Made for less than a million dollars, the slightly obscure Dead End is a chilling little indie you don't want to miss. It might just be the best Christmas horror movie no one ever heard of and every dollar is up there on the screen. It's quirky, weird, funny, bizarre, and scary all at once. Black comedy for sure but much more, this would make a nice double feature with The Perfect Host, another movie we're big on around here. So, grab some eggnog and a snack or two and check out the inimitable Ray Wise with legendary Lin Shaye as they take their family down a wrong turn, what's up with this road? Why doesn't it end? After all, they're just trying to make it to Christmas Eve dessert at Frank's mother's house. Tubi, Plex, Freevee, enjoy! 2.75 stars/2.75
Ellie aspires to be a fashion designer and is accepted into a school in London. Her mom was in the same profession but died and every now and then Ellie sees her in a mirror. She rents a room when she gets to London and every night when she sleeps she crosses over into the mid-60's where she lived as another woman. Or did she? What other kind of ghosts may be in that room?
If that sounds like it might be your cup of tea then don't pass go and don't collect $200, see it! Visually stunning with echoes of Polanski, Hitchcock and I'll throw in a little Midnight In Paris. Thumbs up, way up on this one, nice to see there's still a filmmaker with imagination out there! 4.0 stars/5
An ABC Sunday Night Movie Of The Week. All the ingredients were here for an ultimately cool TV movie but unfortunately it only delivers in the last ten minutes with a cool action scene where William Shatner does some pretty courageous stunts on a train going 40 mph plus. Everything leading up to that however is cheese-o-rama with Lloyd Bridges leading the pack as an overzealous cop eager to pull his gun on any one or thing that crosses his path. Alec Baldwin would be proud. (Sorry, couldn't resist that one.)
Worth one watch for cinephiles otherwise skip this and watch Unstoppable or Silver Streak instead. Currently streaming on Paramount +, Amazon, also found the YT link below 1.5 stars/2.75
Let's get one thing perfectly clear - Kavik is not, I repeat, not a coward. Nor is he a wuss. Capable of travelling two thousand miles by himself to get back home puts him in the wonder-dog category. And that sets the stage for this very G-rated fun TV film, sort of a dog road trip movie directed by the one and only Peter Carter. Carter, who had a real gift for shooting outside (Rituals alone should have proven that) does the same here as all his other films - more exteriors, less interiors.
Made the same year as his feature Klondike Gold, the two films couldn't be further apart in scope and depth. Kavik The Wolfdog is family fluff, something you could put on for youngsters and leave the room. Klondike Fever is epic and the most underappreciated film in his catalog. But more on that some other time. This is still a good Carter movie, worth one watch for sure. Obscure and hard to find. Look for a young, pre-success John Candy doing a few five-liners. 2.25 stars/2.75
From helping create the groundbreaking Project Greenlight series to The Town to Argo and beyond, good ole Ben has endured and continues to age like a fine wine. His contributions to the art have reached legend status. I did watch the new Amazon original The Tender Bar and he's great in that but the movie and rest of cast is not so I decided to showcase these two movies instead.
Pulling Bounce off the shelf, I hadn't seen it in a good ten years and expected to find it dated and perhaps abandon ship but I was totally surprised and blown away by how it stands up now and is really quite a well produced and directed film. The gooey factor of the rom-com still shoots out the sides of the wrapper but the film has many other nuances. For those that need a refresher, Ben plays the partner of an ad firm that handles a big airline account. On his way back from a business trip, he switches tickets (and flights) with someone at the last minute and that person's plane lands up crashing. He feels sorry for the guy's widow (Gwyneth Paltrow, totally superb here) so he helps her out with her real estate business but a relationship starts developing. When or will he tell her who he really is and that he knew her husband?
I enjoyed the heck out of The Way Back where Ben plays an alcoholic basketball coach asked to lead a Catholic school's team. It's a perfect casting, he could have phoned in the performance but that's not his nature. I was reminded several times of the whole sports movie genre and how far it's come since the 60's and 70's. There's a lot of great sports movies through the years covering a wide array of sports, enough to warrant a cool sports-movie-only blog. A quick but thorough search found no such thing so if anyone out there knows of such a blog, please lmk so we can post it
Bounce (2000) 3.25 stars/5 The Way Back (2020) 3.0 stars/5
Bounce currently stream free on Crackle, Pluto, Plex. The Way Back on Max Go or rent/purchase
As movie lovers around the world tribute the passing of Peter Bogdanovich, I thought I would chime in with one of his lesser-known works, 2001's The Cat's Meow. It's a Hollywood biopic about a weekend cruise that really happened aboard a 200-foot luxury yacht in the 1920's.
It's a movie mogul's birthday and various characters are aboard including silent film stars, a publishing magnate, a few mistresses and a movie critic. Everyone has some sort of reason to be underhanded or stab another one in the back. Dramas unfold and a murder takes place that was never solved, the film is Bognanovich's take on what really happened.
The yacht deserves equal billing ha ha as it's a gorgeous boat and the interiors where most of the film takes place are shot wonderfully. Jennifer Tilly has never been better as the movie critic Louella Parsons. Highly recommend, streaming free now on Tubi 3.0 stars/5
Jennifer Tilly "There are wrong people, you know."
WE ALSO REALLY DIG....
What's Up, Doc? (1972)
One of the greatest comedies ever made, right up there
You could have missed it in the blink of an eye but on Thursday, legendary rocker Neil Young dropped a free full length documentary shot and produced by his wife Darryl Hannah. A Band, A Brotherhood, A Barn showcases the recording of his latest album with longtime band Crazy Horse. And it's not bad! Sure, it's a plug to sell the album but enjoyable to watch, I mean who wouldn't want to make music in an environment like that. It reminds me of some of the jams and sessions we used to have in the Hollywood Hills when I was younger. Hopefully I'll go out the same way Neil does in this video- just being himself and creating music with his buds. Will life ever be this simple again? 2.75 stars/2.75
File this one under "endurance test." In order to fully immerse yourself in the B-movie world, crossing paths with the likes of this (and films by Ted V Mikels and Rene Carbona Jr come to mind) is inevitable. Avalanche is not that bad of a film but the script and dialog is just so mindless and sterile. Some fine actors try to do the best with what they're given, Robert Forster the only one of the lot that comes out shining, such was his nature. Can you imagine Jackie Brown without him? No way.
Grainy stock footage mixed in during the avalanche scenes is pretty lame for special effects but a scene later in the movie where a kid is rescued from a broken chair lift works pretty well. In typical disaster movie style, there's loads of melodrama and all around romance as Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow (both looking completely out of place) sleep around on each other.
Shot on location in Colorado, one of the only good things here. Make it through this one and you're truly qualified to be a B-movie enthusiast ha ha. Streaming free on Tubi, Roku, Vudu and IMDB. 1.0 stars/2.75
Chalk up another one in the cornucopia of work known as Clint Eastwood. Undeniably one of the greatest filmmakers to ever grace cinema, this one is more of a miss than a hit but still a sweet little film with a lot of his classic vibe and trademarks. The tale is a simple drama - Clint owes his boss a favor so he agrees to schlep down to Mexico and bring his thirteen year old son back home for him, rescuing him from a grimy lifestyle with mom. A road trip coming of age thing follows.
Some criticism - the kid is an important role here, I didn't like the casting choice, not edgy enough for the character. And Clint, we love ya but it's time to start using other actors, in The Mule it was a perfect match for the age and character but here he looks like he's still trying to star in his own movies. With another lead and perhaps a few more action scenes, this could have been a hit instead of miss.
The movie's surprise big plus is Dwight Yoakum. Looking a little old himself, yes, but his acting chops have come a long way since the Slingblade days. Unfortunately, he's only in a couple scenes, in fact the rooster the movie is named after has more scenes than him. All in all though, very pleased to add this one to my collection, filed of course under the one and only Clint Eastwood. 2.75 stars/5
The opening scene, filmed at the Greek during an actual concert by the group Chicago.
Al Pacino as a rock star singer? I mean, he can play anything, right? You're goddamn right he can play anything, he's Al freaking Pacino. Sure, the edgier roles fit him more but he's never had a problem with comedy and delivers well here in a Golden Globe nominated role. Of course, he's a legend. And legend he plays, a rock n roll star long since burned out and corrupt who just sings the hits. His state of misguidedness changes when his manager (Christopher Plummer) discovers a letter written to him by John Lennon decades earlier. In the letter Lennon advises Collins to be true to his art. The movie is based on a true story.
Bobby Cannavale - looks like I get to sing this guy's praises once again as he turns in another outstanding performance as Collin's son whom he hasn't seen in decades, was a selfish prick to and now has to try and mend all that. Cannavale looks a little older since the Station Agent days but now a dependable, stalwart and seasoned actor well on a way to becoming a legend of his own.
The use of many John Lennon songs as background music must have cost a pretty penny in licensing fees but very well implemented they are and in my opinion totally makes the picture. Annette Bening who still has the longest legs in the history of women is adequate but nothing special as a hotel manager who Collins befriends. 3.0 stars/5
