STROTHER MARTIN, DIRK BENEDICT, HEATHER MENZIES IN SSSSSSS

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Td8B5l28DrY/WkWCktTjd4I/AAAAAAAA0QQ/ZacPqL7U7ZABAdokDRMbFNGWGhT3ZhZ9gCLcBGAs/s1600/26167359_414119579017224_4218009270112644183_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="703" data-original-width="960" height="292" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Td8B5l28DrY/WkWCktTjd4I/AAAAAAAA0QQ/ZacPqL7U7ZABAdokDRMbFNGWGhT3ZhZ9gCLcBGAs/s400/26167359_414119579017224_4218009270112644183_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><u>Autographed original lobby card of Heather Menzies MOVIE YEAR: 1973 Score: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>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. I wouldn't go near the cobra. 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.</i></span></blockquote> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HLBwz4Qapyk/URW7Pl1FuJI/AAAAAAAAWVE/K-BmPQKx-mU/s1600/rebbrownsssssss.jpg" imageanchor="1" 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>Dirk Benedict square off in SSSSSSS with Strother Martin</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> 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> <br> Hence Dirk Benedict as the med-student being given supposedly standard inoculations and 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

Autographed original lobby card of Heather Menzies MOVIE YEAR: 1973 Score: **** At first we were all petrified," recalls SSSSSSS i...

AN ECLECTIC INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS HEATHER MENZIES

<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nfqf0_tbHLw/WkV8ZkJCUoI/AAAAAAAA0PI/BaAT6Xpdl8QxxcnNLY-jqG_EUX3IimbvQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-28%2Bat%2B3.20.05%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="530" height="288" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nfqf0_tbHLw/WkV8ZkJCUoI/AAAAAAAA0PI/BaAT6Xpdl8QxxcnNLY-jqG_EUX3IimbvQCEwYBhgL/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-28%2Bat%2B3.20.05%2BPM.png" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Heather on VEGAS</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> 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. <br> <div align="center" class="copy" style="color: #29221a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b><span class="titlehighlights" style="color: #4f4232; font-size: 16px;"><u><br>THE SOUND OF MUSIC</u></span></b></div> <div class="copy" style="color: #29221a; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <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

AN ECLECTIC INTERVIEW WITH 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

<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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vv6KaGpxX7s/WkRK5wR7nOI/AAAAAAAA0Ok/4_6UIEGHGj4rjTQjo7z3dPIz5-MDhFNQwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-26%2Bat%2B9.29.09%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="829" height="302" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vv6KaGpxX7s/WkRK5wR7nOI/AAAAAAAA0Ok/4_6UIEGHGj4rjTQjo7z3dPIz5-MDhFNQwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-26%2Bat%2B9.29.09%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>James Cagney with a prissy Dwight Frye YEAR: 1937</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <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> <br> 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, who played Renfield in DRACULA, stealing the movie from Bela Lugosi himself, and Dr. Frankenstein's loony, hunchback assistant (who isn't named Igor) in FRANKENSTEIN. Here he's a "suspiciously feminine" makeup artist — something you probably wouldn't see so upfront and obvious during the Hays Code.<br>

dwight frye, james cagney, thirties

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'

<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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1jCGccwr0c/Wj7FNcNMIZI/AAAAAAAA0IA/BBBEHeSmo3IO_Cu8F9piq4YSw07MBuZLwCLcBGAs/s1600/8.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="960" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d1jCGccwr0c/Wj7FNcNMIZI/AAAAAAAA0IA/BBBEHeSmo3IO_Cu8F9piq4YSw07MBuZLwCLcBGAs/s400/8.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>One of many unlucky Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy victims YEAR: 1986</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <i><u>FOCUS ON THE FOOL: </u>Having grown up in a Christian household, God was never personally shunned even through a string of rebellious years, but a man considered highly respected in the religion can take a flying leap into the flaming pit he makes money warning others about...</i><br> <i><br></i> <i>Dr. James Dobson, whose particular niche-fame is from a show he calls "Focus On The Family," had met with serial killer Ted Bundy right before his execution. The famous pastor told the public that, if executed, Bundy would walk with him one day in heaven, and didn't think he should have to "ride the lightning" of the Electric Chair at all: So since Dickweed Dobson's daughters were all intact, living peacefully with a steady heartbeat, it never occurred to him that this sociopath psychopath was no kindhearted, misled "Thief On The Cross" — and even his usual liberal opponents, against Capital Punishment, weren't speaking for Bundy's defense. Smart move — they let Dobson stick his own foot in it, and God knows he's probably all for Capital Punishment otherwise... Hypocritical fool!</i><br>

deborah goodrich, drama, eighties, exploitation, fredric forrest, harry northup, made-for-TV, mark harmon

MARK HARMON AS TED BUNDY IN 'THE DELIBERATE STRANGER'

One of many unlucky Mark Harmon as Ted Bundy victims YEAR: 1986 FOCUS ON THE FOOL: Having grown up in a Christian household, God was nev...

'DOWNSIZING' IRONICALLY ENLARGES AN OBVIOUS AGENDA

<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/-Dj5Zww3vU-Y/Wj73jhtMW8I/AAAAAAAA0LE/R-7tiXjR4uQBDoVCxcLd4Y2RKq66YLO8wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-23%2Bat%2B2.36.24%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="625" height="252" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dj5Zww3vU-Y/Wj73jhtMW8I/AAAAAAAA0LE/R-7tiXjR4uQBDoVCxcLd4Y2RKq66YLO8wCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-23%2Bat%2B2.36.24%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year Released: 2017</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> 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> <div> <br></div> <div> 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, 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: SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

<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="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s6ysoiJWLSk/WjOYqwG1ZdI/AAAAAAAA0C0/htIH8DNwEH4HsGGwomq0laZw_MIr70IIwCLcBGAs/s1600/25348699_408472699581912_2391187155044934768_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="948" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s6ysoiJWLSk/WjOYqwG1ZdI/AAAAAAAA0C0/htIH8DNwEH4HsGGwomq0laZw_MIr70IIwCLcBGAs/s1600/25348699_408472699581912_2391187155044934768_n.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Why not make use of the little big cards given out for fanatics who bought the earliest tickets available YEAR: 2017</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Since J.J. Abrams' THE FORCE AWAKENS (albeit criticized for being too unoriginal) introduced a band of endearing, worthwhile characters, Rian Johnson obviously knew he had to make the second new STAR WARS get right down to business and, although the first fifteen minutes halts more than flows, there's a point where things open up nicely...<br>

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: SPOILER-FREE REVIEW OF STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

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'

<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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsSzE7uksZQ/WjIToVeCm_I/AAAAAAAA0B0/yLrCXTJnPekiIQnEtSd6SZ4Zetm5OxNhQCLcBGAs/s1600/disaster-artist-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1166" height="248" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rsSzE7uksZQ/WjIToVeCm_I/AAAAAAAA0B0/yLrCXTJnPekiIQnEtSd6SZ4Zetm5OxNhQCLcBGAs/s400/disaster-artist-1.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <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> </tbody></table> 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> <div> <br></div> <div> 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'

<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="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7Gw9VkMXjc/Wiw2tf-W3iI/AAAAAAAA0BE/THd_A7K244Y97FSG5A6oPbgBkYs1maoZwCLcBGAs/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="960" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G7Gw9VkMXjc/Wiw2tf-W3iI/AAAAAAAA0BE/THd_A7K244Y97FSG5A6oPbgBkYs1maoZwCLcBGAs/s1600/0.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-size: 12.8px;">Unusually hatless, Eric Kilpatrick's Jackson lies beside his signature shades and a broken bottle with blood red white...</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Growing up, a couchy, cloistered white boy nearing middle-school, addicted to a television show about black High School basketball players in the ghetto, one of the worst viewing experiences occurred on a personal favorite series THE WHITE SHADOW when Eric Kirkpatrick's Curtis Jackson, the soul  of the show with streetwise lingo; a red-fronted cap straight out of Fat Albert or an early-70's Blaxploitation flick; a pair of dark sunglasses; and a penchant for "funkadelic" music: the last grasp of epic greatness before rap took over as groundbreaking musicians were replaced by drumbeats and samples borrowed from others... Anyways...<br> <br> On the final episode of the SHADOW's second (leading to a final third) season, which would take out some of the grooviest, and goofiest, characters ranging from Thomas Carter's central player James Hayward to Ken Michaelson as the gawky geeky Jewish butt of all jokes, Goldstein, and a character whose sleek and slender rhythm bookended smoothly with Jackson's natural ease, Nathan Cook as Milton Reese: We'll continue the sad tale of Curtis Jackson's demise from the 2nd Season finale, THE DEATH OF ME YET, with captions below each photo providing plot-points, quotes, and some trivia.<br>

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'

<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UpWjFEcc7Ow/WiY15RRxYcI/AAAAAAAAz-c/EMeMU3XdHuYYCXSS1sO3kRAtVLnZZFjcACLcBGAs/s1600/151296_1%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="624" height="284" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UpWjFEcc7Ow/WiY15RRxYcI/AAAAAAAAz-c/EMeMU3XdHuYYCXSS1sO3kRAtVLnZZFjcACLcBGAs/s320/151296_1%2B2.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Vintage cover of the Patricia Highsmitch novel</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> 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> <br> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <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/-truuVdAmI7E/WiX7Q5Lfb_I/AAAAAAAAz-M/GL_uTewDzYMAXoC44G39al3sAYgIiwOMACLcBGAs/s1600/0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="484" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-truuVdAmI7E/WiX7Q5Lfb_I/AAAAAAAAz-M/GL_uTewDzYMAXoC44G39al3sAYgIiwOMACLcBGAs/s320/0009.jpg" width="240"></a></td></tr> <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> </tbody></table> 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> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CihJl1hn4MY/WiXuzOW_ayI/AAAAAAAAz9Y/DR_u8A5uJx4UL632ynMocc0aG8Bz7tfJQCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-04%2Bat%2B4.43.38%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="958" height="210" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CihJl1hn4MY/WiXuzOW_ayI/AAAAAAAAz9Y/DR_u8A5uJx4UL632ynMocc0aG8Bz7tfJQCLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-12-04%2Bat%2B4.43.38%2BPM.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Unlike the original, Dickie's goading is very effective</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> 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

<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="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZP98zGvdms/WiUIIrNAsUI/AAAAAAAAz8c/-NH0f-uNOQodlR5qxsX8RfP93_e3SyDkwCLcBGAs/s1600/the-sword-in-the-stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="736" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZP98zGvdms/WiUIIrNAsUI/AAAAAAAAz8c/-NH0f-uNOQodlR5qxsX8RfP93_e3SyDkwCLcBGAs/s1600/the-sword-in-the-stone.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u style="font-size: 12.8px;">First Summary Short review of THE SWORD IN THE STONE from an old archived short version writeup: Disney Score: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> This has as much to do with King Arthur as The Phantom Menace does with Darth Vader as a clumsy pre-teen squire named "Wart", working for a mean step-father and bullying brother, befriends the wizard Merlin, more goofy than wise, and his talking pet owl.<br> <br> Merlin turns the kid into several animals including a fish, squirrel and bird, teaching him more about Darwin's natural selection than anything that'd aid him in his future position as King of England, which is only shown for the last five minutes after "Wart" pulls the titular sword from the stone with inevitable ease. The songs aren't too annoying, the animation looks good, and it definitely won't bore the kiddies. Adults, however, might take a snooze.<br>

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...

SAVING THE CAMP CULT SANCTITY OF NORTH SHORE

<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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z0IeSVt9ZgI/Wh2-O1rCqgI/AAAAAAAAz40/JDwKurUvSHkfTx7AG1O9rPkuWthMCy5ewCLcBGAs/s1600/23905771_401536353608880_2796155615297378801_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="960" height="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z0IeSVt9ZgI/Wh2-O1rCqgI/AAAAAAAAz40/JDwKurUvSHkfTx7AG1O9rPkuWthMCy5ewCLcBGAs/s400/23905771_401536353608880_2796155615297378801_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The original Chandler board logo that was replaced badly YEAR: 1987</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> This is a rewrite; the original somehow vanished so here goes: At the time of its release, NORTH<br> SHORE seemed like a glossy, colorful, vapid surf movie made for mainstream viewers...<br> <br> It apologetically revels in the sport's beautiful aesthetic and specific locale whilst being scoffed at by genuine surfers i.e. the opposite of BIG WEDNESDAY and especially THE ENDLESS SUMMER, and perhaps that's the case even now, but NORTH SHORE has enough characters to bring life and charisma into the simplistic story, all through the eyes of an Arizona Surfer (?), played by TEEN WOLF's Matt Adler as Rick, who won a whopping $500 at a wave-machine surf competition.<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://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eSInwvH_10/WiJINV5Nd1I/AAAAAAAAz64/3QHqtrzjxt0juNZJnBMIEHE-V6WRx393gCLcBGAs/s1600/24058860_401536420275540_4377148114360464377_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="960" height="232" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eSInwvH_10/WiJINV5Nd1I/AAAAAAAAz64/3QHqtrzjxt0juNZJnBMIEHE-V6WRx393gCLcBGAs/s400/24058860_401536420275540_4377148114360464377_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sketch that gave Chandler the idea to hire Rick to redo his board logo</td></tr> </tbody></table> 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 Turtle...<br> <br> When not on the waves he's got a lonely job in a shack, sanding Chandler Boards: Chandler played by 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...<br>

eighties, gerry lopez, gregory harrison, john philbin, laird hamilton, matt adler, sport

SAVING THE CAMP CULT SANCTITY OF NORTH SHORE

The original Chandler board logo that was replaced badly YEAR: 1987 This is a rewrite; the original somehow vanished so here goes: At th...

KEN HUTCHISON CINEMA: SWEENEY 2 & GROUPIE GIRL

<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/-Mi_fxSHLpQU/WhqUzPukilI/AAAAAAAAzzk/x4DQ2zUx-UcqVYmPfBwCuf3ZuWaDXvS3wCLcBGAs/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="960" height="247" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mi_fxSHLpQU/WhqUzPukilI/AAAAAAAAzzk/x4DQ2zUx-UcqVYmPfBwCuf3ZuWaDXvS3wCLcBGAs/s400/8.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <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> </tbody></table> The last few years provided Cult Film Freak several favorite leading actors and character-actors (sometimes both) including Tom Courtenay, who we've yet to start covering the early (and greatest) years of; 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> <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://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>SWEENEY2Score: **1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> First off, John Thaw and Dennis Waterman as D.I. Jack Regan and D.S. George Carter are two tough and edgy cops who look tough and edgy, and have hardly anything to do with the 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> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="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 in STRAW DOGS</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <u>SWEENEY 2</u>, which centers on an extremely bizarre group of bank robbers: Not only because they only steal a particular amount of cash each time, but never before has a group of thugs been so family-oriented and politely cultish...<br> <br> Scenes with the gang sitting at a long fancy outdoor table in Malta provide a parenthetical glimpse into thugs who, in London, become shotgun wielding, masked marauders, and the main man looks quite natural with that particular weapon in hand as Ken Hutchinson played the meanest of the bullying and untimely deadly STRAW DOGS villains opposite nice guy Dustin Hoffman under the direction of Sam Peckinpah...<br> <br> In fact, Ken's character, Hill, is the most memorable not only of the thugs but the entire movie since The Flying Squad, our police team both movies and the series are/were about, but his cunning persona cuts through a rather bland yet intentionally icy Neo Noir story, secondly only to a car chase where a yellow car crashes through a store window and goes blasting through the grungy streets of London. Too bad the action and gunfire isn't more evenly placed to curb all the dialogue that talks more than speaks, leaving the viewer wanting more from either side of the law.<br>

denholm elliott, dennis waterman, exploitation, john thaw, ken hutchison, sally thomsett, seventies, susan valentine

KEN HUTCHISON CINEMA: SWEENEY 2 & GROUPIE GIRL

King of the 70's Obscure Cinema Shotgun is Ken Hutchison The last few years provided Cult Film Freak several favorite leading actors...

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

<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="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1fzCaGv4u2k/WhJS6tZuNmI/AAAAAAAAziQ/Cbr4_uImao84TMaGQJWT5YkrFCgdcyVLgCLcBGAs/s1600/house3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1600" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1fzCaGv4u2k/WhJS6tZuNmI/AAAAAAAAziQ/Cbr4_uImao84TMaGQJWT5YkrFCgdcyVLgCLcBGAs/s1600/house3.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Our theory (shown below not above) on how HOUSE inspired THE WALKING DEAD with a particular middle-aged woman monstrosity</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> THE WALKING DEAD provides horror buffs random "Easter Eggs" having to do with homage-inspired images of old horror flicks: from (if memory serves) zombies that resemble Linda Blair to...<br> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1EjXCebyKUM/WhJWCb5pnwI/AAAAAAAAzjA/I9ddsP1CuTMlqfFWaM3rpv_MHLBdneVLwCLcBGAs/s1600/s-l1000%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="462" height="303" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1EjXCebyKUM/WhJWCb5pnwI/AAAAAAAAzjA/I9ddsP1CuTMlqfFWaM3rpv_MHLBdneVLwCLcBGAs/s400/s-l1000%2B2.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>A quick summary review of <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/03/a-bloody-baful-of-eclectic-horror-and.html">HOUSE can be found here</a></u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Well that's a perfect segue to a Cult Film Freak opinion that could merely be a theory or even a far-fetched hypothesis since HOUSE, the underrated 1986 horror flick starring William Katt, lunges beneath the radar of most horror fans: especially younger ones who love THE WALKING DEAD and have dipped their oars only a few feet into previous motion pictures that inspired or simply entertained the producers and/or makeup specialists...<br> <br> The picture above... of the stop-motion flying skeleton derived from the tall guy from NIGHT COURT... is from HOUSE. With this <i>unrelated to the subject at hand </i>image, we wanted to bury the lead, having to do with a spooky and borderline hilarious ghoul William Katt has to battle to protect a child he's reluctantly babysitting... She's a nightmarish sack of formidable fat, visually contradicting his lovely ex wife and, voiced by what sounds like a team of frantic dolphins, embodies the powers of Hell and was one bad bitch: Below you'll see "the hideous Dolphin Woman" and below that THE WALKING DEAD white trash, cabin-dwelling "Walker" who, to this fanatic-fan of HOUSE, looked awfully familiar — here marks the only site to make the claim that our semi-obscure favorite inspired the most popular cable series today that's also perhaps one of the most beloved horror-action television shows of all time...<br>

2016, cable, eighties, sean s. cunningham, tribute, william katt

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

Our theory (shown below not above) on how HOUSE inspired THE WALKING DEAD with a particular middle-aged woman monstrosity THE WALKING DE...

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

<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://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> </tbody></table> 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> <br> 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 THE VISITOR 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 slowburn suspense in an Alfred Hitchcock fashion...<br>

adventure, bo hopkins, claude akins, exploitation, horror, italian-import, john huston, seventies, shelley winters, 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...

BARK ALL 'DAY OF THE WOLVES' LITTLE DOGGIE

<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="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> </tbody></table> 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> <br> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://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> </tbody></table> 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> <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/-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> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> 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> <br> 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...

INSPECTING THE ORIGINAL ORIENT EXPRESS & DEATH ON THE NILE

<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/-iXvEQ0FLvjc/WgEeSCN5YLI/AAAAAAAAzeY/-qoU7lQfBl0GbJLvxpL3VJ9Wi9UTSdEswCLcBGAs/s1600/23316388_392434494519066_7191763929913503507_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="960" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXvEQ0FLvjc/WgEeSCN5YLI/AAAAAAAAzeY/-qoU7lQfBl0GbJLvxpL3VJ9Wi9UTSdEswCLcBGAs/s400/23316388_392434494519066_7191763929913503507_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The lovely Lois Chiles must die for a DEATH ON THE NILE</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> With MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS coming up, the intellectual artistry of this site could be questioned since, most likely, DADDY'S HOME 2 will take its place of <i>crap to spend money on</i> (unless this upcoming cold/flu goes nuclear like the last one)...<br> <br> This particular bland if nonexistent non-anticipation for the Kenneth Branagh starring and directed feature film featuring the "he only makes money as a Pirate" Johnny Depp, partly because the original with Richard Widmark... as the deceased with a trainload of then-famous actors and actresses as culprits... wasn't that great to begin with. The ending is completely ridiculous, and could only make sense today in mainstream Hollywood if Donald Trump was the corpse...<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://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diJlZ66Uylg/WgEefaVvbNI/AAAAAAAAzec/1iOQ_J9hHTcVTF7WF02k2rtcIcDZ-sDFQCLcBGAs/s1600/23244017_392434501185732_8611613900361355042_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-diJlZ66Uylg/WgEefaVvbNI/AAAAAAAAzec/1iOQ_J9hHTcVTF7WF02k2rtcIcDZ-sDFQCLcBGAs/s400/23244017_392434501185732_8611613900361355042_n.jpg" width="251"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jon Finch reading Karl Marx Brothers</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Also, the original MURDER had a great actor turning in a tremendously dire performance, further hindered by the fake mustache and forced French... no, actually Belgium accent for Hercule Poirot, played by Albert Finney. Meanwhile the surrounding cast, too claustrophobic to be completely interesting, which includes Lauren Bacall and Martin Balsam, are almost as dull as the famous sleuth... Years later telling a new young audience in the trailer that he's the greatest detective in the world. (Hey Millennials... Peter Falk's Lt. Frank Columbo holds that honor, eternally!)<br> <br> A much better fit in Poirot's fancy shoes was Peter Ustinov, who doesn't seem like he's acting at all. He simply <i>is</i> the character, beginning in what's the best of the 1974 to 1983 big screen Agatha Christie adaptations, DEATH ON THE NILE, directed by the underrated John Guillerman, who surprisingly exceeds the often-brilliant EXPRESS auteur, Sidney Lumet, who guided us clumsily across the ORIENT while on the NILE, the opening scenery in England, as a doomed and gorgeous Lois Chiles rolls through the landscape of jealous laborers, sets a beautifully shot stage that spreads out to good if subtle eclectic ensemble performances. The only bad acting belongs to Mia Farrow as the spurned lover of Lois's brand new husband, Simon MacCorkindale. Mia speaks each line so loud and, while fitfully angered and borderline crazy, her voice, weighted-down with a noticably faux British accent, strokes the proverbial cat backwards. Yet she's made up for by the likes of, for starters, David Niven as a... get this... sophisticated, classy, dapper and charming gentleman aiding Poirot...<br>

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

INSPECTING THE ORIGINAL ORIENT EXPRESS & DEATH ON THE NILE

The lovely Lois Chiles must die for a DEATH ON THE NILE With MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS coming up, the intellectual artistry of this s...

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

<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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZC_3Swc_114/WgD5OA52xZI/AAAAAAAAzeI/lKn9NKZfK5E00hnrIT9qNtr7aI4kWoHjQCLcBGAs/s1600/kevin-spacey-house-of-cards-promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="486" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZC_3Swc_114/WgD5OA52xZI/AAAAAAAAzeI/lKn9NKZfK5E00hnrIT9qNtr7aI4kWoHjQCLcBGAs/s640/kevin-spacey-house-of-cards-promo.jpg" width="491"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin Spacey on House of Cards</td></tr> </tbody></table> This blog is rarely if ever used for blogging. It just has to be said how hilarious the media is taking the fact that Kevin Spacey has been cut from his own binge political drama crime series, HOUSE OF CARDS. Most of the articles now only praise Robin Wright for being the arch villain when in fact she's, compared to Spacey's President Frank Underwood, the better, morally, of the business-agreement-marrieds that seem extremely based on Bill and Hillary Clinton. Being that Bill's personal friend is playing him knocks out the theory that the show was ever intended to make the South-born poor boy who climbed in Washington on his wits and speaking-skills with a keen and edgy wife by his side look badly. And the question might have been asked, "Why would a Hollywood show about bad politicians be about Democrats and not Republicans?" The answer is simple. HOUSE OF CARDS is about two bad Democrats, which automatically assumes the rest are good or not-as-bad, and how can you have a show about two bad Republicans since they'll all... now you get it... But the craziness is not about Kevin Spacey being thrown out of Hollywood... the same place where the 'casting couch' was born and for a century thrived... but actually believing HOUSE OF CARDS would mean anything at all without its central character whose absence will cheat the surrounding cast, and the new sole-lead, Wright, from being able to <i>react against </i>anything. It's no different than if Bryan Cranston was erased before the final season of BREAKING BAD, which had a much stronger supporting cast, and even a spinoff that, in some ways, is superior. Anyhow... Like reading reviews on Rotten Tomatoes that mostly say the exact same thing to these optimistic articles about the next/last step of a very good cable show, there's gotta be a reason for all those whose job is to cross the line to now almost consistently work hard to tow it. So in closing, the fate of HOUSE OF CARDS is terminal despite the fact it's decided to move onto a final season. Till the end of time, everyone will know it's not a serial to take seriously and/or to take time following since the most important character vanishes before any kind of logical resolution.<br>

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> <div> </div>

adam baldwin, 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

<br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://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 the famous Roman Gladiator arena genre 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> <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://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 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> <br> Visually a hybrid of the intentionally campy 1980's FLASH GORDON and the first GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY while shadowing plot-elements of STAR WARS, LORD OF THE RINGS and with more sleek, colorful rainbows than we've yet seen on Asgard — which has been taken over by a deadly, invincible 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> <br> And while it's understandable that, with such a fantastical superhero, levity is needed to ground the audience, 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 it 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 (and everyone/everything else) to the point that the third solo film, while enjoyable enough, nearly drowns itself in self-deprecating parody. <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 DRACULA TWO: THE BRIDES OF DRACULA

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wxf_pKGOjak/Wf04YciOyNI/AAAAAAAAzbA/nlm6R6Lx5Lggqdfrsgq__Rp8BOV8P8l0wCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-11-03%2Bat%2B8.46.11%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="753" height="237" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wxf_pKGOjak/Wf04YciOyNI/AAAAAAAAzbA/nlm6R6Lx5Lggqdfrsgq__Rp8BOV8P8l0wCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-11-03%2Bat%2B8.46.11%2BPM.jpg" width="400"></a></div> 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> <br> 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... <br>

hammer films, horror, peter cushing, sixties, vampire, yvonne monlaur

HAMMER FILMS DRACULA TWO: THE BRIDES OF DRACULA

Following Hammer Films' Victorian-Gothic breakthrough HORROR OF DRACULA starring Christopher Lee in the title role, who's more of ...

THE ORIGINAL 'FRIGHT NIGHT' FOR HALLOWEEN

<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="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iHcZuFsT7Sw/WfrDIejdPBI/AAAAAAAAzZ8/MsuJXqMdjT0_YRJQ22gCBHL9VFifw54EACLcBGAs/s1600/fright%2Bnight%2Bamanda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="724" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iHcZuFsT7Sw/WfrDIejdPBI/AAAAAAAAzZ8/MsuJXqMdjT0_YRJQ22gCBHL9VFifw54EACLcBGAs/s1600/fright%2Bnight%2Bamanda.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year of Release: 1985</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Horror flicks haven't always balanced comedy and thrills, although since this particular combination goes with the territory, vehicles like the original FRIGHT NIGHT are considered classic now and were genuinely unique then: making this a genuinely unique classic.<br> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_ZIl-Mh9G0/VhzNwwMQddI/AAAAAAAApcA/XLdNrh2Qljs/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-10-13%2Bat%2B2.25.41%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q_ZIl-Mh9G0/VhzNwwMQddI/AAAAAAAApcA/XLdNrh2Qljs/s320/Screen%2Bshot%2B2015-10-13%2Bat%2B2.25.41%2BAM.png" width="247"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>Original Poster Artwork</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> William Ragsdale has an every-kid charm as a teenager named Charley, who worships a TV show centering on a fictional vampire slayer. And his dreams and/or nightmares are about to come true. For he new next door neighbor is a vampire, and the movie doesn't prolong suspense before our frenzied antagonist quickly discovers the truth through an open window.<br> <br> From here on it's Charley trying to convince the local cop, his spunky girl and his best friend... scene-stealing, hyper-active "Evil Ed" hammed-up wonderfully by Stephen Geoffreys... that the handsome, womanizing, hypnotizing neighbor Jerry, played by Chris Sarandon, truly and literally... sucks.<br> <br> The teen trio are great but without Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent, the TV vamp slayer who's really a timid, washed-up actor, there wouldn't be the essential push needed to make things really work. A terrific transformation of Ed morphing from a bitten teen to a psychotic wolf is a highlight of this intentionally campy feast with a surprise around every corner. And not to forget Amanda Beasley (the neighbor from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN) as Charley's pretty ingenue; her scenes under Sarandon's swarthy spell adds a sensual creepiness to make it all even more worthy and complete. <br>

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

<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://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> </tbody></table> 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> <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/-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> </tbody></table> 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> <br> 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

<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/-TpGujHJn114/WfLdkuEEqiI/AAAAAAAAzWk/b9chAmmVX-sQXp-rdaKBrmPaw0nTSq81ACLcBGAs/s1600/Suburbicon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="551" height="250" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TpGujHJn114/WfLdkuEEqiI/AAAAAAAAzWk/b9chAmmVX-sQXp-rdaKBrmPaw0nTSq81ACLcBGAs/s400/Suburbicon.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>YEAR OF RELEASE: 2017</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> It may have seemed logical before, but now there's genuine proof that a Coen Brothers movie has to be both written <i>and directed</i> by Joel and Ethan so that the dark comedy seems genuine, palpable, and not one bit contrived...<br> <div> <br></div> <div> But their own personal Cary Grant in George Clooney, the star of a few less inspired installments after the bro's last true classic, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, has, as director and co-writer, made his very own "Coen Brothers" experience taking place in a 1950's Suburban community called, simply enough, SUBURBICON, a misleading paradise with postcard-perfect houses and manicured lawns belonging to one-dimensional neighbors, all of them white... Save for the black family that just moved in... a husband, wife and child suffering through chanting protests right outside their living room window, and for absolutely zero reason plot-wise except to further prove how hypnotically racist, soulless and Stepford-like Caucasians were back then (as if we hadn't learned by now, again and again and again)...<br> <div> </div></div>

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...

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME SERVES A PRISON 'DEATH WARRANT'

<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/-j6RZ7PccAbs/WfBX7zFgoDI/AAAAAAAAzUo/p5TtyOLYIUYdOdTHB3hJDIyubtK3fKDNgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-25%2Bat%2B2.21.06%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1212" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j6RZ7PccAbs/WfBX7zFgoDI/AAAAAAAAzUo/p5TtyOLYIUYdOdTHB3hJDIyubtK3fKDNgCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-25%2Bat%2B2.21.06%2BAM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>JCVD battles Al Leong in Death Warrant YEAR: 1990</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> When a movie begins with the action hero saying, "He killed my partner," there's gonna be some bloodshed, followed by a one-liner; in this case, "You're under arrest," which is not that ironic or humorous except the guy Jean Claude Van Damme's speaking to is completely unconscious and almost dead...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <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://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEYBzwdOEGU/WfBYkHSh2WI/AAAAAAAAzUw/LyE2FQNYrH8eV0R7QeLL6jFlZjwB_u2DACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-24%2Bat%2B8.58.07%2BPM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="378" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEYBzwdOEGU/WfBYkHSh2WI/AAAAAAAAzUw/LyE2FQNYrH8eV0R7QeLL6jFlZjwB_u2DACLcBGAs/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-10-24%2Bat%2B8.58.07%2BPM.jpg" width="199"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Lighten Up, Conrad Dunn</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> This catapults into yet another <i>Cop Sent Into Prison Undercover</i> flick (investigating random inmate deaths) that's better than most, especially given the relatively low budget and tier-two actors including bully guard Art LeFleur, YOUNGBLOOD starlet Cynthia Gibb as the planted "wife" and especially the late  Robert Guillaume (Benson on SOAP and BENSON), who, like Morgan Freeman a few years later in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, is a convicted killer that acquires goods and most important, information (to a white innocent inmate) that, in both cases, can help an "innocent" white guy...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ysid4i-bQlc/WfBYxw_Xa4I/AAAAAAAAzU0/6_ej31NkduExZE3MBNoGXTQDqLkTNlP9ACLcBGAs/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="416" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ysid4i-bQlc/WfBYxw_Xa4I/AAAAAAAAzU0/6_ej31NkduExZE3MBNoGXTQDqLkTNlP9ACLcBGAs/s200/5.jpg" width="133"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>MovieScore: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Yet it's nothing too easy since Claude Van Damme's Louis Burke, during the best scenes, aided by quirky cellmate Conrad Dunn... who played Francis "Psycho" Sawyer in STRIPES and almost looks more like TAXI DRIVER Travis Bickle than Robert De Niro... must visit various cellblocks in the dark, dingy, fitfully claustrophobic prison to gather name-after-name and thankfully, a few neat fights occur along the way: One in particular, with another familiar face to the 80's tough guy realm, Al Leong, is a face-kicking standout.<br> <br> Like all Action or Prison flicks, there's only so far the buildup can go before the sh-t hits the can: in this case when signature b-villain Patrick Kilpatrick returns from the prologue and, sadly, the intriguing prison flick becomes a desperate fight for survival as the proverbial rocks tumble down at top speed. A shame since the gathering moss was so damn entertaining.<br>

conrad bain, cynthia gibb, jean-claude van damme, nineties, prison, robert guillaume

JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME SERVES A PRISON 'DEATH WARRANT'

JCVD battles Al Leong in Death Warrant YEAR: 1990 When a movie begins with the action hero saying, "He killed my partner," the...

ALLY SHEEDY & MICHAEL ONTKEAN IN MAID TO ORDER

<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/-twxheWXCs3s/WesCnKuPRVI/AAAAAAAAzSo/-Re0W2zMQ-UoJJk8_ngZSvWrAuCiRWh7QCLcBGAs/s1600/22539798_385818335180682_5815207237230461563_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="960" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twxheWXCs3s/WesCnKuPRVI/AAAAAAAAzSo/-Re0W2zMQ-UoJJk8_ngZSvWrAuCiRWh7QCLcBGAs/s400/22539798_385818335180682_5815207237230461563_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>YEAR: 1987</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> This Cinderella tale from the glossy latter-mid 1980's is so obvious, the central spoiled rich girl actually looses a slipper... just in case you missed it... And riding high while on an unknowing descent from the Brat Pack make-em/break-em explosion two years earlier, Ally Sheedy's stuck in a light comedy that promises her character will get just-desserts for being such a brat (pun intended) when in reality, she's not so bad...<br> <br> After one rushed nightclub scene followed by a failed attempt for a two-hundred dollar allowance to sustain the nightlife, dad wishes she was never born, igniting a fairy godmother in the form of quirky Beverly D'Angelo, and soon Sheedy's Jessie Montgomery is, like Dan Aykroyd in TRADING PLACES, on the streets. But since it takes no time at all to land a pretty decent job for a ludicrously unexplained reason at a wacky music promoter's mansion (Dick Shawn married to an equally kooky Valerie Perrine), the best sequence offered in MAID TO ORDER... when there's actually a struggle to catapult the film's entire purpose... occurs in the blink of an eye: after which this maid hardly gets ordered at all. But with the always-genuine Michael Ontkean on board, it's an engaging-enough rom-com, if you like that kinda thing: He and Ally have chemistry despite the fact that, along with the primadonna attitude never being fleshed out, her 90-minute life lesson is, like a spoiled-rotten rich kid's life, much too easy.<br>

ally sheedy, eighties, michael ontkean, romantic comedy

ALLY SHEEDY & MICHAEL ONTKEAN IN MAID TO ORDER

YEAR: 1987 This Cinderella tale from the glossy latter-mid 1980's is so obvious, the central spoiled rich girl actually looses a sli...

JACKIE CHAN & PIERCE BROSNAN IN THE FOREIGNER

<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://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OPomv56bnSo/WeBt07imTII/AAAAAAAAzQ4/aunlo8Dm9cs0nFO6Rvies8-Dq41ByMv9QCLcBGAs/s1600/The-Foreigner-Thai-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1417" height="301" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OPomv56bnSo/WeBt07imTII/AAAAAAAAzQ4/aunlo8Dm9cs0nFO6Rvies8-Dq41ByMv9QCLcBGAs/s400/The-Foreigner-Thai-Poster.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u> A Reservoir Doggy Style Poster for Foreigner Year: 2017</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The Bruce Willis remake of the Charles Bronson cult classic DEATH WISH was pushed to next year, and it was originally intended to star and be directed by Sylvester Stallone — yet it's pretty much out now and is also, ironically, a lot like FIRST BLOOD...<br> <br> Those are during the surprisingly few scenes centering on the film's lead, Jackie Chan, looking like a tired, somber, swollen Panda Bear, perfectly fitting the overall mood after his daughter's death from a possible IRA-backed terrorist attack on a London street. Nothing but a blank expression and mostly dead silence makes up for the kind of tireless melodrama usually needed to ignite a high-octane "They'll Get Theirs" action flick, but... here's a double-edged warning for RUMBLE IN THE BRONX (etc.) fans... <br>

2017, action, jackie chan, karate, new, pierce bronsan

JACKIE CHAN & PIERCE BROSNAN IN THE FOREIGNER

 A Reservoir Doggy Style Poster for Foreigner Year: 2017 The Bruce Willis remake of the Charles Bronson cult classic DEATH WISH was push...