Ghost Rider

I never read the “Ghost Rider” comic when I was a kid. The idea of a flaming skeleton on a motorcycle struck me as silly and, even though I knew all the words to “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” nothing about the comic captured my imagination. That lack of predisposition, coupled with its generally poor critical reception, ensured that GHOST RIDER would never find a place on my Netflix queue. When a co-worker of mine put the DVD in my hand and told me she was sure I’d like it, a nodded and smiled and figured this would be 1.5 hours of service to the ideal of office harmony.

Imagine my surprise when GHOST RIDER turned out to be a hell of a lot of fun. In fact, there are very few things in this movie not to like, from the Nicolas Cage’s over-the-top performance as the titular Ghost Rider to Eva Mendez’s Wonderbra’s up-top performance to Sam Elliott’s incredibly realistic and believable performance as Sam Elliott and His Amazing Moustache. The set design and art direction are fantastic, creating a detailed fantasy Southwest that’s full of mythology, foreboding, and flaming devil-bikes. The villains are pleasantly silly, the story soaked in Gothic Latino Catholic mythology, and the whole adventure just a great time at the movies.

Nicolas Cage has so much fun with this role, I’m surprised they paid him to do it. When you need an actor to convey insanity, delight, and fear (but mostly insanity), Cage is your man. When he first catches fire and becomes the Ghost Rider, he works that Crazy Cage look and laugh so effectively that he brought a big, goofy smile to my face. In fact, Cage makes this movie. He’s so much fun that when the Ghost Rider takes over and the movie switches to an animation-fest for its big battles, I actually felt let down. ‘Enough of the flaming skull,’ I thought. ‘Let’s get back to the crazy eyes!’

Eva Mendez, as the love interest, has very little to do here other than wear a half-unbuttoned blouse and get imperiled; but she’s very good at wearing a half-unbuttoned blouse. Sam Elliott, whose shirt remains fully buttoned throughout, does a fine Sam Elliott, and his presence lends authenticity and a sense of the mythic Southwest to the film. Let’s face it: nobody mounts a horse like Sam Elliott, and when he and Cage team up to race across the desert in pursuit of evil (to the tones of a pumped-up version of the Johnny Cash classic), you can’t not dig the groove.

Certainly, GHOST RIDER has its flaws. Donal Logue isn't given enough to do. The villains, from Mephistopheles on down, just aren’t that menacing – the Big Boss, named Blackheart (Wes Bentley), reminded me more of Spider-Manero than an emissary from my darkest nightmares. The action set-pieces are kind of dull (unless you’re really into video game cut-scenes), and whole thing feels like product. Nevertheless, GHOST RIDER is fun product, from the Leone-like standoffs to the loopy dialogue to the brazenly ignored gaps in logic. This is a movie that just wants to show you a nutty good time, and it succeeds.

Who’da thunk it.

Valiant

VALIANT, the story of a british homing pigeon in WWII, retools the standard heroe's journey for a young bird trying to do his part in the war effort. The bird, voiced by Ewan McGregor, befriends a slovenly Trafalgar Square pigeon on his way to the recruiting depot, and before you know it they're in occupied France, working with the mice of the French Underground to get a vital message back to the allies.

It's standard stuff, but it's well-crafted stuff. The ocean work is so beautiful that it merits several pauses and rewinds, the chases and aerial stunts imaginative and visually exciting, and the whole enterprise serves as a good introduction to war movies for the younger set.

Would I recommend VALIANT to people without kids? Absolutely not - as I said, it's pretty standard stuff. For those with kids, however, this one is worth it for the eye candy alone. VALIANT makes me want to spring for an HD-DVD player.

Last Train from Gun Hill

John Sturges's LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL is worth watching for the title alone. I mean, how can you not dig a movie with a title like that?

Having said that, its title is the best thing about LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL. The story, which rips off HIGH NOON (but with a twist!), follows Kirk Douglas as a marshall who absolutely, positively will not compromise when it comes to getting his man. Unfortunately, in this case his man is the son of his best friend, played by Anthony Quinn. Quinn's the top dog in Gun Hill, a town several stops down the rail line from Douglas's territory, and, well, there's your conflict.

I like Kirk Douglas. I like Anthony Quinn. I like John Sturges. LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL only counts as a middling success, however, because it's premised upon the conflicting loyalties of both men but resolves that source of tension too early in the film. Once Quinn makes his choice, the movie's only about the countdown to the gunfight, and HIGH NOON did a better job of handling the material. The does look and sound great, and it has some cool stunts. It's a good rainy day Western, but I wouldn't peg it much more highly than that.

Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale

JIM GAFFIGAN: BEYOND THE PALE is a concert film featuring, um, Jim Gaffigan, who was in SUPER TROOPERS but whom I did not recognize.

Gaffigan does standard standup stuff, and much of it is laugh-out-loud funny, but the unique thing about his act is his habit of breaking into a high-pitched whisper that apes the inner monologue of a notional audience member. As much fun as the stories and jokes are, it's Gaffigan's clear understanding of the possbile reactions to his humor that make this particular concert film worth watching. He understands that some of his bits will offend, some will creep people out, and some will make his audience draw connections between different parts of the act and parse out his themes and obsessions. It's interesting stuff, and it's the kind of stuff that you'll remember after you've forgotten the individual jokes.

JIM GAFFIGAN: BEYOND THE PALE works. If you like standup films, you'll like this one.