Snakes on a Plane

Year: 2006
Running time: 105 minutes
Certificate: 15
Language: English
Screenplay: John Heffernan, Sebastian Gutierrez
Director: David R. Ellis
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard, Flex Alexander, Kenan Thompson, Keith Dallas, Lin Shaye, Bruce James, Sunny Mabrey

Not what you want to see when joining the Mile High Club.

Snakes on a Plane: the movie the Internet made. It doesn’t matter how good or bad this film actually is, it's still gone down as a cult film along with Tremors and Critters, although compared to those two, it's popularity has waned rather significantly over the years. At the time of release, this film was a cult smash before anybody even saw it. All it took was the news that Samuel L. Jackson was doing a film called Snakes on a Plane and the Internet went mad. Before New Line had got the marketing in place there were a load of fan-made posters doing the rounds, helping the film's reputation grow over the months before its release.

Originally conceived as a rather milder affair, after the massive amount of interest, the makers even went back and filmed extra scenes, adding more gore, more sex and more quotable dialogue for Jackson. In fact, you spend most of the film waiting for it, and when he finally shouts: “I’ve had it with these motherfuckin’ snakes on this motherfuckin’ plane!” you really feel like cheering.

Hero pose #16.

Jackson is dependable throughout, buying into the concept wholeheartedly - in fact, were it not for his interest from the start, it probably wouldn't have got made. It's a little more polished than you might expect from a film called Snakes on a Plane, and it's clear New Line were willing to spend some extra money on it with a readymade audience built in and apparently gagging for it. While it didn't do as well as hoped (Jackson once referred to the possibility of making a sequel, which he called "More motherfuckin' snakes, on more motherfuckin' planes!" - alas, it was not to be), I find it encouraging that a studio was willing to both spend extra money and up the certificate when the interest is there. It was quite fun, and diverting for a while, but the novelty wears off before it can build up the momentum required to sustain a schlocky franchise.

The plot? Well, there are these snakes, right, and they’re on this plane…

Score: 5/10

It's surprisingly well-reviewed out there - have a look at this review from Dana at Slate or this 10-years-later retrospective from Sarah at Den of Geek.

The Big Lebowski

Year: 1998
Running time: 117 minutes
Certificate: 18
Language: English
Screenplay: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, David Huddleston, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tara Reid, Peter Stormare, John Turturro, Sam Elliott

The Dude and his friends are unimpressed by their latest lane rival.

The Big Lebowski is possibly my favourite Coen brothers film (although Fargo and O Brother, Where Art Thou? do give it a run for its money). From the opening frame until the credits roll it is a joy to watch. The Dude (Jeff Bridges) is a spaced out bum and Walter (John Goodman) is ‘an asshole’, as the Dude reminds him on occasion. Along with Donnie (Steve Buscemi), Dude and Walter spend their days bowling and talking about nothing very much. That is until Dude gets a visit from a couple of thugs (Philip Moon and Mark Pellegrino) trying to recover money owed by, apparently, Dude's wife. The misunderstanding comes from the fact that The Dude's real surname is 'Lebowski', which is something he has in common with a very different Lebowski (David Huddleston), the 'Big Lebowski' of the title. It is the Big Lebowski's wife Bunny (Tara Reid) whom owes the money. When they realise their mistake, the two thugs leave, but not before one of them pisses on The Dude's rug, which he then spends the rest of the film trying to get compensated/replaced.

The plot is complex, filled with twists and turns, but it is also completely irrelevant. The Dude and Walter will always manage to make it more complex than it is. When Dude gets roped into to a plan to rescue the kidnapped Bunny, the throwaway comment that she probably kidnapped herself leads them down a path of bizarre assumptions and uniquely odd characters. This film is gold not because of its plot, but because of the interactions between The Dude and Walter and the ridiculous situations they find themselves in. In particular, I love the way the Dude will repeat words spoken to him back as a question – "coitus?" in a forever dazed and confused state. The story doesn't really start out that complicated, but when these two have finished with it, it feels mind-bendingly complex.

The supporting cast are as weird a menagerie as you might imagine - likable "Shut the fuck up" Donnie, artistic oddball Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore), bowling rival Jesus – not that one (John Tuturro), uptight assistant to The Big Lebowski Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and even Bunny Lebowski herself for the short time she's on screen as well as a slew of others, the Coens and their actors turn potentially forgettable and obnoxious characters into works of comedy art.

So long, Donnie.

The writing is sublime, tying the paths of the characters together in knots, stringing Dude and Walter along with it. In particular, there are two rather throwaway moments (although, as mentioned, most of the plot is made up of moments that feel rather throwaway) that I adore, being The Stranger (Sam Elliott) asking the Dude if he needs to use "so many cuss words", only for the Dude to reply: “What the fuck are you talking about?” and the perfect scene where, following Donnie's unfortunate demise, Walter releases his ashes on the top of a windy cliff (not a good idea). This moment is both hilarious and surprisingly moving as the two friends grieve for their lost buddy in their own odd way.

I don't think it's too much to sum up by saying The Big Lebowski is pretty simply comedy genius through and through.

Score: 9/10

The vast majority of reviews out there as full of praise as I am - Roger Ebert's review was just one example. More interesting however, is this review from Todd at Variety, which I think defines the phrase 'missing the point' more perfectly than anything I've ever seen.