#David Shaber

[90smovies]

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Warriors (1979)

There’s much more to The Warriors than the iconic sound clip. You know, the one where David Patrick Kelly clinks bottles together and screeches “Warriors… come out tooo playyy-eyyy!”. It’s the kind of film that will make you wonder “what’s the big deal?”, until you realize it was made in 1979. Every decision regarding its characters, plot and style was a breakthrough at the time.

In the near future, criminal gangs who distinguish each other with distinct outfits, weapons or facepaint/masks have overrun the streets of New York. When Cyrus (Roger Hill), the leader of the Gramercy Riffs brings together nine unarmed representatives from every gang to propose a truce that would unite them all against the police, everyone seems on board. Then, Luther (Kelly), the sadistic leader of the Rogues assassinates him and pins the crime on the Warriors. Far from their turf, surrounded by enemies and without any weapons, it’ll be a long and dangerous trip home for them.

We’re reviewing the director’s cut, which is only marginally longer (76 seconds) but adds an introduction detailing the Battle of Cunaxa (which inspired the plot) and gives some of the scene transitions a comic book-like look. They’re necessary additions, but also not. When the picture was first released, it was called cartoonish, weird and implausible. These tweaks make it clear that we’re watching a tale set forward in time. Not a world where mankind has conquered the stars, but a dismal tomorrow where crime is rampant and gangs have adopted a version of war paint. Nearly every character in the film is a teenage male. Their criminal buddies – and make no mistake, these are criminals – are all they have. The only adults we see are police officers or civilians who barely escape the aimless youths. Parents are never mentioned or seen. Today, we’ve seen these ideas adapted and tweaked in multiple stories; everything from the villain-themed thugs in Batman Beyond to the sadistic masked killers in The Purge. It shows how influential this film is.

For the bulk of the picture, we’re following nine members of the Warriors. As their members dwindle, one character (played by Michael Beck) rises to become the protagonist. For the most part, you don’t get to know much of anyone’s backstory or even their names. The Warriors is about the immediacy of NOW. At any moment, the boys could take a wrong turn and die. You have no idea who could be next. Each moment of respite makes you feel uneasy. Who’s to say it isn’t a trap? Outgunned, and outnumbered, they have to bank on their wits to carry them through. If they can keep going long enough, the reputation they forge may be enough to get some of the small players to leave them alone out of fear. Even if they do make it home, however, this will only postpone their troubles. The entire city is still out for them and beyond that, they’re looking at bleak futures. There’s a key scene in which they come face-to-face with what could’ve been and it’s a devastating, sobering blow, a great moment you won’t forget.

Much of The Warriors is raw and unpolished, but that’s the way it should be. What cements it as a movie that will endure is its energy and the way it captures its themes and ideas. While it may have inspired others, there's nothing else quite like it. (On DVD, June 15, 2018)

[movie-titlecards]

Nighthawks (1981)

My rating: 5/10

Competently, even well-made, but man, the copaganda in this - there is actually a scene in this movie where the mentor figure outright states that the NYPD(!) isn't heavily armed or trigger happy enough. Yeesh.

[brokehorrorfan]

The Warriors will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on December 12 via Arrow Video. Laurie Greasley designed the new cover art for the 1979 action thriller; the original poster is on the reverse side.

Walter Hill (48 Hrs., Deadwood) directs from a script he co-wrote with David Shaber (Nighthawks), based on Sol Yurick's 1965 novel. Michael Beck, James Remar, Deborah Van Valkenburgh, Marcelino Sánchez, and David Harris lead the ensemble cast.

The limited edition set comes with a 100-page book featuring new writing by film critic Dennis Cozzalio plus archival material, a double-sided poster, six art carts, and gang logo stickers.

Both the theatrical cut and the 2005 alternate version have been newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative, approved by Hill, with Dolby Vision. The theatrical cut is presented in its original 1.85:1 with original uncompressed mono, stereo 2.0, and Dolby Atmos audio. The alternate cut has stereo 2.0 and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio.

Special features for the two-disc set are listed below, where you can also see more of the packaging and contents.

Disc 1 - Theatrical Cut:

Audio commentary by A Walter Hill Film author Walter Chaw (new)

Isolated score option

Interview with director Walter Hill (new)

Roundtable discussion on The Warriors with filmmakers Josh Olson (A History of Violence), Lexi Alexander (Green Street), and Robert D. Krzykowski (The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot) (new)

Interview with editor Billy Weber (new)

Interview with costume designer Bobbie Mannix (new)

Costume designs and photographs from the archive of designer Bobbie Mannix (new)

Sound of the Streets - An appreciation on Barry De Vorzon's The Warriors score by film historian Neil Brand (new)

Filming location tour (new)

The Beginning - Making-of featurette with director Walter Hill, producer Lawrence Gordon, actor James Remar, and editor David Holden

Battleground - Featurette on shooting in New York City with director Walter Hill and assistant director David O. Sosna

The Way Home - Featurette on the look of the film with director of photography Andrew Laszlo

The Phenomenon - Featurette on the film's legacy with director Walter Hill and cast members

Theatrical trailer

Image gallery

Disc 2 - Alternate Version:

Introduction by director Walter Hill

Also included:

100-page book with new writing by film critic Dennis Cozzalio plus archival material

Double-sided fold-out poster with original and new art

6 postcard-sized art cards

Gang logo stickers

In New York the gangs outnumber the cops by 5-1. Together, they could rule the city. Gang-leader Cyrus has a dream to do just that and calls a summit. The gangs of New York gather in their thousands, Cyrus takes the stage. From somewhere in the crowd a shot rings out and Cyrus falls down dead. In the chaos that follows, a small gang from Coney Island – the Warriors – are blamed. Now everyone is out to get them. On foot, in enemy territory, can they make it through the night to get back across the city to the safety of home turf?

Pre-order The Warriors.

[80smovies]

[thecraggus]

The Cold War turns red hot in peerless Tom Clancy geopolitical technothriller The Hunt For Red October (1990)

The Cold War turns red hot in peerless Tom Clancy geopolitical technothriller The Hunt For Red October (1990) as I wax lyrical about Sean Connery's star power for @noir_or_never and @realweegiemidge‘s Bond Not Bond Blogathon #Review

This post is written as part of @noir_or_never and @realweegiemidge‘s Bond Not Bond Blogathon Oscar and BAFTA-winning actor Sean Connery was not a great actor. No, hear me out: he wasn’t. At least, not in the way, say, Daniel Day-Lewis or Meryl Streep are great actors. Connery never possessed the ability to disappear into a role or to embody a character completely – at least not when that…

[amesmonde]

The Warriors (1979) Review

The Warriors (1979) Review

In the near future, a gang leader summons the street gangs in a bid to unite them. When The Warriors are blamed for interrupting the unification they must fight their way home. Based on Sol Yurick’s The Warriors Walter Hill’s cinematic skill, mannerist style helps you buy into the characters one night and earlier morning plight. Its set pieces are a ballet of stylised gang violence. David Shaber…

[filmandtvhistory]

February 9, 1979 - The Warriors is released theatrically in the US.

The film was based on Sol Yurick’s 1965 novel of the same name. It was directed by Walter Hill. He also co-wrote the screenplay with David Shaber.

It has become a cult film and it came it at #16 on Entertainment Weekly’s list of their Top 50 Greatest Cult Films.

[thatsnotcanonpodcasts]

The Warriors (1979)

This week Sebastian, Alex and Zane cover the "classic" film The Warriors.

Like us and continue the discussion on Facebook, Twitter, our Website,

OR, find all of our sister podcasts at www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com

[emeson]

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The Warriors 1979 "Warriors, come out to play" #classicfilm #Repost @sagharborcinema ... Directed by Walter Hill , USA 1979 (93 mins) in English An ardent Walter Hill supporter from the very beginning, Pauline Kael called the The Warriors “visual rock”. In 1979, at the time of its release, Paramount kept the critics away from this adaptation of Sol Yurick’s sociologically minded gang novel, released it in the inner cities as an exploitation movie, without a proper ad campaign. When few episodes of violence were reported in front of some theaters, the studio pretty much pulled the film. Over the years, The Warriors has gained not only ample and well-deserved critical praise but real cult status. It is also undisputedly considered one of the best movies about New York. Shot entirely in the city, mostly outdoors and at night, Hill’s film follows the perilous journey of the Warriors -from a gone bad gang reunion in the Bronx- home to Coney Island. Believed to be responsible for the shooting of Cyrus, a charismatic leader working for gangs’ peace, the Warriors are hunted by rival groups through their 48 miles trip. Working (with David Shaber) on his own typically terse script, Hill was thinking of Xenophon’s Anabasis more than of Yurick’s page: his film would be a Technicolored ancient Greece-like adventure, visually inspired by the stylized look of comics books. A prolog (narrated in voice over by Orson Welles) was to establish the action “in a not so distant future”. The studio eliminated that prolog (it has since been restored in the film’s “Director’s Cut”) and -during the Reagan years- The Warriors was often referred to as a realistic portrait of inner cities’ "hell". Which is ironic and makes its revisiting very, very timely. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVyNGpnoJIE/?utm_medium=tumblr

[babaalexander]

Great Birthday Wishes to Authors Born on January 1 J.D. Salinger (1919-2010) Ally Carter April R Evita Nuh Maile Meloy John Wilkins (1614-1672) Shelby Steele Ousmane Sembene (1923-2007) Mary Beard Jasimuddin (1903-1976) Joe Orton (1933-1967) John Kingsley Orton (1933-1967) Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897-1973) Sandor Petofi (1823-1849) Dwight Taylor (1902-1986) John Fuller Dave Martin (1935-2007) Aleko Konstantinov (1863-1897) Katherine Philips (1632-1664) Gina Berriault (1926-1999) Ali Ahmad Said Peyo Yavorov (1878-1914) Maria Louise Rame (1839-1908) EM Forster (1879-1970) Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849) Mati Unt (1944-2005) Rudolfs Blaumanis (1863-1908) Tory Dent (1958-2005) Bryan Thao Worra Kristijonas Donelaitis (1714-1780) Martin Espada Arthur Hugh Clough (1819-1861) Iain Crichton Smith (1928-1998) Duncan Barrett Dennis O'Driscoll (1954-2012) David Shaber (1929-1999) #JDSalinger (1919-2010) #AllyCarter #AprilR #EvitaNuh #MaileMeloy #JohnWilkins (1614-1672) #ShelbySteele #OusmaneSembene (1923-2007) #MaryBeard #Jasimuddin (1903-1976) #JoeOrton (1933-1967) #JohnKingsleyOrton (1933-1967) #CatherineDrinkerBowen (1897-1973) #SandorPetofi (1823-1849) #DwightTaylor (1902-1986) #JohnFuller #DaveMartin (1935-2007) #AlekoKonstantinov (1863-1897) #KatherinePhilips (1632-1664) #GinaBerriault (1926-1999) #AliAhmadSaid #PeyoYavorov (1878-1914) #MariaLouiseRame (1839-1908) #EMForster (1879-1970) #MariaEdgeworth (1767-1849) #MatiUnt (1944-2005) #BryanThaoWorra #KristijonasDonelaitis (1714-1780) #MartinEspada #DuncanBarrett

[90smovies]

[saturdaynightmatinee]

CALIFICACIÓN PERSONAL:  6 / 10

Título Original: Flight of the Intruder

Año: 1991

Duración: 113 min.

País: Estados Unidos

Director: John Milius

Guion: Robert Dillon, David Shaber (Novela: Stephen Coonts)

Música:  Basil Poledouris

Fotografía: Fred J. Koenekamp

Reparto: Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Sizemore,J. Kenneth Campbell, Dann Florek, Madison Mason, Ving Rhames

Productora: Paramount Pictures

Género: Action, Drama, Thriller

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099587/

TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aWLk36djRE

[harrypotterhousequotes]

SLYTHERIN: "We have been unable to see the truth, because we have fighting for ten square feet of ground, our turf, our little piece of turf. That's crap, brothers! The turf is ours by right, because it's our turn. All we have to do is keep up the general truce. We take over one borough at a time. Secure our territory... secure our turf... because it's all our turf!" –David Shaber + Walter Hill (Cyrus: The Warriors)

[guitarpornography]

Versus Netflix: #35 The Warriors

Dir: Walter Hill

Written by: Walter Hill and David Shaber (Based on the novel by Sol Yurick)

I’m a little dubious about something being a “cult hit,” since it implies this kind of insular nature to enjoying it. I don’t like the idea that we can simply be dismissive of something being good or not based on whether you’re part of the group it should appeal to. No matter how we try to slice it, all art is accessible to anyone, giving the opportunity for contemplation and enjoyment. But I must admit, there is a certain make-up to the idea of the cult hit, as it implies something that isn’t easily understood within our normal conception of the Hollywood film. I’ve been wondering if the Warriors really fits this definition, because the immediate appeal, the gang fights and the chase sequences, are so immediately apparent in what they present that so long as you liked that sort of thing, you’d be into it. But the more I think about it, the more I think that there’s something very strange going on that’s going to make me say something I will never say again on this blog.

But before we get to that, I want to talk about something that drives me up the wall: the cinematography. Like so many other films I’ve seen with supposedly naturalistic tendencies, The Warriors has a problem of being extremely dark in its presentation. I don’t mean that it’s composed or shot in a way that changes the tone of the film, but the fact that it’s really hard at times to see what’s going on. Dirty Harry, my favorite film (maybe, Cloud Atlas is taking a pretty heavy run at it these days), does the same thing at times, presenting shots that don’t really show us anything because the night has so pervaded the shot as to not allow us to really see the depth or presentation of the scene being shown. On a thematic level, this will always make sense, because at night time we will be disoriented and unable to make clear exactly what we’re seeing, having the camera eye take on the same view that the characters on screen see and therefore, mimic the confusion of sight they’re experiencing in the hostile environment they’ve treaded into. But… no matter how much sense this may make, I can’t justify a way where a medium that is specifically meant to be visual can make it so you can’t see any visuals. There’s an old saying about showing and not telling when you’re working on a narrative, and this goes doubly for film, because the action we’re seeing is meant to tell us specific things about the environment and how the characters interact with it. With the Warriors, all the attempts to make a naturalistic look at the urban decay of New York become so obscured for long sections of the film, where it becomes impossible to see exactly how the environment that created these gangs could possibly have done so. The idea of New York in the film always has this implication that it’s utter ruin and degradation is what caused so many gangs to rise up in the first place, but we see so little of the actual downfall of the city to understand why these gangs fit into the urban environment to begin with. It loses that organic extension that makes the scenario of the film more believable, since we’re not given as much visual information as to make sense of the hordes that populate the streets at night. What’s worse, is that the main appeal of the film, the gang fights, are obscured too. Thankfully, many take place in lighted areas and those in the dark do a decent job of just having people popping out of nowhere to kind of show the urban riff raff as being seamlessly part of the city, but it tends to dull the choreography at times, as information regarding the struggles becomes lost in the background. It’s hard to take visceral appeal in a fight scene when we’re squinting at the scene trying to figure out exactly what’s going on, as many of the gang costume schemes tend to run together in a way that doesn’t immediately make apparent who’s who. It can be very messy to look at, which makes a rather staggering attempt to undermine the film as a film.

Now here’s where I say something crazy: this is a film with almost no characterization or even really characters, but it doesn’t matter and is actually better for it. I hate to state the obvious, but characters are important to understanding a story, since we need to understand their reactions to events to understand why a narrative moves as it does. And while I’m sure that some will argue with me, I don’t really feel as if the characters in the Warriors have any real character traits. Swan (Michael Beck) is slightly tougher than everyone else, Luther (David Patrick Kelly) is a vindictive asshole, Cyrus (Roger Hill) is a big talker and Ajax (James Remar) likes sex, but these don’t really explain a lot about what they’re doing in the story. We never understand what motivates them to do as they do based on their characters, instead depending on the tried and true “everyone is going to kill you” scenario as motivation. But… this works for the Warriors on a level that really got me to thinking. The premise of the Warriors is centered around the idea fo street gangs and as the film presents, the gangs are collectivized bunches, dressing the same, acting the same, having the same attitude towards events. What the Warriors does in undercutting individual characters is really bring to prominence the idea of the collective consciousness of the gangs themselves. While each of the Warriors may have a trait or two, the gang as a whole is portrayed as being tough, strong and resourceful. This makes the death of Cleon (Dorsey Wright), oddly insignificant, as the film just immediately moves on from who should be the most important member of the gang dying and immediately turns to Swan to be the new leader, because in a hive mind such as this, the next one up is still the same representation of the group as a whole. We see the Warriors less as individual people, but more as a unit that allows this composite to take shape, understanding their plight because they’re not seen to fit in the overall collective of gangs that make up the city. What Cyrus presents at the beginning of the film in his speech to the gangs of the city is that they’re not far enough apart ideologically to warrant their separation and that collectivizing will allow them to take a power that can gain their equality and possibly dominance in the city. But since the Warriors are seen as dissidents for killing Cyrus, they’re represented as being ideologically different and that’s how we understand their plight, that the gangs attacking them are one unit of thought rather than the individualist like the Warriors. This goes further towards the finale when it’s revealed to the world that SPOILERS Luther was the one who shot Cyrus and the Warriors are vindicated. What Luther did was the ultimate crime: becoming a total individual. Neither meeting the gangs of the city nor his own gang as part of the whole. Luther’s ultimate crime was taking action that didn’t recognize his place amongst the structure he was in, using his attack on Cyrus as a way to get personal revenge on the Warriors. It all kind of culminates in this weird half Marxist message, which is a little confused as to whether we should want to be part of a group or to have our own groups but still not be total individuals, but it’s extremely interesting and surprisingly well presented within the film.

I feel like I’ve run out of things to talk about already, so I guess I can rundown some hallmarks of cult hits. The budget of the film is obviously low, something that is likely the reason the film looks so poor, and it never quite makes that leap to being clever because of its low budget, as the shooting angles and pacing are still rather put together in a conventional way, albeit with a splitting of the collectivist characters for different narrative lines about midway through the film. The score is really a nonfactor for the film and the sound design as a whole is pretty messy at times, making it hard to feel the flow of the piece with all your senses. What makes up for this is the inclusion of the DJ (Lynne Thigpen), a pair of disembodied lips that warns and excoriates the Warriors on their path back to Coney Island. One, Lynne Thigpen has a mesmerizing voice, but what I really like about the presentation of the DJ is that she doesn’t really have an apparent side in the conflict, seeming to drive the story along by encouraging the gangs to attack the Warriors, but at the same time, admiring the Warriors for having the strength to fight them off. It makes for this wonderful idea about what the merits of the gang actually are, since killing Cyrus becomes less important in the face of the Warriors coming to the same strength Cyrus had to unite them, which tangles the morality of the film quite a bit. Costume design is creative and wonderful, as anyone who’s seen this film immediately can tell the difference between the different gangs, especially that weird baseball themed gang, which is important when we can actually see it through the trees because we need to be able to keep sense of what is going on during the hectic pace of the film. And that might be the final word: the film does such a good job feeling hectic and tense, which is important because the story is about running for your life. We always understand that the Warriors’ lives are on the line and that their frantic attempts to get out of the city are marred by confusion and the actual idea of a hostile city. The film manages to be tight enough to make the violence feel real but short and brutal as violence truly is, giving the film that violent and dark feeling it needs to be unique.

I’m not sold that it’s a total classic do to that whole “you can’t see shit for long stretches of the film” thing, but it’s still a much more interesting film than you’d imagine. I like a film that can be enjoyed on the total appeal of its presentation, but then, when you dig down, you find things you hadn’t thought about when watching it. Far from perfect, but the Warriors will at least give you some great fights, so long as you can manage to see them.

Key Scene: I find the scene with Ajax approaching the girl in the park (Mercedes Ruehl) oddly funny. Despite running from both the police and the gangs, Ajax takes notice of a lone girl in a park and abandons his friends to hit on her. His advances are crude, but she seems to respond… until she handcuffs him to the park bench. How ridiculous is it that someone that’s fearing for their life is going to stop and try to have sex? Priorities man! I’ve always felt as if there’s a little menace in the scene, as part of the implication is that Ajax might force himself on her, but he seems so impotent in the face of her behavior, unable to really carry the weight of his strength towards her. I wonder if this partly again because he broke off from the collective, as the film shows us that when we’re alone is when we’re weak.

Who I’d Recommend It To: People who think those damn Jets and Sharks need to spend more time stabbing and less time dancing. Marxists looking for their particular action movie. Fans of Mean Streets, Summer of Sam, Dirty Harry, Death Wish (even though it has the opposite message), Marathon Man and many many exploitation films. Those who don’t mind having trouble seeing action on screen or just love very naturalistic idea of shooting. People in need of a good drinking movie or a movie that shows something about America that they haven’t really thought about. Writers looking to see how characters and narratives interact in different ways. Fans of the gangsta lifestyle and those interested in seeing why certain things have a broader appeal than they realize.

Where You Can Watch It: There’s directors cuts and such, and I’m really curious as to whether or not the Blu Ray might not improve the picture quality. I should also mention that there’s a video game of the Warriors that came out on Playstation 2. I never played it, but if you’re a Warriors fanatic, there ya go. Streaming: http://www.tubeplus.me/movie/581923/The_Warriors/

An Arbitrary Rating: 7/10

[reversingentropy]

"The Warriors" by David Shaber and Walter Hill, based on the novel by Sol Yurick.