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#196 Favorite Film, 1978 Films, Celine Lomez, Christopher Plummer, Curtis Hanson, Daryl Duke, Elliott Gould, John Candy, Susannah York, Thriller, Top 250 Films

The Silent Partner-1978

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The Silent Partner-1978

Director Daryl Duke

Starring Elliott Gould, Christopher Plummer, Celine Lomez

Top 250 Films #196

Scott’s Review #1,120

Reviewed March 10, 2021

Grade: A-

The Silent Partner (1978) is an exceptionally thrilling film that is relatively unknown to most moviegoers but is well-regarded by cinema lovers, especially fans of 1970s relics.

Watching the film alongside Brian De Palma’s clever and steamy Dressed to Kill (1980), one immediately notices similarities and can draw comparisons.

Might have DePalma even patterned his film after The Silent Partner?

Even the finest of directors borrow snippets of greatness from other directors. That’s the way it works.

It’s a shame that so few realize that the film even exists.

Starring Elliott Gould and Christopher Plummer, the late 1970s were not the best-known period for Plummer, but they were Gould’s heyday.

The film is also peppered with notable sequences reminiscent of Frances Ford Coppola’s 1974 masterpiece, The Conversation.

I can best describe the film as a Canadian heist film, but that might imply it’s cookie-cutter or generic. It’s not. It’s not even a “guy film”- it’s way more cerebral than that.

There is a style and momentum in The Silent Partner that is individual, with unique and unexpected trimmings along the way. The cat-and-mouse dynamic adds trickery and a murky nature that makes the film work.

Daryl Duke, unfamiliar to me and primarily known for television work, is at the helm as director, crafting the film from a screenplay by Curtis Hanson.

Hanson adapted his work from a Danish novel and should be familiar to movie fans for his participation in the thriller The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) and the neo-crime thriller L.A. Confidential (1997).

Miles Cullen (Elliott Gould) plods along during the holidays at his bank teller job at the local mall. It’s Christmastime, and Miles is down because he attempted to ask out his co-worker Julie Carver (Susannah York), who is more interested in dating their married boss- for now!

After discovering a secret plot by the mall Santa Claus (Christopher Plummer) to rob the bank at which he works, Miles cunningly hides a large portion of the cash in his safe deposit box.

After the robbery, it is discovered that Santa is a deranged master criminal named Harry Reikle.  He discovers that he’s been duped by Miles and puts horrific pressure on Cullen to hand over the money.

I adore the added romantic angle that blossoms amid the cat-and-mouse antics between Miles and Harry. No sooner has Julie softened toward Miles than a mysterious and gorgeous woman enters the scene, claiming to know Miles’s father.

Elaine (Celine Lomez) is flirtatious and immediately wants to bed Miles, but what is she up to?

From a character perspective, Miles and Harry are great studies. Related to the aforementioned films, Miles exhibits qualities similar to Harry Caul in the brilliant The Conversation. Suspicious, paranoid, and intelligent, he is the perfect counterpart to Harry.

Michael Caine played a transvestite in Dressed to Kill (1980), and Harry’s mascara, long nails, and fishnet top made me feel he possessed those qualities, though the film never confirms this.

Psychologically speaking, Harry is disturbed by his treatment and the perceived hatred he expresses towards women. He picks up and beats a young prostitute unconscious.

Is there a gay vibe? Most certainly, especially when Harry looks longingly at Miles during more than one scene as he watches Miles in his apartment and proclaims, “You know we are partners, right?”

Plummer is great, and I can’t recall seeing any of his roles so villainous; he plays it superbly.—afar cry from the musical patriarch in The Sound of Music (1965).

The Silent Partner contains one of the most gruesome murder scenes I’ve witnessed in the cinema. It involves decapitation and a fish tank and is so shocking and unexpected that viewers may audibly gasp during the scene.

Nearly rivaling this is the great finale and a justified death on the mall escalator. It is fun to revisit the time when malls were flocked to, especially during the Christmas holidays.

The Santas, decorations, big crowds, and music made The Silent Partner walk down memory lane.

A great and sadly lost gem, The Silent Partner (1978) is a film for movie lovers to check out, embrace, and fall in love with. A perfect watch would be around the Christmas holidays.

Hopefully, with word of mouth, this film will be rediscovered.

1983 Films, Anthony Michael Hall, Beverly D'Angelo, Chevy Chase, Comedy, David R. Ellis, Eugene Levy, John Candy, John Hughes, Randy Quaid

National Lampoon’s Vacation-1983

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National Lampoon’s Vacation-1983

Director Harold Ramis

Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo

Scott’s Review #1,300

Reviewed September 19, 2022

Grade: A-

The film that spawned a slew of sequels, remakes, spoofs, and other things, National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) had more influence on 1980s movies than it probably should have.

The slapstick road trip became overused familiar territory, a situation comedy rife with silly scenarios and possibilities.

Despite having started it all, my favorite National Lampoon will always be the Christmas Vacation installment from 1989 but for some snickers, hoots, and belly laughs, Vacation is fresh and authentic. holding up well in the nostalgia category.

So what if Chevy Chase was a douchebag in real life? His portrayal of Clark Griswold is his finest achievement and is firmly placed in the annals of slapstick comedy’s greatest characters. Endless quotes and impersonations of the bumbling dad have emerged over the years.

Great fun is looking for other comedy actors like Eugene Levy and  John Candy who later would forge their path into comedy legend.

Accompanied by their children Audrey and Rusty, played by Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall, Clark Griswold (Chase) and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), decide to drive instead of fly from Illinois to a California amusement park named Walley World to enjoy a much-needed summer break.

Clark is convinced that some togetherness is just what the family needs.

As Clark increasingly fixates on a mysterious, sexy woman (the acting debut of Christie Brinkley) driving a red sports car, the Griswolds deal with car problems and the death of a family member, Aunt Edna (Imogene Coca) as they face hi-jinks on the way to their vacation.

Exhausted, they finally reach Los Angeles, but, when Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, he acts impulsively to get his family to the park.

National Lampoon’s Vacation is a rarity in screwball comedy where almost all of the setups and gimmicks work. Typically, the situations feel stale and tried and true but there is an authenticity brimming over its cup, and that’s largely thanks to Chase.

Don’t get me wrong. The film is hardly worthy of study in film school and the script is polished and patterned out but like other screwball comedies I love like Caddyshack (1980) and Clue (1985), it’s got something solid.

I think it’s because the characters are very relatable. Who doesn’t have a wacky Aunt Edna or a Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) somewhere in their family tree?

Long-suffering, suburban housewife Mom Ellen has a heart of gold and represents the classic 1970s or 1980s homemaker with a glimmer of progressiveness.

She dutifully scrambles eggs for breakfast and shops for cereal and dog food but also keeps Clark at bay before he does something ridiculous.

Chase and D’Angelo have tremendous chemistry bouncing one-liners off each other as naturally as a real-life conversation so that we buy them as husband and wife.

What kid who grew up in this period can’t relate to the horrid paneled oversized station wagon that ran rampant in suburbia? I sure remember those gas guzzlers eventually replaced by the minivan.

It’s perfection to see that style of car represented in this film as it adds to the hilarity and is a character in itself.

The fun continues because the Griswolds embark on travel across the United States. So, the film provides a slice of Americana and harkens back to a time when if you were an American you were united and bonded even if you had differences.

What National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) does so well watching in modern times is remind us what that felt like. An adventure across the good ‘ole USA was not such a bad thing and the folks you met along the way were friendly and warm without suspicion.

The film is like a dear old friend who has emerged from the woodwork, dusty, but still full of life.

1991 Films, Donald Sutherland, Drama, Ed Asner, Edwin Neal, Epic, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Joe Pesci, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Costner, Laurie Metcalf, Martin Sheen, Oliver Stone, Political Drama, Political Thriller, Sally Kirkland, Sissy Spacek, Thriller, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, Walter Matthau, Wayne Knight

JFK-1991

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JFK-1991

Director Oliver Stone

Starring Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones

Scott’s Review #536

60031474

Reviewed December 4, 2016

Grade: B+

JFK (1991) is a very well-made film but must be taken with a grain of salt, as reportedly many liberties were taken by the director, Oliver Stone, and the film can be open to interpretation as to what is true and what is embellished.

At three hours and twenty-six minutes, the film is of epic proportions.

The film recounts the events leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy through the eyes of a former District Attorney from New Orleans, James Garrison, played by Kevin Costner.

Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman, Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones), and in his view, was in cahoots with Lee Harvey Oswald to kill the president.

Stone suggested that President Lyndon B. Johnson was involved in the coup, which led to much controversy indeed.

The plot is quite intricate and, at times, tough to follow, but the editing techniques alone are impressive. I loved the authentic, real-life, footage that Stone immerses throughout the film.

As we know, the assassination, in 1963, was tragic and fraught with controversy that still abounds today.

Stone was wise to make a film of this caliber despite the lack of clarity of what is true and not true. I guess we may never know.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Oliver Stone, Best Supporting Actor-Tommy Lee Jones, Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Cinematography (won), Best Film Editing (won)