tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post8457205409928656836..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: Film Friday: Highlander (1986)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-29539288177481684582013-05-27T22:33:33.089-04:002013-05-27T22:33:33.089-04:00Anon, Very true. At the time, there weren't m...Anon, Very true. At the time, there weren't many characters like him. They tended to be either cynics like a Redford or over-the-top like a Schwarzenegger. The idea of a competent, but not adventurous hero was a new idea. And I think it fits well with the American psyche -- someone who doesn't want to be a hero, but will do it if needed.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-87779991228516954422013-05-27T14:09:45.939-04:002013-05-27T14:09:45.939-04:00Something I enjoyed character-wise of Highlander w... Something I enjoyed character-wise of Highlander was that Connor was very competent at what he had to do, but he would have preferred not to. Not out of cowardice or fear, but out of his beliefs. He'd rather socialize with Kastagir than fight with him. He was not driven towards power like the Kurgan. He was a somewhat humble man caught up in something he probably preferred not to be caught up in. <br /><br /> I think he understood his situation well. It is an example of a man's ability to question his situation in order to better see what his "Reality" truly is. It was also an example of questioning ones urges. Maybe he could have risen above that irresistible pull, maybe not. It never came to that, but at least he openly thought for himself.<br /><br /> While truly a mild point in the film, it left an impression on me when I saw it so long ago. A forced man surviving his environment. Writing 101. Well done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-84266256305814741962013-03-21T21:08:30.135-04:002013-03-21T21:08:30.135-04:00Hi Joel,
I liked the series a lot. At first, I di...Hi Joel,<br /><br />I liked the series a lot. At first, I didn't like the idea they made him such a pacifist, but it worked. And I really liked the idea of the watchers.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-70928806318871603022013-03-21T21:02:38.861-04:002013-03-21T21:02:38.861-04:00Andrew,
Nice choice. Yep, it is a great movie. Th...Andrew,<br /><br />Nice choice. Yep, it is a great movie. The strange thing is <i>Highlander</i> the series ranks right up there with it. The series introduced during the second season a character class of people called "The Watchers", mortals who only watched but didn't interfere with the Immortals. The series explored subjects like how should an Immortal who gave up killing mortals deal with some one who witnessed/filmed him killing another Immortal. It also introduced female Immortals, even child Immortals. <br /><br />In the movie, it hardly touched on an Immortal's love life. In the series, Duncan MacLeod had a girlfriend in a serious relationship with all aspects to it. That is what the women loved about it. It ended when she was killed.Joel Farnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15856960977033430002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-24118763314780649792013-03-12T01:49:16.714-04:002013-03-12T01:49:16.714-04:00El Gordo, LOL! Nice analogy! :)
You're right...El Gordo, LOL! Nice analogy! :)<br /><br />You're right and it would have helped if they had been more clear about the stakes. BUT I have to say that for me personally, I'm glad they never explained it. I like the ambiguity of it because I think any real explanation would have lessened the film. But of course, I know that's not a popular position with most audiences, who really do want to "know" everything rather than having things left for them to figure out.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-5852200892942111992013-03-12T01:37:21.413-04:002013-03-12T01:37:21.413-04:00"But leaving that aside, not all films need s...<i>"But leaving that aside, not all films need some public benefit."</i> <br /><br />No, but that is what the movie is about. Why else are the immortals are killing each other? Because there is some prize at the end. That is what moves the story. But we never find out what it is until the last minute of the movie and even then it is still unclear - some influence over the fate of mankind. <br /><br />The movie doesn´t show us why this brooding loner should be given that power, except the other guy is worse. Almost sounds like the Romney strategy :-)<br />El Gordonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-54285595925217424112013-03-11T15:19:05.154-04:002013-03-11T15:19:05.154-04:00El Gordo, They do suggest a couple times that if t...El Gordo, They do suggest a couple times that if the Kurgan wins, things would go very poorly for the mortals.<br /><br />But leaving that aside, not all films need some public benefit. Lots of movies simply involve one character fighting another or struggling to win something they want.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-79064341667033853762013-03-11T14:42:17.563-04:002013-03-11T14:42:17.563-04:00I loved Highlander when it came out. Still like it...I loved Highlander when it came out. Still like it a lot, for all the reason given here. However, even back then, it was not hard to understand why it didn´t do too well. <br /><br />Superman was raised to represent truth, justice and the American way. Gandalf, Batman, James Bond or Harry Callahan fight for order against chaos, each in his way. They are protectors and the stakes are well defined. <br /><br />What does the Highlander do, exactly? He tries to come out on top. "There can be only one". Would he fight evil if he didn´t have to? He is not the active champion of the downtrodden or a crimefighter. He is not our protector, he is not really part of our world. <br /><br />By simply surviving he will gain some vaguely described power to do good (and what little we are told about it is right at the end of the movie). The purpose of his powers is as unclear as the origin. <br /><br />So what´s at stake, emotionally? Sure, McLeod is a good guy, the Kurgan is a bad guy. Nothing in the movie indicates that we would be worse off if all the immortals killed each other. For all I know a hellfire missile could have dealt with any of them.El Gordonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-55240044627117482932013-03-09T15:18:06.694-05:002013-03-09T15:18:06.694-05:00Scott, I would say that part of it is fear, but mo...Scott, I would say that part of it is fear, but more than like the main component is arrogance. I would suggest that it likely started as fear ("how do we do this right") and then turned into smugness as these people sought to convince themselves that their fear really translated into special knowledge about "how the inside really works."AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-86677211374461417692013-03-09T15:12:14.143-05:002013-03-09T15:12:14.143-05:00No, you're right and it is. And while most dir...No, you're right and it is. And while most directors are work for hire, one gets the impression that, at least now and then, they would prefer to do something a tad different. On the other hand, there will always be hacks. :-)<br /><br />If there's a mindset at work, it's based on nothing more than fear... unfortunately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-12511409406319627282013-03-09T14:56:20.039-05:002013-03-09T14:56:20.039-05:00Scott, I think you are cherry picking examples. N...Scott, I think you are cherry picking examples. Nolan is a great example, but he's unique. The vast majority of directors these days (and even in the past) seem to be little more than work-for-hire types who just want to make money. Maybe they have artistic pretense somewhere inside them, but they don't let it out.<br /><br />Moreover, the stereotype that Hollywood itself promotes about people pitching scripts as "Star Wars meets Lassie" isn't something only a couple studio heads are guilty of. This is an industry wide mentality.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-88523900571511142822013-03-09T13:15:27.496-05:002013-03-09T13:15:27.496-05:00Dave and Andrew -
I'd say it's the execs...Dave and Andrew - <br /><br />I'd say it's the execs and the stockholders who are of that mindset - I gaurantee that if every filmmaker had their way, we'd see at least a somewhat greater variety of projects.<br /><br />Just remember, Christopher Nolan wanted to make <i>Inception</i> - it was the studio that was hesitant to greenlight it, even after the success of Nolan's Batman films.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-90644542360375526092013-03-09T12:55:01.827-05:002013-03-09T12:55:01.827-05:00Dave, LOL! Excellent point. What's interesti...Dave, LOL! Excellent point. What's interesting is that I'll bet they mistake their hyper-conformity for sophistication.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-949297411664211062013-03-09T12:52:46.101-05:002013-03-09T12:52:46.101-05:00Remakes are the lazy way of doing things. No one i...Remakes are the lazy way of doing things. No one in Hollywood can make an original movie, so all you get are remakes, sequels, and pitch meetings that go something like "It's like <i>Die Hard</i> on a plane/ on a bus/ in a skyscraper." Gee, it's almost as if the writers, directors, producers, and actors in the entertainment business are all of a hyper-conformist mindset that doesn't allow for deviation. But that can't be true can it? The media would tell us if that were the case.Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-59046577931929778612013-03-09T12:17:01.776-05:002013-03-09T12:17:01.776-05:00Jason, I wish they would stop trying to remake eve...Jason, I wish they would stop trying to remake everything. Ug!<br /><br />I think you are right that cult classics are never boiled down as easily as other films. I think that's because these films don't follow the normal rules of storytelling and so then tend to end up with more "stuff" in them. But that seems to be what attracts the different (and more loyal) audience.<br /><br />And you're right about the marketing. We've noticed in many instances how a lot of these films are marketed wrong and that gives people the wrong expectations.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-61076833425492937482013-03-09T12:13:01.341-05:002013-03-09T12:13:01.341-05:00Eric, LOL! Thanks! :D
It really doesn't surp...Eric, LOL! Thanks! :D<br /><br />It really doesn't surprise me that a lot of people were confused by the flashbacks because there is no explanation with them and, like I said, I've discovered that a huge chunk of the audience requires that everything be spelled out for them.<br /><br />I have seen the European version, but not the Director's Cut. I'll have to go buy that one! There's a good deal of extra material in the European version.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-41137858934759758372013-03-09T12:08:53.552-05:002013-03-09T12:08:53.552-05:00Dave, I think Box Office failure is requirement to...Dave, I think Box Office failure is requirement to be considered a cult classic. It is interesting though how many box office failures have not only become cult classics, but have even found wider audiences over time.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-5707899587522823712013-03-09T12:08:16.568-05:002013-03-09T12:08:16.568-05:00So I re-watched this 'un last night, but with ...So I re-watched this 'un last night, but with director and producers commentary on, and what comes up almost immediately, as they discuss flashbacks during the wrestling match, scenes cut from the US version? Lamenting that US film-goers were confused by the flashbacks. Andrew Price, you a damn genius ... but we already knew that.<br /><br />I also highly recommend the 10th Anniversary Director's Cut, unless you already have the European version of the movie.EricPhttp://www.threedonia.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-13897919607566601912013-03-09T12:07:34.306-05:002013-03-09T12:07:34.306-05:00Critch, I'm the same. I love the quirky films...Critch, I'm the same. I love the quirky films and can watch them over and over. I have seen <i>Millennium</i>, but I don't remember it.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-48765260256941774392013-03-09T11:00:05.097-05:002013-03-09T11:00:05.097-05:00I’m someone else who started with the TV show firs...I’m someone else who started with the TV show first and then migrated to the movies, but if I had seen the Highlander movie first, I’d have enjoyed it. And yes, I echo the sentiment “There can be only one.” That includes all four of the sequels (yep, there was a fifth movie called Highlander: The Source and that one is awful even compared to the others) <br /><br />It seems to me that cult classics, most of the ones I think of, have premises that aren’t so readily boiled down as many popular films are, or they are presented one way and audiences are disappointed when they turn out differently. Big Trouble in Little China would be an example of the latter-the studio wanted to market it as another Indiana Jones-type adventure when it was really a semi-satirical ghost story/martial arts fantasy where the protagonist (Jack Burton) was actually kind of a clown and a goof. Only when it got on VHS did audiences really appreciate it for what it was. And then there’s Dark City, a terrific looking film and a great mystery that combines film noir and science fiction, but the studio didn’t seem to know how to sell that. The similarly-themed The Matrix managed to find breakout success, but that flick had the easily-understood action movie component to help it along. <br /><br />BTW, they’re talking about, you guessed it, remaking Highlander. Jasonhttp://www.rigelchase.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-63463536594810483842013-03-08T23:38:02.737-05:002013-03-08T23:38:02.737-05:00Where oh where to begin?
Clancy Brown is a good p...Where oh where to begin?<br /><br />Clancy Brown is a good place to start. I first discovered him in the now-almost-forgotten Sean Penn vehicle "Bad Boys". Every time I see that title in the Dish listings, I check the info and I'm always disappointed; it's the one with Will Smith. The one I'm thinking of is a reform school movie circa 1982, with Brown (unsurprisingly) as a bad guy. He doesn't get reformed, but he gets his just desserts. <br /><br />"Cult" movies. Who can say what will be a hit and what will endure? "Wizard of Oz" and "It's a Wonderful Life" were box office fizzles and are now way up there on the AFI list. "The Princess Bride", "The Big Lebowski", and "The Shawshank Redemption" were similar duds and are now cult classics, mainly due to cable. But box office success is no guarantee of longevity. "Independence Day" was a monster hit in 1996... seen it lately? Do you really want to?<br /><br />"Highlander". I started with the TV show and discovered the movie later. Oh, I knew the premise of the movie well enough from my subscription to "Starlog" back in the day. So it didn't bother or confuse me when the setting switched from modern NYC to pre-industrial Scotland, even though the series did a fair amount of retconning.Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-58699418257037585582013-03-08T22:59:53.466-05:002013-03-08T22:59:53.466-05:00I remember seeing it at the Park Theatre in Memphi...I remember seeing it at the Park Theatre in Memphis when it came out. I loved it. I went back the next night and saw it again...I've always liked these type of quirky movies and this one was great. For another offbeat movie at the same time as this was Millineum with Kris Kristofferson...Critchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07106908233705403513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-70797800780385094902013-03-08T22:22:13.814-05:002013-03-08T22:22:13.814-05:00Scott, I know you know who he is and I know you kn...Scott, I know you know who he is and I know you know I know who he is... but did you know that I knew you knew that I knew who he is? Ow, my head.<br /><br />:P<br /><br />Actually, I was just adding detail for anyone who didn't know who he is.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-58474112020676599902013-03-08T22:14:27.280-05:002013-03-08T22:14:27.280-05:00Andrew -
I know who he is, and you know who is.....Andrew - <br /><br />I know who he is, and you know who is... not everyone else knows who he is, and this documentary looks very interesting, especially given his right-leaning views. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-37652834242140486762013-03-08T21:40:26.161-05:002013-03-08T21:40:26.161-05:00wahsatchmo, True. And having a lot of quotable lin...wahsatchmo, True. And having a lot of quotable lines tends to indicate strong writing.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.com