I ESCAPED FROM DEVILS ISLAND (1973) - ROGER CORMAN'S SHAMELESS TAKE ON 'PAPILLION'

 

Can anyone tell me what in this picture relates to Papillion? 

I suppose it should be mentioned first that I consider the original Papillion with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman to be the greatest prison movie ever made, second only to Cool Hand Luke. So, I'm probably going to be even more critical towards a Roger Corman version, especially one starring Jim Brown, the worst of the blaxploitation big name actors. (He's no Fred Williamson.)

A clunky stitch of scenes, Devils Island replicates just about every trope from the original - the officer, the guillotine, the jungle, lepers, etc. It's pretty pitiful stuff, bordering on "should never been made" territory. 

An obscurity up until recently,  Devils Island is now on Tubi, available for anyone to see, warts and all. It's worth at least one watch for B-movie lovers but expect to have that "I don't want to look at the car accident but I have to" feeling.   1.75 stars/2.75 

Link to a 3 min clip

PATTON OSWALT IS A HARDCORE NY GIANTS FAN WHO HAS A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH HIS FAVORITE PLAYER IN "BIG FAN" (2009)

 

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt gives a damn impressive performance and plays against type as a disgruntled New York Giants fan who snaps a circuit. He likes to call a sports talk show on the radio and rail against Philadelphia Eagles fans. He's 34 and still lives with his mom, works in a parking garage, his brother and family all think he's a loser. His one best friend (Kevin Corrigan) is a hanger-on. 

One night he spots his favorite player, a defensive back, in a gas station. He and his best friend follow him to a couple places. When he finally gets to meet his sports idol, let's just say things don't go too well. The rest of this quirky little indie focuses on how he handles the misfired encounter.

Not only is this a great little indie, it's excellently edited and the passion for the project shines though nicely. It's a football movie that doesn't take place on the field of play but firmly belongs in the genre as a soon-to-be sports classic. Highly recommend!  2.75 stars/2.75

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A NEW HORROR ICON AND HER NAME IS "MEGAN" (2023) AND "MEGAN UNRATED" (2023)

 

Great news for horror movie fans - Megan is a instant classic. Fans are already clamoring for the sequel and even an old anti-sequel geezer like myself wants more of this crazy little robot. 

With a little Sci-fi, comedy and suspence sprinkled throughout, the producers of Megan know exactly how to push the right buttons while keeping the movie firmly in the horror genre. The special effects are spot-on, perfect really. 

There is very little difference between the unrated and PG13 versions except that the former has some marginal profanity and the kills are slightly more gory. I expected to be rating these separately but they're very much the same film - see the unrated unless you have a younger age group to cater to. Thumbs way up for Megan!  3.75 stars/5

BACK TO THE DRIVE-IN (2023) - NEW DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASES 11 DIFFERENT DRIVE-IN THEATERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THEIR PAIN, PASSION AND PLEASURE

 

A sweet and simple documentary showcasing 11 drive-ins and featuring all the great people behind the scenes that keep these historical venues running.  Of course the owners are interviewed but so are a lot of staff members and I love how in the credits they took particular care to list every last employee whether they appeared on camera or not.

One of the subjects covered includes how Covid affected the industry and how its currently rebounding. At least as best as it can given all the other challenges that already existed pre-Covid. It's a very family and clanish group that run these places and the dedication and hours involved are akin to owning a restaurant.  These are the real movie lovers.  

Currently streams on Tubi, Vudu Free and Amazon Prime.   3.25 stars/5

INSIDE (2023) - WILLEM DAFOE RUNS AMOK TRAPPED IN A NYC LUXURIOUS PENTHOUSE AND GIVES NEW MEANING TO WTF

 

For the ultimate example of why dialog is so essential in a film, one need look no further than Robert Redford's All Is Lost and now Willem Dafoe's Inside. However, whereas Redford's film focuses mostly on the material things his protagonist can do to get out of his predicament, Inside covers the psychological and spiritual as well. Inside is indeed a very strange beast to be taken on its own terms - a bizarre one-man slowburn and,  I suspect, a metaphoric message on climate change or the human condition in general. 

You probably already know Dafoe plays an art thief who gets trapped inside a luxurious penthouse which shuts down all its systems. "Nemo" has to figure out how to survive without water, temperature control or much food as well as figure out how to escape. Let's just say his journey is long and goes some desperate, ugly and insane places. 

Dafoe is truly one of our greatest living thespians and in typical fashion he brings an energetic and intense performance here. But ultimately Inside is a miss and a reminder that we always need dialog in features.  2.75 stars/5