Review: 'Bubba Ho-Tep' 178
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.
Direct Links to Quicktime Movie Trailers (Score:4, Informative)
Medium [akamai.net]
Large [akamai.net]
wget fails? (Score:2)
Re:wget fails? (Score:1)
-dk
Re:wget fails? (Score:2)
Fixed links (Score:4, Informative)
Small [akamai.net] (about 5.5 meg)
Medium [akamai.net] (about 10 meg)
Large [akamai.net] (20 meg)
Re:Fixed links (Score:2)
Amazon Link (Score:2, Informative)
Is this a comedy??? (Score:4, Funny)
sounds hillarious...
elvis? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:elvis? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:elvis? (Score:2)
And I don't drink milk...
Re:elvis? (Score:2)
Though come to think of it, it sounds like a scene out of an Evil Dead movie...
Re:elvis? (Score:2)
Imdb link (Score:2)
Also, I never heard of this film before. Anyone care to clue me in on the history of how this film came to be?
Re:Imdb link (Score:3, Informative)
"Based on the Bram Stoker Award nominee short story by cult author Joe R. Lansdale,"
I guess someone read the story and thought it would make a good film, probably Don Coscarelli (of Phantasm fame).
"Phantasm" (Score:3, Informative)
Bar none the best horror movies ever, IMHO....
I was there! (Score:4, Informative)
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.
Re:I was there! (Score:3, Funny)
Distribution Rights (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:Distribution Rights (Score:2)
If you have any kind of local film festival where you are, it may be worth getting in touch with the people running it and see if they can get a print of the film.
For any UK people reading, its being shown next Saturday as part of the all-nighter (5 films back to back from 10pm till 8am) which is what I am off
Toronto, Montreal... (Score:2)
I sent the webmaster the question, I'm assuming I'll get the same response: No distributor.
Wrong! (Score:1, Informative)
Army of Darkness fans... (Score:1)
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:2)
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:2)
Within the woods is Evil Dead, but extremely low budget, which funded Evil Dead.
I don't know where you can find Within The Woods... other then some popular file sharing applications.
P2P networks don't exactly make it easy to find independent films... but its not exactly a bad method of distribution. Too bad there isn't a compensation method in there.
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:2)
A good summary [x-entertainment.com], with pictures that are good at getting across the quality of the film available... that is, poor.
Given how scary the filming conditions sounded for Evil Deads I & II, I'm impressed Bruce Campbell and the Raimis have managed to survive this long.
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:2)
At one point a zombie just decides to start ripping off its limb that had been stabbed. I can't remember if a similar scene was performed in Evil Dead.
Bruce plays
Other little things like that.
Still, pretty much Evil Dead though.
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:4, Funny)
We'll all just pretend that this is sarcasm, and that the poster actually knows that Army of Darkness is Evil Dead 3. Not that someone else won't point that out between "hail to the king, baby", "this is my boomstick" and "shop smart, shop S-Mart" comments...
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:1)
"Groovy"
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun."
"Give me some sugar, baby!"
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:2)
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:2)
Re:Army of Darkness fans... (Score:2)
rottentomatoes: 84% positive (Score:5, Informative)
Re:rottentomatoes: 84% positive (Score:2)
Re:rottentomatoes: 84% positive (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not saying that Bubba Ho-Tep is bad (I haven't seen it yet), just that with such a limited run, you're not getting a fair sample of movie-goers. And, frankly, I'm surprised that it's as low as 84%.
I'm going to take a wild stab here and speculate that you've never been to rottentomatoes.com either. If you had, you would know that the tomatometer is not a random sampling of Bruce Campbell fans, it's a sampling of published movie reviewers.
Meanwhile, as more reviews are added to the site, the rating ha
Good to see this on slashdot! (Score:2)
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.
Joe Landsdale (Score:4, Interesting)
Actually... (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Actually... (Score:1)
Re:Actually... (Score:2)
Stoopid Question... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:1)
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:1)
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:1)
Ho-Tep is the name of the mummy.
Maybe "Bubba vs Ho-Tep" would've been more intuitive. But not as catchy.
The next movie is supposedly going to be "Bubba Nosferatu".
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:1)
Hotep or -hotep is ancient egyptian for 'peace'. The meaning chagnes depending on the context, so could mean 'at peace', 'to grace', etc.. That root is often used in honorific titles of pharoahs/gods and very important folks i.e. Amenhotep.
So that is probably the case, Bubbahotep... something along the lines of 'Blessed Bubba who Graces us'...
shad'up and enjoy the movie..
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:5, Informative)
Ho-Tep can refer to any number of egyption figures such as Ptah-Hotep or Akhti-Hotep
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:2)
</ramble>
Anywho, that makes the name "Bubba Hotep" that much more interesting. Who knew Bubba was an Egyptian god?
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:2)
Re:Stoopid Question... (Score:2)
"Ho-tep" is a different matter. For one thing, it's spelled wrong. "Hotep" doesn't have a hyphen. It's really "htp", as Egyptian, like Hebrew, is written without vowels, and it means "gift". It's not a family name. A number of pharaohs were named "Amonhotep", and that means "gift of Amun". "Imhotep" was the vizier of the pharaoh Khufu, and is generally regarded as the architect of the G
Bruce at QAs (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:Bruce at QAs (Score:3, Interesting)
I saved the whole chat log somewhere, but he is just as funny in text as on stage.
It was a relatively small audience of about 300 chatters with a moderation/question submission in progress to keep the clammer down.
irc.sci-fi.com ? I think... they usually announce question/answer sessions in the topic.
Bruce is always very down to earth and is definately a little tired of the Evi
Re:Bruce at QAs (Score:2)
As a side note, general bruce appearances will be listed on his website.
Bruce-Campbell.com [bruce-campbell.com]
oh and don't forget to slashdot good ol wil too
WilWheaton.Net [wilwheaton.net]
Re:Bruce at QAs (Score:3, Interesting)
1) Someone asked him if he was going to do Evil Dead 4, and he replied, "Well, let's see, Sam Raimi can either do Evil Dead 4 or Spiderman 2....Hmmmm.. which one do you think he'll do?"
2) Some jackass asked Bruce if he could call his friend who declined to come to the screening and tell him how he missed out. Said jackass handed his ce
Re:Bruce at QAs (Score:2)
If Campbell's autobiography "If Chins Could Kill" [barnesandnoble.com] is any indication, Bruce is very, very far from being a typical Hollywood actor. He comes off as honest, self-deprecating, and funny, and the tales he spins of his acting career make me glad I went into engineering.
I watched "Army of Darkness" a few weeks ago with the commentary track turned on, listening Campbell and Sam Raimi rake it over. Even if "Bubba" bombs in the theaters, a DVD release backed by Campbell's commentary will be something to look for
Oh my... (Score:3, Funny)
I should hope so... Unless they have already finished recording "Bubba Ho-Tep 2: Return of the King"
Re:Oh my... (Score:1)
Awesome flick (Score:2, Informative)
Berardinelli's review (Score:1)
Bruce Campbell story (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Bruce Campbell story (Score:2, Funny)
hah. That's genius right there.
Re:Bruce Campbell story (Score:2)
What do you guys/girls see in Bruce Campbell? (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
I'll answer that! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What do you guys/girls see in Bruce Campbell? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:What do you guys/girls see in Bruce Campbell? (Score:2)
Re:What do you guys/girls see in Bruce Campbell? (Score:2)
Re:What do you guys/girls see in Bruce Campbell? (Score:2)
I was going to mention Willis, Stallone, Samuel L Jackson but actually those guys have all proven to have some acting skills whenever given the opportunity to do so.
Makes you wonder doesn't it. How many of those screen tough guys actually turn out to have significant acting skills, I mean. It's just the shitty scripts they normally get that prevent us from seeing it.
This is nothing new of course. I remember the first time I saw Kirk Douglas in "Lust
John Frankenheimer's "Seconds" (Score:2)
Also, Vincente Minnelli's "Lust for Life" [imdb.com] for those who are interested in this Van Gogh biopic.
Damn you, unpressed preview button!
Re:What do you guys/girls see in Bruce Campbell? (Score:2)
Official Rotten Tomatoes Rating Page (Score:1)
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 [rottentomatoes.com]
I feel so much better after a good bit of whoring.
31 02283 665? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:31 02283 665? (Score:2)
Re:31 02283 665? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:31 02283 665? (Score:3, Informative)
So, what's the deal with the numbers? (Score:2)
When you click on Elvis's right lens on the home page, you get a window with the following string:
31 02283 665
Re:So, what's the deal with the numbers? (Score:2)
Re:So, what's the deal with the numbers? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:So, what's the deal with the numbers? (Score:2)
THE KING IS ALIVE!!!!!!!!
HAIL TO THE KING, BABY!
This is not a lame post, so stop it, Slashdot. Grr. I can't contain my excitement that Elvis is really still among us.
Groan, hard being a hipster. (Score:2, Funny)
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
Don Coscarelli - Phantasm (Score:3, Interesting)
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.
Beastmaster, too (Score:2)
And, lest we forget, he was also the man behind Beastmaster [imdb.com].
Re:Don Coscarelli - Phantasm (Score:2)
Long live Reggie Bannister!
Re:Don Coscarelli - Phantasm (Score:2)
Warning shots are bullshit! (Score:2)
great Bruce Campbell line (Score:5, Funny)
He brought the house down
Ok. (Score:2)
This is an OUTRAGE!!! (Score:5, Funny)
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!
Re:This is an OUTRAGE!!! (Score:2)
Re:This is an OUTRAGE!!! (Score:2)
I'll second that
Re:This is an OUTRAGE!!! (Score:2)
Re:This is an OUTRAGE!!! (Score:2)
For those asking about Art House cinema... (Score:4, Interesting)
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 [drafthouse.com], mostly through their association with Harry Knowles from AICN.
The art house in my area is The Little Theatre [little-theatre.com].
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.
Video release! (Score:2)
Now they need to make Evil Dead 4.
Re:Still wont't leave your basement huh? (Score:2)
I'd really like to see this movie (Score:2)
mplayer sources (Score:2)
deb http://marillat.free.fr/ unstable main
(or use the appropriate entry listed at http://marillat.free.fr/ [marillat.free.fr])
Re:leavin=leading (Score:2)
Re:c'mon... (Score:2)
He has a house in Jacksonville, Oregon, and appeared with his wife in some local tv ads a while back, among other things. I missed a chance to meet him in person at a book signing at Barnes & Noble. He's one of my favorite actors.
No.. not a flop at all... (Score:2, Informative)
"Combo" Box Office Info [imdb.com]
Re:NUMBER REDIRECTS TO NIGERIA!! (Score:2)
You mean nigerian... and where the hell else do you think he'd be, Australia? I mean sure, people travel, but I think the odds are in my favor on this one.