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Home Theatre: A Kaufman Double Feature
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Welcome to “Home Theatre” your best place for home viewing tips on the net.
Today we’ll take a look at the career of filmmaker Phillip Kaufman with “A Kaufman Double Feature”.
Writer- director Phillip Kaufman’s latest movie, “Twisted” with Ashley Judd, is in theatres now. And even though his current film might leave much to be desired, I thought it would be interesting to take a brief look at Kaufman’s career.
Phillip Kaufman’s early work dates back to 1969 with a low budget stinker called “Fearless Frank”, a kind of super hero spoof that played drive- in’s. But “Fearless Frank” served as screen test for it’s unknown star to get the title role in the Oscar winning best picture that year, “Midnight Cowboy”, and Jon Voight became a huge star.
Phillip Kaufman went on to a real gem of an under seen western for Universal called “The Northfield Minnesota Gang”, and followed that up with another almost unknown great adventure picture for Paramount called “The White Dawn”. Then in 1978…
1. “The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” (1978) MGM/UA.
This creepy remake of the 50’s classic holds it’s own and many think improves on the original. Shifting the action from a small town to San Francisco opens the story up and makes it darker, more out of control and creepier. The cast, Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nymoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Brooke Adams serve this material very well and Kaufman’s use of hand held out of control shots add to the dimension of paranoia and fear this needs to succeed.
The DVD includes a comment track by the director.
After co-writing “The Outlaw Josey Wales” for Clint Eastwood and “Raiders Of The Lost Ark” for George Lucas Kaufman returned to directing with what I think is his masterwork.
2. “The Right Stuff” (1983) Warner Bros. This invigorating look at the Mercury space program (from the book by Tom Wolfe) is brought to the screen with pathos and emotion by counter pointing the astronauts lives with that of public figures, who are played like larger than life cartoons. The result is the most American of epics with a lot of left handed mock patriotism that suits the time period and the personality’s of this rich group of people perfectly.
Acted with great intensity and understanding by a large cast including Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, and many more, “The Right Stuff” is exactly that.
Following his Oscar nomination for “The Right Stuff” Phillip Kaufman won an Academy Award for “The Unbearable Lightness Of Being” and went on to do the first NC-17 film “Henry And June”.
I am guessing that lately he must have fallen from favor, because “Twisted” is beneath this guy’s ability.
We'll be back with another "Home Theatre" next Monday. Thanks for joining us.
Jim Farris Presents Silly Thinking with Douglas Lain.
Have you Silly Thinking lately?
Today we’ll take a look at the career of filmmaker Phillip Kaufman with “A Kaufman Double Feature”.
Writer- director Phillip Kaufman’s latest movie, “Twisted” with Ashley Judd, is in theatres now. And even though his current film might leave much to be desired, I thought it would be interesting to take a brief look at Kaufman’s career.
Phillip Kaufman’s early work dates back to 1969 with a low budget stinker called “Fearless Frank”, a kind of super hero spoof that played drive- in’s. But “Fearless Frank” served as screen test for it’s unknown star to get the title role in the Oscar winning best picture that year, “Midnight Cowboy”, and Jon Voight became a huge star.
Phillip Kaufman went on to a real gem of an under seen western for Universal called “The Northfield Minnesota Gang”, and followed that up with another almost unknown great adventure picture for Paramount called “The White Dawn”. Then in 1978…
1. “The Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” (1978) MGM/UA.
This creepy remake of the 50’s classic holds it’s own and many think improves on the original. Shifting the action from a small town to San Francisco opens the story up and makes it darker, more out of control and creepier. The cast, Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nymoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, and Brooke Adams serve this material very well and Kaufman’s use of hand held out of control shots add to the dimension of paranoia and fear this needs to succeed.
The DVD includes a comment track by the director.
After co-writing “The Outlaw Josey Wales” for Clint Eastwood and “Raiders Of The Lost Ark” for George Lucas Kaufman returned to directing with what I think is his masterwork.
2. “The Right Stuff” (1983) Warner Bros. This invigorating look at the Mercury space program (from the book by Tom Wolfe) is brought to the screen with pathos and emotion by counter pointing the astronauts lives with that of public figures, who are played like larger than life cartoons. The result is the most American of epics with a lot of left handed mock patriotism that suits the time period and the personality’s of this rich group of people perfectly.
Acted with great intensity and understanding by a large cast including Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Jeff Goldblum, Harry Shearer, and many more, “The Right Stuff” is exactly that.
Following his Oscar nomination for “The Right Stuff” Phillip Kaufman won an Academy Award for “The Unbearable Lightness Of Being” and went on to do the first NC-17 film “Henry And June”.
I am guessing that lately he must have fallen from favor, because “Twisted” is beneath this guy’s ability.
We'll be back with another "Home Theatre" next Monday. Thanks for joining us.
Jim Farris Presents Silly Thinking with Douglas Lain.
Have you Silly Thinking lately?
Read/Post Comments (0)
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