B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - THE DEATH OF RITCHIE (TV 1977)

Looks like a lot of fun to me, I don't know. Seriously and for those that don't know, The Death Of Ritchie is one of the most iconic TV movies of the entire '70's decade. I was roughly 15 when it aired and i can tell you that both Robby Benson and teens taking drugs were very hot topics at the time. The film is based on a true story where a father who couldn't control his teen's behavior from drug abuse was forced to take the law into his own hands. The father here is good ole Ben Gazzara and he is at his Gazzara best with a ferocious intensity, his scenes with Benson as father and son a perfect chemistry. At the time more emphasis was on Benson as a model but his performance here is really amazing. Streams free on Tubi, Freevee, Roku and Plex, if this was being rated on the standard scale I would give it five stars, 'nuff said. 2.75 stars/2.75

Monday, July 11, 2022

CREATING WOODSTOCK (2019) - A COMPREHENSIVE ACCOUNT OF THREE DAYS OF PEACE AND MUSIC THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN

I learned a lot of cool things about Woodstock that I never knew watching this but something more profound dawned on me - half a million people coming together like this for three days and coexisting in peace and music will never happen again. Sorry, to quote Easy Rider, "we blew it." The announcement made on the first evening that "the man next to you is your brother and you damn well better treat it that way" just seems to be part of some ancient world that doesn't exist anymore. 

Creating Woodstock uses a nice simple linear style to tell the whole story from conception and planning to all the performances to Jimi closing the festival (upon his insistence.) We hear of Ritchie Havens opening the festival and having to play six encores, literally exhausting his entire repertoire because no other acts could make it in. Rock music fans will love the plethora of trivial information on all the acts and what they experienced while performing, etc. A truthful, factual documentary that was way better than I expected it to be. Streams free on Tubi.  3.5 stars/5

Janis Joplin

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