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

Friday, January 19, 2024

SOCIETY OF THE SNOW (2023) - ANDES SURVIVORS STORY IS FINALLY GIVEN A PROPER FEATURE FILM TELLING, THERE NEED BE NO OTHER VERSION

 

Several times while watching Society of the Snow. I thought of the faces of Nando and Roberto, the two survivors that pulled off the amazing feat. Of saving. 14 other survivors out of the Andes Mountains. Following this story for so long since really it happened in the mid 70s. I almost feel like. I know them. That their friends of mine. I visualized them and some of the other survivors watching the final cut and what the expressions on their face might be. I could see pride and even rushed tears. At the magnificence of this splendid cinematic achievement. 

If they feel the way that I do, then the record has been set straight. There will never need to be another version. We went from one end of the. To the other. With the. Hollywood. Formula. Alive 1993. To this. Than a simple retelling of the story. An actual journey into the hearts. And minds. Of the survivors as it was happening. A 4th dimension, if you will. The film makers took endless effort to make sure that this version had no. Traces of. The previous versions and that includes the documentaries. None of the tropes associated with previous versions have been repeated. For example, the pilot asking for a gun so he could shoot himself. The I'll go for pizza and you buy line. The copilot warning that the plane is going to do a "dance." with unknowns and in Spanish, I believe they even took the extra effort of making sure the new faces didn't look like the. Photos of. Nando and. Roberto as we know them. 

The avalanche sequence is given a treatment here that no other film version has even come close. To reproducing. You will likely find one or two parts hard to watch. As the depth of this film. Really drives home. The emotional. Despair. They faced. Both the pre crash and after discovery parts of the story are given ample time. Perhaps too much on the after Discovery, as there's still 20 minutes left of film at that point. The special effects and cinematography are off the chart. 

Appropriately nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Society of the snow is surely to take home the coveted prize. I can't recommend the film enough. But it is a heavy two hours and 25 minutes that you are in for. Netflix only.  5 stars/5 

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