JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT IS DISNEY'S WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV6X2Sv6IXMeVvj4iXi70Mbk5WfUQLRUe01RqzMlrioMeqhWKaBw2oESBz5uGNKPc-KN4ZcqS8OUDLMppAQ5CQ1cW92NJ5MdjCYpC3RQTGQ-K-AvosXoxAEuaBS_zrjS-R4E9OJ62-O94/s1600/36378300_506175936478254_7523711069596942336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="955" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbV6X2Sv6IXMeVvj4iXi70Mbk5WfUQLRUe01RqzMlrioMeqhWKaBw2oESBz5uGNKPc-KN4ZcqS8OUDLMppAQ5CQ1cW92NJ5MdjCYpC3RQTGQ-K-AvosXoxAEuaBS_zrjS-R4E9OJ62-O94/s400/36378300_506175936478254_7523711069596942336_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Original Lobby Card Autographed by Jan-Michael Vincent YEAR: 1973</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> John Amos and Tim Conway, the most strangely-cast comedic duo in history, are coaches at a loser junior college full of extremely inept athletes. They take a trip to Africa (where Amos's grandparents came from) and find the greatest athlete in the world... and wouldn't ya know, he's white!<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJ0bwaSZaYtBbL7ZbCCM0MuaY7YuYmrnsYH47ErUYYYECMg3cTyx-MZFSMSRdEYvquwNF8iiPXW0fFmsA8zuqBd_iJqET6DpKaa-GOLp8mzkmFz4DvHM8G7xDQWkNcz_nlT7rw8jaBIhx/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-06-30+at+1.51.57+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="252" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJ0bwaSZaYtBbL7ZbCCM0MuaY7YuYmrnsYH47ErUYYYECMg3cTyx-MZFSMSRdEYvquwNF8iiPXW0fFmsA8zuqBd_iJqET6DpKaa-GOLp8mzkmFz4DvHM8G7xDQWkNcz_nlT7rw8jaBIhx/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-06-30+at+1.51.57+AM.jpg" width="106"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> A young, ripped Jan-Michael Vincent plays Nanu, a Tarzan clone who Amos and Conway trick into returning to the States to gain them a reputation as awesome coaches.  The best scenes in this adventurous, parody-pulpy first act occurs as Vincent shows his home-turf skills, from triumphantly racing Cheetahs upon gloriously horrible real projection effects (hell, even Hitchcock's VistaVision epics suffered those) to the usual tree-swinging frolic... <br> <div> <br> There's really no strong villain like most Disney films, just a selfish businessmen (with his snotty son) and an antagonistic witch doctor (Roscoe Lee Browne), introduced in the Africa sequence, who causes Vincent's Nanu, while he, via montage, exceeds at every sport on all the college's teams until (like in every Disney flick about special powers) losing his abilities for a while, which, dragging about seven-minutes too long, grinds on the nerves as wrongly first-billed Tim Conway has only one solo scene, being voodoo-shrunk to the size of an insect and has to escape from a martini glass: But mostly this ATHLETE centers on Amos, Vincent, a wide-eyed, somewhat plain-Jane ingenue, and a lovable tiger in this just-above-average Disney outing.  </div>

action, adventure, college, comedy, disney, jan-michael vincent, john amos, seventies, sport, tim conway

JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT IS DISNEY'S WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE

Original Lobby Card Autographed by Jan-Michael Vincent YEAR: 1973 John Amos and Tim Conway, the most strangely-cast comedic duo in hist...

SEQUEL TO 'JURASSIC WORLD' ALSO KNOWN AS 'FALLEN KINGDOM'

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YUF8euuyPy7-eHx20jCBiC9-3Wvo2C7kPQ6XHJ7DRkYf2PQ9S9FqOW6Dm3qUNdTnzL-sxr14wdvg5hyZGWW19HohbG7EvuoDPKVaBpzpv9oZmKDJpe2DIdNNbrywm2v2xKP4xc4w2lP0/s1600/06-jurassic-world.w710.h473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="710" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-YUF8euuyPy7-eHx20jCBiC9-3Wvo2C7kPQ6XHJ7DRkYf2PQ9S9FqOW6Dm3qUNdTnzL-sxr14wdvg5hyZGWW19HohbG7EvuoDPKVaBpzpv9oZmKDJpe2DIdNNbrywm2v2xKP4xc4w2lP0/s400/06-jurassic-world.w710.h473.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>YEAR OF RELEASE: 2018</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The fact that the dinosaurs are the most beloved aspect of the JURASSIC PARK series (or anything combining humans with dinos dating back to the 1950's) has become inner-contagious: Now the main characters not only adore the man-eating-monsters and/or leaf-eating giants that could crush cities given half a chance, but they want to actually save them from a second extinction...<br> <br> That's after four movies where they've done nothing but wreak havoc on a myriad of civilians, and now, suddenly, they're like the kangaroo rat, or whatever endangered species conservationists find more important than humans by outlawing the burning of underbrush to keep the full-blown forest fires less drastic (ask any fireman, they'll tell ya)...<br>

action, adventure, bryce dallas howard, chris pratt, dinosaur, jeff goldblum, new, science-fiction, sequel, ted levine

SEQUEL TO 'JURASSIC WORLD' ALSO KNOWN AS 'FALLEN KINGDOM'

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2018 The fact that the dinosaurs are the most beloved aspect of the JURASSIC PARK series (or anything combining humans ...

JESSICA LANGE 'KING KONG: THE LEGEND REBORN' JEFF BRIDGES

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEius0gC7lRdxWxLNp5Ons0CQ-WprLDt44nB64ME5P2_bLkjBXEtKmcVi0E5vIuFVukhPw9AAV3klJBAIdfklvASu_3RlB2NDC3tiUKI5Lbl_LkCkPjH58BySmexYtfpUkgPGxmrEqRTLvKr/s1600/0+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1570" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEius0gC7lRdxWxLNp5Ons0CQ-WprLDt44nB64ME5P2_bLkjBXEtKmcVi0E5vIuFVukhPw9AAV3klJBAIdfklvASu_3RlB2NDC3tiUKI5Lbl_LkCkPjH58BySmexYtfpUkgPGxmrEqRTLvKr/s400/0+2.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jessica Lange takes a shower with her new big beau YEAR: 1976</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The first half is fantastic: a creative set-up with the famous story altered where oil speculator Charles Grodin seeks the fog-surrounded island as a possible origin for that gushy stuff that keeps planes flying and cars running...<br> <br> Jeff Bridges, as a "hippie" stowaway who bribes his way aboard the ship/freighter, knows the island has a big secret, and yet even he's not sure exactly what... Had another actor been cast in this preachy photographer role, liking and even thinking he understands simians over humans (especially the 11th hour American Military in Copters that he voraciously cheers upon their destruction), would be annoying and/or pretentious, even cliché: Given his film credits before and after, it's no surprise that Bridges can be just cool enough to add a tinge of pulpy action hero to the hairy modern do-gooder...<br>

action, adventure, ape suit, charles grodin, creature, disaster, ed lauter, jeff bridges, jessica lange, john guillermin, julius harris, king kong, monster, remake, rené auberjonois

JESSICA LANGE 'KING KONG: THE LEGEND REBORN' JEFF BRIDGES

Jessica Lange takes a shower with her new big beau YEAR: 1976 The first half is fantastic: a creative set-up with the famous story alte...

REVIEW OF 'SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE' BY ALAN DEAN FOSTER

<div style="text-align: left;"> </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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb3NqctArHFhyphenhyphenJ6OwM1sU445qOWUxSvDFGeauCcrB6ePmxHT46wciWL55RsCKprWzPyeBW8alEoWHnHzU894b8uS0IliGa0NMXZqMwT-kE4Muw86tV-BDFgzitGBu18mSVKfFI_EvRvRA/s1600/steelkitten.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="566" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb3NqctArHFhyphenhyphenJ6OwM1sU445qOWUxSvDFGeauCcrB6ePmxHT46wciWL55RsCKprWzPyeBW8alEoWHnHzU894b8uS0IliGa0NMXZqMwT-kE4Muw86tV-BDFgzitGBu18mSVKfFI_EvRvRA/s400/steelkitten.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Graphic Novel adaptation pic for our Alan Dean Foster Star Wars Interview</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Alan Dean Foster is the first author to provide an "expanded universe" novel based on George Lucas's characters.<br> <br>  In fact, he also ghostwrote the STAR WARS tie-in (which is fantastic) and did this story as a possible sequel if STAR WARS was only a moderate success.<br> <br> The plot centers on Luke and Leia and the droids but without Han Solo (as Harrison Ford hadn't signed up for a sequel at that time, pre-Star Wars) crashed on a murky muddy swampy planet, much like Dagobah in the latter EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, wherein they must find a jewel which provides an abundance of the Force.<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_aJfyWQ75xGTzUWpLsTIwECqPiIcfrSdvV3VVJIqaMqNOWJzzxt0zA1N-HQoie2G5P_6E1YIfOL1DqFPUrUa5VenaVBlJvn9yjCSVRhlSaVue2WV3j71XUrtbWNl-RDW8RRLnNYduKSD/s1600/91SXqDWMoML.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="1465" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_aJfyWQ75xGTzUWpLsTIwECqPiIcfrSdvV3VVJIqaMqNOWJzzxt0zA1N-HQoie2G5P_6E1YIfOL1DqFPUrUa5VenaVBlJvn9yjCSVRhlSaVue2WV3j71XUrtbWNl-RDW8RRLnNYduKSD/s320/91SXqDWMoML.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Cover of the classic original BOOK SCORE: ***1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> With just-enough battles and a nice climax with Darth Vadar fighting not only Luke, but Leia, within a temple mileau liken more to Lucas's future Indiana Jones world than Star Wars...<br> <br> And remember, this was before we learned Luke and Leia were brother/sister and their flirtation could be seen as not following the Star Wars canon...<br> <br> Then again, they flirted in Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back as well and, overall there are some corny moments, like Leia being described as a "steel kitten", and some annoying characters, particularly Hallah, a female version of Obi Wan, who keeps referring to Luke as "Luke Boy" (grunt!): But all in all it's a nice adventure written by a really cool sci-fi author who really knows his stuff even when created by somebody else. The opening chapter is tops as it takes many pages for Luke's X-Wing to crash-land.  <br>

alan dean foster, book review, seventies, star wars

REVIEW OF 'SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE' BY ALAN DEAN FOSTER

Graphic Novel adaptation pic for our Alan Dean Foster Star Wars Interview Alan Dean Foster is the first author to provide an "exp...

PROS & CONS OF THE 'RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK' NOVELIZATION

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h5OS3Q4nYjnRTYK6Utl4jRGVEYGv5t-6cY6dFDuFcrJ-cGEAfGyGGc-m1gVIpwUjoMzz51AIGaYb5adPxHrMFifP_ccWxILwvkiHAFc8RH7UGGvjhq2N4e8sAXw3M9s4H9ZwUz5GVAEy/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-06-22+at+4.03.30+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="1108" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h5OS3Q4nYjnRTYK6Utl4jRGVEYGv5t-6cY6dFDuFcrJ-cGEAfGyGGc-m1gVIpwUjoMzz51AIGaYb5adPxHrMFifP_ccWxILwvkiHAFc8RH7UGGvjhq2N4e8sAXw3M9s4H9ZwUz5GVAEy/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-06-22+at+4.03.30+PM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Harrison Ford battles Pat Roach while producer Frank Marshall looks on</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> What makes a good novelization? One word: Flow.... If the writing flows well, then it really doesn't matter how many times you've seen the movie, or how good the movie was on screen compared to the printed page...<br> <br> In that, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, written by Campbell Black, is a good novelization because the already excellent story and incredible movie is here turned into a high octane pulp adventure...<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhqVrn7Qp3d3rSk-KmvAgDcOpAqss_ulLPIDIdiZf15_iakep0fxTgrZAEVjDuLDJ7OTGwbajjPCLuFMUjfT-Wll2DfAzPaKiDXvfMOYb68E6561HVitmv_1wxuV-oZOgxyBsbc4TOkh8/s1600/35898625_499016093860905_2153690146325659648_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhqVrn7Qp3d3rSk-KmvAgDcOpAqss_ulLPIDIdiZf15_iakep0fxTgrZAEVjDuLDJ7OTGwbajjPCLuFMUjfT-Wll2DfAzPaKiDXvfMOYb68E6561HVitmv_1wxuV-oZOgxyBsbc4TOkh8/s320/35898625_499016093860905_2153690146325659648_n.jpg" width="190"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year; 1981 Grade: A—</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Cons are Indy with one of his students in his house... we don't need to know that he plows the girls who draw I LOVE YOU on their eyelids: their mutual starry-eyed crushes were enough. Or learning that Marion was a prostitute in Cairo after her father died in order to purchase the bar. Or Marion's lusting after French villain Belloq and fighting temptation to fall in love with him after he kidnaps her...<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88-WgUvAi7AioRU1hMNQsrmcBAjL4-5Np0FAMNnlZde9A_mLNHrK2bo9Euj2XN2a8JxoG6up2mOiirD7aP2XbXdui2H0gsdFPoMa9Fh6tIcijVeI3vRlepRinfGrd4XwEUvxrYFhKlExT/s1600/61aKF5P-eEL._SL300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi88-WgUvAi7AioRU1hMNQsrmcBAjL4-5Np0FAMNnlZde9A_mLNHrK2bo9Euj2XN2a8JxoG6up2mOiirD7aP2XbXdui2H0gsdFPoMa9Fh6tIcijVeI3vRlepRinfGrd4XwEUvxrYFhKlExT/s1600/61aKF5P-eEL._SL300_.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Improved but Unoriginal</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> On the other hand, we sometimes get to follow Indy from Point B between A and C: Like after he lands in Cairo, going from a crowded airport to a dark highway, driving through the pouring rain, searching for Ravenwood's tavern while being stalked by another mysterious vehicle... And along with other nifty insights during the action sequences, it all works quite well. The chapters are long and thoroughly expressive, the action precise, the dialogue beautifully corny (more purposely-pulpy than the film)...<br> <br> No matter how many times you've seen the Steven Spielberg/George Lucas/Harrison Ford action/adventure classic on the big (or small) screen, you'll feel you're reliving the sublime globetrotting for the very first time. And the cover, while quite underwhelming, is what was created before the movie became a smash hit. The second edition cover uses the much cooler painted poster image of Indy, an already iconic character, but the best to own has that random rudimentary Indy/Marion scene-shot created with the historic blindside of zero hindsight: Just check out the bland black & white back-cover of the JAWS soundtrack LP compared to the colorful sequel album's front <i>and</i> back and you'll get the idea.<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dz5F6Lc-szIbraUDSF1o1Bqg5YZSjKFkRvtGZXmJ30rJ9xC9Pd5m0qVMxRnY7EhXKNxsIqi-W1DxqEQDX80JJHny4kBgnnwz6O7HGwJ1IVHYOIIsOk1wXe4xFEtCEUsAWrvLOwqP9BvP/s1600/33427314_1867745506603054_312909713501061120_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dz5F6Lc-szIbraUDSF1o1Bqg5YZSjKFkRvtGZXmJ30rJ9xC9Pd5m0qVMxRnY7EhXKNxsIqi-W1DxqEQDX80JJHny4kBgnnwz6O7HGwJ1IVHYOIIsOk1wXe4xFEtCEUsAWrvLOwqP9BvP/s1600/33427314_1867745506603054_312909713501061120_o.jpg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>And here's another excellent book... What, didn't you guys ever go to Sunday School?</u></td></tr> </tbody></table>

book review, eighties, george lucas, harrison ford, karen allen, steven spielberg

PROS & CONS OF THE 'RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK' NOVELIZATION

Harrison Ford battles Pat Roach while producer Frank Marshall looks on What makes a good novelization? One word: Flow.... If the writing...

MICK GARRIS DIRECTS STEPHEN KING'S SICK SAGA 'THE STAND'

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJxreh_a19_jjWiCU2q-bxRWT9dWZSG2coOwmCp7_wc2NKoW6Vt7nUsmMCaFq42MHz67uA2IE1MByYlhxPdlIZ6GVPHW4fBV7bC7VA35je5lTkbU-ooSBl4nNxEnj2aI845mWiDcuwXE-x/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-02-18+at+2.38.44+PM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1383" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJxreh_a19_jjWiCU2q-bxRWT9dWZSG2coOwmCp7_wc2NKoW6Vt7nUsmMCaFq42MHz67uA2IE1MByYlhxPdlIZ6GVPHW4fBV7bC7VA35je5lTkbU-ooSBl4nNxEnj2aI845mWiDcuwXE-x/s400/Screen+Shot+2019-02-18+at+2.38.44+PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Adam Storke sits out a song in THE STAND Year: 1994</u></td></tr> </tbody></table><p> Miniseries for Stephen King's THE STAND directed by King's <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/02/SWalkers.html">SLEEPWALKERS</a> collaborator Mick Garris is an epic's epic centering on an eclectic band of survivors from a deadly plague known as "Captain Tripps," eventually uniting around shared dreams of an old black Christian lady on a farm, playing an out-of-tune guitar, sharing a divine vision to lead the Chosen Ones; except for a few chosen rotten apples including a jealous teenage virgin, a sexy pill popper and a spastic psychopath: two are female, and both.... especially a fiendishly sympathetic Laura San Giacomo as this baby's targeted Rosemary... act better and far more realistic than Molly Ringwald's too-subdued and rather dull (yet genuinely sweet) performance as an old-fashion yet unwed, knocked-up ingenue...<i> </i></p><p>Despite her eventual significant-other Gary Sinise's fantastic role as a wise "country don't mean dumb" strong-silent East Texan, one of the coolest, most relaxing, subtly bad-ass heroes in television history. When some (not many) story-lines exceed their limit, it's always Sinise's anchoring Stu Redman who puts the puzzle back together... but in the cool dude department, he's got some beyond-capable assistance/competition...<br> </p>

adam storke, adaptation, brittney lewis, gary sinise, miguel ferrer, miniseries, molly ringwald, nineties, post-apocalyptic, road movie, rob lowe, shawnee smith, stephen king, thriller, TV, virus

MICK GARRIS DIRECTS STEPHEN KING'S SICK SAGA 'THE STAND'

Adam Storke sits out a song in THE STAND Year: 1994 Miniseries for Stephen King's THE STAND directed by King's SLEEPWALKERS col...

MIKI SAEGUSA ERA GODZILLA ONE: GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFv7EzKX8yFUbQdP_dc7lBFhEcDaEmkolZuRya78y58M7Df6CeFlE14ExPRZTzN9O9PO2_YliO7qiIK5wyTudy1q9h9jqePdkoJSrQngjWCqy55QDGDgrEgWubXY6ce4G2ZWs4PFh2Lh5Y/s1600/35360787_492333504529164_1101265945822756864_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="938" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFv7EzKX8yFUbQdP_dc7lBFhEcDaEmkolZuRya78y58M7Df6CeFlE14ExPRZTzN9O9PO2_YliO7qiIK5wyTudy1q9h9jqePdkoJSrQngjWCqy55QDGDgrEgWubXY6ce4G2ZWs4PFh2Lh5Y/s400/35360787_492333504529164_1101265945822756864_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Megumi Odaka's Miki Saegusa sees inside of monsters YEAR: 1989 </u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Strange that a movie about Godzilla fighting a giant plant with the head of a red rose would be one of the best of the entire franchise, dating back from the origins, but it's true... GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE is also the first of five co-starring Japanese starlet Megumi Odaka as Miki Saegusa,  bringing to light another miracle...<br> <br> That a young, cute, vulnerable and sympathetic Japanese girl (with upturned leafy ears giving her a unique koala bear pixie look), gifted with ESP, could actually read Godzilla's mind without it being too lame or corny: She's what Amy Irving is to THE FURY (think CARRIE with powers in check). And her four other "Heisei Godzilla" films (later distributed by Miramax on awesomely inexpensive blu rays) lasted throughout the entire 1990's...<br>

action, creature, disaster, eighties, godzilla, japanese, megumi odaka, science-fiction

MIKI SAEGUSA ERA GODZILLA ONE: GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE

Megumi Odaka's Miki Saegusa sees inside of monsters YEAR: 1989 Strange that a movie about Godzilla fighting a giant plant with the h...

BELATED OPENING-WEEKEND REVIEW OF 'HOTEL ARTEMIS'

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QFL2oczNy-36TxAJ1rR3D9l4ERa7cZERncObQXBOW92W96ylBboB_0n0K8Iq9ltAOnUwRtGWe34XEaz0szWXuIHJQgKJM31k5vAzmVz-9el4y2b-Us2NBmp7jVhld5b2QgZtGFgHyXKD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-06-11+at+1.09.04+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QFL2oczNy-36TxAJ1rR3D9l4ERa7cZERncObQXBOW92W96ylBboB_0n0K8Iq9ltAOnUwRtGWe34XEaz0szWXuIHJQgKJM31k5vAzmVz-9el4y2b-Us2NBmp7jVhld5b2QgZtGFgHyXKD/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-06-11+at+1.09.04+AM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>But an extremely cool retro paperback poster artwork YEAR: 2018</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Many have compared HOTEL ARTEMIS to JOHN WICK because of the hotel for criminals, which is just window-dressing here as this dingy palace actually serves as a hospital for injured, high-paying criminal club members, and the plot does sound intriguing but remains a benign foundation for a rushed action-caper just as the hotel itself harbors its crooked clientele... <br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xKAwpmZ6yONUideNOhLZAG4xS-99WEvsLaS_zt8afh8cMW5aFMeQCIFpYx3cV0-J95j2p0gxm-7dRiIqsSNmPgWgzc6A5FQ3zoJ7uwBfcAIaG88dVYRbE0chCDwfXPlH4foVv8RLNxO0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-06-25+at+6.34.54+AM+2+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="701" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xKAwpmZ6yONUideNOhLZAG4xS-99WEvsLaS_zt8afh8cMW5aFMeQCIFpYx3cV0-J95j2p0gxm-7dRiIqsSNmPgWgzc6A5FQ3zoJ7uwBfcAIaG88dVYRbE0chCDwfXPlH4foVv8RLNxO0/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-06-25+at+6.34.54+AM+2+2.jpg" width="178"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Hotel Score: *1/2</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The hardly Noir-ambiguous good-bad people may as well wear endearing, audience-friendly halos, especially Jodie Foster as a boozy nurse along with a really cool and mellow black thief who discovers he stole far too much from the wrong people ala CHARLEY VARRICK, combined with a superhuman Kung Fu chick taking down lethal henchman ala KILL BILL, while a broader homage is a complete "out" for the suspense: the movie takes place in a familiar dystopic near-future resembling ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK where a riotous mob is tearing up the city because a corporation stole their water i.e. CHINATOWN...<br> <br> All this a contrived attempt to instill a sense of urgency <i>outside</i> since there's little to none <i>inside</i>... For example, the Nurse's various ER rooms (named after idyllic holiday spots), during what are supposed to be edgy and intense surgeries to mend the badly wounded, are replete with miraculous, robotic, push-button machines that Dr. McCoy from STAR TREK would envy: Leaving an extremely old and haggard-looking, cliché-neurotic, overacting Foster to seem useless and alone even during unexpected peril — although she's never <i>actually</i> in real danger thanks to... <br>

2018, genre tarantino, jeff goldblum, jodie foster, neo noir, new, science-fiction, thriller

BELATED OPENING-WEEKEND REVIEW OF 'HOTEL ARTEMIS'

But an extremely cool retro paperback poster artwork YEAR: 2018 Many have compared HOTEL ARTEMIS to JOHN WICK because of the hotel for c...

DON'T BLAME OLD LUKE FOR YOUNG 'SOLO' EPICALLY FAILING

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYMnEfClNToxG8oDBbiQGa_5-VQjp_Invx7XQvPZBUm49e14L9dvyVaN4XvzSw7P3MLFT8isukJNU1ZYjZQxmcvgAEg3b6YkYCu_KHdhfEKrFgMlmaXPoawxv830Rkt2-Yx_1YqioV_w6/s1600/i-dont-know-fly-casual.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="425" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYMnEfClNToxG8oDBbiQGa_5-VQjp_Invx7XQvPZBUm49e14L9dvyVaN4XvzSw7P3MLFT8isukJNU1ZYjZQxmcvgAEg3b6YkYCu_KHdhfEKrFgMlmaXPoawxv830Rkt2-Yx_1YqioV_w6/s400/i-dont-know-fly-casual.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>SOLO didn't even "Fly Casual" at the box office: We love THIS Han Solo </u></td></tr> </tbody></table> THE LAST JEDI backlash is at an all-time peak, five months after its financially successful (until the epic second week drop) yet fan abhorred, controversial release, and it's because SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY is failing, and has failed, and could ultimately lose over fifty-million dollars for Lucasfilm/Disney...<br> <br> But at this point, the blaming of the JEDI scapegoat is an excuse that's getting old. Hell, even Disney faults Rian Johnson's Episode VIII for their standalone Han Solo prequel tanking. Ironically, they promised Johnson an entire trilogy for making the movie that's supposedly killing <i>this </i>one. With all that going against THE LAST JEDI, how can the mysterious other-galaxy saga remain free from the trash compactor? <br>

article, franchise, new, star wars

DON'T BLAME OLD LUKE FOR YOUNG 'SOLO' EPICALLY FAILING

SOLO didn't even "Fly Casual" at the box office: We love THIS Han Solo THE LAST JEDI backlash is at an all-time peak, five...

FORGOTTEN ANG LEE MARVEL W/ UNIVERSAL 'HULK' PICTURE

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8Rkgo3yutN_mT3ylTCycpLhhw2B1tml6Hu4tqhhZGZ0q5LGF1Xo_AGz95muj_UyEEsEEil7noGgbMaz7kvaedemSss6nAab60wdx59d7HpDBDTY3EPPhgm8qBfGrpowx8Yi2KVtg-N0k/s1600/34508495_487127881716393_5123512224505135104_n.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="925" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8Rkgo3yutN_mT3ylTCycpLhhw2B1tml6Hu4tqhhZGZ0q5LGF1Xo_AGz95muj_UyEEsEEil7noGgbMaz7kvaedemSss6nAab60wdx59d7HpDBDTY3EPPhgm8qBfGrpowx8Yi2KVtg-N0k/s400/34508495_487127881716393_5123512224505135104_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Hulk crashes out of The Sting at Victory Drive-In HULK Year: 2003</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The early days of modern cinema Marvel when there were no constant one-liners ala Tony Starkasm... Yes, Robert Downey Jr. <i>is</i> funny but soon enough, every damn superhero had to share in his constantly glib persona. Even the recent Star Wars movies use it. Lighten up all the lighting up already... Let's get back to basics...<br> <br> HULK, the first big screen solo effort, is underrated and pretty good in several ways, taking forty-two minutes until Eric Bana, as scientist Bruce Banner... with the inevitable rage built-in from birth... turns into what Sam Elliott's tough General calls "The Big Man." Taking so much time for the payoff might seem crazy to some, but even KING KONG waited forty-eight minutes to reveal <i>that</i> titular beast. The reason for this is... Suspense: Thankfully, until the long-drawn climax pitting the military verses a sunny desert leaping Hulk (backed by Danny Elfman's worst score), he's kept mostly in the dark, outside, or within softly-lit interiors: like the laboratory he breaks out of to start the ball rolling. While the side-characters, including ingenue Jennifer Connelly and smarmy villain Josh Lucas, aren't altogether fleshed-out, Bana plays Banner interestingly enough so the transformations matter. Also let it be noted that he and Mark Ruffalo (AVENGERS) share a slight swarthy resemblance to the only human to play the creature: the iconic Lou Ferrigno...  <br>

action, comic book, eric bana, jennifer connelly, lou ferrigno, marvel, nick nolte, science-fiction, zeroes

FORGOTTEN ANG LEE MARVEL W/ UNIVERSAL 'HULK' PICTURE

Hulk crashes out of The Sting at Victory Drive-In HULK Year: 2003 The early days of modern cinema Marvel when there were no constant one...

JIM KELLY IN 'THE TATTOO CONNECTON' AJKA 'BLACK BELT JONES 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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Hg1OMHKYOMgE8ug22BIBHvvUNZvg8_sx0-RGUpkclEIX4_oulCq6ob0z-af2sJg7nj1DI1l5z3bb3NpGBL1WuB_CU9CapXXK9AAfnCnMlEa_o0GSE0SPbs5IuUeJLCTniG6-sjUlPs_A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-06-01+at+6.54.18+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1238" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Hg1OMHKYOMgE8ug22BIBHvvUNZvg8_sx0-RGUpkclEIX4_oulCq6ob0z-af2sJg7nj1DI1l5z3bb3NpGBL1WuB_CU9CapXXK9AAfnCnMlEa_o0GSE0SPbs5IuUeJLCTniG6-sjUlPs_A/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-06-01+at+6.54.18+PM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Groovy title sequence YEAR of RELEASE: 1978</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Not a sequel to BLACK BELT JONES despite the misleading alternative title, which HOT POTATO was supposed to be and failed: Instead, THE TATTOO CONNECTION is a Tao-liang Tan vehicle with ENTER THE DRAGON afro icon Jim Kelly on the side... <br> <br> But with his usual confident bravado he steals, and eventually owns, this thoroughly entertaining Chinese-imported Kung Fu flick centering on the recovery of a stolen diamond and the mobster thugs who want it, and who they use in the process: Enter "Master of Kicks" Tan, who kicks ass for fifteen-minutes before Kelly, a CIA agent named Lucas, is called in from America. Tan works for the villainous Sin Cheng along with Bolo Yeung and some other badly dubbed goons, but eventually our flash-legged hero, with the aid of beautiful wife Nami Misaki, joins Kelly's Lucas in a glorious fight on a freighter ship in a movie that, through time and lack of restoration, looks awful and grainy (awfully grainy) and yet, overall, TATTOO CONNECTION (officially titled "E yu tou hei sha xing" and also known as HONG KONG CONNECTION, ) is surprisingly good stuff with lots of quick zooms, and not too much exposition dialogue since you always know where the character are going, and why.<br> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>

blaxploitation, bolo yeung, jim kelly, karate, seventies

JIM KELLY IN 'THE TATTOO CONNECTON' AJKA 'BLACK BELT JONES 2'

Groovy title sequence YEAR of RELEASE: 1978 Not a sequel to BLACK BELT JONES despite the misleading alternative title, which HOT POTATO ...