B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - GULAG (TV 1985)

This month B-Movie Gazette dives into the prison genre and who doesn't like a good prison flick? Gulag is an extremely well-produced TV movie originally made for HBO before wandering out to obscurity-land. David Keith is in top form as a sportscaster and while covering an event in Moscow is framed by the KGB. Unable to prove his innocence a prison escape is now inevitable, just how will he do it? Malcolm McDowell co-stars, this is a good one folks! 2.75 stars/2.75

Saturday, April 1, 2023

UNDERRATED WOODY ALLEN - SCARLETT JOHANSSON IS LOOKING FOR THE "SCOOP" (2006) ON AN INFAMOUS TAROT CARD SERIAL KILLER

 

2005's Matchpoint is undeniably one of the high points in a rollercoaster Woody Allen filmography. I think even Allen himself might not have seen that film's success coming. Ironically, one of Scoop's biggest problems is it came too soon after Matchpoint and with all it's similarities in location, cast, and so on, whether he liked it or not, Scoop was perceived as a follow-up. Which, of course, wasn't his intention, he was just making his one movie per year, Scoop was next. 

A who-dun-it mystery comedy, Scoop falls neither into his best category nor his total misses. It is, simply put, an adequate and mostly fun picture. Allen certainly isn't spoiled for choice with these types of films in his filmography. 

Many of Allen's regular themes are present, especially death and magic. Here he depicts the afterlife as a big ship with black sails and a grim reaper with it's occupants on deck all talking about how they died back on earth. These are some of the movie's funniest scenes. 

Scoop is available on all the VOD outlets.  3.0 stars/5

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