B-Movie Gazette: BILL MURRAY IS A MIDDLE-AGED MAN WHO DECIDES TO VISIT 4 EX-GIRLFRIENDS AND THINGS DON'T GO SO WELL IN JIM JARMUSCH'S "BROKEN FLOWERS" (2005)

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

Saturday, July 13, 2024

BILL MURRAY IS A MIDDLE-AGED MAN WHO DECIDES TO VISIT 4 EX-GIRLFRIENDS AND THINGS DON'T GO SO WELL IN JIM JARMUSCH'S "BROKEN FLOWERS" (2005)

Another one that's about to turn 20 and seems like I just saw it in the theater yesterday. This is a very important entry in the Jim Jarmusch filmography because it's really the film where he stepped with one foot into the mainstream, the other still planted in art house. The segway, if you will, to his future films and success. Jarmusch would end the 00's slightly stepping back with 2009's not-so-well-received Limits Of Control. The next three films would see him come much more into the mainstream in the following decade especially with Only Lovers Left Alive. I have not seen the zombie film The Dead Don't Die yet from 2019 but looking forward to checking it out.

In Broken Flowers, Bill Murray plays a perfect leading man for this script and the title of this post describes the basic plot. He gets a anonymous letter stating he has a son from the past and this sets him on his journey to visit 4 ex-girlfriends - Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy (in a rare feature outing,) Jessica Lange, and the amazing Tilda Swinton, all excellent performances here. I would also add the amazingly hot Chloe Sevigny as a secretary who is perfect in her supporting role.

As of this post, Broken Flowers is only available on VOD. 3.75 stars/5