cult film freak: December 2010

Written by James M. Tate / 12/31/2010 / No comments / adaptation , eighties , howard rollins jr. , james cagney , milos forman , period piece , samuel l. jackson

RAGTIME

<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TR6oZs2r7OI/AAAAAAAABJA/BJpeS11N4J8/s1600/patrick_ragtime1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557064149712497890" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TR6oZs2r7OI/AAAAAAAABJA/BJpeS11N4J8/s200/patrick_ragtime1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 140px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>RAGTIME<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year: </span>1981<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Howard Rollins Jr., James Cagney, James Olson, Brad Dourif<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> **<br />
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With a great script, director Milos Forman can make a perfect film. With a mediocre script, Milos will make a mediocre film that looks great. Such is the case in this period drama centering on a black man, Howard Rollins, holed-up in a library with thugs (including a young Sam Jackson) and explosives because of what happened to his car and his lady. Legendary James Cagney plays a police commissioner after a long screen absence, but seems to be going through the motions: perhaps because of his advanced age. But the most frustrating aspect of this E.L. Doctorow adaptation is that it initially promises to be a big film on a grand scale, teasing us with gorgeous sets, historical tie-ins, and various eclectic characters who, by the end, mean very little.

adaptation, eighties, howard rollins jr., james cagney, milos forman, period piece, samuel l. jackson

RAGTIME

title: RAGTIME year: 1981 cast: Howard Rollins Jr., James Cagney, James Olson, Brad Dourif rating: ** With a great script, director M...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/21/2010 / No comments / action , brian blessed , fantasy , max von sydow , science-fiction , timothy dalton

SUMMARY ARCHIVE REVIEW OF CULT CLASSIC 'FLASH GORDON'

<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMsUHmAsmjSXq9hWjdQy8XHb-Z8YFqhAxnD3dSohjasZy0l-K61KYlXMW2Hk1eJ4C-qnX8pcvFQcUdg6Y5OGpP9K6bDK0PFR5MaXL58n41UI1yDY20S6KJx4NSg18ucvOhgS8QogF6G_l_BzbEISjQORJj-ze9n6YHRRUWs7XWuQdtpe9iMvorWx6iw/s1060/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-08%20at%2011.10.22%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1060" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMsUHmAsmjSXq9hWjdQy8XHb-Z8YFqhAxnD3dSohjasZy0l-K61KYlXMW2Hk1eJ4C-qnX8pcvFQcUdg6Y5OGpP9K6bDK0PFR5MaXL58n41UI1yDY20S6KJx4NSg18ucvOhgS8QogF6G_l_BzbEISjQORJj-ze9n6YHRRUWs7XWuQdtpe9iMvorWx6iw/s320/Screen%20Shot%202023-03-08%20at%2011.10.22%20PM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1980 Rating: ****</u><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>A classic in every way, FLASH GORDON has only one "drawback": the title is somewhat misleading, being that our square-jawed hero, a perfectly-cast Sam J. Jones, has allies equally as important: Brian Blessed as Prince Vultan the hawk man, Timothy Dalton as Prince Barin, Melody Anderson as the beautiful ingenue Dale Arden, Ornella Muti as the seductive Princess Auri, and Topol as Dr. Zarkov, the wily scientist responsible for getting Gordon into space to save the Earth from Ming the Merciless, played by wickedly dependable Max Von Sydow. The way Flash goes from one doomed situation to the next, thrust into the primal customs of each race, is as perfect as the Queen soundtrack: cutting through the action like a machete. A man-to-man battle involving Gordon and Barin (Dalton) on a revolving spiked sphere is a standout. Director Mike Hodges and producer Dino De Laurentiis create a world that not only resembles a gloriously conceived comic book, but<span style="font-style: italic;"> reads </span>like one as well.

action, brian blessed, fantasy, max von sydow, science-fiction, timothy dalton

SUMMARY ARCHIVE REVIEW OF CULT CLASSIC 'FLASH GORDON'

Year: 1980 Rating: **** A classic in every way, FLASH GORDON has only one "drawback": the title is somewhat misleading, being that...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/20/2010 / No comments / bob rafelson , bruce dern , drama , ellen burstyn , independent , jack nicholson , seventies

BIG DOLL HOUSE HAS RELOCATED

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/11/locked-up-ladies-70s.html">CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BIG DOLL HOUSE REVIEW AND OTHER PRISON FLIX</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/11/locked-up-ladies-70s.html">CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BIG DOLL HOUSE REVIEW AND OTHER PRISON FLIX</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listen to my podcast interview with Judy Brown</td></tr>
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bob rafelson, bruce dern, drama, ellen burstyn, independent, jack nicholson, seventies

BIG DOLL HOUSE HAS RELOCATED

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BIG DOLL HOUSE REVIEW AND OTHER PRISON FLIX CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW BIG DOLL HOUSE REVIEW AND OTHER PRISON FLIX...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/14/2010 / No comments / bill wyman , charlie watts , concert film , keith richards , mick jagger , mick taylor , music , rolling stones , seventies

ROCKING WITH 'LADIES AND GENTLEMAN: THE ROLLING STONES'

<u><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtwzpeH6MMRJED-GpnjVSkMac_KHcfQ14xJLceBWjjUYuvpC-oF6uUhfExGieWPARiKoLQk1zKYkDoF_CM-oc0R-6Q_4Fgo6giV6dCaSfGPZ2tEbGITMh7M57hJ9vyRJ_Z9XDIVfYwS8v4x3Qlf9t8ZZ_FIHwXXZ7Jia6XwqkBciC83h2c_PYHpJvGw/s787/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%204.41.50%20AM.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="787" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtwzpeH6MMRJED-GpnjVSkMac_KHcfQ14xJLceBWjjUYuvpC-oF6uUhfExGieWPARiKoLQk1zKYkDoF_CM-oc0R-6Q_4Fgo6giV6dCaSfGPZ2tEbGITMh7M57hJ9vyRJ_Z9XDIVfYwS8v4x3Qlf9t8ZZ_FIHwXXZ7Jia6XwqkBciC83h2c_PYHpJvGw/w400-h303/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-22%20at%204.41.50%20AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>year:</b> 1973<b> cast:</b> Jagger, Richards, Wyman, Watts and Taylor<b> rating:</b> ***1/2</u><div><div>
<div>You can't always get what you want, but if you try some time... You know the rest. Because if you <i>need </i>The Rolling Stones performing at the height of their reign, this is what the doctor ordered. But I <i>wanted </i>more close-ups of lead-guitarist Mick Taylor's fret-prancing fingers during his cascading solos (which does happen on LOVE IN VAIN), or Keith Richards playing five chords for the price of one, or Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman keeping it all steady... Instead of the camera glued mostly on Mick Jagger who, although mesmerizing at the helm of this rockin' Texas concert, often makes you forget they're a band. No matter, it's a show you can watch (and/or listen to) over and over: being that the only other way to hear the boys live during their early-seventies peak is through hard-to-find but worth-the-search imports. But Taylor's solo on Love in Vain is proof that, at one point, The Stones had their own guitar god... which was needed in the late sixties/early seventies guitar god era. Only wish he'd stayed.  </div></div></div>

bill wyman, charlie watts, concert film, keith richards, mick jagger, mick taylor, music, rolling stones, seventies

ROCKING WITH 'LADIES AND GENTLEMAN: THE ROLLING STONES'

year: 1973 cast: Jagger, Richards, Wyman, Watts and Taylor rating: ***1/2 You can't always get what you want, but if you try some ...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/13/2010 / No comments / action , exploitation , gloria hendry , robert viharo , seventies , sherry jackson

BARE KNUCKLES

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TQbMXLKACuI/AAAAAAAABE4/PJXxkAgz7e0/s1600/BARE%252BKNUCKLES.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 145px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TQbMXLKACuI/AAAAAAAABE4/PJXxkAgz7e0/s200/BARE%252BKNUCKLES.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550348289284508386" border="0" /></a><strong>title:</strong> BARE KNUCKLES<br /><div><strong>year:</strong> 1977</div><div><strong>cast:</strong> Robert Viharo, Sherry Jackson, John Daniels, Gloria Hendry, Michael Heit</div><div><strong>rating:</strong> ***</div><br /><div></div><div>One of those cheapie films you can't believe you actually enjoyed. Centers on a rogue bounty hunter after a masked kung fu artist who, while hissing like a cat, murders women by night. Robert Viharo, resembling a criminal in a TV cop drama, makes for a decent tough guy hero. Gloria Hendry is a put-upon witness and Sherry Jackson, as Viharo's girl, is a lovely and effective damsel in distress. And the killer (pictured above), who resembles a nerdy accountant... and like most cinematic psychos, has intense mother issues... although very miscast and not much of an actor, adds to the overall low-budget charm. </div>

action, exploitation, gloria hendry, robert viharo, seventies, sherry jackson

BARE KNUCKLES

title: BARE KNUCKLES year: 1977 cast: Robert Viharo, Sherry Jackson, John Daniels, Gloria Hendry, Michael Heit rating: *** One of those ...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/08/2010 / No comments /

THE EXPENDABLES

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TQBzEuSnbzI/AAAAAAAABCY/BlQ8z85UZI4/s1600/the_expendables_stallone1a.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TQBzEuSnbzI/AAAAAAAABCY/BlQ8z85UZI4/s200/the_expendables_stallone1a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548561265903234866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>THE EXPENDABLES<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2010<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Dolph Lungren, Eric Roberts, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Terry Crews, Steve Austin<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">writer/director:</span> Sylvester Stallone<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> *1/2<br /><br />Worse than the straight-to-DVD garbage Sylvester Stallone was stuck with a few years back, not only for the thin plot, the bad dialog, the choppy editing, the shaky cam, or the CGI, but because  for an action film: there's simply not enough of it. Jet Li, a premiere Kung Fu artist, is teased for being short but hardly shows his stuff. Other than Jason Stratham and Sly himself, the other ensemble have little to add to the mission: taking out an ex-CIA baddie from a third world country. Mickey Rourke merely sits around his tattoo parlor philosophizing about women, and a cameo by Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger seems completely out of place. Perhaps the entire film could be condensed into a ten minute prologue, and hopefully the already-planned sequel can pick up where this never began: because there's tons of potential to make something <span style="font-style: italic;">really </span>dumb but in a <span style="font-style: italic;">great </span>way.

THE EXPENDABLES

title: THE EXPENDABLES year: 2010 cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Dolph Lungren, Eric Roberts, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Eric Rober...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/06/2010 / No comments / action , espionage , ian fleming , james bond , seventies , sid haig

CONNERY BOND SIX: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

<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;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547708711715858978" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TP1rricp6iI/AAAAAAAABBI/qi2IwZMdzeU/s200/Diamonds%2BAre%2BForever.jpg" style="height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 165px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1971 rating: ***</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TP1rricp6iI/AAAAAAAABBI/qi2IwZMdzeU/s1600/Diamonds%2BAre%2BForever.jpg"><b></b></a>This is the grand finale (if you don't consider NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN) for the quintessential James Bond actor Sean Connery, taking on arch nemesis Bloefield who, through surgery, has created a different persona and a few lookalikes. And, so, after a somewhat wooden George Lazenby failed HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, Sean was back in action... Or more like, reaction...<br />
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The cat-lapped villain is smuggling lethal diamonds and Connery, suave, cool, and using another identity, goes from one dangerous situation to the next: figuring things along the way. Although there's too much bombastic gunplay during the last twenty minutes, taking from the rogue charm of the build-up, it all flows from start to finish. And in the next 007 film, LIVE AND LET DIE, a technically older yet younger looking Roger Moore carries on the franchise <i>just fine! </i>

action, espionage, ian fleming, james bond, seventies, sid haig

CONNERY BOND SIX: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

1971 rating: *** This is the grand finale (if you don't consider NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN) for the quintessential James Bond actor Sean...

Written by James M. Tate / 12/02/2010 / No comments / action , beverly washburn , ellen burstyn , indie , jack hill , race car , richard davalos , sig haig , sixties

PIT STOP

<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TPft2FFyEoI/AAAAAAAABBA/TEZ03AQdGF4/s1600/pitstop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 160px; float: right; height: 200px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546162979465204354" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TPft2FFyEoI/AAAAAAAABBA/TEZ03AQdGF4/s200/pitstop.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>title:</strong> PIT STOP<strong><br />year:</strong> 1969<strong><br />cast:</strong> Richard Davalos, Brian Donlevy, Sig Haig, Ellen Burstyn, Beverly Washburn<strong><br />writer/director:</strong> Jack Hill<strong><br />rating:</strong> ****<div><br /><div>Unlike most racing flicks that followed, this doesn't rely on boring melodrama between hot-rods going around in circles, but centers on the exciting, if suicidal, Figure-8 racing with Dick Davalos as a loner who dreams of being number one. In his way is glorious villain Sid Haig, as "Hawk Sidney", getting "boos" from the crowd and playing nasty to the hilt: including over-the-top expressions and a sore-winner persona that steals the show. And while some of the behind-the-wheel shots look fake, Jack Hill's direction puts you right in the action.  </div></div>

action, beverly washburn, ellen burstyn, indie, jack hill, race car, richard davalos, sig haig, sixties