Covid Classics: That’s Titles, Mr. Connery. Famous Titles…
That wonderfully amusing SNL sketch was the inspiration for this post. A great title can go a long way to making people want to see your movie. Below are 6 movies with GREAT titles. Do they live up to their name? Read on to find out!
Obviously, no one’s saying that. However, thankfully, Alfred Hitchcock obliges as we see someone dial M on a rotary phone.
Does the movie live up to the title?
And then some. The master of suspense proves here that movies can be tense through a well executed dialogue between characters. Ray Milland displays a wonderful gift of gab, as he explains his plan to execute a perfect murder to an unwilling accomplice, while making that accomplice complicit at the same time. In addition, Hitchcock unleashes the stunning red dressed Grace Kelly (the most beautiful woman in movie history in my opinion) and her acting chops to throw a wrench into Milland’s planning, as well as a quick witted inspector who tries to piece the whole situation together.
Yes and no. There’s a caper planned, but nothing is literally stinging anything…except maybe a bullet, but I think that’s a little more than a sting…
Does the movie live up to the title?
Very much so. Not only is it a great title, but The Sting won best picture in 1973. Lots of expectations are on this caper film to deliver. Fortunately, the movie’s got a couple things going for it. 1) There’s not just one, but several twists going on that make sure one of them is gonna make your eyeballs bulge a little. And 2) we’ve got the reteaming of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, a perfect movie pair. Redford’s relatively straight man plays nicely against Newman’s aging sly devil, who both in turn play wonderfully against the no nonsense Robert Shaw. And with the delightful “The Entertainer” playing underneath it all, you’re bound to have a fun time watching crosses, double crosses, and triple crosses aplenty.
Oh man, I wish we saw or heard this. But, sadly, we don’t.
Does the movie live up to the title?
Technical mistakes and a weak script hurt this movie from being a great martial arts film. The dubbing is really bad; one of the worst examples I’ve seen in movie history. And the story is pretty stupid, about rival karate schools involved in a governmental political dispute. The saving grace is the always charismatic Bruce Lee. Though there is no single fist of fury, we get to see how awesome the talented martial artist is more than a few times, as he takes down groups of attackers with an array of sick, badass moves.
Fists, yes. Dollars yes. But unfortunately, never together.
Does the movie live up to the title?
This movie straight up copies the entire plot of Akira Kurosawa’s excellent Yojimbo. So even though it lacks the originality, copying a genius is a smart idea. Sergio Leone also creates a couple legends here. Enrico Morricone becomes the king of the whistling Western score, that puts you on edge and propulses the story at the same time. And Clint Eastwood becomes a star playing the Man With No Name, entering a town of warring gangs, playing both of them against each other. Like Kurosawa’s gem, it’s smart, clever, and really tense, so even though we don’t see the fistful of dollars, we certainly get paid in entertainment.
You feel a lot of things here, but sympathy is NOT one of them.
Does the movie live up to the title?
The title of this movie is cool. The coolest thing about the movie is how it foreshadows an interesting career for its director. Thanks to Parasite, Bong Joon Ho is at the top of the Korean directors power rankings. But right below him is Park Chan Wook, who directed this film. Wook finds these really great locations and shots to convey a sense of unease and show the desperation in everyone’s world as they make brasher and tougher decisions to look out for their loved ones. In this movie we see early attractions for Song Kang-ho and Doona Bae, who’ve become more international names today, in part because of how great they are here. The plot goes off the rails, but it’s definitely never boring, in large part thanks to the acting and Wook’s direction, foreshadowing a great career to come.
I intended this category to be a bad thing when we don’t achieve the title, but in this one exception, I’m glad we don’t have a never ending story.
Does the movie live up to the title?
The book The Neverending Story is based on is a more adult endeavor. Director Wolfgang Peterson’s adaptation focuses on the childlike wonder parts of the movie, creating as a result a great kids adventure. While there had been a few fantasy attempts (Lord of the Rings animated/Dark Crystal come to mind), this one has become seared into the mind of any nerd or geek that grew up in the 80s. If you’re fortunate to see it young like I was, you’ll fall in love with Atreu, the Rock Biter, Artax, Falkor the luck dragon, Fantasia, and Bastian almost immediately. And while the movie is a visual delight and heroic quest, Peterson hammers home the theme with the lovely ending about how imagination can help kids overcome the nothing threatening to consume them as they grow up.
