After Hours
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Movie Reviews of After Hours
Movie Review: "Rough night, Paul?"
Summary: 5 Stars
Perfect flawless black comedy with humor as dark as the night that caught Paul Hacket (Griffin Dunne), a nice guy, an everyman, an ordinary computer operator in its darkness and surrounded him by all kinds of weird strangers who very well could be the deadly creatures of night that inhabited SOHO of early 1980s every night after hours... or perhaps they are still there? If ever a brilliant film was made about a worst nightmare come true, After Hours it is. This movie seems so different from what we've come to associate with Martin Scorsese but it is undeniably his film. It takes place in NYC, and its dark scary streets come directly from Scorsese's earlier masterpieces, "Mean Streets" (the streets after hours are even meaner, are they not?) and "Taxi Driver", the horrifying descend to the real Inferno.
Amy Robinson, the film producer calls After Hours "dark, funny, paranoid New York summer movie" - and it says it all. This movie makes me think how great it would be if Scorsese turned to comedies (not the Hollywood brainless light romantic comedies but "dark, funny, paranoid" type) more often. I have to mention writing which is absolutely brilliant, considering that it was the first work by Joseph Minion. Roger Ebert, who recently has included After Hours to his list of Great movies, mentions that Minion's teacher, the Yugoslavian director Dusan Makavejev, gave the script an "A." Having seen Makavejev's infamous Sweet Movie, I am not at all surprised. I also want to mention the camera work by Michael Ballhaus, the German cinematographer who has made fabulous in their beauty films with Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It seems to me that Scorsese might have seen Fassbinder's The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant because both films share the claustrophobic and suffocating atmosphere which was captured amazingly by Ballhaus. After their first work together on After Hours, Scorsese and Ballhause would make The Color of Money (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002), and The Departed (2006).
The journey through the worst night ever by Paul brought to mind another surreal journey, one of my all time favorites, "O Lucky Man" by Lindsay Anderson. After Hours is in the same league for me. In both films, the nice guys take a trip that would turn brutal, bizarre, dangerous yet irresistibly funny. Mick Travis wanted to succeed in life while Paul Hacket only wanted some fun night and perhaps to get close to a beautiful woman he'd met earlier (Rosanna Arquette). Instead, he would encounter a trio of mysterious and dangerous women who seduce, mystify, and horrify him (Linda Fiorentino, Terri Garr, and Catherine O'Hara). And I don't even mention all crazy male characters. After Hours does not get mentioned among Scorsese's most remarkable and memorable films but it is. Even if it takes place in the 80s, it is timeless; it does not lose any of its dark nocturnal power. It is a great work of the master who has been always passionate about cinema. Scorsese made After Hours when he was forced to stop working on "The Last Temptation of Christ" and was depressed, frustrated, and uncertain if he would ever return to it. Scorsese told his friend Mary Pat Kelly. "My idea then was to pull back, and not to become hysterical and try to kill people. So the trick then was to try to do something." Scorsese later confessed that working on After Hours gave him back his love for making movies. The members of the jury in Cannes Festival were certainly mesmerized with Scorsese's inspiring directing. They awarded him with the Best Director Prize in 1986. If ever any director deserved it, it was Martin Scorsese for the marvel which After Hours is.
5+/5
Movie Review: Classic Scorses..I'm Still Laughing!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
...just finished watching (on this, the last day of
my 4-day President's Day weekend), one of the funniest
side-splitting films I have ever seen. I waited so
long for it come out on DVD and received it from
Amazon.com last week.
"After Hours" is the story of a guy who leaves work on
a normal day, and the events that transpire from 5
p.m. to 7 a.m. When I first saw it some 15 years ago,
I was rolling in laughter. This afternoon the
laughter grew to tears. I loved every moment even
more so than the first time around.
Director Martin Scorsese is at his best with this gem.
It went straight to my funny bone, only because it
follows a lifeline so similar to mine. Griffin Dunne
is the star...and what a superb job he does. But the
supporting cast is priceless. Add to Griffin's role
as the poor soul who should have never gone to the
diner to read "Tropic of Cancer", a supporting cast of
Rosanna Arquette, Teri Garr, Linda Fiorentino, John
Heard, "Cheech" Marin, and Verna Bloom, you have
created a masterpiece. And what makes this so much
more masterful is the fact that Griffin Dunne plays
the role of Paul Hackett...that's right..."PAUL".
What happens to Paul "after hours" is so tragic and
comical (and the way it unfolds is a credit to the
screenwriters), it is simply unforgettable...unless
you are me. This film mirrors my life. It has all of
the friends, lovers and "influences" that have made me
what I am today...nothing to boast about but
everything to laugh about. It reminds me of so many
of the crazy women I have dated (or married)...the
insane friends I've endured (some of you are reading
this now), but most importantly it is a snapshot of
life...reality...relationships...and the way we handle
influences that come into our lives. Poor Paul is put
on the brink of insanity (in only one night)...a film
that has stood the test of time...a film that reminds
me so much of "ME"....and maybe "YOU".
Compounded by a classic soundtrack which includes such
songs as "One Summer Night", "Angel Baby", Mozart
concerto's....AND...."Peggy Lee's "Is That All There
Is?"..this one is priceless.
And may I also add, that I'm a Rosanna Arquette
admirer. Though she only survives the first 20
minutes of the film, she is a genuine actress that
deserves to be recognized by the Academy. I will
never forget her in the classic made-for-cable film,
"The Wrong Man", and her inspiring role as a medium in
"Black Rainbow". And Teri Garr is right there, too.
She portrays "Miss Beehive, 1965"...hilarious! Both
remind me so much of past loves. Enough of that!
"After Hours" gets a solid "10" in the comedy genre'.
It is not a film you want to see with commercials.
Everything is so tightly woven together, you must
watch it uninterrupted.
From lovely Marcie, to Kiki "Kinky" Bridges...Cheech
and Chong...and all the crazy people that seem so
normal in this flick...so real in our lives...this one
is a must. If it doesn't have you rolling in the
aisles, you need to have a root canal for excitement
in your life!!!
Movie Review: Simply Exquisite
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember seeing this movie back in late 1985 when I was living in Florida. There were perhaps 10-12 people in the audience. I laughed until I couldn't breathe - there is such great use of irony in this film. I went back a few days later to see it again, and took a friend who also would appreciate this movie - we were the only two in the theatre. We laughed until we were oxygen-deprived.
Fast forward to late 80's /early 90's when I was lucky enough to find this movie on VHS - I turned SO many people on to this movie, it was unbelievable. By this time however, the movie was no longer available.
This cult-like film was directed [flawlessly] by Martin Scorsese. Basically, a working stiff by the name of Paul Hackett [Griffin Dunne in a role not many could have pulled off] leads a boring life of just working and going home. While reading a dog-eared copy of a Henry Miller novel in an all night diner, he is coaxed into a conversation by a strange girl [Roseanne Arquette in another role not many could have pulled off]. She winds up giving him her number, which he goes home and calls immediately, and she says 'Maybe you should come over now'. Being what amounts to the only social invitation on this man's calendar, he goes over that night to her loft in Soho.
So starts the worst evening of his life. I won't go into detail, but basically EVERYTHING goes wrong, from the cab ride over there, on to the end of the movie. Every interaction with the citizens in SoHo is hysterical, from this girls roommate, to her roommates boyfriend, to a bartender, to a freaky punk club, to a wacky waitress [another incredible character played by Teri Garr], two thieves [Cheech & Chong]. The journey of this one single night of an attempted date becomes so surreal, you can do nothing more than groan and laugh. It is a very dark comedy, but a comedy nonetheless. Look for Martin Scorsese's little cameo as the spotlight holder in the scene taking place in the nightclub "Berlin". Griffin Dunne was just incredible in this movie, as were Roseanne Arquette and Teri Garr. Also deserving credit was Linda Fiorentino as Roseanne Arquette's roommate in the loft. Sometimes the dialogue is so low, you really have to concentrate, but that makes a lot of it that much more out there and funny.
I love this movie to death and it is a valued part of my DVD library. This is one of those movies you will be turning friends onto again and again and recruiting new 'fans' every time you show it to someone who appreciates this genre and has not seen it.
HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended! Trust me on this one!
Movie Review: Finally on DVD!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been waiting years for this movie to get to DVD.
By now, everyone already has read the reviews on this movie itself and how great it is, so I will keep this review to the DVD instead about the movie itself.
The commentary track is misleading. They have the director of photography narrating instead of one of the main actors, and they pretend they have the actors narrating as well, but all they did was take clips of the actor and producer from other interviews and lay them down inbetween the director of photography guy. So you are not going to hear the actor comment on what you are watching, the commentary track really doesn't follow the movie and there is not commentary for the full movie either.
And the director talks more about the last temptation of christ and making that movie than he does about this one! Actually, the director of photography starts talking about the last temptation of christ too!
Since they rarely talk about anything you are watching on the screen, the commentary track is a good thing to listen to through your stereo via the DVD player and you can turn the TV off and just listen to it like a radio show while you do something else.
BUT... The short film included that is sort of like a "making of" film is a real treat and well makes up for there not being a real commentary track. I would prefer this to commentary tracks on all DVDs anyway. A nice, well produced mini feature about the film.
There are a few deleted scenes as well that I never seen before.
As it is, if you have only seen this movie on cable tv, you are going to see a few things in this movie that you have never seen before, like the drawing on the bathroom wall of a shark with big teeth biting a man's weewee.
The first time I saw that I was shocked, not only because I never seen that part before all the times I saw the movie on cable, but because I drew that picture on bathroom walls decades ago in my youth. Someone must have saw one of them and thought it was funny enough to include in this movie.
It is exactly the way I used to draw it, teeth and all.
The one thing I noticed, which is very disturbing, is that Cheech and Chong are both in this movie, but only ONE of them are listed in the credits. They mention lower people like grips and whatnot, but don't list all the actors?!
Well, if you like the movie, get this DVD.
If you have never seen the movie, get this DVD. You won't be sorry. It is one of my favorite movies of all time.
Movie Review: Modern Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
'After Hours' has to be one of the great classics in film. Martin Scorsese reinvents the directing wheel once again in 1985 for one of the darkest comedies in memory.
Paul (relatively unknown Griffin Dunne) is an anonymous everyman working at a New York office with cubicles and computers. Late at night in a cafe he meets a beautiful, but strange woman (Rosanna Arguette) who captivates him immediately. Demonstrating a scatter-brained conversation, they agree for him to meet her roommate who makes paper mache' paper weight bagels. Connecting with an interest in the novel he's reading, she seems vibrant if not suspiciously dysfunctional, but her zestful overture creates for him the spark of adventure.
Showcasing the city that never sleeps, he solidifies his date over the phone to venture over to the SoHo District. As a bad omen his cab ride from hell yields a placed twenty dollar bill that flies out of the cab onto the pavement. Trying to explain to the driver who only speaks in broken English, the man wrathfully drives out like a chariot out of Hades leaving him stranded with no resources but himself alone in the night.
At the apartment, he visits with the artist as she puts paper mache' on a figure he aptly, but inaccurately compares to Munch's "The Shriek" ("The Scream") From there he meets up with his bombshell date who immediately unveils her life in horrifying detail. Between the revealing creation in the living room and the woman's conversation of her horrible life, the rest of the night unravels even more from there. Featuring everything that could conceivably go wrong and camera angles that swirl around the beleaguered protagonist, the solitary agony of one man's night comes to roost in the most tightly woven existential nightmare probably ever conceived in comedy.
While 'After Hours' doesn't get all the accolades of great movies like 'Taxi' and 'Raging Bull,' it nevertheless, broadens the scope of an unarguably talented director. 'After Hours' may not be Scorsese's best, but it certainly is my favorite of all of his works.