cult film freak

Written by James M. Tate / 7/20/2018 / No comments / brian doyle murray , chevy chase , comedy , dabney coleman , eighties , patti d'arbanville

CHEVY CHASE STARS IN WHILE SUFFERING 'MODERN PROBLEMS'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1980 cast: Chevy Chase, Patty D'Arbinville, Dabney Coleman, Nell Carter, Mary Kay Place  Directed by Ken Shapiro </u></td></tr>
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During the Reagan era Air Traffic Control Strike (never mentioned, only parodied), Chevy Chase plays just that... Although he's working, not striking, while having serious troubles and/or... problems. First off, his convertible's been keyed. But that's nothing compared to the nuclear waste spilled from a truck, allowing him to move things at will derived from the frustration of his girlfriend leaving: Herein orchestrated physical gags are balanced along with Chase's usual deadpan humor, only more-so than usual: the poor guy's downright depressed...<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TAyOyx5ElUY/W1K9PQMYJcI/AAAAAAAA3uA/QtXjcX7FcZgEvRhWbZa-E8FXnam4YZw9QCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-20%2Bat%2B9.51.55%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="345" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TAyOyx5ElUY/W1K9PQMYJcI/AAAAAAAA3uA/QtXjcX7FcZgEvRhWbZa-E8FXnam4YZw9QCLcBGAs/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-20%2Bat%2B9.51.55%2BPM.jpg" width="179"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Score: ***1/2</u></td></tr>
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So his signature glib, subtle, conceited sarcasm is nowhere in sight. Which wouldn't fit here anyway, and why MODERN PROBLEMS (which would morph to teenagers in ZAPPED! the following year) isn't a quotable classic like CADDYSHACK or FLETCH... In fact it's pretty much forgotten...<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>"The Man in Me"... Perhaps his dream sequence inspired The Big Lebowski</u></td></tr>
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Yet it's more about story than laughs: And before he gets those table-turning powers (while making goofy facial expressions straight from an SNL Weekend Update skit, only here to move the plot): Chevy's character is a victim of circumstance connected to everyone including his crippled friend, ex-wife, ex-girlfriend (dating a guy who makes Liberace seem like John Wayne... and feeling <i>jealous</i> about it?), a famous, despicable self-help author (Dabney Coleman as his usual jerk-guy) and a voodoo-spouting maid.... <br>
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Then when his revenge emerges with irresponsible glee, it's old school zany and entertaining enough. But the third act, taking place at his buddy's summer beach house, along with invited guests, Chevy's spells go overboard: leaving the characters, and audience, to <i>deal with</i> those quirky once-sporadic <i>gifts</i> instead of enjoying them. Although what PROBLEMS is mostly remembered for... a snorting of something more powerful than cocaine, and maybe a nod to the still-living, hard-partying John Belushi or perhaps just a way of saying farewell to the 1970's... Leaving one with nothing left to say but... "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LIKE IT!" <br>
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brian doyle murray, chevy chase, comedy, dabney coleman, eighties, patti d'arbanville

CHEVY CHASE STARS IN WHILE SUFFERING 'MODERN PROBLEMS'

year: 1980 cast: Chevy Chase, Patty D'Arbinville, Dabney Coleman, Nell Carter, Mary Kay Place Directed by Ken Shapiro During the Re...

BELATED POST-WEEKEND REVIEW OF 'ANT-MAN AND THE WASP'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year of Release: 2018</u></td></tr>
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ANT-MAN should have his name changed to Size-Shifter. That's what he does, and what everyone around him does. And every single <i>thing</i> for that matter: from buildings to suits to vehicles. Which makes sense because there's only so many visual gags where you see a Hot Wheels-size car rolling down the street in its realistic silence after being loudly inside it during an action scene set-up... <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RvU8Zi4IQgQ/W0boSMOVsNI/AAAAAAAA3jI/QR_Xwk2Iwm49L-zfgUdLqXcK-JyDWfeKgCLcBGAs/s1600/Ant-Man-and-the-wasp-Dolby-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1216" data-original-width="291" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RvU8Zi4IQgQ/W0boSMOVsNI/AAAAAAAA3jI/QR_Xwk2Iwm49L-zfgUdLqXcK-JyDWfeKgCLcBGAs/s400/Ant-Man-and-the-wasp-Dolby-poster.jpg" width="95"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Score: **1/2</u></td></tr>
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Still, those moments are kinda funny, and maybe the best thing going for ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, yet another Marvel sequel that seems more made for the cast & crew of inside-joke-sharing friends than an audience of strangers that need a dose of old-school entertainment. With a barrage of family oriented plot-lines, including elder genius Hank Pym's ex partner helping a badass female anti-heroine named Ghost; or Pym himself trying to free his beloved wife (and Wasp's beloved mom) from an inner-space dimension visually liken to FANTASTIC VOYAGE and...<br>
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Well you better get used to the sciencey stuff because this ANT-MAN hardly takes a physical step forward without a ton of rambling exposition while constantly reminding us of the CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, after which Paul Rudd's much more mellow and this time, lethargically-sarcastic ex-thief got on house-arrest where he spends corny playtime with his daughter...<br>
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Thankfully, Evangeline Lilly keeps him centered while her dad (with his past catching up) really just gets in the way: Making the entire third act... taking place on the famously steep streets of San Fransisco (where Michael Douglas feels at home)... a prolonged chase-epic homage to BULLITT, and feeling more like a fresh start from all the previous get-the-important-device-back-in-time frenzy, rather than the winding-down of what eventually tries to be the same kind of urgent heist flick that the original was most of the way through. And Michael Peña, the comic relief, isn't funny. At all. Because he never stops constantly trying to be. 
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2018, marvel, michael douglas, michael peña, michelle pfeiffer, new, paul rudd

BELATED POST-WEEKEND REVIEW OF 'ANT-MAN AND THE WASP'

Year of Release: 2018 ANT-MAN should have his name changed to Size-Shifter. That's what he does, and what everyone around him does. ...

DIVING INTO DISNEY'S KURT RUSSELL DEXTER REILLY TRILOGY

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Dexter Riley Cinema Years in Action are 1968 to 1975</u></td></tr>
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THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES, the
 first of three Disney "Dexter Riley" films starring Kurt Russell as the leader of a group of eavesdropping science-students at a financially-strapped University, is fun but a tad too plot-heavy and flower-power dated: Dexter gets 
electrocuted by a computer (giant machines at that time) and his brain becomes one, allowing him to 
pass tests with ease and excel at anything having to do with facts or 
memorization...<br>
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There's a cookie-cutter blond kid named Peter, supposedly the more well-balanced and popular, or something, and yet Russell, despite a somewhat forced geeky persona, looks and even acts much cooler. In later 
Dexter films, poor Pete's completely replaced by the much better sidekick in Michael McGreevy as Schuyler, who<i> is</i> in this movie but hasn't become Archie's full-on Jughead
quite yet. There's too much emphasis on otherwise entertaining adult actors Caesar Romero, William Schallert 
and Joe Flynn and not enough of the kids: which is odd during the late 1960's student-driven era, but it's as if Disney wouldn't completely let-go of the old safe middle-aged paunch. Surprisingly, COMPUTER isn't an underdog-revenge team effort like it should be, so the premise gets pretty tired quick... but later improves...<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Kurt Russell Now You See Him Lobby Card</u></td></tr>
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If COMPUTER were a "Dexter Riley" TV-series pilot based on his science class University cohorts, the followup, NOW YOU SEE HIM, NOW YOU DON'T would be the best episode overall; 
the worst being its follow-up and third/last venture, THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD, which, like COMPUTER but even more-so, overplays the grownup input that takes too long for the titular payoff to unveil through barbell lifting gags, etc... <br>
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Again, the handsome Kurt Russell looks more like a popular jock than a science nerd, although you forget he's anyone 
else but the energetic young man who starred in many live-action Disney movies of the sixties and seventies before becoming John Carpenter's 
own personal Clint Eastwood. In NOW YOU SEE HIM it's mostly about Dexter, his smart/pretty ingenue Joyce Menges, and goofball buddy Michael McGreevy returning more prominently as Schuyler: a unique, oddball, human cartoon that was born for Disney cinema: They create a spray for a science contest that turns things invisible (and to free the school from 
debt once again)... <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PUozuBu7QG0/Wz6g3hQyd6I/AAAAAAAA3bc/JdHrqoui9Z4jgWKjv0DZXJ0wZzqLzBw7gCLcBGAs/s1600/affiche4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="355" height="236" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PUozuBu7QG0/Wz6g3hQyd6I/AAAAAAAA3bc/JdHrqoui9Z4jgWKjv0DZXJ0wZzqLzBw7gCLcBGAs/s320/affiche4.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Computer: **1/2 Now You See: ***1/2 Strongest: **</u></td></tr>
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The kids follow their clumsy dean Joe Flynn to the golf course: he's a complete hacker trying to impress a
 millionaire golf-nut who runs the contest. Dexter, sprayed invisible, helps Flynn with his game, which is the funnest part... after which that string of purposely-frustrating 
"Disney-letdowns" occur: the things that once worked now fail because of
 a villain's (or nature's) tampering.<br>
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The spray is stolen by Caesar Romero, a crime 
boss with plans to turn the campus into his own Las Vegas. He and muggy cohort
 Richard Bakalan... always the square-jawed Disney thug but most recognizable as the dead-eye cop who shoots Faye 
Dunaway in CHINATOWN... become invisible bank robbers. The last act involves a chase between 
the students, cops, and the bad guys in their invisible car. Here things peter-out creatively for mainstream mindless action, and yet it's still pretty fun and entertaining. So if you wanna <i>meet </i>Dexter watch THE COMPUTER WEARS TENNIS SHOES, but to <i>really know him</i> SEE this second film, first, and skip the third altogether. </div>

caesar romero, college, comedy, disney, joe flynn, kurt russell, michael mcgreevy, science-fiction, seventies, sixties

DIVING INTO DISNEY'S KURT RUSSELL DEXTER REILLY TRILOGY

Dexter Riley Cinema Years in Action are 1968 to 1975 THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES, the first of three Disney "Dexter Riley"...

AMAZON PRESENTS HUGH GRANT IN 'A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X_IedDA90yA/W0RImD9zfhI/AAAAAAAA3hM/nU-mdvUGX80cuPP1kmt39LrzXyIUaR0NgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-09%2Bat%2B10.40.55%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1442" height="331" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X_IedDA90yA/W0RImD9zfhI/AAAAAAAA3hM/nU-mdvUGX80cuPP1kmt39LrzXyIUaR0NgCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-09%2Bat%2B10.40.55%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Old Stuffy Music Covers A Risque Modern Romance 2018 Score: ***</u></td></tr>
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Has a nice binging style for half of the three-episode series, after which it becomes much too obvious what the agenda is i.e. whose side the creators are on, with full steam. The supposed hired killers are keystone cops, shown so vapid and clumsy it's impossible to believe they'd ever be considered for the assignment had it been... assigned in the first place. Hugh Grant seems to be doing an imitation of Jeremy Thorpe or the template of Jeremy Thorpe being a hypocritical English Liberal Party member who is gay while trying to have his former gay lover killed...<br>
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If Grant played the role more naturally or likeable, or realistic, it might seem like he was taking the wrong side in the matter, which would be contrary to the ultimate conclusion that, once you see the old, contented, real life, openly-gay "victim" Norman Scott smiling into the same camera that'd shot the recreated quirky-drama, it's obvious that A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL was, all along, one man's story and his story alone. The problem is: The best moments, during the show's addictive, rudimentary stages, had the old and young, powerful and powerless Jeremy and Norman each shown as flaky, flawed, desperate individuals and, for that, both were initially and equally intriguing. Meanwhile, the scene-stealing middle-ground is in Thorpe's shifty yet still ambiguous defense lawyer: In him, both the good and bad elements of human nature blend and flow like the entire series should/could have.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Hugh Grant pours on the scheming fiend in his Very English Scandal series</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWzxIAAcdNg/W0WpE710r5I/AAAAAAAA3ho/gjwhMej1lWwM4CC6RJznqVaPkW5vaPJpQCLcBGAs/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="1600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWzxIAAcdNg/W0WpE710r5I/AAAAAAAA3ho/gjwhMej1lWwM4CC6RJznqVaPkW5vaPJpQCLcBGAs/s1600/2.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u> Adrian Scarborough steals the show as George Carman QC</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vRf9qgM8sI/W0WpE5KRSWI/AAAAAAAA3hk/moC6JbP251w_Hsn3rVm2DgUcgC2EjrN6gCLcBGAs/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1600" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vRf9qgM8sI/W0WpE5KRSWI/AAAAAAAA3hk/moC6JbP251w_Hsn3rVm2DgUcgC2EjrN6gCLcBGAs/s1600/3.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Our greatest underrated villain list headlines Paul Freeman from Raiders of the Lost Ark as Sir Joseph Cantley</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LKG66931czc/W0RMXEIDRWI/AAAAAAAA3hY/Yeg9JbtdiRAztojhKifBD5hryHXGlAO6ACLcBGAs/s1600/33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="1600" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LKG66931czc/W0RMXEIDRWI/AAAAAAAA3hY/Yeg9JbtdiRAztojhKifBD5hryHXGlAO6ACLcBGAs/s1600/33.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ben Whitshaw, as the pretty boy version of the beak-nosed real life Scott, suffers through bouts of meantime</u></td></tr>
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2018, ben whitshaw, biopic, cable, hugh grant

AMAZON PRESENTS HUGH GRANT IN 'A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL'

Old Stuffy Music Covers A Risque Modern Romance 2018 Score: *** Has a nice binging style for half of the three-episode series, after whi...

JOHN CANDY W/ KERRI GREEN & TRACY AUSTIN IN 'SUMMER RENTAL'

carl reiner, comedy, eighties, john candy, kerri green, rip torn, tracy austin

JOHN CANDY W/ KERRI GREEN & TRACY AUSTIN IN 'SUMMER RENTAL'

Kerri Green in a 1985 movie with a 1981 poster behind her John Candy, in his first leading role, plays a burnt-out air traffic controll...

DISNEY TRIPLE FEATURES 'NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN' WITH 'HOT LEAD & COLD FEET' AND 'THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1976 Rating: **</u></td></tr>
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<u>NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN</u>: Disney flick with Don Knotts whose usual, more natural Tim Conway sidekick is replaced by Darren McGavin as one of two 
dimwitted brother-in-law safecrackers tangled with 
two prep-school kids...<br>
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The girl being Kim Richards (your author's first crush, as made public on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, episode <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3448200/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast">The Curse of Carlton</a> taking place at an autograph show) who, along with familiar child actor face Brad Savage, ditch their stuffy 
grandfather David Niven at the airport, and the kids learn their 
thief-pals owe money to a crime boss (Vic Tayback) and to help they
 come up with a plan to fake a kidnapping. The ransom by wealthy gramps 
will bring in the money needed. Niven keeps avoiding the payments, 
knowing it's all a practical joke. And other than some car chases and 
Don Knotts chasing a pet skunk, that's about the gist of it. It all 
seems like a bunch of actors stuck in a constrained story. McGavin is 
miscast as Knott's straight man and Knotts isn't very funny as the 
doofus. There are better Disney flicks. Take CANDLESHOE, also starring 
David Niven (with Jodie Foster as the kid) and involving wily kids who, unlike this, have a decent, 
more interesting premise to follow.<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bl7ooN4tlrs/WzrefMPBRFI/AAAAAAAA3Yg/5EDvZtrhyN07aFl_R8P2SrTkvEfb1FFBgCLcBGAs/s1600/51N7PTW482L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="349" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bl7ooN4tlrs/WzrefMPBRFI/AAAAAAAA3Yg/5EDvZtrhyN07aFl_R8P2SrTkvEfb1FFBgCLcBGAs/s320/51N7PTW482L.jpg" width="223"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1978 Rating: **1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>HOT LEAD & COLD FEET</u>: Having
 watched this movie as a kid the only scenes remembered were of Don Knotts involved in unsuccessful take-ten-paces-and-draw 
showdowns. But the main storyline is about two brothers... played by the same actor, Jim Dale, a Disney regular and now very obscure... one a mean gunslinger the other a
 preachy do-gooder taking part in a race involving mini stream-engine 
trains, canoes down rapids and mountain-climbing, all in order to inherit a 
load of money from their crazy white-bearded father (also played by 
Dale... the white Eddie Murphy of his time)...<br>
<br>
The good brother wants the money for... good reasons (building a 
church with tough and pretty school teacher Karen Valentine and two 
savvy orphans) and the bad brother wants the money for — you get the 
idea. The town bullies and the crooked banker, along with Disney 1970's go-to Darren McGavin, are 
rooting for the villain because they have something to gain, sabotaging the good brother in a tortoise-vs-hare fashion throughout this semi-funny Disney film with enough happening to keep you interested, 
although the build-up, introducing the siblings in contrasting lives 
before they meet, fares better than the wacky race: which not only gets
 tiresome but neglects the other characters. And those Don Knotts scenes
 happen only sporadically; he's sort of a cameo-with-hiccups.<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CufdX2S4FWI/SuX5ZmLxfTI/AAAAAAAAAkI/gdHQ8zV11Rc/s1600-h/barefoot+executive.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396993946615381298" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CufdX2S4FWI/SuX5ZmLxfTI/AAAAAAAAAkI/gdHQ8zV11Rc/s200/barefoot+executive.jpg" style="float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1971 Rating: *1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE</u>: Disney's child-teen regular's regular Kurt
 Russell plays a climber. A dreamer. A junior college student working as a 
gopher at a television studio, and he wants to be a programmer but has no idea 
what shows are good... And most important — his girlfriend adopts a chimp who also sits and watches 
TV, with a twist...<br>
<br>
The chimp sits mesmerized when he likes a show, and goes bonkers 
when he doesn't. It turns out, the chimp has a pulse on what shows work 
and what shows don't as later indicated by the ratings. And if the 
same monkey were watching this film it'd commit suicide, and yet, somehow, it's not that entirely god-awful, with some entertaining chase scenes. But overall this standard 
by-the-numbers live-action Disney film that never really evolves just isn't worth the climb. 
<br>

caper, comedy, darren mcgavin, david niven, disney, don knotts, jack elam, jim dale, kim richards, kurt russell, vic tayback, western

DISNEY TRIPLE FEATURES 'NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN' WITH 'HOT LEAD & COLD FEET' AND 'THE BAREFOOT EXECUTIVE'

Year: 1976 Rating: ** NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN : Disney flick with Don Knotts whose usual, more natural Tim Conway sidekick is replaced by ...

DISNEY DUO 'UNIDENTIFIED FLYING ODDBALL' & 'SNOWBALL EXPRESS'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MewFYnfznmc/WzogMvi-_pI/AAAAAAAA3YA/z1UU6ZjB9iMw0eMwZP_LnqRUOph3ehINwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-02%2Bat%2B5.21.55%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="873" data-original-width="1303" height="267" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MewFYnfznmc/WzogMvi-_pI/AAAAAAAA3YA/z1UU6ZjB9iMw0eMwZP_LnqRUOph3ehINwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-02%2Bat%2B5.21.55%2BAM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>presents Dennis Dugan never quite taking off as Disney's Flying Oddball</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Skinny, rather sickly-looking actor (and future Adam Sandler director/collaborator) Dennis Dugan is a cross between Don Knotts and
 Dean Jones in Disney's fantasy comedy THE INDEMNIFIED FLYING ODDBALL, playing duo roles: a scientist and a robot-astronaut clone 
of himself.<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gtzl456V_WI/WzoR8XtG12I/AAAAAAAA3Ww/xmGAmHnXd8w7i8l3HdQjfFaYHe3_v68GACLcBGAs/s1600/arthur%252B11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="291" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gtzl456V_WI/WzoR8XtG12I/AAAAAAAA3Ww/xmGAmHnXd8w7i8l3HdQjfFaYHe3_v68GACLcBGAs/s320/arthur%252B11.jpg" width="196"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1979 Rating: **1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Both go up in a rocket (the scientist by accident) and land 
in King Arthur's court where our wimpy hero battles strong and formidable Sir Mordred (Jim 
Dale, a Disney staple) and woos a beautiful farm girl while teaching 
King Arthur and Merlin about the history of America...<br>
<br>
What begins as a 
semi-intriguing sci-fi inspired comedy gets weighed down by the setting of the 
book, Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", wherein
 the adaptation value of a modern man in Arthurian England being 
mistaken for a wizard, the best aspect of the novel, is all but lost 
within silly swordplay and meandering, unfunny hijinks. Overall this is a
 Disney dud, but there's enough silly camp... even at that time, perhaps intentional... to make for an entertaining ride, or better put, semi-enjoyable crash landing.<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mhsiHJt2Ucs/WzoWzUDzqPI/AAAAAAAA3Xg/zV1R_GtQ6B4LZqL5-0Vgg8Q2C-bJyZsEgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-02%2Bat%2B5.09.00%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="321" height="159" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mhsiHJt2Ucs/WzoWzUDzqPI/AAAAAAAA3Xg/zV1R_GtQ6B4LZqL5-0Vgg8Q2C-bJyZsEgCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-07-02%2Bat%2B5.09.00%2BAM.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1973 Rating: *1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<u>SNOWBALL EXPRESS</u>: Dull,
 uninspired Disney flick about a New York office worker (Dean Jones 
doing his usual Jimmy Stewart impersonation) who inherits a hotel in 
snowy Colorado that he and his family turn from a big shabby shack into a
 plush ski resort and wackiness ensues, but it's all very lame and 
tiresome...<br>
<br>
The thing that makes seventies live-action 
Disney films like GUS and CANDLESHOE good are the "pockets" within the 
overall Disney "coat"... within these pockets are little adventures that
 makes you forget (or care) about an overall plot. But this coat is 
tired and worn with pockets full of slush. </div>

adaptation, adventure, comedy, dennis dugan, disney, jim dale, mark twain, science-fiction

DISNEY DUO 'UNIDENTIFIED FLYING ODDBALL' & 'SNOWBALL EXPRESS'

presents Dennis Dugan never quite taking off as Disney's Flying Oddball Skinny, rather sickly-looking actor (and future Adam Sandler...

ELLIOTT GOULD & BILL COSBY IN DISNEY'S THE DEVIL & MAX DEVLIN

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xlYvk8HRYRQ/WzmwdHp9-kI/AAAAAAAA3Uw/Zez3HOOQK0Iwla2yFjAujgEauNcP2TEQACLcBGAs/s1600/36420555_507149603047554_5657530994752749568_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="877" height="247" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xlYvk8HRYRQ/WzmwdHp9-kI/AAAAAAAA3Uw/Zez3HOOQK0Iwla2yFjAujgEauNcP2TEQACLcBGAs/s400/36420555_507149603047554_5657530994752749568_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Elliott Gould's Devlin falls into a Black Hole looking Hell YEAR: 1981</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jimmy Sangster was one of Hammer Films top creative forces, having written screenplay adaptations for their best two Universal Monster into England costume horror reboots, mostly starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing...<br>
<br>
Those being THE HORROR OF DRACULA and CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN along with a myriad of others including THE BRIDES OF DRACULA, SCREAM OF FEAR, TERROR OF THE TONGS, PARANOIAC and THE MUMMY, and he didn't think THE DEVIL AND MAX DEVLIN, with an original title of THE FAIRYTALE MAN meant for Vincent Prince in Bill Cosby's Satan role, was meant to be a Disney flick, at least while on paper. But it turned into a surprisingly entertaining fantasy-comedy that isn't very funny for funny's sake — but with a handing-off of enough eclectic characters, it's an interesting and entertaining time-filler.<br>

bill cosby, disney, eighties, elliott gould, lillian müller

ELLIOTT GOULD & BILL COSBY IN DISNEY'S THE DEVIL & MAX DEVLIN

Elliott Gould's Devlin falls into a Black Hole looking Hell YEAR: 1981 Jimmy Sangster was one of Hammer Films top creative forces, h...

JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT IS DISNEY'S WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE

action, adventure, college, comedy, disney, jan-michael vincent, john amos, seventies, sport, tim conway

JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT IS DISNEY'S WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE

Original Lobby Card Autographed by Jan-Michael Vincent YEAR: 1973 John Amos and Tim Conway, the most strangely-cast comedic duo in hist...

SEQUEL TO 'JURASSIC WORLD' ALSO KNOWN AS 'FALLEN KINGDOM'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6VAHu_DXS4/WzSsQ7VduvI/AAAAAAAA3Pg/wyedJxW9yZAyBU8CIWyp3DeTcMPT6bK5wCLcBGAs/s1600/06-jurassic-world.w710.h473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="710" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6VAHu_DXS4/WzSsQ7VduvI/AAAAAAAA3Pg/wyedJxW9yZAyBU8CIWyp3DeTcMPT6bK5wCLcBGAs/s400/06-jurassic-world.w710.h473.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>YEAR OF RELEASE: 2018</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The fact that the dinosaurs are the most beloved aspect of the JURASSIC PARK series (or anything combining humans with dinos dating back to the 1950's) has become inner-contagious: Now the main characters not only adore the man-eating-monsters and/or leaf-eating giants that could crush cities given half a chance, but they want to actually save them from a second extinction...<br>
<br>
That's after four movies where they've done nothing but wreak havoc on a myriad of civilians, and now, suddenly, they're like the kangaroo rat, or whatever endangered species conservationists find more important than humans by outlawing the burning of underbrush to keep the full-blown forest fires less drastic (ask any fireman, they'll tell ya)...<br>

action, adventure, bryce dallas howard, chris pratt, dinosaur, jeff goldblum, new, science-fiction, sequel, ted levine

SEQUEL TO 'JURASSIC WORLD' ALSO KNOWN AS 'FALLEN KINGDOM'

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2018 The fact that the dinosaurs are the most beloved aspect of the JURASSIC PARK series (or anything combining humans ...

JACQUES TOURNEUR DIRECTS 'THE LEOPARD MAN' FOR VAL LEWTON

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KdmhBOnASKs/WzOLvUMefSI/AAAAAAAA3O0/1tkpDc0OfJs7Taf-icwULhDSa_gneEyrgCLcBGAs/s1600/the_leopard_man__49669.1407171500.500.750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="474" height="303" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KdmhBOnASKs/WzOLvUMefSI/AAAAAAAA3O0/1tkpDc0OfJs7Taf-icwULhDSa_gneEyrgCLcBGAs/s400/the_leopard_man__49669.1407171500.500.750.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>YEAR OF RELEASE: 1943 Rating: ****</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
An alternative title for THE LEOPARD MAN produced by b-movie guru Val
 Lewton and directed by his stock suspense master (and our personal favorite director) Jacques Tourneur could
 be called DOORS THAT DON'T OPEN ON TIME, but that would be a spoiler in 
itself within this turnaround of their most well-known
collaboration and ultimately superior CAT PEOPLE, only this underrated gem purrs a bit smoother, is less character-driven and is a tad spookier, more ominous, and far more often...<br>
<br>
The first two victims 
of a black leopard who'd escaped because of a practical joke on a samba dancer (who uses castanets in a spine-chilling, echoing manner), working
 in a low-rent nightclub, are not just unlucky, but, in random circumstances, one locked outside, the other inside, they each die because of some lazy dolt who either takes their time or refuses <i>opening up</i>, no matter how much the shadowed soon-to-be-victims scream. This is far more Body Count Horror than Fantasy Noir yet there's a combination of 
each: the dark-lit, shadowy, investigative element combined with a  Gothic and lurking,
creature-feature template that's deeper than the norm, based on superstitious 
and forbidding black magic and taking itself extremely serious in the 
process: without, that is, being melodramatic or pretentious.<br>

british film noir/melodrama, dennis o'keefe, forties, horror, jacques tourneur, thriller, val lewton

JACQUES TOURNEUR DIRECTS 'THE LEOPARD MAN' FOR VAL LEWTON

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1943 Rating: **** An alternative title for THE LEOPARD MAN produced by b-movie guru Val Lewton and directed by his sto...

JEFF BRIDGES 'KING KONG: THE LEGEND REBORN' JESSICA LANGE

action, adventure, charles grodin, creature, disaster, ed lauter, jeff bridges, jessica lange, john guillermin, julius harris, king kong, monster, remake, rené auberjonois

JEFF BRIDGES 'KING KONG: THE LEGEND REBORN' JESSICA LANGE

Jessica Lange takes a shower with her new big beau YEAR: 1976 The first half is fantastic: a creative set-up with the famous story alte...

ALAN DEAN FOSTER ON STAR WARS & SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bn5z3tmv6F4/Wy1GlECI9CI/AAAAAAAA3Fk/PORogaJyOycEjvYjoqF_5CKBmEbEa2kVwCLcBGAs/s1600/steelkitten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="566" height="256" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bn5z3tmv6F4/Wy1GlECI9CI/AAAAAAAA3Fk/PORogaJyOycEjvYjoqF_5CKBmEbEa2kVwCLcBGAs/s400/steelkitten.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Graphic Novel adaptation pic for our Alan Dean Foster Star Wars Interview</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>How did George Lucas come to you about ghostwriting the novelization for STAR WARS?</u> 
<br>
<div class="copy">
<br></div>
<div class="copy">
Negotiations
 ensued, with my participation for two books being agreed upon. One of 
the conditions was that George's name be on the cover and that, if 
asked, I deny having done the book. I had no problem with this... it's 
George's story, and business is business. But it was difficult having to
 occasionally lie to friends. I don't think any of them hold it against 
me.<b> </b></div>
<div class="copy">
<br></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xe4Vvhd0quI/Wy1CArAmzyI/AAAAAAAA3FE/1bmKcaF7iY89r8C5D9ecXU8rmnUsxvOzgCEwYBhgL/s1600/3607e784f18554fd49104e4fecd4132f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="461" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xe4Vvhd0quI/Wy1CArAmzyI/AAAAAAAA3FE/1bmKcaF7iY89r8C5D9ecXU8rmnUsxvOzgCEwYBhgL/s400/3607e784f18554fd49104e4fecd4132f.jpg" width="235"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Original Cover</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="copy">
<u>You were the first to write an “Expanded 
Universe” novel from “The Adventures of Luke Skywalker”, something that 
is quite common today… The book was SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE… How 
did this come about?</u></div>
<div class="copy">
<b></b><br>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQSkPjQkVnk/Wy1IAL_uyeI/AAAAAAAA3F0/iGxPuioK1sYFdPWywAk-I5yuAUBhWDFWQCLcBGAs/s1600/star-wars-1977-paperback-UK-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="597" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQSkPjQkVnk/Wy1IAL_uyeI/AAAAAAAA3F0/iGxPuioK1sYFdPWywAk-I5yuAUBhWDFWQCLcBGAs/s320/star-wars-1977-paperback-UK-1.jpg" width="188"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>More Well-Known Cover</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As
 I said, the contract was for me to do two books: the novelization of 
the film and an original sequel. With the caveat that I could not use 
the character of Han Solo (because, as I recall, Harrison Ford had not 
yet come to terms to do any sequels), I was given a completely free rein
 to write whatever I wished... except that George asked if I could write
 the story so that it could possibly be filmed on a low budget.  </div>
<div class="copy">
<br></div>
<div class="copy">
He
 was always thinking ahead, and in this regard he felt that if the first
 film was only a modest success, he would still be able to do a sequel 
with existing props and such. That's why the film takes place on a 
fog-shrouded planet, underground, etc....eliminates the need for 
expensive backdrops (no cgi then, remember). When SW was the 
overwhelming hit that it was, he was free to pursue any visions he 
desired.<b> </b><u>Was a Chewbacca cameo ever discussed for SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE?</u><b> </b>No Chewie without Han. No Abbott without Costello.</div>
<br>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3omAT-DyBM/Wy1NSlglkfI/AAAAAAAA3GU/btUNl1Klm4wmY_ODJ6rjvlBzjxOgsB4-QCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-22%2Bat%2B12.22.36%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="994" data-original-width="591" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a3omAT-DyBM/Wy1NSlglkfI/AAAAAAAA3GU/btUNl1Klm4wmY_ODJ6rjvlBzjxOgsB4-QCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-22%2Bat%2B12.22.36%2BPM.jpg" width="237"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Novelization Score: ****</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>CULT FILM FREAK ARCHIVED REVIEW</u>: Alan Dean Foster is the first author to provide an "expanded universe" 
novel based on George Lucas's characters. In fact, he also ghostwrote 
the STAR WARS tie-in (which is fantastic) and did this story as a 
possible sequel if STAR WARS was only a moderate success. The plot 
centers on Luke and Leia and the droids but without Han Solo (as 
Harrison Ford hadn't signed up for a sequel at that time, pre-Star Wars)
 crashed on a murky muddy swampy planet, much like Dagobah in the latter
 EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, wherein they must find a jewel which provides an 
abundance of the Force.<br>
<br>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
With just-enough battles and a nice climax 
with Darth Vadar fighting not only Luke, but Leia, within a temple mileau liken more to Lucas's future Indiana Jones world than Star Wars...<br>
<br>
And remember, this was before we 
learned Luke and Leia were brother/sister and their flirtation could be 
seen as not following the Star Wars canon; then again, they flirted in 
Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back as well and, overall there are some corny moments,
 like Leia being described as a "steel kitten", and some annoying 
characters, particularly Hallah, a female version of Obi Wan, who keeps 
referring to Luke as "Luke Boy" (grunt!): But all in all it's a nice 
adventure written by a really cool sci-fi author who really knows his 
stuff even when created by somebody else. The opening chapter is tops as
 it takes many pages for Luke's X-Wing to crash-land.  
<br>

book review, interview, seventies, star wars

ALAN DEAN FOSTER ON STAR WARS & SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE

Graphic Novel adaptation pic for our Alan Dean Foster Star Wars Interview How did George Lucas come to you about ghostwriting the noveli...

PROS & CONS OF THE 'RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK' NOVELIZATION

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zhuHt6XOwsM/Wy2BAu3GRNI/AAAAAAAA3Hc/qr9CXSuVMak9K5YGN4oPQA3S-e20K2LhgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-22%2Bat%2B4.03.30%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1108" height="326" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zhuHt6XOwsM/Wy2BAu3GRNI/AAAAAAAA3Hc/qr9CXSuVMak9K5YGN4oPQA3S-e20K2LhgCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-22%2Bat%2B4.03.30%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Harrison Ford battles Pat Roach while producer Frank Marshall looks on</u></td></tr>
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What makes a good novelization? One word: Flow.... If the writing flows well, then it really doesn't matter how many 
times you've seen the movie, or how good the movie was on screen 
compared to the printed page...<br>
<br>
In that, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, written by Campbell Black, is a good 
novelization because the already excellent story and incredible movie is here turned into a high octane pulp 
adventure...<br>
<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SndikLgW5FY/Wy0oNmTtPTI/AAAAAAAA3EI/NjBwRdvWX1gB6N6WmkNX5n0bagus1eZQACLcBGAs/s1600/35898625_499016093860905_2153690146325659648_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SndikLgW5FY/Wy0oNmTtPTI/AAAAAAAA3EI/NjBwRdvWX1gB6N6WmkNX5n0bagus1eZQACLcBGAs/s320/35898625_499016093860905_2153690146325659648_n.jpg" width="190"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year; 1981 Grade: A—</u></td></tr>
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Cons are Indy with one of 
his students in his house... we don't need to know that he plows the 
girls who draw I LOVE YOU on their eyelids: their mutual starry-eyed crushes were enough. Or learning that Marion was a
 prostitute in Cairo after her father died in order to purchase the bar.
 Or Marion's lusting after French villain Belloq and fighting temptation to fall in 
love with him after he kidnaps her...<br>
<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVABqthOAw4/Wy0qRhBk9XI/AAAAAAAA3EU/R0tvsRCYUT8TW0BR4gNYgwh4knIyYZhfwCLcBGAs/s1600/61aKF5P-eEL._SL300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="165" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVABqthOAw4/Wy0qRhBk9XI/AAAAAAAA3EU/R0tvsRCYUT8TW0BR4gNYgwh4knIyYZhfwCLcBGAs/s1600/61aKF5P-eEL._SL300_.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Improved but Unoriginal</u></td></tr>
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On the other hand, we sometimes get to follow 
Indy from Point B between A and C: Like after he lands in Cairo, going from a crowded airport to a dark 
highway, driving through the pouring rain, searching for Ravenwood's 
tavern while being stalked by another mysterious vehicle... And along 
with other nifty insights during the action sequences, it all works 
quite well. The chapters are long and thoroughly expressive, the action 
precise, the dialogue beautifully corny (more purposely-pulpy than the 
film)...<br>
<br>
No matter how many times you've seen the Steven Spielberg/George Lucas/Harrison Ford action/adventure classic on the big (or small) screen, you'll feel 
you're reliving the sublime globetrotting for the very first time. And the cover, while quite underwhelming, is what was created before the movie became a smash hit. The second edition cover uses the much cooler painted poster image of Indy, an already iconic character, but the best to own has that random rudimentary Indy/Marion scene-shot created with the historic blindside of zero hindsight: Just check out the bland black & white back-cover of the JAWS soundtrack LP compared to the colorful sequel album's front <i>and</i> back and you'll get the idea.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3b0htL1nIm8/Wy0r_MAFoDI/AAAAAAAA3Eg/EI8sPlbnKW0nqGu6n5Qd4M1ntzfk2fr7QCLcBGAs/s1600/33427314_1867745506603054_312909713501061120_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1600" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3b0htL1nIm8/Wy0r_MAFoDI/AAAAAAAA3Eg/EI8sPlbnKW0nqGu6n5Qd4M1ntzfk2fr7QCLcBGAs/s1600/33427314_1867745506603054_312909713501061120_o.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>And here's another excellent book... What, didn't you guys ever go to Sunday School?</u></td></tr>
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book review, eighties, george lucas, harrison ford, karen allen, steven spielberg

PROS & CONS OF THE 'RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK' NOVELIZATION

Harrison Ford battles Pat Roach while producer Frank Marshall looks on What makes a good novelization? One word: Flow.... If the writing...

TELEVISION MINISERIES OF 'THE STAND' BY STEPHEN KING

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJJUZjGNgVc/Wx2kCHQDw4I/AAAAAAAA2zU/6ghDvweno48lE_domui1ukLVLQzTD01FQCLcBGAs/s1600/34906499_489431464819368_4922411620799348736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="883" height="313" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FJJUZjGNgVc/Wx2kCHQDw4I/AAAAAAAA2zU/6ghDvweno48lE_domui1ukLVLQzTD01FQCLcBGAs/s400/34906499_489431464819368_4922411620799348736_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Adam Storke sings a 60's tune while nifty fx occur behind Year: 1994</u></td></tr>
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TV Miniseries from the 1990's based on Stephen King's "The World Will End with a Whimper not a Bang" novel combined with a non-zombie yet still<i> formidable corpses within a dead world</i> tale that ultimately leads to... THE STAND...<br>
<br>
About the survivors of a deadly plague that eventually band together around shared dreams of an old black Christian lady on a farm, except a few chosen rotten apples including a jealous teenage virgin, a sexy pill popper, and a spastic psychopath — two are female, and both... especially a fiendishly sympathetic Laura San Giacomo as this baby's targeted Rosemary... fare better and more realistic than Molly Ringwald's rather bland performance as a sweet, knocked-up ingenue despite her eventual leading man Gary Sinise's sublime turn as a tough silent-type Texan who's one of the coolest heroes in TV miniseries history. When some story-lines drag beyond their limit, it's always Gary's anchoring Stu Redman who puts the puzzle back together... but in the smooth, cool hero department, he's got some beyond-capable assistance... <br>

adam storke, adaptation, gary sinise, miguel ferrer, miniseries, molly ringwald, nineties, post-apocalyptic, road movie, rob lowe, stephen king, thriller, TV, virus

TELEVISION MINISERIES OF 'THE STAND' BY STEPHEN KING

Adam Storke sings a 60's tune while nifty fx occur behind Year: 1994 TV Miniseries from the 1990's based on Stephen King's &...

MIKA SAEGUSA ERA GODZILLA ONE: GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE

action, creature, disaster, eighties, godzilla, japanese, megumi odaka, science-fiction

MIKA SAEGUSA ERA GODZILLA ONE: GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE

Megumi Odaka's Mika Saegusa sees inside of monsters YEAR: 1989 Strange that a movie about Godzilla fighting a giant plant with the h...

JON VOIGHT & DUSTIN HOFFMAN STAR IN 'MIDNIGHT COWBOY'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fekGnJrl-jY/Wx9_ry7PhPI/AAAAAAAA23A/R3DS6J48vL0ZCwrY9WmaGe610J3EptzFQCLcBGAs/s1600/81GJghytc7L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="1031" height="247" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fekGnJrl-jY/Wx9_ry7PhPI/AAAAAAAA23A/R3DS6J48vL0ZCwrY9WmaGe610J3EptzFQCLcBGAs/s400/81GJghytc7L._SL1500_.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Criterion Artwork for the Midnight Cowboy Blu Ray & DVD Year: 1969</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A simplistic but mostly naive young man from Texas, Joe Buck, ironically becomes a cowboy<i> after</i> deciding to leave his hometown, headed to the last place that that kind of legendary hero exists, New York City, as every frame of MIDNIGHT COWBOY means something: starting from a sunlit drive-in to a public shower where Joe drops the soap... <br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-osPLPvFloK4/Wx-FuoWO15I/AAAAAAAA23s/l619z7ovdOcZYnip6qlR3oALpUKstbr8gCLcBGAs/s1600/91Mu2IXAL%252BL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="326" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-osPLPvFloK4/Wx-FuoWO15I/AAAAAAAA23s/l619z7ovdOcZYnip6qlR3oALpUKstbr8gCLcBGAs/s400/91Mu2IXAL%252BL._SL1500_.jpg" width="123"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Rating; *****</u></td></tr>
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An obvious nod for an inevitable detour within a disturbing, almost sadistic character-driven story that's bright and cheerful otherwise, but that's when centered narrowly on Jon Voight's title character, who shows enough humanity and vulnerability in what he's hiding as first-billed sidekick Dustin Hoffman's crippled con-man hustler, Ratso Rizzo, appears to be right upfront: a tattered and swarthy, street savvy con-man who walks in a permanent, unguided shuffle that, alongside the handsome, tall blond Texan, make for perhaps the most bizarre odd couple of top-grade exploitation cinema: in one of the most well-deserved films to win Best Director (for John Schlesinger) and Best Picture (although another movie cowboy would take the Best Actor)...<br>
<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sgYjHOmeQFw/Wx9qFn7LOJI/AAAAAAAA224/lg-Q3uETou00huxROqH4folM6Npb6H4zwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-11%2Bat%2B6.41.04%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="1288" height="325" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sgYjHOmeQFw/Wx9qFn7LOJI/AAAAAAAA224/lg-Q3uETou00huxROqH4folM6Npb6H4zwCEwYBhgL/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-11%2Bat%2B6.41.04%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Some mean Meantime of Ratso Rizzo and Joe Buck</u></td></tr>
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Curbing a seemingly endless gust of serious and often painstaking hard luck roadblocks are genuinely funny moments centered on and around the unlikely duo, teamed-up after what feels like fully-conceived short films...<br>
<br>
Including the initial bus trip; a clumsy attempt at hustling; and the doomed yet determined partnership before a sharp, frostbit winter cuts into Ratso's idyllic reverie of sunny Florida while the desperate, starving creature of a bleak and mysterious New York City (even haunting under a heavy dose of psychedelia) formidably reigns. By the end, what the audience has experienced, and the characters suffered through, can't reach the unique form of dark, tangible reality that no fiction (on screen or print) has yet to challenge, or equal: A timeless celebration of futile optimism.
<br>

buddy, classic, drama, drug culture, dustin hoffman, jon voight, m. emmett walsh, oscar, sixties

JON VOIGHT & DUSTIN HOFFMAN STAR IN 'MIDNIGHT COWBOY'

Criterion Artwork for the Midnight Cowboy Blu Ray & DVD Year: 1969 A simplistic but mostly naive young man from Texas, Joe Buck, iro...

BELATED OPENING-WEEKEND REVIEW OF 'HOTEL ARTEMIS'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XwV1gUNlWdg/Wx8Ipw7skrI/AAAAAAAA20o/DpUOco_Fk2Acf0sQsJgYyYyKqeKAFR0_gCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-11%2Bat%2B1.09.04%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XwV1gUNlWdg/Wx8Ipw7skrI/AAAAAAAA20o/DpUOco_Fk2Acf0sQsJgYyYyKqeKAFR0_gCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-11%2Bat%2B1.09.04%2BAM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>But an extremely cool retro paperback poster artwork YEAR: 2018</u></td></tr>
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Many have compared HOTEL ARTEMIS to JOHN WICK because of the hotel for criminals, which is just window-dressing here as this dingy palace actually serves as a hospital for injured, high-paying criminal club members, and the plot does sound intriguing but remains a benign foundation for a rushed action-caper just as the hotel itself harbors its crooked clientele... <br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IF5cslTIjL0/WzDx956SAPI/AAAAAAAA3Ns/U3Yk6lhPce8X3rxqsvoZnDs5fkJeH4KcQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-25%2Bat%2B6.34.54%2BAM%2B2%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="701" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IF5cslTIjL0/WzDx956SAPI/AAAAAAAA3Ns/U3Yk6lhPce8X3rxqsvoZnDs5fkJeH4KcQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-25%2Bat%2B6.34.54%2BAM%2B2%2B2.jpg" width="178"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Hotel Score: *1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The hardly Noir-ambiguous good-bad people may as well wear endearing, audience-friendly halos, especially Jodie Foster as a boozy do-gooder nurse along with a really cool and mellow black thief who discovers he stole far too much from the wrong people ala CHARLEY VARRICK, combined with a superhuman Kung Fu chick taking down lethal henchman ala KILL BILL, while a broader homage is a complete "out" for the suspense: the movie takes place in a familiar dystopic near-future resembling ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK where a riotous mob is tearing up the city because a corporation stole their water i.e. CHINATOWN...<br>
<br>
All this a contrived attempt to instill a sense of urgency <i>outside</i> since there's little to none <i>inside</i>... For example, the Nurse's various ER rooms (named after idyllic holiday spots), during what are supposed to be edgy and 
intense surgeries to mend the badly wounded, are replete with miraculous, robotic, push-button machines 
that Dr. McCoy from STAR TREK would envy: Leaving an extremely 
old and haggard-looking, cliché-neurotic, overacting Foster to seem useless and alone even during unexpected peril — although she's never <i>actually</i> in real danger thanks to... <br>

2018, genre tarantino, jeff goldblum, jodie foster, neo noir, new, science-fiction, thriller

BELATED OPENING-WEEKEND REVIEW OF 'HOTEL ARTEMIS'

But an extremely cool retro paperback poster artwork YEAR: 2018 Many have compared HOTEL ARTEMIS to JOHN WICK because of the hotel for c...

REASONS AND/OR THEORIES FOR THE 'SOLO' CATASTROPHE

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UypnU8j1nZQ/WxhiI4nin9I/AAAAAAAA2t8/ib_OIm3YweE4IxtVEzBjMCZNsyJMwY9jQCLcBGAs/s1600/i-dont-know-fly-casual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="425" height="237" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UypnU8j1nZQ/WxhiI4nin9I/AAAAAAAA2t8/ib_OIm3YweE4IxtVEzBjMCZNsyJMwY9jQCLcBGAs/s400/i-dont-know-fly-casual.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>SOLO didn't even "Fly Casual" at the box office: We love THIS Han Solo </u></td></tr>
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THE LAST JEDI backlash is at an all-time peak, five months after its financially successful yet fan abhorred, controversial release, and it's because SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY is failing, and has failed, and could ultimately lose over fifty-million dollars for Lucasfilm/Disney...<br>
<br>
But at this point, the blaming of the JEDI scapegoat is an excuse that's getting old. Hell, even Disney faults Rian Johnson's Episode VIII for their standalone Han Solo prequel tanking. Ironically, they promised Johnson an entire trilogy for making the movie that's supposedly killing <i>this </i>one. With all that going against THE LAST JEDI, how can the mysterious other-galaxy saga remain free from the trash compactor? <br>

article, franchise, new, star wars

REASONS AND/OR THEORIES FOR THE 'SOLO' CATASTROPHE

SOLO didn't even "Fly Casual" at the box office: We love THIS Han Solo THE LAST JEDI backlash is at an all-time peak, five...

FORGOTTEN ANG LEE MARVEL W/ UNIVERSAL 'HULK' PICTURE

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r4kWXKZtq0s/WxcIRfXRLPI/AAAAAAAA2kw/x27K8hQj8-o2p6G2PilL4b-b4W8TnUnzwCLcBGAs/s1600/34508495_487127881716393_5123512224505135104_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="925" height="268" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r4kWXKZtq0s/WxcIRfXRLPI/AAAAAAAA2kw/x27K8hQj8-o2p6G2PilL4b-b4W8TnUnzwCLcBGAs/s400/34508495_487127881716393_5123512224505135104_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Hulk crashes out of The Sting at Victory Drive-In HULK Year: 2003</u></td></tr>
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The early days of modern cinema Marvel when there were no constant one-liners ala Tony Starkasm... Yes, Robert Downey Jr. <i>is</i> funny but soon enough, every damn superhero had to share in his constantly glib persona. Even the recent Star Wars movies use it. Lighten up all the lighting up already... Let's get back to basics...<br>
<br>
HULK, the first big screen solo effort, is underrated and pretty good in several ways, taking forty-two minutes until Eric Bana, as scientist Bruce Banner... with the inevitable rage built-in from birth... turns into what Sam Elliott's tough General calls "The Big Man." Taking so much time for the payoff might seem crazy to some, but even KING KONG waited forty-eight minutes to reveal <i>that</i> titular beast. The reason for this is... Suspense: Thankfully, until the long-drawn climax pitting the military verses a sunny desert leaping Hulk (backed by Danny Elfman's worst score), he's kept mostly in the dark, outside, or within softly-lit interiors: like the laboratory he breaks out of to start the ball rolling. While the side-characters, including ingenue Jennifer Connelly and smarmy villain Josh Lucas, aren't altogether fleshed-out, Bana plays Banner interestingly enough so the transformations matter. Also let it be noted that he and Mark Ruffalo (AVENGERS) share a slight swarthy resemblance to the only human to play the creature: the iconic Lou Ferrigno...  <br>

action, comic book, eric bana, jennifer connelly, lou ferrigno, marvel, nick nolte, science-fiction, zeroes

FORGOTTEN ANG LEE MARVEL W/ UNIVERSAL 'HULK' PICTURE

Hulk crashes out of The Sting at Victory Drive-In HULK Year: 2003 The early days of modern cinema Marvel when there were no constant one...

AL PACINO SPEEDS UP TO SLOW DOWN IN 'BOBBY DEERFIELD'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FvhJjPovvCA/WxJqpuwe_MI/AAAAAAAA2ao/5dU6nqMjf7UmuYPBHL6FrBBqDCcQMudBQCLcBGAs/s1600/34072652_485531611876020_4315030952255422464_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="960" height="291" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FvhJjPovvCA/WxJqpuwe_MI/AAAAAAAA2ao/5dU6nqMjf7UmuYPBHL6FrBBqDCcQMudBQCLcBGAs/s400/34072652_485531611876020_4315030952255422464_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year of Release: 1977 Rating: ***</u></td></tr>
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Not a race car movie, but one that centers on a famous driver... The 
man, BOBBY DEERFIELD, especially after a fatal accident by another 
driver in <i>his</i> car, simply doesn't care much for humanity or even 
his own family, and only gets a personality after meeting, and then 
traveling aimlessly with, a beautiful woman in a hospital. But his real 
turnaround occurs after discovering, by accident, this mystery woman's 
deep, dark secret...<br>
<br>
Thus the free-spirited, spontaneous, sometimes 
rambling and obnoxious, insecure confidence of Marthe Keller's 
personality makes sense after this revelation, as does the film: Which 
still meanders quite a bit, seeming more like a collection of lovely 
European snapshots than a flowing motion picture; this is his reposeful and torturous, romantic and melancholy, English-speaking Foreign Film. And you've 
heard of pretty boy actors having to prove their acting talents? Well 
for Pacino, this is the polar opposite. But he has some good dramatic 
moments... after all, he <i>is</i> Al Pacino.<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UY8VgcwRN6E/WxTb_3KqHmI/AAAAAAAA2hU/WEmA-1HzezskQ-yTeDuCx4kBcORolXePACLcBGAs/s1600/34342556_485546591874522_1434988598393831424_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1497" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UY8VgcwRN6E/WxTb_3KqHmI/AAAAAAAA2hU/WEmA-1HzezskQ-yTeDuCx4kBcORolXePACLcBGAs/s1600/34342556_485546591874522_1434988598393831424_o.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Meaningless Trivia: In Misery with Pacino's Godfather bro, James Caan, a Bobby Deerfield VHS can be seen in a store</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99PdMY-N0GU/WxJ2NC5HX0I/AAAAAAAA2cM/ARp_EAb3050h_z9hG6939Ft5_SOJ4yG_QCLcBGAs/s1600/34133057_485550961874085_7825633088523730944_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1350" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99PdMY-N0GU/WxJ2NC5HX0I/AAAAAAAA2cM/ARp_EAb3050h_z9hG6939Ft5_SOJ4yG_QCLcBGAs/s1600/34133057_485550961874085_7825633088523730944_o.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bobby Deerfield costarring Marthe Keller could be a romantic melodramatic underrated motion picture, or...</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C5-R27yUdsU/WxJ1c7o3yVI/AAAAAAAA2b8/DFBfNK76Na4meWGu0wAroo71U7UFk7KUACLcBGAs/s1600/34132872_485550941874087_4835109005984530432_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C5-R27yUdsU/WxJ1c7o3yVI/AAAAAAAA2b8/DFBfNK76Na4meWGu0wAroo71U7UFk7KUACLcBGAs/s1600/34132872_485550941874087_4835109005984530432_n.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Or an answer to sleeping pills... it's up to the viewer, and when they view it... But wake up, he's about to do a Mae West impression</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PZHbmsLQCPQ/WxJyJaeemuI/AAAAAAAA2bc/TjAJLhe2nSIjLpDaN-SknU26HlniVCmBwCLcBGAs/s1600/34188860_485542448541603_1720123200773292032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="960" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PZHbmsLQCPQ/WxJyJaeemuI/AAAAAAAA2bc/TjAJLhe2nSIjLpDaN-SknU26HlniVCmBwCLcBGAs/s1600/34188860_485542448541603_1720123200773292032_n.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>This shot doesn't sum up Bobby Deerfield directed by Sydney Pollock, instead...</u></td></tr>
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al pacino, drama, marthe keller, race car, romance, seventies, sport

AL PACINO SPEEDS UP TO SLOW DOWN IN 'BOBBY DEERFIELD'

Year of Release: 1977 Rating: *** Not a race car movie, but one that centers on a famous driver... The man, BOBBY DEERFIELD, especially...

JIM KELLY IN 'THE TATTOO CONNECTON' AJKA 'BLACK BELT JONES 2'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5h4xBfMFAzs/WxH6p416E9I/AAAAAAAA2Y4/QUw5dozJynMF7YAtp0QAE54bh8kx5OvAwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-01%2Bat%2B6.54.18%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1238" height="263" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5h4xBfMFAzs/WxH6p416E9I/AAAAAAAA2Y4/QUw5dozJynMF7YAtp0QAE54bh8kx5OvAwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-06-01%2Bat%2B6.54.18%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Groovy title sequence YEAR of RELEASE: 1978</u></td></tr>
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Not a sequel to BLACK BELT JONES despite the misleading alternative title, which HOT POTATO was supposed to be and failed: Instead, THE TATTOO CONNECTION  is a Tao-liang Tan vehicle with ENTER THE DRAGON afro icon Jim Kelly on the side... <br>
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But with his usual confident bravado he steals, and eventually owns,  this thoroughly entertaining Chinese-imported Kung Fu flick centering on  the recovery of a stolen diamond and the mobster thugs who want it, and who they use in the process: Enter "Master of Kicks" Tan, who kicks ass for  fifteen-minutes before Kelly, a CIA agent named Lucas, is called in  from America. Tan works for the villainous Sin Cheng along with Bolo  Yeung and some other badly dubbed goons, but eventually our flash-legged  hero, with the aid of beautiful wife Nami Misaki, joins Kelly's Lucas in a  glorious fight on a freighter ship in a movie that, through time and lack of restoration, looks awful and grainy (awfully grainy) and yet, overall, TATTOO CONNECTION (officially titled "E yu tou hei sha xing" and also known as HONG KONG CONNECTION, ) is surprisingly good stuff with lots of quick zooms, and not too much exposition dialogue since you always know where the character are  going, and why.<br>
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blaxploitation, bolo yeung, jim kelly, karate, seventies

JIM KELLY IN 'THE TATTOO CONNECTON' AJKA 'BLACK BELT JONES 2'

Groovy title sequence YEAR of RELEASE: 1978 Not a sequel to BLACK BELT JONES despite the misleading alternative title, which HOT POTATO ...

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