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Review: 'Bubba Ho-Tep'
Someone asked Campbell whether he expected an Oscar nomination, something he joked off. As I stepped out, I happened to find myself right next to the actor for a good 10 seconds, and I thought about telling him how Thursday morning, the same time that I first heard about the movie, National Public Radio's review mentioned that he did deserve an Oscar nod for his portrayal of Elvis Presley as an old man. I'm actually regretting I didn't mention that in passing, but who knows -- maybe someone will encourage him to go for it, because it's a better performance than some of the butt-kissing, self-important, Oscar-begging performances we've been seeing from so-called "artists." And dang, but it would be great to see the words "Bubba" mentioned even once at the Academy Awards.
But, the movie. Check out the website if you need to (and give them a slashdotting they won't forget). The story sounds stupid, but it's actually incredibly clever.
The story revolves around Elvis. No, the real Elvis. Seems that he didn't die -- back in the 1970's, he traded places with an Elvis impersonator, and that was the guy who died on a toilet of a drug overdose. The real Elvis went on as an impersonator of himself, carefree until a hip injury landed him a hospital, in a coma, and now into old age.
So the real Elvis is now an old man in a retirement home with a cancerous growth on his penis at the age of 80, still wearing those shades (prescription glasses now). Laughed at by nurses, treated like a child, and played expertly by Bruce Campbell.
Yes, Mr. Campbell pulls of an incredible performance. He could have played the role of Elvis trying to save a retirement home like many of his other characters -- a hammed-up, cocky action hero. Or taken the Austin Powers route and just made fun of it with a wink and a nudge.
No, Mr. Campbell plays it straight. This Elvis is old, sometimes suffers from dementia, moves slowly and painfully, and is regretting throwing away his fame, fortune, and family. He's going to die all alone, and all of his accomplishments are going to be for squat. He was a fake, and he has no one to blame but himself for his problems.
But he's not going to let some Egyptian mummy suck his soul out of his ass, like the other members of the retirement home he lives in might. Nor that of his best friend, John F. Kennedy (played by Ossie Davis with class and energy) who was dyed black by the CIA after they replaced bits of his missing brain with a bag of sand.
It sounds like a funny movie, and it is. There are some one-liners that could only be delivered by Bruce Campbell himself. But the biggest jokes come in directions you don't see coming at all, and unlike most of your Hollywood movies, you don't see them telegraphed a mile off, because the filmmakers in this case don't assume the audience is stupid. Yes, there are some Elvis comments as jokes (such as the trademark "Thank you very much"), but you don't feel like they were put out there with gigantic neon signs to remind you "Hey, it's Elvis!". If the audience catches them (and most of the time, they did), great -- if not, the movie is just as funny and spooky.
At the same time, there is an element of a true horror movie. Mummies aren't anything to be afraid of, according to the old stereotype of them moving in slow, shambling steps: anyone even close to young ought would have to be incredibly slow to even fear getting caught.
But how about a geriatric with a broken hip, confined to a wheelchair or inflected by dementia? Bubba Ho-Tep uses its situation -- the retirement home, full of slow-moving people who aren't listened to or believed by the figures of authority, treated like they were less than children. Some of them can't even defend themselves or comprehend the danger they are in until it's too late, and when they die, no one is surprised -- after all, they were old, right? When you have a man who's claiming to be Elvis who saw a mummy sucking the soul out of someone's ass: well, he's got a credibility issue to start with.
An old man in a walker trying to escape a slow-moving mummy, it's not only credible, but makes for some of the most inventive action and horror scenes I've seen in some time. Nearly all the effects are done simply, just makeup and lighting, but used to wonderful effect. Not bad for a movie that, according to Campbell, was shot in only six weeks. The editing is probably the best special effect used in the movie, for moments such as Elvis meeting his impersonator self, or the encounters with the dreaded Bubba Ho-Tep. Don Coscarelli, the film's director, uses the cameras without flash, just correct camera angles and cuts like an expert painter uses a brush.
Bruce Campbell performance as Elvis is nothing short of incredible. The makeup is so wonderfully applied, most of the time you don't see Mr. Campbell, you see the King, now old and defeated by age (though it's hard sometimes to cover up that trademark square jaw). Elvis hasn't had an erection in years thanks to the pus on his pecker, he's got cancer, and nobody cares -- but as you see him start to fill up with life and that gleam come back in his eye as he fights for his soul, you can't root but cheer for this underdog.
And this film may be an underdog too, with nothing but fan word of mouth working for it, but it certainly deserves its fair chance on the big screen.
If there's one problem with the movie, there is a little bit of a slowdown about three-quarters of the way through, and an important plot device is gone over nearly three times -- but the pacing is otherwise nearly perfect. Especially when dealing with life inside a retirement home, where time itself can sometimes seem to be slow and almost forgetful of where it's going.
Bubba Ho-Tep is one of the funniest and most enjoyable movies I've seen this year. I wouldn't use the words "Triumph" (as, according to Mr. Campbell, that's a sure sign a movie should be ran from), but I would say it was worth the $8 I paid for the ticket. It's playing in limited theaters, and you can find the details at the film's website. In a summer full of too many sequels, big-budget special effects and explosions that offer mere flash in the pans, Bubba Ho-Tep is as satisfying as a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Do yourself, and independent films a favor and go see it.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
And thanks to Dark Paladin for this review.
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I have over 70 freaks, do you?
sounds hillarious...
From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
this is by far one of the weirdest things that i've read about on /. in the past month.
bring on the soviet russia jokes.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0281686/
Also, I never heard of this film before. Anyone care to clue me in on the history of how this film came to be?
Remember, there were no nuclear weapons before women were allowed to vote.
In case you didn't know, the director of this film (Don Coscarelli) is also the genius behind the Phantasm http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079714/ series of horror flicks....
Bar none the best horror movies ever, IMHO....
Big tip: DO NOT WATCH THE TRAILER OR READ ABOUT THE MOVIE (if you haven't already). Trailer gives away the majority of the funny/clever scenes (you will agree with me after viewing).
All in all, it was a decent flick. Bruce looks strange dressed normally and not in his Evil Dead outfit.
I got in touch with my local independent movie theatre to see when it would be shown, and they told me that there currently is no Canadian film distributor for Bubba Ho-Tep.
I urge any Canadian interested in seeing this movie to get in touch with their own indy theatres and ask them the same thing I did. If enough people show interest, I'm sure that the right people will hear that there's enough of a market for their company to secure distribution rights.
"Max, come over here. French-Canadian bean soup. I want to pay. Let them leave me alone." - Dutch Schultz
For a movie this great, the reviewer seems to have the pacing of the very retirement home people he so atrociously describes. Too bad.
Of course, Bruce Campbell was in the classic Army of Darkness too!!
it has gotten some really good reviews, too.
"Weapons should be hardy rather than decorative" - Miyamoto Musashi
I think that goes for OS's too
Penis cancer, shit man he's he gonna fsck all those fine women he gets by claiming to be elvis. Looks like biology failed Elvis....
Since I first heard about this movie I have been trying to get the word out about it. Where I live I have a little-to-none chance of seeing it in the theatre unless it gets into the big theaters.
When I first heard about it, they were having problems with getting the film distributed - a problem which is now partially solved.
The more people who make mention of this, the more likely we are to see this appear in theaters everywhere - even if only for a short time.
I am still dying to see it out here.
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
I've gotta get a plug in for fellow Nacogdoches, Texas (the place where the shuttle came down...so to speak) resident Joe Landsdale, who wrote the short story on which the movie was based. He's written quite a few horror novels, most of them set in the East Texas area. He's probably best known for his novel 'Bad Chili'. Check out his website.
...What does the title mean? I might be getting the "Ho" part, but that's about it.
Is anyone else having problem getting the large movie file? I only get 1,491 bytes.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
I'll definitely have to agree with the reviewers comments about Bruce Campbell's style for question and answer sessions. He showed up for a screening of Army of Darkness that I attended, and answered quite a few audience questions. He was very entertaining and witty, and did not think any questions were too dumb to answer. When a fan asked a question about a particular stunt he had performed in a previous movie, he provided an imprompto demonstration right on the stage, to everyone's delight (and being a wood stage, it must have hurt a bit). A very nice guy, who didn't seem to have let fame go to his head.
"If you see one ELVIS VS. MUMMY movie this year... This Is It!"
I should hope so... Unless they have already finished recording "Bubba Ho-Tep 2: Return of the King"
Business \Busi"ness\, n.;
A scam in which all people involved perceive as beneficial...
I was lucky enough to see it at the SXSW Film Festival here in Austin. A truly hilarious movie that puts mainstream pap to shame. At the same time, though, it's touching in its own way, due largely to the impressively-chinned-one's efforts. It's just sad that it's found such difficulty in finding distribution. It's coming back to the Alamo Drafthouse, where I hope to see it again before I have the chance to buy it on DVD.
Ceci n'est pas un post.
torrents for all three cds: http://www.torrentz.com
Check out James Berardinelli's review at http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/. My favorite line: "Based on indisputable facts..." ! I can't wait to see this movie, but it'll probably never show in my home town. Time to take another trip...
In Soviet Russia, Soviet Russians tell jokes about you!
It's "Lansdale", and I'd say he's even better known for his "Night They Missed The Horror Show", which is truly one of the most outrageous extreme horror stories I've ever read. He's also the author of the short-lived "Jonah Hex" comics, as well as the sometimes-yea, sometimes-nay series of novels starring the unlikely duo of Hap Collins (ass-kicking young white trash) and Leonard Pine (even better ass-kicking aging black fag). I read anything and everything I can find by Joe, so if you ever meet him in Nacogdoches TX please tell him he's got a *monstrous* fan in Findlay OH !
...I just got done...
Uhm, ok. So now are you "fixing to go get something to eat"?
Spread the RC luvin'
Unlikely since it debuted in Toronto at the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto Internation Film Festival and then played again a year later to two sold out audiences at a Rue Morgue showing. :P
Actually MPlayer is also compatable with Debian licensing but certain Debian developers have an axe to grind against the MPlayer devs so they refuse to make official packages for it.
Try these instead.
Small (about 5.5 meg)
Medium (about 10 meg)
Large (20 meg)
- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
Bruce was at the small art house theatre across the street from my university yesterday taking questions after the movie. He was actually sitting in the audience during the showing, but I don't think anyone noticed. After he got up and started answering questions, someone around the area where he had sat asked him if he knew who owned a car with the license plate number "Oregon XXX-XXXX". Bruce, who was the owner of said car, immediately replied, "What my license number is is none of your business!", probably thinking the asker of the question a psycho stalker. The audience member then waved a driver's license in the air and Bruce was visibly surprised while the rest of the audience roared with laughter as Bruce apologized and even offered the guy a part in his next movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the Q & A session with Bruce. He was witty and sarcastic and did not shun from making jibes at audience members such as calling those who had bought the paperback edition of his book cheapskates. He also commented on how he didn't want to make "Legally Blonde"-type movies, and how many of the Hollywood-made films shown in airplanes just make him want to walk out.
Want mplayer in Debian using apt-get goodness? Add the following to your /etc/apt/sources.list file:
deb http://marillat.free.fr/ unstable main
(or use the appropriate entry listed at http://marillat.free.fr/)
I'll be honest straight off: I think he's an OK actor, but I haven't seen anything about him that really excites me. He was funny in the Evil Dead movies and it's cool that he doesn't seem to be snobbish about his cult fame.
On the other hand, I have two friends that are very much into him. These two friends are also very much into the character of Boba Fett who, again, seems like a very random character (esp. seeing as how he doesn't even have dialogue) to get excited about.
So my question is this: What is it about Bruce Campbell that excites you? Why does he have such a hardcore following? I'm not saying it's *WRONG*, I just don't see the potential myself.
Official Rotten Tomatoes Rating Page
Currently, at time of posting, rated at 84% Fresh with 32 total reviews; of those, 27 fresh and 5 rotten.
All reviews listed for Bubba Ho-Tep
I feel so much better after a good bit of whoring.
You ain't leavin but two things right now, Jack and Shit, and Jack left town. :-)~
When you click on Bruce Campbell's right lens on his sunglasses it gives you the following number: 31 02283 665. What is it supposed to mean?
Does no one else get that this is based on a Kent Brockman quote? It's funny people!
I'll assume it's a puzzle of some sort, but I'm too lazy to work for it.
When you click on Elvis's right lens on the home page, you get a window with the following string:
31 02283 665
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I agree with your troll 99%, Junis.
It's because he is Joe Everyman, whom we can all identify with... well except for the fact he has a chainsaw for an arm, and uh... a unique ability to piss off the undead, oh and ofcourse his magnetic attraction to the opposite sex. But yea, other than that, he is just like us!
name of this movie sounds like this:
"big, fat and really mean prisoner Bubba is about to hump he's Ho called Tep"
The movie is selling out at the Angelika in downtown Manhattan. It's so hard being a hipster these days. Number of tattoos spotted on line: 95%, girls pierced through the cheek: 63%. Girls pierced through the cheek and tattooed, more then I can count. Don't come to New York, it's over priced, the women are nuts, and you're herb will cost you 3X what you would pay at home.
:-)
She:
"So hey, wanna hang out, do a hit or 2, and then get crazy?"
Me:
"NO, PHP 5.0 is coming out, I gotta hack.".
The problems you have as a single guy living in New York. It's nuts here.
For those who don't know or are too young to know, Don Coscarelli is the man behind the Phantasm movies which are sadly lacking in DVD distribution (only the first and the fourth are out on disc). Phantasm is the story of the Tall Man who takes dead people, turns them into jawas and sends them to another dimension to work as slaves, he also has a flying silver ball that hunts down and then drills into his enemies' heads.
Like all horror movies, there is no universal praise for the Phantasm movies. But they do tend rank up near the top of a lot of people's lists, including mine. Despite it's age (must be over 20 years now) Phantasm is still a genuinely creepy movie and totally worth seeing, even if all of the innovation has now been copied a thousand times in more recent horror flicks.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
310-228-3665
Seems to be a phone number.
I lived in LA for a few weeks and that is a Los Angeles area code.
n/t
Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
Hmm. no, doesn't ring a bell.
I saw Bruce Campbell last year at RIT. During his hilarious Q & A session, someone asked him if he ever turned down a role. Without breaking a sweat, he replied "I came here. I obvisouly don't give a shit about anything."
He brought the house down
Congo made $81 million in the US alone... I'd hardly categorize it as a flop. I'm not saying the movie didn't suck balls (which it probably did) but Paramount doesn't regret making it.
The Phantasm series stank like a week-old skunk smashed on the highway. The first was was so-so, and they just got worse. Part 4 was nearly unbearable. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of cult horror flicks and I would really love to see Bubba Ho-Tep, but Phantasm was terrible. Usually B-Grade horror flicks are bad, but they're a good, bearable kind of bad. Phantasm was a crummy slop job of a series, and it made less and less sense as the sequels poured in. If you haven't seen it, don't bother. I would recommend Freddy's Dead, Jack Frost 2 and Slaughter High before I'd recommend the Godawful Phantasm series.
And, lest we forget, he was also the man behind Beastmaster.
Breakfast served all day!
Just to fill in a bit, Joe grew up in a small town in East Texas and has spent pretty much his whole life there. He was one of those kids, apparently, who was contantly beaten up in school. As a result, he has (or had, it has been a long time since I've spoken with him) a black belt in American Defense Karate. Virtually all of his writing has been horror and, unfortunately (for those who live there), all too much of it was taken straight from his life in East Texas.
As I understand it, Bubba Hotep was a book long before it was a movie. I do know that Joe was intimately involved in the production of the film.
Me, I haven't read anything he has written since a reading he gave at a writer's group meeting in approximately 1981 gave me nightmares. I don't do horror.
From the episode where Homer goes to space.
"Combo" Box Office Info
So, how do you get to see this movie? What's an "Art House" film?
Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
and it has some nasty javascript > thats the worst one I've ever seen...
Gimmie some sugar, baby!
"People will pay big bucks for the luxury of ignorance."
When is Bruce Campbell going to get his own topic here? Zoom up to the top of this page, look at the icons they're using: "Movies", "It's funny. Laugh", "Entertainment", *AND* "Media". Bruce Campbell is too awesome to fit in any one topic, just like Beef flavored Cheezy Jello sticks don't fit into any one food group.
What a waste of icons when one "BRUCE CAMPBELL IS GOD" icon would replace all these others!
It's time to RISE UP AND DEMAND A BRUCE CAMPBELL TOPIC!
Art House cinema is a term reserved for theaters that run their business by showing movies that are usually not in the mainstream, or foreign films. There are a hell of a lot of movies out there that people never even hear of (most of the best ones, sadly). The more successful Art House flicks sometimes end up taking a trip through the main cinema chain after having a smashing success on the art circuit (Spirited Away and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are two recent ones to do this). Bubba Ho-Tep looks to be on target to do the same thing, hopefully. Word of mouth like this article on slashdot are often the only things these movies have to recommend them.
If you're getting sick of the majority of the mainstream hollywood fare, chances are you've been going to the wrong theater. Give a real theater a try for a change and see the difference. Most art house theaters are local affairs run by film lovers, and they differ greatly from commercial theaters. Typically they offer a lounge, bar, dinner, and live bands, as well as frequent film festivals and a variety of film clubs and club activities. They cater to people who love film as an art form and enjoy seeing films and discussing them with others.
The most well known art house is probably The Alamo Drafthouse, mostly through their association with Harry Knowles from AICN.
The art house in my area is The Little Theatre.
The best way to find one of these in your area is to check the newspapers for the local movie listings. They need your support, so if you've got the option of seeing a film there please do so.
Hell is being intelligent in a world full of idiots.
Bruce Campbell appeared in a two-parter on Homicide: Life On The Streets that was absolutely riveting. He played a cop whose father was murdered. He played the part with a totally convincing, intense rage. Quite a different role than the King of Thieves on Xena.
He makes fun of himself, and his profession- but he's good. I'd rather watch him than, say, Harrison Ford or Clint Eastwood, who have turned into wooden, whispering mockeries of themselves. Or Brad Pitt, who might be a good actor, but I can't get past how much he looks like Curious George.
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SCO is weenies
Gator is Spyware
Microsoft is thugs
Unless this film comes out on VHS or DVD, I will have absolutely no chance of ever seeing it. :( It's unfortunate, because I've been waiting for over a year and a half for this film to be released - since I initially heard of it's conception. Campbell's acting is by far superior to most other stuff out there. Been waiting for a while for another film with him.
:) Somehow I think it would be better than Indy 4.
Now they need to make Evil Dead 4.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
I just talked to a black niger in nigeria!
Are you mods of crack today? That goatse.cx mirror is plain evil and it's been modded informative for hours >
You also aren't gonna get laid til it comes out on VHS or DVD.
Also, Vincente Minnelli's "Lust for Life" for those who are interested in this Van Gogh biopic.
Damn you, unpressed preview button!
If only there was a service I could pay $15 for a download of the movie (~800 MB divx) off fast, reliable servers...
Captain Obvious!!
Go get 'em, tiger.
I know it's been shown at the Toronto and Montreal film festivals, but there's no word on a general release for anywhere but the US on the web site.
I sent the webmaster the question, I'm assuming I'll get the same response: No distributor.
~ Leilah
Both numbers are comparable to those for Seabiscut, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Matchstick Men, though one can certainly bet one's mummy-sucked butt that those three had more reviews than Bubba.
PATHETIC!
"Freedom! Horrible, horrible FREEDOM!"
Of course independant films deserve every bit of the little credit they get.
Support the unrecognised talent and get some real stars in front of the camera.
web hosting
Brisco County Jr.
Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
Words to live by. Or be undead dwarf slave zombies by.