L.Q. Jones
12 connections found
Filmography
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Connections, in both directions
Joel and Boy are reminiscent of the equivalent “iconic duo” (as Joel dubs them) from “I Am Legend,” and even the dog’s name seems a winking reference to 1975’s “A Boy and His Dog,” a far nastier, grimier tale of a human-canine pair traversing a mutant-infested wasteland on a much less wholesome quest for female companionship.
Love and Monsters is a post-apocalyptic tale about a boy and his dog, but that’s where the comparison to Harlan Ellison’s A Boy and His Dog ends.
In Love and Monsters , a broad (very broad) updating of L Q. Jones's deep-cut cult movie of Harlan's Ellison "A Boy and His Dog," a lovable schlub named Joel (Dylan O'Brien) is ensconced in a bunker with a handful of other survivors thanks to a plague of monsters that has obliterated 95% of the human population.
The duo clearly did their homework while preparing for their comeback project; references to other cinematic apocalypses abound (biker gangs that could have ridden right out of Mad Max; a poster for the 1975 cult favorite A Boy and His Dog displayed in the background of one key scene) and the movie opens with a pre-title sequence that evokes the dark, desolate, ash-strewn world described in Cormac McCarthy's The Road more faithfully than the recent film version of that Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
Wandering the scorched landscape familiar to countless other post-apocalyptic movies—The Road Warrior and A Boy And His Dog especially, though the film owes something to ’70s anti-Westerns, too—Denzel Washington plays a loner heading west with precious cargo.
Though it cribs wholeheartedly from previous end-of-the-world cinematic observations (think of the film as a cross between “The Road,” “The Postman,” and “A Boy and His Dog”), the Hughes Brothers craft a compellingly abrasive tone of moral manipulation to embellish the traditional maneuvers of violence, as Eli defends his secret tomb from would-be thieves and crusty scoundrels.
With their first credited feature screenplay, Craig Luck and Ivor Powell seem to have taken inspiration from everything from “A Boy and His Dog” and “Chappie” to their star’s own “Cast Away.”
Given the dynamics, the film also calls to mind the quirky 1975 cult staple “A Boy and His Dog” (in which a young Don Johnson has a telepathic dog that helps him find women) and, to a lesser degree, “Wall-E” (2008).
Well, in a strange way, I’m thankful that the folks in Cupertino saved a genuinely strange little film like this from its probable failure (and subsequent branding as a “bomb”) at the box office, because Finch plays like a bizarre mash-up of The Road (or insert your own post-apocalyptic film or book here, though it’s more The Dog Stars than A Boy and His Dog ) and Short Circuit .
Essentially a bizarre cross between the two notable 70s-era post-apocalyptic sagas "A Boy and His Dog" and "Damnation Alley"--minus the various weird and grisly elements that cropped up in those projects---"Finch" wants to come across as both a profoundly moving testament to the enduring power of humanity under the most trying of circumstances and as a tour-de-force performance for Hanks in a film that, save for the dog and the CGI robot, is basically a solo gig throughout.
Amores Perros (2000)
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu
influenced by A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Visuals
In keeping with the canine title references, the final shot brings to mind the post-apocalyptic world of 1975's sci-fi cult film "A Boy and His Dog."
Scott's movie, by contrast, tears holes into Heller's world through which come marching some over-the-top post-apocalyptic tropes from A Boy and His Dog (1975), The Road Warrior (1981), and The Postman (1997).
Working against this gentle narrative are three key action sequences, each overbuilt and heavily reminiscent of similar films, from 28 Days Later to A Boy and His Dog.
One thing you do have to credit Joon-Ho (The Host, Memories of Murder) with is creating a wholly immersive post-apocalypse as desolate as anything Max Rockatansky endured, with the front cars reminiscent of Downunder from A Boy and His Dog.
The post-apocalyptic film has been done many times before – “Soylent Green,” “A Boy and His Dog,” “The Mad Max” trilogy, “Waterworld” are just some.
Oddly, Riddick starts well enough – think A Boy and His Dog meets Conan the Barbarian – in a back-to-basics survivalist mode that reminds us of the comparative pleasures of two-Riddick-movies-ago, Pitch Black.
The bloated opening act of the 119-minute “Riddick” is its weakest chapter and many won’t be able to get past this extended riff on “A Boy and His Dog” as Riddick (Vin Diesel) is forced to deal with life alone on an inhospitable planet after being stranded there.
Jones' bizarre cult item "A Boy and His Dog," can be found in the woodwork here.
As a general rule I am not opposed to talking-canine scenarios; for instance, the title pet of the cult picture A Boy and His Dog makes a strong argument for the idea.
Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: One and a half Bloods (from A Boy and his Dog) out of five.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Directed by Francis Lawrence
influenced by A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Themes
In fact, its dark, satirical action is what the sci-fi of the ’70s — “Rollerball,” “A Boy and His Dog,” “Logan’s Run” — did best.
…much like the silo inhabitants from A Boy and His Dog, desperate for the next red-letter day.