Great Movies- Fatal Attraction

  
   Thirty years ago, Glenn Close and Michael Douglas were granted A-list entry, and men stopped cheating on their wives(for a little while). You know I'm talking about that late-'80s cultural phenomenon known as "Fatal Attraction". Director Adrian Lyne only made eight movies, but half of them achieved substantial success, which means this talented Englishman should be better known to general audiences. It makes no sense that he hasn't had a project come to fruition since 2002's "Unfaithful". Anyway, Lyne was hot in the mid-'80s, thanks to glossy hits like "Flashdance" and "9 1/2 Weeks". I could make a list of all the domestic thrillers that "Fatal" influenced, but there wouldn't be enough room in this article. Give yourself a gold star if you knew that Clint Eastwood told a similar story in 1971's "Play Misty For Me". Nobody remembers that, because "FA" dwarfs nearly every film in this genre, and is among the greatest films ever made. Don't believe me? Are you still bothered by that box office-friendly bathroom finale?? Keep reading.

   James Dearden's 1980 short film "Diversion", about an extramarital affair gone horribly wrong, was the basis for one of the decade's defining cinematic works. Producer Stanley R. Jaffe saw full-length potential, and hired Nicolas Meyer("Star Trek") to provide some padding for Dearden's script. Brian De Palma dropped out of directing the film in it's early developmental stages, because he wasn't sold on the acting ability of Michael Douglas, after the relatively unchallenging(yet popular and profitable) "Romancing the Stone" and it's sequel. Needless to say, he felt like a fool a few years later. Michael was with "Fatal Attraction" from the very beginning, and had the total support of Paramount exec Sherry Lansing- soon to be the most powerful woman in the industry for the next ten years. Her instincts were correct, as Douglas was able to make our wayward protagonist Dan Gallagher likable AND loathsome. For most performers, it's one or the other. If there was ever an actor that owned a year, Michael Douglas owned 1987, because he also unleashed Gordon Gekko on an unsuspecting public during the holidays. Incredible.

Lyne's long shots give many scenes an elegant, voyeuristic quality.

   Alright, I'm going on record to declare Alex Forrest the best female character of the 1980s. It's impossible to imagine anyone else in the role now, even though the studio had someone younger and more conventionally attractive in mind. The only problem with that plan was Close's audition, which blew all the twentysomething ingenues out of contention, and her age(39) would turn out to be an asset. Alex is a lonely, aging career woman with a ticking biological clock, and Close was too committed to the truth to play her as a straight-up home-wrecking psycho. That wouldn't be nearly as interesting for her or us, and this unexpected depth adds layers that probably weren't on the page. You'll have to look elsewhere for black-and-white heroes and villains.

   I love the look of twisted bliss on Dan's face after he gets to fuck someone OTHER than his wife and the mother of his young child. It's almost as if he's been waiting for an opportunity like this for years. He celebrates the victory by dancing passionately late into the night with an elated Alex. Men are so vile.

Have you ever done it in an elevator? How about in the kitchen sink? Lyne does a nice job of conveying the sweaty guilt-ridden depravity of adultery. Dan looks like he robbed a bank after banging Alex for two days. Her apartment building is appropriately dilapidated, for-shadowing her fractured mental state. An inferior movie(ya, know, most movies made today) wouldn't even be thinking about such details. Late production designer Mel Bourne was a three-time Oscar nominee.

   It's time to give Anne Archer some love, because Dan wasn't doing it enough. This is a lovely woman. Beth Gallagher deserved an affair of her own, and would have had no shortage of volunteers. Lyne is making a subtle statement about the male mindset- attractive females aren't any less likely to be cheated on. I like to think that I'd stay true to Beth, but a lot of men can't eat the same breakfast cereal every morning. Boredom is inevitable. There's a difference between being faithful, and not being able to get laid anywhere else. These are uncomfortable truths.

   Alex jokes about her father being dead, and the dirty duo bond over their shared affection for "Madame Butterfly"(more foreshadowing) during a sunny day together. Dan nonchalantly informs her that he has no intention of getting further involved(apparently, he found his conscience over a spaghetti dinner). Too late, Alex is in love. Dan has time for one last roll in the hay.

   There's no such thing as casual sex. Someone is always going to develop feelings, and that's when feelings get hurt. Close shows great vulnerability here, as she continues to flesh out Alex in ways that most actresses would not have been capable of. I think Cher should have to send her '87 Best Actress Oscar for "Moonstruck" to Glenn Close before they're both dead, because the Academy just plain got it wrong that year. The story is about to take an ominous turn.

   Alex slits her wrists in a desperate attempt to keep Dan from returning to his family. This is a startling moment, made even more so by the chilling score from Maurice Jarre("Lawrence of Arabia", Doctor Zhivago"). First-time costume designer Ellen Mirojnick went on to have a long career. She put Douglas in his "Wall Street" suspenders and Sharon Stone in her iconic white dress in "Basic Instinct".

Beware the woman in black.

   An invite to see "Madam Butterfly" is rebuffed, which leads to this heartbreaking visual. Alex knows that it's over. Or is it? Why should Dan get to ride off into the suburban sunset? He's a liar and a cheater. Sure, Alex is crazy, but he doesn't deserve a clean getaway. There's something bigger at stake here.

   There's few things more horrifying(speaking for all the cavalier men out there) than learning there's a baby growing inside the clingy bitch that you're trying to extract yourself from. Dan just wanted to have some fun. Now he's in hell. Lyne's stylish direction drives this point home, following the frazzled pair from a busy NYC street down into the subway. A literal and figurative descent.

   Oh my god. I'm as nervous as Dan, and I didn't even do anything. Is Alex really pregnant? Her dishonesty leaves me in doubt. It could easily be an elaborate lie to stay in his orbit a little while longer. Her shattered psyche makes that more than likely. She now has his new address and number.

   Here's a cool shot, to cap-off a great acting exchange. This is called 'escalation'. Dan just wants his normal family life back. But Alex won't be ignored. Her growing obsession and mind games threaten to destroy everything he holds dear. After watching this scene, I'm not sure whose side I'm on(Dan's anger and allusion to violence strips him of much of our sympathy), and therein lies the brilliance.

   Psychiatrists have cited the Alex Forrest character as an illustration of 'Borderline Personality Disorder'. More than half of all reported stalking cases/incidents were found to be the result of BPD. It's easy to label someone a "psycho", that way we don't have to think too much. I'd rather get to the bottom of it. Alex is nearing the point of no return, though.

   A tape recording filled with verbal abuse is one thing. Acid on a car is another. But that bunny didn't do anything to anybody. Lyne deserved the Best Director nod for milking these moments for maximum impact and suspense.

   Dan is forced to 'fess up(he knows who did this), and Anne Archer's reaction put her name on the Best Supporting Actress slate(Olympia Dukakis won that one, damn that "Moonstruck"). It also dictated to the audience exactly how the movie needed to end. Beth Gallagher will kill anyone who harms her family. Archer went on to play Jack Ryan's wife twice in the '90s(the Harrison Ford version), but never found another showcase for her talents quite like this, just in case you needed another reason to lament the lack of gender equality in Hollywood.

   If you knew that Dan and Beth's daughter(Ellen Hamilton Latzen) went on to join the Griswald clan in 1989's "Christmas Vacation", then congratulations, you're a movie buff. Taking Ellen Gallagher to an amusement park was a creepy and clever way to crank up the torment. Alex finds another line to cross.

   An enraged Dan forces his way into Alex's apartment and physically assaults her in this intense scene. It's difficult to say that she doesn't deserve it. No words, just a near-strangulation countered by a stabbing attempt. When the police are utterly useless, you just have to deal with your deranged two-night stand all by yourself. Dan ultimately backs off, but the climactic rematch would happen on his home turf.

   If you're a proud owner of the DVD, then you've seen this disturbing alternate ending. Alex commits suicide in graphic fashion, framing Dan for murder(his fingerprints are on that knife). Test audiences HATED it. Close deemed this conclusion consistent with her research, and had to be dragged back to film the real ending which we all know and love. "Fatal Attraction" is the 16th highest grossing film of the 1980s, and I probably wouldn't be writing this article if Alex had offed herself. This is the reason that studios are devoted to test screenings. We're literally talking about the difference between $156 million and $15.6 million here. This ending just doesn't sit well, and is nowhere near as satisfying.

   The public needed to see Alex's blood, and Beth needed to be the one to shed it, after Dan failed to drown her in the bathtub. Glenn Close conceded this point, after the fact. Sure, it's a 'Hollywood' ending, but last time I checked this was a business, and nothing happens without money. Art and commerce must co-exist, and I fully endorse Alex breaking into the Gallagher home in the middle of the night, and swinging a knife around their bathroom, and it doesn't turn her into a female Freddy Krueger. It DOES however, turn "FA" into one of cinema's premier thrillers and a cable mainstay in the decades to come.

   "Bad Influence", "Pacific Heights", "Sleeping with the Enemy", "Cape Fear", "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle", "Unlawful Entry", "Single White Female", "The Temp", "The Crush", "Mother's Boys", "Fear", "The Fan", "Swimfan", "Obsessed", "The Boy Next Door", "Acrimony". Some of these movies are entertaining, none of them are "Fatal Attraction". Eight straight weeks atop the box office AND six Academy Award nominations(including Best Picture). I honestly wouldn't mind having a girl like Alex get obsessed with me. Real life is boring. This was probably my Mom's favorite movie. We shouldn't discount the opinions of all the Moms out there, even though their voices aren't as loud as the Marvel-loving masses. We'll never see another adult thriller enter the zeitgeist with as much force as "Fatal Attraction". It's one of the world's greatest movies.

Franchise Review- Men in Black 1997-2019

   Twenty years ago, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones took an obscure comic book and made the biggest movie of the summer(has it really been that long?). That wasn't supposed to happen, with Spielberg's dinosaurs and Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy as our other multiplex options. It shouldn't have been a surprise, though. "Independence Day" ruled the previous year, and audiences' appetite for alien ass-kicking clearly hadn't been satiated. A 28 year old Will Smith was poised to pounce on our disposable incomes like Muhammad Ali in his prime(no wonder he wound up playing the champ) for the second year in a row, and the stage was set for a franchise that couldn't fail. But did it? Sure, the belated sequels made money, but both felt more like a studio obligation than an organic extension of the interplanetary conflict that we all got caught up in on July 4th, 1997. I can't shake the feeling that the MIB brand could have and should have been so much more. Join me as I celebrate the anniversary of Agents J and K and recap their black-suited cinematic adventures.

"Men in Black"(1997)
The MIB had an extremely short shelf life on comic book stands in 1990-91, making it easy to forget where it all started. But Hollywood was just beginning it's love affair with graphic novels, and the potential of this killer premise was immediately recognized. Director Barry Sonnenfeld was deemed the perfect fit for the material based on the tricky combination of darkness and light that he brought to two "Addams Family" films. Would Clint Eastwood and Chris O'Donnell have made a suitable tag team, as studio execs initially proposed? The movie gods made it so we never got to find out. Will Smith's cocky charm and Tommy Lee Jones' deadpan delivery provided that magical chemistry that just can't be concocted in the Columbia boardroom. The sight of this mismatched pair in Ray-Bans and Reservoir Dog suits just registered right from the get-go.

   A clever cross between "Ghostbusters" and "The X-Files", this top-secret government agency that policies extraterrestrial activity on Earth proved too much for a mass audience to resist, and Smith's radio-friendly theme song really sealed the deal for anybody that still wasn't convinced. We didn't need a neuralyzer after watching the dynamic duo pictured above, foil the plot of Vincent D'Onofrio's alien fugitive. We liked what we saw, and wanted more. An animated series ran for four seasons while Sonnenfeld and company figured out a way to deliver on the endless possibilities hinted at in the finale. Linda Fiorentino was conspicuously absent from follow-up plans. She didn't miss much.

"Men in Black II"(2002)
The public had to wait five long years to see J and K back in action. I know Big Willie is a busy man and "Ali" was quite the undertaking, but a lot changed during that time, not least of which was 9/11(the Twin Towers reportedly had to be written out of the climax at the last minute). There's something to be said for striking while the iron is hot, and fantasy lovers were now preoccupied with "Stars Wars" prequels, "Spider-Man" and "The Lord of the Rings". There just didn't seem to be as much enthusiasm this time around. Unfortunately, we can't talk about the Smith-Sonnenfeld tandem without talking about "Wild Wild West". Why these two didn't move ahead with "MIBII" before the new millennium instead of pouring their energy and resources into one of the worst films of 1999, I'll never know.

   Now onto the movie itself. It was a mistake to sideline Tommy Lee Jones for the first half, and a bigger one to hire C-listers like Lara Flynn Boyle and Johnny Knoxville for a pale retread of the first film's villainy. The FX(always a salvation in movies like this) are nothing special, and an 88 minute running time indicates a clear lack of interest and inspiration on the part of everyone involved. When a talking dog and a Michael Jackson cameo steal the show, you've made a disappointing sequel. "II" finished up with a respectable $190 million at the domestic box office, but few were left clamoring for a third installment. That doesn't mean we wouldn't get one.

"Men in Black 3"(2012)
"MIB" became a trilogy for one reason and one reason only- because Will Smith decided that it should(he probably realized around 2009-2011 that "I Am Legend" and "Hancock" wouldn't become franchises). However, a ten-year gap wouldn't lead to a creative renaissance for Sonnenfeld, as evidenced by the cartoony jailbreak opening. Josh Brolin does a nice TLJ impression(the cranky 65 year old Oscar winner only appears for a total of fifteen minutes) and Emma Thompson replaces raging drunk Rip Torn as the team leader. Otherwise, it's business as usual. Danny Elfman's bouncy score makes the veteran composer the saga's unsung hero. A 1969-set time travel storyline only reminded me how much better "Back to the Future" was at this sort of thing.

   "MIB3" survived a summer smack-down with the MCU("The Avengers" was by far 2012's highest grosser) to collect $179 million in the U.S.- an encouraging number considering how long J and K had been away. There's been some recent talk of a crossover with the "Jump Street" team of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. I think I speak for the entire world when I say "no thank you". Mr. Smith isn't likely to return if such a scenario does come to fruition. Here's hoping that any reboot attempts(perhaps an inevitability) are constructed carefully. Fighting aliens was fun once. I believe it will be again. Maybe that's just me being overly optimistic, because there's a billion cable channels and I know I'll end up seeing it despite my kneejerk objections. Resistance is futile. The entertainment industry may be more powerful than any government agency. They don't even have to erase your memory. They know you're bored. They know you're curious, now sing it with me- "HERE COME THE MEN IN BLACK..."

Updated June 2019

"Men in Black: International"(2019)
Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson tanked in the latest iteration of the once-lucrative property, providing undeniable evidence that nostalgia needs to be reined in every now and then. There's no need for a neuralyzer just yet, because nobody saw the London-set adventures of the newest MIB recruits, despite their Marvel credentials indicating(to studio suits, at least) that this would be a "Jurassic World"-size relaunch. Will Smith and Barry Sonnenfeld must be smiling right now. Director F. Gary Gray("Straight Outta Compton", "The Fate of the Furious") failed to justify this film's existence or it's $110 million price tag, with action scenes and alien encounters predictably playing out with little comic energy or imagination. What was fresh and funny in 1997, is tired and lazy twenty-two summers later(spoiler alert- Liam Neeson is no hero!).

   An anemic $79 million domestic box office total places "International" far below the other "MIB" sequels that no one liked. An appealing cast has been castrated, as "Toy Story 4" makes us forget all about Men in Black 4. Spielberg will have to live without his profit percentage on this one. Hemsworth will have to pay the bills with one franchise instead of two. Jason Reitman's Ghostbusters just got a bit harder to pull off. Hollywood will try again one day. They always do. For now, R.I.P. MIB.

R.I.P. Jonathan Demme 1944-2017

   On April 26th, veteran director Jonathan Demme quietly passed away, after a battle with esophageal cancer and heart disease at age 73. At his peak, this Roger Corman apprentice was one of the best filmmakers on the planet, and the proof is pictured above- an Academy Award win for Best Director for his 1991 masterpiece "The Silence of the Lambs". Yes, Demme cast Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, as the whole world said 'thank you'. He truly was an actors' director, and left a long line of beneficiaries- Mary Steenburgen has been a go-to girl for supporting roles ever since 1980's "Melvin and Howard", Ray Liotta got his big break in 1986's "Something Wild", and a gorgeous 29 year old Michelle Pfeiffer landed her first starring role in the madcap comedy "Married to the Mob". In 1993, a socially-conscious Demme set the stage for the dramatic acting talents of Tom Hanks to come to the forefront in the Oscar-winning "Philadelphia". A decade-and-a-half later, Anne Hathaway would help him end a long dry spell in 2008's "Rachel Getting Married". My only complaint is that he didn't work more. Hollywood needs more auteurs as caring and diverse as Jonathan Demme.

Complete filmography(21 films in total, the highly successful ones are darkened)

"Angels Hard as They Come"(1971)- writer/producer
"The Hot Box"(1972)- writer/producer
"Black Mama White Mama"(1973)- writer/producer
"Caged Heat"(1974)
"Crazy Mama"(1975)
"Fighting Mad"(1976)
"Handle with Care"(1977)
"Last Embrace"(1979)
"Melvin and Howard"(1980)
"Swing Shift"(1984)
"Something Wild"(1986)
"Swimming to Cambodia"(1987)
"Married to the Mob"(1988)
"The Silence of the Lambs"(1991)
"Philadelphia"(1993)
"Beloved"(1998)
"The Truth About Charlie"(2002)
"The Manchurian Candidate"(2004)
"Rachel Getting Married"(2008)
"A Master Builder"(2013)
"Ricki and the Flash"(2015)

Legends- Jimmy Stewart 1908-1997

   I wasn't writing a blog when that all-American stalwart of mid-20th Century cinema Jimmy Stewart died of a pulmonary embolism at age 89, twenty years ago, on July 2, 1997. I didn't even own a computer, nor did I possess a deep knowledge and understanding of film history. I like to think I do now, and Stewart's inherent goodness and marvelous acting ability has often been a joy to discover fifty years after he reigned as one of Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars. You don't have to be a film school scholar to know that he starred in "It's a Wonderful Life". Frank Capra's Christmas staple is one of the iconic works of the 1940s and a huge part of his legacy. Delve a little deeper and you'll find that his four-film union with Alfred Hitchcock was just as significant, with "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" regularly cited as two of The Master of Suspense's greatest achievements. He eagerly enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces the same year he won the Best Actor Oscar for "The Philadelphia Story", because his deep love for this country was more important than his Tinsel-town obligations. Stewart was the first major movie star to wear a military uniform during WWII and flew in several combat missions. If that doesn't increase your respect and arouse an interest in the man that DIDN'T shoot Liberty Valance, than I don't know what will. Join me as I recap the life and career of a true screen titan.

   Stewart was born in Pennsylvania in 1908 and was the descendant of veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. A 20 year old James was expected to enter his father's hardware business, but his studies at Princeton University led to the drama club and summer stage productions in Cape Cod. It was there that he met another future superstar named Henry Fonda who encouraged a move to New York after graduation to pursue work on Broadway. He achieved moderate success in the early 1930s, despite the Great Depression hitting the theater community hard. However, the movie biz was thriving, which meant another move, this time to Los Angeles. Stewart and Fonda both attracted the attention of MGM and became contract players in 1935. Jimmy soon befriended starlets like Greta Garbo, Ginger Rogers and Margaret Sullavan and was told that his lankiness and shy demeanor were assets rather than detriments. After receiving positive feedback in a string of minor films, Stewart had a life-changing meeting with director Frank Capra. "You Can't Take It With You" won Best Picture in 1938, and Capra, now a three-time Academy Award winner, declared that Stewart was one of the best actors in the world. Their second collaboration, 1939's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", would certainly back that assertion. Jimmy played a political idealist in one of his signature roles, and the result was the first of five Oscar nominations.

   Stewart won the Best Actor Oscar at age 32 for George Cukor's "The Philadelphia Story" opposite the legendary Katherine Hepburn. That same year, he starred in another celebrated romantic comedy "The Shop Around the Corner"(which would be remade by his 1990s counterpart Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail"). He was a household name with 28 films under his belt when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Jimmy was underweight and six years older than the maximum age limit when he lobbied to join the Air Corps. His lifelong passion for flying(he already had a private pilot certificate) and college education got him accepted into the Service Pilot program in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Initially used as recruitment tool, Stewart pushed for more advanced training until he was deemed fit for bombing assignments in Berlin. He flew deep into Nazi-occupied Europe in 1943-44, and was promoted from private to colonel, an honor bestowed upon only a handful of Americans that fought in WWII. The details of his heroism are too numerous to be included in this blog(he never wanted any publicity for it), but his military credentials are extensive and highly impressive, and he would remain affiliated with the Air Force in some capacity until 1968.

   The post-war period found Stewart working at the peak of his acting powers. "It's a Wonderful Life" was his return to the screen after a five-year absence, and the 38 year old patriot didn't miss a beat. Universally considered one of the greatest movies ever made, the role of George Bailey was his ticket to immortality. "Harvey", an Oscar-winning 1950 comedy, and Hitchcock enabled Stewart to stave off the method eruptions of Marlon Brando and the suaveness of Cary Grant. A wheelchair-bound Jimmy did big business for Hitch in their second team-up, "Rear Window"(they first got together for 1948's "Rope"). He played Buttons the clown in Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic "The Greatest Show on Earth", which no doubt helped this crowd-pleaser collect Best Picture in 1952. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his eight-film alliance with director Anthony Mann- "Winchester '73", "Bend of the River", "The Naked Spur", "Thunder Bay", "The Glenn Miller Story", "The Far Country", "The Man from Laramie", and "Strategic Air Command" was a success streak that allowed him to strike a more straightforward heroic pose.

   Stewart completed his Hitchcock collaborations with "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and "Vertigo". The latter is one of the decade's most revered films, and the pinnacle of a partnership that many feel should have continued. He racked up his fifth and final Best Actor nomination for 1959's "Anatomy of a Murder", directed by Otto Preminger. With fewer acting challenges on the horizon, an aging Stewart was content to rely on his established brand in 1960s Western hits like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", "How the West Was Won", "Shenandoah" and "The Rare Breed". But a change was brewing. An influx of exciting young talent were uniquely qualified to reflect an undeniable cultural shift that brought about a deep distrust of authority and an overall rejection of traditional values. To say that the Vietnam War was unpopular would be a massive understatement, and Stewart's old-school conservatism had him blindly supporting it. His headliner status was suddenly on shaky ground as we entered the uncertainties of the Nixon era.

   Stewart worked sporadically in the '70s, but his wholesome image started seeming archaic next to nervy newcomers such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman. The muted response to his later films("Firecreek", "The Cheyenne Social Club", "Fools' Parade") necessitated a brief foray into television, where he didn't fare much better. The end was near, and it's incredibly fitting that Jimmy and John Wayne, reunited here in "The Shootist", wrapped up their acting careers simultaneously after running parallel for four decades. "The Magic of Lassie", an underwhelming family flop released in the summer of '78, would mark his final film appearance.

Receiving an honorary Oscar in 1985.

   The last two decades of Stewart's life were spent basking in well-deserved adulation as one of the elder statesmen of the entertainment industry. He campaigned for his old pal Ronald Reagan, whose 1980 election victory was a restoration of simpler American ideals, in theory at least. Smart investments kept him a multimillionaire, but he did come out of retirement to lend his distinctive voice to commercials and the 1991 animated hit "An American Tail: Fievel Goes West"(technically, his last role). He is the most represented lead actor on AFI lists, and ten of his films have been selected for the U.S. National Film Registry. The respect and admiration he quietly commanded throughout the world has rarely been seen since, and he was married to his wife Gloria from 1949 until her death in 1994. He made 78 movies, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you never sat down in front of his delightful work. Film is forever, and this great medium never knew a finer gentleman than Jimmy Stewart.