M.A.S.H.

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 3/4/07 w/ Additional Edits.

Based on the novel by Richard Hooker, M.A.S.H. is the story about an eccentric group of medical personnel working during the Korean War as they defy the world of the military and all sorts of authority. Directed by Robert Altman and screenplay by Ring Lardner, the film is an exploration into the world of military service and how some deal with their time. With an all-star cast that includes Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Bud Cort, Rene Auberjonois, Tom Skerritt, Fred Williamson, Roger Bowen, John Schuck, and Michael Murphy. M.A.S.H. is an absurd yet chaotic war-comedy from Robert Altman.

It's the Korean War as two surgeons named Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) and Duke (Tom Skerritt) arrived onto base and steal a jeep to go the M.A.S.H. unit miles away from where the fighting is going on. They meet their superior, Lt. Col. Blake (Roger Bowen) along with Cpl. "Radar" O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff), Father "Dago Red" Mulcahy (Rene Auberjonois), and dentist Capt. "Painless Pole" Waldowski (John Schuck). While Hawkeye and Duke were drafted into the war, they reveal to be just ordinary guys that just want to help people. Unfortunately, they're forced to live in the same tent with the religious, tough Major Frank Burns (Robert Duvall). Going on with their business in surgery and flirting with nurses including Lt. "Dish" Schneider (Jo Ann Pflug), Hawkeye finds a new partner in arriving surgeon in "Trapper John" McIntyre (Elliott Gould).

Trapper John doesn't like the way things are run, especially when Burns blames the death of a patient on an orderly named Private Boone (Bud Cort). Trapper John responds to Burns' attitude by punching him just as new head nurse Major Margaret O'Houlihan (Sally Kellerman) arrives. O'Houlihan's arrival only increases Trapper John and Hawkeye's battle against authority. When they learn that O'Houlihan is having an affair with the married Burns, they learn her nickname to be "Hot Lips" as the medical personnel decide to play a prank on them. After getting Burns into the hot seat, John and Hawkeye continue to work on their wily ways while getting help from their Korean assistant Ho-Jon (Kim Atwood). When Hawkeye learns that Painless Pole is dealing with a problem that reveals that he's not a Don Juan, he finds a solution that will help him as the entire personnel including some reluctance from Dago Red, get involved. After another prank that involved Hot Lips, Hot Lips threatens to resign to Col. Blake.

When John and Hawkeye continue their wild ways, they learn that they can go to Japan to help operate on the son of a congressman. Still, dealing with the authority, Hawkeye and John continue to break the rules as they demand for some food and time to play golf and meet women with the building's doctor Capt. "Me Lay" Marston IV (Michael Murphy). Returning from Japan, they learn that General Hammond (G. Wood) wants to challenge Col. Blake for a football match with his unit. The rowdy personnel including Hot Lips decide to get a ringer named Spearchucker (Fred Williamson) for help to win some money. There, the general is forced to see for himself what the M.A.S.H. unit is really all about.

While films about war often show different sides of what goes on and off the battlefield. Robert Altman chooses to go outside of not just the battlefield but the conventions of war films by making not just an anti-war film but also anti-military. There's not a lot of mention of what was going on in the Korean War but rather as an allegory of sorts about Vietnam and its intentions. So, Altman chooses to explore the military in all of its absurdity and find characters that audiences can relate to. Then there's the story or rather... the lack of a story and plot. Still, Altman chooses to make fun of these things and defy authority through the film's central characters and supporting roles.

While the screenplay and story revels on what it was like working in the M.A.S.H. unit, it's really about a few, ordinary men trying to do their jobs and live their life while trying not to be pushed by their authority figures. Conflict is an important part of the film as characters such as Hawkeye and Trapper John duke it out with anyone like the mean Frank Burns who blames patients deaths on interns or Hot Lips for her strict guidelines. Yet, Altman's direction that is filled with chaos, overlapping dialogue between characters, and scenes that included more than two people in a frame. This became known as the Altman style and it feels very real to its audience where everyone from the big lead to a supporting player gets to have their moments. While the film incorporates a lot of style into this war comedy that includes a lot of low-brow humor and a football game in the end. To the casual film goer, it seems like one too many genres in a film yet Altman makes the film consistent through its irreverent humor where as a result, it's a no-holds-barred, witty comedy about war and the little people involved.

Cinematographer Harold E. Stine does excellent work in capturing the surreal, worldly look of the army bases and cities that the M.A.S.H. unit visit. Art directors Arthur Lonergan, Jack Martin Smith, and Michael Friedman also do excellent work in creating the tents and quirky look of the camps as well as some of the Japanese bases and sushi restaurants. Editor Danford B. Greene does excellent work in bringing rhythm and style to the film's editing with some perspective cuts as well as playing to the film's humor. Sound mixers Bernard Freericks and John D. Stack do great work on the sound to convey the atmosphere and mood of the scenes and settings they're in. Composer Johnny Mandel brings a comical film score to the film while the famous song Suicide Is Painless by Mandell and lyrics by then 14-year old Mike Altman is wonderfully funny ballad about one of the film's characters.

Then there's the cast which is very important to any Altman film. Notable small yet memorable performances from G. Wood, Kim Atwood, Indus Arthur as Col. Blake's mistress, Bobby Troup as Staff Sgt. Gorman, Cathleen Cordell as the head nurse in Japanese base, Danny Goldman as Cpt. Murrhardt, Corey Fischer as Cpt. Bandini, and in their film debuts, Fred Williamson as Spearchucker and Bud Cort as an intern. The voice of Sal Viscuso is very memorable for all the information he reveals about what movies are playing and such. Other small performances from Altman regulars Michael Murphy and Rene Auberjonois are wonderfully memorable for the brief scenes they're in while series regular Gary Burghoff is funny as Radar. Jo Ann Pflug is excellent as the nurse Lt. "Dish" Schneider while John Schuck gives a great performance as Painless Pole. Roger Bowen is wonderfully funny as the leading authority figure Lt. Col. Blake with his own quirky ideas about leading a unit.

Though he's known for dramatic roles, Robert Duvall is given to do a bit of comedy as the insane, religious Frank Burns. Duvall is great in willing to play a comic foil who takes himself too seriously and is willing to compromise his own beliefs. Sally Kellerman is wonderfully funny as another comic foil in Hot Lips with her hysterical behavior after her humiliating moments and her cheering as a cheerleader. Kellerman is very funny in the role that is definitely memorable. Tom Skerritt is also great as Duke with his mischievous ways and love for dope and Hot Lips. Donald Sutherland gives a wonderfully laid-back, funny performance as the easy-going Hawkeye who likes to flirt and cause trouble. Altman regular Elliott Gould is also extremely funny as Hawkeye's partner-in-chaos Trapper John with his hatred for authority and willingness to cause chaos. Gould and Sutherland really own the film by just adding memorable moment and one-liners after another.

M.A.S.H. is an off-the-wall yet extremely hilarious film from Robert Altman. Armed with a great ensemble cast and biting themes on war and authority, it is definitely one of the great films about military service. Notably as it isn't afraid to poke fun at the dark side of dealing with death and such. For those new to Robert Altman, this film is definitely one of the best places to start. In the end, M.A.S.H. is an incredibly funny film from Robert Altman.

Robert Altman Films: (The Delinquents) - (The James Dean Story) - Countdown (1968 film) - (That Cold Day in the Park) - Brewster McCloud - McCabe & Mrs. Miller - (Images) - The Long Goodbye - Thieves Like Us - California Split - Nashville - Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson - 3 Women - (A Wedding) - (Quintet) - (A Perfect Couple) - (HealtH) - Popeye - (Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean) - (Streamers) - (Secret Honor) - (O.C. and Stiggs) - Fool for Love - (Beyond Therapy) - (Aria-Les Boreades) - (Tanner ‘88) - (Vincent & Theo) - The Player - Short Cuts - Pret-a-Porter - (Kansas City) - (The Gingerbread Man) - Cookie’s Fortune - Dr. T & the Women - Gosford Park - The Company (2003 film) - (Tanner on Tanner) - A Prairie Home Companion

© thevoid99 2013

From Dusk till Dawn

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and screenplay by Quentin Tarantino based on an original story by Robert Kurtzman, From Dusk till Dawn is the story of two bank robbing brothers who take a family hostage as they travel to Mexico where they all enter a bar that is very mysterious as they later have to battle vampires. The film is a horror-comedy that involves Rodriguez’s stylish approach to violence as well as Tarantino’s snappy and witty dialogue. Starring George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu, Salma Hayek, and Cheech Marin with appearances from John Saxon, John Hawkes, Michael Parks, Kelly Preston, Danny Trejo, Tom Savini, and Fred Williamson. From Dusk till Dawn is a fun and in-your-face film from Robert Rodriguez.

After robbing a bank and then dealing with a bloody gun battle with Texas Ranger Earl McGraw (Michael Parks) and a liquor store clerk (John Hawkes), Seth Gecko (George Clooney) and his younger brother Richard (Quentin Tarantino) are on the run as they hope to reach Mexico to meet with a crime boss named Carlos (Cheech Marin) to split the money. The brothers have a hostage (Brenda Hillhouse) whom Richard is interested in as they stop at a motel where things go wrong until a faith-challenged pastor named Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) checks in. Jacob is with his young adult daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis) and her adopted Chinese brother Scott (Ernest Liu) as they’re going to Mexico where they’re confronted by Seth. Seth asks Jacob to drive his RV to Mexico as Richard, Kate, and Scott all go in for the ride.

After a tense moment involving a border guard (Cheech Marin) at the border, the five are able to make it to Mexico where they stop at the rendezvous point at a bar called the Titty Twister. Things seemed fine where Seth, Jacob, Richard, Kate, and Scott all have drinks as they’re later entertained by the exotic stripper Satanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek). Yet, a scuffle with a guy named Chet Pussy (Cheech Marin) and the bartender Razor Charlie (Danny Trejo) leads to trouble where it is revealed that the bar is filled with vampires. With help from the whip-wielding Sex Machine (Tom Savini) and the quick-witted Frost (Fred Williamson), the Gecko brothers and the Fullers go on an all-out war the vampires.

The film is essentially a story about two bank robbing-brothers who kidnap a family to Mexico where they later fight off vampires in a strange bar. In the writing style of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s soaring approach to action. It’s a film that does a whole lot more than its B-movie premise suggests while still being a silly, stylish, and over-the-top kind of film that both Tarantino and Rodriguez love. The script that Tarantino creates does have a lot of fast-paced and stylish dialogue that is a trademark of his work as the film starts off as a Tarantino film for its opening scene. While the script is among one of the more straightforward works in terms of narrative structure and dialogue. Tarantino does succeed in creating a story that does help build an element of suspense as well as making characters who are more than what they seem to be.

The direction of Robert Rodriguez is truly a joy to watch from the opening scene between Earl McGraw and the liquor store clerk that is very straightforward and charming to the dark intensity that follows where the Gecko brothers are properly introduced. While Rodriguez maintains a keen sense of style in the film’s violent moments filled with a few slow-motion shootouts and some frenetic fights that goes in the bar scenes. Rodriguez knows how to create tension without going overboard by taking his time and wait for the payoff. Also serving as the editor, Rodriguez is able to create a wide array of style to the cutting in order to create a film that plays up to Tarantino’s fast-paced dialogue while also being able to slow things down. Overall, Rodriguez creates a very solid and exciting film that does a whole lot more than its vampire-action genre suggests.

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does a brilliant job with the film‘s stylish photography from the very sunny look of the desert exteriors of Texas to the more exotic array of lights and dark settings created at the Titty Twister bar scenes. Production designer Cecilia Montiel, along with set decorator Felipe Fernandez del Paso and art director Mayne Berke, does an excellent job with the design of the Titty Twister bar interiors as well as the hall that everyone is at for the fight and Satanico Pandemonium‘s dance. Costume designer Graciela Mazon does a nice job with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual except for the leather clothing that Sex Machine and Razor Charlie wear.

Visual effects supervisors Diana Dru Botsford and Daniel Fort do fantastic work with some of the film‘s special visual effects such as the human transformation into vampires as well as some of fire that occurs once the vampires are killed. Sound editor Dean Beville does some great work in the sound from the way the vampires growl sound to the layers of gunshots and all sorts of sound effects made during the fights. The film’s score by Graeme Revell is very good for its mix of suspenseful orchestral pieces to a mixture of Texas blues music that is rampant in the film’s soundtrack. Notably as it features contributions from ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmie Vaughn, the Blasters, and Tito & Tarantula that appears as the Titty Twister’s house band.

The casting by Elaine J. Huzzar and Johanna Ray is superb for the ensemble that is created ranging from famous character actors to actors famous for being in certain genre films. Making small appearances include John Saxon as a FBI agent, Kelly Preston as a TV news reporter, John Hawkes as the liquor store clerk, Michael Parks as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, Brenda Hillhouse as the Gecko brothers’ hostage, Danny Trejo as the badass bartender Razor Charlie, horror film guru Tom Savini as the whip-wielding Sex Machine, and blaxploitation icon Fred Williamson as the war veteran Frost. Notable supporting roles include Cheech Marin playing three roles such as a border patrol guard, the gangster Carlos, and in a hilarious performance as the pussy-talking Chet Pussy.

Salma Hayek is excellent as the sexy and devilishly charming Satanico Pandemonium while Ernest Liu is alright as the more naïve and reluctant Scott Fuller. Juliette Lewis is terrific as Kate who starts off as a reluctant friend of the Gecko brothers to becoming a full-fledge badass. Quentin Tarantino is very good as Richard Gecko who often has these strange fantasies about what women says to him while dealing with a wounded hand. Harvey Keitel is great as the conflicted Jacob Fuller who tries to deal with his own issues while helping out the Gecko brothers fight off the vampires. Finally, there’s George Clooney in a brilliant performance as the cool Seth Gecko who leads the way against the vampires while trying not to be a total criminal as he actually shows some compassion.

From Dusk till Dawn is an incredible and ass-kicking film from Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino. Featuring a wonderful cast, great music, and lots of gory yet top-notch violence. It’s a film that doesn’t hold back in what it wants to be while making it a whole lot of fun to watch. Notably as it’s all about killing vampires with all sorts of things with catchy dialogue and amazing scenery. In the end, From Dusk till Dawn is an entertaining and thrilling film from Robert Rodriguez.

Robert Rodriguez Films: (El Mariachi) - (Roadracers) - (Desperado) - Four Rooms-The Misbehavers - (The Faculty) - (Spy Kids) - (Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams) - (Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over) - (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) - Sin City - (The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D) - Grindhouse-Planet Terror - (Shorts) - (Machete) - (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World)

© thevoid99 2012