JayDee's Movie Musings

This is a review that I had been considering saving for the top 100 list like I mentioned recently, but just decided to post it anyway as it's no surprise that I love it. It was on my previous list after all. Though as a result the style may not be quite the same.












Plot – While searching for a Christmas gift for his son Billy, Randall Peltzer stumbles across a mysterious antique store of oddities in Chinatown. There he finds a unique creature called a mogwai. Despite his desperation to purchase it, the store's owner, Mr Wing, refuses to sell the creature as it is too much responsibility. Mr Wing's grandson does however sell it to him, but with three rules. 1) Never expose it to bright light, especially sunlight. 2) Never get it wet. And 3) Never feed it after midnight. Billy is delighted with his new pet whom he names Gizmo, but when an accident occurs an incredible event takes place; the mogwai starts to replicate. And before long there are an army of new gremlins on the loose, and these mogwai are very different from the loveable little Gizmo.

Gremlins is a film that sets itself up with all the classic elements of Christmas films of years gone-by, and then gleefully sets about ripping them to shreds! Set in a Capra-esque little town that appears to be a carbon copy of It's a Wonderful Life's Bedford Falls, there is snow on the ground and lights strung up all around. The initial cuteness of the Mogwai and the goofy inventions of the father certainly seem to have us heading down the road of light-hearted family fare. And then all of a sudden at around the hour mark, bang! The gremlins are unleashed and it all goes to hell! The film completely changes into something almost resembling a horror flick, complete with a series of gory deaths. From then on it becomes less about the charming fantasy of it all, and becomes a blacker than black comedy. The humour is terrifically dark and wicked, with a good deal of satire to be found. And you may even find a genuine scare or two for yourself.

The gremlins themselves are of course the stars here; so much so that they, and Gizmo in particular would become pop culture icons and remain so to this day. They are wonderful little creations, brought to life thanks to an excellent design from Chris Walas and some awesome puppetry. I just absolutely adore little Gizmo. Every little thing he does; every expression, every sound, every movement just brings a little smile to my face whenever he pops up on screen. I probably look pretty goofy actually, just constantly having a daft grin plastered on my face. His eyes and face are just so emotive. On the flipside, Stripe and his band of evil followers are also a great design but at the completely different end of the spectrum; they are nasty, disgusting little creatures! Though they're so devilishly playful that it's impossible not to enjoy their antics.

Film trivia – It's common to find links between some of your favourite movies. They may be linked by the studio that financed them, the director that created them or the writer that dreamt them up. What is rare though is to find two of your personal favourites where filmed on the same set. The set for the town of Kingston Falls is the same that gave life to Hill Valley in Back to the Future. And in both films the town's cinema suffers an unfortunate fate. It is blown up in Gremlins, and has its entrance smashed by Marty McFly and his DeLorean in Back to the Future.

Joe Dante is a director I have a great deal of admiration for. I place him in a similar echelon to John Carpenter; neither man is likely to ever appear on the shortlist for a Best Director Oscar, but man they knew how to make immensely fun movies. Dante is a man responsible for a number of fantastical, offbeat little gems. Gremlins however has to still maintain its spot as his absolute stand-out effort. His direction, particularly when the gremlins come out to play is so jam-packed with energy and devilish fun. As always with the cinematic output of Joe Dante, his great passion for film is on display for all to see with numerous homages and references sprinkled throughout to classic films of the past, particularly those of the sci-fi and horror nature. The film references everything from Forbidden Planet to E.T., and in two memorable scenes Flashdance and Snow White. Indeed it's so jam-packed with allusions and visual jokes, that it's the type of film that no matter how often you watch it, you may be likely to spot something you had never seen before.

The gremlins may have a tendency to show up their human counterparts but there are still some nice performances to be found, especially from the supporting cast; Dick Miller in particular stands out. What the film is very successful at achieving is fleshing out the characters and making us care for them, even if its achieved merely by assigning them a single characteristic. Billy's dad is a very endearing goofball with his ludicrous and constantly failing inventions; while his mum makes a terrific switch from classic housewife to a bit of a badass when the gremlins arrive on the scene. It's a similar case with some the town's residents; highlights being the horrible Mrs Deagle and her running feud with Billy's dog, and Murray Futterman; the ultimate xenophobe with a distrust in anything foreign. Oh and Phoebe Cates certainly deserves a mention on the strength of one scene alone. Her infamous recounting of a childhood tale that explains why she hates Christmas is absolutely hilarious in its dark tragedy.

While many people may deem it as the decade where cinema collapsed under the weight of the high-concept blockbuster, I personally love the 80s as far as movies are concerned. One of the large reasons for this was the huge abundance of sci-fi/fantasy films the decade featured that mixed adventure and laughs. Films like Innerspace, Flight of th Navigator, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, Goonies, Big, Batteries not Included, Princess Bride, ET, Ghostbusters, War Games, Dreamscape etc. This is one of the absolute best. One of my favourites from that, or indeed any decade. The film's only negative? That every single time I watch it, it makes me want my own little mogwai, and it breaks my heart that it can never happen.

Conclusion – Gremlins is a true childhood favourite of mine. And while some films from that time no longer entertain me like they once did, I continue to find Gremlins to be an absolute delight. Its glorious mix of mischievous horror and smart comedy mean that this still holds a strong place in my heart. Just wonderful.

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Plot – The gremlins are back baby! When a large, soulless corporation attempts to take over the shop of Mr. Wing the stress contributes to his death. When his store is destroyed to make way for a new venture of Clamp Enterprises our furry hero, Gizmo, is discovered and taken into the company's hi-tech headquarters to be studied at an animal research facility. Thankfully for little Gizmo, his old friend Billy Peltzer happens to work at Clamp Enterprises. Billy attempts to rescue Gizmo, but before he is able to smuggle him out of the building the gremlins are unleashed and once again all hell breaks loose!

I think The New Batch has got to be on the most under-rated sequels out there. It really does seem to get rather over-looked, sitting in the shadow of the superior original outing. Though it's perhaps not a great surprise that it isn't as loved, as I didn't use to be a particularly big fan of it myself; but over time, with repeated viewings and growing as a person and a movie viewer I've been able to appreciate it a great deal more, to appreciate just how smart it actually is. This is no simple rehash of the original, with those in charge seemingly believing that if you're going to so a sequel you may as well try and do something a little different, and if nothing else Dante and Haas should be congratulated for not simply re-treading the same territory as in the first film.

Where the first Gremlins film was content just mainly ripping into the harmless target that was Christmas films, The New Batch sets its satirical sights a good deal higher. This time it goes after corporate America; the big corporations and their extreme greed in their quest for success, how they take advantage of the working man while removing all sense of character to create a uniform existence. It achieves this satire through a number of little touches, from the soul-crushing lack of character allowed in the company offices, right down to the logo of the Clamp company itself; a clamp literally squishing the world between its pincers. And when watched today in the current social climate, Gremlins 2 still feels spectacularly relevant.

The film turns the tables in terms of characters this time out. In the original Gremlins the human characters for the most part were lovely small town folk up against the monstrous gremlins. In the sequel however, more often that not its the humans who are painted negatively while the gremlins are imbued with a somewhat sympathetic light which makes us actually care for them in a way. Outside of the characters we had already come to know in the original, the new additions are generally those involved in big business who care about nothing but money and status. A huge factor in creating this are some strong performances from those inhabiting these villainous human roles. Robert Picardo is great as the slimy suit, while Christopher Lee appears to be having a whole lot of fun as the amoral genetic scientist. And then there's John Glover who is terrifically entertaining as Daniel Clamp, a rather Donald Trump like creation.

Film trivia – After the surprise success of Gremlins, Warner Bros. Immediately wanted a sequel but Joe Dante was not interested at the time and declined. Work on the sequel went ahead without him, with the studio approaching various writers and directors for the project. Potential storylines included relocating the gremlins to a large city such as Las Vegas, or even to the planet Mars! When these ideas failed to satisfy, the studio returned to Dante, who this time agreed on the condition that he be allowed to do anything he wanted.

Part of making the gremlins more sympathetic comes from expanding the amount of different characteristics the creatures can possess. Alongside some high concept creations (Bat Gremlin, Spider Gremlin, Electric Gremlin) there's Daffy; the goofy cross-eyed one who is just really silly and childish. There's Greta (aka Lady Gremlina), the sole female gremlin with her shapely figure and pouting red lips. And then of course there is Brain, the intellectual gremlin who is brought to life wonderfully through the voice of Tony Randall. He's a fantastically entertaining addition to the gremlins, and my personal favourite. And their actions are even goofier and broader this time out; reaching their pinnacle with their wonderful musical production of New York, New York.

Following on in the same vein of the original, The New Batch is also chock full of homages and allusions to numerous films; my favourite would have to be Gizmo's adorable attempts at following in the footsteps of Ramob, complete with headband, and bow and arrow. And this time out it even goes so far that it starts to parody its predecessor. It all gets very meta on us at times, even acknowledging some of the criticisms that the original film came in for. It breaks the fourth wall to acknowledge the existence of Gremlins as a movie, with a parent complaining this sequel is just as tasteless as the original. It also features a neat little cameo from film critic Leonard Maltin who had been negative of the first outing's content. He is seen reviewing the VHS release of Gremlins and is again criticising it when a group of gremlins attack him. As I said The New Batch even parodies itself, with Phoebe Cates again delivering a ridiculously dark story about why she hates Lincoln's birthday this time, only to be cut off.

All of this satire and meta musings is certainly not to say that The New Batch doesn't include its own considerable dash of manic laughs and outlandish violence. After a slightly slow start the film packs the same energy and fun that made the original such a delight. And at times this one proves to be even more surreal and outlandish.

Conclusion – The gremlins are back and almost as fun as ever. To echo the sentiment with which I started this review, I really do think The New Batch is one of the most under-rated sequels around. There's enough chaos and visual creativity to satisfy fans of the original, whilst adding in some new dimensions which ensure it feels fresh. A lot of the time with a sequel you really can't see why they bothered, except for purely financial reasons. By taking a slightly different approach however this certainly is a worthwhile experience.

Gremlins... one of the few films that makes me laugh, cringe, squirm and cheer every single time...

Excellent film, excellent review!

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Bit of a high rating for Gremlins 2 though. Hated the sequel... too cartoony and toned down for kids.

Thanks man. Always glad to be of service.

As I said I used to feel the same way but it's certainly grown on me over the years and I know appreciate the smarts of it. And perhaps the score is a little high but I really enjoy it. Though I'd say it was certainly helped by following on straight after the first, so the love and affinity for the characters/creatures carried over.

Gremlins has been on TV loads recently but I can never be arsed to watch it. It was a childhood fav aswell.

Will perhaps have to watch it one time given the fabled Jaydee 5 star certificate of approval.

I've not seen Gremins 2 in forever, but I used to really love it. Like you, I liked the more satirical edge, Brain and the brilliant Christopher Lee. To me, he was always that bloke from the Hammer films and I think this was probably one of, if not, the first non-horror film I'd seen him in, so to see him having such a good time was a riot.

BTW, have you ever seen the John Walters original Hairspray?

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Oh you should definitely watch it again.

Is it still fabled? It took a long while to get my first 5 star review, but in the last 5 months or so the 5 stars have been handed out to all the Lord of the Rings flicks, Speed and now Gremlins. Though they were all films I loved beforehand however. It's still only one new film that's got the top score so far.

No I haven't. Do you think I'd enjoy it?


Also I'm a little disappointed with the response to Gremlins in terms of rep. Not meaning in terms of being a rep whore but it's a good way to gauge the popularity. Heavenly Creatures scored 8 or 9 reps just within a couple of days but poor old Gremlins is still at 4.

OK, Rep Whore!!! Pot Kettle Black.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

Eh...what? I don't know if I'm being insulted here or not!

Just bought Close Encounters the other week, and it's still sitting with the plastic wrapper on. Your review doesn't bode well for that wrapper coming off any time soon.

Never actually sat and watched the whole way through, only caught bits and pieces on TV over the years.

I love Close Encounters. It was the first ET movie I ever watched, and I'm glad that it holds up just as well in re-watches.

I like how the movie weaves a few touching, inspiring personal stories into these occurrences from beginning to end. And, as JayDee says, it draws on the higher aspirations of both humans and ETs.

Great performances by Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr......and Francois Truffaut!

I really enjoyed this one. Great review as usual. Now hold up your end of the bargain.

Great review. Saw Wreck It Ralph with my 5 and 4 year old, and it was just fun. Been a long time since I enjoyed an animated film that much.

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Letterboxd

ET and the Gremlins are on the top of my remake wish list. I could definitely see a Gremlins 3D being a big money maker.

Thanks guys.


What?!!! Those are amongst the last films I'd ever want to see remade. They are already pretty much perfect as is. Absolutely no need for remakes in my eyes

A couple of weeks back I said that I'd be easing off on my reviews, then promptly delivered 5 reviews and a set of micro musings! However I really do believe that will be the case for the time being. Or maybe it won't and I'll churn out another pile of reviews!

Anyway to tide over all my loyal fans here's one they may have missed, that I previously posted in the movie trade-off thread.

SPOILER WARNING – I know this film is over 20 years old now but still want to give a warning about major spoilers in my review. It's impossible for me to review it without talking about the huge twist.

Plot – When a British soldier named Jody (Whitaker) is kidnapped by IRA terrorists, he ends up forming an unlikely sort of friendship with Fergus (Rea), an IRA volunteer who is watching over him, even though there is a good chance that Fergus will be forced to kill Jody. Jody asks a favour of Fergus; that if Jody dies, Fergus goes to London, finds his girl and tells her that Jody was thinking of her when he died. When things go horribly wrong, Fergus is able to escape and heads to London where he seeks out Jody's lover, a hairdresser named Dil. Adopting the name Jimmy he beings dating Dil, all the while keeping his involvement with the IRA and her past lover a secret. As it turns out however Dil is keeping a large secret of her own.

Ok......well I wasn't expecting that! Whatever website I checked quickly and got a brief plot summary from made this sound like an intriguing thriller/drama. While that was certainly part of the equation the film moved off into directions that I never saw coming or could possibly have predicted. Let's just get it out of the way up front – Dil turns out to be a man!

I actually struggled to get into the film all that much for the the opening 30/40 minutes. A large deal of that was down to the presence of Forest Whitaker. Now I think in general he's a talented actor; and he has some nice chemistry here with Stephen Rea, but what in the name of all that is holy was going on with his accent?! Now I'll admit to not having a great ear when it comes to accents but I thought it was one of the most atrocious attempts I've ever heard! For the opening ten minutes I was actually debating with myself whether it was truly Whitaker's voice, or if it had been dubbed over. It just seemed such an unnatural fit for him and it took me out of the film whenever he opened his mouth.

Film trivia – A few weeks into film, Jaye Davidson fell ill with the flu. A doctor was called to the set to examine him in Davidson's tiny trailer. After the examination the doctor came out, and asked director Neil Jordan if he had considered the possibility that she might be pregnant! This was the cause for much laughter from Jordan and the crew, leaving the doctor very confused. When he was let in on the secret a few minutes later the doctor was left feeling very foolish.

For those first 40 or so minutes the film was heading very much in one direction, but then a shocking turn of events occurs that just pulls the rug out from under the viewer and dismantles the characters and the situation that had been built up until that point. It rather reminded me of Psycho which to begin with appears to be focusing on Janet Leigh's character and her attempts to escape with some stolen loot, but then veers off completely down another avenue. After that the film becomes very much a romantic drama, one that desperately tries to cling to the old adage of love conquering all. Despite the unusual quirks it entails, I actually found it be a very sensitive, touching romance; one that just goes to show we can't choose who we fall in love with. And that ideally it really shouldn't matter.

Stephen Rea was very impressive as the constantly tormented Fergus/Jimmy. His initial torment is over the predicament with Whitaker's Jody; he becomes friendly with him despite knowing that there's a very good he will have to kill him. An IRA terrorist, he believes in what he is fighting for, but doesn't seem all that keen on the actions he has to undertake. When he then goes to meet Jody's girl to tell her Jody was thinking of her when he died, he begins to fall for her but is tormented by a sense of guilt. And lastly when he finds out the truth about Dil he is left tormented about what to do. He finds the whole thing troubling and indeed disturbing, and yet he can't deny the feelings that he has for Dil.

Film trivia – The film was turned down by every American studio as they were sure the film's twist would be a huge turn off to the audience. In reality that was the reason many people went to the film, and how it became such a sleeper hit. Speaking of the twist, it was actually given away very subtly by film critic Richard Corliss in his review. The first letter of each paragraph spelled out the phrase, “She is a he.”

I was a little bit more on the fence in regards to Jaye Davidson. Some of his acting I found to be rather stiff but at the same time he was somehow able to create a real air of sensuality about the character of Dil. A large part of that was down to the script giving Del some quite atypical dialogue and actions, imbuing the character with quite a sense of enigmatic mystery. And the fact that I wasn't sure until checking online whether the actor was a he or a she has to be worth a certain level of credit for Davidson. I knew right from Dil's first appearance that the character was going to turn out to be a man, but it was so convincingly portrayed that I wasn't sure if it was a female actress just acting like a man, or an actual man. And while I may have seen it coming the fact that the revelation is presented in such a frank, in your face manner meant that it still retained a bit of its shock value. The character of Dil was in some ways quite a tragic one, admitting that she falls for anyone who is the least bit nice to her; likely stemming from being so unhappy with her body when she was a man, and fear of being rejected in her current state.

One of the most impressive aspects of the film was how damn atmospheric it was. The film really is thick with a very gloomy, seedy atmosphere. Created through a mix of the lighting, the cinematography and the brooding soundtrack you just know that things aren't going to run smoothly, that there are going to be some dark twists and turns ahead. And that atmosphere stuck with me after the film, haunting me somewhat.

Conclusion - I felt that at times the film had a tendency to feel forced and heavy-handed on occasion, but I certainly found it to be an extremely fascinating movie; very well written and presenting one of the more unusual love stories I've ever come across. Despite the numerous plot twists and turns, the film is able to stay on track and present a look at issues including sexuality and identity, present portraits of two intriguing characters, and also makes the viewer ask some possibly difficult questions of themselves.

Just tidying up my reviews index and found that I currently stand at 147 reviews!!! Not too shabby me thinks. Oh and it looks like my 148th review is actually going to be longest ever.

Still working away on my new top 100 and man is it causing me some aggravation! As most people who've done a favourite films list will perhaps attest to, trying to work out the order to put the films in can drive you mad. And right now it's driving me crazy! My current problem is Pulp Fiction. It was sitting around about the 40 spot when I watched it a month or so back and initially felt that it deserved to remain there. Since then however I've been struggling to figure out how much I love it, despite still finding it a terrific film. There are inferior films which I care more about. Was going back and forth about whether to leave it or drop it into the 50s or 60s, or even lower. And now I'm completely flummoxed about it.