. A*P*E (1976, Paul Leder)

6. BLIND FURY (1989, Philip Noyce)
7. HIS KIND OF WOMAN (1951, John Farrow)
8. HIGH SCHOOL U.S.A. (1983, Rod Amateau)
9. DR. JEKYLL AND MS. HYDE (1995, David Price)
10. MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (1997, Clint Eastwood)
11. 1990: BRONX WARRIORS (1982, Enzo G. Castellari)
12. FALLING DOWN (1993, Joel Schumacher)
13. TOURIST TRAP (1979, David Schmoeller)
14. THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1973, Richard Lester)
15. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986, John Carpenter)
16. TOP GUN (1986, Tony Scott)
17. 48 HRS. (1982, Walter Hill)
18. ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (2003, Robert Rodriguez)
19. TALES OF THE CITY (1993, Alastair Reid)
20. ...

Film Review: DEATH WISH (1974, Michael Winner)

Stars: 5 of 5. Running Time: 93 minutes. Notable Cast or Crew: Charles Bronson (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, RIDER ON THE RAIN, MR. MAJESTYK, HARD TIMES), Hope Lange (BLUE VELVET, PEYTON PLACE, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2), Vincent Gardenia (THE HUSTLER, 80's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS), William Redfield (Dale in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST), Jeff Goldblum, music by Herbie Hancock. Tag-lines: "Vigilante, city style -Judge, Jury, and Executioner." Best one-liner: "I'm listening to the weather report - why haven't you found my dog - he's vital to my income - he paints such marvelous pictures with his paws!" Best anecdote: After shooting wrapped on THE STONE KILLER, Bronson and Winner wanted to collaborate again, and discussed future projects. "What do we do next?" asked Bronson. "The best script I've got is DEATH WISH. It's about a man whose wife and daughter are mugged and he goes out and shoots muggers," said Winner. "I'd like to do that," Bronson said. "The film?" inquired Winner. Bronson replied, "No . . . shoot muggers."


"Man, check out that mild-mannered little architect."

"Look at 'im. He can hardly lift those groceries. C'mon guys, I'm gonna mug 'im."


I guess, in a way, that's the fundamental flaw of this picture––the idea that anyone would think they could take on Charles Bronson, groceries or no.

Though supposedly an Italian once tried it, attempting to rob him at gunpoint. Bronson later said of the incident, "I am not a Casper Milquetoast. A guy in broken English asked me for money. I said, 'You give ME money.' He turned around and walked away." Regardless of that story's veracity, or the strength of the concept (that hoodlums would try to mug Bronson), this is an entertaining time at the movies... with Spillane-style fascist-apologetic undertones. Here's some actual dialogue:

"Oh Christ, you are such a bleeding-heart liberal, Paul."
–"My heart bleeds a little for the underprivileged, yes."
"The underprivileged are beating our goddamned brains out. You know what I say? Stick them in concentration camps, that's what I say."

Ummm... WHUTTTTTT?! Somehow its reactionary political leanings are reconciled by the fact that there's so much cathartic fun to be had watching Bronson do his thing. No one can deny that. Combine that with a super-young Jeff Goldblum as Freak #1 (see him also menace Bronson in ST. IVES), Vincent Gardenia in the now-cliched role of 'cop begrudgingly impressed by vigilante,' and a groovin' soundtrack by Herbie Hancock, and you've got yourself a bona fide classic. Followed by FOUR sequels of increasingly deranged (Cannon Films) quality and literally thousands of rip-offs (MS. 45 probably being the best), DEATH WISH's punch-in-the-guts impact is undeniable

Tangent: And the final scene reveals that a 'forefinger and thumb gun' battle between Bronson and Eastwood would be extremely satisfying:

Look at that smile. The wink! You want it? You got it!


Conversely, Clint takes no pleasure from this.


But hey, now we're gettin' classy, too! I don't think Bronson can top that.


Whoa! I have been rendered speechless. My mind races with the possibilities of a 'Charles Bronson Album.' What if Bronson and Eastwood had recorded 'Beers to You' together, instead of Ray Charles and Eastwood? So many unanswered questions. I'm not sure I can declare a winner at this point. Stay tuned.

COMING SOON: Reviews of DEATH WISHES 2-5. And more on the Bronson/Eastwood rivalry.