THE DANMAN CAN

8 Million Ways To Die (1986), originally written by Oliver Stone , rewritten several times by other writers, and famously taken away from director  Hal Ashby  after filming completed, is a mess of a movie, but a very watchable mess. It's an odd choice for Ashby to have been involved with, really doesn't feel like one of his films (outside of the large amount of ad-libbing), and it's a shame that it didn't turn out stronger. (Incidentally, my Ashby Double Feature today happened to be his debut,  The Landlord   (1970) ( review ), starring Beau Bridges , and this, his final film, starring Jeff Bridges .) 8MWTD dabbles in violent neo-noir but doesn't hold a candle to pictures like  William Friedkin 's  To Live And Die In L.A.   (1985) ( review ) or  Neil Jordan 's  Mona Lisa  (1986) ( review ). Despite not being terribly great, the film does feature good lead performances, some choice dialogue, and a very '80s head-bobbing synthesized score...

An assured debut by director  Hal Ashby , The Landlord (1970), written by  Bill Gunn  ( Ganja & Hess  (1973) ( review )), is a poignant (and still relevant) race relations comedy with superb cinematographic style (by   Gordon Willis ), biting dialogue, wonderful performances, and a genuine lived-in quality. Hal Ashby Feature Films Ranked

In The Heat Of The Night   (1967) features electric performances from  Sidney Poitier  and  Rod Steiger , a taut script by  Stirling Silliphant , confident direction by  Norman Jewison , striking cinematography by  Haskell Wexler , tight editing by future director  Hal Ashby , and a rollicking score by  Quincy Jones  (including the famous  title song  sung by  Ray Charles ). A stone classic that still impresses.

A perfect and perfectly charming film. One of my  Top 100 Films . I only first saw  Hal Ashby 's   Harold And Maude (1971) in 2012. I had been aware of the film for a long time before that but I never got around to seeing it until then. I fell instantly in love. I've seen H&M  four times now and it's lost none of its charm. It serves as a reminder not to take yourself too seriously and not to lose your joie de vivre. If you want to sing out, sing out . Hal Ashby Feature Films Ranked

Hal Ashby  made twelve theatrical feature films and one TV movie during his lifetime (in addition to editing a handful of films, including two classics) and The Last Detail (1973) is only the third of his films that I've seen. While it didn't have the same impact on me that seeing Harold And Maude (1971) ( review ) for the first time did, and while I think I like it just slightly less than Being There (1979), The Last Detail  is an excellent film and one I can see myself revisiting. It contains one of Jack Nicholson ’s best, most naturalistic performances. It has a spare, at times handheld feel, even approaching a documentary-like quality (partly because the characters feel so real), though it does have some beautifully long dissolves and satisfyingly long takes. It's roughly lit (intentionally by debut cinematographer Michael Chapman ) and roughly recorded (some bits of dialogue aren’t even audible), which all just adds to the realism. Moments feel captured rather th...

In The Heat Of The Night (1967) features electric performances from  Sidney Poitier  and  Rod Steiger , a taut script by  Stirling Silliphant , confident direction by Norman Jewison , striking cinematography by Haskell Wexler , tight editing by future director Hal Ashby , and a rollicking score by Quincy Jones  (including the famous title song sung by Ray Charles ). A stone classic that still impresses.

The Thomas Crown Affair  (1968) features an ultra cool score by  Michel Legrand,  excellent cinematography (and fun split-screen) by the legendary Haskell Wexler , assured direction by Norman Jewison , and two incredibly charismatic and attractive leads in superstars  Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway (in only her fourth role). A fun romantic heist film!

Recommended if you enjoy faux suicide attempts, fumbling moustachioed motorcycling policemen, and/or lots of Cat Stevens.