Most Underrated Movie: The Shadow

Why this movie didn't make a bigger splash is beyond me.

For the uninitiated, The Shadow is the dark mysterious hero of 1930's radio serials, subsequently followed by every other sort of media including this movie in the 90's. The Shadow is the inspiration behind Batman, and probably every other popular hero that isn't a boyscout like Superman.

Here's the point I want to make about this movie: All of the individual parts work, and the whole thing works together as well. I can't figure why it wasn't better received, except guesses relating to shoddy marketing and PG-13 approach (it's decidedly more fun old-Star Wars than gritty-1989-Batman).

So let's start with the pieces:

My favorite thing about this movie is the soundtrack. Jerry Goldsmith's score is the perfect blend of haunting and exciting. I listen to it in my car... it's both memorable and enjoyable, and fits the film. Good luck finding it on iTunes though... you're going to have a find a used CD on eBay or Amazon like I did. (PS: Likewise the movie is relegated to an extremely-crappy 1:33-1 aspect ratio single disc DVD option--shenanigans)

The Force! This movie hits all the best good and evil, anger versus self-control themes that The Force did in the good old Star Wars movies (before the cheesy midichlorian-science era... shudder). This was just the right take on the Shadow's supernatural ability to "cloud mens' minds."

Alec Baldwin is tough, suave, and funny as the Shadow. Everyone's excited about him these days, but a lot of the same humor you see on 30 Rock is glimpsed in the Shadow. I am given to quoting his conversations with Margot and Shiwan Khan.

• Tim Curry plays a good slimeball


• John Lone does a great job as a modern day Mongol warlord


• Penelope Ann Miller is a solid 1940's dame


• Ian McKellen (Gandalf) plays a scatterbrained scientist


• The Shadow's Alfred-the-Butler is Moe, a helpful cab driver played by Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond's dad)


• Jonathan Winters is both the Shadow's dad and the NYPD Chief

This is a Black Hawk Down approach to casting. There are one or two truly big names there, and then almost a dozen other likable B-Listers in there.

The production on this film is solid, with a few great set pieces, sensible CG usage, a nice overall retro feel (late 30's, I think). The dialogue always makes me smile and everything else (story, pacing, etc.) is good.

This isn't an Oscar movie (except for maybe the soundtrack? Lion King won that year)... But it's a dang good movie! Worth watching if you haven't seen it.

Liam Neeson: Born to lose

Born to lose, I've lived my life in vain

Every dream has only brought me pain

All my life, I've always been so blue

Born to lose, and now I'm losing you

--Johnny Cash

Taken reminded me that it's time to post about Hollywood's greatest... um, "die-er," Liam Neeson.

Neeson has made a career out of dying on screen; more specifically, he seems to own the niche for mentor-like characters who die. Let's see.

Gangs of New York - "We need someone to play DiCaprio's virtuous priestly dad. This guy is on screen for 90 seconds before Daniel Day-Lewis whacks him. Neeson, anyone?"

Star Wars I - "We need a Jedi mentor for the young Darth Vader. Let's shoot his death scene first, so that when he realizes how terrible this movie is, he'll stick around anyway ...since he knows the pain is only temporarily."

Kingdom of Heaven - When I didn't see Neeson in the commercial for this movie, but he showed up as hero-in-the-making Balian's dad early on, I knew there was only one possible outcome: Neeson must die.

Batman Begins - His mentor-character only gets knocked out, but the evil character he actually IS gets killed and then returns as Neeson--who also dies! That doesn't make sense. See this movie.

Lincoln (due out in 2011) - Who should play a tall guy who dies? NEESON! The producers quickly signed Neeson to star. Even though he's a big Irish guy, his grip on the dying-mentor role is so firm that he even owns American presidential roles.

Love Actually - His movie wife dies just before the movie starts. The Grim Reaper clearly missed his target. Neeson is still mentor to a young romantic.

"Let's see... I'm the bigger star, but I'm not in the trailer... Quick, I bequeath my beard and cloak to Jim Caviezel!"

The Mission - Fielding, a priest and role-model to the masses, is killed in the conclusion.

Darkman - Neeson does one of those "horrifically scarred, life destroyed, I consider myself 'dead' but live as a phantasm haunting the enemies of the life I once lived" things.


When Irish Eyes are Crying - Neeson plays an IRA terrorist in the opening episode of Miami Vice Season 3. I have not seen this. BUT: When someone's in only one episode and they play a 'terrorist,' the odds are good that they die. Based on the patterns we see, it is probable that Neeson mentors another young terrorist before dying, too.

Neeson narrowly dodges becoming the first guest star to die on Sesame Street, after mentoring happy-go-lucky puppets.

Last but not least...

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Brian Cox (original Hannibal Lecter, badass villain of X-Men 2) was originally cast as Aslan. When he bowed out due to scheduling problems, producers were faced with a decision: Who should play Aslan, the Christ-figure who guides the movie's young heroes before dying sacrificially for Edmund?

Fortunately, they didn't have to think long before someone said, "Hey, why didn't we get Neeson in the first place?" But Neeson has the last laugh here: Ah ha! As a Christ-figure, Aslan returns from the grave after only a brief stay, and is death-proof from here on out! Neeson's agent finally found the ultimate sacrificially-dying-good-guy-who-comes-back role... the only question is, how did Neeson not get cast in The Passion?

Over/Under #1

In these occasional features I will briefly assess two movies: One underrated, one overrated.

OVER: Batman Forever

Most folks liked Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, and about half of those folks liked his follow-up, Batman Returns. However, I can't get my mind around how anyone stuck around for the third installment, Joel Shumacher's regretable Batman Forever.

Supposedly a lot of film was left on the cutting room floor, which is why the audience gets a severely underdeveloped "Batman Forever" theme: Batman reconciling that he can be both Bruce Wayne AND Batman 'forever,' as he makes peace with his memories. You have to look pretty hard to find this in the movie though, so the 'Forever' mostly feels like fair warning that you'll feel like you're engaged in Chinese water-torture while you watch.

Val Kilmer was downright wooden as Batman, Nicole Kidman was a brainless hormonal bimbo as a "Doctor," and worst of all, the villains were truly wasted. Tommy Lee Jones could've provided a compelling Two-Face, but instead he plays a nutcase with a handgun, some hired goons, and bad fashion sense. Jim Carrey was near the height of his popularity at this time, but turns in only a slightly effeminate pink-haired Riddler--whose riddles all link together to reveal his alter-ego's true name, which never matters anyway.

Top it all off with whipped cream (fluffy dialogue, oddly fantastic and un-violent action, and an obsession with bright colors) and a cherry on top (Chris O'Donnell as a thirty-year-old Robin with nipples on his costume), and you have a poop-sundae.

Somehow this movie made a lot of money, and was decently-reviewed at the time. Since then, numerous fan reviews have pulled the Critic's Score on Rotten Tomatoes down from an extremely generous score of near 70%. It is now holding steady a more-fitting (though still generous, IMHO!) 44%. There is hope for our planet after all, it seems, but that doesn't mean this movie isn't overrated.

UNDER:

Rocky Balboa! Rocky got 10 Oscar nods and came home with 3 golden statues, including Best Picture. Its popularity then spawned 4 sequels of questionable merit, and the series traded its roots to spiral into full-blown Cold War hysterics as Rocky ended communism. My wife and ESPN's Bill Simmons insist that Rocky V is so bad that it does not exist.

Rocky Balboa (a.k.a. Rocky 6) brings Stallone back to the slums of Philly, and back to being a complete human character instead of just a fighting dynamo. The best part of this movie is that it makes you love Rocky Balboa again. He's a selfless dummy with an enormous heart who never quits trying to help his neighbors. He's the Italian Samaritan! It was a good decision to let Adrian go (she'd become a broken record of discouragement long ago), and Milo Ventimiglia turned in a strong effort as Rocky's semi-estranged son.

Overall, it provided satisfying closure to a movie series that has spanned the better part of most of our lives. That deserves kudos, as does the movie's necessary self-awareness due to its outlandish premise.

True, it is currently garnering a 76% approval rating on RT, but that's not praise enough for the second-best in a 6-movie series that made over $1 billion dollars and collected 11 Oscar nods (by my count). Plus, this movie gets the coveted "REDEMPTION BONUS:" Rocky V was so bad that Stallone himself said he would give it a "zero out of ten," but he was able to turn it around and make one of the few good sequels out there.