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Silver Streak (Arthur Hiller, 1976) +
Silver Streak was both Colin Higgins' return to movies after writing the awesome Harold and Maude script, and his reintroduction to Hollywood, with a Major Bang! Higgins had come up with an ingeniously-original take on Hitchcock films. In other words, most of the characters and plot devices could be seen to be lifted from Hitch's films, but the way he bathed them all in beautiful romance made the critics and the viewers not care in the slightest. Both this film, and its follow-up, Foul Play, which Higgins got to both WRITE AND DIRECT, were big moneymakers and enabled Higgins to direct both Nine to Five and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Unfortunately, Higgins died of AIDS without directing another film after Whorehouse, but he left behind plenty of entertainment for everyone.
Silver Streak lifts from North by Northwest, The Lady Vanishes, Shadow of a Doubt and Foreign Correspondent, among others. It also feeds into the romantic homages which Stanley Donen made. Since Silver Streak has a lush romantic score by Henry Mancini, it's often reminiscent of his scores for Donen's Charade and Two For the Road. The thing about Silver Streak is that about an hour into it, the incomparable Richard Pryor shows up and becomes Gene Wilder's accomplice. Now, Pryor is probably my fave stand-up comedian of all-time, but Hollywood tried to quash him. Even so, this film probably shows the most volatile and vibrant Pryor this side of all his concert films. Therefore, I recommend this flick, which has some of the best "special effects" ever at the end when the train destroys a shopping mall (in slow motion, yet!)
Silver Streak was both Colin Higgins' return to movies after writing the awesome Harold and Maude script, and his reintroduction to Hollywood, with a Major Bang! Higgins had come up with an ingeniously-original take on Hitchcock films. In other words, most of the characters and plot devices could be seen to be lifted from Hitch's films, but the way he bathed them all in beautiful romance made the critics and the viewers not care in the slightest. Both this film, and its follow-up, Foul Play, which Higgins got to both WRITE AND DIRECT, were big moneymakers and enabled Higgins to direct both Nine to Five and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Unfortunately, Higgins died of AIDS without directing another film after Whorehouse, but he left behind plenty of entertainment for everyone.
Silver Streak lifts from North by Northwest, The Lady Vanishes, Shadow of a Doubt and Foreign Correspondent, among others. It also feeds into the romantic homages which Stanley Donen made. Since Silver Streak has a lush romantic score by Henry Mancini, it's often reminiscent of his scores for Donen's Charade and Two For the Road. The thing about Silver Streak is that about an hour into it, the incomparable Richard Pryor shows up and becomes Gene Wilder's accomplice. Now, Pryor is probably my fave stand-up comedian of all-time, but Hollywood tried to quash him. Even so, this film probably shows the most volatile and vibrant Pryor this side of all his concert films. Therefore, I recommend this flick, which has some of the best "special effects" ever at the end when the train destroys a shopping mall (in slow motion, yet!)