cult film freak: steve martin

Showing posts with label steve martin. Show all posts

Written by James M. Tate / 5/18/2021 / No comments / battlestar galactica , charles grodin , comedy , cult , eighties , judith ivey , robyn douglass , steve martin

STEVE MARTIN IS 'THE LONELY GUY' WITH (RIP) CHARLES GRODIN

<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/AVvXsEjGjL2qEiOzgXxpdjdS7uB-awFEQ9TnRy-p0chaBcQ83auzKkO5MDKiHgR9pkMcs3PpKMYaLTudGcCrQqYtABeP36DLN3RHqyPWPpiOro528QgPQc7451Q9mcSdwel9Rxd5Fs91XWarpWem/s1182/Screen+Shot+2021-05-19+at+9.23.05+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1182" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGjL2qEiOzgXxpdjdS7uB-awFEQ9TnRy-p0chaBcQ83auzKkO5MDKiHgR9pkMcs3PpKMYaLTudGcCrQqYtABeP36DLN3RHqyPWPpiOro528QgPQc7451Q9mcSdwel9Rxd5Fs91XWarpWem/w400-h316/Screen+Shot+2021-05-19+at+9.23.05+PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Charles Grodin goes Galactica Year: 1984 Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Posted in memory of Charles Grodin is this summary of THE LONELY GUY that, if based on how many particular jokes land compared to the ones that don't, this wouldn't be considered classic or groundbreaking, but the character 
played by Steve Martin, who, after breaking up with his gorgeously loose girlfriend (Robyn Douglass), residing in New York as a
 terminally lonely single fella, is so likable and relatable, GUY is, plain and simple, the journey of a man who not only hits 
rock bottom, but learns how to exist there. </p><p></p><p>He has an equally "pathetic" buddy Charles 
Grodin (choosing to watch BATTLESTAR GALACTICA instead of mingling at a party) and keeps running into the earthy woman of his dreams: always losing her phone number right after. </p><p>What works 
best here are the specific examples of being alone in a big city and how
 to deal with each particular bout of solitude (including raising plants as pets and other time-filling tips), hence THE LONELY GUY Guide book that makes him famous. Hence the last forty minutes, after our hero 
becomes a famous author, things dwindle
 considerably; but that first hour, especially the scenes shared with 
Grodin, is a real slice of life.<span></span></p>

battlestar galactica, charles grodin, comedy, cult, eighties, judith ivey, robyn douglass, steve martin

STEVE MARTIN IS 'THE LONELY GUY' WITH (RIP) CHARLES GRODIN

Charles Grodin goes Galactica Year: 1984 Rates: ***1/2 Posted in memory of Charles Grodin is this summary of THE LONELY GUY that, if based o...

WRITTEN INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS GRETA BLACKBURN

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interview with actress Greta Blackburn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Greta Blackburn is tall, blond, gorgeous, and most important of all, a terrific actress. The proof is not only in the pudding, but the ingredients...<br>
<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYzqo8ZSN3kvF9TS1EEFJiB3tLOwLi2J8-u2JvzxSsAsaJfil5AYMTNRQOsbWTYwwGRA2BmCDu9USRhmuxp6HEwaVwWzTnUwRoXgCj2vE01eTJJ87b-NE55LJOpD2dVENBKua_MDxwYG2/s1600/22050267_377831929312656_4128004685753283352_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYzqo8ZSN3kvF9TS1EEFJiB3tLOwLi2J8-u2JvzxSsAsaJfil5AYMTNRQOsbWTYwwGRA2BmCDu9USRhmuxp6HEwaVwWzTnUwRoXgCj2vE01eTJJ87b-NE55LJOpD2dVENBKua_MDxwYG2/s320/22050267_377831929312656_4128004685753283352_n.jpg" width="168"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Greta in V: FINAL BATTLE</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Within two key scenes from Walter Hill’s crime classic 48 HRS, centering on a seasoned cop played by Nick Nolte reluctantly teamed with a convict... Eddie Murphy in his first movie role...<br>
<br>
Greta more than holds her own opposite Nolte in one scene, where the real action begins and the story gets underway, starting off with the always-intense James Remar while her character, Lisa, is a hooker brushing her teeth one minute, and the next she has a gun pointed at her head.</div>
<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;">In 48 HRS, known mostly for being Eddie Murphy's first feature but a very edgy Walter Hill thriller, actually headlined by Nick Nolte: what was it like working on the very intense hotel scene that also included actors Jonathan Banks and Sonny Landham?</span></div>

eighties, graham chapman, greta blackburn, interview, james remar, jonathan banks, nick nolte, sonny landham, steve martin

WRITTEN INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS GRETA BLACKBURN

Interview with actress Greta Blackburn Greta Blackburn is tall, blond, gorgeous, and most important of all, a terrific actress. The pro...

PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES

comedy, eighties, john candy, john hughes, road movie, steve martin, team-up

PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES

year: 1987 Those in the know, know already, that John Hughes wrote the original VACATION. Based on his childhood, the story, originally ...

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

YET ANOTHER ECLECTIC BAGFUL OF RANDOM REVIEWS

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<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 />
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<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 />
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<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 />
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<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 />
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<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 />
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<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 / 6/27/2012 / No comments / bruce campbell , comedy , dan aykroyd , ernest borgnine , military , nineties , steve martin , tim curry , tom arnold , TV adaptation

NINETIES REBOOT SMACKDOWN: MCHALE'S NAVY VS SGT. BILKO

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvnh4GlegABmp_JWjc48TZVaE9EGrgIsJoey6fivQgZNmiHTLFJIchwT4hUdljsgQDWmmGklT3oQLGz0NHncAUM8fXF4K4yKIAwyX5NjYAje70V3oHN8TRtmd0u24hSLmGSuCaWZ5_Pex/s1600/halesNavy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixvnh4GlegABmp_JWjc48TZVaE9EGrgIsJoey6fivQgZNmiHTLFJIchwT4hUdljsgQDWmmGklT3oQLGz0NHncAUM8fXF4K4yKIAwyX5NjYAje70V3oHN8TRtmd0u24hSLmGSuCaWZ5_Pex/s400/halesNavy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> year: 1997 cast: Tom Arnold, Dean Stockwell rating: ***</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>IN THIS CORNER</b>… MCHALE’S NAVY starring Tom Arnold, more of a breezy action film than a comedy... and the action’s pretty decent.<br />
<br />
Arnold, a horrible actor whilst married to Rosanne Barr, provided a miraculous turn in James Cameron’s TRUE LIES and, with feet firmly planted into Hollywood’s soil, became a passable "leading man." Not all his roles were very special (and his ride didn't last long) but he’s pretty natural as the deal-making ex-Navy officer who’s turned the tropical island barracks into his very own garage sale. He’s got McHale’s brand ice cream, beer, whiskey and just about everything while his buddies live a permanent vacation – sounds perfect, right? Well not when Dean Stockwell’s antagonistic Navy Admiral shows up and puts McHale’s business to rest. But the real bad guy’s none other than eyebrow-wielding Tim Curry – a second rate terrorist who takes over half the island where native kids play baseball. He’s got a really cool supersonic speedboat loaded with big guns, and McHale’s sloppy straw-roof yacht is no match. One scene has McHale’s men, including Bruce Campbell and David Allen Grier (unsuccessfully taking the Tim Conway role), party in Cuba leading to a bar fight and is a pretty good time. But there’s a downside to all the running around – we need a few laughs and one-liners from funnier characters. Ernest Borgnine, the original McHale, makes an appearance as the Pentagon General in charge of everything: and there's a twist...<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPAQwpJIjUtwQwK4f8Cl_HB3VSOZRPRAUWkGAXWfJjA0giXUWnMAbR_s-vNzUMFsK2Xlz8sfYhd4JFsOoaEJsju-09yyLhFfUNZabMw4QNa7bKqj9msdmr4xTA0iVydb9EIWF1zwr9Lsx/s1600/sgt-bilko-movie-still-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPAQwpJIjUtwQwK4f8Cl_HB3VSOZRPRAUWkGAXWfJjA0giXUWnMAbR_s-vNzUMFsK2Xlz8sfYhd4JFsOoaEJsju-09yyLhFfUNZabMw4QNa7bKqj9msdmr4xTA0iVydb9EIWF1zwr9Lsx/s400/sgt-bilko-movie-still-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1996 cast: Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman  rating: **</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>AND IN THIS CORNER:</b> SGT. BILKO (also based on a classic TV series) runs the Army motor pool like his very own casino.<br />
<br />
Seen through the eyes of a new recruit mechanic with an annoying penchant for honesty, we see all the wily goings-on: from poker games to a wrestling match between a fat dude and a horse. Steve Martin throws all his rubbery physical hijinks into the same pot and comes across as a hyperactive game show host rather than a Navy con artist. And Phil Hartman’s commander provides the antagonists: a former rival of Bilko, he’s returned from Iceland with one goal: change the party-hardy unit into a well-oiled machine. Too soon we’re thrust into the lovable slobs having to deal with an adversary. The good times don’t roll long enough until the audience, like the characters herein, have to end the party. And despite stale jokes, boring side-characters (including a tubby Dan Aykroyd), a pointless subplot about a hovering tank, and Bilko's put-upon love interest, it’s not much of a party to begin with.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>THE DECISION:</b> Although Bilko scores a few points for coming out a year earlier, McHale knocks him out with ease!!!</div>

bruce campbell, comedy, dan aykroyd, ernest borgnine, military, nineties, steve martin, tim curry, tom arnold, TV adaptation

NINETIES REBOOT SMACKDOWN: MCHALE'S NAVY VS SGT. BILKO

year: 1997 cast: Tom Arnold, Dean Stockwell rating: *** IN THIS CORNER … MCHALE’S NAVY starring Tom Arnold, more of a breezy action fil...

Written by James M. Tate / 2/15/2012 / No comments / alec baldwin , comedy , meryl streep , steve martin , zeroes

IT'S COMPLICATED

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSgXTn8J_dz3A43nKdftgqKgvAMZz0t31Odxe1fc8X4DMNN3GW0gTm43TkWEhGb6okOEcrzSPFbVwFaiKWBoIrm3mKxBF1VaavzRNRJYXEg2bUjOeIN3j8XSMuH0WUasZ1Ovs_Fv61Gsx/s1600/Its-Complicated-Meryl-Streep-Alec-Baldwin-Steve-Martin-51_mid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSgXTn8J_dz3A43nKdftgqKgvAMZz0t31Odxe1fc8X4DMNN3GW0gTm43TkWEhGb6okOEcrzSPFbVwFaiKWBoIrm3mKxBF1VaavzRNRJYXEg2bUjOeIN3j8XSMuH0WUasZ1Ovs_Fv61Gsx/s320/Its-Complicated-Meryl-Streep-Alec-Baldwin-Steve-Martin-51_mid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>title: </b>IT'S COMPLICATED<br />
<b>year: </b>2009<br />
<b>cast: </b>Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin<br />
<b>rating: </b>**1/2 <br />
<br />
There's something very comfortable about IT'S COMPLICATED. The usually serious, multi-Oscar nominated Meryl Streep doesn't dumb-down for comedy. Playing a divorced woman whose spark rekindles for her former husband (married to a beautiful young woman), she plays the role with natural ease. But Alec Baldwin, as the cheating ex who gets more and more invigorated by his former wife through random sleepovers, turns in a somewhat phoned-in performance, sounding like a smooth-talking disc jockey on a late night jazz station. On the peripheral, Steve Martin's nice guy architect character, designing an add-on to Streep's plush home and becoming a potential significant other, doesn't have enough screen time, or motivation therein, to add a needed baseline to the not-so-complicated proceedings: making Streep and Baldwin's sneaky trysts seem like excuses for the duo to keep repeating the same lines: "I can't believe we're doing this" or "Why is this happening?" And during the third act, when Baldwin gets a little too unbelievably clingy... And Streep and Martin spoke marijuana (the always dependable icebreaker device from the 1980s)... the plot derails. But it's Streep alone, holding all the cards throughout, that makes this romantic comedy worthwhile.

alec baldwin, comedy, meryl streep, steve martin, zeroes

IT'S COMPLICATED

title: IT'S COMPLICATED year: 2009 cast: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin rating: **1/2 There's something very comforta...

Written by James M. Tate / 10/20/2011 / No comments / comedy , jack black , jobeth williams , owen wilson , steve martin , tens

THE BIG YEAR

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI_bo3mNrGWIG9UbzsiHT73-t_fsZ7wUfenFJ_un1B8b5Qqnhm0lgo60yMtHXnWcd0eDiAxayTXsDTMWpZWUDUIjYIoCl-1lIOXF2kFIrxwZ3tX3VRKwNQYlYNkRjWKncHjBaUq93VOey/s1600/2011_the_big_year_001.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665812119273391170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI_bo3mNrGWIG9UbzsiHT73-t_fsZ7wUfenFJ_un1B8b5Qqnhm0lgo60yMtHXnWcd0eDiAxayTXsDTMWpZWUDUIjYIoCl-1lIOXF2kFIrxwZ3tX3VRKwNQYlYNkRjWKncHjBaUq93VOey/w332-h400/2011_the_big_year_001.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 200px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 166px;" width="332" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>THE BIG YEAR<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2011<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast: </span>Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">JoBeth</span> Williams<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> ***<br />
<br />
Though promoted as an ensemble, this really stars Jack Black as a hopelessly drifting thirty-something who loves birds to the point he’s obsessed with “The Big Year,” a competition where bird watchers travel the world to, you got it, watch and count them. Owen Wilson is his arch nemesis, lean and handsome and the best bird watcher around, always one step ahead of our chunky hero, who seems born to lose: which is why he’s so endearing. Steve Martin fills the gap as a successful entrepreneur that befriends Black and becomes a guru of sorts, but that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">doesn</span>’t mean he lacks his own aspiration of becoming number one birder. But he loses his edge, and the premise is handed entirely to Black, the only character the audience really roots for as he’s up against the overly confident Wilson, who has his own problems at home. The contest itself is a bit shaky, too strange to base a film on... an entire yearlong contest using the honor system is simply ludicrous to buy. But once the characters begin interacting, and with their families and work on the line, things get more interesting: it’s not so much about birdwatchers, but real people. If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy, this won’t do. But for a feel-good lightweight time-passer, it works just fine. And perhaps if Steve Martin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">wasn</span>’t in the movie at all, and it only involved Black verses Wilson i.e. the tortoise and the hare, it might have been funnier or sillier in the standard <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">hijinks </span>sense. But the white-capped veteran provides an essential base for all the running around. Though it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">doesn</span>’t make you want to study birds like SIDEWAYS made you thirsty for wine, one might yearn to travel those lovely spots the birds call home.

comedy, jack black, jobeth williams, owen wilson, steve martin, tens