in memoriam
Ach, folks: another great genre storyteller has left us.
Over the weekend, I saw the news regarding the passage of director Chuck Russell; and -- despite the fact that he hasn't done all that much in the last decade or so -- I can assure readers that he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. In fact, the guy got his start on a pretty big theatrical production -- 1987's A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors -- and just got bigger and bigger and bigger along the way, working with some of the industry's biggest names at the time. For of you too young to know this, Dream Warriors was pretty big for its time and place in the whole Elm Street franchise -- finally pitting the nefarious Freddy Krueger against a veritable team of 'warriors' who could kinda/sorta hold their own against his powers -- and there are some who might even suggest that it was the film series' creative high point. Whatever the truth might be, the flick definitely positioned Russell as a mover and shaker to watch; and the guy definitely went to work on projects that fans embraced.
With the reporting announcing the storyteller's demise, a good number of pundits went to bat arguing over which of Russell's projects was his best; and -- for what this is worth -- the critical consensus seemed to congeal around 1988's The Blob, a somewhat loose remake of the 1958 original that helped cement Steve McQueen on Hollywood's radar. I recall seeing this Blob in theaters back in the day; and while I don't think I was particularly enamored with the story (which Russell also wrote) I did love the project's overall aesthetic. The man definitely brought the gelatinous invader into the modern era -- so much so that one argues how the franchise hasn't been yet tapped for an even bigger and better upgrade -- but maybe the Tinseltown Gods wish to leave it as it is with Russell's reputation firmly ensconsed in the I.P. The picture did score some accolades from the Saturn Awards and performed favorably on the film festival circuit.
1994 saw the director teaming up with Jim Carrey at the height of his zaniness for the adaptation of the Dark Horse superhero The Mask -- a tremendous box office hit -- and, in 1996, Russell and Arnold Schwarzenegger were a pair who delivered Eraser to the cineplexes. While there were a few more additions, I think that period between 1987 and 1996 was truly the man's zeitgeist; though I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that he also deserves recognition for working on the script for 1984's popular Dreamscape with Dennis Quaid and Max von Sydow.
Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Chuck Russell.
May he rest in peace ...
-- EZ
Over the weekend, I saw the news regarding the passage of director Chuck Russell; and -- despite the fact that he hasn't done all that much in the last decade or so -- I can assure readers that he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. In fact, the guy got his start on a pretty big theatrical production -- 1987's A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors -- and just got bigger and bigger and bigger along the way, working with some of the industry's biggest names at the time. For of you too young to know this, Dream Warriors was pretty big for its time and place in the whole Elm Street franchise -- finally pitting the nefarious Freddy Krueger against a veritable team of 'warriors' who could kinda/sorta hold their own against his powers -- and there are some who might even suggest that it was the film series' creative high point. Whatever the truth might be, the flick definitely positioned Russell as a mover and shaker to watch; and the guy definitely went to work on projects that fans embraced.
With the reporting announcing the storyteller's demise, a good number of pundits went to bat arguing over which of Russell's projects was his best; and -- for what this is worth -- the critical consensus seemed to congeal around 1988's The Blob, a somewhat loose remake of the 1958 original that helped cement Steve McQueen on Hollywood's radar. I recall seeing this Blob in theaters back in the day; and while I don't think I was particularly enamored with the story (which Russell also wrote) I did love the project's overall aesthetic. The man definitely brought the gelatinous invader into the modern era -- so much so that one argues how the franchise hasn't been yet tapped for an even bigger and better upgrade -- but maybe the Tinseltown Gods wish to leave it as it is with Russell's reputation firmly ensconsed in the I.P. The picture did score some accolades from the Saturn Awards and performed favorably on the film festival circuit.
1994 saw the director teaming up with Jim Carrey at the height of his zaniness for the adaptation of the Dark Horse superhero The Mask -- a tremendous box office hit -- and, in 1996, Russell and Arnold Schwarzenegger were a pair who delivered Eraser to the cineplexes. While there were a few more additions, I think that period between 1987 and 1996 was truly the man's zeitgeist; though I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that he also deserves recognition for working on the script for 1984's popular Dreamscape with Dennis Quaid and Max von Sydow.
Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Chuck Russell.
May he rest in peace ...
-- EZ
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