Starman
(Columbia, 1984)
There's no February 29th this year, but I made of list of 366 films, so for your viewing pleasure at least once every 4 years when there is one, John Carpenter's superb sci-fantasy flick starring Jeff Bridges (in an Oscar-nominated role) as an alien who takes earthly form, and with Karen Allen's help, is just trying to get home. Funny, touching, and magical, and made after suffering over five years in development hell until Columbia dropped a Steven Spielberg project entitled Night Skies, because Columbia thought it was geared to more a low-profit Disney/children's audience. The film premiered as E.T., The Extra-Terrestrial, and confirming Columbia's wisdom, went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. A conga line of directors were considered for Starman, all bailing out after considering the plot too similar to E.T., until the project came to John Carpenter, who was eager to shed his image as strictly a director of slasher horror flicks.
The Dude abides, and so does this film.
Jeff Bridges I can take or leave (I will never forgive him for the remake of "True Grit") but Karen Allen can start my motor from 40 feet away, on her worst day. One of the few visible proofs of a benevolent diety.
ReplyDelete