“I measure the success or failure of a film on one thing – how close I came to my vision of it.”

The Hunted (2003)

William Friedkin directs Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro and Connie Nielsen in this chase thriller where a master military tracker hunts his old student after he goes on a rampage.

Has the parts and the shape of a bog standard The Fugitive rip-off. Yet the action and the psychology has a blunt, bullish reactive force that suggest something more purposeful is intended. The sequences where Del Toro becomes a supernatural wraith, evading his pursuers via some nifty in-camera visual tricks have a real thrall. As big, dumb Screen 12 filler chase movies go this is nothing but set pieces. And there ain’t much wrong with that.

7

Good Times (1967)

William Friedkin directs Sonny & Cher and George Sanders in this pop movie cash-in where the hip young lovers avoid making a sellout movie for “the man”.

A series of parody skits and proto music promos. Cher openly whines she doesn’t want to do a movie at the start of the meta plot. Boy, she isn’t lying… barely in half of this. Leaving that wally Sonny Bono to prat around as a cowboy and then Tarzan and then a hardboiled detective. It is all very meh with few flashes of Friedkin’s edge or later mastery of the cinematic form. Leaden pastiche that was probably still being aired on in the afternoons when I was a little kid.

2

The Deal Of the Century (1983)

William Friedkin directs Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver and Gregory Hines in this arms dealing satire.

A notorious flop, released direct to VHS in the U.K. and even now is a project that Sigourney Weaver refuses to talk about in interviews and Friedkin skips in his autobiography. And it ain’t THAT bad. Just misguided. It thinks it is Dr Strangelove meets Star Wars… but it is probably closer to a dry run on Fletch without any of the feelgood vibes. The biggest sin of Deal Of The Century is how bitty it is. A third of the movie features boardroom executives rather than the names and Hines’ role plays out like either as an afterthought or was utterly pared back when they couldn’t cast Richard Pryor or Eddie. The first act in South America has some laughs, allows Chase to do what he does best. While he might not have much tangible chemistry with Weaver, they are at the very least established movie stars bouncing around a couple of flirty, funny lines. The big SFX action finale isn’t funny or involving but certainly spends the budget.

4

Sorcerer (1977)

William Friedkin directs Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer and Francisco Rabal in this action epic grizzled remake of The Wages of Fear.

Friedkin’s best. Also the movie that killed New American Cinema. Mainly dialogue free or subtitled. All action. The last hour is set piece after set piece, no let up. Love the trucks being tooled up. The bridge. The tree trunk. The mania of the final, almost lunar, almost lunatic, desert. Tangerine Dream score, location realism. Perfect.

10

Bug (2006)

William Friedkin directs Ashley Judd, Lynn Collins and Michael Shannon in this dark motel based drama.

Apocalyptic. Judd’s best acting… she’s always been the poor man’s Sandra Bullock in everything else. Shannon is fully committed. Mesmerising. Sure, it is a filmed play but a really deep one. Friedkin has been reproducing the stage throughout his career. The body horror, paranoia and isolationism of The Exorcist. The industrial military complex effecting individual in extreme and wasteful ways of The Hunted. Friedkin’s back, baby! This could be a Takashi Miike flick it is so unflinching and batshit.

8

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Robert Rossen directs Paul Newman, George C Scott and Piper Laurie in this dark drama about a pool shark who meets his match.

What if you weren’t the best? What if you thought you were the best and then discovered you were only second best? A on meeting your match your world fell apart? See Amadeus. See Toy Story. The Hustler goes for the Toy Story option. There is deconstruction, staring into the abyss, breakdown, rejection… and then rebirth, grudging respect, competition as a new man… one rebuilt from the depths of despair but back stronger than ever. It is an incredible arc for Newman, the star and the actor. The movie works everything he has, in a milieu that feels both lived in and fantastical. The support cast is superb – Scott, Laurie, Myron McCormick and Jackie Gleason. All vampires and victims. Sucking on and being drained by each other for money, validation, knowledge, companionship, status and love. There isn’t one trustworthy relationship in The Hustler. The pool table is the only space with rules: rules of the game, rules of physics, even rules to the swindles. They have form, boundaries, laws and expectations. Life… the human stuff… that is nastier, more chaotic. A lover can be cruel and callous, a father figure can be predatory, a backer prefers sticking the knife in over winning. It can be a horrible world being a hustler, in this movie of inhumane humanity.

10

Perfect Double Bill: The Color of Money (1986)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/

Matthew Holness directs Sean Harris, Alun Armstrong and Charlie Eales in this creepy British tale of a loner who returns home with something unspeakable in his bag.

The main character has baggage. Big fan of Darkplace and Sean Harris in general so happy this got made. Does feel like a short film stretched out interminably though. The atmosphere is right, the performances blank and bleak. The “monster” is a strong creation only glimpsed at. You just feel like you are eternally waiting around for the big reveal.

4

Perfect Double Bill: Spider (2002)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Mark Steven Johnson directs Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and Colin Farrell in this big screen adaptation of ‘the blind lawyer by day turned costumed vigilante by night’ Marvel comic.

Better than I remember…BUT… Nah! Colin Farrell and Michael Clarke Duncan look like they are enjoying themselves. Still, the first widely released superhero movie that had a pervading attitude of “Will this do?” There have been many since but this is the first one made more by the execs than an auteur or a fan of the source material.

5

Perfect Double Bill: Elektra (2005)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/

Stewart Raffill directs Denise Richards, Paul Walker and Terry Kiser in this teen sci-fi romantic comedy where a cheerleader’s new crush is injured in a gang incident and a deranged scientist puts his brain in an animatronic dinosaur.

The epitome of a cult item. When this was released and I was very much the target market (a rent anything video store teen) I had no idea it even existed. It features stars before they went on to become household names and to act in (slightly) better projects. It was seemingly only made as a movie producer bought a second hand animatronic dinosaur and needed to use it in a film. And the theatrical release removed all the black comedy gore to secure a more family friendly rating. We watched the uncut version, lovingly rereleased by 101 Films. The end result is kinda sweet and very bonkers. The violence is occasional but full on. The support characters are so pantomime that their hamminess wins you over. When the special effects cut corners they make no apologies and just lean into the obvious con. The script feels cobbled together at random, cocaine haphazard. And by Act Two you have zero doubts or qualms that Denise Richards wants to fuck an animatronic dinosaur. Cool.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Ben Wheatley directs Jason Statham, Wu Jing and Sophia Cai in this prehistoric monster shark sequel.

Bonkers but in a flat, corporate, formulaic way. The cast is very charismatic (even the fodder) but two thirds of their dialogue is spoken out of shot so that the appropriate international market’s language can be ADR’d in. A disaster movie middle section where survivors have to trek across a ravenous ocean floor is the highlight. Either that or a shot from inside the megladon’s chomping mouth as it hits tourist season. I didn’t expect too much and Meg 2 fulfilled its simple brief. Would have preferred a few more blatant Wheatley touches but he does feel present in the mix. My first 2DX experience, projecting the movie on the sidewalls didn’t add much.

5

Perfect Double Bill: The Meg (2018)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/

Diao Yinan directs Fan Liao, Gwei Lun-Mei and Xuebing Wang in this Chinese neo-noir where a disgraced detective begins working an old case when he remembers suspects the new investigators may have overlooked.

Wanted to catch this earlier effort after the eerie but effective The Wild Goose Lake. This has one or two fantastic deadpan set pieces; a skating rink stalk, a salon bust that goes sideways. But the mystery is pretty straightforward even if the storytelling attempts to obfuscate it. Ends on a stretched out, arty note that will have art housey poseurs scratching their beards. Fan Liao and Gwei Lun-Mei put in gentle but complex turns.

7

Perfect Double Bill: The Wild Goose Lake (2019)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Jaume Collet-Serra directs Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard and Isabelle Fuhrman in this horror where a couple take in a weird orphan girl with deadly results.

Bought this in the Parisian equivalent of a Cash Convertor for a single euro. Bargain! The Middle Eastern dude behind the counter was super excited, chatting to me in French about ‘Esther’. Proof enough surely that if someone could make a third one with Isabelle Fuhrman (as a ghost?) there’d be a market for it. This isn’t quite as good as the bonkers late-in-the-day prequel First Kill. It needs twice the amount of murders to support a 2 hour running time and that big twist has never been that much of a shock. Still it is more than adequate as a glossy Saturday night special. Bring Esther back!

6

Perfect Double Bill: Orphan: First Kill (2022)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/

Mark Dindal directs David Spade, John Goodman and Eartha Kitt in this Disney animated buddy comedy where a spoilt Incan emperor is turned into a llama.

A Disney I’ve only caught in bits and pieces up until now. The comedy is pretty strong and in every aspect has some cute Ren & Stimpy / Animaniacs vibes. Whether a Disney theatrical release should be “lowering” itself down to that level is one for the executives from twenty or so years ago but it holds up as a silly one-watcher. Kronk is the best henchman since Aladdin’s Iago.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Lilo & Stitch (2002)

My wife and I do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/

Sofia Coppola directs Emma Watson, Katie Chang and Israel Broussard in this teen true crime drama where a group of high schoolers use social media to break into celebrities homes and “borrow” their lifestyle.

Easily Sofia’s weakest in that it has very little to say beyond that initial elevator pitch. There is (pointedly?) no emotional connection between us and the mini-thieves so it just kinda plays out like cold smoked salmon on a fried egg. I hope Megan Fox got her pillow pistol back?

5

Perfect Double Bill: Spring Breakers (2012)

I write regular features about live comedy for British Comedy Guide here https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/bobby_carroll/features/