Why it was thought sane to invest a reported $100 million in such an odd and particular sensibility is a question even Martians might ponder. Probably the most expensive movie ever to be inspired by a set of bubble gum cards, “Mars Attacks!” is also Tim Burton at his Tim Burton-est, which means that it’s a kind of hipster stunt, with bursts of mild humor outnumbered by a retro taste for the bizarre and the weird. Now, with “Mars Attacks!,” Burton has in effect remade “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” Wood’s signature work, on a budget. Wood Jr.īest known as the director of the first two “Batman” pictures, Burton a few years back made “Ed Wood,” a loving homage to the 1950s filmmaker considered a colossus of ineptitude for making his own peculiar movies his own peculiar way. Some directors envy Alfred Hitchcock’s feeling for suspense, John Ford’s way with westerns or perhaps Ernst Lubitsch’s sly romantic touch. Brown plays an American lawman who unites with a renegade Indian (Burt Reynolds) and a gorgeous revolutionary (Welch) to battle the villainous Mexican troops. What they savor is the sprawling, action-packed battle scenes. But that’s not the reason this big-budget movie, about a war between Indians and Mexicans, is a favorite among western fans. In those days, interracial love scenes were a novelty. “100 Rifles” was notorious for the steamy love scenes between Jim Brown and Raquel Welch. Prime Video (Rent/Buy) | Apple TV + (Rent/Buy) Jim Brown, left, Burt Reynolds and Raquel Welch in the 1969 Western "100 Rifles." (Sunset Boulevard / Corbis / Getty Images) You have a religious maniac, one malignant dwarf, two near idiots, and the rest I don’t even want to think about.”Ĭan you name all 12? Roll call: Charles Bronson as Joseph Wladislaw Jim Brown as Robert Jefferson Tom Busby as Milo Vladek John Cassavetes as Victor Franko Ben Carruthers as Glenn Gilpin Stuart Cooper as Roscoe Lever Trini Lopez as Pedro Jimenez Colin Maitland as Seth Sawyer Al Mancini as Tassos Bravos Telly Savalas as Archer Maggott Donald Sutherland as Vernon Pinkley and Clint Walker as Samson Posey. But they too distinguished themselves in battle, on screen at least, as members of “The Dirty Dozen,” one of the most unconventional war movies ever made.Īudiences had never been asked to cheer on such a disreputable platoon of misfits - or, as a psychiatrist in the film deems them, “the most twisted, antisocial bunch of psychopathic deformities I have ever run into. They were convicts whose sentences for brutal crimes ranged from hard labor to death by hanging. It is doubtful that soldiers like Victor Franko, Archer Maggott and Vernon Pinkley were whom Tom Brokaw had in mind when he wrote “The Greatest Generation,” his salute to America’s courageous and self-sacrificing World War II veterans. 'The Dirty Dozen'Īpple TV + (Rent/Buy) | Prime Video (Rent/Buy) Not all of Brown's onscreen highlights are even available to stream, such as "Three the Hard Way," but here are six key titles to help you get to know Brown the entertainer and where to find them. Hooker" and "The A-Team," served as a commentator for boxing and the Ultimate Fighting Championship and much more. He also made appearances on such beloved TV series as "CHiPs," "T.J. Starting with his first major movie, "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), Brown had a knack for choosing roles that he was well suited for, including his 2014 movie "Draft Day," in which he played himself. The multitalented Brown, who died Thursday in Los Angeles at 87, turned his attention instead to civil rights activism and a highly successful career in film and television. When legendary Cleveland Browns fullback Jim Brown walked away from his NFL career in his prime, it was anything but an early retirement. Jim Brown relaxing on the set of the 1969 western "100 Rifles." (Ron Galella / Getty)
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