guardians of the galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy is the feel-good film of this summer. It is colorful, funny, and not afraid to be silly. The kid and I saw it twice while we were on vacation. It wasn't that there weren't any other movies that piqued our interest, it was just that we had so much fun the first time around we figured what the heck, let's see it again. That sort of devil-may-care, in search of a good time attitude  permeated the film. It was infectious.

There were so many things that I liked about the movie. It captured my fancy, much like the original Star Wars film did when I first saw it (more on that tomorrow). It has a bitchin' soundtrack (check back here for details on that on Friday), and some truly memorable, lovable characters (I'm looking at you, Groot). I am not particularly invested in the Marvel universe or superhero movies in general, but I am definitely on board to see more adventures featuring Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and Groot. And the film had Benicio Del Toro, so win-win.

Here they come, L-R: Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Drax (Dave Bautista)

"Groot's the only one of you who has a clue."

The movie doesn't just reference a seventies movie vibe, but also shares its quirky sensibility with other sci-fi/fantasy fan favorites like Buckaroo Banzai and The Fifth Element. There's even a touch of The Wizard of Oz to the motley crew that joins Peter Quill, AKA Star Lord, on his galactic adventures.

We saw the movie in New Jersey, at a Bow Tie Cinema, which added to the whole nostalgia appeal of the experience. No IMAX, no 3D, no "big" movie-going experience. Just popcorn, drinks, a decent-sized screen, and a cool movie. Now don't get me wrong, I love the IMAX screen at our local multiplex (although I loathe 3D). But I also really love this more laid-back, cheaper ticket, local theater approach. It would make me want to start going to the movies more often, like I used to, seeing whatever sounded interesting, instead of weighing the pros and cons and the cost. So far no Bow Tie Cinemas in Florida. Hopefully that will change soon.

One of the other interesting things about this mega-movie that I have noticed is that it isn't (so far) over-merchandised, like so many other aimed-at-kids films seem to be. Wandering around Target with the kid recently we noticed there were a couple of LEGO themed sets,  few action figures (but no Gamora) and some school notebooks featuring the characters, but not much else. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys and paraphernalia, on the other hand, are omnipresent.

I think I can probably hold off watching it again until it hits Blu-ray, but the internet offers some fun links in the meantime to feed my Guardians fix.

il quinto elemento

The ultimate guilty pleasure movie, The Fifth Element, or how I like to refer to it, Il Quinto Elemento, is also incredibly entertaining. It also manages to be colorful, funny, and a little scary at times. Its sci-fi roots are definitely in Blade Runner territory, but director Luc Besson has managed to create a wholly original future world, that even upon multiple viewings manages to enchant. This is helped in no small part by the amazing costumes designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier.

The Italian poster

Milla Jovovich as Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat — but you can call her Leeloo

Leeloo: Leeloo Dallas. Mul-ti-pass.

I saw the movie when it first came out in 1997, but started referring to it as Il Quinto Elemento after a trip to Italy, where posters for the movie were plastered everywhere. My pet name seemed appropriately absurd, as much as the bright orange hairstyle of female lead Milla Jovovich or the outrageous character played by Chris Tucker, Ruby Rhod. Besson originally came up with his version of the future when he was just 16 years old. Years later, after he had quite a few successful films under his belt (Subway, La Femme Nikita, Léon: The Professional), he was able to move forward on his pet project and hire comic book artists Jean-Claude Mézières and Jean Giraud to work on the film's production design and help design his future version of New York City.

Taxicabs and police cars in the 23rd century

In The Fifth Element a perfect super being, in the form of a young woman called Leeloo (Jovovich), is sent to 23rd century Earth to determine whether humanity is worth saving. Helping her save the world is a cab driver (and former crack military man) named Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), a priest who is in a long line of protectors of her alien race (Ian Holm) and a reluctant flamboyant DJ (Tucker). Up against them are a bunch of scary-looking aliens called Mangalores and Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman), a crooked arms dealer who also seems to be in league with a terrible evil force, a black planet which is hurtling towards Earth. They are all after four mystical stones, which represent the four essental elements of life.

Chris Tucker's androgynous Prince-inspired DJ Ruby Rhod is an either love him or hate him character. I love him.

DJ Ruby Rhod: And now we enter what must the most beautiful concert hall of all the universe. A perfect replica of the old opera house ... But who cares?

Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas, sporting a rubber Gaultier t-shirt that I still covet

Gary Oldman as Zorg. Clothes for bad guys in the 23rd century — pretty cool. Hairstyles — not so much.

Korben Dallas: Whoa, lady, I only speak two languages, English and bad English. [Leeloo speaks in divine language] 

Korben Dallas: Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for conversation, but maybe you could just shut up for a moment?

Besson fell in love with Jovovich during the making of the film and the two constructed the "divine language" that Leeloo speaks when she first meets Korben. They married, but were divorced in 1999. Jovovich is not the only fashion model in The Fifth Element who can show off the fabulous wardrobe created by Gaultier. Fans of fashion will recognize some favorite faces in the extras cast, including: Sibyl Buck (Zorgs secretary), Stacey McKenzie (VIP stewardess), and Ève Salvail (Tawdry Girl).

Willis is in his usual wry humor/hero mode and helps the (at least American) audience connect with the fast-moving adventure. I will always have a fond place in my heart for the original Star Wars film, and I love, love, love Blade Runner (especially Rutger Hauer), but if I was really pressed, I think I would have to say that Il Quinto Elemento, The Fifth Element, is my favorite science fiction movie. It's certainly the most re-watchable, and its visuals are hard to beat. It makes so much of the gray exploding CGI buildings that seem omnipresent in recent sci-fi films (The Avengers, Star Trek, etc.) seem dull and lifeless. To quote Ruby Rhod, The Fifth Element is "A hotel of a thousand and one follies, lollies, and lickemollies. A magic fountain flow of non stop wine, women, and coochie coochie coooo! All night long!"

Further Reading — an amusing post about movie:
How 'The Fifth Element' Predicted Lady Gaga And Everything Else About Modern Life—Back in '97

happy birthday, gary oldman

Everyone loves Gary Oldman, right? Whether he is playing a super-villain or ... a super-villain. There are so many great Oldman roles to choose from — from some high-ticket features to little-known gems. There are even a few that are appropriate to watch with the kiddies. Here are some of my favorite Oldman movies.

Sid and Nancy (1986) — Oldman played the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious and made him both a caricature and human at the same time.

Nancy, "I hate my fuckin' life."
Sid, "This is just a rough patch. Things'll be much better when we get to America, I promise."
Nancy, "We're in America. We've been here a week. New York is in America, you fuck."

I have to admit that I found the much-lauded Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) a bit of a yawn (even with Benedict Cumberbatch), but there is no denying that Oldman's George Smiley is a brilliant performance.

The Harry Potter Series — Oldman brings both menace and poignancy to his role as Sirius Black. He also looks pretty darn cool in the beard and 'stache and longcoat.

1997's The Fifth Element is a love it or hate it movie for many. I love its crazy, over-the-top energy. Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, and Chris Tucker are all a lot of fun, but Oldman, as the villain Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (with very unusual taste in hairstyle and headwear) steals every scene he is in.

1983's Meantime, directed by Mike Leigh, may be hard to track down, but it is worth it. Set in Thatcher's 1980s Britain, it tells the story of a struggling family, most of them on the dole. It is really Tim Roth's film, but Oldman is memorable as the skinhead Coxy.

Francis Ford Coppola's stylized version of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) is probably Oldman's most well-known film. The actor pulls out all the stops and makes his Vlad Dracula evil and frightening as well as seductive and sexy.

"I have crossed oceans of time to find you."

Oldman plays crooked cop Stansfield who is after Mathilda (Natalie Portman), who is under the protection of hit-man Léon (Jean Reno), in Luc Besson's wonderful Léon: The Professional (1994).

Honorable mentions:

Oldman plays Carnegie, a post-apocalyptic Wild West-style outlaw who goes up against Denzel Washington (bad idea) in 2010's The Book of Eli.

1994's Immortal Beloved is full of music and romance, a wonderful Oldman as Ludwig van Beethoven, as the film chronicles his prodigious amount of lady-loves.

Oldman brings both delicacy and menace to his voice role as the evil (of course) peacock Shen in 2011's Kung Fu Panda 2.

Playing another corrupt cop, Oldman matches wits with gorgeous assassin Lena Olin in 1993's Romeo Is Bleeding.

Tony Scott's True Romance (1993, written by Quentin Tarantino) hosts a very eclectic cast of characters (Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer), but Oldman manages to stand out as pimp Drexl Spivey.

Time for another movie marathon?

gary oldman makes me laugh

Article first published as Gary Oldman Makes Me Laugh on Blogcritics.



I've always really liked Gary Oldman. But his career is a puzzle to me. He is most frequently cast as the "bad guy" in movies, but I think what makes him truly special, apart from the much-touted acting chops, is his sense of humor: Oldman, on True Romance, (1993): "I hadn't read the script, and knew nothing about it. Tony (Scott) and I had tea at the Four Seasons and he said, 'Look, I can't really explain the plot. But Drexl's a pimp who's white but thinks he's black'. That was all I needed to hear. I said, 'Yes, I'll do it'." The guy always brings a funny little twist, not just an accent, to his roles. One of my all-time favorite Oldman performances, and probably the first time I saw him, is as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy. He is obnoxious and tragic and eerily like the Sex Pistols' doomed bassist. But he is also funny as hell.

Oldman can do anything—biopics (Prick Up Your Ears), period good (Immortal Beloved) and not-so-good (The Scarlet Letter), crime (The Professional). He has used so many different accents in his movies that I'm not really sure what his real voice sounds like. So why is he so often called in to do the same sort of role, over and over—the crazy bad guy? Case in point. I watched The Book of Eli the other day. It's not a great film, but it was definitely absorbing. It's a little bit western, a little bit Thunderdome, a little bit classic Twilight Zone-with-a-twist sci-fi. It's mainly a showcase for Denzel Washington, which is always a good thing. I got a huge kick watching Denzel be the coolest badass post-apocalyptic superhero samurai that ever walked the West.

And The Book of Eli had Gary Oldman as the villain Carnegie. There is a nice scene in the movie where Oldman washes his lover's hair. It's unexpected and adds a nice shade to his character. And then the script and the rest of the movie forgets about it and it's stock villain dialogue for the rest of the film. It's a shame, because the man could have made the character much more interesting, if he'd been given anything to work with.

Priest Vito Cornelius: You're a monster, Zorg.  Zorg: I know.

As I watched Oldman in this movie, I kept getting echoes of a far cheesier, but much more fun performance in The Fifth Element. It's the same set-up, with Oldman as the tyrannical bad guy in charge of the outpost—in this case outer space. But his villain is so much more fun here. Maybe I just love him best when he's over-the-top. The Fifth Element, one of the best under-rated-science-fiction-starring-Bruce-Willis-pictures ever (also with an amazing and colorful performance by Chris Tucker), is just plain silly a lot of the time, but you just won't care, because it's so visually enticing and damn fun to watch.

Thinking about Oldman and over-the-top performances, I can't help but mention one of the most OTT movies of all time, Bram Stoker's Dracula. It's got tons wrong with it (miscast Winona and Keanu and Anthony Hopkins in his usual cheesetastic mode), but also tons of wonderful effects and images, Gustav Klimt costumery, and Oldman, who throws himself wholeheartedly into the role of the original vampire. No sparkly teen fangsters here, thank you very much. Oldman manages to make all of his incarnations of Dracula—the bewigged Nosferatu, the Transylvanian warrior, the 19th-century dapper gentleman prince—appealing in some way. He loves his character and so do we, so we know by the end of the movie that Winona's Mina is in for a very dull future without him. Oldman said about his performance in the film, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's not Dracula crying, it's Gary Oldman, but using the technique of the character. The emotion is mine, because I don't know what it's like to be undead and live 300 years."

And that's just the first few minutes. It get's even more exaggerated from here ...

It's interesting that one of his best-known recent roles, as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies, may also be the best combination of Oldman's talents. It's too bad, by the very nature of the overstuffed films, that his time on screen is so fleeting. But in The Prisoner of Azkaban he was able to go from being introduced as the usual crazy-as-a-bedbug villain to the misunderstood outsider, to the warm and funny uncle. It's the power of Oldman that I always think that he's in this movie and The Order of the Phoenix more than he actually is. His persona makes that kind of an impact.

Oldman has said, "I don't think Hollywood knows what to do with me. I would imagine that when it comes to romantic comedies, my name would be pretty low down on the list." I know just what he means. His Dracula is a romantic hero. And a monster. And, and, and. But Oldman would be terrific in a romantic comedy, as long as his leading lady was up to his caliber.

In the meantime, he's got lots of interesting things on the horizon. Guns, Girls and Gambling sounds like it just might be a comedy. Here's hoping. I'm looking forward to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Red Riding Hood, as well as another Batman, which is in the works. There's always something interesting to expect from Gary Oldman.

Quotes imdb