Blu Under Ten: Joseph Gordon Levitt ties the knot in 'HOLY MATRIMONY'

   This weekend, one of the films I've been looking forward to all year, LOOPER, hits cinemas. In honor of Joseph Gordon Levitt, who plays a younger version of Bruce Willis through the magic of makeup and vocal impersonation, I thought it would be fun to look back at one of Levitt's earliest film roles in a movie that can be had on Blu Ray for just five bucks on Amazon.

   HOLY MATRIMONY came out all the way back in 1994, and then quickly fell out of the public consciousness. Not because it was a terrible film, but because it was one of those films that just kind of existed. Directed by everyone's favorite Vulcan, Leonard Nimoy (sorry Kirstie Alley), the film told the story of two thieves hiding out in a Hutterite community in Alberta.

   The wannabe Bonnie and Clyde, played by Patricia Arquette (very much in her hotness prime) and Tate Donovan, steal a large sum of money from the carnival they both work at and have big plans to move to Hollywood. First, however, they have to lay low until the heat dies down. Fortunately, Donovan's character Peter is a former Hutterite so they decide to go back to his home - a small farming commune that is ruled by strict religious tradition.

   From the outset, Arquette's character Havana is looked down upon by the stodgy traditionalists. Whereas they are all modest, simple folk, she is a very modern material girl. Her midriff shirt and short shorts stand in stark contrast to their modest handmade dresses. She is definitely the proverbial fish out of water, and this is what a lot of the film's initial humor derives from.

   In order to stay, Peter has to convince the town elders that he and Havana are husband and wife. His uncle Wilhelm (Armin Mueller Stahl) is somewhat displeased with his nephew's choice in bride, but after a traditional Hutterite wedding ceremony the pair are welcomed into the community. Peter hides the money under a baseboard, and they try to live the Hutterite life, much to Havana's chagrin.

   She's not the only one who hates the new arrangement, though. Peter's little brother, Ezekiel, is happy his brother has returned home, but is distrustful of the girl from the outside world. He finds her immodesty challenging, and often faints in her presence. Joseph Gordon Levitt is very good in the role, and is quite amusing in his disdain for Havana.

   One day, after going into town for ice cream, Peter flips his car, throwing Ezekiel from the vehicle and killing Peter. Havana decides to take the money and run, but, alas, she doesn't know where Peter stashed it. Then, Wilhelm and the elders present her with one of their quirkier traditions.

  Apparently, when a Hutterite man dies and leaves a childless wife behind, tradition dictates that she must marry his brother. She can refuse to wed the twelve year old Ezekiel, but then she must leave the community (and the hidden money) behind. She agrees to the arrangement, and the film takes a turn for originality in concept.

   A lot of the fun in this film comes from that odd conceit. Not only is she a modern girl forced to be subservient to her husband, she is bride to a nervous child who hates her. Things really take a turn when Ezekiel finds the money and uses it to make her fall in line, before discovering it was stolen and choosing to return it to make amends for his brother's sin.

   All considered, this is a decent film that never really rises above being merely charming. It's the kind of movie that you find playing on a local affiliate on a Sunday afternoon.

   The best parts are the interactions between Arquette and Levitt. Their situation seems like it could have been mined for more laughs, but it pulls a lot of punches - especially for a film that marketed itself as a "sexy comedy".

   Other than that, it was nice to get a glimpse into a little seen and often misunderstood North American sub culture. A lot of people mix up the Hutterites, the Mennonites, and the more famous Amish. The big difference between the three seems to be the varying levels of modern technologies they dabble with. While the Amish shun almost all modern conveniences, the Hutterites use certain things like mechanical farm equipment while still living simply. I think the film could have used a few scenes of clarifying exposition to make these differences clearer to the average audience.

   The Hutterite setting also gives the movie one if it's big drawbacks in the Germanic accents that are prevalent in the film. While Levitt and Stahl maintain their accents effectively, others (especially Tate Donovan) seem to fall in and out of theirs. There are times when the thick accents are a bit hard to understand, and the Blu Ray has no subtitles to help out in catching what some characters are saying.
 
   The only other real issue I have with the film is how underdeveloped the subplot of the FBI agent tracking Peter and Havana is. We get one initial scene of him taking the case, and then he is completely absent until he comes to the community near the end of the film. Just one more scene of him figuring out they went there would have given his character a little more weight. As it stands, he feels like a stock 90's brash cop archetype.

   There's a bit near the end that kind of gets my goat, too. It involves some of the worst impromptu fake laughing I've ever seen from a group of cops. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. It just comes off weird and reminds me of the end of JONNY QUEST episodes when everyone laughs at something Hadji says before going to credits.

   Overall, this movie is really only of interest to people wanting to see Levitt as a talented youngster, or wishing to see a bit of Hutterite culture. It's a cute little film, but it could have been better.

   The Blu Ray itself is very light on extras, by which I mean to say it has none at all. Just "Play Movie" and "Chapter Selection". A trailer, at least, would have been nice, but for five bucks I guess you can't always expect a lot.

   Anyone else remember this film? Did you find it charming and funny, or was it a waste of an hour and a half?

Previous "Blu Under Tens"
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Blazing Saddles

Blu Under Ten- MISSION IMPOSSIBLE : GHOST PROTOCOL is the Best of the Bunch!

 

    Recently, theater goers were treated to another movie in the Bourne franchise, THE BOURNE LEGACY. Those of us who spend too much time on movie news sites were then treated to a few weeks of the tired Bourne vs. Bond argument. For me, it's always been a FACT that Bond is so much better than Bourne, but I've also always felt that the Bourne or Bond discussion was misguided. They are very different series that just happen to have secret agents as central characters. Whereas Bond is about an agent working for the government with the help of crazy gadgets, the Bourne films are about former agents running from/getting revenge on their government overlords.

    No, I've always thought that if any franchise was trying to take the Bond crown, it was the Mission Impossible films. They are closer to the Bond formula than the Bourne movies, what with the insane stunts, gadgets, and extreme globetrotting.

    I still think Bond wins hands down, but that's not to say the M:I films don't have their moments. I rather enjoyed the first film for what it was, and the second film was - less good. After all of the ridiculous slow mo dove craziness of that second outing, the series reached a new high with the J.J. Abrams helmed third film. It returned to series to more of a team effort than just "Ethan Hunt: Super Spy", which was good since that's what the source material was all about.

    Last year, Brad Bird (in his live action debut) brought the world another IMF adventure with GHOST PROTOCOL, and now I'm here to tell you that it is hands down the best one so far.
I got my copy of the two disc Blu Ray/DVD combo brand new on Amazon for $9.99, which not only falls under my magic price point of ten bucks, but is also way cheaper than I've seen it anywhere else. I never got to see the film in theaters, so this was a blind buy. I was confident in the gamble, though, because I love spy films and the price was just so nice. On top of that, director Brad Bird has earned my loyalty over the years with his phenomenal animated work. THE INCREDIBLES is probably my favorite superhero flick to date, and THE IRON GIANT is an amazing work of retro science fiction.

   Now, then... I really enjoyed this outing for the IMF team. From the first scene with Josh Holloway running from baddies, I was completely pulled into the world of  MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. The plot centers around the whole of IMF being disavowed due to being framed for an act of terrorism. This makes Ethan Hunt and his small band of four the only remnants of the agency, so it's up to them to clear their names and save the world from a fanatic that wants to force nuclear war on the planet. I don't want to get into too many of the particulars since a lot of the fun of spy flicks is all the twists and turns the stories usually take. Instead, I will focus on the things I loved about this movie.

   First off, the stunts are spectacular. In particular, there is a sequence filmed on the tallest building in the world in Dubai that makes you feel the adrenaline in your veins. Seriously, it is amazingly high, and shot in a way that really  makes the audience feel like they could fall to their doom any second. One of the special features on the Blu-Ray focuses on this crazy outside the building climb, and it is amazing to see how much effort went into doing it as real as possible. There's also an insane chase/fight in a parking garage that was another highlight. Oh, and that sandstorm chase... just sublime spy chase gold.

   For that matter, all of the action was very well done. Even the less splashy stuff was pulled off with the proper level of tension. There's a scene where Cruise and Pegg are trying to secretly move down a hallway that was pitch perfect. Any time these guys were using gadgets, I was happy with the results. One big change from the previous films, however, was a lot less use of the famous masks. There's a reason for it written into the script, and the inability to use one of the series go-to tricks only serves to put our heroes in bigger predicaments.

   Another thing that was really well done was the casting. Simon Pegg returns from the third film, and still serves as a kind of comic relief character. However, unlike other movies that have a similar archetype, Pegg is a capable agent who gets out from behind the computer screen and helps in the field. I thought his character was utilized very well. Jeremy Renner plays an IMF office drone who has field skills of his own. There is a sense that maybe they are starting the process of having Renner take over the franchise from Cruise, and I think his character can do it. Of course, he is also taking over the Bourne films (maybe... I hear all kinds of things), so it might be kind of weird if he has too many spy irons in the spy fire. A real surprise for me was Paula Patton, whom I hadn't heard of before. She really kicks ass in this, and at no time did I feel like I had to suspend my disbelief that a girl could take on the thugs she fights.

   So that's how I feel about he supporting players, but what about the biggest name on the poster? Well, Tom Cruise seems to have taken a lot of things said about his onscreen ego to heart, and he seems like he's really trying to let the others play too. That is the biggest plus for this movie. Some of the other ones had moments that felt like they only existed so that Cruise could check something off of his extreme sports to do list or otherwise stroke his inflated ego. The only real ego in this one came in the last scene, and that was just how a few closeups were shot. Of course, maybe that's just me.

   I would be remiss if I didn't give special mention to Michael Giacchino. His music is always spectacular, from THE INCREDIBLES to his TV work, and he really gives this film his all. It reminded me of some of the better Barry scores for the Bond films. I really think he's one of the best composers working today, and I always perk up when I see his name in the credits. The last score I really loved was his work on JOHN CARTER,  a film that I feel was very wrongly derided - but that's a post for another day.

   Overall, this was a really good action packed flick. I'm really glad I got a copy, because i feel that it will be revisited often in the coming years. In a way, it also makes the previous films have more of a draw for me now, so I fully expect to grab that three pack Blu box that's available. I really can't wait to see what Brad Bird does next, because I feel that he has really proven his ability to move from animation to live action.

Previous Blu Under Ten posts:
Blazing Saddles

Blu Under Ten - BLAZING SADDLES

   I love collecting movies. In the heyday of DVD, I acquired more films than anyone I knew. Unfortunately, some if them had to be sent back into the world during a few years of low income, but now that I have a Blu-Ray player (finally), I can slowly but surely rebuild my collection to its former glory.
   One of the great things about being a somewhat late adopter to the superior format is that so many formerly expensive titles are now available at an agreeable price.
   I remember the first time I saw a DVD bin of movies for five bucks. To someone who thought his fifteen dollar copy of SUICIDE KINGS was a good deal in 1999, this was amazing. Now, with Blu-Ray, I have set the magic number at ten - about the cost of a movie ticket.
   Those of you with a Wal-Mart nearby may have noticed that they now have bins of Blus for $7.88, and, very recently, have started to have five dollar Blu bins. Add to that the hundreds of Blu titles available on Amazon for less than ten bucks, and you have the makings of a golden age for collectors of pristine copies of their favorite films.
   With all that in mind, I hope to start a regular column here on Geek Flix that highlights some of these essential (and not so essential) films you can pick up for a tenner -or less- starting with Mel Brooks' classic send up of the western genre: BLAZING SADDLES!
   I got my copy from Wal-Mart in one if those $7.88 bins I mentioned above. A quick look at Amazon shows that they are currently letting it go for $7.99.
Now then, on to the movie itself:

   First off, I love this movie! From the Frankie Laine theme song, to the menace of Mongo, I have always felt it was one of the funniest flicks I've ever seen.
   I first saw this when I was in junior high, smack dab in the middle of my spoof phase. Since then, the spoof genre has devolved into a sad shadow of the glory days of Mel Brooks and the Zuckers. Nowadays, most spoof films are just regurgitations of scenes from trailers of other films with the occasional "popular character dancing to hip hop" scene thrown in. I'm looking at you, DISASTER MOVIE, EPIC MOVIE, DATE MOVIE, etc.
   If you want to see how a spoof flick should be done, BLAZING SADDLES is a good place to start. In it, Brooks sends up the beloved old school westerns of previous decades while placing a heaping helping of social commentary front and center.
   It stars Cleavon Little as Bart, a black man who becomes sheriff of Rock Ridge- a town full of racists. The role was originally intended for comedian Richard Pryor (who helped write the screenplay) but the studio felt he was too risky. I, for one, am glad things worked out the way they did because Little is dynamite in the role. Joining him onscreen are Harvey Korman, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Slim Pickens, and Mel Brooks himself (in multiple roles, no less).
   All are great in their roles, but, for me, Gene Wilder is the most likable as The Waco Kid, a boozehound gunfighter that acts as Bart's deputy. To a kid who mostly knew Wilder from his brilliant turn as chocolatier Willy Wonka, it was great to see him in a more adult role.
   The jokes are sharp (if cheesy),and never feel as dated as other spoof movies - focusing on making fun of the western genre as a whole instead of specific films. Even AIRPLANE (another top notch classic spoof) fails in that regard a few times. One notable gag is a symphony of farts around the campfire in a scene that may be the first instance of audible flatulence in film history.
   Some may be turned off by the blatant racism perpetrated by some of the characters, but I think they may be missing the point entirely. Sure, it's a little uncomfortable to hear the dreaded N-word but, by making the racism so blatant, Brooks manages to push America's dirty little secret front and center. I don't think anyone else managed to use the word so effectively as a mirror for siciety until Dave Chappelle and his "Blind Klansman" sketch.
   Still, you'd have a hard time making this movie today. Amidst all of its silliness, there are real issues being addressed and a lot of them would get buried under the modern world's tendency to sensationalize small things in the pursuit of creating ratings making controversy.
   One thing I was impressed with was how cinematic some of the scenes are. Some of Brooks films feel "closed in", obviously being shot on sets. I'm thinking, in particular, of ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS. With this movie, however, he makes use of the vistas of the west to add to the overall atmosphere. This and HISTORY OF THE WORLD : PART ONE are the only two movies he shot this wide, and it really helps make such a goofy movie feel like more than it could have.
   The Blu-Ray itself looks spectacular. In fact, it was the first full movie I saw in the format, and it made me a Blu believer.  There are plenty of special features, including a director's commentary (although Brook's barely whispers it), a making of, and the pilot episode of "Black Bart" - a spinoff TV series that never came to be. The pilot shows you why a full series never materialized, as it pales greatly in comparison to the way funnier film. There is also a small tribute to Madeline Kahn, who's Marlene Dietrich inspired Lili Von Shtupp is one if the film's highlights.
   For under ten bucks, BLAZING SADDLES is an essential comedy that should be on any film collector or comedy lover's movie shelf. Do yourself a favor and pick up this gem.