MICHAEL MADSEN INTERVIEW & LAWRENCE TIERNEY'S NEPHEW TIM

<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/-nMsenK33Vcw/XI0njekU_5I/AAAAAAABBIE/gFYBClvY6gMKLcd1Dfd3uwFct0J5QyrnQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-16%2Bat%2B8.04.32%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="817" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nMsenK33Vcw/XI0njekU_5I/AAAAAAABBIE/gFYBClvY6gMKLcd1Dfd3uwFct0J5QyrnQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-16%2Bat%2B8.04.32%2BAM.jpeg" width="362"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Michael Madsen as Vic Vega in Reservoir Dogs</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <i>Michael Madsen has been in a large number of films dating back three decades, and is beloved by countless fans as the cool, tough and sinister Vic Vega  aka “Mr. Blonde” in the Quentin Tarantino masterpiece RESERVOIR DOGS. He also worked with Tarantino along with the late David Carradine on KILL BILL (and right below is an interview with Tim Tierney, the nephew of Madsen's DOGS boss Lawrence Tierney and son of Lawrence's brother, actor Scott Brady, born Scott Tierney)... </i><br> <br> <u>Michael, how was it doing the RESERVOIR DOGS office scene with Lawrence Tierney and Chris Penn?</u><br> <br> Lawrence was angry and Chris and I were having fun. Lawrence didn't really like Quentin at that point. We did three wrestling takes. We broke a lot of stuff and kept going out of frame. Lawrence kept yelling at us because he wanted to go home. Finally the third one was the only one usable and that's the one in the movie. If you look at our close ups you can see how sweaty and out of breath we were because they did all three takes really fast. It was a long morning. 
<br>

british film noir/melodrama, fifties, forties, interview, lawrence tierney, michael madsen, nineties, quentin tarantino, scott brady

MICHAEL MADSEN INTERVIEW & LAWRENCE TIERNEY'S NEPHEW TIM

Michael Madsen as Vic Vega in Reservoir Dogs Michael Madsen has been in a large number of films dating back three decades, and is belove...

JACK H. HARRIS & IRVIN S. YEAWORTH JR. PRESENT '4D MAN'

<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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rFlh3b7VaDA/XIm11WB-h2I/AAAAAAABA-o/6jxUEUjL5jQannuJbp9GA6baXCw8KipIQCLcBGAs/s1600/12%2B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="790" height="347" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rFlh3b7VaDA/XIm11WB-h2I/AAAAAAABA-o/6jxUEUjL5jQannuJbp9GA6baXCw8KipIQCLcBGAs/s400/12%2B2.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Robert Lansing's got mail in 4D MAN Year: 1959</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Robert Lansing can make just about anything believable. His performance in director Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr. and producer Jack Harris's sophomore vehicle 4D MAN is slowburn, natural and patient: Like THE BLOB, the plot takes time to not only build, but to make things understandable since the hard-to-explain science isn't a gooey space alien...<br> <br> As close to Noir as these filmmakers got, 4D MAN is about flawed humans like Lee Meriwether and James Congdon as the assistant and brother of our leading man, Lansing's Dr. Scott Nelson: the latter busy at a corporate lab to make what's called "Cargonite" stronger than steel. In the acting department, Congdon's Dr. Tony Nelson, though high-spirited and intense, seems either miscast, acting more like a small town quarterback than a brilliant scientist on the verge of a literal breakthrough; or perhaps he's just underwhelming compared to Lansing, who's broodingly tortured even before it becomes literal...<br> <br>

body count, fifties, irvin s. yeaworth jr., jack harris, jazz score, lee meriwether, patty duke, robert lansing, science-fiction, thriller

JACK H. HARRIS & IRVIN S. YEAWORTH JR. PRESENT '4D MAN'

Robert Lansing's got mail in 4D MAN Year: 1959 Robert Lansing can make just about anything believable. His performance in director I...

JOHN WAYNE PRESENTS 'RING OF FEAR' WITH JOHN BROMFIELD

<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/-G5ixQKtTTZo/XIWvCv5klSI/AAAAAAABA3M/C9cpIPouDNo1zOVlhNWvtTp4__2otz3fACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-10%2Bat%2B6.50.03%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="704" data-original-width="883" height="318" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G5ixQKtTTZo/XIWvCv5klSI/AAAAAAABA3M/C9cpIPouDNo1zOVlhNWvtTp4__2otz3fACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-10%2Bat%2B6.50.03%2BAM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Pat O'Brien, Sean McClory & Mickey Spillane YEAR: 1954</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> There's THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, considered by some the <i>greatest</i> Circus Movie — unless you count the more personal, character-driven melodrama, TRAPEZE or maybe JUMBO, THE BIG CIRCUS or else this lesser known but more entertaining little circus thriller: a John Wayne production (that he doesn't appear in) titled RING OF FEAR wherein the first three credited stars include two that are exploited for their skills while being non-actors and playing themselves...<br> <br> The second is real life pulp author Mickey Spillane, complimented by surrounding circus employees, all fans of his gritty and popular (and brilliant) gumshoe novels: as an example of the unapologetic exploitation element, one vendor <i>just happens</i> to be reading a Spillane potboiler as Mickey stops for a hot dog — then hands him his latest paperback potboiler...<br>

action, body count, circus, exploitation, fifties, film noir or melodrama, john bromfield, john wayne, marian carr, mickey spillane, pat o'brien, sean mcclory, thriller

JOHN WAYNE PRESENTS 'RING OF FEAR' WITH JOHN BROMFIELD

Pat O'Brien, Sean McClory & Mickey Spillane YEAR: 1954 There's THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, considered by some the greatest ...

A BAGFUL OF PARANTHETICAL BLAKE EDWARDS ARCHIVE REVIEWS

<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/-wr7v3wlIAqQ/XITBT9V-1FI/AAAAAAABA00/m8vB0KLHBCUgOUS5ubOdCJStPVRcFbXUgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-09%2Bat%2B9.54.23%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="675" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wr7v3wlIAqQ/XITBT9V-1FI/AAAAAAABA00/m8vB0KLHBCUgOUS5ubOdCJStPVRcFbXUgCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-09%2Bat%2B9.54.23%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bruce Willis and Malcolm McDowell YEAR: 1991 Score: **1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;"><u>SUNSET:</u></span> James Garner is the real life Marshall Wyatt Earp and Bruce Willis is cowboy actor Tom Mix portraying Earp in a movie, and they team-up to solve a murder in old Hollywoodland...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Reminiscent of those episodes of "Rockford Files" with Garner and the classier, prettier and younger Tom Selleck, but since there's really no clashing between the REAL cowboy and the FAKE one there's not much chemistry either. It's like watching two friends agreeing upon everything — what's the fun in that? But there are some decent performances and you'll have light fun watching. Meanwhile, as usual, Bruce Willis is passable doing his ever-charming-reaction acting style and James Garner keeps the ball rolling at a comfortable pace. Although in the end you'll forgot you've seen anything: except maybe cult icon Malcolm McDowell's final moments as a bizarre, classy and then monstrous villain as the affable comedy morphs wickedly into a chilling/thrilling Hammer Film.  <br>

blake edwards, bruce willis, comedy, eighties, fifties, jack lemmon, james garner, john ritter, lee remick, malcolm mcdowell, romantic comedy, sixties, thriller, TV, william holden

A BAGFUL OF PARANTHETICAL BLAKE EDWARDS ARCHIVE REVIEWS

Bruce Willis and Malcolm McDowell YEAR: 1991 Score: **1/2 SUNSET: James Garner is the real life Marshall Wyatt Earp and Bruce Willis i...

MEMORIAL BAGFUL OF JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT ARCHIVE REVIEWS

<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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qUMGYUZtfWQ/XIO8w7Qa2RI/AAAAAAABAx4/IMiWQthcFBkvp75dpp303LR3Zhe8uuFqACLcBGAs/s1600/000b.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="413" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qUMGYUZtfWQ/XIO8w7Qa2RI/AAAAAAABAx4/IMiWQthcFBkvp75dpp303LR3Zhe8uuFqACLcBGAs/s1600/000b.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jan-Michael Vincent and Robert Mitchum Year: 1971 Rates: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>GOING HOME:</u> This obscure drama, bordering on intentional page-turning melodrama and centering on a war hero, Robert Mitchum, who violently murders his wife (Sally Kirkland) witnessed by his four-year-old son, now grown-up in the form of brooding rebel Jan-Michael Vincent, is passably entertaining fare... <br> <br> Robert Mitchum (who'd star with Vincent in THE WINDS OF WAR a decade later) resides with miscast trailer-trash girlfriend Brenda Vaccaro, while Jan-Michael, having just returned home, seems either bent on revenge or forgiveness for his aged, yet still tough as nails, pop as they hang out bowling and drinking: making up for lost time. The best moments involve jarring situations that seem vividly real but aren't really happening (seen in Vincent's mind)... one has Mitchum destroying a pick-up-truck with a tire iron... or flashbacks viewed in present-time locations ala IN COLD BLOOD. It's a breezy character-study but without much character-development, neither Mitchum or Vincent becoming fully realized, nor their past fitfully resolved, but it's nice seeing the two steely mavericks together either way.<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wO3508f7YWc/XIOc8qYjtnI/AAAAAAABAxg/-Sl-F3z1HTUrF65qV4_LeSIuLurS1jnSwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-08%2Bat%2B10.04.39%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="1366" height="357" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wO3508f7YWc/XIOc8qYjtnI/AAAAAAABAxg/-Sl-F3z1HTUrF65qV4_LeSIuLurS1jnSwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-08%2Bat%2B10.04.39%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jan-Michael Vincent in Hard Country YEAR: 1981 Rates: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>HARD COUNTRY:</u> One of those blue collar beer guzzlin' factory worker films where if you're not one of the endearingly-flawed good guys, you're a shady, sinister rich jerk... with no in-betweens: Plot centers on a disgruntled factory worker, played by Jan-Michael Vincent, who loves drinkin' and lovin' his girlfriend – in that order – and his better half, a young Kim Basinger, who wants to move to California for a better life: one that doesn't include drunken cowboys and bar fights.<br> <br> This movie can't get any more predictable but the two leads carry things decently enough till the end, which you'll see coming for miles. Michael Parks is Vincent's real estate mogul brother who, once he spouts a racial epitaph out loud, you know he'll eventually fall by the wayside. Tanya Tucker is Kim Basinger's famous country singin' older sis who plants the seed that Texas is a place to get out of while the gettin' out is good. Daryl Hannah is Kim's younger sister who digs Texas fine enough – just as long as there's another car to fix. And character-actor Gailard Sartain, usually cast as an uptight stuffed-shirt (the fat cop in HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS), plays Vincent's comic relief buddy. Meanwhile, up front, Jan-Michael provides his usual slow-burn cool, and, donning a Bronson-tough mustache, is as great to watch as ever – as long as you don't mind the simplistic and forced classy envy undertone.  <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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQx469fLE5w/XIMwTjzL0nI/AAAAAAABAtw/lfO5OP1uuUM_3UKFrFnHuu400l7Tx2e5wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-08%2Bat%2B7.16.05%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1356" height="318" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tQx469fLE5w/XIMwTjzL0nI/AAAAAAABAtw/lfO5OP1uuUM_3UKFrFnHuu400l7Tx2e5wCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-08%2Bat%2B7.16.05%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jan-Michael Vincent w/ Joan Goodfellow 1974 Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>BUSTER AND BILLIE:</u> Even in the good times, a touch of melancholy permeates the idyllic existence of Buster, played by Jan-Michael Vincent: Good looking and friendly, he's different than most cinematic popular high schoolers, hanging with town outcast Whitey (Robert Englund), he dates the lovely and uptight Margie (Pamela Sue Martin) and shoots pool, hustling young locals more envious than loyal...<br> <br> When Buster meets a quiet backwoods girl named Billie, who’s been around the block with all of Buster’s friends, the shift changes into a melodic, strange love story. Their scenes together, spending time in the plush woodsy exterior, feel like two people with nothing left on earth but each other; while the romance, with few words spoken, is never corny or melodramatic: This is one of Jan-Michael Vincent’s best performances: he’s intense, caring and tough at the same time. But it’s Joan Goodfellow’s Billie that mesmerizes not only our smitten hero, but with her subtle beauty and sad eyes, provides a gentle substance – like she's caught in a daydream. All leading to an explosive doubled-edge climax both shocking and tragic, albeit you’ll<i> </i>see it coming for miles.<br>

action, bagful, eighties, exploitation, jan-michael vincent, joan goodfellow, melodrama, post-apocalyptic, robert englund, robert mitchum, sally kirkland, science-fiction, seventies, tribute

MEMORIAL BAGFUL OF JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT ARCHIVE REVIEWS

Jan-Michael Vincent and Robert Mitchum Year: 1971 Rates: *** GOING HOME: This obscure drama, bordering on intentional page-turning melo...

DIRK BENEDICT IN 'UNDERGROUND ACES' W/ MELANIE GRIFFITH

<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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6JR6hXrVVU/XIICBmqDUPI/AAAAAAABApg/vOul6tt6KEUHNdy5LajoGL-phT1wY1oxACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-07%2Bat%2B9.29.43%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1600" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6JR6hXrVVU/XIICBmqDUPI/AAAAAAABApg/vOul6tt6KEUHNdy5LajoGL-phT1wY1oxACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-07%2Bat%2B9.29.43%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Urban landscape opening credit shot YEAR: 1981</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Dirk Benedict was two years between, before and after BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and THE A-TEAM when he starred in this CAR WASH clone where a group of misfits are <i>supposed</i> to park rich people's vehicles in the parking lot beneath a plush hotel — only to race them around, now and again... <br> <br> The rest of the picture involves the gang of mostly minorities including Robert Hegyes as a Latin lover; cool witty black dudes Randy Brooks, the always optimistic T.K. Carter with an otherwise non-speaking, barking/howling human voice-box Michael Winslow; and handsome Italian Rick Podell as a selfish mechanic boyfriend of ingenue Melanie Griffith, who predictably edges toward Benedict, the new guy/resilient con man and soon enough, leader of the pack...<br>

comedy, dirk benedict, eighties, ensemble, exploitation, frank gorshin, melanie griffith, michael winslow, randy brooks, sid haig, t.k. carter

DIRK BENEDICT IN 'UNDERGROUND ACES' W/ MELANIE GRIFFITH

Urban landscape opening credit shot YEAR: 1981 Dirk Benedict was two years between, before and after BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and THE A-TEAM...

LUKE PERRY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING: A 90'S NOSTALGIC TRIBUTE

<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/-eCY2W6evad0/XH3n6rgnJqI/AAAAAAABAk4/_oV_OVYBXeoYrTMIe-xJljGeYncageUCgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-04%2Bat%2B6.58.25%2BPM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eCY2W6evad0/XH3n6rgnJqI/AAAAAAABAk4/_oV_OVYBXeoYrTMIe-xJljGeYncageUCgCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-03-04%2Bat%2B6.58.25%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Luke Perry's second image on Beverly Hills 90210 Episode 2 in 1990</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Luke Perry was The Fonz of BEVERLY HILLS 90210. His first moment on the show, he protected a nerdy kid (and later, a cute beach bunny played by Heather McAdam, pictured throughout for obvious reasons); and that's what Fonzie did, especially earlier on on HAPPY DAYS: saved the underdogs from the bullies... <br> <br> Also like Henry Winkler's iconic character, the lead of 90210 started out as Brandon Walsh, played by Jason Priestly... like Ron Howard's Richie Cunningham... but soon enough, as every poster shop in the world had Luke Perry's image backed by that era's neon-pink glow, the rebellious and rich, secretly deep, tortured, troubled and brooding surfer Dylan McKay was the draw of the show. But, as often happens, after a handful of seasons, the sex symbol had had enough. He left the series... but then miraculously returned, and literally became the main character since Jason Priestly had exited, for good. That paycheck must have been something else to lure Perry back. Plus the fact his movies either didn't do well at the box office (8 SECONDS), or succeeded for reasons other than him (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER).<br> <br>

heather mcadam, ian ziering, luke perry, nineties, series, tribute, TV

LUKE PERRY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING: A 90'S NOSTALGIC TRIBUTE

Luke Perry's second image on Beverly Hills 90210 Episode 2 in 1990 Luke Perry was The Fonz of BEVERLY HILLS 90210. His first moment...

RANDOMLY RADICAL BAGFUL OF ECLECTIC REVIEWS PART ONE

<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/-SpdYm-NX44c/XHqTWgrjEcI/AAAAAAABAhk/pSgCAXRXM9sPEn5qL5LxUgz81bpvmzhvgCLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="370" height="343" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SpdYm-NX44c/XHqTWgrjEcI/AAAAAAABAhk/pSgCAXRXM9sPEn5qL5LxUgz81bpvmzhvgCLcBGAs/s400/1.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Daughton drives Dan & Chevy YEAR: 1986 Score: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <u>SPIES LIKE US:</u> Dan Aykroyd could have made the perfect straight man here. With technical jargon and a brain like a computer, it's extremely strange that director John Landis has him acting equally the buffoon as Chevy Chase, who'd have been a terrific sole clown: only here that role's stepped-on by a partner sharing absolutely zero chemistry within this remake of the old Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "Road" movies of long ago...<br> <br> Making this an obvious attempt to get the Original SNL fanbase into the goofy and outdated, adventure-comedy template the director (and his generation) grew up on: the story of two expendables used as phony spies overseas, from the Arab desert to snowy Russia into a nuclear plot-line as dated as it comes, has involving moments while the journey provides safe popcorn-chomping entertainment value. And there are few decent one-liners... that which could've been uttered by any comic actor. Unlike Landis's THE BLUES BROTHERS or TRADING PLACES, the talent isn't retrofit into the surroundings. Instead, Dan and Chevy seem like guest stars in someone else's picture, and, this being nostalgic homage, perhaps they are.<br>

anthony quinn, bagful, chevy chase, comedy, counter-culture, dan aykroyd, eighties, forties, jean gabin, mystery, otto preminger, robert ryan, sixties, spoof, suspense, tv movie

RANDOMLY RADICAL BAGFUL OF ECLECTIC REVIEWS PART ONE

James Daughton drives Dan & Chevy YEAR: 1986 Score: *** SPIES LIKE US: Dan Aykroyd could have made the perfect straight man here. ...

ALFRED HITCHFORK'S 'FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT' WITH JOEL MCCREA

<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/-I9NMXP60nME/XHaD23uOqMI/AAAAAAABAXE/Ma0-hbbkykcdNzwNcFRNySmv7-j0MvpWACLcBGAs/s1600/HALFSHEET127-2.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="500" height="310" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I9NMXP60nME/XHaD23uOqMI/AAAAAAABAXE/Ma0-hbbkykcdNzwNcFRNySmv7-j0MvpWACLcBGAs/s400/HALFSHEET127-2.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Formerly doubled w/ <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/02/berlinC.html">Berlin Correspondent</a> Foreign YEAR: 1940</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Instead of gentle giant Gary Cooper, who was director Alfred Hitchock's original choice, and an actor most directors were in love with, it's lanky Joel McCrea who intrepidly traipses around Europe, specifically Holland and London, in search of an important man who's memorized what would possibly end the looming Second World War...<br> <br> Had Cooper played New York reporter John Jones (using a heroic pseudonym), he'd probably be a lot more serious and deadpan within this extremely important, perilous assignment/situation compared to McCrea, who, dapper and always joking around no matter how dangerous the risks, cruises passively shotgun in a vehicle driven completely by the adventure at hand, which means lots more than the character: he's as a proverbial kite is to the breeze, and extremely breezy at that.<br>

action, adventure, alfred hitchcock, espionage, forties, george sanders, joel mccrea, laraine day, martin kosleck, war, world war II

ALFRED HITCHFORK'S 'FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT' WITH JOEL MCCREA

Formerly doubled w/ Berlin Correspondent Foreign YEAR: 1940 Instead of gentle giant Gary Cooper, who was director Alfred Hitchock'...

DANA ANDREWS IN 'BERLIN CORRESPONDENT' W/ MARTIN KOSLECK

<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/-k3-wXT2WGdk/XHa5m9zmXvI/AAAAAAABAaw/yKxo6d6yAsk3WRREGk2cfJWXBYzZ0aCJwCLcBGAs/s1600/lf.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="669" height="303" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k3-wXT2WGdk/XHa5m9zmXvI/AAAAAAABAaw/yKxo6d6yAsk3WRREGk2cfJWXBYzZ0aCJwCLcBGAs/s400/lf.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Dana Andrews in an early wartime role from the YEAR: 1942</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Sustaining our Dana Andrews retrospective we'll share this with intense German actor Martin Kosleck as a kind of villain's villlain: a role Dana would play twenty-years later, and like it...<br> <br> Kosleck is perhaps best known or recognized as the red-herring windmill resident/replacement in Alfred Hitchcock's post-war espionage-adventure classic, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT...<br> <br> And unlike that memorable, sparse yet important cameo, he's pretty much the entire vehicle for <i>this</i> CORRESPONDENT made two years later. Only now we're on his home turf during, not before, The Second World War: BERLIN, Germany against American Dana Andrews, with a Valentino pencil thin mustache usually given to Silent Movie stars, playing the most intrepid role by mere introduction...<br>

dana andrews, espionage, martin kosleck, nazi, thriller, virginia gilmore, war, world war II

DANA ANDREWS IN 'BERLIN CORRESPONDENT' W/ MARTIN KOSLECK

Dana Andrews in an early wartime role from the YEAR: 1942 Sustaining our Dana Andrews retrospective we'll share this with intense Ge...

PETER STRAUSS & NICK NOLTE PLAY 'RICH MAN POOR MAN'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf49AOKl8V8/XGyTN2F_gAI/AAAAAAAA_8s/dRZ1XLbbJ5It9jFb6PtJJikQ7tJogE-PACLcBGAs/s1600/0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="837" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hf49AOKl8V8/XGyTN2F_gAI/AAAAAAAA_8s/dRZ1XLbbJ5It9jFb6PtJJikQ7tJogE-PACLcBGAs/s1600/0.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Nick Nolte as Tom Jordache fighting William Smith's Falconetti on RICH MAN POOR MAN the original miniseries from 1976</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The two title siblings from RICH MAN,  POOR MAN would have made the perfect singular male. Both having grown-up very poor, one becomes rich and the other, extremely and outrageously cursed and unlucky: So the entire miniseries is about acquiring luck through logic and hard work and/or being unlucky by following primal instincts...<br> <br> Although, soon enough, the bad luck, permanently stained on Nick Nolte's Tom Jordache, spreads onto everyone around him, including the series' true lead, Peter Strauss as Rudy Jordache, whose story of a delivery boy turned businessman turned aspiring politician intentionally clashes (albeit separately) with Nolte's hardboiled cross-country escapades... <br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sB0BFY8JqTE/XGyV2KU4SoI/AAAAAAAA_84/sTdWj-hO2MgZybpNc4JUnSj2zHmKeeFDgCLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="960" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sB0BFY8JqTE/XGyV2KU4SoI/AAAAAAAA_84/sTdWj-hO2MgZybpNc4JUnSj2zHmKeeFDgCLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Falconetti Wants You... To Join The Merchant Marines: And on the Bottom Bunk You'll Stay</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The best parts concerning Nolte's Tom occurs in the 11th hour, when he finally starts doing well... Working a charter boat with partner Herbert Jefferson Jr., his young son and perfect girlfriend turned wife Kay Lenz, life never looked better than all those low-rent dives he'd sulked around in, eventually chased by the mafia and thrown on a merchant marine steamer ship to get outta town, quick... <br> <br> And on that ship's where the most sinister and eclectically nefarious villain is introduced in William Smith's Anthony Falconetti: Not only bullying smaller guys onboard by beating them to the proverbial pulp, what he does to Jefferson's Roy, Tom's best friend, is liken to why men fear prison because of what "Bubba" will make them...<br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oYcysm23jYs/XGyXf06a4LI/AAAAAAAA_9Q/JkEx6ln6GUkr2WWHHWBKU5art8PHQR_gwCLcBGAs/s1600/53005035_656343948128118_6888418082906177536_n.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oYcysm23jYs/XGyXf06a4LI/AAAAAAAA_9Q/JkEx6ln6GUkr2WWHHWBKU5art8PHQR_gwCLcBGAs/s1600/53005035_656343948128118_6888418082906177536_n.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Rudy Strauss and Nick Nolte in an 11th hour celebration in RICH MAN, POOR MAN</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> While great actors, Strauss and Nolte seem ten years too old for playing teenagers, taking place in the first "chapter," literally seconds after World War II, living under their tyrannical father, played by award winning ham Edward Asner as a German baker with a bloody past and the kind of bad choices Nolte's Tom would inherit, almost to exact detail...<br> <br> Nolte winds up living with his even worse (albeit successful) uncle, and there his story really begins, having an affair with a voluminous older woman he'll eventually name his beloved charter boat after...<br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2VxRMXAOWg8/XGyqL_oBW_I/AAAAAAAA_9w/KSCUPXrLv30bqgwV9zg79P94xw_5GznwwCLcBGAs/s1600/52269861_656341961461650_4551937096285159424_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="883" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2VxRMXAOWg8/XGyqL_oBW_I/AAAAAAAA_9w/KSCUPXrLv30bqgwV9zg79P94xw_5GznwwCLcBGAs/s1600/52269861_656341961461650_4551937096285159424_n.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>"I can bake bread to feed people; what can you do?" Rudy asks a spoiled hippie college kid, before going bonkers</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Meanwhile, the most intriguing scenes involve Rudy's initial climb to success, starting in his college days while working for Ray Milland at an old fashion superstore that desperately needs modernizing... <br> <br> The way Rudy climbs to the top is more intriguing and suspenseful than Nolte's roving Noir inspired muscularity; the latter's story peaking once he's in the boxing game, which doesn't last long enough thanks to, again, horribly asinine decisions. And in his own way, Strauss's Rudy is equally tough, providing a few wonderfully delivered lectures that, unlike his father (Asner), don't come across as overboard or melodramatic... <br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hqVN2k8xm5k/XGymDLUTieI/AAAAAAAA_9Y/O4tGsUm_6q4Qf16GkCciSx5Za6FNrIzYgCLcBGAs/s1600/52392573_656361518126361_8439853870443659264_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="960" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hqVN2k8xm5k/XGymDLUTieI/AAAAAAAA_9Y/O4tGsUm_6q4Qf16GkCciSx5Za6FNrIzYgCLcBGAs/s1600/52392573_656361518126361_8439853870443659264_n.jpeg"></a></i></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>William Smith and Susan Blakely violently bond in RICH MAN POOR MAN the last chapter</u><i><br></i></td></tr> </tbody></table> But the glue connecting everything is Susan Blakely as Rudy's "childhood" semi-girlfriend Julie Prescott, the only of the three leads fitting the younger, teenage scenes as she curiously glimpses into the "mysterious side" of life with a tempestuous older-man affair, and then, much like Tom, making her own path (in New York City) no matter the consequences.... <br> <br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> A progressive young woman ahead of her time, she unfortunately finds the wrong man in a horribly cast Bill Bixby, delivering each line straight out of community theater. His random imitations of Jimmy Stewart, supposedly personifying an omnipresent charm, are so cringe-worthy, time practically stands still while he's on screen. </div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUAtkZLprXQ/XGymmbm-jCI/AAAAAAAA_9o/IH4wc5GrcGAk7oNxPDWBYeajspIKam8NgCLcBGAs/s1600/52594341_656329081462938_7998427160509415424_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="960" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lUAtkZLprXQ/XGymmbm-jCI/AAAAAAAA_9o/IH4wc5GrcGAk7oNxPDWBYeajspIKam8NgCLcBGAs/s1600/52594341_656329081462938_7998427160509415424_n.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Kay Lenz as Kate Jordache in RICH MAN, POOR MAN</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Towards the end of this, the original RICH MAN, POOR MAN miniseries... followed by an actual full-season series, BOOK II, sans Nolte and with Strauss fighting political corruption and especially William Smith's demonic madman Falconetti (and not in that order)... Blakely's Julie, married to would-be politician Rudy, amounts to boozing and complaining... <br> <br> At one point, before Tom's tragic yet predictable death, Rudy points out how much better the POOR brother's life is (even though Tom's sudden turnaround was all Rudy's doing), attributed to either contentment or a comparably perfect bedmate in Kay Lenz. But that, like everything else, relates to the personal choices from either of three central figures which is really, deep down, a "modernized" Greek tragedy about what paths<i> not</i> to take — and then what happens after willingly setting forth into an inevitable, self-fulfilled perdition. <br>

adaptaiton, drama, ed asner, herbert jefferson jr., kay lenz, miniseries, nick nolte, peter strauss, seventies, susan blakely, time period, william smith

PETER STRAUSS & NICK NOLTE PLAY 'RICH MAN POOR MAN'

Nick Nolte as Tom Jordache fighting William Smith's Falconetti on RICH MAN POOR MAN the original miniseries from 1976 The two title ...

ALICE KRIGE & BRIAN KRAUSE IN STEPHEN KING'S 'SLEEPWALKERS'

<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="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hfBh7hwE1MU/XG8s-RVMBII/AAAAAAABACM/ksEVnxt5V2QRwjsw1QhrNvaW7-XHyCBbQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-21%2Bat%2B2.22.37%2BPM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hfBh7hwE1MU/XG8s-RVMBII/AAAAAAABACM/ksEVnxt5V2QRwjsw1QhrNvaW7-XHyCBbQCK4BGAYYCw/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-21%2Bat%2B2.22.37%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Alice Krige and Brian Krause bond in Sleepwalkers YEAR: 1992</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Stephen King found himself a worthy future director in Mick Garris for the TV mini-series THE STAND two years after SLEEPWALKERS, an intentional b-movie that introduces a new kid in school, fawned-over despite his shyness and, somewhat like Sissy Spacek in CARRIE, which was King's first adaptation, Brian Krause's Charles Brady reads a story aloud in class and the English teacher is not very polite...<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/-zSm7xgOfFC4/XG80cxu2llI/AAAAAAABADQ/gk-lUGHyntoM2LxZPx1WmK-dvlKBVq0HQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-21%2Bat%2B3.19.57%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zSm7xgOfFC4/XG80cxu2llI/AAAAAAABADQ/gk-lUGHyntoM2LxZPx1WmK-dvlKBVq0HQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-21%2Bat%2B3.19.57%2BPM.jpeg" width="146"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mädchen Amick</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Resembling a magazine model surfer, Krause does a good enough job playing-down who would obviously be an otherwise instantly popular kid. Although, blonde and bright on the outside with a dark, secret interior, he does quickly land an equally perfect-looking girl, and Mädchen Amick's Tanya quickly becomes our vulnerable bottom-lip-biting ingenue dating her dream boy; the latter who, behind very closed doors, has an extremely close relationship with his sexy middle aged (or possibly eternally aged) mother, Mary...<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3rMXo3RK7g/VnYldDIUOPI/AAAAAAAAp7Q/M8YGyaURXz8/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-12-19%2Bat%2B7.49.47%2BPM.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3rMXo3RK7g/VnYldDIUOPI/AAAAAAAAp7Q/M8YGyaURXz8/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2015-12-19%2Bat%2B7.49.47%2BPM.png" width="150"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>A Luke warm response</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In this pivotal role, Alice Krige combines sensuality and jealousy: wanting to protect her son while yearning for her next meal, and fearing the horde of loathsome cats, gathered outside their home like union members on strike. As explained in the opening scrawl,  and later orchestrated by the classic slide guitar instrumental "Sleep Walk," mother and son are in fact SLEEPWALKERS i.e. cat-like creatures that must feed on blood to survive: a combination of werewolves, vampires, and something altogether gross and slimy.<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iAuz4RLSq3s/XG80C7mGVxI/AAAAAAABADE/ypXl_8EfWjIbs8rv7AV0ShUqHL5E-vPAACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-21%2Bat%2B2.03.58%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iAuz4RLSq3s/XG80C7mGVxI/AAAAAAABADE/ypXl_8EfWjIbs8rv7AV0ShUqHL5E-vPAACLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-21%2Bat%2B2.03.58%2BPM.jpeg" width="231"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>SLEEPWALKERS Score: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The best scenes occur as the good girl warms up to her seemingly normal new beau while, alone on the side, he cruises around in his muscle car within the outskirts of the rural town, taking care of daylight business concerning that bullying teacher and a pesky cop.<br> <br> Sadly, and as would happen in THE STAND concerning villain Randall Flagg, the moment when the dated early-90's CGI shows Krause's face morphing into a monstrous reality (at one of his future victims), all mystique is lost...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Then he gets violently down and dirty with his beloved girlfriend, trying for "Here's Johnny!" style fervor and, alas, this sudden lunacy blunts the suspense way too soon in a game-changing scene that should have occurred during the final act instead of the middle: leaving us with an overlong car-to-foot chase that, although altering locations, is one-dimensional and rushes to a predictable conclusion. Thankfully, throughout the 11th hour bedlam, Alice Krige remains mysterious and creepy even after the trick is revealed, that is, she keeps classing up the proverbial joint after it's burned itself out.<br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

action, alice krige, body count, brian krause, horror, mädchen amick, mark hamill, mick garris, nineties, stephen king, thriller, vampire

ALICE KRIGE & BRIAN KRAUSE IN STEPHEN KING'S 'SLEEPWALKERS'

Alice Krige and Brian Krause bond in Sleepwalkers YEAR: 1992 Stephen King found himself a worthy future director in Mick Garris for the...

BRUCE WILLIS IN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S 'GLASS' W/ SAM JACKSON

<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/-n5oOnATH8no/XGLBTl4OWtI/AAAAAAAA_jc/bvrl-iQLTBU7xBMoTdeQqi3R3qCQg6bdQCLcBGAs/s1600/https---blogs-images.forbes.com-scottmendelson-files-2018-11-GLASS-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1280" height="263" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n5oOnATH8no/XGLBTl4OWtI/AAAAAAAA_jc/bvrl-iQLTBU7xBMoTdeQqi3R3qCQg6bdQCLcBGAs/s400/https---blogs-images.forbes.com-scottmendelson-files-2018-11-GLASS-1.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The poster shows the main problem... way too much McAvoy  2019</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> M. Night Shyamalan never needs to provide a director commentary track for GLASS since the actors do it for him. A two-tier sequel, one for the subtle classic UNBREAKABLE starring Bruce Willis as a security guard who can't be injured, manipulated by title character Mr. Glass, played by Samuel L. Jackson; the other SPLIT, the recent thriller/horror with James McAvoy as a zoo employee serial killer of young girls...<br> <br> Unfortunately, and despite the title, this is <i>not </i>an UNBREAKABLE sequel. Having AMERICAN HORROR STORY actress Sarah Paulson play a psych-ward shrink with a three-day pass (using two unrealistically inept security guards) to cure this eclectic trio of their supposed hyperactive fantasies, it's really about sustaining SPLIT. And for the audience, having to deal with a killer with multiple personalities is one thing... Being stuck with a hammy British actor showing how damned talented he is, is, well.. hell on Earth... and slowly...<br>

2019, action, bruce willis, comic book, franchise, horror, james mcavoy, m. night, new, samuel l. jackson, sequel, superhero, thriller, trilogy

BRUCE WILLIS IN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S 'GLASS' W/ SAM JACKSON

The poster shows the main problem... way too much McAvoy  2019 M. Night Shyamalan never needs to provide a director commentary track for...

DANA ANDREWS SOARING IN 'AIRPLANE' ORIGIN 'ZERO HOUR!'

<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/-3IKafj8kl2o/XFr88iRoPnI/AAAAAAAA_fw/du6ChlY8KmYTMmjW0aJC_vKU2h-zUQecwCLcBGAs/s1600/51251561_648692405559939_252258332830597120_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="960" height="301" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3IKafj8kl2o/XFr88iRoPnI/AAAAAAAA_fw/du6ChlY8KmYTMmjW0aJC_vKU2h-zUQecwCLcBGAs/s400/51251561_648692405559939_252258332830597120_n.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Fallen Angel couple Linda Darnell & Dana Andrews year: 1957</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> "It's an entirely different kind of flying" albeit not "altogether" and/or entirely since that famous AIRPLANE line came from the 1957 Airline Disaster flick ZERO HOUR!, starring Dana Andrews as haunted war vet Ted Striker and, like Robert Hays as Ted <i>Striker</i>, suffers a load of trauma, but for more reasons than one flyer's death, opening the movie with archive WWII footage with an ultra-serious, melodramatic narration... <br> <br> But still not that funny since six of Ted's men went down after he had okayed a bombing on a particular ground target during heavy fog and, not seeing their way clearly, all six hit the ground, one after the other, exploding in deadly flames. With this genuinely tragic catapult we cut to the low-budget reality at a military hospital, as every ZERO HOUR! location epitomizes the sparse, thrown-together B-movie set-dressing, resembling used furniture most likely rolled into the studio for a quick day's shoot...<br>

action, dana andrews, disaster, fifties, linda darnell, melodrama, peggy king, sterling hayden, suspense, thriller

DANA ANDREWS SOARING IN 'AIRPLANE' ORIGIN 'ZERO HOUR!'

Fallen Angel couple Linda Darnell & Dana Andrews year: 1957 "It's an entirely different kind of flying" albeit not &q...

WILLIAM KATT & REB BROWN TOGETHER AGAIN IN 'WHITE GHOST'

<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/-9rtFd0RjN5Q/XFe2zp3ZfwI/AAAAAAAA_XI/7HSbzDhhSe0WSrZwaQs54UaU5wP8NbULgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-03%2Bat%2B7.47.36%2BPM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1383" height="323" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9rtFd0RjN5Q/XFe2zp3ZfwI/AAAAAAAA_XI/7HSbzDhhSe0WSrZwaQs54UaU5wP8NbULgCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-03%2Bat%2B7.47.36%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Reb Brown blasts away the 11th hour of White Ghost YEAR: 1988</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Actor/Producer Wayne Crawford plays a grouchy commando common enough to have a line that finishes with "Cap in your ass!"<br> <br> And with WHITE GHOST there's a lesson on how to use William Katt's BIG WEDNESDAY pal, Reb Brown (who had resembled a skinny and large version of each other), the right and wrong way — starting with what <i>not</i> to do...<br> <br> The mission to "rescue" and/or "recover" Katt's titular rogue from the jungle, where he's existed, obscured behind a phantom legacy (ala Tarzan) since the unpopular war's closure almost twenty years earlier, is headed by Reb Brown, portraying a very serious, seemingly passive major, addressing a round table of grimacing politicians wanting nothing to do with the near-historic error called Vietnam...<br>

action, adventure, eighties, exploitation, martin hewitt, reb brown, rosalind chao, vietnam, war, wayne crawford, william katt

WILLIAM KATT & REB BROWN TOGETHER AGAIN IN 'WHITE GHOST'

Reb Brown blasts away the 11th hour of White Ghost YEAR: 1988 Actor/Producer Wayne Crawford plays a grouchy commando common enough to h...

ROGER CORMAN'S 'A BUCKET OF BLOOD' STARS DICK MILLER

<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/-gTeLB648lzE/XFOdhhi0DqI/AAAAAAAA_To/XaIHGnWu2tY4QPJmr5ez6Rud6xg0PRMugCLcBGAs/s1600/latest.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="509" height="295" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gTeLB648lzE/XFOdhhi0DqI/AAAAAAAA_To/XaIHGnWu2tY4QPJmr5ez6Rud6xg0PRMugCLcBGAs/s400/latest.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Dick Miller and Judy Bamber in A Bucket of Blood YEAR: 1959</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> This is a classic and timeless Roger Corman film about a tortured yet contentedly hollow busboy at a coffee shop, Walter Paisley, who quotes the pretentious "house poet" (Maxwell H. Brock), and, guided by memorized verse, isn't yet qualified to <i>reveal</i> his own talents...<br> <br> This is the iconic Dick Miller at his very best; especially since he'd become a staple side-character or cameo and, as he got older, a consummate tough guy after his square jaw turned to blue-collar steel: Yet here in his vulnerable youth, he shapes perfectly into the put-upon, simpleminded zero who accidentally "finds himself" as A BUCKET OF BLOOD is a dark comedy way ahead of its time: saying something about wannabe artists who live their lives worshiping other so-called geniuses... <br>

anthony carbone, barboura morris, bert convy, body count, dark comedy, dick miller, ed nelson, judy bamber, lynn storey, maxwell h. block, roger corman, thriller

ROGER CORMAN'S 'A BUCKET OF BLOOD' STARS DICK MILLER

Dick Miller and Judy Bamber in A Bucket of Blood YEAR: 1959 This is a classic and timeless Roger Corman film about a tortured yet conten...

JACK HILL'S 'PIT STOP' AKA 'THE WINNER' FEATURING SID HAIG

<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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3Tis_rgqjU/XFAMj6BoR2I/AAAAAAAA_NE/0WNTbq0l6gA2MSxFVzmr-UJ1RykLoKU2gCLcBGAs/s1600/77.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O3Tis_rgqjU/XFAMj6BoR2I/AAAAAAAA_NE/0WNTbq0l6gA2MSxFVzmr-UJ1RykLoKU2gCLcBGAs/s400/77.jpeg" width="315"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Arrow Blu Ray signed by Sid Haig YEAR: 1967</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> PIT STOP is actually/technically THE WINNER since not only is that the exact title on the screen during the opening credits, but there's only one pit stop — where villain turned strategic wild card Sid Haig stops for half a second during the last race. Which isn't your usual climax since the movie continuously peaks throughout. Backed by tough instrumental rock — the fat, crunchy guitar sounding more 1950's than 1967 — this low-budget curio's directed by b-movie icon Jack Hill, before his signature women-in-prison and/or urban blaxploitation flicks...<br> <br> Filmed around Los Angeles in sparse, bleak B&W from city streets to a steely-dusk junkyard  to the noisy tracks, where the style of racing is mostly Figure 8, which is practically suicide even for the most intrepid hot dogs: In each smash em' up bout, always ending in a loud, boisterous, go-go barroom, Hill clearly lets you know what driver's behind the wheel, and when: Either Sid Haig's rowdy, cocky Hawk Sidney or main character Dick Davalos as Rick Bowman, both working for Grant Willard, played by veteran actor Brian Donlevy, who's cooler and colder than the drivers he subtly <i>pits</i> against each other. And there's always a reason for the racing around, established within lean exposition that stretches PIT STOP beyond that era's hot rod exploitation fare — but it's <i>all that</i>, too... <br>

beverly washburn, brian donlevy, ellen burstyn, exploitation, jack hill, race car, richard davalos, sid haig, sixties

JACK HILL'S 'PIT STOP' AKA 'THE WINNER' FEATURING SID HAIG

Arrow Blu Ray signed by Sid Haig YEAR: 1967 PIT STOP is actually/technically THE WINNER since not only is that the exact title on the sc...

TV-MOVIE EXPLOITATION OF 'SINGLE BARS, SINGLE WOMEN'

<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/-dkXd0YvIGE8/XE1BN-p3ZYI/AAAAAAAA_HE/QlOLv2F2axIDB3vaOTL3iMjLOaNZ5bPtQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-01-26%2Bat%2B8.12.53%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="1600" height="322" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dkXd0YvIGE8/XE1BN-p3ZYI/AAAAAAAA_HE/QlOLv2F2axIDB3vaOTL3iMjLOaNZ5bPtQCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-01-26%2Bat%2B8.12.53%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Christine Lahti takes a shot in Single Bars, Single Women YEAR: 1984</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> SINGLE BARS, SINGLE WOMEN could've been titled THE LAST DAYS AFTER THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO, centering on the notorious 1980's Single Bar scene as the title, based on a Dolly Parton song, depicts the Waterloo of that particular pre-AIDS scenario, and is dated but almost intentionally since the subject, too, was going out of style, fast... <br> <br> The setup is the most interesting, getting to know the characters ranging from a recently-dumped Shelley Hack, who, despite having gone round-for-round with Robert DeNiro in Martin Scorsese's THE KING OF COMEDY, never got her due as an actress. After a one-night-stand at the central bar, Bandini's, she's haunted by her ex, played by the (at that time) most famous cast member, Paul Michael Glaser (adding to the usual "former TV stars in a TV movie" template): Making Hack and Glaser the Ron Howard/Cindy Williams ala AMERICAN GRAFFITI, and too much time's centered on their working-things-out when more fun's had back at the club, where most of the picture takes place in a single "singles" night...<br>

brett cullen, christine lahti, dolly parton, eighties, ensemble, exploitation, jessica nelson, kathleen wilhoite, mare winningham, paul michael glaser, rick rossovitch, shelley hack, tony danza

TV-MOVIE EXPLOITATION OF 'SINGLE BARS, SINGLE WOMEN'

Christine Lahti takes a shot in Single Bars, Single Women YEAR: 1984 SINGLE BARS, SINGLE WOMEN could've been titled THE LAST DAYS AF...

ROD TAYLOR IN 'HOTEL' W/ CATHERINE SPAAK & KEVIN MCCARTHY

<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/-9pB6edFXzdM/XD9rke3oSMI/AAAAAAAA-v0/bYc0SLayfegE-OJPur7scFJCS0UHrhNfgCLcBGAs/s1600/50022168_637087933387053_6907806772166131712_n.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="856" height="271" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9pB6edFXzdM/XD9rke3oSMI/AAAAAAAA-v0/bYc0SLayfegE-OJPur7scFJCS0UHrhNfgCLcBGAs/s400/50022168_637087933387053_6907806772166131712_n.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Catherine Spaak loathes lover Kevin McCarthy in HOTEL Year: 1967</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The 1967 film, HOTEL, that later spawned a 1980's television series, was at a contradictory crossroads for women: While Catherine Spaak plays the typical young and complacent, older rich man's trophy girlfriend, she can't stand him — and even tells him such. That being Kevin McCarthy, whose Curtis O'Keefe represents two things Hollywood despises...<br> <br> He's supposedly a Christian, leading a bizarre prayer ritual that sounds as if God were his own personal accountant; and he's a corporate raider who's actually pretty sharp, knowledgeable and experienced: Yet we're not supposed to appreciate (or even notice) these things because no one in the movie does: As a phony-polite, suit-and-tie villain, McCarthy plays the kind of boss even his closest, well-paid employees roll their eyes at. And yet, at least initially, he's the most interesting character — especially when opening-up to Spaak's Jeanne about how he was once young, broke, and denied a job as assistant desk clerk at the St. Gregory i.e. our titular HOTEL... <br>

annazette chase, drama, ensemble, jack donner, jazz score, karl malden, melvin douglas, merle oberon, michael rennie, richard conte, rod taylor, sixties, vikki dougan

ROD TAYLOR IN 'HOTEL' W/ CATHERINE SPAAK & KEVIN MCCARTHY

Catherine Spaak loathes lover Kevin McCarthy in HOTEL Year: 1967 The 1967 film, HOTEL, that later spawned a 1980's television series...

CHARLES BRONSON IN 'THE STONE KILLER' FEATURING PAUL KOSLO

<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/-9_W8dUtJETE/XD0_5349FnI/AAAAAAAA-qw/Ceggwj-7Dfw_Pp-FsDL52J9VIPg3yANSgCLcBGAs/s1600/7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="638" height="258" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_W8dUtJETE/XD0_5349FnI/AAAAAAAA-qw/Ceggwj-7Dfw_Pp-FsDL52J9VIPg3yANSgCLcBGAs/s400/7.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year of Release: 1973</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Michael Winner's 1970's crime trilogy starring Charles Bronson made the tough guy actor as famous as Sergio Leone's Man With No Name trilogy put Clint Eastwood on the map... And the Bronson flicks <i>are</i> modern, asphalt Westerns about a hit man; a vigilante...<br> <br> And between THE MECHANIC and DEATH WISH is the most obscure: centering on an unpopular, shoot-first cop the likes of... back to the Eastwood similarity... DIRTY HARRY himself, only Bronson's Lou Torry is more subdued and realistic since THE STONE KILLER is a visually-stylistic throwback/Neo Noir as our man dons a gumshoe trench coat; investigates a list of repeatedly-spoken culprit last names; and uses sparse, rat-a-tat dialogue with hardly any conversation lasting longer than it takes to move the story from one scene to the next; and there are plenty...<br>

action, charles bronson, cop, crime, exploitation, jack colvin, john ritter, michael winner, neo noir, norman fell, paul koslo, ralph waite, seventies, thriller

CHARLES BRONSON IN 'THE STONE KILLER' FEATURING PAUL KOSLO

Year of Release: 1973 Michael Winner's 1970's crime trilogy starring Charles Bronson made the tough guy actor as famous as Sergi...

CHARLES BRONSON IN 'MR. MAJESTYK' FEATURING PAUL KOSLO

<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/-MH4NFczmdZo/XF9ieZV8GFI/AAAAAAAA_hs/8ZNTaS6g2uMgq3W59aqijbv-i5THSi3QwCLcBGAs/s1600/tumblr_nhl5wesBRs1u7sdeeo1_1280.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="845" height="273" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MH4NFczmdZo/XF9ieZV8GFI/AAAAAAAA_hs/8ZNTaS6g2uMgq3W59aqijbv-i5THSi3QwCLcBGAs/s400/tumblr_nhl5wesBRs1u7sdeeo1_1280.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Charles Bronson goes balls out against Paul Koslo YEAR: 1974</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Charles Bronson's different in Richard Fleischer's MR. MAJESTYK than in the early-seventies' Michael Winner crime trilogy because, for one, unlike THE MECHANIC, THE STONE KILLER and DEATH WISH, Vince Majestyk, a hardworking watermelon farmer, is somewhat of a smart-ass, and, written by Elmore Leonard, there's a little more breathing-room for the character and his situation/predicament...<br> <br> A lethal hit man, played by villain's villain Al Lettieri, wants Majestyk very dead as Paul Koslo's initially antagonistic Bobby Kopas is more of a talker than a doer. In fact, both Bronson and Lettieri point this out: The first before hitting the goading blond-haired punk in the balls with a shotgun (after having attempted to pawn off cheap labor to his farm), while the latter tries keeping him in line...<br>

action, al lettieri, charles bronson, crime, elmore leonard, lee purcell, paul koslo, richard fleischer, seventies, taylor lacher, thriller

CHARLES BRONSON IN 'MR. MAJESTYK' FEATURING PAUL KOSLO

Charles Bronson goes balls out against Paul Koslo YEAR: 1974 Charles Bronson's different in Richard Fleischer's MR. MAJESTYK tha...

JEFFREY LYNN STRANDED IN 'LOST LAGOON' WITH LEILA BARRY

<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/-iI2WgOYoj3w/XDKafXQitqI/AAAAAAAA-fk/KXP_XKKEcq0NdqzxmUca0M3ApNvYP5xtQCLcBGAs/s1600/lost-lagoon-movie-poster-1958-1020702827.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="476" height="356" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iI2WgOYoj3w/XDKafXQitqI/AAAAAAAA-fk/KXP_XKKEcq0NdqzxmUca0M3ApNvYP5xtQCLcBGAs/s400/lost-lagoon-movie-poster-1958-1020702827.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">LOST LAGOON</span></b></span> officially released in 1958</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Of the three World War I returning veterans in Raoul Walsh's prohibition-era gangster classic THE ROARING TWENTIES, two roared like lions while one purred like a kitten...<br> <br> The latter being Jeffrey Lynn, who played the third banana that James Cagney liked (even after snaking his dame) and Humphrey Bogart despised: Of course these two became huge stars and eventually legends while Lynn remained a lanky, sophisticated character-actor who never reached genuine leading man status...<br> <br> Though decades later he'd make an attempt in a very low-budget, Bahamas set, Calypso-exploitation romance melodrama centering on an unhappily married middle-aged father of two, Lynn's Charlie Walker, and for the record: Neither Bogart or Cagney had a calypso song named after and sung about any of their characters: one of a small handful of natives on a small Bahamas island provides a sporadic Roman Chorus, just in case we get lost within the extremely simple plot... <br>

calypso, exploitation, fifties, island, jeffrey lynn, leila barry, melodrama, peter donat, romance

JEFFREY LYNN STRANDED IN 'LOST LAGOON' WITH LEILA BARRY

LOST LAGOON officially released in 1958 Of the three World War I returning veterans in Raoul Walsh's prohibition-era gangster class...