The Catwoman movie turned 20 years old recently and its star, Halle Berry, has been celebrating the critically panned superhero flick’s anniversary. In fact, she’s said she’s even down to return to the role and make another one, but this time she’d want to lead the film behind the camera, too.
Welcome to The Best Movie You NEVER Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it’s time and/or has aged like a fine wine.
With this article, we’re taking a look back at the 1990 thriller Revenge, which was directed by the late, great Tony Scott. Since today – August 19th – marks the anniversary of Scott’s death, we felt this would be an appropriate time to dig into one of his lesser known films, and Revenge fits the bill, even though Quentin Tarantino (who wrote the Scott classic True Romance) has referred to this one as Scott’s masterpiece.
THE STORY: Michael Cochran (Kevin Costner) , a retired Naval aviator, visits his old friend, Tibey Mendez (Anthony Quinn) at his hacienda in Mexico, never questioning the older man’s powerful connections to the elite or the source of his wealth. When Cochran starts an affair with Tibey’s gorgeous, much-younger wife Miryea (Madeleine Stowe), he learns the hard way that Tibey’s not one to be crossed.
THE PLAYERS: Starring: Kevin Costner, Anthony Quinn, Madeleine Stowe. Written by Jim Harrison & Jeffrey Alan Fiskin. Directed by Tony Scott.
THE HISTORY: I get a lot of comments from readers complaining that the films I’ve chosen for this column aren’t obscure enough. Fair enough – although the intention has always been to encourage readers to give unjustly ignored movies a second look. However, I think this week’s movie may be one a lot of our readers haven’t seen, given how it utterly sank like a stone at the box office, only picking up some notoriety when director Tony Scott put together an unrated director’s cut Blu-ray release shortly before his tragic death.
The movie is REVENGE, which was released in early 1990, and occupies a weird space in the careers of the director, Scott, and star Kevin Costner. For Scott, he was coming off two huge blockbusters with Don Simpson & Jerry Bruckheimer, TOP GUN & BEVERLY HILLS COP 2, and after this he’d return to their stable for DAYS OF THUNDER. As for Costner, he was coming off three back-to-back hits, THE UNTOUCHABLES, BULL DURHAM and FIELD OF DREAMS. This one tried to re-position him as an edgy male lead, something that didn’t quite work at the time – as audiences still preferred him in more heroic, noble parts, such as his own DANCES WITH WOLVES, which would come out that same year .
“It’s a story about this forbidden love and their insatiable desire to fuck each other. That’s what it was all about, that’s the focus, and it’s been a big part of my life so I know what it’s all about. The insatiable desire to fuck, that’s what this movie is about.” – Tony Scott – REVENGE commentary via Film School Rejects
Based on a novella by Jim Harrison (the same book contains the story LEGENDS OF THE FALL would be based on), this was a hot project all throughout the eighties, with guys like Don Johnson flirting with the part Costner would play, while none other than Jack Nicholson coveted the Tibey Mendez part. Eventually, old-time producer Ray Stark would get the rights, and therein lies where the trouble started, as Scott’s hard-edged thriller wasn’t the romantic drama Stark wanted – which is odd as he pretty much filmed the novella (it’s a great, quick read). The version that hit theaters was softened somewhat, and Scott was never really happy with it, which is why he recut it years later (making it twenty-minutes shorter). Audiences were indifferent, with it grossing only $15 million, a shock given how hot Costner’s star power was at the time, but not much of a surprise when you see the movie, especially the incredibly depressing (but appropriate) ending, which no studio would have ever the stones to put out today. It had its champions though, among them Quentin Tarantino, whose quote is featured on the director’s cut, and would work with him on TRUE ROMANCE a few years later.
“I’m a huge fan of that movie. In fact, that was the reason I was supportive and really tried to make it happen that Tony directed True Romance…I was like, I want the man who did Revenge to do my movie.” Quentin Tarantino – AP Interview
WHY IT’S GREAT: REVENGE is a movie that demands a certain sophistication, or rather, an open mind. I saw it as a kid, when I was expecting it to be a Kevin Costner action flick, and I hated it, especially the bummer ending, which denied me the violent REVENGE I thought was promised to me by the title. What I didn’t realize then was that the revenge of the title was not actually Costner’s to take, but Anthony Quinn’s. His Tibey tries to act honorably towards his friend Cochran, giving him every chance he can to bail out, but circumstance demands he seek revenge, almost as a way to avoid losing face to his violent associates. That said, his revenge is especially sadistic and cruel, especially against Miryea, whose face he disfigures, and forces into a life of prostitution. Her ultimate fate gives the film an interesting shading as she suffers the most for Cochran’s sins and Tibey’s wounded (and fragile) machismo. By comparison, Cochran gets off easy, being beaten to near death. Worse, his dog is also killed.
The movie is much more of a slow-burn than an action thriller, with the first half devoted to the relationships between Cochran, Miryea and Tibey, while the second half becomes more of a Sam Peckinpah-style thriller. Costner excels as the scarred-up tough guy, in one memorable scene violently slashing the throat of one of his assailants. He’s helped out by the late Miguel Ferrer and John Leguizamo in an early role.
As good as Costner and Stowe are (she’s unbelievably gorgeous – and very sympathetic), Quinn steals the show, with the most striking difference between the two cuts behind how he’s more of the lead in the shorter version than Costner, something which I’m sure the producers had problems with. He’s also made a somewhat more sympathetic figure, something which makes the ending a lot easier to swallow. Veteran character actor James Gammon also has a great bit as a cowboy trucker who briefly teams-up with Cochran, a nice bit of flavoring left over from the novella. As for Scott, his style is superb, and complimented by a terrific score by Jack Nitzsche (STARMAN), several themes of which were used over and over in nineties action movie trailers.
“I was channel surfing at 3 o’clock in the morning, and I see this guy face down on the hood of a car in cuffs, and he turns to the camera and says ‘Don’t you realize I’m an Academy Award-winning composer?’ It was Jack Nitzsche. But that was Jack, Jack was out there, and he was my hero.” – Tony Scott – REVENGE commentary via Film School Rejects
BEST SCENE: Until revisiting it as an adult, I also had trouble with the fact that Costner didn’t blow Quinn away during their climactic confrontation. Watching it now, I get it – Costner’s sole focus is to get Miryea back, and if Tibey lets him know where she is, he’s gonna leave him to his own demons, which have already started to consume him. This bit here ranks among the most atypical final showdowns in action movie history.
SEE IT: REVENGE is available on DVD/Blu-ray, mostly in the director’s cut form, although an HD version of the theatrical (twenty minutes longer) is currently streaming on Crackle for free.
PARTING SHOT: For me, REVENGE stands as one of Tony Scott’s greatest films, and watching it again, I’m struck more than ever by what a tragic loss his passing in 2012 was. I think, in some ways, this is most personal film and one anyone who calls themselves a fan of his needs to track down.
The post The Best Movie You Never Saw: Revenge appeared first on JoBlo.
Tactical Breach Wizards, the next game from Tom Francis (Gunpoint, Heat Signature), has everything you could want out of a game with such a name. There are 1) wizards, 2) tons of tactical breaching, 3) a huge conspiracy to unravel and 4) so many windows to throw people out of. What might not be apparent at first…
Tactical Breach Wizards, the next game from Tom Francis (Gunpoint, Heat Signature), has everything you could want out of a game with such a name. There are 1) wizards, 2) tons of tactical breaching, 3) a huge conspiracy to unravel and 4) so many windows to throw people out of. What might not be apparent at first…
As the Year of Shadow continues, Sonic the Hedgehog fans are eagerly anticipating what’s coming in the second half of 2024. Though Paramount cannot be bothered to give us even a frame of footage of the upcoming live-action Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film that will star Shadow, despite it coming out in just a few short…
As the Year of Shadow continues, Sonic the Hedgehog fans are eagerly anticipating what’s coming in the second half of 2024. Though Paramount cannot be bothered to give us even a frame of footage of the upcoming live-action Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film that will star Shadow, despite it coming out in just a few short…
No one knows chaos theory like Jeff Goldblum. In Netflix‘s new KAOS trailer, the seriously sauve actor is about to teach a lesson in vengeance, disorder, and the consequences of messing with the natural order, his order. Suppose the world’s got you on edge, and the media cycle makes you want to bury your head in the sand until November 6. In that case, Netflix is about to unleash a distraction of epic proportions, thanks to a new series about faith, defiance, and owning up to one’s mistakes.
KAOS is a dark comedy series from creator Charlie Covell and writer Georgia Christou. Georgi Banks-Davis directs five episodes of KOAS, while Runyararo Mapfumo shoots the remaining three. Jeff Goldblum leads the cast, including Aurora Perrieau, Debi Mazar, Fady Elsayed, Sam Buttery, Matthew Koon, Elander Moore, Susan Wooldridge, Shila Ommi, and Amanda Douge.
The latest trailer for Netflix’s KAOS finds Jeff Goldblum’s King of the Gods lording over his creation (mortals) and disappointed by their lack of respect for his hard work. They’ve made a mockery of the world he helped create, and to teach them all a lesson, he’s going to turn up the heat, and by heat, I mean natural disasters, church-related scandals, and more. No human is safe from his wrath, but a select few could teach him a thing or two about his mistakes and how to right those wrongs.
Here’s the official synopsis for KAOS courtesy of Netflix:
Zeus has long enjoyed his status as King of The Gods. That is until he wakes up one morning and discovers a wrinkle on his forehead. Neurosis sets in, setting him off on a dangerous, paranoid path. Zeus becomes convinced his fall is coming – and starts to see signs of it everywhere.
Zeus’ once reliable brother, Hades, God of the Underworld, is secretly losing his grip on his dark dominion. There is a backlog of dead waiting to be processed and they are growing restless. Hera (Janet McTeer), Queen of the Gods, exercises dominion on Earth — and over Zeus — in her own unique way. But her power and freedom become threatened by Zeus’ growing paranoia, and she is forced to act, while Zeus’ rebellious son, Dionysus, (Nabhaan Rizwan), is out of control and on course for a cosmic collision with his father.
On Earth people are aching for change, however Poseidon (Cliff Curtis), God of Sea, Storms and Earthquakes (and Horses) is more concerned with the size of his super-yacht and where the next party is at. The wellbeing of mere mortals is of little interest to him. Unfortunately for the Gods some of those mortals are beginning to realise this…
These mortals – Riddy (Aurora Perrineau), Orpheus (Killian Scott), Caneus (Misia Butler) and Ari (Leila Farzad) – come from different walks of life and are all cosmically connected in the battle against Zeus. Each one has a very different role to play, any one of them may be destined to bring down the Gods.
Netflix’s KAOS trailer finds the gods in a contemporary setting instead of an imagined metropolis from thousands of years ago. Still, their vanity remains, and hell hath no fury like a god made to feel unimportant in the grand scheme of existence. With power on their side, the gods delight in demonstrating their wrath for non-believers, and not everyone will make it out of the exhibition alive.
What do you think about Netflix’s KAOS trailer? Are you ready to witness the end of days beginning on August 29? Let us know in the comments section below.
The post Gods and mortals clash while Jeff Goldblum judges from on high in Netflix’s latest KAOS trailer appeared first on JoBlo.
Silent Hill 2 Remake had a rough reveal, between some disappointment that it was being handled by hit-or-miss horror studio Bloober Team and, more recently, divisive takes on protagonist James Sunderland’s new face. But a new batch of glowing hands-on previews is giving fans something to get hopeful for as the…
Silent Hill 2 Remake had a rough reveal, between some disappointment that it was being handled by hit-or-miss horror studio Bloober Team and, more recently, divisive takes on protagonist James Sunderland’s new face. But a new batch of glowing hands-on previews is giving fans something to get hopeful for as the…
On Halloween of 2022, it was announced that original Friday the 13th screenwriter Victor Miller – fresh off winning the U.S. copyright to the 1980 film after a lawsuit that stretched on for years – was teaming up with his lawyer Marc Toberoff, franchise rights holder Rob Barsamian, production company A24, the Peacock streaming service, and showrunner Bryan Fuller (whose credits include Hannibal and Pushing Daisies) to develop a new Friday the 13th streaming series called Crystal Lake. Things were moving ahead at a good pace, filming was expected to begin this July, but then the project hit a speed bump at the end of April with the firing of Fuller and his frequent collaborator Jim Danger Gray. Now, Deadline reports that Crystal Lake is getting back on track with the hiring of a new showrunner – and that person is Brad Caleb Kane, who also serves as co-showrunner and executive producer of It: Welcome to Derry, the It prequel series that’s coming to HBO next year.
In addition to showrunner, Kane will be credited as creator, writer, and executive producer of Crystal Lake. It remains to be seen if Kane will use anything from the original Fuller scripts and outlines, or if he’ll be scrapping those and starting over completely.
Kane did provide the following statement: “From the moment I watched Jason Voorhees squeeze a guy’s eyeball out of its socket (in glorious 3D!) at the tender age of 8 years old, I knew my creative path was someday destined to converge with The Man Behind The Mask. Nothing defined my childhood more than growing up in the golden age of the slasher flick, and nothing’s defined the genre more than Friday The 13th. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to contribute a chapter to this iconic franchise, particularly with such fearless partners as Peacock and A24.“
In addition to It: Welcome to Derry, Kane’s TV credits include Fringe, Black Sails, Lodge 49, Moonhaven, Warrior, and Tokyo Vice.
A while back, an article published by The Wrap sought to figure out why Crystal Lake fell apart just a few months before filming was scheduled to begin. Their sources gave a lot of conflicting information, but it seemed to boil down to concerns about Fuller’s vision, late scripts, a ballooning budget (it was surpassing the $85 million being provided for the first season), unpaid writers… and possibly A24 executives’ lack of TV experience.
Fuller’s approach to the material was to make each season a deconstruction of the first four Friday the 13th films. “The series would incorporate lore from several sequels but remix that material in a way similar to Fuller’s Hannibal, which interpolated the Thomas Harris novels for three seasons.” So season 1 would be set “in the immediate aftermath of the drowning of a young Jason Voorhees,” and it would center on his mother Pam as she goes on a homicidal rampage of revenge. That rampage doesn’t turn out well for Pam, opening the door for Jason to return and start his own killing spree. Charlize Theron was on the wish list to play Pam, and Claire Danes was actually offered a one season deal to play the character, but she turned it down. Vincenzo Natali (Cube) and Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) were going to be directing episodes, while Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson was writing an episode that would have been an hour-long chase sequence “set entirely on a frozen Crystal Lake, with the summer camp’s cabins trapped under snow drifts.”
Each episode of Crystal Lake was set to have a budget of $9.6 million, but A24 reportedly wanted to cut that in half. Maybe Kane’s vision will allow them to do that.
What do you think of Brad Caleb Kane being chosen as the new showrunner of Crystal Lake? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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