Hot Summer Nights is our one repeat this year, it was last year's #1 and well worth it. To try and combine coming-of-age with neo-noir, set it in 1991 and do it in a beautifully styled way is no easy task. Elijah Bynum set his mark high and nailed it.
Alex Roe is outstanding here at the bad boy of the Cape Cod scene who develops a friendship with 15-yr old Daniel (Tim Chalamet) and they start selling weed and become big dealers. However, there's romantic subplots etc. The film also deserves high marks for editing and cinematography.
If that hasn't caught your attention, enter one William Fitchner in a mind-blowing cameo towards the end of the film as a coke dealer. This scene and it's curve-ball climax with trip you right out. As I said last year, one of the best cameos of the new century. Don't miss this one, thumbs way up. VOD, also on sale for $5 at Vudu & Amazon, comes to Plex for free starting tomorrow. 3.5 stars/5
Here's one that's been off the list a few years, I rewatched it the other night and was reminded what a great film it is. From the makers of Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, Rockwell stars with Liam James and Steve Carell in this water slide charmer. James plays the troubled teen who hates his mom's boyfriend, has to spend the summer in Cape Cod (poor fellow) and finds solace at the water park. Rockwell hires him for the summer.
There's a whole lot more not to mention Toni Colette. Similar to Little Miss Sunshine, every character has some dysfunctional issue. And what a supporting cast. How about Allison Janney as a freewheeling drunk? There's so many characters and familiar faces, there's almost a supporting to the supporting tier. So this is where it differs much from Sunshine which was stealthy and compact with it's four main characters.
Casting really nailed it though, this one's an underappreciated gem in my opinion. See what you think. Then get ready to book your ticket to Cape Cod. Available VOD or Prime membership. 3.25 stars/5
The last feature that two '60's character-actor vets (Gardner McKay, Richard Denning) ever did was this quirky screwball comedy adventure. One boater who bets another he can beat him in a race to Tahiti using, yep, all all-girl crew. It was filmed on location in Hawaii but looks like shooting took place in 1967 although its release date was 1969. One of the main actresses was borrowed from 20th Century Fox and a lot of the other girls were various surfer champions.
I will warn you it's very silly and super screwball, slap-stick kind of stuff. The film has a lot of heart though and the story is fun with surprises, diversions and even a saboteur. A girl saboteur, of course.
Yep, a surprise debut appearance on the pick-five, it used to be shown on Channel 56 late at night back in the UHF days. It's still considered pretty obscure and I'm not exactly sure who owns the copyright, it was financed by something called World Entertainment Corp. While officially unavailable, copies do pop up and the most recent I found is an excellent transfer. Enjoy while you can. 2.75 stars/2.75
Damned River stars Stephen Shellen as the river guide from hell. It's filmed entirely on location on the Zambezi River in Africa. Bradford Bancroft (the space cadet in Bachelor Party) and some other familiar '80's faces make up the group. Shellen's way over the top performance as the self-proclaimed "River Rat" is one for the B-movie record books and perfectly drives the movie. The more outrageous he gets with his behavior, the more we feel for the poor suckers in the boat. A lot of good photography and stunt work, this is a good one folks and can be streamed for free on Roku Channel. 2.75/2.75 Trailer
In Hunter's Blood we have the ultimate late '80's hicksploitation thriller with a group of hunters faced up against a group of backwood freaks. Lots and lots of familiar faces in this one - on the good guys side, we have the one-and-only Clu Gallager who is awesome in this, Joey Travolta is with them, but even better is the performance by good ole Ken Swafford as the hunting group's leader.
On the bad guys side, we have the motley crue pictured below which includes the shady mechanic from National Lampoon's Vacation among others. It's a familiar tale of who's going to hunt who but it's done quite well. The opening sequence where the hunters roll into town and stop for a beer is B-movie bliss. You can find this one at this official YT link. Enjoy. 2.75/2.75 Trailer
Greetings All - Francis Ford Coppola has announced an official summer tour of his movie-mega-flop-or-is-it Megalopolis. According to him, at this point, he wants no one to own the film. The legendary director will screen his piece in six US cities, the furthest west being San Francisco. Each screening will be followed by a crowd group conversation about the future moderated by Francis.
He's calling these conversations "How To Change Our Future" and it kind of reminds me a little of Ian Anderson's "Rubbing Elbows" tour in 2002 where he would do Jethro Tull songs with each song followed by a Q and A. It's certainly thinking outside of the box kind of stuff, I hope it does better for Coppola than it did Anderson.
You can read more about it and see the tour dates for the six Megalopolis performances here.
TOMMY'S 14th ANNUAL PICK-FIVE SUMMER MOVIES STARTS THIS WEEKEND
It's my proud pleasure to feature seven films this year as one of the entries is a double-feature (first-time ever!) There's one honorable mention, so that's seven total. The fun starts this weekend and this year's pick-five is a doosie, hope you'll join us, have an awesome summer!!
Based on a Stephen King short story, The Monkey is Osgood Perkin's latest film. The plot has one foot in the old Monkey's Paw classic short story and the other foot in the "we can't destroy the Golem" territory. I've never seen Longlegs or any of his other films for that matter but I found the kills here to be not only very hard to believe but also way too fast in their, if you'll pardon the pun, execution.
But it has a cool style to it and overall (since I'm a big Stephen King fan) it looks faithful to the material and is fun. This time Wiki got it right, this is black comedy. Or if you prefer, black comedy horror.
Recommend! 5.99 to rent or incl w your Prime membership on Amazon. 3 stars/5 Trailer
F1 - The reviews for F1 are coming in very favorable here/s the trailer for Brad Pitt's new movie out on June 25, he plays an ole-school race car driver returning to the circuit after a 30-year absence. I like it already....
Greetings All - While the rest of the world is intent on blowing itself up, we have moved our headquarters to the 86th floor (a crawl space) of the Chrysler Building.
Here's the latest -
Daddio (2023) - Had high hopes for this one. Don't get me wrong, Penn is outstanding and it's so great to see him doing a lot of acting again. But this script is basically about two people relating in a very deep way about the passenger (Dakota Johnson) and her love problems. Penn's character is supposed to be a model for how men should act in this kind of conversation; I don't get it. Well-shot, 2.75 stars out of 5 Trailer
Last Stop In Yuma (2024) - Very interesting neo-noir low-budget piece about a couple bank robbers who take over a diner. Has a whole lot of personality, this one. Misguided however in it's execution and besides being stylistic cool, most of this stuff has been done before, nothing new is really brought to the table. Still a thumbs up though and currently on sale Fandango for only $5. 2.75 stars out of 2.75 (technically a low budget) Trailer
Locked (2025) - New release, not a bad action thriller. It's a serviceable story about a lowlife who steals a very fancy car but this is one car he should have never broken into. Reason being it's remote controlled by it's owner (Anthony Hopkins) who's had about enough of punks jacking his car. Now the kid's locked inside with no way to get out. Engaging but Hopkins is only heard by voice until the end of the film and he should have come in sooner. 2.75 stars out of 5. Trailer
For David Lynch/Mullholland Drive fans - be advised Mullholland Drive is on sale at Fandango for only $5. This is a one-of-a-kind price as it's not usually for sale at all, only for rent. So I would jump on this if you purchase movies.
Liza, Liza, Liza! - For lovers of the legendary Liza Minelli, you should know an incredible documentary on her life is coming out. Liza, A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story is described as an indulgent but madly watchable showcase of her life. She's had a hard life but always stayed true to her art. Article and Trailer
My favorite Shyamalan film is The Village. I thought the whole idea of a group of traumatized people living deep in a nature preserve was brilliant. Shyamalan's imagination is dope, pretty out there and in Trap starring Josh Harnett the entire pop concert that he and his daughter are attending turns out to be an FBI sting operation. Once you suspend that belief which is nicely laid out very early on, it doesn't take long to realize Harnett is the one they're after. Australian actress Ariel Donoghue plays his teenage daughter who lands up getting called on stage during the show, she's perfect in her role.
If you didn't know, Shyamalan's own daughter, Saleka also stars as the fictional pop star Lady Raven. She is amazingly gorgeous and talented - good use of her music and songs are used throughout the film.
Harnett has certainly come a long way since his teen idol days, he's terrific here, I'd almost call it nomination worthy. The whole production design and the way they did the concert is stellar. The usual trademark cameo and twist ending, it's all here, Shyamalan is on a roll!
In Part Two, I talk about a couple other M Night favorites and why I think Trap might be connected to them. 3.5 stars/5
As of this post, Trap is available on Netflix for seven more days and on all VOD outlets.
It's 1984 and Michael Larson has been studying previous episodes of Press Your Luck on his VCR. He's figured out the patterns to the lighted board at the center of the game and how to pick only the highest money amounts. In effect, a game show version of a card counter. Now he goes on the show to become a contestant and starts ringing the cash register with his picks until the producers figure out what he's up to. Should they pull him and boot him or let him stay and benefit off his fame, a la Quiz Show?
Based on a real incident, this project was in development hell for 25 years, now that's hell. Samir Oliveros second full feature and he directs an excellent film on a low budget. Hauser is a perfectly complex actor to keep us guessing and more than worth mentioning are - David Strathaim in yet another great performance as the show's producer. It's hard to imagine the film without him but gosh, he looks old in this and Nightmare Alley.
The other worth mentioning is the Brian Geraghty, who was so good in Flight and Wildlike, he's really reached that stage where anything he appears in brings gold to the project. I almost didn't recognize him here as a fuddy duddy pastor, one of the other contestants. It's a bit of a too small part though for him.
Debuted in Toronto last year but officially released here last month. Highly recommend this one but unless you want to pay 6.99 a rental, you may want to wait a few months til it comes down, which it will. This is a good one, folks. 2.75 stars/2.75
Greetings All - Hope this day finds you well, it's certainly movie watching weather we're having in California. Sean Baker's latest is yes, another great film, but falls ever so short of the indie excellence found in Starlet or The Florida Project. Personally, I think his last film, Red Rocket is better but either way we're huge fans of his work. I'm glad to see him hit the mainstream but hope he will keep up his awesome standards.
Anora has the thumbprints of a lot of his other work - it takes place in the adult entertainment industry and deals with characters normally ousted in society. As you probably know, Madison plays a stripper in one of those Spearmimt Rhino kind of places and starts to befriend a client, a Russian spoiled brat of a kid who treats his whole life like he's on spring break. Things heat up fast between them (this is a Sean Baker film after all ha ha ) and they get married. Turns out though he's the son of an important Russian official who's not too happy that his son just married a "prostitute" and sends his goonbahs out to annul the marraige.
Madison is great, such a terrific actress, loved her in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. She carries this film like a star running back on a 99 yard return touchdown. I have no idea who the Russian kid is but he's perfectly cast. Armenian actor Karren Karagulian who was so good in Baker's Tangerine is cast in a big part here as the heavy dispatched by his family to try and annul the marraige. An excellent performance once again from him here although there's one or two scenes where he's just a little out of his depth.
All in all, I'm going to bring Anora in at a solid 4 stars but this is one of my lowest ratings for his films. However, it's still Sean Fu*king Baker!, so go see it. Lol, currently VOD but on sale right now for only 9.99 on both Vudu and Amazon. 4.0 stars/5
Once considered quite the obscurity, a 1970 gem starring none other than Rod Taylor has finally seen the light of streaming day. Taylor plays private detective Travis McGee, the main character in twelve of McDonald's novels. He and his alter ego Meyer (also in all the books) are fishing and see a woman thrown off a bridge. They rescue her and discover she's a reject from a big prostitution and murder ring. Well, McGee's gotta take them all down cause that's the kind of guy he is.
McDonald, for those in the unknow, was a pulp fiction super-writer who took his work very seriously. No matter what, he was in his office writing every single day from 8 to 5, he completely treated it like a job. In the 1940's he sent his stories into magazines and eventually became very successful. If you like mystery or pulp, I highly recommend you check out his work.
Taylor, who goes a bit against cast on this one, is terrific. I always dug him in movies like The Time Machine and Hotel. There's an infamous fist fight scene near the end with Taylor and his nemesis that got a little,,,ok, a lot out of hand. The two actors crossed the line and it became real while cameras kept rolling. This scene, very mellow by today's standards, was considered so violent at the time it made for a cut so R could become PG (called GP at the time.)
In whole, this is an excellent adaptation of the novel although McDonald himself detested the film. Shot in Florida, well directed with lots of action scenes, Travis' cool house boat (in all the novels) and a cameo with Jane Russell. This is a real film folks and while sadly it remains the only novel of his adapted to a feature, it's well worth the watch and we're glad to see it back on a big screen. Tubi, of course. 2.75 stars/5
Filmed entirely on location in Dubai, Adbi plays a billboard repairman who fantasizes about the various products displayed - an interesting premise to say the least. While this is happening, he also develops a friendship with an undesirable roommate who eventually talks him into becoming a thief.
This one took me by surprise, in a good way. It's an effective crime drama on a low budget with a good pair of leading actors. Very nicely shot, it's got chase scenes, robberies, a fight scene and a pretty cool ending. B-Movie Gazette is back and says check this one out, especially recommend for nighttime viewing, now streaming on Tubi, Plex, Roku and Prime membership. 2.75 stars/2.75
There is an old friend of mine named Jim Costello that I owe an eternal debt of gratitude to. In a most unusual way that I'll never forget, he turned me onto this film. In 1985 I was a cab dispatcher for Celebrity Cab in Los Angeles and Jim was one of my drivers and good friend. It was a Friday afternoon, we had both just got off work so Jim came over to my place in Hollywood (right behind the Palladium) to do some TGIF partying. He took out a bag of cocaine the size of a loaf of bread and then took out a VHS tape, proclaiming, "wait until you see this movie, this is an advance copy, it doesn't even come out for another week!"
I replied something to the effect that my pot and booze didn't need nobody and "what's so special about this movie?" As we watched and partied together, I realized every location in this virtual tour of LA at night, either Jim had picked up somebody in his cab or I had dispatched him. The music of BB King and the wonderful opening sequence of a plane landing at LAX still brings me back to that fun afternoon.
And what a fun film it is. It doesn't fit into any one genre or combo of genres for that matter. And it's certainly not "black comedy" as listed on Wiki. It's John Landis' love letter to LA as created that year, a trip thru the city at night. Goldblum plays a burnt-out aerospace engineer who can't sleep. He drives to LAX one night hoping to catch a red-eye to Vegas to cure his insomnia. Instead, he runs into (literally) Pfiffer, an amateur smuggler and the adventure thru LA at night begins.
Landis enlisted the help of many friends for this homage and the cast is a cornucopia of great names. A ton of memorable cameos, especially David Bowie. The entire soundtrack is by BB King and very underrated - he did an amazing job of sonically catching that vibe of mid-'80's cocaine-infused LA.
Hopefully, as the decades rock on, Into The Night will enjoy new popularity and maybe even a cult kind of status. It is truly an understated masterpiece, a very special film. For Goldblum fans, an absolute must, he's at his 100% best here. VOD only right now but worth every penny, enjoy. 3.5 stars/5
Who doesn't love a good train movie and Runaway Train is one of the best ever made, plain and simple. A couple of convicts (Jon Voight, Eric Roberts) escape from a maximum-security prison in Alaska and make their way to a big train yard. Jumping a ride on four locomotives hitched together, the convicts think they're home free until the engineer croaks and their ride becomes a runaway.
Meanwhile, the prison warden (John P Ryan in one of his best) is on their tail. Central dispatch is trying to figure out if they should derail it or what. Put it all together and you've got the timeless Runaway Train. Jon and Eric are still with us but most the rest are gone, including the beloved Ryan. Runaway Train at 40 and surely to be considered a ground-breaking train movie for decades to come. 3.5 stars/5
Sean Astin stars with Chris Mulkey in what is mostly a two-man act on the water in this wordy slow burn. Shot in the middle of Lake Michigan, Astin plays Mitch who as it turns out has gone out there to kill himself. Mulkey plays Kelly, a smuggler who has a plane crash and is rescued by Mitch. Kelly has a bag with him that has an alarm and GPS on it so now he's being sought and Mitch is in his shit, get it?
Like I said it's wordy, and it's certainly not going to win any awards for directing or producing. It's got a cool premise though, worth at least one watch for movie lovers. Both leads are great and btw have to throw this in - Mulkey, you need a new agent, totally should have had shared billing with Astin on this. 2.75 stars/5 Tubi, YT, and many other free streamers.
1. Chris Sarandon, Chris Sarandon, Chris Sarandon! 2. Next to Planet Of The Apes, Roddy McDowells greatest role. 3. Stephen Geoffreys, Stephen Geoffreys, Stephen Geoffreys! 4. Ian Hunters song "Good Man In A Bad Time" in the nightclub scene. 5. Sparks song "Armies Of The Night" in the nightclub scene. 6. Forty years later, still some of the most awesome special fx in a horror movie, every one perfectly executed. 7. Jonathan Stark, Jonathan Stark, Jonathan Stark! 8. "Yeah, Charlie, what's down there?" and last but not least, 9, how about some love for ole character actress Dorothy Fielding as the dipsy doodle mom!
The always enjoyable CHAZZ is in top form as a conman and dice hustler. His life is turned upside down when the group home caring for his son (Tom Guiry, absolutely stupendous) calls to say they're kicking the boy out. As is kind of expected as the story moves along, nor only is a bond formed but the boy (who has downs syndrome) is recruited to help dad in a big con. Christine Lahti also stars, it's a nice mix of thrills and comedy, amusing, and at times profound - give this one a chance, it's not bad.
Paul Sorvino, looking like he had a face-lift or two, co-stars in this adequate but not overly special crime drama. Gallo, who up to this point was relatively unknown, does a good job in the lead as Bobby. Acting-wise, the only other real standout here is Robert Knepper who plays the heavy - his scenes are of an entirely different caliber and make the film a little better.
Cold Deck is an entertaining watch but it's just a hybrid of already overused poker tropes. 2.5 stars/5
So, this afternoon I'm watching the coverage of Hackman's sudden and strange passing at age 95. I check out all three of the major networks. And none of them had the balls to mention The Conversation. God forbid they mention the one where he plays a wire tapper (and a brilliant, prophetic treatise from Coppola on society.) So, you'll forgive me if this post is a little angry in tone but any conversation (ha ha) about Hackman should always include if not begin with this seminal performance, one of the most accomplished in all of cinema. THEN, watch your Unforgiven, French Connection, Firm, etc. 5 stars/5
Greetings All - Nobody rocked the cinematic world in the '70's like 👍 ole Babs. And while many selections from that decade are more than worthy to comprise said triple feature, these are my personal 3 favs...
WHAT'S UP, DOC? (1972) - While this movie lover personally feels Peter Bogdonavich was a tad overrated, the legendary director surely hit it out of the park with this screwball comedy set in San Francisco. How much of that success though should be attributed to Babs is paramount. She becomes a walking talking Bugs Bunny in femme Fatale and Ryan O Neal and Madeline Kahn in particular are hilarious. 3.75 stars/5 Amazon Prime or VOD
FOR PETE"S SAKE (1974) - Seriously underrated, a great comedy. Babs plays a strapped for cash housewife who borrows money from the Mob and can't pay it back. Her contract keeps getting passed as she fails at being a call-girl, assassin and smuggler. Michael Sarrizan an actor I never quite latched onto is good as the husband but once again, this is Babs show, she's hilarious. NYC lovers, check out a sequence about two thirds through on the old B line, it rocks. 3.0 stars/5. Tubi or VOD
A STAR IS BORN (1976) - Like it or lump it - and I think most people that like it would be honest enough to admit it's still a very flawed picture - the second remake of this classic story has some truly good sequences. Ironically, a lot of these belong to Kristofferson like the dramatic concert scene opener and another where he plays a huge stadium in Arizona. Not sure people know just how much of a passion project this was for Babs. I'll tell you who shouldn't have been involved w this project and that's Jon Peter's. 2.5 stars/5
Amazon Prime or VOD
COMING LATER THIS WEEK, IT'S THE MARCH ISSUE WITH >
Birthdays - select films that have notable anniversaries this year.
Repost Week
And of course, the B MOVIE OF THE MONTH - Here are March's 3 Hints >
1. It seems like every year we land up featuring
at least one film from this legendary director.
2. I certainly wouldn't jump off that thing.
3. Among many stunts,, a horse and chariot jump into a pond.
Wrapping up the Jack Lemmon fest, thought it would be cool to feature four Lemmon flicks I just recently watched for the first time. These are all available on Tubi, enjoy!
HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE (1965) - An effective comedy-mystery although entirely dated and would have been better at 90 or 100 minutes instead of close to two hours. Jack's okay, he did a bunch of these flicks in the sixties, but the real star surprisingly in this is British actor Terry Thomas. He plays Jack's butler and narrates the film as well often breaking fourth wall. This gives the extraordinary talent of Thomas some nice room to breathe. 2.75 stars/5
COWBOY (1958) - Jack plays a happy-go-lucky stand up kind of hotel desk clerk who goes partners on a cattle drive with a questionable tycoon (Glenn Ford.) What I like to call a "set piece" Western very typical of the Era. Has its moments but your time is easily spent with another title. 2.0 stars/5
12 ANGRY MEN (TV 1997) - In this remake of the famous play and 1957 movie, Jack plays juror number eight, the one hold out in twelve who thinks the man on trial for his life might be innocent. A meaty gathering of A-listers here, everyone from Edwarc J Almos to George C Scott - and what's Gary Frederickson doing in this thing? Not bad, Jack was 72 when he did this and still had it. 2.25 stars/2.75
THE LONG WAY HOME (TV 1998) Not much I could find out about this Lifetime-esque TV movie, but Jack is great as an elderly man who gets lost and eventually joins a much younger woman on a hitchhiking adventure. 2.75 stars/2.75 watch on Tubi - Editor's Note 2-28-25 - While I'm still not sure who this was produced for, this was easily the most enjoyable flick of these four. A young Sarah Paulson rocks it as co-star and the pacing on this makes it more of an adventure/drama. There's a cool sequence where he joins the circus. Check this one out, it's not bad!
Greetings All- having a bit of technical difficulties lately with a laptop, tablet and phone, none of which are working properly but nonetheless the show will continue 😀 👍 the following is a list of 4 Jack Lemmon flicks lesser known but outstanding performances. Since its Valentines Day 💝 we'll start with the first of two films that Jack did in the year 1969. They're both shot in NYC, both have unusual but perfect leading ladies and both are on this list...enjoy!
THE APRIL FOOLS (1969) - A fun and very '69 romantic comedy where Jack plays Brubaker, a married exec who falls in love with his bosses wife. You see, he's a frog and Catherine Deneuve wants to turn him into a prince. His boss (Peter Lawford), however, has made it emphatically clear that Brubaker is not, nor ever has been a frog. A lot of very classic NYC locations including what was at that time the new Madison Square Garden. And look out, a fantastical third act w Harvey Korman as a drunk womanizer. 3.5 stars/5
THE OUT OF TOWNERS (1969) - Again Jack plays an exec new hire. This time, he's trying to make his way to his first day. However, once he land's in NYC from Ohio, he and his wife (Sandy Dennis, another unusual choice but she kills it) encounter one NYC mishap after another. Only Neil Simon could make all this comical somehow - it's not one of his best but his pairing once again with Lemmon doesn't let down. 3.0 stars/5
THATS LIFE (1986) - Those in the over-55 crowd may remember this Blake Edward's sort of comedy and lot of melodrama. It played in heavy rotation on late night cable, anyone remember the Z channel? Edward's crafted this one on a shoestring budget, even using his actual Malibu house as the main location. Jack plays a disgruntled 60 yr old completely fed up with life, and that's putting it mildly. At the same time his wife (Julie Andrews) may have cancer but hasn't told him yet. 2.5 stars/5
THE GREAT RACE (1965) - Blake Edward's again but a mid 60s epic comedy, three hour complete with intermission, oh yeah. Tony Curtis (in one of his best as well) is the good guy The Great Leslie and Lemmon the bad Professor Fate in a race from NY to Paris. You like screwball, slapstick kind of comedy 🤣? Let's put it this way - the film is dedicated to Laurel and Hardy. 3.75 stars/5
Greetings All - Hope this week finds you and yours all well. But even more than that, I hope you're in a JACK LEMMON mood because we got a massive three-part post for you. My personal favorite actor of all-time, and as we all know, one of the all-time greats. Like this Aquarian was majorly talented and it's B-Movie Gazette's proud to present this tribute in three parts.
I - "The Obvious Picks" (that's this post, stupid!) - iow, the cream of the crop.
II - "The Underrated Gems" - a collection of ones you really should see.
III - "The Undiscovered" - a post of films I will be watching for the first time.
THE CREAM OF THE CROP OF JACK LEMMON FILMS "The Obvious Ones"
SAVE THE TIGER (1974) - We may have a divided country now but way back in 1974 the writings were already on the wall as our main character Harry Stoner (love that name) will attest to. Harry has had it with America and longs back to a time when morals and decency ruled. In the meantime though, he has a factory to save and will do anything to save it. Maybe a detour with a cute hippy chick in Malibu is what Harry needs. I'll give you a key to figuring out this whole movie - it's the last line right before credits role, it's said by a kid, and that kid represents Harry's past. 4/0 stars/5 Pluto or VOD
DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES (1962) - An amazing performance from Jack as he and Lee Remick play a married couple caught up in the throes of alcoholism. A brilliant film on so many levels. And that should come as no surprise considering it's a Blake Edwards film. 5 stars/5
PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE (1975) - Neil Simon fires on all eight cylinders in this oft overlooked neurotic NYC comedy. Jack plays a married man who gets fired and has a nervous
breakdown. This forces his wife (Anne Bancroft) to become the man of the house. Pound for pound, Simon has packed this script with one-liners about the Big Apple and Lemmon and Bancroft are just stellar together. 3.5 stars/5 VOD
THE APARTMENT (1960) - Another holy shit performance from Jack on this one, an obvious pick, had to be on the list. It shows it's age a lot, this one but what a cast and what a script, just magnificent. 5 stars/5 Free right now on Roku channel & Pluto.
THE ODD COUPLE (1968) - Yep, this is the original that spawned so many great television versions and of course, countless renditions on Broadway. Another incredible performance here from Lemmon. But it's the pairing on this one of him and real-life pal Walter Matthau that sends it to the moon. They were so great together in this and it's Neil Simon once again slamming it out of the park. 5 stars/5
BODY HEAT (1981) - As the decades roll by, this one has been a little shuffled under the carpet, you don't hear it mentioned that often. But it's a great Lawrence Kasden directed neo-noir with Hurt and Kathleen Turner torching up the screen with a sizzling chemistry. So much so, they're going to have to knock off Turner's husband, played by Richard Crenna in yet another great performance. Also, look for Mickey Roarke in an awesome cameo - this flicks a don't-pass-go and don't collect $200, just see it, ya dig? 4.0 stars/5 VOD
DO NOT DISTURB (1999) aka Silent Witness - I stumbled upon this one completely by accident while researching Hurt's filmography. It's a Dutch-German production filmed in Amsterdam on location. It's kind of like Polanski's Frantic except instead of Paris, it's Amsterdam and instead of the wife going missing, it's a mute teen daughter. But that same kind of mystery with some local twists. Jennifer Tilly flexes her acting chops very nice in this, best I've seen her. The teen actress, a one-off performance, should also be mentioned. Out of print but here is a "very watchable" version some kind soul upped, enjoy. 3.75 stars/5
IN MUSIC - If you haven't made it down there yet, we would like to call your attention to the new "MUSIC CORNER" of the Gazette, down in lower right of blog. There you will find the new Rolling Stones blog "Squares," a large collection of classic rock Vinyl Rips completely stream worthy from my personal collection. There are a lot of vinyl bootlegs I purchased on Hollywood Blvd in the early '70's. Finally, we have added the "Album of the Week" which currently is "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell" (1976)ENJOY
TGIF movie fans - tonight, my top 4 favorite movies featuring superstar George Clooney. The actor doesn't hit it out of the park every time but few actors do and we think these four films back that up. Be forewarned though, the picks may surprise you.
#4 - TOMORROWLAND (2015) - This muddy and uneven Disney sci-fi has been the appropriate recipient of many mixed reviews and two and a half star ratings. But something about Clooney's performance in this just draws me in somehow, he's at his most amicable and comfortable best in this. Visually stunning but, boy, what flimsy story execution. 2.5 stars/5
#3 - THE DESCENDANTS (2011) - At the podium when George Clooney accepted his Oscar for this Hawaiian set drama, he said "Alexander Payne makes such real movies about real people and real life." How true. This was a demanding role for him, playing a dad whose wife is in a coma, but Clooney certainly rose to the occasion. This one had to be on the list. 4.25 stars/5
#2 - FROM DUSK TIL DAWN (1996) - Now if you want to see the bad side of Clooney, the heavy, then he can play bad boy on turbo power as represented in this horror classic from Robert Rodriguez. From the first few frames to movie's end, he's over the top and up in everybody's face relentlessly. One sidebar comment on this one - a very strange and different role for Harvey Keitel playing a meek ex-preacher hoping to redeem himself. 3.0 stars/5
#1 - THE PERFECT STORM (2000) - This is a seriously underrated performance in my opinion. As skipper of the ill-fated Andrea Gail fishing vessel, Clooney is a hand-in-glove fit for this. His scenes with Walberg I would add have great chemistry. Til the last monster wave buries the boat once and for all, we're rooting for him to succeed. 3.75 stars/5
Good evening once again - Here's part two, - 1969, 1970 & 1974 are represented this time, hopefully you'll find one to enjoy. If you haven't figured out already, these are all watchable on Disney channel only or VOD, DVD VHS - n joy
THE CASTAWAY COWBOY (1974) - The one-and-only James Garner does what he does best, a Western part. He plays a wrangler from Texas that gets shipwrecked and stranded in Hawaii. He's nurtured back to health by a family who has one big problem - a bunch of hands that don't know jack about running a farm. That's where Garner comes in hand and saves the day. You may recognize child actor Eric Shea from Poseidon Adventure, he's co-stars right along Garner here and kills it. 3.0 stars/5
THE BOATNIKS (1970) - Oh my, if there was one thing I wouldn't want written on my tombstone, it's "this was the guy who loved The Boatniks." Rather keep that one to myself, ya dig? But hey, we all have our crazy favorites, right. This is mine. I'm actually going to let this vintage trailer speak for itself, it's a goodie. 2.75 stars/5
MY DOG, THE THIEF (TV 1969) - Ok, so this one is a little bit of a cheat as it's actually a television production. It originally aired on Wonderful World Of Disney in two parts. These were combined to make the version commonly available. An adorable Saint Bernard who happens to be a kleptomaniac attaches himself to a goofy weather reporter. Disney stalwart Joe Flynn also stars. Dog lovers can't resist this one! 2.75 stars/2.75
Greetings All - An imaginative mind like none other. Instead of the usual tribute film, (since i would pick Mulholland Drive anyhow) I found this fascinating clip of backstage scenes shot by someone authorized to - there's footage of them shooting inside the infamous diner in the movie, scenes shot at the pool party that appears towards the end of the movie and some others. Enjoy, to watch him work is to see the genius that was behind the man, in a sense the David Bowie of cinema.
IN MUSIC>> Holy crap, it was 52 years ago this very evening, I saw the Rolling Stones perform the concert streamed below, long considered a very legendary show with Santana and Cheech & Chong, yes, Cheech & Chong opening at the LA Forum. As an 11-year old Stones freak and new guitar player I can't express in words how it set the course for my life and love of rock n roll music and performing.
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as tonight I share three classic Disney movies - two from the 60s and one from 1972 - all majorly dogged thru the years. They may not have had the greatest reviews but I personally dig these and all three made money and were re-released thru the decades.
IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS (1962) - Disney's biggest star ever, the lovely Hayley Mills was twenty-one when she made this comedy- adventure about two children trying to find their kidnapped father. Some great early matte work here, the whole movie was filmed indoors. Plus, who can resist timeless Maurice Chevalier! 3.25 stars/5
BLACKBEARDS GHOST (1968) - You know, in retrospect I really think Dean Jones was a little underrated as an actor. He certainly had that charismatic face and was a natural comedic actor, The Love Bug being his most iconic. But the poor guy had his problems in the women department big time. Contracted by Disney twice, he's in a slew of their films, this one finds him playing a track team coach haunted by the ghost of Blackbeard (Peter Ustinov) Could have used 10-15 minutes of trimming but still an enjoyable one 2.5 star/5
SNOWBALL EXPRESS (1972) - Since its winter, here's another Dean Jones. He inherits a ski lodge and quits his job on impulse only to find out its a broken down wreck. Some cool location photography on this one, Harry Morgan co-stars. 3.0 stars/5
Greetings All- Sure, I could mention some of my 5 star favorites like Apocalypse, The Conversation, American Beauty, Midnight Cowboy, but these 5 are some less obvious choices. And, 100% 5'star worthy.
THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (2013) - A modern crime drama epic and tour de force for Ryan Gosling. While only in the first act, he enters and leaves the movie with such intensity, the film is already five star worthy. But then the film really clobbers you over the head with it's equally stunning second and third act featuring Bradley Cooper, Bruce Greenwood and Ray Liotta. VOD
THE BOUNTY (1984) - Anthony Hopkins spell-binding performance as Captain Bligh will never be topped nor will this version of the famous Mutiny on the Bounty story. From the amazing score to the cinematography and every thing else. And Mel Gibson? He should have just been handed the Oscar without any other nominees, he's that good. Tubi, Pluto
GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946) - If you're in the over-55 gang, you may remember seeing this either on a 16mm projector in yr classroom or perhaps channels 52 or 56 in LA. If you're young, God help you as you probably don't even know what great expectations is. The story will teach you about life and this penultimate version is still listed #5 on BFI's all-time greatest films. Tubi
IRRECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES (1984) - The late, great Ryan O' Neal worked for scale because he believed in the project written by an early Nancy Meyers of Somethings Gotta Give fame. He later said he considered it some of his best work next to Barry Lyndon and we agree. Now, Shelly Long. Another flat out might as well go up to the podium and make your speech, might just be the biggest snub of all-time. Sharon Stone"s very first feature, also quite impressive. Out of print but just do a search on YT, lots of full versions to find.
LIMBO (1999) - John Sayles, master indie director specializing in multi-character tales (usually with a socio political slant) crafted this genius Alaskan drama. Part survival story part coming of age (Vanessa Martinez, off the chart) part romance (Mary E Mastrantonio and David Straithern) And - are you ready to hear Mastrantonio sing several songs with a voice as sweet as an angels? Sayles crafted a masterpiece with this one. Tubi
Greetings All - I pulled a lot of movies off the shelf last couple weeks. These are 7 that I enjoyed the heck out of -
NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979) the quintessential football movie 🎬 period, end of sentence. 4.0 stars/5 VOD
WILD (2014) This is not the perky Reese Witherspoon from Election, let's get that straight. A mature, hardened divorcee here, she takes to hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. As her journey progresses, flashbacks tell her characters life story. Too many of those flashbacks and uneven pacing bring the rating down considerably for this movie lover. 2.75 stars/5 Plex only
SWITCHBACK (1997) Danny Glover's unusual turn as the bad guy is reason one of many to see this crime thriller directed by Jeb Stuart, writer of v Die Hard. Jared Leto and many others, just an awesome cast. A little slow to get going but give this one a chance. 3.5 stars/5 VOD
THE DROP (2014) Mob crime drama w James Gandolfini, he owns a bar that's a drop for the Mafia. A robbery takes place that shouldn't. Fully enjoyable thriller but unnecessary. 2.5 stars/5
ALIVE (1993) The story of the Andes plane crash and is the greatest survival tale in human history. There's lots better films about them but this a good place to m start for a newbie. 3.0 stars/5
AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999) A masterful performance by Kevin Spacey and quite frankly one of the greatest films ever made. 5 stars/5
Hot Summer Nights is our one repeat this year, it was last year's #1 and well worth it. To try and combine coming-of-age with neo-noir, set it in 1991 and do it in a beautifully styled way is no easy task. Elijah Bynum set his mark high and nailed it. 
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