cult film freak: September 2015

Written by James M. Tate / 9/29/2015 / No comments / bill allen , eighties , hal needham , interview , jack weston , ray walston , sport , talia shire

BREAKING 'RAD' WITH ACTOR BILL ALLEN

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SCGY5ryhULo/VgsOdZanjLI/AAAAAAAApMM/31Ue00__JGY/s1600/rad0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SCGY5ryhULo/VgsOdZanjLI/AAAAAAAApMM/31Ue00__JGY/s1600/rad0.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Interview with RAD actor Bill Allen in promoting his book MY RAD CAREER</u></td></tr>
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"The riders not only loved the movie and continue to do so, but it is responsible for so many getting into the sport, that I am given way too much credit for many a riders inspiration," writes actor Bill Allen. "I'm so happy to be a part of the BMX community, and they have embraced me with open arms." And although the 1986 cult classic RAD does fit under the category of a motion picture capturing a popular fad, the sport of BMX riding is anything but dated, or something that has ever gone away… And yet, during that particular era, BMX racing was one of the coolest sports to physically and/or visually experience...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3Wbka9Rb6o/VguVtmqPzKI/AAAAAAAApO8/yKvvmmR61P0/s1600/title00_232735162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3Wbka9Rb6o/VguVtmqPzKI/AAAAAAAApO8/yKvvmmR61P0/s320/title00_232735162.jpg" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Bill Allen in RAD</span></u></td></tr>
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Since it took professional riders to pull off such amazing stunts, there had to be a cool story involved too, including actors under swift direction, wherein RAD combined an underdog tale, a teenage romance, wonderful exploitation of competitive and freestyle BMX riding with some corporate greed thrown in.<br />
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The star of this film is Bill Allen as Cru, a passive BMX cruiser who initially delivers newspapers and then winds up, in the typical ROCKY and/or KARATE KID fashion, competing against the reigning champion: to basically save the town. <br />
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<b>When did you first know you wanted to be an actor, and how did you go about becoming one?</b><br />
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I was cast out of Dallas in '83 in the lead in a film about a Jockey starring Jose Ferrer, Tab Hunter, Adam Roarke and a young George Clooney. I had been only a theater actor before that, but AND THEY'RE OFF got me a SAG card, an agent, and an acting coach (Bryan O'Byrne.) This was the time I decided to be an actor for the rest of my life. Soon I moved to L.A. and started working as an actor soon afterward.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XKYdcB3bIII/VgsPHUlo86I/AAAAAAAApMc/Z6_oOeQ8RnM/s1600/rad67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XKYdcB3bIII/VgsPHUlo86I/AAAAAAAApMc/Z6_oOeQ8RnM/s200/rad67.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Poster Artwork</u></td></tr>
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<b>You worked with Robert Altman, one of the great all-time filmmakers, in STREAMERS: What was your part, and how was it being directed by Altman? </b><br />
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I played an Officer that was holding a gun and interrogating Matthew Modine and David Allen Grier. I was incredibly green and Altman was incredibly kind and nurturing. His key to good filmmaking seemed to be in casting the right actors.<br />
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He let the actors bring to it what they wanted; he acted more like a traffic cop.  He even had me sit beside him and watch him direct for a day. We will never see the likes of him again. It's safe to say he smoked more weed than Bob Marley.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R30lU583_yM/VgsPfVTLUUI/AAAAAAAApMk/Kw-CijAmEA0/s1600/RAD2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R30lU583_yM/VgsPfVTLUUI/AAAAAAAApMk/Kw-CijAmEA0/s320/RAD2.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bill's big stunt in RAD</u></td></tr>
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<b>Tell us about how you landed the role in RAD?</b><br />
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Hal Needham saw me in an episode of HILL STREET BLUES, a popular cop show at the time, and called me in on the strength of that performance. Cru was a very different type of character, so after a quick audition, he had me sit on a BMX bike and the rest is history.<br />
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<b>What were some risky riding scenes you did in RAD... that you performed on your own and were nervous about, without the stunt double? </b><br />
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I suppose riding on that dumpster as it put me over the fence was the riskiest thing I did, and it shows on my face. I almost took a dive when, at the end of qualifying race, I hit my front brake by accident and I go flying into the arms of my friends. It actually made the shot very dynamic and dramatic. Otherwise I did very little of my own riding, and the riding I did do, is shaky at best.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x7yHdRWwxGA/VgsP6vi4aFI/AAAAAAAApMs/2Q0t9DxaMig/s1600/RAD1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x7yHdRWwxGA/VgsP6vi4aFI/AAAAAAAApMs/2Q0t9DxaMig/s320/RAD1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Hal goes from hot rods to BMX glory</u></td></tr>
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<b>Share a little about director Hal Needham, famous for his films with Burt Reynolds, and who was a stuntman himself: did he equally relate to actors and the stunt riders (your double Eddie Fiola in particular) or was there more leaning on the action element of the film?</b><br />
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He was larger than life, a living and breathing action icon, who filled up the room with his southern charm and brilliance. He treated actors with kid gloves, but with stuntmen, the gloves came off. He was quoted as saying, "I hired stuntmen, not stunt pads!" However, RAD was the first film where the stuntmen (mostly kids) actually knew more than he did about the stunts, and the collaboration was brilliant. Obviously his movies were action-heavy, and that is where he shone. I think he saw the dialogue scenes as a necessary evil, and just let the actors have free reign.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aywJvfAiW3Q/VgsQKODP2PI/AAAAAAAApM0/4FzQ4N4WmDQ/s1600/rad4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aywJvfAiW3Q/VgsQKODP2PI/AAAAAAAApM0/4FzQ4N4WmDQ/s320/rad4.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Talia Shire with Bill Allen</u></td></tr>
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<b>Talia Shire co-starred as your mom, famous as Adrian from the ROCKY films: how was it working with such an iconic actress, and was there a family vibe being that her husband, Jack Schwartzman, produced?</b><br />
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I was intimidated by the weight of her pedigree and resume, but that just fed the emotion of our scenes together. She treated me well, and I will forever be grateful for her patronage. She had her whole family around her, including a young Jason Schwartzman and her stepson, the famous DP, John Schwartzman, who shot a behind the scenes documentary that never saw the light.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-deoVcyHCs24/VgsRaV9hEYI/AAAAAAAApNk/42SJhBqhtv8/s1600/rad8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-deoVcyHCs24/VgsRaV9hEYI/AAAAAAAApNk/42SJhBqhtv8/s320/rad8.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>To Slide With You</u></td></tr>
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<b>Working with the beautiful Lori Loughlin, who later went on to FULL HOUSE fame: Tell us about your experiences during the riding and love scenes, and especially the fan-favorite water sliding moment... </b><br />
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She was so fun to work with, and easy to fall for. I think she was on a higher showbiz rung than I, so I never passed her test, but believe me, I tried! I guess I liked the kissing scenes best (who wouldn't?). The ass sliding was done into FREEZING waters, so it looked more fun than it was.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zyj50PuBKo/VgsQkNyM7qI/AAAAAAAApNE/6ryaNx6trUA/s1600/rad5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zyj50PuBKo/VgsQkNyM7qI/AAAAAAAApNE/6ryaNx6trUA/s200/rad5.jpg" width="118" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Lori Loughlin</u></td></tr>
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<b>The dance sequence, where the most memorable song, SEND ME AN ANGEL, plays... What was it like working on this very energetic and colorful scene? </b><br />
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I actually had food poisoning the night before the shoot, so I was deathly ill while the main sequence was being shot. So the look on my face during that scene is one of nausea, not apprehension. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2xrc4C121Wk/VgsQs50DLtI/AAAAAAAApNM/RU4pl4oL2wo/s1600/rad6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2xrc4C121Wk/VgsQs50DLtI/AAAAAAAApNM/RU4pl4oL2wo/s200/rad6.jpg" width="130" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bill Allen</u></td></tr>
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<b>RAD, the term and title alone, epitomizes the 1980's... What were some of your favorite aspects of this era, not related to the film itself?</b><br />
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My favorite aspects was the entertainment industry was much more innocent and lucrative and there was still a mystery to show biz. With the advent of youtube and reality stars, the bar has dropped significantly for talent. Not to mention AIDS wiped out almost an entire generation of artists who there is no replacement for except for mediocre imitations.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRD-IQ0kqZ8/VgsQ1QX5xxI/AAAAAAAApNU/kx7e2XZD64E/s1600/rad10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRD-IQ0kqZ8/VgsQ1QX5xxI/AAAAAAAApNU/kx7e2XZD64E/s200/rad10.jpg" width="164" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Weston and Walston</u></td></tr>
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<b>Character actors Ray Walston and Jack Weston were in this: what did their experience brought to the movie? </b><br />
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I loved playing with these major talents who raised the bar in Hollywood for what supporting players could bring to a role. Going toe to toe with actors you grew up watching is a mystical experience that was not diminished in the actual meeting of these giants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vsrJ0BQ-2Yg/VgsQ_VxM2CI/AAAAAAAApNc/8qK0XdfrX7o/s1600/rad66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vsrJ0BQ-2Yg/VgsQ_VxM2CI/AAAAAAAApNc/8qK0XdfrX7o/s320/rad66.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bill Allen's Book Cover</u></td></tr>
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<b>Now share about your book, MY RAD CAREER, and how the idea came about?</b><br />
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My wife Carol is a writer (<a href="http://loveisinthestars.com/">loveisinthestars.com</a>) and she encouraged me to do something for the fans. Digging up the memories I had long buried turned out to be a catharsis. I didn't have enough stories for a whole book on RAD, so I write about my whole career. I share some of my adventures with people like Brandon Lee, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and others (<a href="http://myradcareer.com/">myradcareer.com</a>).<br />
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<b>One more... had to ask... What was your part in BREAKING BAD, and how was that experience on a show that could possibly be the best cable television series ever created? </b><br />
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I'm in the fifth episode, GREY MATTER, grilling Walter White on his work experience, and it's kind of an egg on your face moment for him. I took the job before anyone had seen the show, so I didn't know how lucky I was at the time (a recurring theme for me). I had a chance to chat it up with Bryan Cranston and found him to be incredibly cool, smart and hilarious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-18aEu4Kyhs4/VgsRvxOP_aI/AAAAAAAApNs/L2bao0kuFg8/s1600/rad89.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-18aEu4Kyhs4/VgsRvxOP_aI/AAAAAAAApNs/L2bao0kuFg8/s1600/rad89.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bill Allen, far left in argyle, after questioning Bryan Cranston's Walter White on BREAKING BAD</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pvL_IYtpxY4/VgsR3QybmrI/AAAAAAAApN0/qJjMULqAk7w/s1600/rad22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pvL_IYtpxY4/VgsR3QybmrI/AAAAAAAApN0/qJjMULqAk7w/s1600/rad22.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Rad-Career-Bill-Allen-ebook/dp/B00LOUXZZ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443566912&sr=8-1&keywords=my+rad+career+bill+allen">BUY BILL ALLEN'S BOOK MY RAD CAREER VIA STREAM OR PAPERBACK ON AMAZON</a></td></tr>
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bill allen, eighties, hal needham, interview, jack weston, ray walston, sport, talia shire

BREAKING 'RAD' WITH ACTOR BILL ALLEN

Interview with RAD actor Bill Allen in promoting his book MY RAD CAREER "The riders not only loved the movie and continue to do so,...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/28/2015 / No comments / 2015 , anne hathaway , feel-good , robert deniro

ROBERT DENIRO WORKS IN THE INTERN

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert DeNiro & Anne Hathaway starring in THE INTERN</td></tr>
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Being a Living Legend has its pros and cons. The pro is, well, you're a Living Legend. And that title, given his previous track record, epitomizes Robert DeNiro... But when starring in yet another mainstream popcorn comedy, it's like John Steinbeck writing a Harlequin Romance...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr>
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But wait... this time around, something <i>isn't </i>missing. The collecting-a-paycheck DeNiro is replaced with a man so utterly stiff and endearing (imagine what his ailing character scolded Robin Williams to be more like in AWAKENINGS), he works despite being obviously created to win over both the audience and his brilliant tech female boss Jules, played by Anne Hathaway, running an online clothing company with a daughter and a stay-at-home husband; the latter as useless as DeNiro's 70-year-old intern, Ben, is utterly reliable....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rating: ***1/2</td></tr>
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Scenes with DeNiro and Hathaway are genuine, moving the story along. Yet the plot isn't the stress of possibly sharing her company with a more qualified C.E.O., or melodramatic problems after work. These are mere afterthoughts compared to what Ben can provide, with his old school charm and wisdom, to help her out of the fancy yet disheveled canvas she's painted herself into.<br />
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For those (like yours truly) who miss "the old DeNiro" (young DeNiro in classic films); while he's not TAXI DRIVER or RAGING BULL, he effectively plays a gentleman whose been around the block despite the tract being somewhat cliche and predictable.<br />
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<u>Trivia/Connection:</u> Two actresses from the sit-com ALICE make appearances: Linda Lavin as a scene-stealing, smitten neighbor and Celia Weston (who replaced Diane Ladd who replaced Polly Holliday) as a fellow co-worker. And that show was based on a motion picture directed by DeNiro's then-cinematic partner Martin Scorsese.

2015, anne hathaway, feel-good, robert deniro

ROBERT DENIRO WORKS IN THE INTERN

Robert DeNiro & Anne Hathaway starring in THE INTERN Being a Living Legend has its pros and cons. The pro is, well, you're a Liv...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/25/2015 / No comments / 2015 , ben kingsley , drama , indie , patricia clarkson

GRANDMA & LEARNING TO DRIVE

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xF1nGhtTvN8/VgV36gaS23I/AAAAAAAApJ4/KRmNVY63K4k/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-09-25%2Bat%2B9.25.45%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xF1nGhtTvN8/VgV36gaS23I/AAAAAAAApJ4/KRmNVY63K4k/s320/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-09-25%2Bat%2B9.25.45%2BAM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr>
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<b>GRANDMA:</b> As a lesbian has-been author, Lily Tomlin is a left wing Archie Bunker who, having broken up with a young trophy girlfriend, becomes the title character after her just-pregnant grand-daughter shows up, needing money for an abortion.<br />
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The nice aspect of this subtle indie road movie is how tight and basic the story is: our bickering polar opposites go from location to location, person to person (including an unrealistically heartbroken Sam Elliott), to gather funds for the operation, wherein the best scenes have the two main characters alone together, which, luckily for us, makes up most of the ride. The problem with GRANDMA is, beyond the young girl's somewhat stunted, underwhelming performance, the more progressively grouchy Tomlin must juggle blunt, obnoxious humor while keeping the always-cautious political correctness neatly intact: not an easy feat, but Lily kinda pulls it off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SY7G8QVhHTI/VgV3_R4ZyVI/AAAAAAAApKA/100QL8bJBC4/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-09-25%2Bat%2B9.26.05%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SY7G8QVhHTI/VgV3_R4ZyVI/AAAAAAAApKA/100QL8bJBC4/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-09-25%2Bat%2B9.26.05%2BAM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2015</td></tr>
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<b>LEARNING TO DRIVE:</b> A feel good quirky indie with more than a shoved touch of wisdom and understanding of another culture while delving into "our own racist" American melting pot in the busy streets of New York where semi-famous book critic Wendy, played by Patricia Clarkson... equally intriguing as mainstream ingenue in DIRTY HARRY'S DEAD POOL or older-indie in THE STATION AGENT... plays first fiddle to Ben Kingsley's Sikh driving instructor: although his proverbial instrument is loudest, being the mentor and overall example of a good man, which is something, or rather, someone, our brainy aged-ingenue lacks and thus, reluctantly at first, needs help to carry her through a thankless, ranting purgatory.<br />
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Scenes with the two leads are far more interesting than when we delve into their own troubles, both having to do with significant others that aren't as helpful; his arranged marriage is awkward and her cheating ex-husband has no genuine chemistry to seem like anything ever worked in the first place. And while former Oscar winning Kingsley does a good enough job, his attempt at subtle humor sounds more like Robin William's imitation of GANDHI in the beginning of MRS. DOUBTFIRE.  In other words, Ben seems a bit overqualified for a vehicle that, good or bad or just kinda there, like GRANDMA, is one of those "rent on a boring day" flicks that delivers just enough to pass the time.<br />
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GRANDMA: **1/2<br />
LEARNING TO DRIVE: ***

2015, ben kingsley, drama, indie, patricia clarkson

GRANDMA & LEARNING TO DRIVE

year: 2015 GRANDMA: As a lesbian has-been author, Lily Tomlin is a left wing Archie Bunker who, having broken up with a young trophy gi...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/22/2015 / No comments / 2015 , thriller

CAPTIVE & PERFECT GUY

2015, thriller

CAPTIVE & PERFECT GUY

year: 2015 CAPTIVE is the true story about a prisoner named Brian Nichols who escaped from jail and, along the way out the door, killed ...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/21/2015 / 1 Comment / eighties , photobreak , ray walston

RAY'S MR. MIDDLE-FINGER

eighties, photobreak, ray walston

RAY'S MR. MIDDLE-FINGER

A from-here-on classic Ray Walston screen capture in-between a delay of reviews These kind of "Where Have I Been Lately and Where A...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/18/2015 / 1 Comment / 2015 , crime , joel edgerton , johnny depp , mob

JOHNNY DEPP IN BLACK MASS

2015, crime, joel edgerton, johnny depp, mob

JOHNNY DEPP IN BLACK MASS

year: 2015 For the many who think Johnny Depp is the end-all of acting, well here's some good news... He begins and finishes BLACK M...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/17/2015 / No comments /

ARCHIVE TRIPLE: YEAR OF THE DRAGON, SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS & THE DEVIL'S HAIRPIN

ARCHIVE TRIPLE: YEAR OF THE DRAGON, SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS & THE DEVIL'S HAIRPIN

year: 1987 YEAR OF THE DRAGON: Centers on mob wars in New York's Chinatown; young Asian punks overthrowing the old Chinese bosses an...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/14/2015 / 1 Comment /

WARGAMES FEATURING EDDIE DEEZEN INTERVIEW

WARGAMES FEATURING EDDIE DEEZEN INTERVIEW

year: 1983 This iconic tech thriller hit screens as home computers were becoming fairly commonplace inside particular bedrooms of brainy...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/13/2015 / No comments / burt reynolds , neo noir , samuel fuller , shark , sixties , treasure

PULP NOVEL 'HIS BONES ARE CORAL' BECOMES A CHOPPY 'SHARK'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>SHARK Year: 1969 </u></td></tr>
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Sometimes you run into a terrific pulp novel watching a bad movie. The Samuel Fuller sea noir SHARK (in which stuntman José Marco died by Shark attack during production) came out in 1969 and starred a then mostly unknown Burt Reynolds as a drug runner, who actually mentions that he's only heard of that occupation, "drug runner," in the movies... His footloose, hunted character is used by a supposed father/daughter team to dive for gold in shark-infested waters. This was based on the book HIS BONES ARE CORAL by British author Victor Canning, and with a title like that, it was well worth finding after searching a few used bookstores.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>Novel Published: 1954</u></td></tr>
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This particular hardback jacket sleeve has a terrific Hemingway TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT style cover of an old fishing boat rocking through stormy waters. Wherein the film begins with a choppily edited shark attack, the book opens with our anti-hero crashing his plane and then hiding a "stash" in a cheap Cairo hotel, where he soon meets a pretty girl who introduces him to her father, and, like the movie, is hired to captain a charter where dad can dive for gold while sharks patrol the area... but are only attracted to blood. Our ragged lead winds up fighting for his life to win the girl, and to come out of the situation without getting stabbed by human goons or eaten by ferocious sharks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>Burt in Shark</u></td></tr>
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The first-person narrative is pulpy, poetic, corny, lovely; the action flows and the dialogue is passionate, dreamy and tough at the same time. The only downside is the second half doesn't live up to the first, being that, like many dime novels, the guy gets too weepy and whipped by the backstabbing dame... but no matter...<br />
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CORAL was a fantastic read that wouldn't have been discovered by Cult Film Freak without that maligned Sam Fuller flick, ruined by studio henchman, which is not only difficult to understand in the dialogue department, taking place in Cairo where the actors seem like the real thing and thus, dubbed horribly. Even Americans like Arthur Kennedy (playing a Walter Brennan style rummy sidekick) and Barry Sullivan rush their lines: providing what feels like a Noir collage of sneaky conversations with brief bouts of jumbled action. Although, technically, if you center on individual shots, creative camera angles, and a few neatly-flowing non-cut performances by a genuinely cool Bogart-style Burt Reynolds, Mr. Fuller's poetic signature is visible, somewhat, within those murky, muddied waters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_94ikBMOaFM/VfNxpaa_OLI/AAAAAAAApDM/UKEo5yH63UA/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_94ikBMOaFM/VfNxpaa_OLI/AAAAAAAApDM/UKEo5yH63UA/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Opening Credit Sequence Font... The "A" looks damn cool</u></td></tr>
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burt reynolds, neo noir, samuel fuller, shark, sixties, treasure

PULP NOVEL 'HIS BONES ARE CORAL' BECOMES A CHOPPY 'SHARK'

SHARK Year: 1969 Sometimes you run into a terrific pulp novel watching a bad movie. The Samuel Fuller sea noir SHARK (in which stuntma...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/11/2015 / No comments / 2015 , horror , m. night

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S THE VISIT

2015, horror, m. night

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN'S THE VISIT

year: 2015 It took M. Night Shyamalan to put some pizazz into the completely overused "video camera documenting terror" genre,...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/10/2015 / No comments / cannon , christopher mcdonald , cult , dance , eighties , lucinda dickey , musical , sabrina garcia

REVIEWS OF BREAKIN' & BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BkiJnHO--w/VfCHiZG5oMI/AAAAAAAAo_A/GeTpPaZ1Uqk/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1BkiJnHO--w/VfCHiZG5oMI/AAAAAAAAo_A/GeTpPaZ1Uqk/s400/2.png" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Alternate Title Poster YEAR: 1984</u></td></tr>
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<u>BREAKIN'</u><b>: </b>It makes sense that Break Dancing was a pop culture phenomenon during the early to middle era 1980's being so damn cool to watch such dedicated and talented performers... And yet it’s completely understandable that as a fad, it faded out rather quickly... <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Sabrina García as Lucia in Breakin' 2</u></td></tr>
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Imagine if, in order to use a Hula Hoop, you had to jump in and out of the ring doing cartwheels while bobbing your hips at the same time…<br />
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Simply put, Break Dancing wasn’t something just anyone could do, on a whim or a dare or a gimmick or hobby, or even imagine they could ever possibly accomplish without years upon years of practice – and on top of that, in real life, kids were literally <i>breakin'</i> their skulls, backs and necks to acquire such unique, niche, otherwise pointlessly impossible skills...<br />
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Well obviously, the two main male stars know their trade, and both BREAKIN’ the film and the story raises the same question... If there’s a fad to be had, better bank on it... Although Adolfo "Shabba-Do" Quinones as a stubborn, idealistic Ozone doesn’t want anything to do with money unlike the leading lady Lucinda Dickey aka Special K who, not getting where she wants as a low-rent dancer, constantly hit on and threatened by her nefarious coach (Ben Lokey as Franco) while stuck in a hopeless waitress gig, joins the street ranks, trying desperately to get the guys (with the help of best friend Phineas Newborn III) "to move on up" to where she, not they, want to be…<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Lucinda Dickey's <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2015/12/dickey-N3.html">other</a> Cannon film</u></td></tr>
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As a film, BREAKIN’ has all the makings of a cult classic, including taking itself extremely serious. And although Ozone is the film’s leader, moping around about our lovely starlet and not letting anyone see behind his wall of steely reverse...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://wp.me/p2GYYT-BX"><u>See more Sabrina Garcia</u></a></td></tr>
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And while Lucinda Dickey's training moves the story along and provides a perspective-glimpse into a strange new world as the scene-stealer is loyal, trusting, open-minded yet still apprehensive  Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers as the really short, multi-talented mascot named Turbo (Arnold to Ozone's Willis), partaking in one dance with a broom that brings the movie to a Classic Musical ala Fred Astaire fantasy element. A study in pure escapism mixed with your typical "underdogs reigning over cultural adversity" tale, and without getting too preachy...<br />
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Thus, BREAKIN' truly balances all the best campy virtues of a “What Were We Thinking?” pop culture nostalgia while being completely entertaining. And future HAPPY GILMORE villain Christopher McDonald, as the group's agent, actually plays it warm and friendly... But he (supposedly) wanted nothing to do with the now infamous followup...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Addicted to Sabrina Garcia from Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo</u></td></tr>
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<u>BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO</u>  was churnned out the very same year after the original's box office success, and is more of a “Musical Based on The Film” than a necessary followup on its own: Instead of just one whimsical (broom) dance, the fantasy sequences replace the former urban, realistic street grooves and back-room competitions. In fact, within the first five minutes the entire downtown is dancing… including mailmen, cops, everyone... <br />
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Same thing happens in a hospital where the film’s endearing puppy, and whose actual nickname "Boogaloo" morphs into the title... that being Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers as Turbo... mends his wounds after trying to thwart construction workers from tearing down the local Youth Center that could be replaced with a shopping mall unless, like THE BLUES BROTHERS, they get enough money to save the day…<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>More Sabrina García</u></td></tr>
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This idealistic plot-line mostly rears up within scenes involving the corporate villains: a billion dollar goon and his shifty lawyer (paling to the original's seedy dance czar). Although, some of the more noticeable Class Envy returns from the original: for example, while the first film had our two heroes visiting an uptown party, totally out of place, here they go to our leading lady's mansion, owned by a close-minded father (her abundant wealth was never mentioned before)...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Camp Value: BREAKIN' **** BREAKIN' 2: ***</u></td></tr>
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Ozone and Turbo's more caustic reaction to this filthy rich millionaire sums up the lightweight social aspect of the unfairly maligned and infamous ELECTRIC BOOGALOO, also featuring <a href="http://cinemastarlets.com/2015/06/25/sabrina-garcia-breaks-in-boogaloo/">Sabrina Garcia</a>, a Spanish speaking (and possibly voice-dubbed) dream-girl for Turbo...<br />
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And in the wise old mentor role, Harry Caesar plays the Youth Center’s leader, and a young ICE-T returns as the "Greek Chorus" DJ in bigger form, progressed from the grungy warehouse competitions of the original to an immense outdoor telethon showcase, where, unless enough money is raised, it’s all or nothing for the shelter and, of the production numbers, one in particular… where Ozone and Turbo dance with a dummy for a lesson in picking up chicks... is the most effective, actually moving the story along: The rest is pure eye-candy and, well, BREAKIN' 2 really doesn’t try to be anything but fun and banal... so this rushed, frivolous and infamous venture can and should be forgiven despite the severely maligned reputation.

cannon, christopher mcdonald, cult, dance, eighties, lucinda dickey, musical, sabrina garcia

REVIEWS OF BREAKIN' & BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

Alternate Title Poster YEAR: 1984 BREAKIN' : It makes sense that Break Dancing was a pop culture phenomenon during the early to midd...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/09/2015 / No comments / buddy hackett , dean jones , disney , joe flynn , michele lee , sixties

DEAN JONES IN DISNEY'S THE LOVE BUG

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1968</td></tr>
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Always a surprise when realizing the first HERBIE isn't named after the speedster Volkswagen with a mind of its own, but instead describes the make and personality being THE LOVE BUG. And while we recently lost Martin Milner... just last week, Dean Jones, the staple of so many live-action Disney films, passed on...<br />
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A sort of James Stewart with less <i>drawwwl</i> and looking somewhat like Sean Connery only much smaller and not so aggressive, Jones had a way of being likable and interesting, usually playing the underdog like our hero, Jim, a low-rent race car driver who goes up against rich jerk David Tomlinson, a villain so classy and vile he does everything except tying ingenue Michele Lee to railroad tracks. And far exceeding the otherwise brilliant Don Knotts in the somewhat lackluster sequel taking place in MONTE CARLO, Buddy Hackett makes for a funny yet subtle sidekick, adding a sort of hippie cadence along with various "flower people" providing a sign of the times during the crest of the psychedelic era. <br />
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This first and best Herbie venture relies mostly on tearing around the San Fran streets and race tracks, and while the big cross half-country journey gets a tad overlong towards the end, and we can only see the poor car getting tampered with so many times (why would a human-like vehicle allow being screwed with in the first place?), LOVE BUG is the perfect combination of road romping and human interaction i.e. a sublime romance between man and car. <br />
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Rating: ***1/2

buddy hackett, dean jones, disney, joe flynn, michele lee, sixties

DEAN JONES IN DISNEY'S THE LOVE BUG

year: 1968 Always a surprise when realizing the first HERBIE isn't named after the speedster Volkswagen with a mind of its own, but ...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/08/2015 / No comments / franchise , horror , lorraine gary , monster , roy scheider , sequel , seventies , shark , suspense

ROY SCHEIDER RETURNS SANS STEVEN SPIELBERG IN JAWS 2

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year Released: 1978</u></td></tr>
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Grading on the dorsal curve of the Steven Spielberg classic, this sequel feels like a would-be pilot episode of a JAWS television series...

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Signers Carl Gotlieb, Ann Dusenberry, Donna Wilkes, J. Alves, J. Kramer</u></td></tr>
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Thus it's somewhat lacking, and to be fair, shouldn't be compared to its once-in-a-lifetime predecessor. But taken on its own value, JAWS 2 a decent monster movie with some beautiful shots and interesting characters, who sometimes matter enough to fret over. Most of the possible body-count-victims are a group of sail-boating teenagers, merely teased at in the beginning and then becoming what Brody has to save at the end. These beach-loving teens include a few future cult actors such as ANGEL starlet Donna Wilkes, possessed CHRISTINE wimp Keith Gordon and an extremely sexy Ann Dusenberry along with two the sons of Chief Brody played by the returning lead Roy Scheider, still protecting the (once again) safe and sound Amity Island backed again by his faithful wife played sweet and cozily by Lorraine Gary, one film away from starring in her own JAWS sequel and even starting here, returning writer Carl Gotlieb, without a Peter Benchley source novel, gave her a far more fleshed-out role than the first...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ms Amity Ann Dusenberry cuts the rope</u></td></tr>
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Also back on the isle is dim likable deputy Barney Fief-like Jeffrey Kramer also returns as does Murray Hamilton, whose politician-in-denial is limp and meaningless, replaced by the new "land villain", Joseph Mascolo as a shady contractor who, like Hamilton before, refuses to believe Brody's investigative theory...<br />
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 That there's a big hungry shark out for revenge, not only eating people but attacking a small boat and... get this... an actual helicopter so okay, admittedly, at times, JAWS 2 literally jumps the shark, but it does entertain. And for fans of Roy Scheider, the actor, two scenes stand out: one as he ventures into the water to gather possible evidence, all alone, and the other where, on the crowded beach, he fires a gun into the ocean, losing his mind and his job at the same time, so if anything else, part 2 is more an extended continuation of Chief Brody's frenzied, paranoid plight than a worthy encore of a formidable killer fish. While there lacks the Spielberg magic, his fellow Rod Serling NIGHT GALLERY directing alumni, Jeannot Szwarc, teamed with returning production assistant Joe Alves, making it possible for more massive and successful "fake shark" shots, create a good enough sequel for both fans of the original and those who fear "going back in the water."<br />
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franchise, horror, lorraine gary, monster, roy scheider, sequel, seventies, shark, suspense

ROY SCHEIDER RETURNS SANS STEVEN SPIELBERG IN JAWS 2

Year Released: 1978 Grading on the dorsal curve of the Steven Spielberg classic, this sequel feels like a would-be pilot episode of a JA...

Written by James M. Tate / 9/07/2015 / No comments / jack cassidy , martin milner , mystery , peter falk , seventies , steven spielberg , TV

SPIELBERG DIRECTS MULTI-VILLAIN JACK CASSIDY ON COLUMBO

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Martin Milner types his last page in COLUMBO: MURDER BY THE BOOK</td></tr>
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A far better, much more fitting tribute to the late Martin Milner would be a write-up of a particular episode of ADAM-12 or ROUTE 66, or a review of the movie COMPULSION or... so many things, but let's take a quick glance at an episode of Cult Film Freak's favorite television series of all time, COLUMBO, and an episode directed by a young man by the name of Steven Spielberg, creatively opening the curtain using a gliding camera panning back from a car on the road into an office building with the sound of a typewriter; the old classic keys being pounded by Milner himself, playing the talented half of a team of successful mystery authors: the other, one of the greatest returning villains on the show, Jack Cassidy...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Cassidy</td></tr>
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Sure, Milner was the SPECIAL GUEST STAR, meaning he's the unlucky person killed during the first act, but it's a longer-than-usual intro, and he's our rudimentary human image from this terrific episode, MURDER BY THE BOOK, that you can view anytime on Netflix Streaming...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Martin Milner</td></tr>
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The taut chemistry between Milner and Cassidy is taut, awkward and palpable, deliciously adding to the suspense of a very clever "perfect crime" that... as would catapult an iconic show lasting seven years in the Seventies and then continuing from 1989 until 2003... is eventually figured-out by Peter Falk's title character, constantly acting dumb as a box of nails while the villain's conceited hammer winds up sealing his own fate...<br />
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So as a series, BOOK is required viewing since it follows two mediocre pilots (before Falk became completely disheveled) and is in fact the first great COLUMBO venture and is, technically, the first episode when the show became a series (although back then, each was considered a "mystery movie")... For fans of Spielberg, you can see the master's touch was apparent years before JAWS... Cassidy can be enjoyed committing two more COLUMBO crimes (until his untimely real life death)... And here's to the late Martin Milner, who could headline or guest star and always leave a lasting impression.

jack cassidy, martin milner, mystery, peter falk, seventies, steven spielberg, TV