Monday, June 22, 2020

11 Off My Head: RIP Joel Schumacher

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Joel Schumacher, the oft critically reviled director who slapped nipples on the Batman suit and probably did enough blow in the 1970s with his pal Halston to keep every drug dealer in the continental United States flush for a lifetime, has died at the age of 80. Honestly I kinda loved Joel, even though his movies often deserved their shit rep. I briefly met him at a party once and he was very nice! (But then I was 20 years old and, judging by his interest, probably his type.) Anyway I considered doing a list of my five favorite films of his -- and I could, because critically reviled or not he made some terrific movies (and yes, as I just recently mentioned I include Batman & Robin on that list of terrific movies.) But my first and best thought was of the most important gift he gifted us with, which was an obscene amount of cinematic male beauty over the years. Just astonishing amounts. Bless him.

11 of My Favorite Joel Schumacher Gratuities

Henry Cavill in Blood Creek

Jason Patric in The Lost Boys (more here)

Chris O'Donnell in Batman & Robin 

Colin Farrell in Tigerland (more here)

Matthew Davis in Tigerland (more here)

Rob Lowe in St Elmo's Fire

Billy Baldwin in Flatliners

Patrick Wilson in Phantom of the Opera

Cam Gigandet in Trespass

Billy Magnussen in Twelve (See more here)

Matthew McConaughey in A Time To Kill
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What are thoughts on Joel Schumacher?
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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

wasn't he a creepy old pervert? and a woody allen defender?

i liked the lost boys though, rip

bdog said...

When I was a kid, I thought 'St. Elmo's Fire' was the greatest movie ever. I rewatched it a few years ago, hoo-boy, that is a bad, bad film. The dramatic ending of Demi Moore leaving her windows open and everyone FREAKING out. Somehow, Mare Winningham and Andrew McCarthy managed to create actual characters in a sea of legitimately terrible performances. In their defense, it is an absurd script. I obviously had terrible taste as a child.

Owen said...

Batman and Robin is better than any Christopher Nolan movie. It’s fun, colourful and has personality as opposed to Nolan’s dour, pretentious, self serious, boring movie bro nonsense. RIP.

Anonymous said...

I remember reading an interview with him years ago where they specifically talked about his ability to shoot movie stars in a way that made them look like movie stars, i.e. gorgeous. A Time to Kill and McConaughey was the main example they were using.

Anonymous said...

Did you fuck him?

Jason Adams said...

If I'd fucked Joel Schumacher I wouldn't have used the word "briefly" re: our meeting. I am a slow, passionate lover.

Sébastien said...

Isn't the gif of Billy Baldwin from Sliver ??

Jason Adams said...

No it's from Flatliners, Sébastien -- BB's character videotapes his sex encounters in it without the women knowing, which is weaponized against him when the Evil breaks loose. It's a whole thing. Anyway that scene was the reason 12 year old me watched Flatliners a lot. A LOT.

shaun said...

I have to share a strange coincidence from yesterday morning. I randomly turned on Woody Allen's Interiors for a 100th watch, and I noticed, maybe for the first time, that JS was the costume designer on that movie. I'd never known he started in costuming. It was very strange to finish the movie, check cnn, and see that he had just died. Creepy. RIP

Jason Adams said...

That's funny, I only found out he did Costumes for Interiors this morning, today. Just read that about an hour ago. He had a pretty interesting life.