Hello,folks and welcome to Bad Movie Month-the official unofficial holiday for August here at LRG. Each week,we will highlight those films that make critics question why they ever wanted to take up their profession in the first place during one of the prime months for such door prizes as "Glitter" and "Battlefield Earth" to be released on unsuspecting audiences nationwide.
We also like to honor and/or scold those men and women who work so hard to bring these hideous cinematic creations to life and who better to pay tribute to than the Continental himself, Christopher Walken.
Walken is a member of an elite group of actors,such as Michael Caine and Dennis Hopper, who seem to show up in just about any movie,regardless of plot,genre or quality. Some may say that's all about cashing a paycheck but in Walken's case,that is hard to swallow. He just appears to love getting any chance to strut his stuff and brings forth true effort to every part,big or small,silly or strange.
Just take a gander at this scene in Gigli(yes,he was in Gigli,I was surprised,too)and see how easily he out acts both Affleck and J.Lo,who can barely pretend to pretend to be reading as he states his case and requests to go out for pie. The man totally lights up the screen effortlessly:
True devotion to his craft is also evident in his continuing presence in the Prophecy films;while such actors as Viggo Mortenson had jumped ship before the second film started up,Walken stayed on board right up to the third film which went right to DVD,showing that he really enjoyed playing Gabriel,the determined archangel who wanted to rid the universe of those "talking monkeys" once and for all.
That is one of the great things about him,he really makes watching evilly oblivious characters so much fun to watch and root for. He enhances the awful dialogue and unbelievable situations with only a mere casual glance as his weapon of choice:
Another check mark in the plus column for Walken is his willingness to blend into a large cast of characters and not intentionally hog the spotlight. Sometimes,it happens that way simply due to the lesser talents of those around him but the vast majority of the time,Walken is a real trooper and bounces his energies off of his fellow actors in a generous give and take working of each scene.
Whether it's a strong blend of performances in movies like Pulp Fiction or True Romance or offbeat oddball flicks like Poolhall Junkies and Kiss Toledo Goodbye,Walken is dead solid perfect for any long piece of talk that invokes his storytelling skills:
LEARN ABOUT LIONS
POLITICS ARE A NO-NO
So,thank you,Christopher Walken,for making so many awful films that much more tolerable to sit thru,even for only a few minutes. Movies like Click,that sorry excuse of a Stepford Wives remake,even the Country Bears were made slightly better by your participation. Let me step back and allow the man to do what he does best:
WHY,WHY,WHY, DELILAH?
MAX ZORIN REALLY KNOWS HOW TO BOND WELL WITH OTHERS
ANOTHER COUNTRY HEARD FROM
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