Bedazzled (1967): A total loser makes a deal with the devil to get his dream girl. Agreements between to man and Satan typically don't go so well, and this is no exception with Dudley Moore winding up worse for wear.
Star Quotient = 6
Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Raquel Welch - sounds just about perfect, but Welch's part is woefully short
Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Raquel Welch - sounds just about perfect, but Welch's part is woefully short
Badassitude = 6
Cook is the Prince of Darkness with a wry devilish wit; makes Pacino (The Devil's Advocate) and DeNiro (as Luis Cypher - worst devil name in history BTW - in Angel Heart) seem boring.
Cook is the Prince of Darkness with a wry devilish wit; makes Pacino (The Devil's Advocate) and DeNiro (as Luis Cypher - worst devil name in history BTW - in Angel Heart) seem boring.
Action Fraction =0
British wit aplenty, but alas not a car chase to be found
British wit aplenty, but alas not a car chase to be found
Laughtermath = 8
This brand of humor is so brilliant, it takes a minute to acclimate. In fact, if you watch a full episode of How I Met Your Mother (utter shit), and then watch this, your head will implode upon itself.
This brand of humor is so brilliant, it takes a minute to acclimate. In fact, if you watch a full episode of How I Met Your Mother (utter shit), and then watch this, your head will implode upon itself.
Sexitivity = 7
Raquel delivers the goods, but it's from behind an annoying mesh curtain, and her scene is over way too soon. Eleanor Bron is in a miniskirt throughout.... you could do a lot worse.
Raquel delivers the goods, but it's from behind an annoying mesh curtain, and her scene is over way too soon. Eleanor Bron is in a miniskirt throughout.... you could do a lot worse.
Disturbulence = 1
It's not exactly upbeat; the comedy can be pretty dark. But, nothing too traumatizing here.
It's not exactly upbeat; the comedy can be pretty dark. But, nothing too traumatizing here.
Frighteousness= 0
Turner and Hooch was scarier than this.
Turner and Hooch was scarier than this.
Storytelling = 7
Masterful - keeps you involved at every step.... unlike that Brendan Frazier train wreck that came out in 2000. What a godawful mess.
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Billy Jack (1971)
Billy Jack is the ultimate hero - part Native American, part ball busting Marine.... and he's got a school full of hippie children to protect from close minded rednecks. When the hicks step over the line, Billy must put away his peace-loving principles, and beat some redneck ass!
Masterful - keeps you involved at every step.... unlike that Brendan Frazier train wreck that came out in 2000. What a godawful mess.
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Billy Jack (1971)
Billy Jack is the ultimate hero - part Native American, part ball busting Marine.... and he's got a school full of hippie children to protect from close minded rednecks. When the hicks step over the line, Billy must put away his peace-loving principles, and beat some redneck ass!
Star Quotient = 2
Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor aren't exactly Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but who gives a shit. Am I right?
Badassitude = 9
Billy Jack would be a perfect 10, if he didn't try to be such a hippie. This is the most conflicted movie ever made: On the one hand, Billy Jack is an ex Marine that totally whoops ass - this is where the movie shines. Yet, it also tries to be a pro peace film (?) I understand violence is sometimes necessary, even for the biggest pacifist, but this movie, at times, relishes the shit-kicking.
Action Fraction = 7
Although the action is sparse, it's a matter of quality over quantity. The scene where Billy confronts the redneck sheriff douche-bag is absolutely iconic. "I'm gonna take this right foot.... and I'm gonna whop you on that side of your face... and you wanna know somethin'?... there's not a damn thing you're gonna be able to do about it."
Laughtermath = 0
I would love to give this a negative number simply because of Howard Hessman's horribly awkward comedy routines. They last forever, are not remotely funny, and are gut-wrenchingly embarrassing. Perhaps hippies found these routines funny at the time, but they are an absolute clusterfuck now. Hessman, thankfully, got a lot funnier on WKRP.
Sexitivity = 0
Disturbulence = 5
The whole story is fairly contrived, so it's hard to be disturbed by the tragedies that ensue. However, Delores is raped towards the end of the film, and it's pretty awful. Remember how you felt when Edith Bunker got raped? (Holy shit that was a horrible episode) This is probably along those lines.
Frighteousness= 0
Storytelling = 5
The story is pretty predictable; however, Laughlin is so engaging as the conflicted Billy Jack, you can't look away.
You know Gilligan, even for you this is getting a bit raunchy. I mean you are approaching an R rating with the MPAA.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the meat of your reviews (Why did they make three sequels to Billy Jack?) Just could do with a little less spoilage.
I assume you mean my use of certain expletives? Sorry. Sometimes I type it up right before hitting the hay - I'm tired and less guarded with my vocabulary. Point taken.
DeleteFor some reason, I can't comment with Firefox.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of Bedazzled that I can recall. I saw Billy Jack in high school and thought it was cool, but wasn't impressed enough to watch it again.
That's extremely irritating. I have no idea why that would be - this is a pretty standard blog template with little in the way of whistles and bells. Sometimes these problems clear up on their own; keep me posted if it doesn't please.
DeleteLove (the original) Bedazzled! I keep thinking "the funniest part was...", but then I remember something else hysterical. Don't want to say more in case someone wants to find it and watch. Not going to ruin it by giving any spoilers other than to say you might have to be a fan of 1960's British humor to really appreciate it. As for the 2000 remake - it got one half-hearted chuckle out of me when Hurley, as the devil, called to her two dobermans and they were named Peter and Dudley. But even that was more of an "easter egg" than a laugh line. I had the good fortune to meet Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the mid 70's when they were performing "Good Evening" in New York and they were very nice guys.
ReplyDeleteBilly Jack? I'm rather embarassed to admit that as a 13 year old girl my friends and I thought the movie was so profound.
Yay! Bedazzled is brilliant! Check out this song:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au9_vfx6t6c
Actually, at one time you could view the entire film (in 10 minute increments) on YouTube. Just make sure you specify the 1967 Bedazzled, or you might accidentally click on a link to that terrible Brendan Fraiser/Elizabeth Hurley "remake." And I agree, the only time I laughed while viewing that tortuous remake was when she called her Dobermans by the names of Peter and Dudley!
Yay! Bedazzled is brilliant! Check out this song:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au9_vfx6t6c
Actually, at one time you could view the entire film (in 10 minute increments) on YouTube. Just make sure you specify the 1967 Bedazzled, or you might accidentally click on a link to that terrible Brendan Fraiser/Elizabeth Hurley "remake." And I agree, the only time I laughed while viewing that tortuous remake was when she called her Dobermans by the names of Peter and Dudley!
"Bedazzled" is one of my all time favorite films. The sequence which has Dudley Moore playing an Englebert Humperdink style pop star is drop dead funny. "The Magic Words; Julie Andrews!"
ReplyDeleteI remember years ago (mid-80's), I saw "Bedazzled" on WGN & I didn't know the title of the film. It wasn't until AMC ran it for awhile about 10-12 years ago that I found out the title. Then, I waited years for it to make it to DVD, which I bought the week it came out. Pretty good film, lots of funny bits in it!
ReplyDeleteBedazzled also features this 'far out' tune:
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/SBOPCZCAb5Q
Drimble wedge and the Vegetations
Have you seen Eleanor Bron as the uber-American wife and mother in TWO FOR THE ROAD?
ReplyDeleteShe was also the Indian girl in The Beatles movie "Help".
ReplyDeleteDudley Moore also scored the soundtrack to "Bedazzled". IMHO, it's one of the better film soundtracks I've heard.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I've always been a huge Peter Cook and Dudley Moore fan and this movie is very humorous. Cook was the British cream of the crop when it came to
ReplyDeletecomedy, a huge influence on Monty Python and everyone who came after. There is nothing like British comedy, as you said it takes a minute to get used to it because it makes your brain kick in, unlike American humor which doesn't affect that part of the body. (sigh)
How can anyone not love a movie that contains a song lyric "you fill me with inertia"?
ReplyDelete