The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

By Matt Singer



Welcome everybody to the show that never ends, excepts every other week when it does.  
False advertising I know, but it beats, "Welcome everybody to the never-ending, biweekly 
show."  That just doesn't flow off the tongue well.



Three more wide and varied reviews for you.  As always, suggestions and comments are 
welcomed to my goofy e-mail address, SuperPulse@aol.com.  Anything you have to say is 
appreciated, but be aware, I know where you live, I've seen where you sleep, and I saw 
what you did.  And I have the negatives to prove it.



Let's get this party started right:





The Sting (1973)

Starring Robert Redford, Paul Newman

Directed by George Roy Hill

Rated PG, 129 minutes.



In 1969, Robert Redford and Paul Newman starred in the classic Butch Cassidy and 
the Sundance Kid, a film revered to this day.  Four years later, they reteamed in a sequel 
of sorts; they co-starred together again, this time in George Roy Hill's The Sting.  I 
have yet to catch Butch and Sundance (It's high on my list of flicks to see, I assure 
you), but I cannot imagine these two making a better film than The Sting; a triumph of 
brilliant acting, writing, and period drama.



Redford is really the star here as Depression-era grifter Johnny Hooker; who, after 
becoming involved with rackets boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), enlists the aid of 
veteran con man Henry Gondorff in order to pull off "The Big Con."  As the story evolves, 
more people get involved, including a mad-as-hell police lieutenant, and a madder-than-hell 
F.B.I. agent.



The films unfolds much like a novel; not only is it paced slower than most movies today,
but it is also broken up into "chapters" each complete with it's own title page which is 
turned to reveal the next part of the story.  What begins as a very small story of revenge 
grows into a huge scam worth of the title "The Big Con."



Back in 1973, The Sting won seven out of the nine Academy Awards it was nominated for, 
including awards for Best Picture and Director, as well as awards for costume design and 
art direction; and deservedly so.  Each detail of 1936 is recreated, from hats, gloves, 
walks, hair, and even the lingo the grifters use.  Everything feels authentic down to the 
cars and the way people eat (Watch the two scenes involving food and see if you sense the 
difference).  Of course, you cannot overlook the tremendous contributions the ensemble 
gives to the success of the picture.  Redford is good, but it's Newman who steals every 
scene he's in.  His poker-playing scene is truly one of the most joyful scenes I have ever 
viewed.  Try to watch it without a smile on your face.  It is impossible.



There's something magical about this movie that still gets me every time I watch it.  
Maybe it's the Scott Joplin rag score.  Or the mysterious man with the black glove.  Or the 
way the film is like a con man itself; constantly pulling tricks out of its sleeves, 
making the audience think they know exactly what's going on, and then showing them what 
they missed right under their noses.  



I originally saw The Sting about five years ago.  It was one of the first films I saw 
that was made before I was born, and it changed my life.  Suddenly I saw old movies in a 
new light.  There are these gems that are waiting out there to be discovered.  Sadly, are 
mostly ignored.  So check out The Sting, and then check out Butch Cassidy and don't stop 
until they kick you out of the video store.



IF YOU LIKED THE STING, CHECK OUT: Sneakers (1992) a cheesy but fun movie about 
espionage and computer hacking before such things were commonly known, also starring Robert 
Redford.





THE BAD

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Starring Sean Penn, Adrien Brody

Directed by Terrence Malick

Rated R, 170 minutes.



No, that's not a typo; The Thin Red Line is the bad movie for this week.  Obviously I 
realize that this nowhere near as bad a film as the unqualified bombs that have previously 
occupied this space.  There are some excellent things in it that almost elevate it to the 
status of an ugly movie (A flawed movie that's still worth viewing).  Still, the cons 
outweigh the pros to the point where I can say in good conscience that you should probably 
stay away from this movie.



After concluding our business here, I recommend you head over to the fabulous Internet 
Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com) and check out the user comments for The Thin Red Line.
You'll find an interesting range of reviews; about half see it as an unmitigated disaster, 
another half feel it is a misunderstood gem.  Amongst the latter group are several very 
long and in-depth examinations into Malick's use of metaphor and visual imagery.  



In an ideal world, perhaps these users would have the right idea.  But watching the 
actual film, I cannot believe such a muddled and confusing mess could legitimately express 
these ideas fully.  And good intentions do not a movie make.



Amongst The Thin Red Line's more glaring problems are the cast, acting, and even the 
characters names.  Most of the largest roles are played very similar looking actors.  
In addition, the characters' names all sound the same.  Amongst the ones hardest to 
distinguish over mortar fire: Fife, Witt, Whyte, Bell, and Gaff.  During the heat of 
battle most all sound like "BAAAAH!"  and since all the actors look alike it becomes 
extraordinarily confusing to keep everyone straight in your mind.



Malick confounds his problems by mixing voice over narration; instead of one character, 
it's several.  Sometimes it's easy to tell who's narrating, other times it is just baffling.
In addition, characters come and go, pop up, and disappear.  Some die; others are just 
forgotten.  And since you do not know who anyone is to begin with, you end up asking the 
person sitting next to you a lot of questions.



From what I understand about the making of the movie, a lot of that has to do with the 
way it was made.  Malick originally had an entirely different cut of the film, then changed 
it for whatever reason to the state it is now.  In the process, characters who originally 
had large roles (like John C. Reilly) were reduced significantly.  And let's not even 
mention the very distracting cameos by big name talent.



The film does feature gorgeous cinematography by John Toll, and a superb extended 
battle sequence that covers the middle third of the film.  Sadly, after building well and 
paying off there, the film spends another hour petering out.  There is no definitive 
protagonist, no one you are truly following, so you just sort of meander from one odd 
encounter to the next.  Then, all of a sudden Sean Penn is listening to George Clooney.  
Then the movie is over.



At just a shade under three hours, The Thin Red Line is a big movie to undertake.  
Certainly, there is a good deal of interesting stuff to see in it, but as a complete movie 
it feels lacking and unfinished.  I would have seriously considered recutting the film and 
trying to add more structure to the narrative, while clarifying the similar characters.  
As it stands, it's a disappointing film that feels like it could have been something more.



INSTEAD OF THE THIN RED LINE CHECK OUT:  THREE KINGS (1999) Last year's brilliantly 
scathing Gulf War movie, also with George Clooney, and my pick for the movie most neglected 
by the Oscars.





The Avenging Disco Godfather (1979)

Starring Rudy Ray Moore

Directed by J. Robert Wagoner

Rated R, 93 minutes.



First, just to clarify, for those of you wondering, "Hmmm...The Avenging Disco 
Godfather...sounds familiar.  I've seen a movie called Disco Godfather and also a very 
similar movie entitled Avenging Godfather.  Any relation?" This movie has been released at 
various times under all three names.  I apologize for any confusion.  



Let me first assure you that this movie bears no relation to Francis Ford Coppola's 
Godfather trilogy.  When I heard of this movie, a horrid image of Brando in white polyester 
sprung to mind; thankfully, there's nothing like that here.  Unfortunately, what you get 
instead is not much better.



The titular Disco Godfather is, in actuality, Tucker Williams; an ex-cop-turned-disco-
club-owner who lords over his dominion of swinging bachelors as the Disco Godfather. It's 
a good thing he's an ex-cop; the Godfather's idyllic land of gyrating hips and wholesome 
love is being corrupted by a sudden influx of PCP into the community.  Since the police are 
obviously not equipped to handle drug-related crime; Williams takes it upon himself to find 
the source of the angel dust and wipe it out.



Not exactly the strongest of foundations to build a movie on.  Of course, this leads to 
the kind of zany fun as only a cheesy late-seventies movie about disco and PCP can deliver. 



Some highlights:



-The Godfather's affinity for the phrase "Put your weight on it!" which he proclaims to 
his club denizens at least twenty times during the movie. The meaning of the phrase is 
never explained.



-The fact that the "wakka-cha-wakka" laden soundtrack pumps really loudly, even during 
the dialogue scenes, to the point where you can't even hear the people who are talking.  As 
Crow from MST3K would say, "Boy the music's terrible, but at least it drowns out the 
dialogue!"



-The strange Angel Dust trips that last for months (!) and all include this weird 
looking hag lady, straight out of an Evil Dead movie.



-The terribly directed and choreographed martial arts scenes. In the climactic one, the 
Disco Godfather is kicking tail, and a jogger off the street stops and helps him. The duo 
fend off their attackers, and never speak again.



-The obligatory white captain of the police force, who is quite possibly the worst actor I 
have ever seen. He doesn't even know which way to face during dialogue scenes, and looks at 
his shoes in EVERY close up.



The movie features incompetent acting, directing, and sound.  But the mere fact that
the movie is about a Disco Godfather, who happens also be an ex-cop, thus turning the movie 
into a war on drugs movie, makes it well worth the rental.  Goofy fun for all.



IF YOU LIKED THE AVENGING DISCO GODFATHER, CHECK OUT: Shaft (1971), one of the first, 
and best blaxploitation films.  That Shaft is one bad mutha-SHUT YOUR MOUTH!  Can you dig 
it?





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