Comments on: Bringing New Meaning To The Phrase “Underground Hit” http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2010/02/13/bringing-new-meaning-to-the-phrase-underground-hit/ Since 2002, News, Technology and Pop Culture, 24 Hours a Day, Live and in Stereo. Editor of the PJ Lifestyle Website. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:32:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: John http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2010/02/13/bringing-new-meaning-to-the-phrase-underground-hit/#comment-13951 John Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:04:06 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/?p=29239#comment-13951 Having seen "Pelham" in New York when it first came out, and coming at the end of the horrific eight-year reign of John V. Lindsey as mayor, the audience reaction to the crowd's booing when the mayor arrives on the scene got the biggest laugh of the movie. Don't know if audiences elsewhere got the joke, but if they did, they probably didn't enjoy it as much. Having seen “Pelham” in New York when it first came out, and coming at the end of the horrific eight-year reign of John V. Lindsey as mayor, the audience reaction to the crowd’s booing when the mayor arrives on the scene got the biggest laugh of the movie. Don’t know if audiences elsewhere got the joke, but if they did, they probably didn’t enjoy it as much.

]]> By: DavidN http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2010/02/13/bringing-new-meaning-to-the-phrase-underground-hit/#comment-13950 DavidN Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:13:10 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/?p=29239#comment-13950 I watched it recently, the original I mean, and enjoyed it a great deal. The one thing that struck me was how politically incorrect the humor was. Matthau spends half the early part of the movie insulting these Japanese guys who are observing his operation, making all sorts of racist quips to his colleagues in the assumption (erroneous it turns out) that they don't speak English, and then at the end of the pic, when the narc who was on the train gets wounded and is lying facedown, with long hair, Matthau calls him "Miss" thinking he's female, because of the hair. It's just amusing. Shaw is, as you say, excellent. Travolta these days seems to be shooting (in movies like this anyway) to be a younger version of Nicholson in one or the other of his movies. Neither seems worried that they'll be seen overacting in one of these roles. The flamboyant charismatic bad guy in movies is probably a pretty reliable stereotype, but in the modern era (to my mind anyway) it started with Alan Rickman in Die Hard. He was more quiet and reserved than most of the rest, but the music, the lines they gave him, the character, were all flamboyant, and made up for what was really an understated performance. Since it made Rickman's career (or helped it considerably, anyway) every actor since has wanted a similar role. I watched it recently, the original I mean, and enjoyed it a great deal. The one thing that struck me was how politically incorrect the humor was. Matthau spends half the early part of the movie insulting these Japanese guys who are observing his operation, making all sorts of racist quips to his colleagues in the assumption (erroneous it turns out) that they don’t speak English, and then at the end of the pic, when the narc who was on the train gets wounded and is lying facedown, with long hair, Matthau calls him “Miss” thinking he’s female, because of the hair. It’s just amusing.

Shaw is, as you say, excellent. Travolta these days seems to be shooting (in movies like this anyway) to be a younger version of Nicholson in one or the other of his movies. Neither seems worried that they’ll be seen overacting in one of these roles. The flamboyant charismatic bad guy in movies is probably a pretty reliable stereotype, but in the modern era (to my mind anyway) it started with Alan Rickman in Die Hard. He was more quiet and reserved than most of the rest, but the music, the lines they gave him, the character, were all flamboyant, and made up for what was really an understated performance. Since it made Rickman’s career (or helped it considerably, anyway) every actor since has wanted a similar role.

]]> By: Charlie Martin http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2010/02/13/bringing-new-meaning-to-the-phrase-underground-hit/#comment-13949 Charlie Martin Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:21:10 +0000 http://pajamasmedia.com/eddriscoll/?p=29239#comment-13949 I'm not sure that's quite completely strict serialism — I think it's cheating to use that three-note base line — but pretty durn close. I always thought it was better suited to jazz. I’m not sure that’s quite completely strict serialism — I think it’s cheating to use that three-note base line — but pretty durn close. I always thought it was better suited to jazz.

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