They always say Gene was the more snooty critic but this just shows they both had their moments. Ebert clearly had enough good things to say about People Under the Stairs but felt like he was above giving a recommendation. He did the same with Dumb & Dumber. I'm not surprised Gene recommended it because he was usually a sucker for stylish off-beat weird stuff like that.
Ebert said of one of those films that came after Cape Fear -- "There has to be a problem that can be fixed." Very true. Too many films lack this imperative.
I loved The People Under The Stairs. It is macabre, comedic, and a lot of fun if you like horror movies. I can understand why Roger couldn’t recommended it, but I would certainly recommend it if you are a fan of the horror movie genre. Yes the the scenes with the little girl in the bathtub and the little boy down underneath the stairs can be seen as repellent but there so much more with the story that I was totally entertained by it. Check it out.
“At least it’s not another mad slasher movie” says Ebert while reviewing The People Under the Stairs. Little did he know Craven would make that exact movie a few years later and he (Ebert) would enjoy it lol.
I think one scene was genuinely disturbing, when Cady meets the Bowden daughter at the School Auditorium. The rest of the film is just silly, especially the ridiculous ending.
I realize how much they despise "Dream Warriors", but did it feel like Ebert mentioned "Swamp Thing" to get out of mentioning "A Nightmare on Elm Street"?
I thought the acting in Cape Fear was way over the top. I liked the original better, but that has some censorship problems that hurt it. It maybe could stand to be remade again.
15:34, funny twist is I never expect Siskel like the movie & Ebert dislike, thought it was opposite - Ebert 👍 & Siskel 👎 . I rent it from netflix once & I thought it was good, never expect to have humor in it.
ALRIGHT, LOOK. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE WES CRAVEN'S "THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS," & "STRICTLY BUSINESS." I GIVE BOTH OF THEM 2 THUMBS WAY UP 4 ME, MY FRIEND.🙂👍✌️😉😘❤️🌞🎥📀📼🎬🎞️🇺🇲🌎
I hate to admit this, but I went to see "All I Want for Christmas" with my sister at a theatre when the movie came out. I was just 16, but I sure did know that the movie was a dud.
This was a good film, but I found "Livin' Large" more entertaining, which hits on the similar theme of a black man trying to make it in Corporate America.
I totally agree with Roger that the remake of Cape Fear is slightly better than the original and for me it boils down to one scene: in the original Gregory Peck’s attorney allows Robert Mitchum’s crook to live but in the remake Nick Nolte’s attorney does the right thing and makes sure that Robert De Niro’s crook gets the kind of death a rapist deserves.
I don't see how that comparison elevates the 1991 film. The latter ending is the logical conclusion but that doesn't mean it is more compelling. Generally speaking, the 1991 film is a mess because each scene is crafted to showcase De Niro's ridiculous villain. When you put it all altogether, I just see these episodes with Cady and nothing flowing smoothly. The worst was the conclusion which was far too overblown though I enjoyed the fact that Nolte was horrified by his own actions.
I remember after watching Scorsese’s “Cape Fear” in the movie theatre thinking it was a terrible, overblown concept and the worst and most unnecessary remake I’d ever seen.
Charles Winokoor I feel like I’m the only person who finds this movie to be a massive joke. The acting is way, way over the top (except Nolte and Douglas), the music is over the top, DeNiro is basically reduced to a complete clown in the end. What bothers me so much too is that no one behaves the way this creepy, weird family does with each other. The whole thing was just bizarre.
The movie was good had a great story not really scarry but in reality it is scary putting yourself in the shoes of that little boy whos mom is sick and about to be evicted trap in the house its and good movie just gotta look at it from another point of view
Siskel didn't like People under the Stairs until he read another reviewer who said it had some far fetched political message in it. Quality review work Gene.
Cape Fear was a great comedy!!! Deniro had great mystical powers. No one else could take that kind of beating. And he also had the ability to teleport, and speak in tongues.
Gotta give it to Gene here. He went to bat for the weird stuff, while Ebert shits on form when it suits his needs and runs off about sociology. Christ.
SPOILERS!!! The thing Roger said about Cady talking too much when he should have been crazed with pain....that's true, but Cady's been presented to us as a man of incredible will and skill. He's like an evil James Bond. He magically shows up at places where Bowden and his family are and disappears just as quickly, he sneaks into Danielle's school without the staff noticing, he beats the crap out of a group of thugs with weapons hired to put him in traction, he gets into Bowden's house and silently kills two people, and he lashes himself to the underside of the family car when they flee the house and drive hundreds of miles to Cape Fear. So by the time they burn him up and he comes back, is there anything the movie throws at us that's too preposterous to believe? And the movie subtly implies that God is on Cady's side. He speaks in tongues before he drowns and then Bowden can't wash Cady's blood off his hands. It's biblical.
Cape Fear is good but idk, I wish Scorsese would slow the fuck down sometimes with his editing and composition it always feels like he's on a ton of coke in the editing room
I hated Cape Fear and felt like I needed a shower after watching it! I didn't care about anyone in the movie, and there was a scene that was completely stolen from Silence of the Lambs! I'd rather watch a Friday the 13th movie!
@@CelestialWoodway I can see how someone could dislike cape fear. There really isn't anyone worth getting behind, but that's not what the film is aiming for. Scorsese is so good at taking a common trope and twisting it, and does that very well here, however it's not an easy film to appreciate and I'd hardly say someone who dislikes it has 'shitty taste'.
Ebert spent years browbeating Siskel for every choice he made. Siskel finally died to get out the situation. Then Ebert goes on to take over the show and have people fawn on him as a kind of movie guru for the rest of his life. Siskel was less egotistical, more discerning, better in his choices than Ebert, who must always have the last word in every review.
its funny you say that because there are literally dozens of reviews ive just watched where Siskel's pretentiousness gets the better of him during arguments and has to keep getting the last word in.
I disagree robert deniero is perfect in this type of role .it does not require him to have any range or technique as an artist.instead like many of his roles ,if he just acts like himself, (an unagsaturated dirtbag in real life).....he can convince the audience that he is a psychopath.which isn't far off from what his personality is in real life.
You're right and it was not even close. I'm a big fan of both Scorsese and DeNiro but neither made the grade in it. Mitchum's performance in the original can't be touched.
"You dress too ... too..." "Black"? "Nah ghetto".... I wish the movie would be real and say that instead of saying basically that "its society's racism against blacks that doesnt want him dressing like that...." yeah that's why business men dont dress like 90s hip hop stars.
