RAGTIME

title: RAGTIME
year: 1981
cast: Howard Rollins Jr., James Cagney, James Olson, Brad Dourif
rating: **

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.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

title: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
year: 1981
cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
rating: *****

A grand celebration of serial pulp adventures, George Lucas (and Philip Kaufman) created Indiana Jones, an intrepid archaeologist/college professor who, when he isn't being ogled by female students, goes in and out of foreign countries: not only retrieving artifacts but trying to keep them from the wrong hands. Harrison Ford brings "Indy" to life with humor as well as bravado. Karen Allen, as his female counterpart, is as tough as any man but delicate and vulnerable as well. The plot is simple: find the lost Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis, aided by French archaeologist Belloq (played with subtle villainy by Paul Freeman) or the grandiose Peter Lorre-esque gangster, Toht. Director Steven Spielberg's mesmerizing camerawork carries our heroes from one perilous situation to the next. And brief pockets of essential downtime not only build the characters, but allows the next obstacle to mean that much more.

FLASH GORDON

title: FLASH GORDON
year: 1980
cast: Sam J. Jones, Topol, Melody Anderson, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, Max Von Sydow, Ornella Muti, William Hootkins
rating: ****

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 reads like one as well.

THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS

title: THE KING OF MARVIN GARDENS

year: 1972

cast: Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn, Scatman Crothers

rating: *1/2

If Jack Nicholson's boisterous loner from FIVE EASY PIECES got a frontal labotomy like McMurphy in CUCKOO'S NEST, he'd still have more personality than "David Staebler", a grim, cathartic disc jockey whose confident, energetic older brother "Jason", played by Bruce Dern, is a con-man in Atlantic City. The polar-opposite siblings, along with Ellen Burstyn as an aging beauty and her gorgeous daughter-in-law, meander around this pointless drama helmed by Bob Rafelson. There's a plot somewhere within the abundant, and usually uninteresting dialog: Dern wants to own a hotel but doesn't have the bread. Perhaps his bullshit can save the day... but it can't save this film, which drags to a "surprise ending" as melodramatic as they come.

RETURN OF THE JEDI

title: RETURN OF THE JEDI

year: 1983

cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels

rating: ****

Don’t let the Ewoks ruin what’s an almost perfect science-fiction yarn. Mark Hamill, better than ever, along with Darth Vadar and Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor, are the real focus, while Harrison "Han Solo" Ford and Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher provide the essential B-story: having landed on the Forest planet of Endor, they must shut down the Death Star's shields so that the rebels, led by Billy Dee Williams, returning as Lando, can blow up the new Death Star... in a dogfight like no other, even surpassing the original. The light saber battle between Luke and Vader – Luke resisting the Emperor's temptation... is what really shines, capping the timeless series in an almost Biblical fashion. And the first act in Jabba the Hutt’s palace of goons, all created by Jim Henson… look better, and seem more real, than any computer animation.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

title: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

year: 1980

cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels

rating: *****

The greatest science-fiction adventure ever made, this, the follow-up to STAR WARS, replaces introduction with non-stop action: pitting our heroes against a much stronger Empire, using, instead of the Death Star, a fleet of Star Destroyers with the one and only Darth Vader at the helm. This time the black-masked baddie has a personal agenda: to capture Luke Skywalker who, after battling Imperial Walkers on the ice planet Hoth, trains under a brand new (and thereafter iconic) character, Yoda (brilliantly performed by Frank Oz). The story, written by George Lucas, was, before taken over by Lawrence Kasdan, first scripted by Leigh Brackett, author of classic Sci-fi Pulp novels, which this is slick replica of: including masculine bravado, seemingly doomed characters fighting impossible odds, vile thugs, betrayal, budding romance, and a cliffhanger ending. EMPIRE is not a film, it's a visual symphony... and then some.

STAR WARS

title: STAR WARS
year: 1977
cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, David Prowse, Anthony Daniels, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Peter Mayhew
writer/director: George Lucas
rating: *****

What makes this stand out from the others, including the progressed follow-up THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, is the introduction to the thoroughly addictive universe and those wonderfully involving characters, as well as writer/director George Lucas's sublime use of building suspense in every frame. "Almost there" is not only a line muttered by a pilot in the final battle, but an underline throughout a film that continually keeps the viewer entranced in what's about to happen. From the doom-awaiting soldiers in a captured spaceship, to a frightened droid rolling along a shadowy canyon, to a distress call from a trash compactor, to those delicate moments as the Death Star aligned to blow up the Rebel base, a young George Lucas who, years later, would abandon precision and timing for billion dollar green-screen computers, was a master at creating his own galaxy and keeping the audience completely enthralled within.

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE

title: INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE

year: 1989

cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, River Phoenix

rating: ***1/2

In this, a New Testament version of the original, after a tongue-in-cheek intro with River Phoenix as a young Indiana (why the long blond bangs?), setting up his fear of snakes, his chin scar, and where he got the hat, we're with professor Jones in class, still admired by female students, then sent on a mission to find the Holy Grail. One would think Monty Python ruined this concept for a serious movie; then again, there's plenty of (hit and miss) humor, teaming Indy with Sean Connery as his father/reluctant counterpart. The entire film glides from one adventure to the next, the duo escaping death in boats, tanks, a blimp and a bi-plane, until arriving at their destination where riddles must be solved or that's the end of it. Which, after seeing CRYSTAL SKULL, seems the wise choice.

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN: THE ROLLING STONES

title: LADIES AND GENTLEMAN: THE ROLLING STONES

year: 1973

cast: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Nicky Price, Bobby Keys

rating: ***1/2

You can't always get what you want, but if you try some time... You know the rest. Because if you need The Rolling Stones performing at the height of their reign, this is what the doctor ordered. But I wanted more close-ups of lead-guitarist Mick Taylor's fret-prancing fingers during his cascading solos, 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.

THE NEW BARBARIANS

title: THE NEW BARBARIANS

year: 1982

cast: Giancarlo Prete, Fred Williamson, Anna Kanakis, Ennio Girolami, Venantino Venantini

rating: ***

In a post-apocalyptic 2019, the world's a desert with plastic steel-feigning armored cars and motorcycles driven by nomads known as "Templars," hunting down the few survivors with laser guns or blades extended from vehicles BEN HUR style. Calling this a bad movie is pointless. It's very low-budget and the acting isn't great, but director Enzio G. Castellari keeps the action rolling from start to finish. Giancarlo Prete makes for a good Mad Maxian hero, keeping a solid scowl and swatting baddies like bugs. Throw in Fred Williamson as a bow-wielding maverick keeping Prete alive from the sidelines, a tough and sexy damsel, two bickering villains, and the promise of a lost civilization: and this Z-movie will hold your interest... and then some.

GOD TOLD ME TO

title: GOD TOLD ME TO
year: 1976
cast: Tony Lo Bianco, Sandy Dennis, Andy Kaufman, Dan Resin
writer/director: Larry Cohen
rating: **

The first half... as a dedicated Catholic cop played by Tony Lo Bianco (FRENCH CONNECTION) investigates random public killings... including Andy Kaufman as a police officer going berserk at the St. Patrick's Day Parade... and each assassin mutters, "God told me to" as their last words... is mysterious and interesting. The last half, as the murders cease and the "God" in question is revealed, is absolutely banal. Larry Cohen's camerawork has its usual artistic grace, but after the good parts even the cool shots are all dressed up with nothing to show.

BUTCH AND SUNDANCE: THE EARLY DAYS

title: BUTCH AND SUNDANCE: THE EARLY DAYS
year: 1979
cast: Tom Berenger, William Katt, Brian Dennehy, Christopher Lloyd
rating: ***

Never having been much of a BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID fan, I don't consider this prequel blasphemous. It's actually pretty entertaining, following a young Butch, played by Tom Berenger, freed from prison and, despite his promises to the warden, quickly returning to a brand old life of crime where he witnesses a skinny blond "kid" robbing a saloon. Butch joins a posse with an agenda... to find this perfect new partner: and soon both have the law and revenge-driven Brian Dennehy on their trail. Since Berenger and William Katt aren't trying for Newman/Redford imitations, it all seems pretty fresh. Director Richard Lester creates a comedic yet adventurous journey, and if you don't expect too much, and if you don't take the original too seriously, you might enjoy yourself.

BARE KNUCKLES

title: BARE KNUCKLES

year: 1977

cast: Robert Viharo, Sherry Jackson, John Daniels, Gloria Hendry, Michael Heit

rating: ***

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.

THE EXPENDABLES

title: THE EXPENDABLES
year: 2010
cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Dolph Lungren, Eric Roberts, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Terry Crews, Steve Austin
writer/director: Sylvester Stallone
rating: *1/2

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 really dumb but in a great way.

SPIDER BABY

title: SPIDER BABY

year: 1964

cast: Lon Chaney, Sid Haig, Jill Banner, Beverly Washburn

writer/director: Jack Hill

rating: ***

Whenever there's a horror film about a backwoods family of dimwitted yet dangerous loons, it's usually compared to, or accused for stealing from, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE... but no longer. This film, written and directed by Jack Hill ten years prior, starring Lon Chaney as the caretaker of two lethal sisters and their lanky, lughead brother played by scene-stealer Sid Haig, is not only groundbreaking and shocking, but lots of fun. Most of the fear is implied: as outsiders visit the house, will Lon be able to stop the twisted clan... especially gorgeous Jill Banner, using knives like spider's teeth... from murdering them? Although things drag in the middle, it's still a minor classic.

THE HOWLING II

title: THE HOWLING II: YOUR SISTER IS A WEREWOLF

year: 1985

cast: Reb Brown, Annie McEnroe, Christopher Lee, Judd Omen

rating: *

At the end of THE HOWLING, the classic horror directed by Joe Dante, newscaster Dee Wallace, proving to the world that werewolves exist, becomes one live on the air. She's shot and the film ends... But what we don't know is she has a brother, Reb Brown, a sequel-invention to carry on the story that, despite the blood relation, has nothing to do with the original. Brown is joined by mousy Annie McEnroe and wolf slayer Christopher Lee to Transylvania on the trail of sexy mutts Marsha A. Hunt (the inspiration for The Stone's BROWN SUGAR) and indie queen Sybil Danning, resulting in a slug-paced bomb even worse than the title. Slay away from this howler: it bites!

PSYCH-OUT

title: PSYCH-OUT

year: 1968

cast: Susan Strasberg, Jack Nicholson, Adam Roarke, Max Julien, Bruce Dern, Dean Stockwell, Henry Jaglom, Gary Kent

rating: ***1/2

Susan Strasberg, a passive deaf girl hiding out in San Fransisco, happens upon a hopeful rock band consisting of Jack Nicholson, Adam Roarke and Max Julien. Other classic actors include Bruce Dern as Strasberg's troubled brother and Dean Stockwell as a "wise" hippie, reminding Jack, who wants his group to make it, how shallow money and success are. While the songs by the fictional band "Mumblin' Jim" are awful, filler tunes by The Grass Roots and Strawberry Alarm Clock are nice. But the genuine appeal is the direction by Richard Rush, carrying things at an active pace, especially the "peak" as Strassberg takes bad STP and (in her mind) is stalked by flames.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

title: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
year: 1971
cast: Sean Connery, Sid Haig, Bernard Lee, Jill St. John, Bruce Cabot, Bruce Glover, Marc Lawrence, Lana Wood
rating: ***

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. The cat-lapped heavy 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 action 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 just fine!

PIT STOP

title: PIT STOP
year: 1969
cast: Richard Davalos, Brian Donlevy, Sig Haig, Ellen Burstyn, Beverly Washburn
writer/director: Jack Hill
rating: ****

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.