Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Director: Phillip Kaufman

Cast: Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, Brooke Adams, Veronica Carthwright, Leonard Nimoy

There have been three remakes of the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). The first one was this Phillip Kaufman version I’ll be reviewing today, then there’s Abel Ferrara’s Body Snatchers (1993) which I will be reviewing soon, then there’s The Invasion (2007) which strangely enough was as devoid of emotion as the aliens it was depicting, don’t even bother with that one. But I decided to revisit this 1978 version because I had not seen it since I was a child and wanted to see what I could get out of it now as an adult because my original reaction to it as a kid was one of pure fright. The idea that these aliens were trying to turn us into something we are not frightened me immensely, my reaction was a visceral one; I hated these aliens with no personality and emotions. But back then I was simply a scared little kid, frightened by these notions, my reaction was based on fear, I didn’t really see the themes behind the film, or what the filmmakers where really trying to say, to me it was just a freaky movie. Upon my re-watch I discovered that this film is still freaky, still highly effective as a horror/sci-fi hybrid, and filled with socially relevant issues. How did the film fare this time around, from an adult perspective?

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is all about these alien spores that make it to our planet by traveling through space. I loved how the director decided to film the opening sequences by using footage of micro organisms (I have no idea what they really were) and made it look like they were the alien organisms infiltrating our planet. So anyways, these alien organisms arrive to our planet and attach themselves to plants which grow into these giant pods from which half formed humanoid beings pop out of. They wait until you are asleep and then try to duplicate you. After they do, your body decomposes and turns to dust, and then the duplicate takes over. The duplicate looks like you in every way save for one significant difference; you are now a being devoid of emotion! The main characters in the film realize this is happening and attempt to runaway in order to retain their humanity. But how far can they run before the pod people catch them?  

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), the first film to bring Jack Finney’s book to life was made during the 50’s, when Russians enemies to the Americans, so if we look at it within that context, the aliens probably represented communism, which believe it or not was actually spreading itself rather quickly throughout the united states. During those years, there was such a thing as a ‘communist party’ in America. Communists numbered in the many thousands and where growing strong! The workers unions all got together to fight for their rights, and many of these workers were foreigners with communism as their way of life. So of course Americans were trembling in their pants, capitalism as a way of life was in peril! So it’s safe to say that we can see the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers as an allegory for that, a metaphor for the ever spreading ‘menace’  of communism, which threatened the American way of life. Was this 1978 version addressing these same fears? Or was it about something else?

Well yes, this time around, instead of aiming its guns at communism, this version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is all about “losing our humanity”, a theme that is emphasized all throughout the film. The main characters are fighting for their right to retain their memories, the right to feel, the right to retain what makes them human. This theme brought to mind George Orwell’s 1984, which is a novel about a totalitarian government that prohibits all forms of emotions. Everyone dresses the same; no one is more special than the other. In this novel everyone is loyal to the all powerful, ever watching government. If you go against them, someone will rat on you. And when this happens, you will end up paying for your betrayal to the all knowing ‘Big Brother’. Individuality is not encouraged in Orwell’s novel. But the main characters always fight for it, even if it means death. Well, this version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is not all that different from Orwell’s novel. The aliens want you to be like them, or else. They are a race of beings who don’t show any emotion at all, if you show emotion the point at you and give this other worldly scream in order to alert all other aliens that you are not one of them. So this of course creates an intense feeling of paranoia amongst the humans who live in constant fear of getting caught. The paranoia is extremely palpable in this movie; it’s one of those movies where the whole town is in on something, something that you don’t want to be a part of. I drew similarities with Invaders from Mars, a film that plays with similar themes. 

Because this film was made in the 70’s, everything feels more real somehow. There’s no color filters, no computer effects, this is a film that comes from an era when they actually shot movies with film and a camera and real actors instead of CGI doubles and color correction. I love how the effects are entirely practical, so visceral, palpable. There's even some gore in there! This film feels gritty and realistic; something I wish modern films would go back to. Even the actors are adult, which is something you don’t see a lot of these days either, nowadays most films only use young people. Yet during the tail end of the 70’s films were way more adult oriented. The actors seen in most films were adults, not teens, not twenty- somethings. Speaking of actors, this film has an awesome cast! Donald Sutherland,  Jeff Goldblum,  Brooke Adams and Veronica Cartwright all do a splendid job of displaying fear. Even Leonard Nimoy is hear playing a psychologist! By the way, be on the lookout for cameos by Robert Duvall as a creepy looking priest, director Phillip Kaufman and even Kevin McCarthy, the main actor from the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)!

So yeah, closing statements on this film is that it’s solid, still creepy and filled with copious amounts of paranoia! It is also considered one of the best remakes ever, some even think that it’s better than the original because it takes the concepts presented on the original and improves them and even takes them to places that the first film never went, which is always a sign of a good remake. The worst thing you can get is a remake that plays out exactly the same way the original did. So I guess this one can be placed in the same pantheon of awesome remakes as The Fly (1986), The Thing (1982) and Night of the Living Dead (1990). Be on the lookout for subtle hints of paranoia throughout the film. I mean, right from the very beginning, little things happen that let you know something is not quite right with people. The creepiest thing about this film for me is how fast the aliens spread, how effectively they organize themselves and spread their pods, you get this feeling that the aliens are overpowering, that they are in fact an unstoppable force which we cannot deal with and simply have to give into. A frightening idea indeed!

Rating: 5 out of 5

A dog with a human head, I never did understand why it appears on the film. Be my guest and try and explain it! Still an effectively freaky visual dont you think?

The Mechanic (2011)

Title: The Mechanic (2011)

Director: Simon West

Cast: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland

Review:

So Jason Statham is trying his best to establish himself as THE action star of his generation, cause let’s face it, there aren’t many of those hovering around Hollywood, I mean not to the level of past action stars like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Bronson and Norris. What actor’s are currently trying to establish themselves as the new generation of action stars? Well, let’s see, there’s The Rock (a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson) who has decided to work for Disney now making films like Race to Witch Mountain (2009). I get it though. He’s trying to do what Schwarznegger did when he started to make comedies like Twins (1988) and Kindergarten Cop (1990). But come on, Tooth Fairy (2010)? That’s pushing things a little too far; almost too far. He is attempting to make a comeback to action with films like Faster (2010) and Fast Five (2011), but is it too late? The Rock still has to prove himself in my book; he still has to make that ‘great action film’ that will place him on the legendary action star status. Same goes for Vin Diesel, but again, with the possible exception of the Riddick films (which I love) none of his films are half as good as the ones made by the good old guys. And there in lies the problem with all these new action stars. They are just not making good films. Or even memorable ones. Statham I can respect a bit more because, right from the very beginning, he hasn’t stopped making action films. Statham’s got the persona, the looks, the attitude, the cool of an action star. Because an action star’s got to have the cool, there’s no denying that. Yet, I don’t feel Statham has made that great action film either. So here comes The Mechanic, a remake of Michael Winner’s The Mechanic (1972), yet another attempt of Statham’s to solidify himself as this generations action star. How was it?

Story is all about a hired killer called Arthur Bishop. Arthur is methodical in his killings; he makes them look like accidents, and he is in and out like the wind. No one knows he was even there. In Arthur’s own words: “What I do requires a certain mindset. I do assignments; designated targets. Some jobs need to look like accidents. Others must cast suspicion on someone else. A select few need to send a clear message. Pulling a trigger is easy. The best jobs are the ones nobody even knows you were there.” But one day he is asked to kill his mentor, the man who taught him everything about being an assassin. Unfortunately, one of his own rules is to follow the orders of his superiors no matter what, so he does it. And here comes the complication, Steve his ex-mentors son (not knowing that Bishop killed his father) befriends Bishop and wants to learn all about being an assassin. So Bishop, out of guilt decides to take the young dude and teach him everything he knows. Will Steve ever know that it was Bishop who killed his father? It's this question that drives the film, and makes the Bishop/Steve team an uneasy alliance. One thing I will say about this film, I enjoyed the chemistry between Statham and Foster's characters. Many go as far as to say that Foster steals the film from Statham in some ways, and as far as the acting goes, I have to say I agree. 

I see what Statham’s trying to do by remaking a Charles Bronson film, and I get it. Just by doing a remake of a Bronson film he is trying to associate himself with Bronson’s now legendary legacy. I mean for those not in the know, Bronson was the ass kicker of his day, the silent type you didn’t want to mess with or you were going to pay, especially if you were a criminal. I mean, Bronson’s the guy behind Death Wish (1974)! Statham’s just trying to get some of that Bronson attitude rub off on him. Or maybe he just wants his name mentioned along side Bronson’s in every single review for this film in this way saying ‘I’m this generations Charles Bronson, how do you like them apples?’ Which is all fine and dandy, I mean trying to be the next Bronson isn’t a bad thing, but if you want to be Bronson, then goddamn it don’t water down the remake. Though to be honest, in these politically correct times we live in, the watering down of action/horror films shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s a common thing these days. Face it my friends, action/horror films just aren’t the same these days. One look at action films of the 70’s and 80’s and you’ll see what I mean. Take one night and watch Death Wish (1974), Robocop (1987), Total Recall (1990) and Lethal Weapon (1987) and tell me you don’t see the marked difference. To use a tired phrase, they just don’t make them like that anymore. Was The Mechanic a victim of the watered down American action film?

 Well, in some ways yes and in some ways no. Statham’s character is still a killer, but he only kills ‘bad guys’. He kills drug dealers and evil religious leaders who take advantage of their flock. He kills gangsters and hitmen, and you know how it goes with killing hitmen, “no matter what you do to them, you don’t feel bad”. So Statham plays it safe like that. Another marked difference between this film and the original is that Bronson played his mechanic as a guy feeling the ravages of age, he knows he is getting old, he knows that his days are numbered so he is looking for someone to accompany him on his missions and ease his workload. On the remake Statham is practically The Terminator. He is untouchable, nothing is going to happen to him because he is Jason Statham and nothing touches him on his films. He reminded me of Chuck Norris in Invasion U.S.A. (1985), you know, totally indestructible. There is no vulnerability to Statham’s Bishop. Contrary to the original, this film plays by Hollywood’s rules: Nothing happens to the good guy, and above all things, the good guy cannot die. But here’s something that Bronson knew while making his film: he knew he wasn’t playing the proverbial good guy, he was a bad guy, playing by his own rules. You play a game of death, you expose yourself to death itself, you are always living under the assumption that you might bite the bullet at any moment. Statham mechanic doesn’t have that vulnerability. He is a killer, yet he lives in a mansion, he lives without a conscience apparently because he looks so calm and happy whenever he isn’t out there killing. Come on dude, you’re a killer. And your training a young lad in the ways of assassination, grow some fucking attitude, take some risks with your character. Surprise the audience. As it is, the film holds no surprises. Statham is indestructible, a killer with no conscience for his actions. For all intents and purposes, he is a robot. Indestructible action heroes can be fun to watch in cheesy action flicks, but this film plays it dead serious, there’s no fun to be had here. This wasnt supposed to be the kind of film that had the indestructible action star, this was to be the one about the troubled, angst ridden protagonist, trying to face issues of his own mortality.   

The most cliche scene you could put in your action film: The protagonist walking away from an explosion

But don’t get me wrong; in spite of this remake being a bit different then the original, it’s still a decent action flick with some cool action sequences. The fist fights are pretty intense, one takes place inside of a bus, I liked the closed quarters fighting in those scenes, there’s also a cool fight on top of a building which will give some watchers vertigo. It didn’t seem like they were using a lot of CGI in those sequences, kudos to them for that. Simon West the director behind Con Air (1997) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) delivers a slick looking action flick that is technically superior to the original, but lacks any of the balls that Bronson’s film had. The original mechanic was a more cerebral film, it even dealt with existentialist issues. Can we live in society under our own rules? Can we live in our own mind and ignore the world we live in? And what are the consequences of living by our own rules in this world? These were the questions pondered in the original yet completely ignored by the remake. The remake is just another action film. The original was bleak, dark and void of a happy ending. Sadly, this new Mechanic is playing by Hollywood’s rules rather than its own, but still, you know, watchable.

Rating: 3 out of 5 

Ben Foster says: "I can walk away from explosions too!"

Lock Up (1989)

Title: Lock Up (1989)

Director: John Flynn

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Donald Sutherland, Tom Sizemore

So as it turns out Lock Up, another childhood favorite of mine was a box office flop! To me it was always this awesome prison movie with a great cast and moments, but as it turns out, it didn’t even make its 25 million dollar budget back. But who cares! Just because a film is a box office flop does not instantaneously make it a bad movie. Just look at Blade Runner (1982) and Legend (1986), two amazing Ridley Scott films that failed to connect with audiences upon their initial release, yet know they are both recognized as  some of the best films within their respective genres. The same can be said for Stallone’s Lock Up. It’s a great prison/revenge flick, it isn’t perfect and it isn’t necessarily realistic, but it gets the job done as far as entertainment value goes.

Things start out great for Frank Leone!

 On this one, Stallone plays inmate Frank Leone, a man doing time for having successfully achieved a jailbreak. You see Frank was denied the right to visit an old friend of his who was dying and so he went ahead and escaped just so he could say his last goodbye to the man who taught him everything he knows. So he is caught again and given five years for that. But Frank’s done his time, and now he is just three weeks away from getting out of jail and becoming a free man. Unfortunately one day, a mysterious group of police men pick him up and transfer him to Gateway Prison. Why? Well, it’s all because of Warden Drumgoole (you gotta be a villain with a name like that!) the Warden who looked bad when Frank escaped from his prison. Now the warden is looking for some payback. He’s looking to make Frank’s remaining three weeks a living hell. Will Frank be strong enough to withstand the psychological and physical torture that will be inflicted upon him? Will he ever get out and reunite with his smoking hot fiance?

 So what we got here is a film that’s been genetically designed to pull your heartstrings. Stallone plays the every man, one of these ‘model prisoners’ that is allowed to go out of the prison to visit his family, then return to the prison and continue making his time. Stallone’s Frank is such a nice guy that he plays football with the neighborhood kids and  brings cigarettes to his cell mates, gifts from the outside world. He has a beautiful fiance. A word about the actress who plays  Stallone's fiance. She is called Darlanne Fluegel, and my question is where the heck did she disappear to? She actually made a decent bunch of films during the 80’s like To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) for William Friedkin and Once Upon a Time in America (1984) for Sergio Leone. Sadly her career deviated towards straight to video horror films until she completely disappeared, she hasn’t done anything recently, but wow, on this movie, she is a stunning beauty. But back to Frank Leone, the everyman, the good guy who doesn’t deserve to be in jail. In fact, this guy is so good that even the cops are his friends!

Gateway Penitentiary, a.k.a. HELL. 

 Now, if you know the rules of movie logic, then you know that when a characters life is going well, then something truly awful is around the corner just waiting to happen. Same thing holds true for this movie, we open with a super happy ‘almost out of jail’ vibe, and suddenly everything changes when Frank is transferred to a maximum security prison, not at all the country club he was making time in. Suddenly, Frank is informed that he will be given the guided tour through hell by Warden Drumgoole himself. But the thing about Frank Leone is that he’s got such a good attitude about everything, he’s the kind of guy that realizes that your situation in life might be shitty, but you can make it all better with the right attitude. Franks attitude reminds me of what the cowboy in Mulholland Drive (2001) says: “A mans attitude…a man’s attitude goes some ways…the way his life will be” And that is something I agree with, truthfully. Your attitude can take you out of a negative situation and if not, then at the very least it will help you endure it a little better.  And it’s a mentality that Frank Leone carries with him through out the whole film; it’s his defense mechanism against all the crap he is living through.

 Stallone has been known for playing characters like these through out his whole career. It’s the kind of character who gets put through inhuman amounts of physical and psychological torture, just so he can later get his glorious payback, which will be equally unforgiving. I’m thinking of  films like First Blood (1982) and Rocky (1976), two films in which Stallone plays the underdog who gets pushed around by his enemies until he cant take it no more and finally decides to make a stand for himself. At one point in Lock Up Frank is pushed to the limits of his endurance and he says “You want me? You got me!” And you just know the bad guys are going to get it, full force. It’s the kind of film that messes around with the good guy and gets you all worked up because of  it. Lock Up is designed to be the kind of film that will win audiences over. Stallone has always been good at making the kind of movies that will get an audience all worked up. You ever see an audience scream at the screen during a Rocky movie? I know I have, and I dare you not to be totally involved once Frank’s buttons are pushed too far. And they are, Donald Sutherland’s evil warden will make sure of that. He’ll have you hating him so much that by the end of the film, you’ll want to see him fry on the electric chair.

The Football game of the Gods!

The film has some really good points in its favor, one of them is that they chose to shoot the film on location in  a real life prison called East Jersey State Prison located in Rahway, New Jersey. You can tell its the real deal, and though the film looses its realism with certain situations, it makes up for it with how real and genuine the location is. Hell, they even used real inmates as extras! Stallone said that during the sequences where real life inmates were used, he was always "hoping that good will would  prevail" so that the shoot would go on without anyone getting killed, and so it did. I mean, everyone loves a movie getting made, even inmmates. I love how moviemaking has that power to overcome anything. There is a football game on this movie that feels like something out of a sword and sandal epic, like a battle of the gods type of football game between the ‘good inmates’ and the ‘bad inmates’ though technically they are all bad cause they aren’t in jail for nothing. But still, the scene is played out like something you’d watch in a roman coliseum, a lot of the emotion infused into these scenes comes from the blaring orchestral soundtrack, which gets you all worked up for a battle of the century type of game, awesome sequence. Everything leads up to the eventual jail break, with Frank looking to make it to his girlfriend on time. This movie will have you hooked; the only downside is that many of the situations are simply not realistic at all. Characters do things in a prison that would never happen in a prison. These prisoners are smoking stogies and fixing cars up and having a male bonding time of their lives! But wait, aren’t these guys supposed to be in the most hellish prison ever? Why is everyone so damn happy? Why are these prisoners such nice guys? I doubt there are such nice guys in prison. And where the heck is Frank Leone’s lawyer? Many situations might have you scratching your head, but you probably won’t give a damn because you’ll be having such a good time with this movie. A bonafide crowd pleaser every step of the way.

Rating: 4 out of 5    

Director John Irving discusses a scene with Stallone