It's remarkable that the favorite subject for the rising trend of parody movies in the 1970s end, and the 1980s start, was the disaster movies. Just remember (The Big Bus - 1976), (Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! - 1978), (Airplane! - 1980), and (Airplane II: The Sequel - 1982). Though, I deem it natural because of what the disaster movies caused of satiety during the whole 1970s decade. Plus, some real disastrous experiences that came in the late 1970s such as (The Swarm - 1978), (The Concorde ... Airport '79 - 1979), and (When Time Ran Out - 1980), which were parodies of themselves already!
As you see, (The Big Bus) took the initiative to mock at that genre, which inaugurated yet another genre. And while it isn't (Airplane), it has the seed of its fresh craziness. For instance: the matter of the lead being accused of "eating" people, the cemetery scene, and the bar fight; which's the movie's best moment.
Originally, it seems as if (Airplane) took a lot from this movie, like: the character of a pilot with a troubling past, who's needed suddenly to save the day. How his ex-girlfriend is on the same ride. Or how they come back to each other in the end. Let alone a scene where the stewardesses demonstrate to the riders what to do while the trip is in danger!
The bus was huge with fabulous design. The running gag of the bus's singer was super. And since the first time I watched him years ago, till now, I believe that Joseph Bologna is one the most underrated comedians ever. That guy was great. He could do cracking comedy with the littlest efforts. It's a shame that he wasn't a star in many movies or TV shows as he should have been.
Director James Frawley has many funny bones, and - sorrowfully - not many movies. However, his comic energy can be felt in countless TV episodes of shows like (Columbo), (Magnum P.I.), (Tales of the Gold Monkey), and (Vengeance Unlimited). Or a movie like (The Muppet Movie - 1979).
Now, to the negative points. And the first one comes to my mind is Stockard Channing. OH MY GOD, who thought of hiring her in a leading role in a comedy?? She looks like an awful version of Elizabeth Taylor, and I don't like Elizabeth Taylor! Channing has no nice presence, and no talent for comedy, so why she was here anyway??!!
The characters on the bus were few, and even fewer of them were interesting. David Shire's music is all the time excited, maybe for parodying the music of other disaster movies, but eventually it didn't work for me.
Some of the jokes didn't hit the "funny" mark, like when all the riders had to wear bizarre costumes in the end. And some of them weren't utilized smartly, like the idea of how the evil guy lives in a metal cocoon. Or attaching the scientist father into the ground against his well, which while being creative, it was used laconically.
Speaking of laconic things, the end is, with fabricated defeat for the evil guys, and such an incomprehensible surviving for the good guys; I still don't know how the lead saved the bus over the cliffhanger! Add to that, extremely dull ending shot, and you'll get why this good movie feels not so good for many viewers.
It is short, and runs out of clever idea nearly halfway through it. But for the most part, it's a wonderful comedy, little ahead of its time, and the true disaster is that it isn't any famous.
As you see, (The Big Bus) took the initiative to mock at that genre, which inaugurated yet another genre. And while it isn't (Airplane), it has the seed of its fresh craziness. For instance: the matter of the lead being accused of "eating" people, the cemetery scene, and the bar fight; which's the movie's best moment.
Originally, it seems as if (Airplane) took a lot from this movie, like: the character of a pilot with a troubling past, who's needed suddenly to save the day. How his ex-girlfriend is on the same ride. Or how they come back to each other in the end. Let alone a scene where the stewardesses demonstrate to the riders what to do while the trip is in danger!
The bus was huge with fabulous design. The running gag of the bus's singer was super. And since the first time I watched him years ago, till now, I believe that Joseph Bologna is one the most underrated comedians ever. That guy was great. He could do cracking comedy with the littlest efforts. It's a shame that he wasn't a star in many movies or TV shows as he should have been.
Director James Frawley has many funny bones, and - sorrowfully - not many movies. However, his comic energy can be felt in countless TV episodes of shows like (Columbo), (Magnum P.I.), (Tales of the Gold Monkey), and (Vengeance Unlimited). Or a movie like (The Muppet Movie - 1979).
Now, to the negative points. And the first one comes to my mind is Stockard Channing. OH MY GOD, who thought of hiring her in a leading role in a comedy?? She looks like an awful version of Elizabeth Taylor, and I don't like Elizabeth Taylor! Channing has no nice presence, and no talent for comedy, so why she was here anyway??!!
The characters on the bus were few, and even fewer of them were interesting. David Shire's music is all the time excited, maybe for parodying the music of other disaster movies, but eventually it didn't work for me.
Some of the jokes didn't hit the "funny" mark, like when all the riders had to wear bizarre costumes in the end. And some of them weren't utilized smartly, like the idea of how the evil guy lives in a metal cocoon. Or attaching the scientist father into the ground against his well, which while being creative, it was used laconically.
Speaking of laconic things, the end is, with fabricated defeat for the evil guys, and such an incomprehensible surviving for the good guys; I still don't know how the lead saved the bus over the cliffhanger! Add to that, extremely dull ending shot, and you'll get why this good movie feels not so good for many viewers.
It is short, and runs out of clever idea nearly halfway through it. But for the most part, it's a wonderful comedy, little ahead of its time, and the true disaster is that it isn't any famous.