Hudson Hawk (1991) dir. Michael Lehman
Starring: Bruce Willis, Danny Aiello
1/2
Gotta love the tagline:
Catch the Excitement
Catch the Adventure
Catch the Hawk
I never saw “Hudson Hawk” when it was originally released, and so when it came on Bravo! or TBS or something I thought I’d finally see what all the fuss was about waaaay back in 1991. That year it received three Razzies for Worst Picture, Worst Screenplay and Worst Director. With this in mind I thought I could perhaps help rediscover the film and say… “hey ‘Hudson Hawk’ isn’t all that bad, it’s actually pretty good.” But I can’t. Hudson Hawk really is that terrible.
The film opens with a ridiculous flashback to the mid 1500’s where we see Leonardo Da Vinci working on several of his famous inventions, including a precious gold making device. Cut to 400 years later, Bruce Willis Ernie “Hudson Hawk” Hawkins a working-class-charming safe cracker recently released from prison. His best friend and partner in crime/mentor is Tommy Five-Tone (Danny Aiello). Immediately upon Hawk’s release he’s blackmailed by his own parole officer into doing another heist. He performs the deed using his trademark style – in time and sync with his favourite crooners. Set to the Bing Crosby diddy, “Swinging on a Star”, Hawk and Two-Tone, sing and dance their way out of the building successfully with the Da Vinci device we saw in the flashback.
Suddenly some government agents (one of whom is a skinny David Caruso) show up at an art auction who chase Willis down, kidnap him and blackmail him into stealing some more priceless art. Somewhere in the mix are Richard E. Grant and Sandra Bernhart (the only one who is watchable) who are also after Da Vinci’s inventions.
This is where I stopped watching and erased it from my PVR.
I didn’t need to see the rest of the film to realize the film is as bad as it’s purported to be. Is it bad enough to have Bruce Willis and Danny Aiello, neither of whom can really carry a tune, sing and dance their way through some of the most famous museums in the world? The action in the film is a cartoon slapstick mash-up. Though calling it ‘cartoonish’ would actually be insulting to the great works of Chuck Jones. The ambulance chase sequence is quite laughable for the wrong reasons (see youtube clip below). So let’s just call it crap.
The film was directed by Michael Lehman, who was already a cult favourite for making “Heathers”. He completely sold out with “Hawk”. And he never did recover fully either - among his next films were “Air Heads” and “My Giant”. Bruce Willis is the only one to fault though. It was a vanity project from the start – he even gets a ‘story by’ credit.
BTW: I also didn’t get the whole candy bar theme of the film. The government agent characters are named “Almond Joy”, “Snickers”, Butterfinger” and “Kit Kat”.
Though I can’t imagine why, but I assume “Hudson Hawk” probably has some sort of minor obsessive fan base that probably enjoys the humour and carefree attitude of the film. So there might be some angry comments. But for everyone else, I’m sorry I had to blog about this film. Tomorrow’s will be better. I promise.
Oh yeah Frank Stallone is also in it. Enjoy.
Buy it here: Hudson Hawk
Here’s the ambulance scene:
1 comment :
New da Vinci Conspiracy Theory Surfaces, Michael W. Domoretsky’s Discovery “The Perpendicular Reverse Mirror Image” Seems To Have Weight, Very Much Weight!
Leonardo da Vinci's, pictures Within Pictures, Discovered by Michael W. Domoretsky 2005~2007
Leonardo da Vinci "Pictures Within Pictures " Outside the box, outside the frame. Researched, discovered and documented in 2005, the perpendicular reverse mirror image process and the optical illusion, both invented and applied to Leonardo’s masterpieces, discovered by Michael W. Domoresty of Boston, Massachusetts, five hundred years after Leonardo da Vinci’s lifetime.
The da Vinci project has been under way since 2005 with hundreds of Pictures within Pictures. We are in the process of building a comprehensive documentary presenting these extraordinary findings.
Leonardo da Vinci, Pictures Within Pictures, outside the box, outside the frame.
An intimate and divine truth hidden for centuries at last unveiled in the Mona Lisa, and yes, in other of Leonardo's works including his first recorded drawing, the Landscape of the Arno Valley and his masterpiece, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the infant St. John the Baptist, “the Last Supper” and others as well.
Anew never before recognized perspective hidden for five hundred years in plain sight, Emerges! Leonardo's message,’ Pictures Within Pictures’ outside the box, outside the frame
Five hundred years after Leonardo’s lifetime, his genius and message come to light in mirrors and optical illusions. His" secret code " has been hidden in plain sight to be deciphered outside the original borders of the painting using a " perpendicular reverse mirror image process" Leonardo, (actually Lionardo) was a man of formidable intellect, talent, craft and most importantly a man of curiosity who observed "truth" in the world in all its forms, Physical, Philosophical, and Religious. He was hundreds of years ahead of his time, constrained by the religious tenets and politics of his day. As a result he was unable to express reality, as he perceived it, and so devised a means by which to conceal his truths from all those whom he did not want to understand them for fear of persecution. Being a man of science and art as well as one of the most inventive men of all time, he appears to have imbued his art with multiple levels of meaning; at one level beautiful works of art. On a second and un-deciphered level, until Michael Domoretsky discovered the images it in 2005, appears to challenge the dogma of his day and pass on his beliefs, observations and truths using a process that only one who perceived the world outside the accepted realm, a scientist or mathematician might discover.
The more in-dept and familiar one becomes with Leonardo the man, the more these unique finds make sense.
Unlike other artist that are painters first, painting what they see or the impression of what they see, Leonardo appears to have been a scientist and inventor first, then artist, using his sharp powers of observation and reason to create both timeless works of art and as yet not fully deciphered messages for those not limited by traditional thinking.
The more carefully his words, deeds, apparent opinions and interest are studied the more credence can be given to his seeking to preserve his thoughts and observations by unorthodox means.
Leonardo left clues... He was credited with having said; the eye," Who would believe that so small a space could contain the images of all the universe." Leonardo believed that the perception by the eye; light, dark, shadow, and perspective held the secrets of the world. Hence, when you include Leonardo's life long fascination with mirrors and writing backward it appears likely that he would choose to use constructs and concepts familiar and unique to him to transmit and yet hide from a restrictive and turbulent society, his most treasured messages.
For hundreds of years scholars have continued to study Leonardo's priceless works of art using the most cutting edge technologies available. In recent times millions of dollars have been allocated to perform all types of scientific studies seeking to determine if Leonardo hid anything underneath his finished works...all within the frame of his artworks. The plain and obvious truth is that he did hide things, however Leonardo was forced to work within the limitations and utilized the technologies of his day. His meanings are in plain sight but only for those able to think outside the box and frame. All of the writings and documents relating to Leonardo, point to his being deliberate and patient in everything he did, both in his creations and his art; so it would appear all but inconceivable that in his major and personally treasured works, that every detail would have been a deliberate act of thought, and not an inadvertent inclusion. A minor anomaly in a masterpiece might happen, though unlikely in multiple of masterpieces by such a perfectionist. Clearly recognizable, perfectly formed symmetrical symbols on both sides of his best masterpieces, utilizing mirrors, a technique Leonardo was well know to have used, make it being anything but intentional, all but impossibly be the judge.
We welcome comments by all interested parties and will post appropriate comments.
All rights reserved, no unauthorized copying or republishing without express written permission by owner. Copyright Michael W. Domoretsky. http://www.lionardofromvinci.com / 2005~2007~
DaVinci and the Secret of the Mona Lisa, article by: ThothWeb, http://www.thothweb.com/article-4011--0-0.html Mirror image, http://www.lionardofromvinci.com/mirrorimage.html
The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the infant St. John, mirror image, http://www.lionardofromvinci.com/Mona.html
Contact, http://www.lionardofromvinci.com/contact.html
My feelings and thoughts towards the article written on Pesci Slavisa in reference to the finds of Secret image found within the Last Supper Supper.
The da Vinci Project
Pesci Slavisa has indeed found one of the many of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Pictures Within Pictures, outside the box, outside the frame”, “or did he”? Leonardo da Vinci’s perpendicular reverse mirror image process and the optical illusion, researched, discovered and documented in “2005,” in his various paintings, originally by Mr. Michael W. Domoretsky. Unlike that of Slavism’s, it take’s a much different approach to the masters works, a more outside the box, outside the frame view and perspective.
For hundred of years scholars have continued to study Leonardo’s priceless works of art using the most cutting edge technologies available, in recent times millions of dollars have been allocated to perform all types of scientific studies seeking to determine if da Vinci hid anything underneath his finished works, all within the frames of his artworks. The plain and obvious truth is that Leonardo worked within the limitations and utilized the technologies of his day. His meanings are in plain sight only for those, able to think outside the box, outside the frame. All of the writings and documents relating to Leonardo point to his being deliberate and patient in everything he did, both in his creations and his art; so it would appear all but inconceivable that in his major and personally treasured works, that every detail would have been a deliberate act of thought, and not an \inadvertent" inclusion. A minor anomaly in a masterpiece might happen, through unlikely in works by dozens of clearly recognizable, perfectly formed symmetrical symbols on both sides of his best masterpieces, utilizing mirrors, a technique Leonardo was well known to have used, make it being anything but intentional, all but impossible. You be the judge.
Many of the findings of Leonardo’s never before seen pictures are so subtle as to by controversial and open to interpretation and disagreement, however many of the findings would appear to be quite self-evident and clearly recognizable by the great majority of those viewing them for the first time. The sheer number of these clearly recognizable symbols makes it appear all but impossible for them to be accidental or coincidental in nature. Leonardo da Vinci states his case both for deliberate creation and hidden meaning within his art, in both his written texts and by his known predilections.” Make your work carry out your purpose and meaning. That is when you draw a figure consider well who it is and what you wish it to be doing.” ”Leonardo da Vinci” As usual, as is our experience, repeated time and time again, renowned art critics and professed art experts, such as Vittorio Scarbi and many others, base their opinions on accepted art world and art education precepts looking at daVinci’s works as artists not scientists or inventor. We on the other hand think you will be quite intrigued and fascinated with the reverse perpendicular mirror image process and the bending of light / optical illusion, that Leonardo was quite familiar with invented, and more likely as we have discovered, practiced in perfecting this process within his masterpieces.
As always it is difficult to persuade experts professing established thought in any field to consider new, alternate or previously UN accepted ideas. But then the experts thought the world was flat for centuries. Links to the processes discovered.
We welcome comments by interested parties and will post appropriate.
http://www.lionardofromvinci.com/Mona.html
http://www.lionardofromvinci.com/Mona.html
http://www.lionardofromvinci.com/contact.html
The da Vinci Project
Managing Director, Michael W. Domoretsky
Director: M. Graham Noll
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