cult film freak: January 2012

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/31/2012 / No comments / crime , peter falk , rebecca staab , TV

COLUMBO CRIES WOLF

COLUMBO CRIES WOLF

Rebecca Staab on COLUMBO This episode of the latter COLUMBO episodes rebooting the 70's show into the late 80's throughout the 9...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/30/2012 / No comments / mia farrow , richard fleischer , seventies , suspense

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aMH9-5n-xkA/Tyd9_4U0tpI/AAAAAAAAElk/DHaKFWDnsjg/s1600/seenoevil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aMH9-5n-xkA/Tyd9_4U0tpI/AAAAAAAAElk/DHaKFWDnsjg/s200/seenoevil.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>title:</b> SEE NO EVIL<br />
<div><b>year:</b> 1971</div><div><b>cast:</b> Mia Farrow</div><div><b>rating:</b> **1/2</div><br />
<div>Terrific  build-up has a blind woman, played wonderfully by Mia Farrow, being  reintroduced to her childhood home, literally feeling out the  location where her entire family will be murdered, bodies  strewn here and there, and she doesn't even know it. The peak of Richard  Fleischer's direction are the scenes in which Mia's <i>in the dark</i>,  but when she realizes the situation and runs for her life, hunted by  the mysterious, faceless, boot-clad killer across a not-so-barren  landscape, it becomes a tediously exhausting chase leading to a bland,  anti-climactic conclusion. </div>

mia farrow, richard fleischer, seventies, suspense

SEE NO EVIL

title: SEE NO EVIL year: 1971 cast: Mia Farrow rating: **1/2 Terrific build-up has a blind woman, played wonderfully by Mia Farrow, b...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/28/2012 / No comments / drama , glenn close , period piece , tens

ALBERT NOBBS

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r80NFQolue0/TyWwr4KwU5I/AAAAAAAAEaY/f3w0thHipCU/s1600/glenn-close-albert-nobbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r80NFQolue0/TyWwr4KwU5I/AAAAAAAAEaY/f3w0thHipCU/s1600/glenn-close-albert-nobbs.jpg" /></a></div><b>title:</b> Albert Nobbs<br />
<b>year: </b>2011<br />
<b>cast:</b> Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Mia Wasikowska<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***<br />
<br />
Glenn Close, resembling an aged Peter Pan mixed with Levon Helm (Sissy Spacek’s father) in COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER, has some good moments: especially when reflecting on a childhood experience which led to… for means of employment but, as we eventually realize, deeper reasons… becoming a man who works in a 19th century Irish Hotel. But most of the time she’s got the countenance of a frightened deer, and seems too old for the part. And Mia Wasikowska as Helen, the gorgeous hotel maid that Albert loves, is too young – making the age difference feel odd to not only the audience, but Helen as well. Perhaps this is intentional: Albert’s yearning to find her, or rather, <i>his </i>place in the world – and dreams of owning a Tobacco Store – seem as farfetched as landing Helen as a future wife, who’s in love with a brash young drifter displaying all the negative aspects of the male species: including charm! But the best character, and the glue to the entire picture, is Janet McTeer as “Mr. Moore,” a confident freelance painter whose secret mirrors Albert’s. The scenes where both discover their true identity (to each other) are more surprising to the characters than the audience, since they really don’t look like men: but the acting, especially one hilarious scene as both go for an awkward stroll dressed like elegant women, makes it all seem genuine. And the biggest achievement is turning one contained setting – the posh Hotel – into a world of its own: giving each player their own importance therein.

drama, glenn close, period piece, tens

ALBERT NOBBS

title: Albert Nobbs year: 2011 cast: Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, Mia Wasikowska rating: *** Glenn Close, resembling an aged Peter Pan...

THE GREY

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<b>title: </b>The Grey<br />
<b>year:</b> 2011<br />
<b>cast:</b> Liam Neeson<br />
<b>rating:</b> **<br />
<br />
Never has a cast of characters so deserved to suffer – they’re just begging for it... <br />
<br />
That being a rowdy group of oil drilling roughnecks in Alaska, and one man, played by a brooding Liam Neeson, hired to keep wolves off the premises who, after a plane crash, are all left vulnerable to a surrounding pack: yellow eyes glowing in the dark like a cartoon and growls more befitting the MGM lion.<br />
<br />
The camera shakes around so much the fanged antagonists are practically unseen, and thus, not very frightening. It’s basically a wraithlike feeding frenzy of shouting, screaming, and kicking to stay alive.<br />
<br />
Eventually the body count dwindles to four survivors, and  a few of the performances stand out beyond Neeson’s maverick: especially Frank Grillo as an existential badass who can’t admit he’s scared to death.<br />
<br />
Even the well-acted campfire scenes, as the men expose their soft side in the face of doom, drag so long you'll forget what the movie's about. Till the growling continues and the group ventures further towards… where exactly? Since no one had much of a life to begin with, it’s hard to imagine, or care about, anyone surviving.<br />
<br />
But the main problem is the nerve-wracking direction that, with the jangly, documentary style camerawork, does successfully put you into the situation – only it’s not a place you'll want to be for very long. (For a much better film with practically the same premise, rent THE EDGE, where the characters go through hell, not the audience.)

action, liam neeson, suspense, tens

THE GREY

title: The Grey year: 2011 cast: Liam Neeson rating: ** Never has a cast of characters so deserved to suffer – they’re just beggin...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/27/2012 / No comments / al lettieri , anthony quinn , crime , exploitation , frederic forrest , robert forster , seventies , sid haig

THE DON IS DEAD

al lettieri, anthony quinn, crime, exploitation, frederic forrest, robert forster, seventies, sid haig

THE DON IS DEAD

title: THE DON IS DEAD year: 1973 cast: Anthony Quinn, Robert Forster, Fredric Forrest rating: **1/2 THIS REVIEW HAS MOVED TO ...

THE GOLDEN CHILD

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CufdX2S4FWI/SeJJfgVeffI/AAAAAAAAACc/jdg3UUZgeKk/s1600-h/Jacket.aspx.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323898515110133234" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CufdX2S4FWI/SeJJfgVeffI/AAAAAAAAACc/jdg3UUZgeKk/s200/Jacket.aspx.jpeg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 142px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> THE GOLDEN CHILD <br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 1986</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">starring:</span> Eddie Murphy</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">rating: **</span></div><div><br />
</div>In 1986, it  was time for superstar Eddie Murphy to fully establish himself after three big hits: 48 HRS. where he proved his worth as a substantial actor, TRADING PLACES as a cinematic funnyman, and BEVERLY HILLS COP as both at the same time. (We'll just forget about his<i> strategic guest star</i> turn in BEST DEFENSE). The world was poised to  see him again: He was beloved.... He was "it." So for his next role he plays an "investigator" hired to find Tibet's GOLDEN CHILD: a bald boy with magical powers to make Pepsi cans dance and to bring back  parrots to life. Eddie battles flying demons, talks smack to a (literal) dragon lady, wields a magic sword, and all the while tries maintaining the street-smart charm that made him so popular. This film is  like hobo stew... if you get sick eating it, there are so many  ingredients: what exactly is to blame? Either way, it wasn't a wise choice for Murphy... Although he'd make up for it in COMING TO AMERICA.

THE GOLDEN CHILD

title: THE GOLDEN CHILD year: 1986 starring: Eddie Murphy rating: ** In 1986, it was time for superstar Eddie Murphy to fully establis...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/26/2012 / No comments /

MOVING

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TENWz8n8rWI/AAAAAAAAAek/ANJ0CIAIgaQ/s1600/000062_9.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495331420769135970" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TENWz8n8rWI/AAAAAAAAAek/ANJ0CIAIgaQ/s200/000062_9.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 139px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 151px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>MOVING<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year: </span>1988<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Richard Pryor<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>***<br />
<br />
Sure,  it's yet another everything-bad-happens-to-the-main-character  family  film but there's enough going on, at all times, to make this work  despite the cliches. Although  star Richard Pryor is showing signs of  the horrible disease that would  eventually end his career, and life,  he's got gusto as he loses his job  and eventually moves his family to  another state. Dealing with crooked movers,  obnoxious next-door  neighbors (both played by Randy Quaid),  a frustrated family and just  about everything save locusts and falling  frogs, Pryor keeps us both  rooting for him (to succeed) and against  him (to have more misadventurous bad luck)  at the same time.

MOVING

title: MOVING year: 1988 cast: Richard Pryor rating: *** Sure, it's yet another everything-bad-happens-to-the-main-character fam...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/24/2012 / No comments / action , jean-claude van damme , karate , michael rooker , tani cohen , zeroes

REPLICANT

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGCKd-nPP5E/Tx8A2TrrhHI/AAAAAAAAEUg/KQ0RpHRf1Yw/s1600/replicant1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGCKd-nPP5E/Tx8A2TrrhHI/AAAAAAAAEUg/KQ0RpHRf1Yw/s320/replicant1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>title: </b>Replicant<b> </b><br />
<b>year: </b>2001<br />
<b>cast:</b> Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Rooker<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***1/2<br />
<br />
Here’s a really cool action movie that might distract or detract certain viewers because of Jean-Claude Van Damme, known for starring in banal and/or intentionally simplistic kung fu flicks – and at this point, 2001, his star was beginning to fade. But he’s great in a duel-role as a stone cold serial killer (with an INXS hairdo) and a Replicant of that psychopath created by the government to give tough cop, and the true main character, Michael Rooker clues on catching the real thing. The OF MICE AND MEN like chemistry works great between the two leads, reminiscent of CAGE where Reb Brown babysits a brain-damaged Lou Ferrigno: Rooker balancing anger and patience while the initially childlike double becomes more in tune with the situation at hand... as memories return of the previous murders... but the psychopath gets inside his vulnerable mind: turning him, and all his primal strength, to the dark side. Sounds complicated but it isn’t – and with Asian icon (and one of Quentin Tarantino’s main influences) Ringo Lam behind the camera, it shouldn’t be a surprise that this is an action film that could have wallowed in your typical macho simplicity, but keeps an intriguing and involving aura from start to finish.

action, jean-claude van damme, karate, michael rooker, tani cohen, zeroes

REPLICANT

title: Replicant year: 2001 cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Michael Rooker rating: ***1/2 Here’s a really cool action movie that might ...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/22/2012 / No comments / oscar nominated 2012 , tom hanks

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

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<b>title: </b>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close <b> </b><br />
<b>year: </b>2011<br />
<b>cast:</b> Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***<br />
<br />
Kids in life-affirming movies usually know way too much for their age – seeming invented by writers who put their own intellectual spin on youth. And here’s the champion of that particular breed, Thomas Horn as Oskar Schell, a brainy, adventurous "inventor" who loses his creative-muse father, played by Tom Hanks, on the infamous September 11th 2001 aka 911. Much of the film is a human scavenger hunt: after finding a key in dad’s closet, Oskar roams (a bit too freely) through New York City to find the person with the last name BLACK, the name written on the key's envelope, to find out what it opens. Going back and forth from the present, a year later, to the dreaded 911 morning serves not only a platform for the kid's emotions, but provides Tom Hanks with a moving performance: and it’s all a voice on an answering machine, trying desperately to reach his son while stranded in one of the ill-fated twin towers. Max Von Sydow plays a mysterious old man who doesn’t speak, aiding Oskar in his seemingly hopeless quest that gets less interesting as the film wares on. Thomas Horn, while being a very talented young actor, seems a bit too theater-trained; and his whining screech gets tiresome. Sandra Bullock provides filler as the put-upon mother with a secret all her own. And the conclusion, intentionally anticlimactic but ultimately making the characters feel good, might not serve the audience who suffered through, and hoped for, a resolution far more... complete. With creative direction and a uniquely suspenseful quest, it’s a decent movie for a first viewing, but probably not something you’ll want (or need) to watch a second time.

oscar nominated 2012, tom hanks

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

title: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close year: 2011 cast: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks rating: *** Kids in life-affirming movies usua...

CARNAGE

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GAE7B2nBbBQ/TxynTaigu3I/AAAAAAAAEJE/HTRGs1fCROA/s1600/Carnage-2011-Kate-Winslet_Jodie-Foster_John-C.-Reilly_Christoph-Waltz-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GAE7B2nBbBQ/TxynTaigu3I/AAAAAAAAEJE/HTRGs1fCROA/s320/Carnage-2011-Kate-Winslet_Jodie-Foster_John-C.-Reilly_Christoph-Waltz-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>title:</b> CARNAGE<br />
<b>year: </b>2011<br />
<b>cast:</b> Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***1/2<br />
<br />
In Roman Polanski’s first feature film, KNIFE IN THE WATER, he kept us interested in three people on a small boat. Cut to many years later: four people are bickering inside a tiny apartment consisting of two couples in a particularly uncomfortable situation: Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly’s son was beat up by the son of Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz, and they plan to work it out. The first half… what should be called a “round”… sticks close to the issue at hand – after which, when the characters get unraveled and eventually drunk, the conversation embodies a broader scope: each neurotic personality shown in the light. Jodie Foster, as the most uptight and opinionated member of the group, fares well as the story's instigator but eventually goes overboard as the stress mounts; while Kate Winslet provides a few good moments but is otherwise limited by the results of a reoccurring stomach flu. Christoph Waltz, as a blunt, metronomic lawyer, is glued to his cell phone, which becomes an important character in itself. But it’s John C. Reilly, as Foster’s working class husband spouting the funniest and most unpredictable lines, who really steals the show. The first round works best – the dialog's lively and fresh with the actors in peak form. But after a while, and a few shots of bourbon, the atmosphere gets a bit too stagey and we forget, like the characters, about the purpose of the meeting. And beware of an extremely… abrupt… ending.

christoph waltz, jodie foster, john c. reilly, kate winslet, roman polanski, tens

CARNAGE

title: CARNAGE year: 2011 cast: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz rating: ***1/2 In Roman Polanski’s first...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/21/2012 / No comments / action , espionage , ewan mcgregor , michael douglas , michael fassbender , tens

GINA CARANO GOES HAYWIRE

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OlFva76eMdM/Txtk1ymZIeI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/YJu5V2rNtTU/s1600/gina-carano-haywire640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OlFva76eMdM/Txtk1ymZIeI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/YJu5V2rNtTU/s320/gina-carano-haywire640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012  rating: ***</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A year after Steven Soderbergh directed a searing drama about people dropping dead from a horrible virus, someone must have told him to take a vacation – and here it is: a bombastic “paid holiday” for rogue government agent Mallory, both the hunted and hunter while various co-agents, including Michael Fassbender and Channing Tatum, attempt punching her lights out. Nice try, fellas: Here, in the lead role, Gina Carano, delivering lines in a constant monotone and not always adding the right amount of glib charm that's essential for endearing action/espionage characters, does kick ass with genuine style and velocity. Along with a retro soundtrack, seeming as if Quentin Tarantino wound up directing a James Bond film, keeps the pace steady and lean. And while Soderbuergh rolls the camera a bit too long during scenes where Mallory ambles from one dangerous setting to the next, it’s somewhat reminiscent of flicks like BULLITT where downtime serves a necessary platform for each action sequence: which are plentiful.<br />
<br />
On the peripheral... Bill Paxton as her novelist father, Antonio Banderas as a cautious connection, and Michael Douglas as the Washington D.C. insider provide filler cameos, but it’s Ewan McGregor’s slick operative who really matters – till our wraith-like anti-heroine, a character deserving of more adventures, moves in, once again, for the kill.

action, espionage, ewan mcgregor, michael douglas, michael fassbender, tens

GINA CARANO GOES HAYWIRE

year: 2012 rating: *** A year after Steven Soderbergh directed a searing drama about people dropping dead from a horrible virus, someon...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/20/2012 / No comments / action , biopic , george lucas , tens , war

GEORGE LUCAS PRESENTS RED TAILS

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xm-g-oX9d1Y/Txobdk7cAhI/AAAAAAAAEEI/daH0qlCNusU/s1600/red-tails-movie-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xm-g-oX9d1Y/Txobdk7cAhI/AAAAAAAAEEI/daH0qlCNusU/s320/red-tails-movie-poster.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2012 rating: **</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anyone familiar with the George Lucas Productions of the past fifteen years won’t be surprised the special effects exceed the storyline – although the story itself is a great one because it’s true: centering on The Tuskegee Airmen, a unit of African American pilots given a chance to fly missions during the Second World War. But there’s no real plot (or plots) within the important history lesson, only one-dimensional characters that, while understandably motivated to overcome racism and prove their worth as pilots, hang around the barracks either complaining about the initially peripheral missions or spouting banter straight from a sitcom, and not a funny one.<br />
<br />
Two characters work together the best: Nate Parker as “Easy,” the insecure squad leader constantly attempting restraint on the maverick hotshot pilot “Lightning” (Han Solo anyone?) who, when not part of a superfluous romance with a local Italian villager/supermodel, takes way too many chances in the sky where the film truly belongs, unhindered by wasted side-characters and a quickie subplot involving a German Gulag. And while the dialog remains cheesy and cartoonish during the dogfights, each battle, replete with C.G.I. but still looking quite real, provides a new challenge for the men – it's just too bad we don’t get to know them better on the ground to make their achievements really matter.

action, biopic, george lucas, tens, war

GEORGE LUCAS PRESENTS RED TAILS

year: 2012 rating: ** Anyone familiar with the George Lucas Productions of the past fifteen years won’t be surprised the special effects...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/18/2012 / No comments / action , classic gangster , edmund o'brien , forties , james cagney , virginia mayo

WHITE HEAT

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<span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>WHITE HEAT<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year: </span>1949<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmund O'Brien<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>****1/2<br />
<br />
Several stories here: and James Cagney stars in each as "Cody Jarrett," possibly  the most sinister and at the same time, endearing gangsters to appear on  the big screen One story centers on the leader of a group of thugs who  rob a train and and hide out. One is about the demented son of a  overbearing, meticulously wicked mother who will protect her boy till the  bitter end. One is about the husband of a two-timing gun moll Virgina  Mayo, holding out for a taller, handsome thug who wants Jarrett out of  the way. One is about a prisoner slowly conned by an undercover cop in  the big house. And that's the best story of all. Edmund O'Brien is the  "narc" who eventually gains Cagney's trust. Their relationship, as the  two bond behind bars, is the highlight. And although O'Brien, after a  jailbreak, turns his back on Cody much too quickly during the famous  "top of the world" climax, this perfectly solid classic gangster film... the  peak of Cagney's tough guy career... is like reading a multilevel book  you can't put down. Cagney performance is top-notch and not just when  he's suffering from those horrible headaches, causing him to writhe on  the ground like a poisoned viper. It's the subtle moments that count,  because after all, it's his world we're in: and he's not going down  without a fight. Thank God it's two hours in length, yet it could have been  much longer.

action, classic gangster, edmund o'brien, forties, james cagney, virginia mayo

WHITE HEAT

title: WHITE HEAT year: 1949 cast: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmund O'Brien rating: ****1/2 Several stories here: and James C...

LADY KILLER

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ7YDLzkqIg/TyHW-eobFNI/AAAAAAAAEWc/eq7OWho-u3Q/s1600/ladykiller1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ7YDLzkqIg/TyHW-eobFNI/AAAAAAAAEWc/eq7OWho-u3Q/s320/ladykiller1.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><b>title:</b> LADY KILLER<br />
<b>year: </b>1933<br />
<b>cast: </b>James Cagney<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***<br />
<br />
James Cagney plays a smart-aleck usher at a movie theater: his character’s geared towards the lights, camera and action from the very start. But he’s quickly derailed, conned by a beautiful siren into a rigged card game – but instead of getting angry and kicking ass, he joins, and eventually leads, the group into a bigger heist that lands them in real dough, and real trouble. After his fair-weather friends betray him, Cagney hides out in Los Angeles and soon becomes an extra on a movie lot. This is where the ridiculousness begins – seeing Cagney riding a horse in Indian get-up, with fake scenery moving behind him, is a highlight. Then, as our cocky hero falls for a famous (and humble) film starlet, and soon becomes a top-billed movie star on his own, his unlucky life begins to pan out: but those double-crossing wise guys return and want a piece of his action. A fun distraction in the Cagney crime film canon, and you have to continuously suspend disbelief to really enjoy it: especially scenes showing the fictional movies – or one silly segment as he provides his girlfriend with monkeys and a painted elephant on her birthday. But as a wise cracking con artist beneath the polished veneer, it’s all about enjoying Cagney even in a silly role, because no matter what the part: <i>he</i> always takes it seriously.

action, classic gangster, james cagney, thirties

LADY KILLER

title: LADY KILLER year: 1933 cast: James Cagney rating: *** James Cagney plays a smart-aleck usher at a movie theater: his character...

BLONDE CRAZY

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl7PpwXmbQw/TyHXODD4FmI/AAAAAAAAEWk/H2cvxz9w4Oo/s1600/blonde+crazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl7PpwXmbQw/TyHXODD4FmI/AAAAAAAAEWk/H2cvxz9w4Oo/s320/blonde+crazy.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><b>title:</b> BLONDE CRAZY<br />
<b>year: </b>1931<br />
<b>cast:</b> James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***1/2<br />
<br />
What is it about James Cagney – he brings out the best, and worst, of his leading ladies: the best performances and the worst attitudes – and Joan Blondell’s dealing with Cagney’s conniving “Bert Harris” is half the fun of this 1930’s comedy/melodrama dealing with Harris, a suave hotel employee who sees the right girl is hired: and it’s the blonde bombshell Joan, as “Anne Roberts,” who fits the bill. She’s not only sought after by Harris, but seedy rich guys melt at her feet. Here’s where our climbing antihero sees his future planned out: and together this made-in-heaven match goes from one sucker till the next, swindling relativity small time cash till meeting Louis Calhern, a successful con artist with a big apple for the duo: and a bigger worm inside. One scene involving a horse race and revenge against Calhern is confusing, and not all the con games are too clever, but the chemistry between the Cagney and Blondell, and the hidden desire for his platonic partner that slowly comes to light, is what makes this really shine. A very young Ray Milland plays Joan’s sophisticated new gent – making Cagney realize what, or rather, whom his drive’s been centered. And while a tacked-on “crime will pay” ending is a letdown, the rest works just fine: Especially a pre-Code bathtub scene with Blondell that’s quite… revealing.

classic gangster, james cagney, joan blondell, louis calhern, ray milland, thirties

BLONDE CRAZY

title: BLONDE CRAZY year: 1931 cast: James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern rating: ***1/2 What is it about James Cagney – he br...

TAXI

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lM8FFf-gayI/TyG7UHTEfrI/AAAAAAAAEWE/EkAAuiDvR18/s1600/taxicagney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lM8FFf-gayI/TyG7UHTEfrI/AAAAAAAAEWE/EkAAuiDvR18/s320/taxicagney.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>title:</b> TAXI!<br />
<b>year</b>: 1932<br />
<b>cast:</b> James Cagney, Loretta Young<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***<br />
<br />
Begins as a predictable, clichéd melodrama dealing with the haves… a monopolizing consortium cab company… against the have-nots: independent cabbies trying to make it on their own without getting killed in the process. But soon the message peels away into an involving gangster-driven fare with James Cagney, uttering his famous “You Dirty Rat” line despite movie trivia saying otherwise. In one scene he says very loudly: "Come out and take it, you dirty, yellow-bellied rat, or I'll give it to you through the door!" This, to film historians, has been mistakingly condensed into the famous three word motto. But in the beginning of the film, as Cagney’s exciting his cab – sandwiched between two trucks – he does in fact mutter under his breath: “You dirty rat!” (watch and listen closely to the linked video for proof). Now for the movie itself, which gets better as the more stress enters Cagney’s life – thugs from the consortium move in, and every woman, from the good to the bad, annoy the hell out of him: providing the famous firebrand the usual classic tantrums. Cagney’s character… hard boiled cabbie Matt Nolan… is like most of Cagney’s tough guys, he’s angrier here than ever. He's fighting the good fight here and you'll back him all the way, so much so the other characters seem nonexistent when he's on, or off, the screen.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Pnel0GmJtEI" width="560"></iframe>

crime/melodrama, james cagney, loretta young, thirties

TAXI

title: TAXI! year : 1932 cast: James Cagney, Loretta Young rating: *** Begins as a predictable, clichéd melodrama dealing with the h...

WINNER TAKE ALL

boxing, james cagney, not on dvd, thirties

WINNER TAKE ALL

title: WINNER TAKE ALL year: 1932 cast: James Cagney rating: *** CLICK HERE FOR THIS REVIEW'S NEW HOME...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/15/2012 / 1 Comment / adventure , bill mumy , biopic , don gordon , drama , dustin hoffman , francis j. schaffner , prison , seventies , steve mcqueen , woodrow palfrey

STEVE MCQUEEN & DUSTIN HOFFMAN SERVE IN PAPILLON

<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/-mYAdL_nSEaU/WQ69lzyJiCI/AAAAAAAAxoA/V_ZryPwFTFk4rmPyA4ddeAB7IUucAbhXgCLcB/s1600/18222059_311955945900255_8968759651750565225_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mYAdL_nSEaU/WQ69lzyJiCI/AAAAAAAAxoA/V_ZryPwFTFk4rmPyA4ddeAB7IUucAbhXgCLcB/s400/18222059_311955945900255_8968759651750565225_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Don Gordon, Bill Mumy, Steve McQueen & Dustin Hoffman YEAR: 1973</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Director Francis J. Schaffner and scriptwriter Dalton Trumbo convert Henri Charriere's riviting biographical novel to the big screen, providing Steve McQueen with a more fleshed-out role than usual and rebooting Dustin Hoffman's minor character in the book to co-star/sidekick on screen: Both have a realistic aura, serving hell as they work a swampy chain-gang and eventually plan their escape and each scene is like a movie in itself, beginning with a slave ship to the initial prison (Don Gordon, McQueen's partner in BULLITT, plays a convict protecting young Billy Mumy and wanting to escape).  As an examination of the hellish existence in the French penal colonies, and eventually Devil's Island, there's  gritty realism held back for mainstream audiences, seeming at times like a television melodrama with some blood and guts thrown in. But as a straight-out adventure flick there's plenty of eventful situations to keep the viewer interested, and completely entertained, in the struggling journey of one tough cookie who refused to stay-put.

adventure, bill mumy, biopic, don gordon, drama, dustin hoffman, francis j. schaffner, prison, seventies, steve mcqueen, woodrow palfrey

STEVE MCQUEEN & DUSTIN HOFFMAN SERVE IN PAPILLON

Don Gordon, Bill Mumy, Steve McQueen & Dustin Hoffman YEAR: 1973 Director Francis J. Schaffner and scriptwriter Dalton Trumbo conver...

THE IRON LADY

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mXekU6lKqrs/TxKb5d0LPZI/AAAAAAAAD6U/VnM906AdxAw/s1600/the-iron-lady-movie-poster-01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697787890135416210" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mXekU6lKqrs/TxKb5d0LPZI/AAAAAAAAD6U/VnM906AdxAw/s320/the-iron-lady-movie-poster-01.jpg" style="float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 178px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hear the click?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> THE IRON LADY<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2012<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>*1/2<br />
<br />
During a montage where Margaret Thatcher's rising in the polls and is, for her party at least, on top of her political game, an aggressive punk rock tune blasts over the scene – and it’s<span style="font-style: italic;"> against </span>Margaret Thatcher. There you have the underlying tone of this biopic weaving back and forth from an aged Thatcher, hallucinating her dead husband and trying to recall pieces from a jigsaw puzzle life, to the young climber growing up poor, asserting herself as a lone woman amongst the barking men of Parliament, and eventually becoming Prime Minister of England. But we never get to know who she was, what she did, or why she did it; unless you count sporadic jump cuts of mobs protesting against her, which, like that punk song, provides a subliminal cue card to remind the audience how and what to feel, but never <span style="font-style: italic;">why</span>. Now the question: How was Meryl Streep’s performance? Well the iconic actress, donning surprisingly realistic Aged makeup, does a fine job as the older Thatcher struggling to hold her mind together – but it’s impossible to judge her as the historical figure since another actress played the assertive young woman who fought for that place where, by the time Streep takes over, is lost in a jumbled collection of newsreels and pointless monologs... always returning to the old lady suffering the beginning stages of dementia, who, like the film itself, is never quite sure what's going on.

biopic, meryl streep, tens

THE IRON LADY

Hear the click? title: THE IRON LADY year: 2012 cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent rating: *1/2 During a montage where Margaret T...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/13/2012 / No comments / action , heist , mark walhberg , suspense , tens

CONTRABAND

<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pMzhnq-ZvaM/TxEs0eCy8HI/AAAAAAAAD2A/yXK79Idjtus/s1600/WFTCRMImageFetch.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697384283529998450" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pMzhnq-ZvaM/TxEs0eCy8HI/AAAAAAAAD2A/yXK79Idjtus/s200/WFTCRMImageFetch.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 184px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> CONTRABAND<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2012<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Mark Walhberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Foster<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>***1/2<br />
<br />
Give us an antihero that’s gonna break the law for a substantial reason and not only can anything happen, but the audience will embrace it with open arms. But prepare to sustain disbelief through this action/suspense yarn involving a freshly retired contraband smuggler who, because of his brother-in-law's involvement in the same trade but with unlucky results, returns to his old life to straighten things out. It’s a piece of cake… with exploding candles… as Mark Walhberg goes from ship to land back to ship: dodging bullets, tricking drug dealers, and getting smashed up… after which the real fun begins. Old school melodrama envelopes the b-story as his wife and two children, vulnerably at odds with grimy, over the top mobster Giovanni Ribisi – but the suspense relies on how the ex smuggler can figure to sneak <span style="font-style: italic;">stuff </span>through without being caught, and most importantly, to save his family as the goons move in. Wahlberg carries the movie with more cool than edge, and even when the story gets mazy and convoluted, he’s a genuine enough protagonist to make everything seem precisely clear: exactly when it needs to be. And welcome back veteran actor William Lucking to a big budget movie, looking perfectly gruff as Walhberg’s imprisoned father.

action, heist, mark walhberg, suspense, tens

CONTRABAND

title: CONTRABAND year: 2012 cast: Mark Walhberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Foster rating: ***1/2 Give us an antihero that’s gonna break ...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/10/2012 / No comments / action , chicks with guns , claudia jennings , donna gordon , exploitation , lieux dressler , mark l. lester , seventies

TRUCK STOP WOMEN

action, chicks with guns, claudia jennings, donna gordon, exploitation, lieux dressler, mark l. lester, seventies

TRUCK STOP WOMEN

year: 1974 cast: Lieux Dressler, Claudia Jennings, John Martino rating: *** Right from the start, Mark L. Lester knew how to direct ...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/09/2012 / No comments / anne archer , sam elliott , seventies , stephen young

LIFE IS A BEACH WITH SAM ELLIOTT IN LIFEGUARD

<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VvN1IoOoQo/WRGJNLfEltI/AAAAAAAAxq4/S5oH2ZUH0SMNbzEuCVocpWai5YdbXo64wCLcB/s1600/18402248_312832765812573_4095771142853560252_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VvN1IoOoQo/WRGJNLfEltI/AAAAAAAAxq4/S5oH2ZUH0SMNbzEuCVocpWai5YdbXo64wCLcB/s400/18402248_312832765812573_4095771142853560252_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Sam Elliott does some soul searching in LIFEGUARD Year: 1976</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A  film as laidback as the title and occupation, but for lifeguard Sam  Elliott, who seems a part of the beach he protects, there's plenty to do  other than "bedding down babes" and looking good shirtless.<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kTwFBNfrkik/VfHBz7b3aSI/AAAAAAAApAo/ro0Q8icHajg/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-09-10%2Bat%2B10.46.17%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kTwFBNfrkik/VfHBz7b3aSI/AAAAAAAApAo/ro0Q8icHajg/s320/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-09-10%2Bat%2B10.46.17%2BAM.png" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>VHS Artwork</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At thirty-three years old, with pressure from friends, family, lovers, and even acquaintances, he's forced to deal with the realization he's not a kid anymore. All this leading to his fifteen-year high school reunion where he gets back in  touch with ex-sweetheart and now single mom Anne Archer who runs a successful art gallery, and  old buddy Stephen Young, co-owner of a Porsche dealership.<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/-3jhMDNDTpR8/UFUyt4FPiJI/AAAAAAAANWg/YiNRojr-lPs/s1600/LIFEGUARD.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3jhMDNDTpR8/UFUyt4FPiJI/AAAAAAAANWg/YiNRojr-lPs/s320/LIFEGUARD.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>With Kathleen Quinlan LifeguardScore: ****</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Might Sam be  more suited as a husband, stepfather and car salesman than a tan-toned  lady-killer lifeguard? This is an entertainment piece mixing comedy,  drama, romance, but most of all it's a character-study: each element  blending perfectly, mostly thanks to our mustached, deep-voiced star,  one of the coolest cats in cinema. Meanwhile, the romance between Sam Elliott and Anne Archer is kindhearted and genuine, but the best scenes have Sam the maverick, not only making it with the ladies but relaxing all alone, watching the beach before anyone else arrives. Meanwhile, a frisky teenage girl, played by a much-older Kathleen Quinlan, adorns all the poster artwork and Parker Stevenson makes a great sidekick for Elliott, who teaches him, and the audience, the job is harder than you'd thin: So BAYWATCH brought lifeguards to a comic book (although very entertaining) status, LIFEGUARD... penned by one of our favorite scriptwriters, Ron Koslow (INTO THE NIGHT, FIRTBORN)... provides a story where the occupation and the man are one in the same.

anne archer, sam elliott, seventies, stephen young

LIFE IS A BEACH WITH SAM ELLIOTT IN LIFEGUARD

Sam Elliott does some soul searching in LIFEGUARD Year: 1976 A film as laidback as the title and occupation, but for lifeguard Sam E...

ZACK AND THE MAGIC FACTORY

<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xwOHjVotuCo/TwuwpOsfkRI/AAAAAAAADv0/lutNWkHJeoo/s1600/l.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695840376105963794" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xwOHjVotuCo/TwuwpOsfkRI/AAAAAAAADv0/lutNWkHJeoo/s320/l.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 136px;" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1981 rating: ***</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Those long gone and sorely missed ABC Weekend Specials, the introduction with the animated wizard conjuring butterflies flying from an open book, snared the attention of many youngsters who, at a certain point on Saturday Morning, wanted something beyond cartoons i.e. real humans and real stories but not without a touch of whim and fantasy... Like in this creative two-part episode about a spectacle-wearing kid, Zack, visiting his Aunt’s dilapidated magic factory that, while shabby on the outside, harbors cool tricks by two talented magicians. <br />
<br />
REPO MAN ingénue Olivia Barash, then a child actress who appeared in TV shows ranging from THE INCREDIBLE HULK to LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, is a magician’s daughter that joins Zack in trying to rescue the building from a geeky yet sinister tax attorney, who, with the aid of a bitter custodian, tries closing it down for good. Meanwhile Zack, despite being bullied at school, plans a big magic show in the school auditorium, and with Olivia as his assistant they have but one shot at saving the beloved old factory. Overall, a pretty good storyline and likable characters will keep you interested in the turnout, and best of all, there’s a lotta cool magic tricks.

children, comedy, eighties, olivia barash, terry bolo, TV

ZACK AND THE MAGIC FACTORY

1981 rating: *** Those long gone and sorely missed ABC Weekend Specials, the introduction with the animated wizard conjuring butterflies...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/08/2012 / No comments / children , comedy , disney , katy kurtzman , olivia barash , seventies , steve shaw

OLIVIA BARASH & KATY KURTZMAN IN CHILD OF GLASS

<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HKaj6gIzcQ/Uuew68ItvCI/AAAAAAAAcqA/OvuzTb9znOU/s1600/Child-of-Glass-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HKaj6gIzcQ/Uuew68ItvCI/AAAAAAAAcqA/OvuzTb9znOU/s1600/Child-of-Glass-3.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>1978 rating: ***1/2</b></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>While
 it's perplexed adults for centuries, the children in Disney films seem 
to have grasped the Meaning of Life… at least in their eyes: When 
something needs discovering, discover it!</b></span></span></i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>In this made for TV movie, a 
family moves into an antebellum mansion once owned by a river pirate. 
The mother and father are about as important as those mushmouthed 
teachers in Peanuts cartoons – this is all about the curious son 
Alexander, played by the late Steve Shaw, who meets the niece of a local
 palm reader. </b><br />
<br />
<b>And as the young adventurous "Blossom Culp," Katy Kurtzman
 creates a memorably quirky tomboy: Donning glasses and dressed like a 
traveling orphan, she determinedly riles Alexander into seeking the 
truth behind the mansion's history. But he gets the prime directive on 
his own with the help of a blue-hued ghost.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The daughter of the 
mansion’s former owner, “Ida Dumaine” died mysteriously and, to acquire 
eternal rest, provides a riddle that desperately needs solving. Cult 
actress Olivia Barash, as the lovely little wraith holding a fluffy dog,
 makes sporadic yet important appearances, and at one point turns human 
for a heartfelt slow dance during a party, later providing a dog/cat 
chase to add some lightweight hijinx to the underlying spooky vibe… 
especially with the dependably villanious Anthony Zerbe on board... </b><br />
<br />
<b>But 
even with the suspenseful chills, it's a great movie for kids, 
especially creative ones.
</b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rwEugiTUsbg" width="480"></iframe>

children, comedy, disney, katy kurtzman, olivia barash, seventies, steve shaw

OLIVIA BARASH & KATY KURTZMAN IN CHILD OF GLASS

1978 rating: ***1/2 While it's perplexed adults for centuries, the children in Disney films seem to have grasped the Meaning of Li...

BLACK DYNAMITE

<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g_3AqL5z1EA/Two-nSF0fWI/AAAAAAAADuA/yIenpX-26xE/s1600/Black-Dynamite-006.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695433523355483490" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g_3AqL5z1EA/Two-nSF0fWI/AAAAAAAADuA/yIenpX-26xE/s320/Black-Dynamite-006.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 263px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> BLACK DYNAMITE<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2009<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> Michael Jai White<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>**<br />
<br />
In a Cult Film Freak interview with actress <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cultfilmfreak/2010/12/11/gloria-hendry-live-and-let-die">Gloria Hendry</a>, who co-starred in classic Blaxploitation films BLACK BELT JONES, BLACK CAESAR, HELL UP IN HARLEM, ACROSS 110th STREET, and SLAUGHTER’S BIG RIPOFF, she said the demise of that particular genre, immensely popular in the early seventies and putting talented black actors and actresses to work, had to do with <span style="font-style: italic;">groups </span>that felt Blaxplotation films catered to, and lionized, clichéd stereotypes of the black community. Well here, thirty years later, a movie pokes fun at these traits more than celebrates them. Blaxploitations were low-budget movies that wielded quick zooms and shaky-camera techniques, funky music and piles of melodrama, and not a second goes by in BLACK DYNAMITE that we’re reminded of these particularities: the actors go overboard on purpose, as does the music while the camera struggles to zero in on the action or characters. Musclebound hero Michael Jai White looks great in the role, and there are times, especially during the karate scenes as he takes down every goon in his path… seeking the bad guys who killed his little brother in a drug deal… that it could have easily turned into a genuine action film instead of grasping too tight on the parody template. What the audience, and <span style="font-style: italic;">especially</span> the underrated Michael Jai White, truly deserved was what Quentin Tarantino provided with JACKIE BROWN: a loving homage to the works of groundbreaking directors like Jack Hill and Larry Cohen… and <span style="font-style: italic;">blaxpl-icons</span> like Pam Grier, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly and Jim Brown… instead of an overlong comedy skit that tries too hard for laughs, forgetting what those movies were<span style="font-style: italic;"> really </span>about: great actors, great music, great action, and creative storylines.The bottom line is: BLACK DYNAMITE is a movie that doesn't have a real identity... It's not funny enough to be an AIRPLANE or NAKED GUN, and not interesting enough to be a TRUCK TURNER or... you name it.

action, blaxploitation, comedy, michael jai white, parody, zeroes

BLACK DYNAMITE

title: BLACK DYNAMITE year: 2009 cast: Michael Jai White rating: ** In a Cult Film Freak interview with actress Gloria Hendry , who ...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/07/2012 / No comments / arthouse , christopher plummer , ewan mcgregor , indie , tens

BEGINNERS

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4yLBuNrHeDU/TxpbsbobWyI/AAAAAAAAEEQ/18zDSqLB5Mo/s1600/beginners-movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4yLBuNrHeDU/TxpbsbobWyI/AAAAAAAAEEQ/18zDSqLB5Mo/s200/beginners-movie.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>title: </b>BEGINNERS<br />
<b>year: </b>2011<br />
<b>cast: </b>Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer<br />
<b>rating: </b>** <br />
<br />
If Gus Van Sant directed Cameron Crowe’s SINGLES, you’d have BEGINNERS, or pieces of it: like whenever Ewan McGregor, as a brooding thirty-eight year old single artist whose dying father comes out of the closet, contemplates life: making up most of the screen time with an intoxicating art-house rhythm and a bouquet of devises (other than narration) to tell what the main character’s feeling… using photographs, graffiti, or a Jack Russell Terrier’s subtitles… but the ponderous navel-gazing gets tiresome. And while Christopher Plummer turns in a good performance as the dying man embracing his new gay lifestyle (although his own personal situation often branches off into a distracting propaganda), and Ewan McGregor maintains a dependable subtlety taking on a new horizon… consisting of a relationship with an artsy French girl more troubled than he is… they’re not interesting enough characters to make up for a nonexistent plot, which, being so obviously intentional by director Mike Ness, makes sense in its own unique fashion. It's just too bad the characters are too proverbially dressed up to be genuinely fleshed out, making for a visual pleasing but ultimately vacant experience. And yet, as vacant experiences go, this one has a heart beating, somewhere...

arthouse, christopher plummer, ewan mcgregor, indie, tens

BEGINNERS

title: BEGINNERS year: 2011 cast: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer rating: ** If Gus Van Sant directed Cameron Crowe’s SINGLES, you’d...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/06/2012 / No comments / action , creature , eco horror , eighties , henry silva , jaws-clone , monster , robert forster , sue lyon , suspense

ALLIGATOR

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/S8dk1sDxETI/AAAAAAAAAOY/bDjPVAjyE_o/s1600/allgator.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460443946732818738" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/S8dk1sDxETI/AAAAAAAAAOY/bDjPVAjyE_o/s200/allgator.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 190px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><b>title:</b> ALLIGATOR<br />
<div><div><b>year:</b> 1980</div><div><b>cast:</b> Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Henry Silva </div><div><b>rating:</b> ****</div><br />
<div>Robert  Forster can make just about anything work, including a b-movie about a  giant Alligator invading the streets of Los Angeles. Arthouse guru John  Sayles began as a screenwriter for monster movies like this and PIRANHA, both JAWS-like but with identities of their own. Beginning with a baby gator  flushed down a toilet, we cut ten years later to a mystery involving  nuclear waste and dead stray dogs, leading to the investigation by  Forster, a detective haunted by his own past. This first part, before  the beast goes to town, is intriguing and involving, and it's Forster,  searching through sewers and city streets, that keeps it in line. Not to  forget dependable performances by Robin Riker as a reptile  specialist/love interest, Bart Braverman as a snoopy journalist, Henry  Silva as a Great White Hunter, Michael V. Gazzo as a police chief, and Dean Jagger as the greedy capitalist  behind everything. The alligator itself, mechanical and not the  computerized stuff modern audiences are used to, still looks cool and  menacing... but it's the actors, and the story, that makes this a minor  classic.  </div></div>

action, creature, eco horror, eighties, henry silva, jaws-clone, monster, robert forster, sue lyon, suspense

ALLIGATOR

title: ALLIGATOR year: 1980 cast: Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Henry Silva rating: **** Robert Forster can make just about anything w...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/04/2012 / No comments / drama , john travolta , pj soles , robert reed , seth wagerman , seventies , TV

THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdnnSOFq6s4/TwTyYa9dIXI/AAAAAAAADmM/poZZ7Y22bxw/s1600/8289_view.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693942330271015282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdnnSOFq6s4/TwTyYa9dIXI/AAAAAAAADmM/poZZ7Y22bxw/s200/8289_view.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 154px;" /></a><b>title:</b> THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE<br />
<div>
<b>year:</b> 1976</div>
<div>
<b>cast:</b> John Travolta, Robert Reed, Glynnis O'Connor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"></span></div>
<div>
<b>rating:</b> ***1/2</div>
<br />
<div>
A  cute little boy born without immunities has to live in a plastic bubble  and grows up to be John Travolta, who not only disco dances  with his pet <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">hamster</span>  but eventually, wearing an orange space suit, goes to high school and  falls in love with the girl next door. One of the most tortuously  bizarre television movies in history and a lot of fun. In one scene  Travolta is carted in a plastic incubator to a beach party and is riled  by fellow teens; another he's discussing masturbation to a cancer  patient. Yet despite the high degree of camp value, this classic time-capsule  from the seventies is also thoroughly involving, entertaining, and won't  bore you for a single moment: mostly thanks to Glynnis O'Connor as  Travolta's love-interest, looking beyond fantastic and providing our ailing  hero a chance for possible freedom. </div>

drama, john travolta, pj soles, robert reed, seth wagerman, seventies, TV

THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE

title: THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE year: 1976 cast: John Travolta, Robert Reed, Glynnis O'Connor rating: ***1/2 A cute l...

MAUREEN McCORMICK IN TEXAS LIGHTNING

<table align="center" 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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TGoDrIZsqMI/AAAAAAAAAlY/y0GBq4KccuA/s1600/texaslightning3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506217533938378946" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/TGoDrIZsqMI/AAAAAAAAAlY/y0GBq4KccuA/s200/texaslightning3.jpg" style="float: right; height: 159px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1981 rating: *1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Exploitation  cinematographer turned director Gary Graver's meandering mess about  three rambunctious drunken men who go hunting, one of them, Cameron  Mitchell, bringing his passive son, Cameron Mitchell Jr. aka Channing  Mitchell who, along the way, meets sexy bartender Maureen McCormick  (Marcia from THE BRADY BUNCH) and he gets lucky.<br />
<br />
But she gets unlucky as  two of the adults barge in, and one guy played by character-actor Peter Jason rapes her, and its here the film becomes what Mr. Graver  knows best, exploitation, but without any shock or realism. And even as  the suddenly not-so-passive son gets his own style of revenge against  the drunkards in the desert, the suspense builds at such a sluggish pace  it's like watching paint dry on your eyelids... and with really bad  colors.

cameron mitchell, eighties, exploitation, gary graver, maureen mccormick, peter jason

MAUREEN McCORMICK IN TEXAS LIGHTNING

year: 1981 rating: *1/2 Exploitation cinematographer turned director Gary Graver's meandering mess about three rambunctious drunke...

HIGH ROLLING IN A HOT CORVETTE: RELOCATED

joseph bottoms, judy davis, road movie, seventies

HIGH ROLLING IN A HOT CORVETTE: RELOCATED

THIS REVIEW HAS MOVED SO CLICK HERE TO FIND IT

BONNIE'S KIDS

<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PCXwUHrlBzw/TwTt9TYP8II/AAAAAAAADmA/2NqIlcfplCk/s1600/bonnie2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693937466332934274" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PCXwUHrlBzw/TwTt9TYP8II/AAAAAAAADmA/2NqIlcfplCk/s200/bonnie2.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 131px;" /></a><strong>title:</strong> BONNIE'S KIDS<br /><div><strong>year:</strong> 1973</div><div><strong>cast:</strong> Tiffany Bolling, Robin Mattson, Scott Brady</div><div><strong>rating:</strong> **</div><br /><div>Two  gorgeous blonde sisters, daughters of a long-dead woman named Bonnie,  kill their molesting step-father and live with their uncle in a fancy  ranch. Big sis ends up on the run with a handsome rogue (and a briefcase  of cash) while little sis stays put, dealing with taboo temptation and  other bedroom stuff more intriguing than her sibling's town-to-town odyssey: basically a cat and mouse chase against two FBI agents dumber  than a box of led. Some great camera shots and hints of a blaxploitation  soundtrack (although this is anything but) keep things somewhat rolling... but  on a nowhere road. </div>

exploitation, robin mattson, scott brady, seventies

BONNIE'S KIDS

title: BONNIE'S KIDS year: 1973 cast: Tiffany Bolling, Robin Mattson, Scott Brady rating: ** Two gorgeous blonde sisters, daughter...

SHORT EYES

<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QALqA6vNBAc/TwT2ikqTu_I/AAAAAAAADmY/kZC83gV3VTM/s1600/goya.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693946902720265202" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QALqA6vNBAc/TwT2ikqTu_I/AAAAAAAADmY/kZC83gV3VTM/s320/goya.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 246px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 201px;" /></a><b>title:</b> SHORT EYES<br />
<div><div><b>year:</b> 1977</div><div><b>cast:</b> Luis Perez, Tito Goya, Bruce Davison<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></div><div><b>rating:</b> *****</div><br />
<div>The  centerpiece of this, the ultimate ensemble prison drama, isn't the child  molester aka "Short Eyes" (Bruce Davison) put into a cell-block of  tough convicts who, after finding out his crime, turn the premises into  their own courtroom, but a young handsome Puerto Rican nicknamed  Cupcakes, played by the late Tito Goya, who has to deal with - or take  advice from - these same toughies before, during and after the  molester's story becomes center stage. While not the main character,  Goya's youthful protagonist provides the core of the boiling pot  involving a bevy of eclectic, dangerous cons from a tough Italian  (Joseph Carberry), a stubborn black muslim (Don Blakey), a  sexually-driven Puerto Rican (Shawn Elliott), two laidback but badass  African Americans (Nathan George, Ken Steward), and the film's true  star: a good-hearted Rican "idealist," played brilliantly by Luis Perez,  who feels called-upon to protect Goya and the molester both. Based on  the play by Miguel Pinero, who portrays an antagonistic prisoner, all  one can say is: you have to see it to believe it. And a soulful  "singalong" with Curtis Mayfield and Freddie Fenders adds soul to the  brash proceedings.</div></div>

bruce davison, drama, prison, seventies, suspense, tito goya

SHORT EYES

title: SHORT EYES year: 1977 cast: Luis Perez, Tito Goya, Bruce Davison rating: ***** The centerpiece of this, the ultimate ensemble...

THE HAPPENING

<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/S7dtU4UYRPI/AAAAAAAAAEI/GkUwKFyN7O8/s1600/happening-teaser-trailer.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455949679065318642" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bFgFFecXa_Q/S7dtU4UYRPI/AAAAAAAAAEI/GkUwKFyN7O8/s200/happening-teaser-trailer.jpg" style="float: right; height: 112px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<b>title:</b> THE HAPPENING</div>
<div>
<b>year:</b> 2008</div>
<div>
<b>cast:</b> Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, Betty Buckley</div>
<div>
<b>rating: </b>*</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
To quote the iconic  Buffalo Springfield tune, "There's something happening here, what it is  ain't exactly clear." These lyrics sum up half the film, where people  back East are mysteriously going crazy and soon-after committing  suicide. After the cause is known, something having to do with the  environment "fighting back," it's a lot of running around... And the  once prolific writer/director M. Night Shyamalan seems to have run out  of ideas and creativity. Relying on cheap camera work and cheesy dialogue,  he himself claims this as an intentional b-movie liken to the early work of  George Romero and David Cronenberg; low-budget classics relying heavily  on character-development: something this film has little to nothing of.  Eventually the survivors end up in a rural house inhabited by an old  creepy woman played by Betty Buckley (Sissy Spacek's coach in CARRIE), providing the only chilling  moments that don't last long enough.

eco-horror, m. night, mark walhberg, suspense, zeroes

THE HAPPENING

title: THE HAPPENING year: 2008 cast: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, Betty Buckley rating: * To quote the iconic Buffalo Spr...

Presented by James M. Tate / 1/01/2012 / No comments /

MORGAN PAULL: PODCAST INTERVIEW

<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="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjZp2u5grOw/UCC1hGy8k-I/AAAAAAAAKkQ/3gHoGGFpcRE/s1600/17-3-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjZp2u5grOw/UCC1hGy8k-I/AAAAAAAAKkQ/3gHoGGFpcRE/s640/17-3-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH MORGAN PAULL</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="font-size: 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;">
Listen to <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/">internet radio</a> with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cultfilmfreak">cultfilmfreak</a> on Blog Talk Radio</div>
The
 late Morgan Paull was a great character-actor who played George C. 
Scott's right hand man in PATTON; a swinging cop in the exploitation gem
 DIRTY O'NEIL; a troubled scientist in THE SWARM; a mobster in the 
Mystery Science Theater bashed MITCHELL; a shifty producer in FADE TO 
BLACK; and he's most known as Holden, the Tyrrel Corporation agent from 
the intro of BLADE RUNNER. This is Morgan's last interview. He talks 
about subjects ranging from George C. Scott's temper to working twice 
with Harrison Ford to advice from Michael Caine about director Irwin 
Allen.  <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="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rx5N3YRBDdM/UCCh-5LH7BI/AAAAAAAAKio/UDi4Z7Ef0Yg/s1600/DIRTY%252BO%252527NEAL.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rx5N3YRBDdM/UCCh-5LH7BI/AAAAAAAAKio/UDi4Z7Ef0Yg/s640/DIRTY%252BO%252527NEAL.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With June Fairchild and Tara Strohmeier in DIRTY O'NEIL </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D7sErwsoF5Q/UCCiW0a25HI/AAAAAAAAKiw/Xk10U-h1FGs/s1600/298145_245966132114341_1163444164_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D7sErwsoF5Q/UCCiW0a25HI/AAAAAAAAKiw/Xk10U-h1FGs/s640/298145_245966132114341_1163444164_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the John Wayne movie CAHILL: UNITED STATES MARSHALL</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHrYCJ7sj8M/UCCipi0FnSI/AAAAAAAAKi4/BVp6_YVjyxA/s1600/morgan1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qHrYCJ7sj8M/UCCipi0FnSI/AAAAAAAAKi4/BVp6_YVjyxA/s640/morgan1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As Holden in BLADE RUNNER</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
MY OFFICIAL PODCAST SITE CAN BE <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Cobject%20classid=%22clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000%22%20codebase=%27http://download.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0%27%20width=%27210%27%20height=%27105%27%20name=%22125417%22%20id=%22125417%22%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22movie%22%20value=%22http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogtalkradio.com%2Fcultfilmfreak%2F2011%2F09%2F13%2Fmorgan-paull%2Fplaylist.xml&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx%22%20/%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22quality%22%20value=%22high%22%20/%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22wmode%22%20value=%22transparent%22%20/%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22menu%22%20value=%22false%22%20/%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22allowScriptAccess%22%20value=%22always%22%20/%3E%3Cembed%20src=%22http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf%22%20flashvars=%22file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogtalkradio.com%2Fcultfilmfreak%2F2011%2F09%2F13%2Fmorgan-paull%2fplaylist.xml&autostart=false&shuffle=false&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=210&height=105&volume=80&corner=rounded%22%20width=%22210%22%20height=%22105%22%20type=%22application/x-shockwave-flash%22%20pluginspage=%22http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer%22%20quality=%22high%22%20wmode=%22transparent%22%20menu=%22false%22%20name=%22125417%22%20id=%22125417%22%20allowScriptAccess=%22always%22%3E%3C/embed%3E%3C/object%3E%3Cdiv%20style=%22font-size:%2010px;text-align:%20center;%20width:220px;%22%3E%20Listen%20to%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.blogtalkradio.com%22%3Einternet%20radio%3C/a%3E%20with%20%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cultfilmfreak%22%3Ecultfilmfreak%3C/a%3E%20on%20Blog%20Talk%20Radio%3C/div%3E">FOUND HERE</a>
</div>

MORGAN PAULL: PODCAST INTERVIEW

PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH MORGAN PAULL Listen to internet radio with cultfilmfreak on Blog Talk Radio The late Morgan Paull was a gre...

GAMERA

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EukGoTeWrSI/Tyd-RuJ5GbI/AAAAAAAAEls/TZLICpWhDJw/s1600/gamera-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EukGoTeWrSI/Tyd-RuJ5GbI/AAAAAAAAEls/TZLICpWhDJw/s200/gamera-poster.jpg" width="161" /></a></div><b>title:</b> GAMERA <br />
<div><b>year:</b> 1965</div><div><b>cast:</b> Eiji Fanakoshi</div><div><b>rating:</b> ***1/2</div><br />
<div>There  are so many versions of this giant turtle epic that it's hard to find  the actual source: the real thing is obviously the version without the  Americans thrown in, giving their input and turning things into a world crisis that audiences that relate with stateside, but what's patchworked together in the movie that's readily available is an intense,  terrific man-in-monster-costume ride. A side-story involving a kid who  loves turtles provides more color than the rambling dialog of the  scientists figuring a way to destroy a beast: who ferociously thrives on  whatever weapons are thrown at him. But the savory battles, and the  last ten minutes providing the much-mentioned "Plan" to finally rid of "Gammera" (the actual spelling), makes the whole crazy romp worthwhile. </div>

action, japanese-based, monster, sixties

GAMERA

title: GAMERA year: 1965 cast: Eiji Fanakoshi rating: ***1/2 There are so many versions of this giant turtle epic that it's hard ...

JMT