B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - DEAD END (2003)

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

Saturday, November 20, 2021

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

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