Innerspace (1987)

Title: Innerspace (1987)

Director: Joe Dante

Cast: Martin Short, Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo, Kevin McCarthy

Review:

Innerspace is a film directed by Joe Dante, the guy behind Gremlins (1984), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) and Explorers (1985). Here’s a guy who loves sci-fi and horror films and on top of that, he loves his Warner Bros. cartoons. You can tell the guy loves old genre films, all of his films are filled with little homage’s and nudges to his favorite films, for example in Explorers, one of the kids falls asleep watching War of the Worlds (1953), in Gremlins 2 he uses horror icon Christopher Lee to play a mad scientist, and in Matinee (1993), he paid a loving homage to genre director William Castle and his films. It’s no surprise then that Innerspace also serves as a homage to a classic science fiction film from the 60’s: Richard Fleischer’s Fantastic Voyage (1966), a film in which a group of scientists have to miniaturize themselves in order to enter a another scientist’s body so they can eliminate a blood clot from his brain. You see, this comatose scientist knows how to make the miniaturization process last indefinitely instead of a limited amount of time and if he dies, the secret is lost forever. Innerspace works with these ideas, but in a slightly more exciting and modern fashion.

In Innerspace we meet Lt. Tuck Pendleton, a pilot for the U.S. air force and a class A drunkard, yet  in spite of his drinking problem, Lt. Pendleton takes part in a history changing experiment that will miniaturize him and have him injected into a test bunny in order to conduct a series of experiments from within the bunny. Unfortunately, the minute Tuck is miniaturized and inserted into a syringe, terrorists attack the lab before he is injected into the test rabbit! Somebody wants to steal the top secret miniaturization technology! But, fear not, one of the scientists takes the syringe that has the miniaturized Tuck in it and runs away with it! The scientist ends up hiding in a mall, where he stumbles upon supermarket employee called Jack Putter.  In an attempt to save Tucks life, the scientist injects Tuck into Jacks left butt cheek! Now Tuck is inside of a complete stranger! Tucks mission is now to find a way to communicate with Jack and inform him of what’s happened. Oh, he also has to get back to the lab before his oxygen supply runs out! Will he make it on time before he dies inside of Jack?

While Innerspace shares the same basic premise seen in Fantastic Voyage, that of conducting experiments dealing with miniaturization, it is also a very different movie in many ways. First off, in the first film the main characters are inserted into the body of a comatose scientist, which immediately makes the film a bit slower in pace. In Innerspace the main character is injected into a hyper active, paranoid supermarket employee/nerdy guy called Jack Putter. Putter is played by the one and only Martin Short, who makes this film even more entertaining than it already is. I mean, for me, Martin Short has always been this incredibly funny comedian. In the right movie the guy can really shine. Ever seen him play Ned Nederlander in Three Amigos! (1986)? Do yourself a favor, hilarious! Innerspace was the first film he ever starred in as the main character, and he really took the opportunity to show what he’s made off. He plays this paranoid nerdy guy who gets extremely agitated, he lives in constant fear, basically, he’s afraid of life. The interesting part comes when Lt. Tuck Pendleton is injected into his body. Pendleton finds a way to communicate with Jack, who at first thinks he is possessed by demons when he hears Tucks voice inside his head. But once Jack understands what’s going on, Tuck becomes sort of this driving force inside of Jack, a force that gives him the push necessary to do things he would have never done before. Through Tuck, Jack gains an inner strength he never had, he evolves into someone who will go up against life instead of shrivel in fear of it, this is a character that we see evolve and grow through the course of the film.

And that’s one of the best things this film has, characters played by a great cast. True, Short steals the show here, but Dennis Quaid as Tuck also does a fantastic job, especially when we take in consideration that he acts 90% of the film while inside of this small pod; still he pulls it off majestically. Joe Dante uses a series of actors in all of his movies; for example he always uses Dick Miller in one form or another. Miller is sort of Dante’s good luck charm; on Innerspace he plays a cab driver. He also uses Kevin McCarthy a lot; on this one McCarthy plays the villainous Crimshaw, the guy after the miniaturization chip. By the way, the villains in this film are cartoony in nature, so the film has that sort of fun vibe going for it. It’s like a Warner Bros. cartoon at times, I love that about this one and of course, this cartoonish vibe goes perfectly within the context of a Joe Dante film, he being the WB cartoon lover he is. Look out for various WB cartoon references throughout the entire film, both visual and auditory. For example, when the miniaturization machine stars spinning, it makes the sound the Tazmanian devil would make when he spun like a tornado. So yeah, this is a Dante film through and through; he brings his love for old cartoons, genre films and his usual gang of actors. 

Of course, something has to be said about the special effects work on this movie, which is simply amazing. So much so that the film won an Academy Award for it. First up, when Lt. Tuck is miniaturized, we’re there with him the whole way, we see the interior of Jacks body and here’s where this film is different from Fantastic Voyage, the interior of Jacks body doesn’t look like a set the way they looked on Fantastic Voyage, sorry to hit on the classic, but it’s true. When I watched Fantastic Voyage, I couldn’t help getting this vibe like these actors where just floating on wires in a campy set, this is a problem that they fixed on Innerspace. There’s this amazing sequence when Tuck gets close to entering Jacks wildly pumping heart! That shot was amazingly well achieved, so much so that in his review for the film, Roger Ebert thought they had used real life footage of a heart! Dante had to let him know that it was all achieved through effects work. The guys at ILM where awarded the best visual effects award for their work on Innerspace. In the film, Lt. Tuck Pendleton can use this face altering technology; basically he pushes a few buttons on his pod and Jack’s face begins to convulse and twitch wildly until it changes completely. This is one of the most jaw dropping effects sequences in the whole film, achieved by makeup effects genius/guru Rob Bottin. Dante and Bottin had previously worked together on the groundbreaking effects work for The Howling (1981) and later again in Explorers (1985), two films that also excelled in the make up effects department. I personally had to freeze frame these sequences, I was so amazed by them, flawless work. So, all around great effects work on this show.

The comedy element is also fantastic on this one; the combination of Martin Short, Robert Picardo, and Kevin McCarthy was the perfect amalgamation necessary for a truly funny film, Dante knows that in order to get a funny picture, you need truly funny actors, and this combination of actors was the perfect comedy storm. So my friends, as you can see, this is one of those movies where everything just clicked to perfection. I mean, how funny is Robert Picardo as ‘The Cowboy’? Really funny, that’s how funny! By the way, Picardo is also one of those actors that Dante has used on more than one occasion, Picardo played the aliens on Explorers and he did that show stopping werewolf transformation sequence in The Howling as well. Across his career, Picardo has had extensive experience collaborating with make up effects artists, for example, he was also that water witch 'Meg Mucklebones' in Ridley Scott's Legend (1986), Innerspace is just another of the films where he participated in a make up effects heavy sequence. In closing I’ll say that this film is a true joy to watch. It is fast paced, extremely funny, has fantastic visual effects and a great cast, what’s not to like about this one? Dante was one of those directors who defined the 80’s for me, he had a great sense of humor and a love for the genre that is palpable in all of his films, that’s why his films are still watched and talked about after all these years. What? You haven’t seen Innerspace? Now that I don’t like! Do yourself a favor and rent/buy this one and have yourself a fantastic voyage of the Joe Dante kind, thank me by leaving a message below after you’ve seen it! 

Rating:  5 out of 5 

Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

Title: Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)

Writer/ Director: John Patrick Shanley

Cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Dan Hedaya, Ossie Davis

Review:

What are you afraid of in life and why aren’t you facing it? That’s what Joe Versus The Volcano is all about. There’s a moment in the film where Joe is analyzing what it is that scares him in life, and he immediately identifies it. He knows exactly what it is, and now he knows how to deal with it. I believe this is something we can all do. Some might be living dreadful unhappy lives out there, but if they took the time to analyze their fears, they would immediately identify what it is they have to do to make their lives better. We all know what we would like our lives to be like, but how many of us actually do what has to be done in order to make it better? There comes a moment in everyone’s life when we question of ourselves, our purpose here, and what we want to achieve with what little time we have on this rock. The trick is to identify the fear and attempt to conquer it. And that’s what I enjoyed the most about this wonderful lost gem known as Joe Versus The Volcano.

The film starts out with Joe Banks, a working class hero who is living the most dreadful life. He works in the advertising department of a rectal probe factory. I know right? The office in which Joe works in is the most lifeless place you can imagine, with the paint falling off the walls, zombie co-workers, and lights that suck the life right out of you. Joe doesn’t feel good, ever. He feels “blotchy” and “puffy” according to his self diagnosis. The doctor tells him that he has a “brain cloud” and that he has about six months left to live, and that his advice to him is to live what little life he has left in the best way that he can. The knowledge of his mortality triggers in Joe an appreciation for life which makes him do everything he always wanted to do. Like quitting his dead end life sucking job, which he does. On his first day as a “free man” a mysterious man named Mr. Graynamore comes to visit Joe and makes him a very interesting proposal: since Joe is already dying, Mr. Graynamore proposes to Joe that he take a trip to an unknown island to visit the Waponi Tribe. The Waponi’s worship a volcano called ‘The Great Woo’, and their volcano god needs to be appeased! Someone has to sacrifice themselves and jump into the volcano! Problem is, none of the Waponis want to die! So Mr. Graynamore offers Joe the opportunity to jump into the volcano for them. Joe thinks about it, but then Graynamore says that the trip would include all expenses paid! Then, all he would have to do is jump into the volcano, after he’s had his fun!

You know how there are some films out there that when you watch them you instantly feel a connection to them? Films where you identify with every word and situation that the film addresses? Well, that is the case with me and Joe Versus The Volcano. This is a very existential film, it constantly asks the big questions in life: why are we here? What are we supposed to do with our lives? Do you believe in God? And if you guys know me, I’m all about that type of thing, the constant questioning of this crazy trip we call life. There is this one scene that really gets to me, where Joe and his girl are drifting through the ocean without food, or water or any hope of survival in sight, and suddenly, the moon comes out looking bigger then life and Joe is entranced by it, and then he says while in awe of the moon: “Dear God, whose name I do not know, thank you for my life. I forgot how big..thank you for my life!” Wow! That scene is so profound for me because I’ve had that type of ‘spiritual experience’ where you just look at nature, at the stars, the sun, whatever it maybe and you are just in awe of everything, of life and how beautiful everything is. I love how that moment captured that kind of feeling. Consequently, the scene also sums up how I feel about the idea of God. I don’t know if theres a god out there, or what its name may be, but nature, the planet and the universe (all things I can see and know they exist) are the only true awe inspiring things in this world.

I also connected with this film because of Joe and how he works in a 9-5 job in a soul sucking office every day. There is a scene in the film in which Joe is walking to work, and suddenly he joins up with all his co-workers who are on their way to the big factory ahead. They all walk in unison looking bored, uninspired and lifeless. The scene was obviously inspired by Charlie Chaplins Modern Times (1936), another fine film that explores the intricacies of being a working class hero, a worker bee. I don’t hate my job or anything, but I understand how that kind of a job scenario could get to feel redundant and boring. I used to work in a job where I felt exactly the way that Joe feels in those scenes, where he feels like the lights in the office are sucking his life away, where you feel that every second that passes is a second less of life that you could be living in some better way. The questions that these scenes bring up are: Why are you putting up with a job that is obviously not making you happy? Where you are not doing what you love? Why aren’t you out there searching for a way to be happier? The main theme of the film is fear and the need to live our lives to the fullest. We should not be afraid to make those decisions that need to be made in order to progress in life and be a better, happier person.

The film is filled with symbolisms and visual metaphors. For example, when Joe is on his way to work, he walks down this crooked road (symbolizing how crooked the road of life can be) and this is a visual theme that keeps popping up every now and then in the film, the crooked road, which is actually shaped like a lightning bolt. Kind of the same way ‘the yellow brick road’ in The Wizard of Oz represents the road we take in life. More symbolisms can be seen through the film, for example, when we first meet Joe, we see that he is working in an office that’s devoid of life or color. In fact, in one scene, Joe tries placing a colorful lamp on top of his desk and his boss tells him: “This is not your room Joe! This is an office! Take it away!” Joe tries to lighten up his life, but the job and its requirements just won’t let him. After Joe quits, and Joe starts living life more passionately, the films changes hues and suddenly everything is that much more colorful and beautiful, by the ending of the film, Joe is full of life, love, color and passion.

Finally, theres the jumping into the volcano scene. And heres where “this movie is all symbolic and metaphorical” really kicks in because what the film is really trying to say is we all have to take chances in life, we all have to take risks; same way that Joe and Dee Dee jump into the volcano. Once again, in these last scenes the film tells us that one of the most important things in life is to live without fear, face our fears, take that chance, because that’s what lifes all about, taking chances. Who knows what will happen? But at least you tried! The film also speaks about the unpredictability of life, how any random thing can happen to us, that we can be in our worst moment in life, but even then, we need to appreciate it, and live the moment, and hang in there until life throws us its next unpredictable event.

This film comes to us from director John Patrick Shanley, the guy behind films like the ultra romantic Moonstruck (1987), one of the few romantic comedies that I truly like. He also made Doubt (2008), so the existential, the questioning part of the film makes sense as well. Strange that this film can be described as an Existential Romantic Comedy, but that’s exactly what it is! Sadly, Joe Versus the Volcano was a box office bomb. I guess it was too symbolic and existential for audiences, and so, even though it had Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan working together, the film didn’t make its money back. I know what you’re thinking; Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in a romantic comedy, and it didn’t make its money back? But you have to remember, this was their first time together on screen. It was only after Joe Versus the Volcano that they would go on to make those romantic comedies they are so known for: Sleepless In Seattle (1993) and You’ve Got Mail (1998). Speaking of the romantic angle, there’s a scene in which Joe is quitting his job and cleaning up his desk. He takes three books he had in his desk: The Odyssey, Robinson Crusoe and finally, Romeo and Juliet. Three books that sum up what this film is about. The big Odyssey Joe is about to take, the journey of self discovery that Crusoe goes through and finally Rome and Juliet, representing the big romance that Joe ends up having with Dee Dee, played by Meg Ryan. By the way, Meg Ryan plays all three women that Joe encounters through out the film, each performance very distinctive; each representing a different kind of woman. But together, they all make up the feminine in Joes life, kudos to Ryan for showing such range as an actress. This turned out to be a pretty lengthy review, sorry about that but this is a film I hold very close to my heart. If your feeling like seeing something funny, romantic, existential and symbolic all rolled up into one, do yourself a favor and check out this film, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Rating: 5 out of 5