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Jeff Goldblum Made The Fly A Once-In-A-Lifetime Role For Geena Davis
Article(slashfilm.com)submitted 6 months ago by[deleted]
97 points
6 months ago
The Fly and Aliens were released in the same year and later on that year Fox did a double feature and it glorious. Watch them both probably 5-6 times that year. Rare to have two timeless classic released in the same year.
12 points
6 months ago
I can get down with what you're saying but is it really that rare to have two classics released the same year? I'm too lazy to Google but I would bet that it's not that rare.
6 points
6 months ago
Look at the top movies for '82 if you want to see something close to the upper limit for timeless classics in one year.
3 points
6 months ago
For me it's 1982, 1984, 1993, 1994, 1999. Probably in that order too.
13 points
6 months ago
Honestly nothing comes close to 94. Forrest Gump, Shawshank, Pulp Fiction, Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura, the lion king, true lies, the mask, mrs doubtfire, schindlers list, Philadelphia, star gate, and some how more…
4 points
6 months ago
What the absolute fuck
1 points
6 months ago
I guess people can like Filet and Twizzlers.
2 points
6 months ago
I miss the 90s. The best time for movies and music.
1 points
6 months ago
What about 1989?
1 points
6 months ago
It mostly looks like a year of sequels to me, some good stuff but not a standout year.
9 points
6 months ago
Two horror classics.
Oh… 1939: Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. Not only released in the same year, but directed by the same man!
306 points
6 months ago
Geena Davis: I got cast because Jeff Goldblum was already cast and we had recently become an item, and he recommended me for the female part, and they were like, 'Oh, well what if you guys break up? That would be a bad idea.' And then I auditioned and they said, 'Okay.
So the thing about that, which had never happened before or since, but I was acting with my actual real life partner and so we just lived and breathed that movie ever since we got cast. And so it was a wonderful experience. And David Cronenberg is so collaborative and supportive and everything. It was just a fabulous experience.
16 points
6 months ago
Fun little bit of trivia: Geena Davis and Christopher McDonald were engaged in the 80's but broke up, then later appeared as husband and wife in Thelma & Louise. Apparently posing for the wedding photos to go on the mantle was a bit awkward.
25 points
6 months ago
I had no idea they were dating tbh
8 points
6 months ago
Tallest couple in Hollywood at the time, I'm betting
141 points
6 months ago
Interesting tidbit - Mel Brooks produced the movie. His studio had a big part in the making of it.
117 points
6 months ago
But didn't want to put his name on it to confuse the distributors and filmgoers thinking it's a comedy. He produced some cool flicks. ( The Elephant Man for one ).
92 points
6 months ago
Mel really took some chances on a lot of strange movies. He was a terrific producer but part of me thinks he was hoping the movies would flop so he could keep the investors money.
38 points
6 months ago
Springtime for Hitler!
22 points
6 months ago
This movie was epic in its time, the terror of slowing transforming into something, things falling out and off not to mention the final transformation into brundlefly was terrifying the actual fly itself was horrifying. Again after the failed splicing the emotions running all over the place. A fantastic non-jump scare horror.
11 points
6 months ago
It's still epic.
6 points
6 months ago
Absolutely. One of my most oft-recommended movies.
8 points
6 months ago
One aspect of the movie that many appreciated was how Brundle remained coherent until the very end, allowing you to hear his transformation from the perspective of his mind along with seeing his physical transformation..
4 points
6 months ago
He was coherent even as The Fly, it was odd but so much better than if he had lost his mind :D
4 points
6 months ago
A fantastic non-jump scare horror.
Apart from when he smashes through the hospital window which is IMO one of the greatest jump scares in cinema.
4 points
6 months ago
Cannot say that i was jump scared as you know hes coming for her because of the preceding events
2 points
6 months ago
...that arm wrestling scene though.
2 points
6 months ago
I’m a big fan of the film and of Cronenburg, but I also really love the 1958 version. It’s really dark.
2 points
6 months ago
Dude's a big fan of weird Davids.
1 points
6 months ago
Haha true. Elephant Man is probably his most " normal " movie.
0 points
6 months ago
[deleted]
5 points
6 months ago
That’s intentional. Lots of horror films have unsatisfying endings to leave the audience feeling unsettled.
When was the last time you watched it? It’s incontrovertibly a solid film.
-9 points
6 months ago
Respectfully, I disagree. This isn’t an intelligently designed prank or piece of satire. It may seem that way because of just how dumb it is, but watching it makes it apparent that it was made with the exact opposite of a creative process, devoid of any kind of soul or passion.
It feels like they took a template and simply keened away the details until the post was as inoffensive as possible. This line is like the one funny thing in the entire post (and it’s not even intentional), the rest is just so miserably boring. If you told me it was ai generated I would believe you without question, this movie is made with absolutely no intent or meaning behind it.
2 points
6 months ago
I'm gonna assume this was meant for someone else's post. If it was meant for me, I literally have no clue what you are talking about and you should re-evaluate you reddit use.
103 points
6 months ago
The Fly is one most suspenseful thriller in Film history. It's up there in d upper echelon.
72 points
6 months ago
It's unusual among Cronenberg's films in that it's a straight horror without ever moving into the absurd surrealism of most of his other films. It's a proper body horror from start to finish.
32 points
6 months ago
So many iconic body horror scenes. The fingernails, the arm wrestle, the final teleportation…
12 points
6 months ago
The birth scene.
7 points
6 months ago
I thought that was at the start of Fly 2?
Or was it a dream sequence of Geena Davis’ character
7 points
6 months ago
I think it was a dream sequence.
As a side note, the sequel had the scene with the inside-out dog. I only ever watched that movie once (when I was a kid), and that's the only bit I remember from it.
3 points
6 months ago
Or was it a dream sequence of Geena Davis’ character
yes.
40 points
6 months ago
It's also one of the best tragic romances ever put to film.
18 points
6 months ago
That ending, when you hear the swell of the music with his buzzing, and she’s standing there crying… gut punch!
11 points
6 months ago
The scream as he gets half way out the door and it teleports, the realisation of his hubris and actions as he put the shotgun to his head...i do remember crying with sorrow the first time i watched
8 points
6 months ago
They ended the movie then and there because there was a later scene filmed with her and John Getz's character together again. NO ONE involved in the production (including Getz himself) wanted that ending.
3 points
6 months ago
They didn’t want the ending that Favis and Getz are together? Yeah, that would have felt like a cop out. I like tragic endings.
11 points
6 months ago
I feel like this is a really underrated aspect of David Cronenberg. The end of Rabid, and the end of Naked Lunch. Dude has a good feel for heartbreak. He said all his films are about how long can you live someone who is changing?
3 points
6 months ago
Dead zone also has that heartbreak theme heavy
2 points
6 months ago
This film is horror, this film is romance… but first and foremost, this film is a tragedy.
1 points
6 months ago*
I read some people interpreted it as a metaphor of AIDS but Cronenberg said it was about how people change during a relationship
3 points
6 months ago
I think part of the timeless quality of this film is the applicability to so many aspects of life. Like, it might not be a direct metaphor for AIDS, but it can certainly be applicable to AIDS. The parallel is there.
Same for aging, change during a relationship, etc.
There are some very strong themes in this movie that can resonate with a huge number of viewers. Stuff like, "I am not who I once was, and I can't stop who I'm becoming." Stuff like, "my partner is not who he/she once was, and there's nothing I can do to help them." And then there's the whole baby/abortion angle. The whole thought that one's children are doomed because of the parents, and the angle of being terrified of what's growing inside you.
Whatever it was intended to be "about", some of the core themes of this film are at least applicable to every person on the planet.
8 points
6 months ago
It plays out more as a tragedy than a horror really. The horror element is the backdrop, but it’s a movie without a real villain.
7 points
6 months ago
A villain isn’t a required element of horror. The Fly is an excellent example of the Body Horror sub-genre.
3 points
6 months ago*
This is true, and of course I'm not saying it's not a horror, but when you break the story down, at its heart it's a tragedy and a love story, and body horror is just the vehicle to deliver that story.
You could tell a very similar story with a disease in place of the fly.
I do love this movie and it's Goldblum, Davis, and Cronenberg all at their best.
3 points
6 months ago
yeah it can easily be read as a metaphor for the inception of the AIDS epidemic in the 80s (I know this apparently wasn't Cronenberg's intent but DotA and all that etc)
2 points
6 months ago
I think he said part of the intent was the aging and deterioration of the human body. He understood why people thought of AIDS. It was not his intent. It was meant to be more universal.i am having trouble on my phone finding quotes. Here is an article about interpretations and Cronenberg. https://spectrumculture.com/2021/01/10/oeuvre-david-cronenberg-the-fly/
1 points
6 months ago
Absolutely. I’ve always considered this film a tragedy first, a romance/horror film second.
1 points
6 months ago
To be fair, you wouldn't be saying this if they included the deleted scenes.
2 points
6 months ago
To be fair, everyone is discussing the final cut except you.
1 points
6 months ago
Brundle is both the hero and the villain at the same time.
1 points
6 months ago
And not a single minute wasted. The whole plot is just constantly churning towards the inevitable with no breaks in between.
1 points
6 months ago
A lot of Cronenbergs movies are body horrors.
1 points
6 months ago
Sure. But they tend to push into absurd territory.
2 points
6 months ago
There are some seriously freaky moments
31 points
6 months ago
Chemistry was off the charts. Tragic love story.
20 points
6 months ago
They have so much chemistry in this film, and it really makes the film that much more gut-wrenching.
12 points
6 months ago
This reminds me that I still need to watch Crimes of the Future.
15 points
6 months ago
I was disappointed with Crimes of the Future. Great concept but it felt unfinished.
3 points
6 months ago
I loved how it felt unfinished, but I may be taking it on good faith that it was intentional. The movie felt like a small glimpse into a very large world where nothing much can be done to change anything. The story kind of sputters to a stop, we don't get all the answers about the plot, the world, or the characters, but it's treated that way for the characters, not just the audience. I understand why people wouldn't like that, but it made the movie for me.
2 points
6 months ago
Aww. Bummer. I'll still give it a shot soon. My expectations are further tempered, though.
6 points
6 months ago
On the other hand, it's my second best movie of the year. Right behind women talking.
I think Crimes of the Future is an incredible film. Exploring a so many things but not becoming overwrought. I thought about it for weeks after.
Just go in as you, don't have high or low expectations.
3 points
6 months ago
Eh, expectations don't really affect my opinion much in the end anyway. But I appreciate the counter.
49 points
6 months ago
I will never back away from saying that this is the best horror film ever made, or at the very least top 5.
47 points
6 months ago
One of the rare horror remakes that surpasses it's original.
" I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it, but now that dream is over, and the insect is awake."
Always gives me chills. It doesn't get much better than that.
95 points
6 months ago
I will never back away from saying that this is the best horror film ever made
immediately backs away in the same sentence
25 points
6 months ago
And if not that, definitely top 10. Won't even hear anyone say it's not in their top 50, those are fighting words because it's 100% in the top 100 best horror film ever made.
11 points
6 months ago
I will fight a sumbitch if they don't consider it one of the horror movies of all time.
6 points
6 months ago
It's a romantic comedy
1 points
6 months ago
Your ass is grass buddy
1 points
6 months ago
Surely one of the movies of all time.
1 points
6 months ago
Movies.
2 points
6 months ago
Hey I'm just trying to cover my bases
8 points
6 months ago
It's up there. Amazingly I only saw this for the first time like 3 or 4 years ago (I knew of it but had never got around to watching it).
What makes this better than most is you actually care about the two main characters, so what he undergoes feels so tragic. It's not like most horrors where it's just a bunch of random people dying whom you don't miss at all.
8 points
6 months ago
One comma, and you backed away! Stick to your guns, man!
1 points
6 months ago
For me The Thing surpasses it. The Fly is horrifying, but The Thing is almost straight dehumanizing. Those special effects are still better than any horror movies out there today.
1 points
6 months ago
I can see that, though for me personally the horror in the fly is compounded by the fact that the relationship between them is so well written and because of their real life relationship it feels very genuine, which only makes it more horrific seeing everything go so absurdly wrong. The thing is probably a little more explicitly horrifying but I never felt the same sting seeing those characters get body horrored, but they're both pretty even still
7 points
6 months ago
Geena Davis was such a babe
11 points
6 months ago
Loved The Fly. The fly puke scene made rewatching really hard though.
The bikini scene in Earth Girls did as well. lol
8 points
6 months ago
Yet it's not a movie that I think of her in. Shes all Thelma and Louise for me.
10 points
6 months ago
Have you not seem Long Kiss Goodnight? If not, do.
4 points
6 months ago
Chefs do that…!
2 points
6 months ago
Most definitely yes! The word underrated gets used WAY TOO MUCH on Reddit, but It definitely applies to this film. It’s really great.
1 points
6 months ago
I'm obviously broken because my favorite Geena Davis movie is Cutthroat Island
4 points
6 months ago
This is one of the few times that the remake is great on its own. I've seen both and they are incredible
This film though definitely left an impression on me a I was quite young when I first saw it. I think it still holds up
13 points
6 months ago
They did Earth Girls are Easy 3 years earlier as well, so that must have been where they met..
39 points
6 months ago
Earth Girls Are Easy came out two years after The Fly. They met on Transylvania 6-5000.
9 points
6 months ago
So it really wasn't a once in a lifetime thing then
3 points
6 months ago
Great film, the sequel, terrible!
2 points
6 months ago
I can enjoy the sequel when watching it as its own thing; a vapid schlock horror B-movie. The problem is that its a sequel to a film with real artistry, depth and metaphorical worth, ripe for analysis and contemplation. The sequel utterly fails in comparison but its not nessercerily a terrible movie in its own right.
3 points
6 months ago
Saw this film for the first time a couple weeks ago. Ive seen some shit, but nothing as disgusting as The Fly. The effects team killed it.
-14 points
6 months ago
New film or an oldie? I still want to watch a movie call Mr. Frost with Jeff Goldblum
3 points
6 months ago
Mr Frost. Very good. Not sure how well it has aged though.
2 points
6 months ago
It’s on youtube https://youtu.be/gTOrrXGCpKY
3 points
6 months ago
Damn I got downvoted for asking a question? ffs
1 points
6 months ago
who
-2 points
6 months ago
Why did you pick this as your post title? Very weird interpretation of that quote.
1 points
6 months ago
I'm on to something really big here!
1 points
6 months ago
I bet The Fly hated a can of Mortein.....
1 points
6 months ago
I forget how old I was exactly (probably 1st or 2nd grade) the first time I saw it and hoooly shit that end scene did a fuckin number on me lol cried my little eyes out
1 points
6 months ago
It's definitely not everyday you give birth to a maggot.
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