Posts by Jeremy Butler

I kind of felt like I was brought in at the middle of the story. The story is intriguing nevertheless. I’m a sucker for a good fashion heist movie or con movie. In some respects, Righteous Thieves is both. However, I would have appreciated greater context before being dropped in the middle of things. As the film opens up, we are brought into a flashback featuring a younger version of our main character, Annabel, as she attempts to steal a valuable painting. She is discovered by the painting’s owner, who instead of turning her in, takes her in. Based on this introduction, I was expecting the owner, Josef, to be a prominent member of the film. I suppose in spirit he is, but this is the only interaction we get with him, which to my mind was not enough to make the needed lasting impression. In my opinion, we could have benefited from more inclusion of this character, even if it was simply in flashback form. It would have gone miles towards connecting more with the Annabel character played by Lisa Vidal. Vidal isn’t the only familiar face, as the film also features Twilight’s Cam Gigandet, as well as Station 19’s Jaina Lee Ortiz and Carlos Miranda.

Delving back into the story, when we next see the Annabel character, she is older and meeting before a secret organization of which she is apparently the head. Once again, this felt like being brought in at the middle of the story. Prior to this there was no mention of this organization. I would have settled for a simple voiceover explaining the origin of this group and their goals. These details are forthcoming, but I think they would’ve been better served being mentioned up front. In a nutshell, the mission of this organization, dubbed the Syndicate, is to recover priceless artworks stolen by the Nazis during World War II. The organization is made up of Jewish survivors of the war. Annabel, who is not Jewish, leads a team willing to recover these artworks by any means necessary, i.e. stealing them back, usually from the hands of the Nazis’ descendants. When Annabel is brought before the counsel, it is after her latest job went sideways and she made the rash decision to destroy a priceless artwork rather than leave it in the hands of Nazis.

Well, it would seem that Tyrone Power’s Mark Fallon can’t catch a break. Despite remaining honorable and showing compassion, it would seem that dishonorable and disreputable people try to bring about his ruination. The Mississippi Gambler is the story of one gambler’s efforts to succeed while also acting morally and ethically. This was a principle that I enjoyed watching, as I wondered whether his conviction would waver as the film went on. I mean, in a land of cheats and dishonor, how can one expect to remain honorable in kind? However, such ethics make for a compelling character, and that is certainly the case here. In fact, when we first meet Mark Fallon, his first official act is to bust and convert a would-be con man. Fallon’s charisma is such that he and this con man forge a unlikely friendship and bond. The backdrop is the Mississippi River and New Orleans, which worked well for the film’s purposes, providing a sophisticated and elegant background for the film. Rounding out the cast is Piper Laurie of The Hustler and Carrie fame, Julie Adams of The Creature from the Black Lagoon fame, and John McIntire of westerns Wagon Train and The Virginian fame.

Going into the film, I wasn’t expecting much; I’d assumed that much of its context would be lost to me given the passage of the time. Fortunately, I was mistaken, as the principles of the film are timeless and significant. Fair play seems to be the underlying principle of the film, and it is something that I’m sad to say that our protagonist rarely gets. Despite conducting himself with civility and class, those around him, those who supposedly grew up in the upper class, continuously revealed themselves to be his lessers. Take his interactions with Laurent Dureau, an entitled and conniving southern gentleman. Laurent early on shows himself to be the type who expects everything to be handed to him. For example, after losing consistently and amassing a significant debt to Fallon, he steals heirloom jewelry from his sister without her knowledge to pay the debt. When confronted with this treachery, he suggests Fallon cheated him rather than own up to his responsibilities. This has the unfortunate side effect of souring his sister Angelique’s perceptions of Fallon, who is quite taken with her.

I’ve never been much for spoof movies. There are some exceptions, like the first two Scary Movies or Don’t Be A Menace. However, for the most part, these types of movies have never resonated with me. The jokes are usually not of great quality and kind of cheesy. Unfortunately, The Big Bus fell into this category. From the premise, I couldn’t wrap my head around the plot of this movie. A nuclear-powered double-decker bus piloted by a disgraced bus driver accused of cannibalism. It just didn’t resonate with me. I understand that films of this type were popular during this time, such as Airplane and its sequel, but for me, I couldn’t get past the sheer ridiculousness of the film to get any enjoyment out of it. Of course, my opinion is not the be-all end-all, as my research suggests that the film has apparently obtained cult classic status in this genre as well as won the audience award at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival in 1977. So clearly someone enjoyed it. However, as you are reading this review, I will assume that you are interested in my opinion, and my opinion is that it was not for me.

In a nutshell, the film was advertised as the ultimate disaster movie parody. A state-of-the-art nuclear-powered bus created by the Coyote Bus Lines, named Cyclops, has been completed, potentially enabling non-stop service from New York City to Denver, Colorado, supposedly a new milestone in bus history. However, an act of sabotage nearly derails the project. Following the sabotage attempt, the bus is relatively unharmed, but the scientist in charge as well as the bus’s driver and co-driver are injured or worse. Desperate to complete the endeavor, Kitty Baxter (Stockard Channing) enlists the help of her old flame, Dan Torrance (Joseph Bologna). Torrance, a once promising driver, was disgraced after an accident on Mount Diablo, which led to the aforementioned cannibalism accusation. Let’s take a moment and reflect on what we know so far. What part of this film premise sounds remotely believable or realistic? Granted, I understand that the point is to make fun of disasters for the sake of slapstick fun. However, I just wasn’t able to suspend reality to enjoy the film. As I watched, I found myself just shaking my head as I repeated the same thing over and over: “a nuclear-powered double-decker bus.” I will say the say that the scene where a man fended off a room full of angry bus drivers with a milk carton did get a chuckle from me, but mainly due to the outlandishness of the idea. There was the “breaking wind” turn of phrase, which also was a bit on the ridiculous side, but did evoke a chuckle.