tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post972234949487470912..comments2024-03-23T12:33:33.918-04:00Comments on Junta Juleil's Culture Shock: Film Review: FALLING DOWN (1993, Joel Schumacher)Sean Gillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-32328956219353248392010-06-28T11:45:15.192-04:002010-06-28T11:45:15.192-04:00Yeah, you gotta love Douglas. And you have to won...Yeah, you gotta love Douglas. And you have to wonder if it had been cast with a less likable actor, would it take on an entirely different timbre? I.e., if Forrest's and Douglas' roles had been reversed? The Forrest character's inclusion is certainly of note, though- in order to get us as an audience on board, they need to show what D-FENS is NOT- as in Mike Leigh's NAKED where our misogynistic, rapist 'hero' is shown in juxtaposition to an even douchier, COMPLETELY evil yuppified rapist. In both cases it makes the offensive protagonist more palatable, and in the case of FALLING DOWN, excuses the silly grin on my face.<br /><br />(And as an entirely nonsensical side note, when I was watching him rampage in CRITTERS 2, I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if FALLING DOWN had starred 80's übernerd, Eddie Deezen.)Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-92205740886286043352010-06-26T11:28:46.676-04:002010-06-26T11:28:46.676-04:00Ha! Yes, the subtlety of a frying pan to the head,...Ha! Yes, the subtlety of a frying pan to the head, but for all its flaws I love Falling Down. I love Michael Douglas. I knew guys like this growing up. They just never had the complete meltdown. If they had, it would have been just like this.<br /><br />Falling Down is an imperfect film, and I agree with you both about Joel, but this is one of his highlights and I do place it in the infinitely rewatchable queue. It's the rare exception to most of his work save for maybe The Lost Boys.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-13374616737850091672010-06-24T15:25:55.898-04:002010-06-24T15:25:55.898-04:00Ack! McG! can't stand that guy. Brett Ratner e...Ack! McG! can't stand that guy. Brett Ratner either! They are the antichrists of cinema! Breck Eisner is pretty bad - SAHARA sucked but he got good notices for THE CRAZIES remake which I'm cautiously optimistic about.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-37579411251992222022010-06-24T14:17:56.079-04:002010-06-24T14:17:56.079-04:00Totally. While I certainly enjoy this thing in al...Totally. While I certainly enjoy this thing in all its bazooka-blastin' glory, I find myself taking a few big steps back whenever somebody suggests that it possesses cogent social commentary, as it's pretty much got all the profundity of, maybe, DEATH WISH 3. That being said, I don't reallly get all the Schumacher bashing. It seems that his name is one of a handful that come up whenever someone wants to pile on a 'Hollywood' director, and the brains behind CAR WASH, D.C. CAB, and THE LOST BOYS should not be uttered in the same breath as a McG or a Breck Eisner.Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-34538009007837161792010-06-23T15:41:08.546-04:002010-06-23T15:41:08.546-04:00All this film needed to be truly complete was for ...All this film needed to be truly complete was for Duvall to say at least once, "I'm getting too old for this shit." It's been awhile since I've seen this film so maybe he did say it?<br /><br />I dunno, I have a love/hate relationship with this film. In some respects, it is a fun ride as we get to see Douglas as if his Gekko character from WALL STREET had been downsized and he nothing left to lose and decided to pick up a baseball bat and go all WALKING TALL on anyone who pissed him off. But then, as you point out, its directed by Joel Schumacher who has all the subtlty of say, Oliver Stone (but without his skill). That being said, THE LOST BOYS and FLATLINERS are guilty pleasures but I digress.<br /><br />I can't fully come down on this film because it has some truly wonderfully, gleefully trashy action set pieces. Cannon Films fodder indeed.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.com