HARD EIGHT (1996) - LONG BEFORE "MAGNOLIA" AND "THERE WILL BE BLOOD," P T ANDERSON'S DELICIOUS FIRST FEATURE PAVED WAY FOR HIS ENSEMBLE HITS

 

PHILLIP BAKER HALL/JOHN C REILLY

PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN A SCENE STEALING CAMEO

Hey all - Happy Thanksgiving 😊 hope u watch a lot of 🎬 movies, here's an oft overlooked gem from P T Anderson's impressive canon of work. A lot of these actors went on to work with him on multiple films 🎥 except maybe Gwyneth Paltrow who is actually great in this. I don't care what anyone says, the girl can act! 

Phillip Baker Hall plays Sydney, a sort of mysterious angel here on earth 🌎 kind of loner who picks up John (John C Reilly) a destitute gambler and offers to drive him back to Vegas , loan him fifty dollars 💸 and show him how to parlay it into a lot more. I won't spoil the rest but let's just say a lot of the quirky 🤪 characters, their choices and the predicaments they ultimately find themselves in foreshadows both Boogie Nights and Magnolia. 

I'm a huge fan but must admit I haven't been too happy with most of the stuff from The Master forward and as brilliantly gifted Anderson is, he seems to have lost the charm of his earlier films or at least traded some of it in for bigger set pieces. If you're a fan of that earlier work then this is a must see, a John The Baptist if you will of what was to come.  3.75 stars/5

MICHAEL J FOX IS WORKING AS A FACT CHECKER FOR AN UPSCALE MAGAZINE IN NYC - SNORTING COCAINE AND LOVING THE NIGHTLIFE IN "BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY" (1988)

 
     I not only remember those late 80's sunglasses, I used to own a pair!

And I wish I still had those glasses, they were cool. And Michael J Fox is ultra cool in legendary writer/ director James Bridges (The Paper Chase, Urban Cowboy) last film. Pretty much at the peak of his stardom around the time of Secret Of My Success, Fox turns in a respectable performance as a fact checker in daily peril of losing his job because he likes the NYC nightlife and cocaine just a little too much. His wife recently left him which fuels his erratic behavior and zest for the late 80's club scene.

A great supporting cast especially good ole Swoosie Kurtz who plays his concerned workmate. An early Kiefer Sutherland is great here as the classic 80/s clubbing pal. The film went thru major development hell, handed off from one producer to the next and suffers slightly as a result with a disjointed feel here and there. Ultimately it's a miss, which is a bit of a bummer as this could have been a great character study gem. I still find the film very entertaining thanks to Fox's performance and a pretty killer soundtrack to suit the 80's club environment. Streaming on Tubi and Pluto thru Dec 1.  3.0 stars/5

MEANWHILE BACK IN MALIBU, WE'RE GOING "DOWN THE P.C.H." (2006) - SUPER LOW BUDGET INDIE BY SEAN MICHAEL BEYER THAT PACKS A SERIOUS PUNCH

 

It's a familiar storyline - guy gets out of prison, tries to start a clean life, someone tries to thwart it. In this case it's his younger brother who has fallen in with the wrong Malibu crowd. Which is one of the cool things about this flick, there's lots of movies about Malibu but few about the troubled youth drug underworld. Beyer makes his script work with a colorful array of characters so we don't get bogged down in gangster land. 

The ensemble cast rocks, several recognizable faces and always great to see Lin Shaye. And to think this was made for less than fifty thousand dollars just shows what a whole lot of passion can accomplish. I first found out about this movie a good ten years ago from one of our featured blogs, Rupert Pupkin Speaks. And in fact through the years I've discovered scores of great movies just from his site, check it out.

Only available on DVD, best bet is Amazon, used copies go about seven dollars.  2.75 stars/2.75

WILLIAM H MACY IS IN A "PANIC" (2000) WHY? HIS FATHER HAS FORCED HIM INTO A LIFETIME OF BEING AN ASSASSIN IN THIS WAY OVERLOOKED LOW BUDGET INDIE

    Donald Sutherland and William H Macy - an exquisite pairing. 

Alex (William H Macy) is having a rather unique mid-life crisis. His family business of being a hit man has eaten away at him and he wants out. Meanwhile, his dad (Donald Sutherland) is already handing him another assignment while his shrink (John Ritter) is trying to get him to stand up to his dad and quit the business. A reckless diversion with a younger femme fatale (Neve Campbell) might not be a good idea at this time either. 

The cast is phenomenal with a capital P. This is one of John Ritter's last films and while comedy was his best arena. he totally shines here in a purely dramatic role. Beautifully shot in Huntington Beach. Critically acclaimed but a box office flop, file this one under way overlooked and then head over to Tubi where it's currently streaming for free.  2.75 stars/2.75

WILLEM DAFOE IS MANAGING A BUDGET MOTEL JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM WALT DISNEY WORLD IN "THE FLORIDA PROJECT" (2017) - HE HAS ONE BIG PROBLEM, HER NAME IS MOONEEEEE

 
Holy Crap, what a performance. 

A visual lesson in how not to raise your eight year old daughter, The Florida Project is an amazing indie that was made for only $2 million yet outshines any hundred million budget flick going these days. Lithuanian newcomer Bria Vinaite kills it as a free-wheeling and reckless single mom trying to just get by in a budget motel run by Willem Dafoe. 

Not going to spend a lot of time on this one, either you've seen it or not, If you haven't then add it to your list asap. Stellar indies like this one (Buffalo 66, Paris Texas, Little Miss Sunshine come to mind) only come down the pike once a decade and this is a very special one. 5 stars/5

THE SPARKS BROTHERS (2021) - SEMINAL LOS ANGELES BAND FINALLY GETS IT'S JUST DUE IN EDGAR WRIGHT'S OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY

 
I don't pay much attention to the visitor demographics of this blog but I would imagine there's a good portion of you from California and particularly Los Angeles. If you live in LA and don't know who or what Sparks is then you should get out of LA. All others are excused and encouraged to delve into the wonderful world that is the music of the Mael Brothers.

Some may know them from the early 70's Kimono My House days and others may remember the KROQ hits from the early 80's like Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat or I Predict. Still others may associate them with their appearance in the notorious Rollercoaster movie but even the most hardcore Sparks fans rarely know the entire breadth of their musical landscape. Every hardcore Sparks fan will still make a new discovery song wise or album wise when they watch this outstanding documentary. 

Edgar Wright manages to make an over two hour documentary on a band most people never heard of go by very quickly and enjoyably as he tackles their almost fifty year career. Editing is phenomenal and I would go so far as to say Mr Wright has created an instant classic in the music documentary genre. 4.5 stars/5