cult film freak: john travolta

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Written by James M. Tate / 2/27/2025 / No comments / comedy , danny devito , delroy lindo , dennis farina , elmore leonard , gene hackman , james gandolfini , john travolta , jon gries , martin ferrero , neo noir , nineties , rene russo

GENE HACKMAN SHOTGUNS 'GET SHORTY' STARRING JOHN TRAVOLTA

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLjkIlQfn9Ga06Tms2N6YJSTfa3qTdqlMJrJ8s3eg6zP9CzvrgIOXxqg7Wblm9CbCxQXTQbJFEcFekY79Z948VUIXpFz7jz-CAM3FHNSUeozu6Wlb25S7gkXqPmOgnY-4NmFQYGCOLSsZJJrIayHKTvaigcAqqAP4uPofZObj7T5fPjA19DPGLc4xhviZ/s1612/Screen%20Shot%202025-03-12%20at%201.32.33%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="806" data-original-width="1612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLjkIlQfn9Ga06Tms2N6YJSTfa3qTdqlMJrJ8s3eg6zP9CzvrgIOXxqg7Wblm9CbCxQXTQbJFEcFekY79Z948VUIXpFz7jz-CAM3FHNSUeozu6Wlb25S7gkXqPmOgnY-4NmFQYGCOLSsZJJrIayHKTvaigcAqqAP4uPofZObj7T5fPjA19DPGLc4xhviZ/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202025-03-12%20at%201.32.33%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Gene Hackman co-starring in GET SHORTY Year: 1995 Rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>One of the late Gene Hackman's least Gene Hackman-style roles is Barry Sonnenfeld's hip/slick adaption of novelist Elmore Leonard's Hollywood satire GET SHORTY, where, on the other hand, John Travolta's central <span data-huuid="18436563072568921884"><span>shylark</span></span> Chili Palmer <i>is</i> very much in Travolta's wheelhouse... since he'd just played another likeable yet dangerous wiseguy in Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yet his character here's far more smooth, confident and upfront, using his own resilient quick wits (and sometimes fists) instead of a gun, or armed partner... although this particular lone wolf's surrounded by many characters straight from Leonard's usual arsenal of fast-talkers, including Hackman's passive-aggressive b-movie-directing boob Harry Zimm, who gets beaten to a <i>pulp</i> by the film's first of two sharply-dressed antagonists... <br></p><p><span></span></p>

comedy, danny devito, delroy lindo, dennis farina, elmore leonard, gene hackman, james gandolfini, john travolta, jon gries, martin ferrero, neo noir, nineties, rene russo

GENE HACKMAN SHOTGUNS 'GET SHORTY' STARRING JOHN TRAVOLTA

Gene Hackman co-starring in GET SHORTY Year: 1995 Rating: ****1/2 One of the late Gene Hackman's least Gene Hackman-style roles is Barry...

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & JOHN TRAVOLTA IN 'TWO OF A KIND'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbLPkMq5vs2Kf4rpok04CY-LE2UPjgQzc2myONKVzb7k0gBM-HBq7jV6Ay7DM7unUrDj4ZK3eMqtdl83T7JoSt-dBIEm501R5QpwqMIPnOIFQUo0lnxS0UHjvcqlUQ5oJf4K2u6g19j_Zn8NphsKyEhFRwOov1sf1cVGqsJsR-oOBpLP74fE82RMbtA/s1578/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-08%20at%204.37.44%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="1578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbLPkMq5vs2Kf4rpok04CY-LE2UPjgQzc2myONKVzb7k0gBM-HBq7jV6Ay7DM7unUrDj4ZK3eMqtdl83T7JoSt-dBIEm501R5QpwqMIPnOIFQUo0lnxS0UHjvcqlUQ5oJf4K2u6g19j_Zn8NphsKyEhFRwOov1sf1cVGqsJsR-oOBpLP74fE82RMbtA/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-08%20at%204.37.44%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Olivia Newton-John Travolta in TWO OF A KIND Year: 1983 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Iconic <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2013/09/grease-revisited.html?fbclid=IwAR0-PhBPy889pCmRszKQD5oPStQoljiUhS7-RsVTruqtL-UYJW8GzAmLKS4">GREASE</a> stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John turned down reprising their roles in the sequel because of a bad script, and yet they chose the bizarre TWO OF A KIND instead, a romantic comedy involving guardian angels... <br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Including Charles Durning and Scatman Crothers who, to save Earth from God voiced by Gene Hackman, must prove that the randomly selected John Travolta, as a bank robbing inventor, could risk everything for equally broke bank teller Olivia Newton-John, pulling off what Elliott Gould did to Christopher Plummer in <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2021/02/need-a-plummer.html">THE SILENT PARTNER</a>: keeping the money the crook reportedly stole...</p><p><span></span></p>

charles durning, eighties, fantasy, gene hackman, heist, john travolta, oliver reed, olivia newton-john, richard bright, romantic comedy, scatman crothers

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & JOHN TRAVOLTA IN 'TWO OF A KIND'

Olivia Newton-John Travolta in TWO OF A KIND Year: 1983 Rating: *** Iconic GREASE stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John turned down re...

GROOVING THROUGH 'GREASE' OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN TRAVOLTA

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQRLa65Paun8221hMOWf86G0o1flHquHEG8-86uQKUunxkQWoJ-5Oc2adYX1xDDkwLCpFRDi6nvkxOitaCsUxZHmHrVQ1Kw4PFaN3oDG258ogSEiwSi4ZLRoofMdScNMEoBfzyjeu88hJnRm7GkVHCGzNWevx7H4thA8c2zTYgcHHOUnSj11q70FhCA/s1406/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-09%20at%201.07.04%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQRLa65Paun8221hMOWf86G0o1flHquHEG8-86uQKUunxkQWoJ-5Oc2adYX1xDDkwLCpFRDi6nvkxOitaCsUxZHmHrVQ1Kw4PFaN3oDG258ogSEiwSi4ZLRoofMdScNMEoBfzyjeu88hJnRm7GkVHCGzNWevx7H4thA8c2zTYgcHHOUnSj11q70FhCA/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-08-09%20at%201.07.04%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1978 cast: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Eddie Deezen, who played Eugene, the hyperactive geek on the outskirts of Rydell High student activity, a campus balancing stupid jocks and wily hoods, phony cheerleaders and sexy tough chicks, described GREASE in a Cult Film Freak interview as “A two month party, the happiest time I ever had on a film… Just magic.” And that sums up the entire movie… a magical masterpiece, indeed. And even while viewing the GREASE SINGALONG there’s so much more than just music and catchy songs...<br>
<br>
That's not to say the music isn't extremely important. It's a musical, after all, and each track provides insight and exposition to both the T-Birds, led by John Travolta’s supercool Danny Zuko, and the Pink Ladies, with scene-stealing Stockard Channing as Betty Rizzo. Here are two gangs with the same purpose: hang out and, despite being saddled with education, have a good time… But then, like in real life, it takes an outsider/new kid to stir up the pot...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span></span>

comedy, jeff conaway, john travolta, musical, olivia newton-john, randal kleiser, seventies, stockard channing

GROOVING THROUGH 'GREASE' OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN TRAVOLTA

year: 1978 cast: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway rating: ****1/2 Eddie Deezen, who played Eugene, the hyp...

JESSIE LA RIVE MAPES ON PLAYING HERSELF IN 'URBAN COWBOY'

country music, debra winger, eighties, interview, james bridges, james gammon, jessie la rive, john travolta, love triangle, scott glenn, sport

JESSIE LA RIVE MAPES ON PLAYING HERSELF IN 'URBAN COWBOY'

Interview with Urban Cowboy's Jessie La Rive Mapes "Hold my beer, Jessie," Debra Winger's character, Sissy, tells real...

JOHN TRAVOLTA RIDES 'URBAN COWBOY' VERSES SCOTT GLENN

debra winger, drama, eighties, james bridges, jessie la rive, john travolta, madolyn smith, melodrama, romance, scott glenn, sport

JOHN TRAVOLTA RIDES 'URBAN COWBOY' VERSES SCOTT GLENN

John Travolta in Urban Cowboy YEAR: 1980 Another soundtrack film with John Travolta after disco and 1950's rock paid off, James Brid...

JOHN TRAVOLTA STARS IN THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT 'PERFECT'

anne de salvo, camp, cult, eighties, jamie lee curtis, john travolta, laraine newman, marilu henner, melodrama, romance, sport

JOHN TRAVOLTA STARS IN THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT 'PERFECT'

Laraine Newman w/ John Travolta in the wings of PERFECT Year: 1986 Following his practical ownership of the 1970's, from playing the...

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN TRAVOLTA STAR IN TWO OF A KIND

charles durning, gene hackman, john travolta, oliver reed, olivia newton-john, romantic comedy, scatman crothers, team-up

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN TRAVOLTA STAR IN TWO OF A KIND

Year Released: 1983 Not being a huge fan of what's considered the so-called Golden Era of Cinema wherein Welles, Hitchcock and Film ...

YET ANOTHER ECLECTIC BAGFUL OF RANDOM REVIEWS

<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/AVvXsEhz7-VTOZ26q0zF7hzVZi8m38N9Ki9vfHCXoivW6B2eyi0L_jizuHin68YQzy-HiRDoOXUkPATIuWnnrwdQkCxLqFT8n3FckNvdroXt_u6mmIQy-DDNa3saTf-SPTLgUTNDh55qDLVsGas/s1600/my-favorite-year-movie-poster-1982-1010467390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7-VTOZ26q0zF7hzVZi8m38N9Ki9vfHCXoivW6B2eyi0L_jizuHin68YQzy-HiRDoOXUkPATIuWnnrwdQkCxLqFT8n3FckNvdroXt_u6mmIQy-DDNa3saTf-SPTLgUTNDh55qDLVsGas/s1600/my-favorite-year-movie-poster-1982-1010467390.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1983 rating: ****</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>MY FAVORITE YEAR:</b> During the eighties, epic dramatic actor Peter O'Toole, best 
known for LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, starred in a string of quirky comedy films 
including CREATOR, 
CLUB PARADISE and HIGH SPIRITS...<br />
<br />
Set far apart from those is MY FAVORITE YEAR, garnering O'Toole 
yet another Oscar nomination and one of the best ensemble comedies involving
 behind-the-scene antics of a television show where the characters run 
around frantically, and everything's on the verge of disaster... The mayhem caused by an aging acting-legend of swashbuckling programmers (ala Error 
Flynn) played by a rascally O'Toole and set during the 1950's, when live TV broadcasts reigned...<br />
<br />
Buried lead Mark Linn Baker stars as young 
writer Benjy Stone, who must wrangle O'Toole's Alan Swann from booze and women in order to succeed
 on the telecast, but ends up learning a lesson in life, love and 
adventure. And beyond the two stars are a terrific ensemble cast including 
Joseph Bolonga as an egotistical actor in charge, Jessica Harper as the brainy ingenue and Cameron Mitchell as a gun-toting heavy. <br />
<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFagcPOPkvJzOGhV-0Jqnvnpob4Nk8pqFrb16oiwCyyveYqQ5V03jR5L0BQCz2rpx7XzTB-obi7XGfHwCguYX5CawziFvad5CDLMdkFd3J2ZenHXG9tDal4ewXiuTs_2y3KPE0_CdU1t0/s1600/4128407491_c49838fd04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510661646766430850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFagcPOPkvJzOGhV-0Jqnvnpob4Nk8pqFrb16oiwCyyveYqQ5V03jR5L0BQCz2rpx7XzTB-obi7XGfHwCguYX5CawziFvad5CDLMdkFd3J2ZenHXG9tDal4ewXiuTs_2y3KPE0_CdU1t0/s200/4128407491_c49838fd04.jpg" style="float: right; height: 178px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1981 rating: **1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>PENNIES FROM  HEAVEN:</b> Chock
 this up as one of the weirdest films ever made, and possibly the 
bravest: to have the characters lip sync to old songs during the course 
of the linear story: that of a song salesman, Steve Martin, travelling 
away from home and a chilly wife to a Noirish city full of shadows and 
innocent-turned-sultry Bernedette Peters.<br />
<br />
Realizing 
all the quirky song and dance numbers (one provided by Christopher 
Walken) are daydreams gives merit to a somewhat involving 
melodrama with ironical humor thrown in for good measure.<br />
<br />
"I want to live in a world where the songs come true," Martin says at 
one point. "There must be someplace where the songs are for real." For 
better or worse, he found just the place.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9JgxMV8sXqlXS-zSrhEbJGEZ_9fiigy6Y5BDvEOgAY54YowJe5J6lzdX4IvhMbwAVVGgVDHvIwIao4bn5GdpyD_bzEqqEPwuCnTsg3YvjQM0Y2vJMWutWGjbiMIUjHsov_Wg1-mQ9KY/s1600/images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510639959466062978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9JgxMV8sXqlXS-zSrhEbJGEZ_9fiigy6Y5BDvEOgAY54YowJe5J6lzdX4IvhMbwAVVGgVDHvIwIao4bn5GdpyD_bzEqqEPwuCnTsg3YvjQM0Y2vJMWutWGjbiMIUjHsov_Wg1-mQ9KY/s200/images.jpg" style="float: right; height: 130px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1984 rating: ***1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>SECRET ADMIRER:</b> A
 terrific ensemble sex comedy that equally involves the energetic teens 
and their frustrated parents as a secret admirer's love letter tangles 
them all together.<br />
<br />
C. Thomas Howell is good as the central character, in lust with sexy 
Kelly Preston and surreptitiously fawned-over by RAD and FULL HOUSE starlet Lori Loughlin, whose performance as the
 woeful every-girl steals the show: after all, the film's named 
after her central character, the most sympathetic throughout. <br />
<br />
Cliff DeYoung, Dee Wallace, Leigh 
Taylor-Young and Fred Ward are cast perfectly as the convoluted peeps, 
making this curio, that fell through the cracks of 80's pop culture, a thoroughly entertaining little flick.  <br />
<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLOiLqVEX0iHL_UVrPJgxEPfRyilSbMKHnif39lWUhkGSq6RUuzo9dcTpepxP-59PrJBS5dLGFm-WJ76RDj-eb8uphX8mmz0XfVDPMyYQ5ou0ZvbkV7QwL5y1X5HTAc4Uaoi2oc-HFEM/s1600/Labyrinth-Connely-Bowie_lddd-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510637447739316290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLOiLqVEX0iHL_UVrPJgxEPfRyilSbMKHnif39lWUhkGSq6RUuzo9dcTpepxP-59PrJBS5dLGFm-WJ76RDj-eb8uphX8mmz0XfVDPMyYQ5ou0ZvbkV7QwL5y1X5HTAc4Uaoi2oc-HFEM/s200/Labyrinth-Connely-Bowie_lddd-1.jpg" style="float: right; height: 142px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1986 rating: **1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>LABYRINTH:</b> For
 a rock star, David Bowie is a capable actor. But having his character... 
the king of Goblins ruling a fantasy world where a castle lays in the 
center of a mazy labyrinth... continuously sing songs not only takes the viewer out of 
the fantasy element, but the tunes are dated and forgettable.<br />
<br />
It's
 the outlandishly gorgeous Jennifer Connely who shines as the main 
character, a selfish young girl who wishes her crying infant to the 
goblins. And when her wish takes her up on it, she must figure a way 
through the maze to the castle: a suspenseful, creative adventure that 
works well... as long as there's no singing involved.<br />
<br />
The late great director Jim Henson's puppets, <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> far superior than CGI, are terrific, but this is to Henson's brilliant 
THE DARK CRYSTAL what RETURN OF THE JEDI was to STAR WARS: a little too 
silly for its own good, but still pretty good nonetheless. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHj0wtOxIECu7zXolleV3Zd6DRow4i5JhGtiJ0seC0qUHsb8HGrRb6f40xg_iq3RufcMYJSYozrK4wRwspQkO0N59_3IouzwJXHGr71JNjAdPDtxAy14iQz-lXsFRLVddaztd_KDSYeYY/s1600/cop-out-movie.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507941100399348210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHj0wtOxIECu7zXolleV3Zd6DRow4i5JhGtiJ0seC0qUHsb8HGrRb6f40xg_iq3RufcMYJSYozrK4wRwspQkO0N59_3IouzwJXHGr71JNjAdPDtxAy14iQz-lXsFRLVddaztd_KDSYeYY/s200/cop-out-movie.jpg" style="float: right; height: 172px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2010 rating: **1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>COP OUT: </b>One-liners
 are usually Kevin Smith's strong-point, but in this buddy team-up cop comedy written by someone else, as director and editor he
 glides the action scenes nicely yet some of the wacky dialogue muddles the pace.<br />
<br />
Certain
 aspects do mirror Smith's forte: for instance, the way Bruce Willis, as
 a seasoned cop, cherishes a prized baseball card which, after stolen, 
turns out to be the centerpiece aka McGuffin of the film...  And how his 
comedic sidekick Tracy Morgan fears his wife's infidelity, driving him 
to neurosis... All fitting within the grunge-era 
filmmaker's niche, ranging from nostalgia to bad relationships...  Not to forget the addition of Seann William Scott as the frantic wild card (think Joe Pesci from LETHAL WEAPON combined with JACKASS Johnny Knoxville).<br />
<br />
Even when things get semi-serious... Willis needing to 
pay for his daughter's wedding and Morgan reeling about his wife... it 
becomes a much better movie than the reviews suggest. And a retro score by Harold Faltermeyer (a cross of BEVERLY HILLS 
COP and FLETCH) adds nicely to the overall mix: more homage than parody 
and surprisingly decent overall.<br />
<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SyTgbuGqRqLWLVelJ_JtT0EyA1Fnv5HhxSbM2bgVEB5J1_t1O6SjksEcexrhN9RILEm967rzbvqgF8lCQtL8lUfgm_2pYDJ5ztWnm2SxywNYhd1NUICvutEqMRhSxYjqj9fkGaehck8/s1600/old-dogs.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507953368771803618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SyTgbuGqRqLWLVelJ_JtT0EyA1Fnv5HhxSbM2bgVEB5J1_t1O6SjksEcexrhN9RILEm967rzbvqgF8lCQtL8lUfgm_2pYDJ5ztWnm2SxywNYhd1NUICvutEqMRhSxYjqj9fkGaehck8/s200/old-dogs.jpg" style="float: right; height: 157px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2009 rating: *</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>OLD DOGS:</b> One
 of the worst family films ever created, providing that always-jaunty 
Disney soundtrack as Robin Williams and John Travolta raise two kids 
Williams had with Kelly Preston: that he was completely unaware of.<br />
<br />
Both
 men are successful sports agents... Travolta a meandering playboy and 
Williams a stuffed shirt. If Travolta was the character forced into 
fatherhood perhaps we might have something, but Williams is so 
comfortably readymade for this new task, his character's arc, and 
revelation that he loves his kids more than his occupation, means 
nothing.<br />
<br />
The constantly forced wacky situations, horrible
 chemistry of the two leads, embarrassing misuse of CGI and uninteresting 
side-characters makes DOGS a completely forgettable howler.

bagful, eighties, fifties, fred ward, jessica harper, john travolta, leigh taylor-young, musical, peter o'toole, robin williams, steve martin, tens

YET ANOTHER ECLECTIC BAGFUL OF RANDOM REVIEWS

year: 1983 rating: **** MY FAVORITE YEAR: During the eighties, epic dramatic actor Peter O'Toole, best known for LAWRENCE OF ARABI...

Written by James M. Tate / 6/17/2014 / No comments / barry miller , cynthia rhodes , frank stallone , john travolta , sequel , seventies , sylvester stallone

JOHN TRAVOLTA IN 'SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER' AND 'STAYING ALIVE'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy9qurR6CcCp_uymiT1xC3kP4XVdNlF_FRCssFaLedjQBZtI0KC7BAcEsuZQpueakduJ7s3QDerV6acbL0gNEDk67W2H0M5Cx0IVgsiSFYmD1qXLdV7mcL-gRPGgVCvACEvjozpM0brrK/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-12-13+at+1.27.39+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="1600" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEy9qurR6CcCp_uymiT1xC3kP4XVdNlF_FRCssFaLedjQBZtI0KC7BAcEsuZQpueakduJ7s3QDerV6acbL0gNEDk67W2H0M5Cx0IVgsiSFYmD1qXLdV7mcL-gRPGgVCvACEvjozpM0brrK/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-12-13+at+1.27.39+AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>John Travolta (facing unseen talent agent Estelle Getty) YEAR: 1983</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>STAYING ALIVE:</u><b> </b>Believe it or not, 
STAYING ALIVE, the sequel to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, is not a John 
Travolta film...<br />
<br />
It belongs entirely to writer/director Sylvester 
Stallone, rehashing the ROCKY storyline of a diamond in the rough 
fighting to survive, and given a miraculous chance at quick fame (much 
like Stallone himself)...<br />
<br />
Only here he's a dancer, not a 
boxer... and unlike the Oscar-winning southpaw tale, it's a pretty bad 
movie/great guilty pleasure, and fun as hell! Travolta 
struggles to make it from the streets to lead dancer in the cheesiest 
Broadway musical ever created, SATAN'S ALLEY (a title derived from 
Stallone's own b-movie, PARADISE ALLEY), a cross between CATS and a surreal flu 
dream...<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR85RAYsqdT7JaDY1erAQp2dVbV6MmkNqpjNRCZg5bM1cietods6hki-To7uY_II_uPaeDYISr0iBEJViBPupSLmtAbUzacTVz4xxfluJHRoEo5JajhgXlUwEwkoGVKkX_zjhVZZaOfo/s1600/Staying-Alive-John-Travolta.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR85RAYsqdT7JaDY1erAQp2dVbV6MmkNqpjNRCZg5bM1cietods6hki-To7uY_II_uPaeDYISr0iBEJViBPupSLmtAbUzacTVz4xxfluJHRoEo5JajhgXlUwEwkoGVKkX_zjhVZZaOfo/s1600/Staying-Alive-John-Travolta.jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>"Dancing So Close... To... The Fire!"</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Playing the character he made famous in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER,
 Travolta's former Disco King Tony Manero charms his way into the bed of beautiful and classy Broadway star Finola Hughes, who turns the tables and uses 
him. And much like the FEVER dance contest finale, the big budget musical is what
 everything leads to... resulting in the same kind of whiny idealism for
 the main character, taking his dancing much too seriously... But now 
we're skipping ahead... <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLPhYIYbcIc53iDFIRkRhZxvKuyIf8R4QycLnhcqBOcGWyUeQkOE4pJdAiqM6EqILEkSlGs0N9MZIDMfiIer61kV9OejTVjBZiKurc2qP0SDOzd4ZCnBzOgtUKmX5JQo3Sez-wHLE-tE/s1600/stayling+alive+2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLPhYIYbcIc53iDFIRkRhZxvKuyIf8R4QycLnhcqBOcGWyUeQkOE4pJdAiqM6EqILEkSlGs0N9MZIDMfiIer61kV9OejTVjBZiKurc2qP0SDOzd4ZCnBzOgtUKmX5JQo3Sez-wHLE-tE/s1600/stayling+alive+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Cynthia's "Rocky" Rhodes</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There's a contrived overabundance of Tony getting his
 just-deserts i.e. the player getting played by this devilish vixen, and his 
complaining gets tiresome... <br />
<br />
All the while he uses his loyal girlfriend 
played by Cynthia Rhodes, a cross between FEVER originals Karen Lynn Gorney (talented) and Donna Pescow (sym<u>pathetic</u>): Rhode's Jackie just can't help but to 
love the bad boy. And, like Rocky Balboa, our dancing hero, 
sculpted with mapped-out body muscles yet looking strangely gaunt, 
facially, strives for heights never thought possible: Tony, having 
"grown up," is now going for gold.<br />
<br />
The new, geared-for-the-1980's Bee
 Gee's Soundtrack, unlike the classically catchy disco romps of the late-70's (which had seemed a thousand years earlier but was only six), is full 
of breezy, filler, forgettable pop tunes. Meanwhile, Frank Stallone's muscular fanfare, <i>Far From Over</i>, captures the "drive" a whole lot better, serving as a victorious anthem much like Bill Conti's <i>Gonna Fly Now</i> in ROCKY...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri_Zf0XFVXFrgJc-UbSPJq3IlPLMfliooIlxETaPiyg9FggTjmJnvJbL1IKSOoB2xdpcpQeR9GEakwlHeeUHlAoLtqVmqkrd7EfnDTA0VJsjKmQx3ThARND21mVWSs3-waBN6z51rVLY/s1600/2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgri_Zf0XFVXFrgJc-UbSPJq3IlPLMfliooIlxETaPiyg9FggTjmJnvJbL1IKSOoB2xdpcpQeR9GEakwlHeeUHlAoLtqVmqkrd7EfnDTA0VJsjKmQx3ThARND21mVWSs3-waBN6z51rVLY/s320/2.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>"Demented Paratroop;er"</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In some ways, STAYING ALIVE is even more entertaining than the 
original, centering completely on Tony sans intrusion from his priest brother, bickering parents (though mom provides a mellow 
cameo), or his pointlessly plotted cronies... And the intentionally hollow side-characters here, including Steve Inwood 
as an edgy Broadway director, are working hard to keep him ready
 and steady for opening night. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
And now we'll end with a nostalgic memory: Yours truly was
 in the theater when this movie's trailer played... The audience roared 
with laughter when then-dated-as-now title showed up on the screen... So let's give 
Stallone a hand for such a risky venture, and during his peak, no less...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFtP9rEiHfZ0F5BbMTGQrRaG6ZliNwkmrOviMW6TDIVbIebDJ5Td8Oq83fOoa6iGARf_odOHca1z81vMPt8gSPnbeFmj48l5gYy0CqNzunQFLfNp6Ev7S9lHZrFfewYCSCHzQafnzJSQ/s1600/staying+alive+stallone.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFtP9rEiHfZ0F5BbMTGQrRaG6ZliNwkmrOviMW6TDIVbIebDJ5Td8Oq83fOoa6iGARf_odOHca1z81vMPt8gSPnbeFmj48l5gYy0CqNzunQFLfNp6Ev7S9lHZrFfewYCSCHzQafnzJSQ/s400/staying+alive+stallone.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Staying Alive Normal Movie Score: *** Bad Movie Cult Status: ****</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So keep an eye out for the director's cameo, pictured below, while Tony walks down
 the streets of Manhattan... In one scene Sly's brother Frank, playing a
 guitarist for Jackie's band, is described by Tony as looking like a 
"demented paratrooper," which is writer Sly's own words describing his 
bro....<br />
<br />
And last but not least <i>but definitely</i> the most obscure pop culture Easter Egg for Cinefiles (years before we used banal movie-geek catchphrases like <i>Easter Eggs</i>... or <i>Cinefiles)</i>: If you listen 
closely towards the end of the movie during the halfway point of the 
musical where, backstage, you'll hear someone say: "Yo, Adrian... Showtime!"<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcKrXhKVg90cj6DwT5lZQ2keR-m8w_WwVaBI3Gdfq5PAPnSpcFckPuNZ7LTV8jsSw-1YAAFCircncwwBMDc0o8FrI9gkaYhrwPWCyVbwOFW0sXH10x6sbmiYrJ1aIT6CrB0uCT2CWdDc/s1600/trav1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcKrXhKVg90cj6DwT5lZQ2keR-m8w_WwVaBI3Gdfq5PAPnSpcFckPuNZ7LTV8jsSw-1YAAFCircncwwBMDc0o8FrI9gkaYhrwPWCyVbwOFW0sXH10x6sbmiYrJ1aIT6CrB0uCT2CWdDc/s1600/trav1.PNG" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>disco year of: 1977 </u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER:</u> It doesn’t matter to John Travolta’s Tony Manero whether he’s dancing at the local nightclub or walking down the street during daylight work hours… He’s got the type of oblivious, jangly rhythm not even a shabby neighborhood can touch…<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2Vd8L0OytrXT26RDBbIFCHEQDqeII0yCdBDwcr1AUHpw3Oy5cWU8-PUuRrfyyepSDBXYign5UPgCihjvT_35PmgtwHQ_H1NJxvcDYtlAvum8-ITSsPfy01W9qQfAt2Fz5-zfZcmZa86y/s1600/Saturday-Night-Fever-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="389" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2Vd8L0OytrXT26RDBbIFCHEQDqeII0yCdBDwcr1AUHpw3Oy5cWU8-PUuRrfyyepSDBXYign5UPgCihjvT_35PmgtwHQ_H1NJxvcDYtlAvum8-ITSsPfy01W9qQfAt2Fz5-zfZcmZa86y/s400/Saturday-Night-Fever-4.jpeg" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Serpico Night Fever</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Which is extremely important since his friends don't have much to do with the plotline, mostly centering on Tony either brooding alone, looking into a mirror or his movie posters, dancing in the center of a cheering/clapping crowd, or suffering a friendly romance with uptown girl Stephanie, a pretentious sophisticate who drops more names than a phone book made of sleet...<br />
<br />
No news here, but it's the music on the million dollar soundtrack that's the real deal, headlined by the Bee Gees <i>Stayin’ Alive</i>, a funky shuffling anthem impossible not to move around to...<br />
<br />
Other songs include <i>How Deep is your Love</i>, obviously providing the love theme throughout despite an unrequited romance: The established playboy has finally met a chick he can't melt with his usual sly charm... <i>More Than A Woman</i> is the soulful dance groove while <i>Night Fever</i>, a backbeat rendition of <i>Stayin’ Alive</i>, is a far better tune. Of course tracks by other artists also keep the ball rolling including <i>Disco Inferno</i>, <i>Boogie Shoes</i> and <i>A Fifth of Beethoven</i>, all taking place within the 2001 ODYSSEY nightclub, a location director John Badham captures in all its glittery glory.<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPwAIaa6hcRqBnrvty3EPuRx3hyphenhyphenADU1qY4pq6FQ_fsYnl7Io9MzejCM8ly1OEZ69S_nPBqobDVO_zh42F7r23zOhtnyX3rRV_FX462K2AhK5pAIwthwEN4UsU-3fg0rztKoS1XB2jIWI/s1600/TheBeeGeesSaturdayNightFeveralbumcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPwAIaa6hcRqBnrvty3EPuRx3hyphenhyphenADU1qY4pq6FQ_fsYnl7Io9MzejCM8ly1OEZ69S_nPBqobDVO_zh42F7r23zOhtnyX3rRV_FX462K2AhK5pAIwthwEN4UsU-3fg0rztKoS1XB2jIWI/s1600/TheBeeGeesSaturdayNightFeveralbumcover.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Rea Goldmine was the Album</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cinematic fiction aside, not everyone was (or is) a disco fan... DISCO SUCKS was once a catchphrase and ever-used graffiti quote. The trendy genre was a threat to rock n' rollers and the punk movement reveled in the inevitable demise. Ever since, disco has since become a polyester punchline. But it's been a while since the late 1970’s, turning every form of music into a cherished antique serving the pop culture template as a whole, and... <br />
<br />
Back to basics... the friendship between Tony and his gang could have meant more, overall, like in GREASE where each "T-Bird" had a purpose other than propping up their leader's overall significance. But with an expectation of the doomed Bobby (played by Barry Miller, who turns in a much better performance as a whizkid in PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED), none of the fellas really stand out. One scene where they, goading their leader, bark like dogs at a White Castle is downright embarrassing: to Tony and the audience. And a sidestory about a local rival gang seems completely tacked on. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<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/AVvXsEiO9-TfraYqUdZdUSimf4LkUh_Ob6R6TFukqpImR1-CF8-f0_ByF2JuCuZR81mTsuYsRrGeg6ybCpWswV78kUGq9CbQ-XsKm9WWk2c9GVkLV0u6dz4M-vm5AXK2dFlabY5yukwJ2Ek0_SY/s1600/3.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO9-TfraYqUdZdUSimf4LkUh_Ob6R6TFukqpImR1-CF8-f0_ByF2JuCuZR81mTsuYsRrGeg6ybCpWswV78kUGq9CbQ-XsKm9WWk2c9GVkLV0u6dz4M-vm5AXK2dFlabY5yukwJ2Ek0_SY/s1600/3.jpg" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>SNF Score: ***</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Meanwhile, Tony's fangirls, including Donna Pescow’s starry eyed Annette, who hangs around street corners just to watch Tony walk, or Fran Drescher as the non-rhythmic Connie, are useful idiots showing how uncaring our lead character is...<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/AVvXsEgY5KegB-IHeTI4pCIyKu-joLWbT6IejRKJoGB1bwHqroLnWwkef-hIBSk8XWWKi_HxHhGiV9DiKouQuMJ2v-HelWz6EYOEGjMKSMjrBA-Zg1MCpHXd9EgqyNJi3ZjkkdNMQLuWj1Yjt6OG/s1600/Saturday-Night-Fever-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="385" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5KegB-IHeTI4pCIyKu-joLWbT6IejRKJoGB1bwHqroLnWwkef-hIBSk8XWWKi_HxHhGiV9DiKouQuMJ2v-HelWz6EYOEGjMKSMjrBA-Zg1MCpHXd9EgqyNJi3ZjkkdNMQLuWj1Yjt6OG/s400/Saturday-Night-Fever-3.jpeg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>"One day you'll direct me!"</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In this current wimpy environment, Tony's selfish and politically incorrect personality is something to admire...You won't see that in a main character any longer... Tony Manero would now be a villain.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
John Travolta’s dire expressions alone, sifting in and out of the nightclub or dealing with his friends and family, including bickering parents and a brother who fled the priesthood, are fun to watch in a mainstream movie trying really hard for a plot, or for that matter, several weaving plots to make the dance numbers seem peripheral...<br />
<br />
But no matter how hard it tries being a gritty urban melodrama, FEVER winds up a soundtrack film with an intentionally pointless anti-hero looking to strike an egocentric claim on existence... Yet his only real motivation, overriding even the desire to win the climactic dance contest, is when Tony tries for sexual action with his dance partner – the catch being only <i>he’s</i> interested in romance, which ironically winds up making him a more interesting character throughout.<br />
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barry miller, cynthia rhodes, frank stallone, john travolta, sequel, seventies, sylvester stallone

JOHN TRAVOLTA IN 'SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER' AND 'STAYING ALIVE'

John Travolta (facing unseen talent agent Estelle Getty) YEAR: 1983 STAYING ALIVE: Believe it or not, STAYING ALIVE, the sequel to SAT...

Written by James M. Tate / 7/07/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , blake lively , john travolta , oliver stone , taylor kitsch

SAVAGES

<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/AVvXsEhS2Rya-WGFd-wtracPaU1PcBrxXJZ0RkWdvB8o4kFIiR6PRZLkJwC6VxIv0K4l0LsuyYHK5l3sNO7pAapaKp3IgtGqEq_3adowvuIz92iTUvlF65qmu7q927K9X9B_mTwWGH0FLhDvPCYq/s1600/savages-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS2Rya-WGFd-wtracPaU1PcBrxXJZ0RkWdvB8o4kFIiR6PRZLkJwC6VxIv0K4l0LsuyYHK5l3sNO7pAapaKp3IgtGqEq_3adowvuIz92iTUvlF65qmu7q927K9X9B_mTwWGH0FLhDvPCYq/s640/savages-logo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>2012 <b>cast: </b>Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta<b> rating: </b>**</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The narration, provided by Blake Lively’s character O (short for Ophelia), prepares us for just about everything, including some of the corniest dialog heard in a motion picture. Describing her sex life with boyfriend Chon, a badass Iraq/Afghanistan veteran, she says, “I have Orgasms… He has Wargasms.” Ugh!<br />
<br />
The plot has Chon and best friend Ben sharing the same woman and occupation. Personality-wise they couldn’t be more different… Chon’s a bloodthirsty tough guy and Ben’s into saving the environment… yet they have pot-dealing in common. Born and raised in Laguna Beach and living the high life, things become ugly the minute a Mexican drug cartel wants to make a deal. Anyone familiar with bartering with a Cartel or Mafia will know: even if there seems to be a choice, there is no choice. You better agree or else… And that “Or Else” takes up much of the film.<br />
<br />
After O is kidnapped by Benicio Del Toro’s sinister thug Lado, who, baggy-eyed and gun happy, is probably the most likable character: you'll anticipate his every scene. And that’s not a good thing since our heroes are supposed to be Chon and Ben, not only unrealistically taking on the entire cartel but pulling off heists even the CIA couldn't comprehend.<br />
<br />
Enter John Travolta as a woebegone federal agent hanging with the good guys <i>and </i>the villains. While Salma Hayek is the head honcho, strutting around her Tijuana lair with a threat for everyone. Yet with all the characters – including Navy Seals and computer hackers – the person we’re supposed to care about most is O: if anything goes wrong, she gets it.<br />
<br />
But Blake Lively’s performance is so dull and listless even edgy Taylor Kitsch (Chon) and vulnerable Aaron Johnson (Ben), both trying their best to matter in yet another bloody Tarantino-inspired Oliver Stone flick, are forgotten by the climax which is very… Well that’s something you must survive on your own.

2012, action, blake lively, john travolta, oliver stone, taylor kitsch

SAVAGES

year: 2012 cast: Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta rating: ** The narration, provided by Blake Lively’s charact...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/20/2012 / No comments / eighties , john travolta , sequel , sylvester stallone

STAYING ALIVE REVIEW HAS RELOCATED

<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/AVvXsEioHMIj6Oi1tQUB1AxnYCJRVdh1bP3mrLAxLhKOqWWTAcw36iB3B-4e92kBPA-CRo0M1LGzfsgs0ACWNXKXwPVo1AmpcvCc5YfBMDT1U0GX1ahn15G830YE0gspYXPk5xgDYGcYmZUF5ogi/s1600/StayingAlive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHMIj6Oi1tQUB1AxnYCJRVdh1bP3mrLAxLhKOqWWTAcw36iB3B-4e92kBPA-CRo0M1LGzfsgs0ACWNXKXwPVo1AmpcvCc5YfBMDT1U0GX1ahn15G830YE0gspYXPk5xgDYGcYmZUF5ogi/s640/StayingAlive.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/06/saturday-night-fever-travolta.html">REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cJLgraJ7JbEBcqACQ5adDC17LrhXRy83cNrIhhiOHLJ1aPkZy3GO7CEHDARLznxACwUOqbmS3qj7t7A4OBzy4NLX7busoA4RH21eQSNsGzkJLifHn3JHgAt9BPWcBr0OKytGMAV36Vk/s1600/stayling+alive+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cJLgraJ7JbEBcqACQ5adDC17LrhXRy83cNrIhhiOHLJ1aPkZy3GO7CEHDARLznxACwUOqbmS3qj7t7A4OBzy4NLX7busoA4RH21eQSNsGzkJLifHn3JHgAt9BPWcBr0OKytGMAV36Vk/s640/stayling+alive+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/06/saturday-night-fever-travolta.html">REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAImsKDiG3JmfUwDYDvvK5SlvX99IzlBUbzEFQk5oMe9jerisQMhjfg88ctvlqUe-yWDS4D7wuYnbZELcnLVgPvOgryFLwmIbjXMmngC7g3n5YFPDAP2UBUQSmx1jwr6ZAcoutTYWyMOQ/s1600/stayling+alive+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAImsKDiG3JmfUwDYDvvK5SlvX99IzlBUbzEFQk5oMe9jerisQMhjfg88ctvlqUe-yWDS4D7wuYnbZELcnLVgPvOgryFLwmIbjXMmngC7g3n5YFPDAP2UBUQSmx1jwr6ZAcoutTYWyMOQ/s640/stayling+alive+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/06/saturday-night-fever-travolta.html">REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>

eighties, john travolta, sequel, sylvester stallone

STAYING ALIVE REVIEW HAS RELOCATED

REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST REVIEW MOVED T...

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

THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHOKean5L-bBnh5Ag_LswrXm6n-0APRfULgAXUa92m-kgNSRPfbi5M0JUWDN92x3gVX14a-g1njKPg1oL23ZJNQ2MX68iTkjYa1iy_gqvzVI9AwhtWqXyJXcr1aQI4PWcvwD5A4YzuH1U/s1600/8289_view.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693942330271015282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHOKean5L-bBnh5Ag_LswrXm6n-0APRfULgAXUa92m-kgNSRPfbi5M0JUWDN92x3gVX14a-g1njKPg1oL23ZJNQ2MX68iTkjYa1iy_gqvzVI9AwhtWqXyJXcr1aQI4PWcvwD5A4YzuH1U/s200/8289_view.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 154px;" /></a><b>title:</b> THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE<br />
<div>
<b>year:</b> 1976</div>
<div>
<b>cast:</b> John Travolta, Robert Reed, Glynnis O'Connor <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"></span></div>
<div>
<b>rating:</b> ***1/2</div>
<br />
<div>
A  cute little boy born without immunities has to live in a plastic bubble  and grows up to be John Travolta, who not only disco dances  with his pet <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">hamster</span>  but eventually, wearing an orange space suit, goes to high school and  falls in love with the girl next door. One of the most tortuously  bizarre television movies in history and a lot of fun. In one scene  Travolta is carted in a plastic incubator to a beach party and is riled  by fellow teens; another he's discussing masturbation to a cancer  patient. Yet despite the high degree of camp value, this classic time-capsule  from the seventies is also thoroughly involving, entertaining, and won't  bore you for a single moment: mostly thanks to Glynnis O'Connor as  Travolta's love-interest, looking beyond fantastic and providing our ailing  hero a chance for possible freedom. </div>

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

THE BOY IN THE PLASTIC BUBBLE

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

Written by James M. Tate / 5/30/2011 / No comments / action , john travolta , marvel comics , superhero , thomas jane , zeroes

THE PUNISHER

<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="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON5ZLRFDtpQ5IENwpeU4dlpjGkNsDZBtjPd5xJEEqnAH0us4F8euvlQS3ugRlR5qJFJouSlE2ytrOmWv7Iz4yu1_3Cf_tbXBaBGt1RvvZfujHGEoycEEGbpiaJJ2G9AYI0j9x3A0YZOE/s1600/2004_the_punisher_012.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612582179677919874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON5ZLRFDtpQ5IENwpeU4dlpjGkNsDZBtjPd5xJEEqnAH0us4F8euvlQS3ugRlR5qJFJouSlE2ytrOmWv7Iz4yu1_3Cf_tbXBaBGt1RvvZfujHGEoycEEGbpiaJJ2G9AYI0j9x3A0YZOE/s200/2004_the_punisher_012.jpg" style="float: right; height: 154px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2004 rating: **1/2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A gun-toting Marvel comic makes for a gritty film without enough action and too much melodrama. The films begins like many high-octane macho movies do – a bad drug deal goes down and people die, including the son of mobster John Travolta who seeks revenge on the responsible undercover agent Frank Castle, a buff tough Thomas Jane. Enter Castle’s family, a perfect looking son and wife who now live safely on a Mediterranean Island: till Travolta’s thugs take out everyone, including, so they think, Frank… but he somehow survives a killshot to the chest, finds a shirt with a logo resembling a skull within an Afro-pick, and, having returned Stateside, holes up in a grungy, ghetto apartment waiting (and waiting some more) for his own payback i.e. to live up to his title.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pk0NBL0ujKPbpuZKF6dZKYuphEU6Ivriv6HrXmP80F3ZIYhzXBWW11716lYMtbL89UskTz0mrTrUbfc2_yNK9CDsR95TteSRhj91v1pvWen1NSte1W3igWLfr4Jgu2x6MVvwwb1jvag/s1600/2004_the_punisher_013.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612582027690219650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pk0NBL0ujKPbpuZKF6dZKYuphEU6Ivriv6HrXmP80F3ZIYhzXBWW11716lYMtbL89UskTz0mrTrUbfc2_yNK9CDsR95TteSRhj91v1pvWen1NSte1W3igWLfr4Jgu2x6MVvwwb1jvag/s200/2004_the_punisher_013.jpg" style="float: right; height: 152px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">As The Punisher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Side characters within the rat-hole include two extremely annoying computer geeks and a gorgeous girl (providing love without interest). And as opposed to our beefy protagonist seeking revenge, the mobsters seek him, providing only a few fight scenes – one in particular, involving a muscular Russian with carnival music playing, is the best challenge to our “superhero” who doesn't have enough to do, or a decent lead villain to battle. Travolta merely strolls his compound providing filler dialog, and could have been played by anyone. (Will Patton, as Travolta's second, makes a more effective heavy). Gone are the spandex and superpower abilities like most Marvel outings, but there’s not enough kickass action to replace (or provide an alternative for) the thing that makes comic book adaptations work: corny fun.

action, john travolta, marvel comics, superhero, thomas jane, zeroes

THE PUNISHER

2004 rating: **1/2 A gun-toting Marvel comic makes for a gritty film without enough action and too much melodrama. The films begins like...

Written by James M. Tate / 2/23/2011 / No comments / cooper huckabee , country music , courtroom drama , debra winger , eighties , john travolta , scott glenn

URBAN COWBOY

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqgxhDHGDzLdJQVjD-xcWwwI96XisUjjp2e3g-p8rIYNoqfh38lWXIWmm4lBKoXEzKlhnu46AcW1so9LxdnA8ePq1U3Qf7Ca7U09KyB-d14HnEtkBqI9kNXjFW1DH_lZwq_aGnJIpD8c/s1600/urban+cowboy.jpg"><strong><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577000036303987778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguqgxhDHGDzLdJQVjD-xcWwwI96XisUjjp2e3g-p8rIYNoqfh38lWXIWmm4lBKoXEzKlhnu46AcW1so9LxdnA8ePq1U3Qf7Ca7U09KyB-d14HnEtkBqI9kNXjFW1DH_lZwq_aGnJIpD8c/s200/urban+cowboy.jpg" style="float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 130px;" /></strong></a><strong>title:</strong> URBAN COWBOY<br />
<div>
<strong>year: </strong>1980</div>
<div>
<strong>cast:</strong> John Travolta, Debra Winger, Scott Glenn</div>
<div>
<strong>rating:</strong> **1/2</div>
<br />
<div>
What a miscast... instead of a Jan-Michael Vincent or Tom Berenger type, an ultra-skinny Italian (John Travolta) plays a country boy Texan who wants to be a real Cowboy and then, after getting a roughneck job and meeting a flirty barfly (Debra Winger), is introduced to a bar room mechanical bull: becoming the only thing resembling a plot in this overlong Country soundtrack disguised as a big budget film (or vice versa). John Travolta yearns to be the mechanical bull riding champ: all the while breaking up with his girlfriend turned wife, shacked with ripped badass Scott Glenn who gets beat up by twiggy Travolta in an inevitable, and completely unbelievable, climax. So-bad-it's-good at times, and downright boring at others, this silly yarn does have a heart... beating somewhere. But what really matters is the geography. Not of Texas, but the giant nightclub Gilleys, a sort of city, and character, within itself. </div>

cooper huckabee, country music, courtroom drama, debra winger, eighties, john travolta, scott glenn

URBAN COWBOY

title: URBAN COWBOY year: 1980 cast: John Travolta, Debra Winger, Scott Glenn rating: **1/2 What a miscast... instead of a Jan-M...

JMT

Written by James M. Tate / 2/27/2025 / No comments / comedy , danny devito , delroy lindo , dennis farina , elmore leonard , gene hackman , james gandolfini , john travolta , jon gries , martin ferrero , neo noir , nineties , rene russo

Written by James M. Tate / 8/12/2022 / No comments / charles durning , eighties , fantasy , gene hackman , heist , john travolta , oliver reed , olivia newton-john , richard bright , romantic comedy , scatman crothers

Written by James M. Tate / 8/11/2022 / No comments / comedy , jeff conaway , john travolta , musical , olivia newton-john , randal kleiser , seventies , stockard channing

Written by James M. Tate / 4/14/2019 / No comments / country music , debra winger , eighties , interview , james bridges , james gammon , jessie la rive , john travolta , love triangle , scott glenn , sport

Written by James M. Tate / 4/10/2019 / No comments / debra winger , drama , eighties , james bridges , jessie la rive , john travolta , madolyn smith , melodrama , romance , scott glenn , sport

Written by James M. Tate / 1/07/2016 / No comments / anne de salvo , camp , cult , eighties , jamie lee curtis , john travolta , laraine newman , marilu henner , melodrama , romance , sport

Written by James M. Tate / 1/06/2016 / No comments / charles durning , gene hackman , john travolta , oliver reed , olivia newton-john , romantic comedy , scatman crothers , team-up

Written by James M. Tate / 9/10/2014 / No comments / bagful , eighties , fifties , fred ward , jessica harper , john travolta , leigh taylor-young , musical , peter o'toole , robin williams , steve martin , tens

Written by James M. Tate / 6/17/2014 / No comments / barry miller , cynthia rhodes , frank stallone , john travolta , sequel , seventies , sylvester stallone

Written by James M. Tate / 7/07/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , blake lively , john travolta , oliver stone , taylor kitsch

Written by James M. Tate / 5/20/2012 / No comments / eighties , john travolta , sequel , sylvester stallone

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

Written by James M. Tate / 5/30/2011 / No comments / action , john travolta , marvel comics , superhero , thomas jane , zeroes

Written by James M. Tate / 2/23/2011 / No comments / cooper huckabee , country music , courtroom drama , debra winger , eighties , john travolta , scott glenn

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