Just saw a RR Related movie that was so stupid it was funny

[Anonymous]

Marx Brothers + a Transcontinental train = Such a stupidly funny movie.

Yesterday I saw "Going West", and near the end of the movie, the Marx Brothers, Groucho, Chico and Harpo, had taken control of a wood burning steamer (I think itwas a 2-8-2 light Mike, not sure). Using the "Engineer Manual", they skip topics like "How to cool a Hot Box" to figure out how to start the loco, end up snapping the brake lever, use kerosene to try to put out the fire, and rin the train off rails through a farm. Great rail action movie. I loved it. anyone else seen it?

[Anonymous]

Nope never saw that movie. But the movie "Atomic Train" is good also.

[Modelcar]

Rix should know about it, he's the movie expert.

[vsmith]

Atomic Train was howlingly funny, so was Under Seige 2, ...

...but niether was intentionally hilarious....

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Atomic Train was howlingly funny, so was Under Seige 2, ...

...but niether was intentionally hilarious....

Atomic Train was funny??? Wow..must be two movies called that

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Atomic Train was howlingly funny, so was Under Seige 2, ...

...but niether was intentionally hilarious....

Hey, I know some of the guys in Under Siege 2 and the folks who did the railroad work for the filming (not the models). They did a nice job. Started a few small fires...but hey, whaddaya expect with old GPs...

LC

[rixflix]

"Going West"......Even with the RR scenes, I had to chuck it because it was too sad to see the Marxies in decline. Sometimes I wish I could have it back to scavenge clips.
That might be a good project, salvaging good takes from otherwise awful movies, like "Atomic Train".
Rixflix

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Atomic Train was howlingly funny, so was Under Seige 2, ...

...but niether was intentionally hilarious....

Hey, I know some of the guys in Under Siege 2 and the folks who did the railroad work for the filming (not the models). They did a nice job. Started a few small fires...but hey, whaddaya expect with old GPs...

LC

Yeah?, too bad the special effects guys couldnt hide Seagal's by then rotund shape and bad acting [:D] They should have blown up the screenplay instead of the bridge/tank train/finale...quite a disappointing sequel, I really liked the first "Under Siege"...

NJMike, ever heard of the phrase "its so bad, its good" ?

It refers to things that are sooo bad that they become fun to watch because they are sooooo bad, Mystery Science Theater 3000 did just this for almost 8 years on cable, taking really bad movies and howling at them, Atomic Train would be a good candidiate for this show.

Ridiculous plot, hilarious logic, and atrocious acting all contribute to a real whopper of a bad flick, sooo bad, its good![;)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rixflix

"Going West"......Even with the RR scenes, I had to chuck it because it was too sad to see the Marxies in decline.
Rixflix

After the movie they said most of the fact that they weren't so good as in other movies, was becaiuse the director refused to laugh at them, and forced all the cast & crew to not laugh on OR off screen at them. Blame the director every time.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone ever seen a main-stream movie where they got the RR part right.

The two most laughable RR blunders were:
1) The movie JFK (events circa 1963) - Oliver Stone filmed the investigators looking over a dead body along a RR track. In the background, a double stack train w/ BNAU containers passing behind (circa 1985)

2) Broken Arrow - John Travolta and Christian Slater have a fight scene on a empty 89' TOFC flat that has been outfitted with lots of extra hand holds, rails, steps, etc to enhance the ability of the stuntmen to kinda fall off the car, hang over the edge, look REEEEAALLY scary, etc.

[Train Guy 3]

I'm watching Under Siege 2 right now. I love the sub-title " Dark Territory".... hmmm train passes a red signal and look an automatic switch.... yea that sounds like dark territory.

[rixflix]

My opinion:::
After "A Day at the Races" (1937), the Marx Brothers as a team and draw slipped out of sight. There are several reasons for this, but
I'm falling asleep now and will post later.

Rix

[vsmith]

A few thoughts about Groucho and Co,

The Marx Bro's very first movies were by far the funniest, "The Coconuts" was a broadway show taylor made for the Marx's lifted straight off of the stage and shot to film (this was VERY common for early sound flix) and features probably the very purest of the Marx's vaudeville day's performances. When they came to Hollywood, they adjusted their style from a more verbal stage humor to include outragious sight gags that could be accomplished on film (The football game in Horse Feathers is a great example) but they never lost sight that they were best known for the fast paced reparte between Groucho and Chico ( The "Why a duck" schetch in The Coconuts predates Abbott and Costello's "Whos on first" by almost 10 years).

The first film The Coconuts is a bit of an oddball being a transplanted stage show, it didnt date to well, but the next 4 films are by most considered the funniest, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, Duck Soup, and Animal Crackers are classics. The most acclaimed movie is probably "A night at the opera" which has one of the best comic scenes ever shot, Groucho's tiny cabin getting crammed with more and more people. BTW that gag was writen by Buster Keaton who came up with almost ALL of the Marx's physical gag's, he gots blacklisted for his drinking and carousing, the Marx's let him do the stunt gag writing but he remained uncredited to avoid the studio's wrath. I still can't watch "Il Trovitore" ( a truely BAD opera, I call it 'il Travisty") with out seeing Harpo and Groucho reaking havoc on stage.

But then the studios began sabatoging what made the Brothers so good, demanding actual scripts for one thing, then insisting that they follow what scripts thier were to the letter and frowning on the brothers on screen improvisations. By the time "At the Circus" "A Day at the Races" "The Big Store" and "Go West" came out the brothers knew there style of humor was getting killed by the mindless decisions being made by the studios, "Love Mad" was probably the lowest ebb (although it does have one of the earliest screen appearences of Marylin Monroe )and the brother quit making movies after that.

Grouch went on to reinvent himself with "You Bet Your Life" and Harpo found a second career doing guest appearences on early TV shows "I Love Lucy" 's famous schene with Lucy disguised as Harpo is a true TV classic, but its a scene straight out of Animal Crackers between Groucho and Harpo disguised as Groucho. A reminder of how funny they were at thier purest.

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Train Guy 3

I'm watching Under Siege 2 right now. I love the sub-title " Dark Territory".... hmmm train passes a red signal and look an automatic switch.... yea that sounds like dark territory.

Some DARK TERRITORY is not as dark as others. In some Dark Territory there are self restoring switches as well as radio operated switches. The signal conveys no BLOCK authority, just conveys the switch position. The authority for movement is still DTC or Track Warrent authority.

[Anonymous]

There are some good movies with trains in them. Runway Train, Von Ryan Express, The Train and Breakheart Pass.

[vsmith]

This topic has been explored before...
My personal favorite is Buster Keaton's "The General."

[Anonymous]

Ah, yes, The general. very funny. Have it on DVD. Personally, as a history buff, Prefer the disney "Great locomotive chase" over The General for that particular story, for obvious storyline accuracy.

How much railroad is in "The great train robbery" Starring sean connery. I almost got to watch that recently.

[espeefoamer]

I love that scene in The General where Buster Keaton is sitting on the drive rod of the locomotive,and it starts moving.Buster Keaton just sits there with a deadpan look on his face as the engine moves offscreen.

[vsmith]

Trainheartedguy

The Great Train Robbery is one of the best out there! Terrific story, taught action, and outstanding footage of some old British steam. Based on a real 19th century train robbery, Connery is great, Donald Sutherland and the rest of the cast are also great, this is lots of fun.

Have the Great Locomotive Chase, great train scenes but flat acting, cardboard characters, slow storytelling and too much Disney 50's era film kitsche (filmed like a TV show, not a movie) for me to really enjoy it.

Espeefoamer, my favorite scenes are when Buster is pursueing in the Texas, see's a boxcar in front of him, begins pushing it, has to step away from the engineers seat to fix a leak, whereapon the boxcar get derailed and dissappears, Buster gets back into the seat looks forward and has just the best look of "what just happened" I have ever seen on film,... and of course the famous rail cannon scene, which if you have the version shown on PBS has a perfectly timed original orchestral soundtrack which matchs the cannonball firing over the tender and landing in the cab! Laughed off the chair when I saw that scene the first time.

[rich747us]

Oh gosh, Atomic train, dont remind me! The producers certianly didint go out of their way with respects to technical expertise. We should have a contest to see who can pick out the most rulebook violatons throughout the movie, lol (which in my opinion felt like it was never going to end! If I remember correctly, I dont think I finished watching it!).