herbiehancock

No 258 - The Blues Brothers Director - John Landis Films based on SNL sketches are worrying beasts... after all, what works in a sketch might not work when tediously stretched over 90 minutes or more. However, when they work they seem to be gems. And usually gems linked with music and musical cameos and a very loose plot that can factor in random occurrences and more sketch like situations. So it is with The Blues Brothers. Rather than being based on sketches per se , this was based on a supergroup of musicians which were formed to occasionally play as guest musicians on Saturday Night Live . Then they even went and made albums and the like - and we all know just how shit films based on bands can be... The film itself follows Jake and Elwood as they try to put their band back together in order to raise $5000 and save their former orphanage - ideally without causing too much trouble. Of course, trouble is duly caused and over the course of the film they end up with almost everyone i...

No 107 - An American Werewolf in London Director - John Landis John Landis is a great comedy director. After all he gave us Animal House and Blues Brothers. Iconic, cool comedies. However, during that time he had a pet project.... this film. A beautiful meld of comedy and horror and bleakness. A celebrated cult classic. How could I never have watched it? It is the premise of a huge joke in Spaced.... I feel I have cheated Mr Pegg . Simon Pegg was the first person to introduce me to this film (not in person... I'm not that cool), firstly with Spaced and secondly with a deleted scene from Shaun of the Dead. In the deleted scene the taxi driver talks about how the zombie epidemic Puts you in mind of the great plague of London. Now... I love Paul Putner so was happy to see him in the film (well, deleted... but on the DVD) but was even happier to see that the influence for this scene is SO MUCH COOLER. I much prefer the line "Puts you in mind of the days of the old demon barber ...