cult film freak: 2017

Written by James M. Tate / 12/29/2017 / No comments / creature , dirk benedict , exploitation , heather menzies , horror , richard b. schull , seventies , strother martin

STROTHER MARTIN, DIRK BENEDICT, HEATHER MENZIES IN 'SSSSSSS'

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<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><u>Year: 1973 Score: ****1/2 Rest In Peace: Heather Menzies-Urich</u></td></tr>
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"At first we were all petrified," recalls SSSSSSS ingenue Heather Menzies about working with real snakes on set. "The boa constrictor was very docile but the python was more aggressive. They taped his mouth shut with scotch tape but that didn't stop him from trying to take a piece of me... <br>
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"I wouldn't go near the cobra," Heather continues. "They had to put a glass partition between him and me. I wouldn't even go near the set unless the partition was up. I've worked with a few snaky people in my time… but I draw the line at cobras." And so, herein, the title makes and breaks this picture; it's cheesy and funny, hokey, silly: Not the movie, the title: And that's the problem: SSSSSSS is actually quite good, genuinely entertaining, with some terrific performances headlined by Strother Martin as a mad scientist who's actually down-to-earth, docile and friendly but has a sinister agenda...<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLBwz4Qapyk/URW7Pl1FuJI/AAAAAAAAWVE/K-BmPQKx-mU/s1600/rebbrownsssssss.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLBwz4Qapyk/URW7Pl1FuJI/AAAAAAAAWVE/K-BmPQKx-mU/s400/rebbrownsssssss.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>"All you are are a bunch of snake freaks!" Reb brown, SSSSSSS</u></td></tr>
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Hence Dirk Benedict as the med-student being given supposedly standard inoculations...<br>
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Along with Martin, sharing scenes with terrific side-roles by Heather Menzies ("Piranha") as the doc's faithful daughter, a scream-queen with a brain, and intrepid yet still vulnerable; underrated character-actor Richard B. Schull as his droll collegiate nemesis; Reb Brown as a bullying jock (who Heather worked with later in CAPTAIN AMERICA); Tim O'Conner as a circus owner and some real life snakes including a cobra, black mamba and boa constrictor all add up to a film that slithers with ease and perfection from one situation to the next, building to an inevitable and awarding conclusion.<br>

creature, dirk benedict, exploitation, heather menzies, horror, richard b. schull, seventies, strother martin

STROTHER MARTIN, DIRK BENEDICT, HEATHER MENZIES IN 'SSSSSSS'

Year: 1973 Score: ****1/2 Rest In Peace: Heather Menzies-Urich "At first we were all petrified," recalls SSSSSSS ingenue Heath...

COMPLETE INTERVIEW W/ ECLECTIC ACTRESS HEATHER MENZIES

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Heather on VEGAS</u></td></tr>
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Heather Menzies (the widow of Robert Urich, who went by Heather Menzies-Urich until her recent death) was a child actress turned seventies scream-queen. She played “Louisa” in the classic Robert Wise production THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and then, amongst a bouquet of television appearances (including “Logan’s Run”) and film roles, starred in two horror classics: SSSSSSS, about deadly vipers, and PIRANHA, about killer fish.
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<b><span class="titlehighlights" style="color: #4f4232; font-size: 16px;"><u><br>THE SOUND OF MUSIC</u></span></b></div>
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<b>How was the audition process?</b><br>
I auditioned for the role along with everyone else. I didn't know any of the songs from the movie so I sang "Wouldn't it be Lovely" from MY FAIR LADY. I think (director) Robert Wise had the kind of kids he wanted pictured in his mind and just kept looking until he found them. I was given the scene where we lie to our Father about where we have been. We tell him that we’re berry picking, not looking for Maria. I did all of the kid's lines at the audition.</div>

heather menzies, interview

COMPLETE INTERVIEW W/ ECLECTIC ACTRESS HEATHER MENZIES

Heather on VEGAS Heather Menzies (the widow of Robert Urich, who went by Heather Menzies-Urich until her recent death) was a child actre...

JAMES CAGNEY GRAND NATIONAL PICTURES DOUBLE FEATURE

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Cagney with a prissy Dwight Frye YEAR: 1937</u></td></tr>
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<u>SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT</u>: The better of the two and the last picture Cagney did with the independent Grand National Pictures before he returned to Warner Bros where he got to play by his own rules is SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT, showcasing Cagney's ability as a song and dance man with his own East Coast big band show...<br>
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This is one of the earliest makings of a movie-within-a-movie to poke fun at the phony shenanigans centering on the hypocrisy and downside of Hollywood, a place Cagney's character wants nothing to do with the further he progresses on set in a star-making role as a smooth, romantic, crooning leading man. And for Universal Horror Fans it's great seeing Dwight Frye, <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2018/01/Cagney-Frye.html">in his second Cagney picture</a>... Frye played Renfield in DRACULA... he steal the movie from Bela Lugosi himself, and Dr. Frankenstein's loony, hunchback assistant (who isn't named Igor) in FRANKENSTEIN. Here with Cagney he's a "suspiciously feminine" makeup artist — something you probably wouldn't see so upfront and obvious during the Hays Code. But the real standout is Philip Ahn, a kind of Chinese stereotope assistant who eventually shows he knows more than he lets on...<br>

comedy, drama, dwight frye, james cagney, musical, philip ahn, thirties, william frawley

JAMES CAGNEY GRAND NATIONAL PICTURES DOUBLE FEATURE

James Cagney with a prissy Dwight Frye YEAR: 1937 SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT : The better of the two and the last picture Cagney did with ...

MARK HARMON AS TED BUNDY IN 'THE DELIBERATE STRANGER'

biopic, deborah goodrich, drama, eighties, emily longstreth, exploitation, frederic forrest, george grizzard, harry northup, m. emmett walsh, made-for-TV, mark harmon, true crime

MARK HARMON AS TED BUNDY IN 'THE DELIBERATE STRANGER'

Starr Andreeff bikes to doom in The Deliberate Stranger YEAR: 1986 INTRO ON JAMES DOBSON: Skip to the third paragraph to avoid this pre-...

'DOWNSIZING' IRONICALLY ENLARGES AN OBVIOUS AGENDA

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year Released: 2017</u></td></tr>
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Since The Environment is so important —  and supposedly right at the tipping point for the world's demise... why does Alexander Payne's DOWNSIZING spend so much time and money on trailers and commercials misleading audiences that it's a fun and frolicking science-fiction comedy starring Matt Damon and Kristin Wiig (the latter who's hardly in the picture at all)?<br>
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It should be right up front if their cause belongs to everybody. Instead, the stage is set for a near-future society that, in order to save tons of money while helping to "save the Earth," shrinks willing people down to five inches. When certain characters bring the environmental message up, it's usually with shrugged sarcasm — as if to get that out of the way in order for the Matt Damon Romantic Comedy to begin...</div>

2017, alexander payne, matt damon, new

'DOWNSIZING' IRONICALLY ENLARGES AN OBVIOUS AGENDA

Year Released: 2017 Since The Environment is so important — and supposedly right at the tipping point for the world's demise... why...

FLY CASUAL W/ 'STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI' AKA 'STAR WARS VII'

2017, adam driver, carrie fisher, daisy ridley, fantasy, franchise, jj abrams, mark hamill, new, oscar issac, rian johnson, science-fiction, sequel, star wars

FLY CASUAL W/ 'STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI' AKA 'STAR WARS VII'

Why not make use of the little big cards given out for fanatics who bought the earliest tickets available YEAR: 2017 Since J.J. Abrams&#...

DAVE & JAMES FRANCO JOIN FORCES FOR 'THE DISASTER ARTIST'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Franco hits the "Hi Mark" in The Disaster Artist YEAR: 2017</u></td></tr>
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Tommy Wisseau is a strange guy made niche-famous by a strange movie: THE ROOM is his soul, and is unintentionally hilarious. So it's not an easy task for James Franco to play a real-life person who is so unique and one-of-a-kind, the entire ROOM cult phenomenon would mean nothing without the real Tommy's presence: a bizarre dreamer who was never, ever, ever supposed to be on the big or small screens... Ever!<br>
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Thankfully, Franco has help in THE DISASTER ARTIST, based on the book by Wisseau's partner in schlock crime, Greg Sestero... here played by James's brother, Dave... to where this movie-about-a-movie feels more like an equal collaboration than a one-man-show. Not like Franco's leading performance isn't good and/or quirky  enough on its own to make the viewer believe he's really Wisseau. But like most comedies from the last decade, centering more on reactions from the punchline than the punchline itself,  brother Dave is given strategic extra screen-time so that Wisseau's persona could — as smoothly yet awkwardly as possible — transfer beyond THE ROOM's cult base into the mainstream i.e. fans of the Brothers Franco...</div>

2017, bio, comedy, james franco, new

DAVE & JAMES FRANCO JOIN FORCES FOR 'THE DISASTER ARTIST'

James Franco hits the "Hi Mark" in The Disaster Artist YEAR: 2017 Tommy Wisseau is a strange guy made niche-famous by a strang...

SAD DEMISE OF CURTIS JACKSON ON 'THE WHITE SHADOW'

eric kilpatrick, ken howard, seventies, thomas carter, tribute, TV

SAD DEMISE OF CURTIS JACKSON ON 'THE WHITE SHADOW'

Unusually hatless, Eric Kilpatrick's Jackson lies beside his signature shades and a broken bottle with blood red white... Growing up...

MATT DAMON & JUDE LAW IN 'THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Vintage cover of the Patricia Highsmitch novel</u></td></tr>
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It's rare that a "modern" American remake of a New Wave French film would be ten times superior. Then again, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY from 1999 and 1960's  PLEIN SOLEIL (PURPLE NOON) are really two variations of Patricia Highsmith's novel that the American version's named after...<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-size: 12.8px;">Alain Delone's Tom's too upfront</u></td></tr>
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In PURPLE NOON everything is presented through dialogue, including what Ripley, played by then-newcomer Alain Delon, intends to do to the older, more experienced mentor he was hired to bring back to his frustrated rich daddy. Any and all suspense is lost in this colorfully playful version compared to the dark yet spry and jazzy Anthony Minghella Neo Noir starring Matt Damon in the TALENTED title role, and the perfect young man in Jude Law's Dickie Greenleaf, a sort of shallow, frolicking, womanizing beatnik in stylish clothes (with a sax instead of bongos), bedding a local girl while engaged to the sweet-natured Gwyneth Paltrow as Marge, his cheated-on soulmate (who makes him wear a ring i.e. what ends up the film's "McGuffin").<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Unlike the original, Dickie's goading is very effective</u></td></tr>
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We'll name a few more folks but some writeups dealing with a handful of characters tend to read like a phonebook. But one thing's clear — there's nothing better than a motion picture with two stories in one: for example, PSYCHO with Janet Leigh first leading the story and then being covered up... And here, Judd Law's spoiled rich kid —acting like he owns life itself in an endless party of jazz and drink — steals the show as if Damon's Tom Ripley is aware of just that: Despite being a bonafide sex symbol, Matt Damon never had the perfect looks of an actor who got by on his appearance alone, making him a sublime, mild-mannered sociopath to realistically covet the life of a seemingly flawless guy while providing enough homo-erotic tension... a catapult for the senses and storyline both... to make every proverbial page-turning moment more and more intriguingly addictive...<br>

anthony mingbella, gwyneth paltrow, jazz score, jude law, matt damon, neo noir, nineties

MATT DAMON & JUDE LAW IN 'THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY'

Vintage cover of the Patricia Highsmitch novel It's rare that a "modern" American remake of a New Wave French film would b...

DOUBLE REVIEW OLD & NEW OF DISNEY'S SWORD IN THE STONE

animation, disney

DOUBLE REVIEW OLD & NEW OF DISNEY'S SWORD IN THE STONE

First Summary Short review of THE SWORD IN THE STONE from an old archived short version writeup: Disney Score: *** This has as much to d...

SURFING THE EIGHTIES CAMP CULT SANCTITY OF 'NORTH SHORE'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Splash of total 1980's splashy font for NORTH SHORE</u></td></tr>
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At the time of its release, the Randall Kleiser produced NORTH SHORE seemed like a glossy, colorful, vapid surf movie made for mainstream viewers, apologetically reveling in the sport's beautiful aesthetic and specific locale whilst being scoffed at by genuine surfers...<br>
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Which is basically the opposite of a beloved classic such BIG WEDNESDAY and THE ENDLESS SUMMER, and perhaps that's the case even now and yet, despite the addictive camp, NORTH SHORE has enough interesting characters to bring life and charisma into the simplistic story, all through the eyes of... of all things... an Arizona Surfer, played by TEEN WOLF third banana Matt Adler as Rick, who won a whopping $500 at a wave-machine surf competition.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Matt Adler progresses through the boards in North Shore YEAR: 1987</u></td></tr>
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Saying bye to his single mother (Cristina Rains in a pointless cameo), he catches a plane to the 50th State and, being taxied along the <i>scoffing-at-tourists</i> "mean streets," he winds up hanging with an eclectic group of characters — and one bonafide "character" stands out in CHILDREN OF THE CORN actor John Philbin as film-stealing Turtle...<br>
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When not on the waves he's got a lonely job in a shack outside his boss's beach pad, sanding Chandler Boards: Chandler played by TRAPPER JOHN M.D. and LOGAN'S RUN veteran Gregory Harrison in one of his few non-television roles... He's a skinny version of BIG WEDNESDAY philosophical guru Bear, both with a serious beard in common, while Turtle's a more down-to-earth version of the iconic "Waxer"...<br>

beach, cult, eighties, gerry lopez, gregory harrison, hawaii, john philbin, laird hamilton, matt adler, nia peeples, randal kleiser, sport

SURFING THE EIGHTIES CAMP CULT SANCTITY OF 'NORTH SHORE'

Splash of total 1980's splashy font for NORTH SHORE At the time of its release, the Randall Kleiser produced NORTH SHORE seemed like...

KEN HUTCHISON CINEMA PRESENTS 'SWEENEY 2' W/ 'SWEENEY!'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-size: 12.8px;">King of the 70's Obscure Cinema Shotgun is Ken Hutchison</u></td></tr>
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The last few years provided Cult Film Freak new favorite actors including Tom Courtenay, who we've yet to start covering; Dana Andrews, the site's patron saint, is all over the damn place; and for the last decade, STRAW DOGS villain Ken Hutchison — and here it begins...<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g_sn33cqU0s/WhlLldkdTtI/AAAAAAAAzwk/swCwGS8IEpIljWOTHYSHhoJyYhRJ0H2rACLcBGAs/s1600/0000%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g_sn33cqU0s/WhlLldkdTtI/AAAAAAAAzwk/swCwGS8IEpIljWOTHYSHhoJyYhRJ0H2rACLcBGAs/s400/0000%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="186"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ken Hutchison in Sweeney 2</u></td></tr>
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First off, John Thaw and Dennis Waterman as D.I. Jack Regan and D.S. George Carter are two tough and edgy British cops who look tough and edgy, and are better than ever in their second theatrical venture after the series THE SWEENEY went off the air: First being SWEENEY! sans THE and followed by an exclamation point, and the next, fitfully titled...<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJUF96b0Bsc/WhlRUwOOalI/AAAAAAAAzw0/zQCey1eWuacIDcE_buXfgeSsMpR_lYnQwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-11-25%2Bat%2B3.15.37%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="369" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJUF96b0Bsc/WhlRUwOOalI/AAAAAAAAzw0/zQCey1eWuacIDcE_buXfgeSsMpR_lYnQwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-11-25%2Bat%2B3.15.37%2BAM.jpg" width="206"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>Ken Hutchison in STRAW DOGS</u></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u>SWEENEY 2</u></span> centers on a strange group of bank robbers who steal <i>only</i> a particular amount each time, and never has a group of thugs been so cultish and family-oriented...<br>
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Oddly mundane scenes with the gang sitting at long outdoor table in their poolside home of Malta (each hit pays for exact sections of their expensive compound) gives a parenthetical glimpse into thugs who, once in London, become shotgun-wielding, nylon-masked marauders (known as "blaggers"), and the leader looks natural with that particular weapon in hand as Ken Hutchinson played the meanest of the bullying and untimely deadly STRAW DOGS villains, Norman Scutt, under the tense and ultra-violent direction of Sam Peckinpah...<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5rksuiv9hMc/Xc0qg5TlbPI/AAAAAAABK1A/W4s49jIyO_oYgNzvHZw1cmev49IWPm2qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-14%2Bat%2B2.19.15%2BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1051" height="276" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5rksuiv9hMc/Xc0qg5TlbPI/AAAAAAABK1A/W4s49jIyO_oYgNzvHZw1cmev49IWPm2qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-14%2Bat%2B2.19.15%2BAM.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ken Hutchison aims in SWEENEY 2</u></td></tr>
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In fact, Ken's character, Hill, is the most memorable, and someone to fear, but there are distractions. One scene, playing more for the sort of dark comedy of the series, involves a time bomb in a hotel. Meanwhile, another side-story about Denholm Elliot as Regan's crooked chief under scrutiny is rushed and contrived...<br>
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Leaving Hutchison's deadly persona to cut through an intentionally sparse Neo Noir story, second only to a literally smashing chase where a yellow car crashes through a store window and goes blasting through the grungy streets of London. Wherein the action and gunfire evenly curbs the pulpy dialogue, especially between our SWEENEY cops John Thaw as Regan and Dennis Waterman as Carter, always on edge and waiting for the next crime as we get two sparse, offbeat tales from either side of the law.<br>

anna nygh, denholm elliott, dennis waterman, exploitation, john thaw, ken hutchison, seventies, susan valentine

KEN HUTCHISON CINEMA PRESENTS 'SWEENEY 2' W/ 'SWEENEY!'

King of the 70's Obscure Cinema Shotgun is Ken Hutchison The last few years provided Cult Film Freak new favorite actors including T...

PRE-FAME CAMEO OF HARRISON FORD 'ROUTE 66' FROM 1962

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oQTFB433ILE/W_TJYtzeL_I/AAAAAAAA7pY/hyf5u1UduJAmRhKc1lYz9ffG0z8voKdUwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-20%2Bat%2B5.52.23%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oQTFB433ILE/W_TJYtzeL_I/AAAAAAAA7pY/hyf5u1UduJAmRhKc1lYz9ffG0z8voKdUwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-20%2Bat%2B5.52.23%2BPM.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Harrison Ford as a surfer goon on Route 66 Harrison Ford "Ever Ride the Waves in Oklahoma?" facing George Maharis</u></td></tr>
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With the usual chip on his shoulder, George Maharis as Buz wants to not only learn how to surf in ten days, but take on the Huntington Beach, California champ played by THE BORN LOSERS actor Jeremy Slate...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkr9gOx9_RA/W_TSC7AfpjI/AAAAAAAA7qA/M_HKcTS4XK4z7B8ucmPrRA2VB0h0x3J6wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-20%2Bat%2B7.23.57%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="907" data-original-width="1278" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkr9gOx9_RA/W_TSC7AfpjI/AAAAAAAA7qA/M_HKcTS4XK4z7B8ucmPrRA2VB0h0x3J6wCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-20%2Bat%2B7.23.57%2BPM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Harrison Ford plays surf guru bodyguard on Route 66</u></td></tr>
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The reason, another surfer died trying to beat the surf king by weaving through the pier (which yours truly has been on... not under... many times)...<br />
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And later, when Buz enters a surf party, about to face off with his soon-to-be rival, one surfer steps up close, about to fight: Harrison Ford in an uncredited cameo... but he's both called off by his "boss" and especially with a hand gesture, warned by the tough New York native...<br />
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It's cool to see the future Han Solo and Indiana Jones in Huntington Beach, although his scenes are interior, and he has no lines but is an important cameo given the way he parts through the surfers, who'd all just been dancing. He's obviously the bouncer of the bunch. And so, this is proof of a Harrison Ford Route 66 cameo shown here, for the first time online. Not only is it years before STAR WARS and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, but it's eleven years after AMERICAN GRAFFITI, which is, in itself, a "young non-famous Harrison Ford" role. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ujwq7Sf2diI/W_TIQS-2H9I/AAAAAAAA7pM/aFE4bvyJuwohgzToWMqNoliBMOsYZGxyQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-20%2Bat%2B6.45.54%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1600" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ujwq7Sf2diI/W_TIQS-2H9I/AAAAAAAA7pM/aFE4bvyJuwohgzToWMqNoliBMOsYZGxyQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-11-20%2Bat%2B6.45.54%2BPM.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Harrison Ford Route 66 Harrison Ford Ever Ride the Waves in Oklahoma? Harrison Ford</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Han Solo & Indiana Jones grin: Harrison Ford Route 66 Season 3 "Ever Ride the Waves in Oklahoma?"</u></td></tr>
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cameo, harrison ford, sixties, sport, TV

PRE-FAME CAMEO OF HARRISON FORD 'ROUTE 66' FROM 1962

Harrison Ford as a surfer goon on Route 66 Harrison Ford "Ever Ride the Waves in Oklahoma?" facing George Maharis With the u...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/19/2017 / No comments / 2016 , cable , eighties , sean s. cunningham , tribute , william katt

IF THE CULT HORROR 'HOUSE' INSPIRED 'THE WALKING DEAD'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0cX-qNd3C7Q/WhJUSqpowAI/AAAAAAAAzig/O5XCHeZosjoMjVMfQWsSpOYYYA-p1-BsgCLcBGAs/s1600/888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="1310" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0cX-qNd3C7Q/WhJUSqpowAI/AAAAAAAAzig/O5XCHeZosjoMjVMfQWsSpOYYYA-p1-BsgCLcBGAs/s1600/888.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The powerful "Witch" creature in the horror comedy flick HOUSE that possibly inspired...</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_rvQF9uNpQ/WhJUjDYtjrI/AAAAAAAAzio/FSM53P7BPNAD5EfTOUDF5-XsqsWaAlj9ACLcBGAs/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="1095" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5_rvQF9uNpQ/WhJUjDYtjrI/AAAAAAAAzio/FSM53P7BPNAD5EfTOUDF5-XsqsWaAlj9ACLcBGAs/s1600/3.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Sans the lipstick and blouse color and with no fangs here's the WALKING DEAD mid-life crisis white trash mama ghoul</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g6nDgriwWho/WhJUxaMArCI/AAAAAAAAzis/M5M6v3C1w58zhNG81nFDV14ktqahqnkdACLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1044" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g6nDgriwWho/WhJUxaMArCI/AAAAAAAAzis/M5M6v3C1w58zhNG81nFDV14ktqahqnkdACLcBGAs/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Another shot of the walker that resembles the most memorable creature in Sean S. Cunningham's HOUSE</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>THE WALKING DEAD and HOUSE from 1986... WALKING DEAD House... And so on...</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-size: 12.8px;">WALKING DEAD House creature back to back side by side juxtaposed</u></td></tr>
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2016, cable, eighties, sean s. cunningham, tribute, william katt

IF THE CULT HORROR 'HOUSE' INSPIRED 'THE WALKING DEAD'

The powerful "Witch" creature in the horror comedy flick HOUSE that possibly inspired... Sans the lipstick and blouse colo...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/18/2017 / No comments / adventure , bo hopkins , claude akins , exploitation , horror , italian-import , john huston , ovidio g. assonitis , seventies , shelley winters , sherry buchanan , stelvio cipriani

BO HOPKINS IN THE ITALIAN-IMPORT TERROR OF 'TENTACLES'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wL3C8-SmHn0/WhEINF4dEXI/AAAAAAAAzh8/Xad-NeQsiNEZBy_0uHIjpSpEW8vIyJkyQCLcBGAs/s1600/b676c76de198bbfe8184d77918a8bb72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="878" height="306" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wL3C8-SmHn0/WhEINF4dEXI/AAAAAAAAzh8/Xad-NeQsiNEZBy_0uHIjpSpEW8vIyJkyQCLcBGAs/s400/b676c76de198bbfe8184d77918a8bb72.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year of Release: 1977 aka Tentacoli</u></td></tr>
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The haunting techno keyboard riff by one of Quentin Tarantino's long list of sampled bits of soundtrack, Stelvio Cipriani, opens the 1977 Italian made JAWS exploitation, TENTACLES, on an ominous level that deserves more praise and appreciation to the overall underrated motion picture it envelopes...<br>
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With creative camera angles, including a ghost boat being towed in to bay while onlookers both move forward and recede slowly from a reverse crane shot, director Ovidio G. Assonitis, who'd produce <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2017/09/TheLittleHeat.html">THE VISITOR</a> two years later and with a list of cult b-flicks under his belt, works stealthily alongside his stock composer to, like the 1975 Steven Spielberg shark <i>summer blockbuster</i>, not spoil the killer octopus all at once, maintaining some good old fashion implied slowburn suspense in an Alfred Hitchcock fashion...<br>

adventure, bo hopkins, claude akins, exploitation, horror, italian-import, john huston, ovidio g. assonitis, seventies, shelley winters, sherry buchanan, stelvio cipriani

BO HOPKINS IN THE ITALIAN-IMPORT TERROR OF 'TENTACLES'

Year of Release: 1977 aka Tentacoli The haunting techno keyboard riff by one of Quentin Tarantino's long list of sampled bits of sou...

PRE FAME CAMEO OF SAMUEL L. JACKSON 'MOVIN' ON' CIRCA 1976

cameo, claude akins, frank converse, samuel l. jackson, seventies

PRE FAME CAMEO OF SAMUEL L. JACKSON 'MOVIN' ON' CIRCA 1976

Samuel L. Jackson Movin' On Samuel L. Jackson as a Trooper on a 1976 show about Truckers Movin' On Samuel L. Jackson rousts Cl...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/10/2017 / No comments / crime , exploitation , independent , richard egan , rick jason , sean mcclory , seventies , thriller

BARK ALL 'DAY OF THE WOLVES' LITTLE DOGGIE

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrx5TCvRjy0/Wgac694VHnI/AAAAAAAAzhQ/mmS26nVJZFwJiPYrNHcyfubo8ZM_MShwACLcBGAs/s1600/rd2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="979" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lrx5TCvRjy0/Wgac694VHnI/AAAAAAAAzhQ/mmS26nVJZFwJiPYrNHcyfubo8ZM_MShwACLcBGAs/s1600/rd2.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Screen Capture from the opening of the 1974 exploitation cult thriller DAY OF THE WOLVES</u></td></tr>
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For fans of <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2011/06/reservoir-dogs.html">RESERVOIR DOGS</a> or any kind of Film Noir/Neo Noir heist flick that began with the likes of THE KILLING and KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL — robberies where only the group leader knows all the real names while the hoodlums are basically strangers to each other: before, during and after. A planned strategy that's supposed to remain intact but something always gets screws up, and that's where the good stuff begins...<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3IcwYR7iwSQ/WhJx1VhiJJI/AAAAAAAAzj8/BkWvS0ILj_8LkUigfN8tgSjtcHF7F1yRACLcBGAs/s1600/Day-Poster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="161" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3IcwYR7iwSQ/WhJx1VhiJJI/AAAAAAAAzj8/BkWvS0ILj_8LkUigfN8tgSjtcHF7F1yRACLcBGAs/s1600/Day-Poster1.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>WolveScore: ***</u></td></tr>
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Except in this much more obscure DOGS predecessor (intentionally skipping CITY OF FEAR since that's "another story") titled THE DAY OF THE WOLVES, that peaks earlier than late, mostly because of how instantly interesting the film's pieced-together, like a living/breathing storyboard. By the capture above you can see the similarity to Quentin Tarantula's (that's what happens when you spellcheck Tarantino) groundbreaking, career-making classic...<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BJBR9DI1Xzo/WhJyZ--pDnI/AAAAAAAAzkI/2CMdq3_HbBQXqgmuTl1gmILIkc2B4S0NQCLcBGAs/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="153" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BJBR9DI1Xzo/WhJyZ--pDnI/AAAAAAAAzkI/2CMdq3_HbBQXqgmuTl1gmILIkc2B4S0NQCLcBGAs/s1600/download.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2011/06/reservoir-dogs.html">RDOGS Review</a></td></tr>
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But what led us to rewatch this grungy gem after many years was actor Richard Egan from the 1955 Color-Noir <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/05/V-sat.html">VIOLENT SATURDAY</a> as a put-upon millionaire who's wife is cheating on him. It's 1974 and he is, of course, older, gruffer, and along with "faces" like Rick Jason and even Sean McClory (a personal fav from <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/12/RingOFear.html">RING OF FEAR</a>), the "known" actors (with fake beards to cover their identity) are what slows down the pace of this super low budget curio where each moment... from a private plane's door closing to a shoe scraping across the ground to a gun firing... isn't wasted except overlong scenes of dialogue where director Ferde Grofé Jr. seems to be proving — if perhaps only to himself — that he could make a "real movie" with a former semi-popular actors. Rather it's the surreal, gritty, by-the-numbers, dot-to-dot sketch of a multi-robbery Modern Western exploitation... set in a town small enough to let it happen unless Egan's ex Sheriff stops it... that grabs the attention — and does't completely let go!<br>

crime, exploitation, independent, richard egan, rick jason, sean mcclory, seventies, thriller

BARK ALL 'DAY OF THE WOLVES' LITTLE DOGGIE

Screen Capture from the opening of the 1974 exploitation cult thriller DAY OF THE WOLVES For fans of RESERVOIR DOGS or any kind of Film...

THURSDAY REVIEW OF DADDY'S HOME 2

<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/-ypWBejGjmY8/WgVNXl0h--I/AAAAAAAAzgk/WjZa6bHYBmUd1p3zmBPJbzlX84e3_wFqACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-11-09%2Bat%2B10.53.04%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="524" height="226" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ypWBejGjmY8/WgVNXl0h--I/AAAAAAAAzgk/WjZa6bHYBmUd1p3zmBPJbzlX84e3_wFqACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-11-09%2Bat%2B10.53.04%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 2007</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ironic that the Godfather of <i>Once Popular</i> <i>Actors Shunned From Hollywood Literally Overnight</i>, Mel Gibson, peaks his head out this weekend following  several male showbiz careers being either wrecked or shamed...<br>
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Also ironic is that his old school blunt tough guy character needed to be much more politically-incorrect in order to ruffle feathers i.e. intentionally screw up the Christmas spirit, which could have wielded more gusto from Mel, and laughs from us: He's a womanizing former astronaut butting heads with estranged son Mark Wahlberg, while super-friendly Will Ferrell cozily bonds with his even more ridiculously saccharine father in John Lithgow...<br>

2017, comedy, mark wahlberg, mel gibson, team-up, will ferrell

THURSDAY REVIEW OF DADDY'S HOME 2

Year: 2007 Ironic that the Godfather of Once Popular Actors Shunned From Hollywood Literally Overnight , Mel Gibson, peaks his head ou...

ORIGINAL 'LAVERNE & SHIRLEY' OPENING TITLE CREDIT

cindy williams, penny marshall, photobreak, seventies, TV

ORIGINAL 'LAVERNE & SHIRLEY' OPENING TITLE CREDIT

Original Credits for Laverne and Shirley CREDIT SPOTTING : The LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY opening credits began showing their last names as we...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/06/2017 / No comments / adventure , agatha christie , i.s. johar , jack warden , john guillermin , jon finch , lois chiles , maggie smith , mia farrow , mystery , peter ustinov , simon maccorkindale , suspense

LOIS CHILES DEADLINES AGATHA CHRISTIE'S 'DEATH ON THE NILE'

adventure, agatha christie, i.s. johar, jack warden, john guillermin, jon finch, lois chiles, maggie smith, mia farrow, mystery, peter ustinov, simon maccorkindale, suspense

LOIS CHILES DEADLINES AGATHA CHRISTIE'S 'DEATH ON THE NILE'

Lois Chiles must die for a DEATH ON THE NILE Year: 1978 DEATH ON THE NILE, directed by the underrated John Guillermin, who surprisingly ...

CHARACTER-ACTOR TURNED LEADING MAN YET STILL MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER KEVIN SPACEY TO BE DIGITALLY ERASED FROM SEASONS ONE TO FIVE OF HOUSE OF CARDS

cable, kevin spacey, politics, robin wright, tens

CHARACTER-ACTOR TURNED LEADING MAN YET STILL MYSTERIOUS CHARACTER KEVIN SPACEY TO BE DIGITALLY ERASED FROM SEASONS ONE TO FIVE OF HOUSE OF CARDS

Kevin Spacey on House of Cards This blog is rarely if ever used for blogging. It just has to be said how hilarious the media is taking t...

BEFORE BULLYING WAS A CRIME THERE WAS 'MY BODYGUARD'

<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/-KNW2H2xWRJU/Wf4QOYUtEbI/AAAAAAAAzc0/4hWfr99Jw18SGN9yQidxKWwCx7vFPHiQQCLcBGAs/s1600/23130562_391494824613033_9196230945623248539_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="960" height="256" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KNW2H2xWRJU/Wf4QOYUtEbI/AAAAAAAAzc0/4hWfr99Jw18SGN9yQidxKWwCx7vFPHiQQCLcBGAs/s400/23130562_391494824613033_9196230945623248539_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Matt Dillon & future Flashdance Jennifer Beals YEAR: 1980</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A classy teenage high school bully movie opening with what sounds like a classical music piece and a young kid riding a ten-speed bike through grainy Chicago...<br>
<br>
Enter Chris Makepeace, also picked-on then befriended in the previous year's <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2010/03/kristine-debell-meatballs.html">MEATBALLS</a>, a fantastic little actor when he was little. But another semi-newcomer, Matt Dillon, steals the show as Moody, the high school's kingpin despite his being what seems like a sophomore.. anyhow, they ain't seniors: The only "kid" who looks like an adult and/or college student is future <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/02/4FMj.html">FULL METAL JACKET</a> stud Adam Baldwin as Ricky Linderman and, like every town has a haunted house, every school has a kid with a violent yet mysterious background. The plot of MY BODYGUARD is all in the title — alas, the corniest scenes occur in the middle as Makepeace's Clifford Peache... whose father runs a Hotel despite his mom/Cliff's grandma, Ruth Gordon, flirting with any and all male guests/residents... bonds with and rides a motorcycle with Ricky in a prolonged "feel-good" sequence of campy After School Special fare...<br>
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</div>

adam baldwin, bully, chris makepeace, eighties, high school, jennifer beals, martin mull, matt dillon, ruth gordon, teen

BEFORE BULLYING WAS A CRIME THERE WAS 'MY BODYGUARD'

Matt Dillon & future Flashdance Jennifer Beals YEAR: 1980 A classy teenage high school bully movie opening with what sounds like a c...

REBLOGGED REVIEWS OF THOR ONE & THE DARK WORLD

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<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/-GH5JNhS8Vss/Un0KlHDzVII/AAAAAAAAbQ0/NWUS7QZK67Y/s1600/thor-dark-world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GH5JNhS8Vss/Un0KlHDzVII/AAAAAAAAbQ0/NWUS7QZK67Y/s1600/thor-dark-world.jpg"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Going Backwards here are THOR 3 in theaters here's going back to the reviews of One and Two now found only here...</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>THOR 2: THE DARK WORLD:</u> The first THOR was a hard sell… A demigod with long blond hair and an ancient hammer isn’t your typical brooding comic book hero… And so the earthlings, especially Natalie Portman’s Jane, a beautifully brainy love interest and her colleagues, including sarcastic hipster chick Darcy, who, using a snarky monotone, second-guesses the bizarre situation, helped make the audience believe this was all really happening…<br>
<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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rJK-Sw8dZCg/Tc2DZMVM6HI/AAAAAAAABmM/xdNP9_YrIs0/s1600/Thor-Movie-Wallpaper-7-1024x768.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606281579976255602" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rJK-Sw8dZCg/Tc2DZMVM6HI/AAAAAAAABmM/xdNP9_YrIs0/s200/Thor-Movie-Wallpaper-7-1024x768.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 152px;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 2013</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br>
But after THE AVENGERS, we don’t need further confirmation. Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is very real and his home-world Asgard is in danger because of a monolithic structure Jane discovers between worlds… Part of which enters her body… And when she quickly travels with Thor to Asgard, the<i> stranger in a strange land </i>concept doesn’t quite work like when Thor came to Earth…<br>
<br>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOp0JtefX8Q/Wf12Nu7_IOI/AAAAAAAAzbo/CEMC_wQP52Uj3f_cfuvn0AMoofh0VN82QCLcBGAs/s1600/51QqAbB-W2L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UOp0JtefX8Q/Wf12Nu7_IOI/AAAAAAAAzbo/CEMC_wQP52Uj3f_cfuvn0AMoofh0VN82QCLcBGAs/s320/51QqAbB-W2L.jpg" width="213"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Thor2Score: **</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Although a decent actress, Portman's tone/voice sounds more like a valley girl in a local arcade. Meanwhile, <i>back at the ranch</i>, as the scientists gather to figure things out, Darcy’s forced comic relief is annoying, distracting, and downright unfunny… Thankfully there’s Thor’s “brother", that instigative menace from THE AVENGERS who, locked into a permanent glass structure, is freed to help destroy the big bad (and completely uninteresting) villain…<br>
<br>
The dependable Loki, like Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor in SUPERMAN 2… after being replaced as the central villain… keeps the dry humor flowing – some lines hit, other miss, but that’s the best thing DARK WORLD has going for it: the camaraderie between two polar opposite brothers in a colorful world where dazzling special effects have an old-school matte painting aesthetic, while space ships zip around like in the STAR WARS (or current STAR TREK) universe: It’s when Thor joins the small band of earthlings to thwart the city-ravaging beast, while strategically jumping from various wormholes into either dimension, that things gets convoluted, ponderous, and with a second AVENGERS already planned, somewhat pointless too…<br>

action, anthony hopkins, blockbuster, marvel comics, tens

REBLOGGED REVIEWS OF THOR ONE & THE DARK WORLD

Going Backwards here are THOR 3 in theaters here's going back to the reviews of One and Two now found only here... THOR 2: THE DARK...

THURSDAY NIGHT REVIEW OF THOR: RAGNAROK

<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/-U1Msv13nlEo/Wf1Z1JB_uuI/AAAAAAAAzbQ/ZwN9kNxkGVYDWVo0jCjI529Nqfbb55g-ACLcBGAs/s1600/thor_ragnarok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1103" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U1Msv13nlEo/Wf1Z1JB_uuI/AAAAAAAAzbQ/ZwN9kNxkGVYDWVo0jCjI529Nqfbb55g-ACLcBGAs/s400/thor_ragnarok.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-size: 12.8px;">Thor only <i>looks</i> serious YEAR OF RELEASE: 2017</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The latest THOR is spontaneous and freewheeling, especially while on a planet straight out of Roman Gladiator Arena cinema where, as the trailers spoiled long ago, the anticipated fight between two seemingly indestructible AVENGERS, Thor and Hulk, takes place. Which leads to one of the film's best devices...<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBg1hizvDPA/WfwFv8DIxqI/AAAAAAAAzao/hImkbxpiKzwmiqrf2QHsM7x1iKh9UB9KgCLcBGAs/s1600/thor-ragnarok-hulk-valkyrie-loki-1024x568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="228" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBg1hizvDPA/WfwFv8DIxqI/AAAAAAAAzao/hImkbxpiKzwmiqrf2QHsM7x1iKh9UB9KgCLcBGAs/s400/thor-ragnarok-hulk-valkyrie-loki-1024x568.jpg" width="160"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Score: **1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thor, without his signature invincible hammer, is nearly as vulnerable as a mortal human albeit a very strong ass-kicker up against an assortment of odds, making for a non-stop planet-to-planet rollercoaster ride...<br>
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Visually a hybrid of the intentionally campy FLASH GORDON and the first GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (itself an 80's homage) while shadowing plot-elements of STAR WARS, LORD OF THE RINGS and with more colorful rainbows than we've yet seen on Asgard — which has been taken over by a deadly, invincible royal sister (looking like Maleficent dressed as a reindeer) that Thor and the mischievous Loki never knew they had — there's a cool retro-techno score to back up the pulsating arcade of explosive action...<br>
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And while it's understandable that, with such a fantastical superhero, levity is needed to ground the story, there's a fine line between Fun and Funny. And RAGNAROK, featuring the godfather of glib Jeff Goldblum embarrassingly overdosing on his own style, breaks the line once too often: Superheroes all have powers and/or skills that can, whether built-in or created, turn on and off. But the constantly witty one-liner styling of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark (ala "Starkasm") has infected Chris Hemsworth's THOR to the point that the third solo film, while enjoyable enough, nearly drowns itself in self-deprecating parody. The prologue, where Thor makes fun of his own supposedly perilous situation while facing a gigantic fire demon, sums up everything. He's not scared at all, so why should the audience take anything he's up against seriously? <br>

2017, chris hemsworth, comic book, jeff goldblum, marvel, new

THURSDAY NIGHT REVIEW OF THOR: RAGNAROK

Thor only looks serious YEAR OF RELEASE: 2017 The latest THOR is spontaneous and freewheeling, especially while on a planet straight o...

HAMMER FILMS PRESENTS 'THE BRIDES OF DRACULA'

<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/-gHdlZssXySs/XcTTU7jjxiI/AAAAAAABKg8/LNhHA6c42tAbjJgcyK0Yyy8akx3cwsAYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-07%2Bat%2B6.28.27%2BPM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="918" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gHdlZssXySs/XcTTU7jjxiI/AAAAAAABKg8/LNhHA6c42tAbjJgcyK0Yyy8akx3cwsAYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-11-07%2Bat%2B6.28.27%2BPM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>David Peel & Yvonne Monlaur in The Brides of Dracula Year: 1960</u></td></tr>
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Following Hammer Films' Victorian-Gothic breakthrough HORROR OF DRACULA starring Christopher Lee in the title role, who's more of a tall, handsomely demonic charmer than Bela Lugosi's swarthy, dark and mysterious cinematic original, and Peter Cushing as vampire-hunting icon Van Helsing, it was time for a... blond-haired, pretty boy menace?<br>
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Well it actually works since David Peel has little screentime, and it's not that he's terrible or even unfitting in the role. In fact, dealing with the titular BRIDES, which is really a singular character played by the beyond-gorgeous Yvonne Monlaur, a younger, more apparently-attractive neck-sucker fits: having been kept captive by his mother in the family castle, Monlaur's Marianne, a teacher on her way to working at an all-girl's school, has only to look at this particularly vulnerable, chained-up Drac to fall in love — hypnotic eyes aren't needed, at least not up front...
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david peel, hammer films, horror, peter cushing, sixties, vampire, yvonne monlaur

HAMMER FILMS PRESENTS 'THE BRIDES OF DRACULA'

David Peel & Yvonne Monlaur in The Brides of Dracula Year: 1960 Following Hammer Films' Victorian-Gothic breakthrough HORROR OF ...

THE ORIGINAL 'FRIGHT NIGHT' FOR HALLOWEEN

amanda bearse, eighties, horror, roddy mcdowall

THE ORIGINAL 'FRIGHT NIGHT' FOR HALLOWEEN

Year of Release: 1985 Horror flicks haven't always balanced comedy and thrills, although since this particular combination goes with...

MICHAEL FASSBENDER IS AN AGENT ON ICE IN THE SNOWMAN

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOwpAO2PQZc/WfVugbK2_OI/AAAAAAAAzXE/H1p1eZhiCLYpOMZQgkitRSZsyK0YgTKDgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen-Shot-2017-03-30-at-09.09.32-750x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="485" height="246" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zOwpAO2PQZc/WfVugbK2_OI/AAAAAAAAzXE/H1p1eZhiCLYpOMZQgkitRSZsyK0YgTKDgCLcBGAs/s400/Screen-Shot-2017-03-30-at-09.09.32-750x350.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year Released: 2017</u></td></tr>
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You know the tune, that Video killed the radio star... And Cable television is strangling Theatrical Releases, and if they keep turning out the likes of BLADE RUNNER 2049 and  SUBURBICON, we're all gonna save tons of money on soda and popcorn...<br>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf2HjvyINLg/WfVvDJd1jgI/AAAAAAAAzXM/iKiDd-i9MSo7PG86kss5PdrxukvywrqUgCLcBGAs/s1600/the-snowman-movie-2017-20007302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="142" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf2HjvyINLg/WfVvDJd1jgI/AAAAAAAAzXM/iKiDd-i9MSo7PG86kss5PdrxukvywrqUgCLcBGAs/s400/the-snowman-movie-2017-20007302.jpg" width="150"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>SnowScore: 1/2</u></td></tr>
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This SNOWMAN is promoted as a sort of horror/thriller hybrid involving a serial killer that leaves his signature snowman doodle after each death, and there's a real/actual, eerie looking snowman too, and none have anything to do with the story at hand, which is almost completely absent through the long, ponderous two hours of an investigating Michael Fassbender standing around, breathing visible sighs in the freezing snow, or shivering indoors, either conversing with his pretty-plain partner about... a lot of first and last names and/or clues leading nowhere — that don't seem like clues at all...<br>
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The one character with potential is a wan and sickly looking Val Kilmer — speaking in what sounds like someone else's voice — as a sort of rogue, Bogart-like Noir detective of some kind, and he doesn't last long. We're left with a dull Fassbender waiting for the next boring and — to try making up for it — grotesquely violent murder scene in a picture literally as cold as and even more unenlightening and pointless than the Tom Hardy serial killer on ice, CHILD 44. And because of these kind of alternative avant-garde flicks being more of a letdown than a typical fly-by-night blockbuster, it's really the best choice to stay at home: Because nothing's worse than being stuck in an indie purgatory while avoiding big budget crapola, which feels like ditching school in a library. Thus THE SNOWMAN is truly one of the worst experiences had in a theater.  There's just no reason for this kind of torture!<br>

2017, crime, michael fassbender, mystery, new, thriller, val kilmer

MICHAEL FASSBENDER IS AN AGENT ON ICE IN THE SNOWMAN

Year Released: 2017 You know the tune, that Video killed the radio star... And Cable television is strangling Theatrical Releases, and i...

GEORGE CLOONEY DIRECTS MATT DAMON IN SUBURBICON

2017, coen brothers, crime, fifties-era, george clooney, julianne moore, matt damon, neo noir, new, oscar issac

GEORGE CLOONEY DIRECTS MATT DAMON IN SUBURBICON

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2017 It may have seemed logical before, but now there's genuine proof that a Coen Brothers movie has to be both wri...

JMT

Written by James M. Tate / 12/29/2017 / No comments / creature , dirk benedict , exploitation , heather menzies , horror , richard b. schull , seventies , strother martin

Written by James M. Tate / 12/28/2017 / No comments / heather menzies , interview

Written by James M. Tate / 12/27/2017 / No comments / comedy , drama , dwight frye , james cagney , musical , philip ahn , thirties , william frawley

Written by James M. Tate / 12/23/2017 / No comments / biopic , deborah goodrich , drama , eighties , emily longstreth , exploitation , frederic forrest , george grizzard , harry northup , m. emmett walsh , made-for-TV , mark harmon , true crime

Written by James M. Tate / 12/22/2017 / No comments / 2017 , alexander payne , matt damon , new

Written by James M. Tate / 12/15/2017 / No comments / 2017 , adam driver , carrie fisher , daisy ridley , fantasy , franchise , jj abrams , mark hamill , new , oscar issac , rian johnson , science-fiction , sequel , star wars

Written by James M. Tate / 12/13/2017 / No comments / 2017 , bio , comedy , james franco , new

Written by James M. Tate / 12/09/2017 / No comments / eric kilpatrick , ken howard , seventies , thomas carter , tribute , TV

Written by James M. Tate / 12/04/2017 / No comments / anthony mingbella , gwyneth paltrow , jazz score , jude law , matt damon , neo noir , nineties

Written by James M. Tate / 11/29/2017 / No comments / beach , cult , eighties , gerry lopez , gregory harrison , hawaii , john philbin , laird hamilton , matt adler , nia peeples , randal kleiser , sport

Written by James M. Tate / 11/27/2017 / No comments / anna nygh , denholm elliott , dennis waterman , exploitation , john thaw , ken hutchison , seventies , susan valentine

Written by James M. Tate / 11/20/2017 / No comments / cameo , harrison ford , sixties , sport , TV

Written by James M. Tate / 11/19/2017 / No comments / 2016 , cable , eighties , sean s. cunningham , tribute , william katt

Written by James M. Tate / 11/18/2017 / No comments / adventure , bo hopkins , claude akins , exploitation , horror , italian-import , john huston , ovidio g. assonitis , seventies , shelley winters , sherry buchanan , stelvio cipriani

Written by James M. Tate / 11/14/2017 / No comments / cameo , claude akins , frank converse , samuel l. jackson , seventies

Written by James M. Tate / 11/10/2017 / No comments / crime , exploitation , independent , richard egan , rick jason , sean mcclory , seventies , thriller

Written by James M. Tate / 11/09/2017 / No comments / 2017 , comedy , mark wahlberg , mel gibson , team-up , will ferrell

Written by James M. Tate / 11/07/2017 / No comments / cindy williams , penny marshall , photobreak , seventies , TV

Written by James M. Tate / 11/06/2017 / No comments / adventure , agatha christie , i.s. johar , jack warden , john guillermin , jon finch , lois chiles , maggie smith , mia farrow , mystery , peter ustinov , simon maccorkindale , suspense

Written by James M. Tate / 11/04/2017 / No comments / adam baldwin , bully , chris makepeace , eighties , high school , jennifer beals , martin mull , matt dillon , ruth gordon , teen

Written by James M. Tate / 11/02/2017 / No comments / 2017 , chris hemsworth , comic book , jeff goldblum , marvel , new

Written by James M. Tate / 11/01/2017 / No comments / david peel , hammer films , horror , peter cushing , sixties , vampire , yvonne monlaur

Written by James M. Tate / 10/31/2017 / No comments / amanda bearse , eighties , horror , roddy mcdowall

Written by James M. Tate / 10/28/2017 / No comments / 2017 , crime , michael fassbender , mystery , new , thriller , val kilmer