in memoriam
Folks, I've never -- NEVER -- understood all of the hate directed by Tim Burton's Mars Attacks (1996).
Now, I get that humor is a difficult concept. What I find funny isn't exactly meant to be what you'll find funny, so there's a good deal of subjectivity when it comes to crafting a good laugher. But Mars Attacks was so broad in the way it approached characters and situations that I really found it a winner on all counts. A fabulous cast. Some fabulously campy effects sequences. A really good riot of a concept. Yet -- for whatever reasons -- it's one of the flicks that's just loathed by so many that I've given up trying to convince folks of its inherent genius.
Joe Don Baker had a role in it. It wasn't a big bit of screen time, but it was manageable enough. As the father of a fallen soldier, he directed his sheer anger at those dreaded Martians when given the chance. Though he didn't emerge triumphant (did anyone in it? really?), he gave it an admirable attempt. I respect that. I hope you do to.
Also around the same time, the actor was making a solid entry into the world of espionage when he brought to life the character of 'Jack Wade' -- CIA officer -- during Pierce Brosnan's run as the unflappable James Bond. Baker definitely brought a vastly more blue collar sensibility to the franchise -- an aura that really worked well opposite Brosnan's stiff upper British lip -- and the two played off one another in a way that made even the lesser pictures better. True 'dat.
Was there more?
Well, there always is. Taking a quick glance at the reliable IMDB.com, it would seem that Baker actually got his professional start in genre entertainment what with a guest spot aboard the fondly remembered Honey West, so the sky was the limit. Other visits into the realms of the Fantastic include work aboard Mission: Impossible, The Shadow Of Chikara (1977), The Pack (1977), Wacko (1982), The Living Daylights (1987), Leonard Part 6 (1987), Cape Fear (1991), Congo (1995), GoldenEye (1995), and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
Our prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Joe Don Baker.
May he rest in peace.
-- EZ
Now, I get that humor is a difficult concept. What I find funny isn't exactly meant to be what you'll find funny, so there's a good deal of subjectivity when it comes to crafting a good laugher. But Mars Attacks was so broad in the way it approached characters and situations that I really found it a winner on all counts. A fabulous cast. Some fabulously campy effects sequences. A really good riot of a concept. Yet -- for whatever reasons -- it's one of the flicks that's just loathed by so many that I've given up trying to convince folks of its inherent genius.
Joe Don Baker had a role in it. It wasn't a big bit of screen time, but it was manageable enough. As the father of a fallen soldier, he directed his sheer anger at those dreaded Martians when given the chance. Though he didn't emerge triumphant (did anyone in it? really?), he gave it an admirable attempt. I respect that. I hope you do to.
Also around the same time, the actor was making a solid entry into the world of espionage when he brought to life the character of 'Jack Wade' -- CIA officer -- during Pierce Brosnan's run as the unflappable James Bond. Baker definitely brought a vastly more blue collar sensibility to the franchise -- an aura that really worked well opposite Brosnan's stiff upper British lip -- and the two played off one another in a way that made even the lesser pictures better. True 'dat.
Was there more?
Well, there always is. Taking a quick glance at the reliable IMDB.com, it would seem that Baker actually got his professional start in genre entertainment what with a guest spot aboard the fondly remembered Honey West, so the sky was the limit. Other visits into the realms of the Fantastic include work aboard Mission: Impossible, The Shadow Of Chikara (1977), The Pack (1977), Wacko (1982), The Living Daylights (1987), Leonard Part 6 (1987), Cape Fear (1991), Congo (1995), GoldenEye (1995), and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
Our prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Joe Don Baker.
May he rest in peace.
-- EZ
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