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Posted: |
Jun 27, 2016 - 9:13 AM
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By: |
RoryR
(Member)
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Hell is For Heroes 7/10
Clearly a troubled production, but I didn't know how much until afterwards - unhappy actors, shortage of finance causing the abrupt ending, unconvincing props and scenery, the not-quite-matching stock footage of German artillary - and apparently the same German being "killed" multiple times. But, rising above it all, Steve McQueen at his most disgruntled (in real life as well, apparently).
I've had HELL IS FOR HEROES on DVD for I think a decade now. I like the movie, but I've probably only watched the DVD once! I guess I'd agree with the 7/10 rating, though in certain respects I'd rate it lower, but in other ways I'd rate it higher, which means, I suppose, that I think it's a flawed movie.
I think most that made it would agree.
Steve McQueen was a flawed man and as an all around human being, just a huge prick. He was a very damaged kid, and as an adult was as Robert Vaughn has said of him, "a difficult person" to put it mildly. According to what's said about this movie at Wikipedia -- for what that's worth -- the character played by Bobby Darin was supposed to be the main one, but when McQueen signed on he demanded a larger part. This was how McQueen operated. He did the same thing on THE GREAT ESCAPE. He was competitive and selfish because of huge psychological insecurities. This made him much beloved in Hollywood -- not! Here's a bit from the Wiki page:
McQueen was reportedly furious with his agent for having induced him to sign onto the film and not securing the fee that he had been promised up front and for passing on another movie that he wanted. Thus, his angry, detached "loner" look may not have been entirely due to his method acting. Columnist James Bacon visited the set and said that "Steve McQueen is his own worst enemy". Bobby Darin overheard the remark and replied, "Not while I'm still alive."
I say these things about McQueen because I've read a couple biographies of him. In real life, I'm not sure I'd have wanted to have known him. I don't think he'd have liked me, or me him. However, as a movie star, I love the guy and still miss him. I grew up with Steve McQueen, I have fond memories of my dad taking me to BULLITT, THE REIVERS and a re-issue of THE SAND PEBBLES in '69 and '70. My mother took me to see ON ANY SUNDAY and I remember the disappointment we felt when we discovered it wasn't a typical McQueen movie. Going to see PAPILLON when it came out was a major movie-going event in my teenage years, and the only reason I went to THE TOWERING INFERNO, which I knew would be typical Irwin Allen schlock, was entirely to see McQueen. Then he just faded away. I knew next to nothing about the real guy back in those days. He came back briefly in TOM HORN and THE HUNTER, and I was looking forward to more (and better). When I heard he was sick with cancer, I can't recall being too concerned, he was McQueen. I was in college by that time, 1980 when I turned 21, and had other things on my mind. But when I heard one day on campus that he had died, I cried.
McQueen was, despite having a family, really was a loner, and I'm a loner. Right now in my apartment, where I live alone, and in the apartment I had before this, I have posters to THE SAND PEBBLES and PAPILLON framed and on the walls of my living room. I don't think I'll ever take them down.
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I wonder what dubya thinks of hell is for heroes?? Me, being Bold, i loved it. From the opening Rosenman drumming, which sounds almost spartacus in its approach, to the freeze frames. And mcQueens ending.
Glad you posted it TG, and id concur with your 7/10. I may have gone 7.5!
But lets not quibble about .5 and oooh killed oooh.
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Posted: |
Jun 27, 2016 - 12:05 PM
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By: |
Ado
(Member)
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I just watched The Great Escape, which is a terrific picture, really slow by modern attention spans, but good movie - around 8/10. But yeah, on McQueen, I have never seen him as a great talent, it always seemed he accidentally fell into movies and it mostly worked out for his benefit, but his acting has always been just getting by to me, and he often conveys on screen who he really was in life, a jerk.
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Im surprised. McQueen's use of movement, posture and physicality was phenomenal.
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Posted: |
Jun 27, 2016 - 9:02 PM
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By: |
RoryR
(Member)
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Im surprised. McQueen's use of movement, posture and physicality was phenomenal.
I always liked him. He had a commanding presence. Unlike a lot of leading men today who are kinda girly.
Steve McQueen was many individuals wrapped in one. He was honest, dishonest, loving, hating, caring, devious, simple, complex, intelligent, uneducated, modest, cocky, mature, childish. He was capable of espousing his love for his wife, and truly mean it, then suddenly embark on an affair. He could be extremely cheap with his friends while being generous to strangers. He would talk of the dangers of drugs, yet he couldn't stop himself from taking them.
Given the right role and right script, McQueen was magical and enigmatic. He brought a certain flair and menace to the silver screen with almost effortless conviction. His appeal lay in the fact that he wasn't charming, suave or debonair, but that he was small on words and big on action. The master of brevity. He might not have come across as an intelligent, tweedy type, but he was the smartest guy in the room when the shit hits the fan. There's nothing more irresistible to movie audiences than a reluctant hero who's drawn into a mess.
The above words are from Marshall Terrill author of Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel. Best book on McQueen.
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Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead - 0/10 a "knowing" bad film, which wasactually better than i thought but still unwatchable. A 30 second idea padded out to feature length.
Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice - 2.5/10 - Really quite awful. Jeremy Irons and Batfleck being the best thing in it. Superman is once again a personality vacuum you can't warm to. Doomsday was just a poor executed idea. Eissenberg was truly awful as Luthor. Script was terrible, dialogue mostly rubbish. Yah, worse than i'd thought. And zero fun. I didn't mind Wonder Woman but not sure i'm interested in a film about her. Not sure why i'm scoring this so highly, them ore i think about it the worse it gets.
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Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice - 2.5/10
On a scale of 1-10 that's about right.
One * for Batfleck
One * for Jeremy Irons
Half * for Wonder Woman who at least didn't suck.
I'm pretty sure that's how i broke down the scoring too. 
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Posted: |
Jun 29, 2016 - 8:34 AM
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By: |
RoryR
(Member)
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To each his own Frankenstein, I guess.
Actually the film didn't have much to do with Frankenstein, a small re-write & the creature could have been written out altogether. I won't put myself out to see Victor Frankenstein, but if it comes on the telly I'll give it a go. Meanwhile, I await fingers crossed for the Frankenstein sequels that Universal have been working on. Ooo, a complete Frankenstein Blu-ray box set from Universal, that'll be worth a cheer!
My favorite Universal Frankenstein sequel after BRIDE and SON is FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, and it's had a 4K digital restoration from the original nitrate camera negative, screened in LA a couple months ago, and I've read that Universal has done similar restorations of SON and others. Hoping for a new Blu-ray set this October. Keep your fingers crossed, my friend, cheering may be coming soon!
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Yeah but never mind all that, whats the yellow like??! If those assholes havent got the yellow right, i cant watch it. 
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Ashby 1.5/10 - a very confused indie film that doesn't gel at all. A high school kid befriends a CIA agent and joins the high school football team. The main kid is overly smug with a highly punchable face. Rourke is good but is painful to look at. Emma Roberts is very pretty as the girlfriend and lumbered with a quirky girlfriend character. The football scenes are dull and our wimpy hero can't even convince he can even run. A poor film.
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