MARLON BRANDO & VAL KILMER RUIN 'THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcpkoBSsUNliEi-EKOlUGI5kMxQSZdYCRnnU5XByWA3e_K_Gj7YSOQalshkw41o-6CJ8iQpu5jK3RCGpCbg-UJYY8RyQjkdS6YsMnKnbUAIvmZr7ND2IKcRNuDMxCtw0N66-tVh46AcTtt7h2pnh1bsy96uxXEsr2AA9NhbB1yN7700q2uflPUbuJwIfE/s1869/Screen%20Shot%202024-11-02%20at%2010.20.55%20AM%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="1869" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcpkoBSsUNliEi-EKOlUGI5kMxQSZdYCRnnU5XByWA3e_K_Gj7YSOQalshkw41o-6CJ8iQpu5jK3RCGpCbg-UJYY8RyQjkdS6YsMnKnbUAIvmZr7ND2IKcRNuDMxCtw0N66-tVh46AcTtt7h2pnh1bsy96uxXEsr2AA9NhbB1yN7700q2uflPUbuJwIfE/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-11-02%20at%2010.20.55%20AM%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Val Kilmer in THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU Year: 1996 Rating: **</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>As the story goes, original director and screenwriter Richard Stanley was fired from THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, replaced by veteran John Frankenheimer who, prone to making action movies, seems confused whether it's an aggressive PLANET OF THE APES creature-uprising prequel or the quirky sci-fi/horror that the quirky Richard Stanley probably intended...<br><br>What's really strange is that big-budget superstar Bruce Willis was going to star in <i>that</i> original arthouse horror... replaced with offbeat British actor David Thewlis, seeming more like he'd be Stanley's choice over Frankenheimer's, who would have been able to do a high-octane Bruce Willis flick with his aged-eyes closed... meanwhile the more ambiguous Thewlis allowed the strange story to unfold before his vulnerable eyes as opposed to Willis (or Rob Morrow even), who would probably seem far above and beyond the situation... Thewis is there for the audience <i>and</i> the story... <br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span></span>

creature, horror, john frankenheimer, marlon brando, nineties, science-fiction, val kilmer

MARLON BRANDO & VAL KILMER RUIN 'THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU'

Val Kilmer in THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU Year: 1996 Rating: ** As the story goes, original director and screenwriter Richard Stanley was fired...

JEREMY PIVEN LITERALLY DRIVING 1994'S RIDE 'JUDGEMENT NIGHT'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6GkOGa-1ZYurARF2V-9t4uW44R2KDCUG7K6MLuZcYfug2G0WENcP9r-9Mw_4v2DMuhkf5nAHH2MpJSHYNHD1PS5bGXN2ZdzIM-Ex2CjTeVzijUqiPlRA8-M8UC4LnFqkt6jpfeAjMqZpEixIKxKPHBjDC8qGh6vEY6JJU5GNogRAlMkbnLIjfUKZ4M3Z/s1594/Screen%20Shot%202024-10-04%20at%201.54.19%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="1594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6GkOGa-1ZYurARF2V-9t4uW44R2KDCUG7K6MLuZcYfug2G0WENcP9r-9Mw_4v2DMuhkf5nAHH2MpJSHYNHD1PS5bGXN2ZdzIM-Ex2CjTeVzijUqiPlRA8-M8UC4LnFqkt6jpfeAjMqZpEixIKxKPHBjDC8qGh6vEY6JJU5GNogRAlMkbnLIjfUKZ4M3Z/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-10-04%20at%201.54.19%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jeremy Piven in JUDGEMENT NIGHT Year: 1994 Rating: **1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>In JUDGEMENT NIGHT, token instigating/troublemaking black-sheep of drinking-buddies Jeremy Piven has provided a giant one-night-only RV for buddies Emilio Estevez, his nervous little brother Stephen Dorff and intense yet cool-headed Cuba Gooding Jr to hang out and drink in... all while watching prime night boxing on the way to  front seats for the actual match...<br><br>What's funny is that, while stuck on a very important freeway traffic jam, and with drinks in hand and mobile satellite television, they could have simply cruised around and had a better time than at the place they never reach...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span></span>

action, cuba gooding jr., denis leary, emilio estevez, gang, jeremy piven, nineties, race against time, stephen dorff

JEREMY PIVEN LITERALLY DRIVING 1994'S RIDE 'JUDGEMENT NIGHT'

Jeremy Piven in JUDGEMENT NIGHT Year: 1994 Rating: **1/2 In JUDGEMENT NIGHT, token instigating/troublemaking black-sheep of drinking-buddies...

EDDIE MURPHY AND MARTIN LAWRENCE SERVE TED DEMME'S 'LIFE'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-6zFbBPQP6_detFxY5JNYSYxIYHbqmoZnLCymkqb2FRziWjeFtMB9RlSOQvMdnktjiMCyrJGfgqYTUXRL_m6fUgg15zWivbmZUOIKp82Iw5EbWMiLv9PicM_cihMem_-e8koqNDnzYa5mTNh7MMFSoUg-JmqxJxeutEtfLAnsbyc7-oeXYLTzqyArRIn/s1632/Screen%20Shot%202024-07-21%20at%2012.13.59%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-6zFbBPQP6_detFxY5JNYSYxIYHbqmoZnLCymkqb2FRziWjeFtMB9RlSOQvMdnktjiMCyrJGfgqYTUXRL_m6fUgg15zWivbmZUOIKp82Iw5EbWMiLv9PicM_cihMem_-e8koqNDnzYa5mTNh7MMFSoUg-JmqxJxeutEtfLAnsbyc7-oeXYLTzqyArRIn/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-07-21%20at%2012.13.59%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in LIFE Year: 1999 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Eddie Murphy's final classic being COMING TO AMERICA is half true: it's his last quality vehicle that made a lot of money when in reality, the box-office disappointment LIFE has Murphy really proving himself within a quality central plot that, like his breakthrough 48 HRS., involves crime, prison, mixes comedy with drama and provides the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE star an equal partner... there in Nick Nolte, and here in Martin Lawrence...<br><br>Who Murphy was as much a standup comedy-mentor as Richard Pryor was to Murphy... the latter having starred in HARLEM NIGHTS that, like LIFE, takes place during the Depression-era... and one of the best moments includes what seems a homage to the Murphy-directed misfire when, trapped in the fence-less, gun-surrounding, rural-southern chain-gang workcamp, he and the entire group of eclectic underdog prisoners (all intriguing despite befitting every prison-flick trope from STIR CRAZY to SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) dream of partying in Murphy's would-be nightclub... a one-minute fantasy-sequence more entertaining than the entire NIGHTS...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span></span></p>

comedy, depression-era, drama, eddie murphy, martin lawrence, ned beatty, nick cassavetes, nineties, prison, r. lee ermey, ted demme

EDDIE MURPHY AND MARTIN LAWRENCE SERVE TED DEMME'S 'LIFE'

Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in LIFE Year: 1999 Rating: **** Eddie Murphy's final classic being COMING TO AMERICA is half true: it...

LANCE HENRIKSEN & ERIC ROBERTS IN 'THE NATURE OF THE BEAST'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5evglfBmE6u8d2gsY1Ck7OsEvHL79pDobyMZJweBX_io0Db9QTjMTSjzNhDmSPT2hL8JSLEYrKsj6JO4xmMRbYR_XbV_LYvbe2e4EoLEs-k7wTUQSe9hFzVCHwyw2W8eHeUix_nHCRkQtJvo1ibfJxnSx9Q9nyFJUgpNReNHgi24Kcv_8mBANauG9KcAi/s900/Screen%20Shot%202023-12-21%20at%2012.31.59%20AM%202%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5evglfBmE6u8d2gsY1Ck7OsEvHL79pDobyMZJweBX_io0Db9QTjMTSjzNhDmSPT2hL8JSLEYrKsj6JO4xmMRbYR_XbV_LYvbe2e4EoLEs-k7wTUQSe9hFzVCHwyw2W8eHeUix_nHCRkQtJvo1ibfJxnSx9Q9nyFJUgpNReNHgi24Kcv_8mBANauG9KcAi/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-12-21%20at%2012.31.59%20AM%202%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Eric Roberts & Lance Henriksen in THE NATURE OF THE BEAST Year: 1995 Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>An exploitation Oscar and Felix casts Eric Roberts as Adrian, a dirty piece of human driftwood hitchhiking the lonesome desert highway where, in random stopovers, people are massacred by a phantom called THE HATCHET MAN...<br> <br> Also, a local bank was robbed of a million bucks and uptight traveling salesman Jack, played by a subdued Lance Henriksen, reluctantly gives Adrian rides throughout the scorched purgatory... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span></span>

ana gabriel, brion james, eric roberts, lance henriksen, neo noir, nineties, road movie, rural, serial killer, suspense

LANCE HENRIKSEN & ERIC ROBERTS IN 'THE NATURE OF THE BEAST'

Eric Roberts & Lance Henriksen in THE NATURE OF THE BEAST Year: 1995 Rates: ***1/2 An exploitation Oscar and Felix casts Eric Roberts a...

MATTHEW PERRY NEO NOIR EPISODE OF 'BEVERLY HILLS 90210'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdNZUNyEl6fspRBx71fJZiySeD2n0NXKOLij-nJuK3-j6QsAJx56l227F_nfayZWSEffmm3TzQRAq6g_XswsbdxPWoiESiCzhDY-1ycucFate4PhvfSOaibH9nN3tLqE2dRHTMpvnpIFODauasQWJZgvGt3GKWDLGSeMQ2QqzuX_ZifMokAV52jXTtx8M/s1222/11.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdNZUNyEl6fspRBx71fJZiySeD2n0NXKOLij-nJuK3-j6QsAJx56l227F_nfayZWSEffmm3TzQRAq6g_XswsbdxPWoiESiCzhDY-1ycucFate4PhvfSOaibH9nN3tLqE2dRHTMpvnpIFODauasQWJZgvGt3GKWDLGSeMQ2QqzuX_ZifMokAV52jXTtx8M/s16000/11.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Matthew Perry and Jason Priestly Beverly Hills 90210 Year: 1991 Rates: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Having caught an extremely horrific strain of COVID and suffering profusely for a week, and then sustaining for another week even after finally testing negative, the biggest blessing in disguise is that Amazon Prime has the original BEVERLY HILLS 90210 for binging, and, while it's a corny teenage melodrama meant for teenage viewers back in the glorious 1990's, there are few guilty pleasures that fill the time so perfectly... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>One particular first season episode, intensely titled APRIL IS THE CRUELEST MONTH, now has sad irony, featuring the late Matthew Perry as a rich kid tennis star whose father (Nicolas Coster) wants him to win at everything... </p><p><span></span></p>

ian ziering, jason priestley, matthew perry, memorial, neo noir, nicolas coster, nineties, tv series

MATTHEW PERRY NEO NOIR EPISODE OF 'BEVERLY HILLS 90210'

Matthew Perry and Jason Priestly Beverly Hills 90210 Year: 1991 Rates: *** Having caught an extremely horrific strain of COVID and suffering...

SEAN PENN DIRECTS VIGGO MORTENSEN IN 'THE INDIAN RUNNER'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHNpD96Jo2YLx8mSKzZ6SGbveUJbylpPHbj0460JA5Zg1DiaNytShQl7X9NHiHvbn8jyaG8-snmGPfOhu3EwokYWJyVooL-iK7MacLS1ZdSwRg6Ig-z0WomwsLjsctoJ5QduvkPsNE9J6ALoZJMdqNlL7qwOjlZlfbhU3DB5m6NZ8wMQpvnRQaeXQY9V-/s1962/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-14%20at%203.55.44%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="984" data-original-width="1962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHNpD96Jo2YLx8mSKzZ6SGbveUJbylpPHbj0460JA5Zg1DiaNytShQl7X9NHiHvbn8jyaG8-snmGPfOhu3EwokYWJyVooL-iK7MacLS1ZdSwRg6Ig-z0WomwsLjsctoJ5QduvkPsNE9J6ALoZJMdqNlL7qwOjlZlfbhU3DB5m6NZ8wMQpvnRQaeXQY9V-/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-07-14%20at%203.55.44%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE INDIAN RUNNER Year: 1993 Rating: ****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Sean Penn wrote and directed THE INDIAN RUNNER about two brothers that couldn't be more different: the central lead is David Morse as Joe Roberts, a humble cop in a small town the movie's set, deliberately outshined by the focal point for both the audience and Joe himself...  </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Enter Viggo Mortensen as the scene-stealing ex-con rebel Frank, visually a perfect-looking Marlboro Man with a sleazy antagonistic voice, he's one of those harsh, uncompromising born-losers that hurts everyone and everything, making RUNNER his own character-driven tragedy that, during the Vietnam war, also makes him a jilted returning-veteran: although the time-period aspect seems a bit forced and unnecessary...</p><p><span></span></p>

charles bronson, david morse, dennis hopper, drama, jordan rhodes, melodrama, nineties, patricia arquette, sean penn, vietnam, viggo mortensen

SEAN PENN DIRECTS VIGGO MORTENSEN IN 'THE INDIAN RUNNER'

Title: THE INDIAN RUNNER Year: 1993 Rating: **** Sean Penn wrote and directed THE INDIAN RUNNER about two brothers that couldn't be more...

ALICE KRIGE & BRIAN KRAUSE IN STEPHEN KING'S 'SLEEPWALKERS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tUyVgi8UvvAt4H6zIkvQsad-eEkU9skjNqIzaORtcdnQ1pcCmcrdg-Azne0Lp16REUZ3LO1qVTesRItD8M1cYRSdUeTD4S6YYXjdoc913V1zHrA4JhMdpYixrpYKAVClzfwA2OMCXElLiUtbvhoX-UpwMCuLizR9NO3vFIzyfGBD54rhqQWvapsvVg/s1334/Screen%20Shot%202019-02-21%20at%201.57.40%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9tUyVgi8UvvAt4H6zIkvQsad-eEkU9skjNqIzaORtcdnQ1pcCmcrdg-Azne0Lp16REUZ3LO1qVTesRItD8M1cYRSdUeTD4S6YYXjdoc913V1zHrA4JhMdpYixrpYKAVClzfwA2OMCXElLiUtbvhoX-UpwMCuLizR9NO3vFIzyfGBD54rhqQWvapsvVg/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202019-02-21%20at%201.57.40%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: SLEEPWALKERS Year: 1992 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Stephen King found himself a worthy future director in Mick Garris for the TV mini-series THE STAND two years after SLEEPWALKERS, an intentional b-movie that introduces a new kid in school, fawned-over despite his shyness and, somewhat like Sissy Spacek in CARRIE, which was King's first adaptation, Brian Krause's Charles Brady reads a story aloud in class that the English teacher reviews rudely... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Resembling a magazine model surfer, Krause does a good enough job playing-down who would obviously be an otherwise instantly popular kid... Although, blond and bright on the outside with a dark, secret interior, he does quickly land an equally perfect-looking girl, and Mädchen Amick's Tanya quickly becomes our vulnerable bottom-lip-biting ingenue dating her dream boy; the latter who, behind very closed doors, has an extremely close relationship with his sexy middle-aged (or maybe eternally-aged) mother, Mary...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, alice krige, body count, brian krause, horror, mädchen amick, mark hamill, mick garris, nineties, stephen king, thriller, vampire

ALICE KRIGE & BRIAN KRAUSE IN STEPHEN KING'S 'SLEEPWALKERS'

Title: SLEEPWALKERS Year: 1992 Rating: *** Stephen King found himself a worthy future director in Mick Garris for the TV mini-series THE S...

RUDIMENTARY RAMBLING FOR THE LEGENDARY 'RESERVOIR DOGS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtMDOWZ4_rJgbyZ3Bs0WU2GE8U-gIL3f7t-uvC3OOE-1Lao9P6xpIQuH_4kFldVNfO3AoBW5kzBdioexmeqFMj317CUr_PdyjLHrwvC5usf71g12b1jBZ7fz46LjgdzOqOBBEc6S_A84fln7CgxgZjvzP7MUrOlN_DrNAtBfUnlCKqMVotoaK6m5pFQ/s1155/1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="1155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtMDOWZ4_rJgbyZ3Bs0WU2GE8U-gIL3f7t-uvC3OOE-1Lao9P6xpIQuH_4kFldVNfO3AoBW5kzBdioexmeqFMj317CUr_PdyjLHrwvC5usf71g12b1jBZ7fz46LjgdzOqOBBEc6S_A84fln7CgxgZjvzP7MUrOlN_DrNAtBfUnlCKqMVotoaK6m5pFQ/s16000/1.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Lawrence Tierney in RESERVOIR DOGS Year: 1991 Rating: *****</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>If, before 1991, someone mentioned that a movie involving a group of hardened thugs… including Noir legend/tough guy Lawrence Tierney, 1970's cinema legend who resembles an actual criminal Harvey Keitel, and real life ex-prisoner Eddie Bunker… would sit around in a diner discussing (or listening to others discuss) Madonna songs, no one would believe it.... <br> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: right;"> </div><p> But it took that kind of creative pop culture insanity to create one of the greatest modern crime flicks, written and directed by a former video store employee who’d soon become an international icon...</p><p><span></span></p>

chris penn, exploitation, gangster, harvey keitel, kirk baltz, michael madsen, nineties, quentin tarantino, randy brooks, steve buscemi, tim roth

RUDIMENTARY RAMBLING FOR THE LEGENDARY 'RESERVOIR DOGS'

Lawrence Tierney in RESERVOIR DOGS Year: 1991 Rating: ***** If, before 1991, someone mentioned that a movie involving a group of hardened t...

BURT REYNOLDS IN 'BOOGIE NIGHTS' STARRING MARK WAHLBERG

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQeDkkZXn6ENCiCorQMfu7jfAs3ZQ2xOUPbZODF1FbC3BTeP2j8uy9kOBgFy-mhU1B_1OXfX5NK9TGEUXr_fW-J63ISobUu2JJx42Ud0GeJctkzw4gLCyV6QW2MqC4iBD0uSBhVSupdpD4vpodoawobD3FyXY5sAmBJEVXGDl_MR0lZZzA1UH3Sb88Q/s1173/0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQeDkkZXn6ENCiCorQMfu7jfAs3ZQ2xOUPbZODF1FbC3BTeP2j8uy9kOBgFy-mhU1B_1OXfX5NK9TGEUXr_fW-J63ISobUu2JJx42Ud0GeJctkzw4gLCyV6QW2MqC4iBD0uSBhVSupdpD4vpodoawobD3FyXY5sAmBJEVXGDl_MR0lZZzA1UH3Sb88Q/s16000/0.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Burt Reynolds & Mark Wahlberg from BOOGIE NIGHTS Year: 1997 Rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Basically the GOODFELLAS of the 1970's porn industry, Paul Thomas Anderson's BOOGIE NIGHTS mirrors Martin Scorsese's mob classic from similarities such as wall-to-wall groovy tunes to deliberate homages like an end-of-the-second-act death (Joe Pesci to William H. Macy) that leads to a morbidly cascading downfall of all remaining characters, suddenly thrust and exposed into the bright-lit 1980's...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Of course NIGHTS is a classic all its own — both the celebration of a porn star's life and a cautionary tale of the decadent lifestyle to get and remain there: with budding star Mark Wahlberg as porn climber Dirk Diggler... </p><p><span></span></p>

burt reynolds, don cheadle, heather graham, john c. reilly, julianne moore, mark wahlberg, nineties, paul thomas anderson, philip seymour hoffman, thomas jane

BURT REYNOLDS IN 'BOOGIE NIGHTS' STARRING MARK WAHLBERG

Burt Reynolds & Mark Wahlberg from BOOGIE NIGHTS Year: 1997 Rating: ****1/2 Basically the GOODFELLAS of the 1970's porn industry, Pa...

JOHN CARPENTER WITH TOBE HOOPER DIRECTING 'BODY BAGS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zCvcDIrj6RaNrW-6R38fQDQ743H0aid8wp_teU1d71zHbHhdhIA5CWKeK9J15vYJDTXQ2G6ZtpA1q2eG32zwJgxvAY_mi5O4IyksCYKazrurbRPh7a8DkKbMGh5XvKCjTtXJLuFY5asEsBozVN9mLo0q3PvZXfVWY7RXjUrpY7EkFVGKzqBfCvy7jv0C/s1881/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-25%20at%209.39.05%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1881" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zCvcDIrj6RaNrW-6R38fQDQ743H0aid8wp_teU1d71zHbHhdhIA5CWKeK9J15vYJDTXQ2G6ZtpA1q2eG32zwJgxvAY_mi5O4IyksCYKazrurbRPh7a8DkKbMGh5XvKCjTtXJLuFY5asEsBozVN9mLo0q3PvZXfVWY7RXjUrpY7EkFVGKzqBfCvy7jv0C/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-07-25%20at%209.39.05%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1993 The Gas Station: **** Hair: ***1/2 Eye: *** Coroner Frame Story: *** Overall: </u><u>***1/2 </u><u> </u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>John Carpenter, director of horror classics HALLOWEEN and THE FOG, must have been influenced by TALES FROM THE CRYPT, the anthology series hosted by a longhaired smart-ass skeletal Crypt Keeper that, as The Coroner in a dusty morgue, the lanky Carpenter (donning ghoulish makeup) is fairly reminiscent of...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And the famous director’s jovially wicked performance seems like he's having fun with family and friends, showing them how the acting bug rubbed off after working with good to great actors and actresses, but he's too self conscious to make the wacky character really work. Although it's a decent enough gimmick to introduce the segment: Seeing each dead body, especially those wrapped in BODY BAGS — which means the cause isn't natural — leads creatively into three cable TV stories… The first vignette, one of two directed by Carpenter himself, is aptly titled....</p><p><span></span></p>

alex datcher, david naughton, david warner, horror anthology, john carpenter, mark hamill, nineties, peter jason, robert carradine

JOHN CARPENTER WITH TOBE HOOPER DIRECTING 'BODY BAGS'

Year: 1993 The Gas Station: **** Hair: ***1/2 Eye: *** Coroner Frame Story: *** Overall:  ***1/2 John Carpenter, director of horror classi...

RAY LIOTTA & STUART WILSON IN 'NO ESCAPE' WITH ERNIE HUDSON

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_pYnqCtL3pGTM8aXkS4HrmUI8_opmXReqCDYlRzsVFN5K9eK2NKjZygtxNkoZDo1VemCzxXIlB_R6JyvSaAnWY_GHhczGgz8NFUYT8fCSvz3nRcKRFlskSDhG5wkQk5Ex7P8LWcEoE4I9xcYbO2Fx8XxEEWU42ZQUc8-Z7uBULmeK1q6-Y9XmdINjQ/s1749/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-29%20at%205.07.28%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="1749" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_pYnqCtL3pGTM8aXkS4HrmUI8_opmXReqCDYlRzsVFN5K9eK2NKjZygtxNkoZDo1VemCzxXIlB_R6JyvSaAnWY_GHhczGgz8NFUYT8fCSvz3nRcKRFlskSDhG5wkQk5Ex7P8LWcEoE4I9xcYbO2Fx8XxEEWU42ZQUc8-Z7uBULmeK1q6-Y9XmdINjQ/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-29%20at%205.07.28%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ray Liotta in NO ESCAPE Year: 1994 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>An action-packed b-movie that takes itself way too seriously, which is what makes NO ESCAPE great fun as Ray Liotta's only in an actual Fascist-future prison for a brief time, ironic since it's a prison-genre flick but taking place on a penal island like PAPILLON following the survival rules and ragged costume design of THE ROAD WARRIOR...<br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Genuinely cool and fit, Liotta is, of course, the toughest and strongest and a completely handy stranger in a fortress world run by a passive yet formidable Lance Henriksen, polar opposite of British actor Stuart Wilson ruling the woodsy outskirts, whose insanely overboard, monologue-spouting dictator makes Dennis Hopper's WATERWORLD performance seem tame (and all but drowns out the prison's computer-monitor-monitoring warden Michael Lerner)... </p><p><span></span></p>

action, ernie hudson, escape, ian mcneice, kevin dillon, lance henriksen, nineties, prison, ray liotta, stuart wilson

RAY LIOTTA & STUART WILSON IN 'NO ESCAPE' WITH ERNIE HUDSON

Ray Liotta in NO ESCAPE Year: 1994 Rating: ***1/2 An action-packed b-movie that takes itself way too seriously, which is what makes NO ESCAP...

RIP RAY LIOTTA TRUE LEAD OF THE LEGENDARY 'GOODFELLAS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMM_c9t4jd8pPhNA31AZ0YgavTvsw9Dp1jCsFHr02oBqB3KVyodr7fYOpYi3BnldPI6gp4mUfHNqzfHU-5icwP_bEqkKGWW9aKolu8VT1aWVbuOZ1Co9qGvmHiNBYSPDp1T98EJvNBb4Cqf_xUkzDgB0vRWa0P5Uh7QilSBF68Lfo92whHBshrNSVZw/s2272/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-26%20at%202.08.18%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="2272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMM_c9t4jd8pPhNA31AZ0YgavTvsw9Dp1jCsFHr02oBqB3KVyodr7fYOpYi3BnldPI6gp4mUfHNqzfHU-5icwP_bEqkKGWW9aKolu8VT1aWVbuOZ1Co9qGvmHiNBYSPDp1T98EJvNBb4Cqf_xUkzDgB0vRWa0P5Uh7QilSBF68Lfo92whHBshrNSVZw/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-26%20at%202.08.18%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ray Liotta as Henry Hill in GOODFELLAS</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The one thing GOODFELLAS had going that set it apart from all the inferior clones is Ray Liotta, the star of the movie although he's second billed to Robert De Niro who, along with scene-stealer and sole Oscar winner Joe Pesci, gets most of the credit for the legacy of the film along with director Martin Scorsese, peaking here as an auteur...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>It's a story that centers on Ray Liotta's real life former mobster Henry Hill, providing Liotta the most natural-sounding narration in the history of movies and, sadly, Ray Liotta, the comparable baby of the film to Robert, Joe and Martin, has died... the first to go, and in this particular groundbreaking, game-changing masterpiece, the <i>true</i> leading role. <br></p><span></span>

exploitation, martin scorsese, memorial, mobster, nineties, ray liotta

RIP RAY LIOTTA TRUE LEAD OF THE LEGENDARY 'GOODFELLAS'

Ray Liotta as Henry Hill in GOODFELLAS The one thing GOODFELLAS had going that set it apart from all the inferior clones is Ray Liotta, the ...

STANLEY KUBRICK'S PARANOIAC FILM NOIR OF 'EYES WIDE SHUT'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggKbgavRlx8RIsE4_bzFwb1l0stWYK0261BW1EUz6g5W4_CxtQnQ7h5ko6p1bgTvyWSpkEke1EGkz3L3HxnB_Qbmu-dpkIuZWv8SBswpCSdaTfXaDbmDFHf-3F7j-PXN5AwrMR2axWt0fwAXgH7BvvJ0MBPGLSlV9o0ur9vlFU2iBp3xSzirvRR4Vp2w=s1043" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="1043" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggKbgavRlx8RIsE4_bzFwb1l0stWYK0261BW1EUz6g5W4_CxtQnQ7h5ko6p1bgTvyWSpkEke1EGkz3L3HxnB_Qbmu-dpkIuZWv8SBswpCSdaTfXaDbmDFHf-3F7j-PXN5AwrMR2axWt0fwAXgH7BvvJ0MBPGLSlV9o0ur9vlFU2iBp3xSzirvRR4Vp2w=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Tom Cruise in Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT Year: 1999 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some films seem created to be despised and misunderstood... <i>Misunderspised</i> is not a word but fits the subliminally insane, intensely mellow and tortuously strange EYES WIDE SHUT that, too slow for a thriller and too tame for sheer outright sexual exploitation, is the final feature of legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and stars Tom Cruise as a seemingly perfect Manhattan doctor with a seemingly contented wife in Nicole Kidman...<br> </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p> Beginning with a plush (yet secretly lush) party thrown by Cruise's millionaire "house calls" patient Sydney Pollock, who later partakes in a terrific finale monologue, both men playing a game of fancy red-velvet pool while discussing an earlier upscale, mansion-set, masquerade orgy that Cruise's Dr. William Harford character should <i>not</i> have attended...</p><span></span>

christmas, epic, marie richardson, melodrama, neo noir, nicole kidman, nineties, stanley kubrick, sydney pollock, todd field, tom cruise

STANLEY KUBRICK'S PARANOIAC FILM NOIR OF 'EYES WIDE SHUT'

Tom Cruise in Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT Year: 1999 Rating: ***1/2 Some films seem created to be despised and misunderstood... Mis...

JACK NICHOLSON IN THE FORGOTTEN NEO NOIR 'BLOOD AND WINE'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf9s8nO_JB-JbH6E9leH4bqvDUYNIuN6Si3eIZIS4j19Czt4_hLyLqqh-iHBpldPSzQGyaZSuretgztgN5sUgvTler1f1dN3tcFU--Xvt4GyboGE4DUVI1CYZNtdz5O3E3eH7vTbGBEyxyn5gwFwGNrFGM7_XCD9gK_Kp-NT67Ip4z17ItAipZj08ISg=s1499" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="1499" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf9s8nO_JB-JbH6E9leH4bqvDUYNIuN6Si3eIZIS4j19Czt4_hLyLqqh-iHBpldPSzQGyaZSuretgztgN5sUgvTler1f1dN3tcFU--Xvt4GyboGE4DUVI1CYZNtdz5O3E3eH7vTbGBEyxyn5gwFwGNrFGM7_XCD9gK_Kp-NT67Ip4z17ItAipZj08ISg=s16000"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jack Nicholson stars in Bob Rafelson's BLOOD AND WINE Year: 1996 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some truly inspired casting of two sly human bobcats, one young in this agile twenties and muscular from shark-hunting but what a letdown that doppelgangers Jack Nicholson and Stephen Dorf... the latter the first's step-son... don't play actual blood relatives in Bob Rafelson's forgotten neo noir BLOOD AND WINE set in a humid locale suited for the pulpy, visual page-turning "Cerebral Crime" genre, better known as a Thriller...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Fitfully set in sweat-soaked Florida, on and off the sea although Dorff's Jason isn't the type to get himself that <i>deep</i> into something he's not in complete control of, like a hooked shark, conveniently using a lure attached to a pickup truck, so he's used to opening the usual Noir McGuffin Pandora's Box or some kind of shortcut, always fueled by curiosity...</p><span></span>

bob rafelson, heist, jack nicholson, jennifer lopez, judy davis, michael caine, neo noir, nineties, stephen dorff, thriller

JACK NICHOLSON IN THE FORGOTTEN NEO NOIR 'BLOOD AND WINE'

Jack Nicholson stars in Bob Rafelson's BLOOD AND WINE Year: 1996 Rating: ***1/2 Some truly inspired casting of two sly human bobcats, on...

ERIC IDLE AND ROBBIE COLTRANE BECOME 'NUNS ON THE RUN'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_IZwog_wuyCgsVAobMeg6jCjGrMhXUr2AUEpplBuU6ccEA4TFa5mgmpoNlSdXlaOe0K50_LVCskbr1VA0qQ68Lal3_HyiVIwcsSeeE5jW9JO2jUIYZr75XE0aCluKDFxs5iUF0u4GAl0/s698/Screen+Shot+2021-08-08+at+3.17.49+AM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="698" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_IZwog_wuyCgsVAobMeg6jCjGrMhXUr2AUEpplBuU6ccEA4TFa5mgmpoNlSdXlaOe0K50_LVCskbr1VA0qQ68Lal3_HyiVIwcsSeeE5jW9JO2jUIYZr75XE0aCluKDFxs5iUF0u4GAl0/w400-h344/Screen+Shot+2021-08-08+at+3.17.49+AM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1990 Producer: George Harrison Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The late dark horse Beatles guitarist George Harrison’s Handmade Films produced a mixed bag of projects: The established cult favorites include MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN and LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL; Terry Gilliam's dwarf adventure fantasy TIME BANDITS and the underrated Jodie Foster 1950's melodrama FIVE CORNERS while the bad includes the truly horrible/critically demolished SHANGHAI SURPRISE starring Harrison's at-that-time client celebrity couple, Sean Penn and Madonna...<br></p><p></p><p>On the more obscure end there's a forgotten lot including Michael Palin comedies A PRIVATE FUNCTION and THE MISSIONARY... </p><p>And with that list intact, sticking with another Python vet while providing George's tropically-blues solo career ballad <i>Blow Away</i>, NUNS ON THE RUN stars Eric Idle and rotund comic actor Robbie Coltrane, residing somewhere in-between the musician/producer's eclectic cinematic patchwork. Especially thanks to the extremely cute Camille Coduri, who isn't your waify ingenue like most American actresses; she has a great smile, voluptuous curves and big sad pouting eyes, melting Eric Idle’s Brian Hope within moments of meeting at the diner where she’s employed…<br></p><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsfLElaQ7oA04WMF_94fHVmUxW8yjdOzjxwdeCdfugxNwu-c2myLxIlJKNbJ0KxZDkmaYkDXFChx2VUuyf85mWLjDp6RBsYziAQ_NRhvfk6FosuhP_LRb47ET_SQtyaO0s_jV5PQJRId6ZR-Xn2hID4Z_B_Jk1r-Su6OVvHi8FXg0N7AuVX1IcU91l5A=s1028" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="788" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsfLElaQ7oA04WMF_94fHVmUxW8yjdOzjxwdeCdfugxNwu-c2myLxIlJKNbJ0KxZDkmaYkDXFChx2VUuyf85mWLjDp6RBsYziAQ_NRhvfk6FosuhP_LRb47ET_SQtyaO0s_jV5PQJRId6ZR-Xn2hID4Z_B_Jk1r-Su6OVvHi8FXg0N7AuVX1IcU91l5A=w306-h400" width="306"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Camille Corduri in Nuns on the Run</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>And that’s saying something since Brian has a lot on his mind, including being constantly lectured by stout buddy/partner Robbie Coltrane as Charlie McManus. Both Charlie and Brian are workaday bank robbers who, after a double-cross plan that Faith overhears, wind up with a cliché briefcase of stolen cash...</p><p>And through creative dutch angles, are sought after by a gang of mobsters that are genuinely serious and lethal throughout the comedy hijinx (pre-Tarantino no less) as the boys hide out and pose as… you guessed it… NUNS! </p><p></p><p>The ON THE RUN part doesn’t entirely fit the storyline since there isn’t far to go, and the entire film takes place in locations along one particular England street: A nice mellow atmosphere that relies on keeping up a suspenseful scam... </p><p></p><p>The draped duo have to keep the other residents, including a bevy of young hot students, into thinking they’re visiting nuns… </p><p>Which is all a WE'RE NO ANGELS inspired prolonged ruse often stretched beyond limit. And they wind up having to trick Camille, as Faith; although without her glasses she can’t see a lick, providing leeway for the boys: The only Monty Python style joke is a reoccurring argument about The Holy Trinity, allowing Idle to take part in clever diatribes concerning the baseline of a religion he just doesn’t get. But of the two, Robbie Coltrane really stands out, keeping his expository faith intact while lusting after the student/girls who look up to him… or rather, her. And the resulting action sequences aren’t too shabby either: Camille becomes the most important cog in a decent comedy vehicle that’s an even better ride the second and third time. </p><p><span></span></p>

british, camille coduri, comedy, crime, cross-dressing, eric idle, george harrison, handmade films, heist, jonathan lynn, nineties, religion, robbie coltrane

ERIC IDLE AND ROBBIE COLTRANE BECOME 'NUNS ON THE RUN'

Year: 1990 Producer: George Harrison Rating: ***1/2 The late dark horse Beatles guitarist George Harrison’s Handmade Films produced a mixed ...

JOANNA GOING AND REBECCA STAAB IN A NEWER 'DARK SHADOWS'

<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle7iqbqn-UK0spO_TIEY3j3nUsjkT1F35Dp5DJ7U49b3_IiOcSchHvtMO5AoSrOcbjXfMUF5sqzeRiiCk8wwTQGO2U-Ou2-wGZNJammc9wXq-kO6o1i2WtnZ7_F9z0FmmeXUoVaYe1ZnT/s1719/00.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1719" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle7iqbqn-UK0spO_TIEY3j3nUsjkT1F35Dp5DJ7U49b3_IiOcSchHvtMO5AoSrOcbjXfMUF5sqzeRiiCk8wwTQGO2U-Ou2-wGZNJammc9wXq-kO6o1i2WtnZ7_F9z0FmmeXUoVaYe1ZnT/w400-h358/00.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Joanna Going in Dark Shadows Year: 1991 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Dan Curtis turned his daytime soap DARK SHADOWS into a nighttime soap/miniseries that holds up pretty well with a younger Barnabas Collins in Ben Cross, seeming more like a lovelorn college professor than vampire, but he does bare his fangs enough times into the likes of Rebecca Staab for a Body Count element that ups (and progresses) the terror and suspense, mostly taking place in an old seaside manor where Collins rises/returns to an eccentric family that only knew him through a looming portrait from many, many years ago...</p><p></p><p>And it's no wonder the poor fella falls so quickly in love with the newly arrived (yet very familiar) babysitter of troubled boy Joseph Gordon-Levitt — and Joanna Going is the most beautiful actress to ever hit the small screen, ever, and is what makes this DARK SHADOWS intriguing and worthwhile. </p><p>Also like the original, we go back in time to Collins' own turf, the 1700's where snaky/flaky uncle Roy Thinnes can act sinister with the other family members, all somewhat benign before the Salem Inspired/Religious Zealot transition. But the show hits a big wall with the otherwise talented Lysette Anthony as an all-knowing/all-seeing phantom/wraith so powerful, vicious and vile, Collins loses his bite, and purpose (a young girl ghost is also a cop-out). Although by the end of the one and only season, Going and Cross's romance keeps the viewer intrigued... as we shall be, for eternity. <br></p><p><span></span></p>

ben cross, dan curtis, franchise, horror, joanna going, joseph gordon-levitt, nineties, roy thinnes, TV, vampire

JOANNA GOING AND REBECCA STAAB IN A NEWER 'DARK SHADOWS'

Joanna Going in Dark Shadows Year: 1991 Rating: ***1/2 Dan Curtis turned his daytime soap DARK SHADOWS into a nighttime soap/miniseries that...

JOHN SCHLESIGNER'S GLOSSY YUPPIE HORROR 'PACIFIC HEIGHTS'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ptX6ksaUsxAPWtzNgssW1WJj52sSAhBM1M11bQYEtBpK3Z5ke8xgkciedYkAIwpznUiifozlmC-pO9r3BWITS89_u9wmZU-VZ8yNKuUZ1b2CmVpPy1l0B9He5jP0SWXifob3d3I9DiXk/s1515/Screen+Shot+2020-09-26+at+1.02.05+PM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1515" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ptX6ksaUsxAPWtzNgssW1WJj52sSAhBM1M11bQYEtBpK3Z5ke8xgkciedYkAIwpznUiifozlmC-pO9r3BWITS89_u9wmZU-VZ8yNKuUZ1b2CmVpPy1l0B9He5jP0SWXifob3d3I9DiXk/w400-h313/Screen+Shot+2020-09-26+at+1.02.05+PM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>PACIFIC HEIGHTS Year: 1990 Rates: **1/2</u><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>One of those Premise Thrillers: This one about a renter renting from a young couple who bought a San Fransisco townhouse and has rights that don't make sense, but are still insanely legal... </p><p>Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith look like yuppies but aren't because they have little money... so that's both their sympathy <i>and</i> motivation to desperately need payment that Michael Keaton's shyster is holding back, and back and back... </p><p>Meanwhile he's a squatter from hell who plagues the place with roaches, hammering noises and endless mind games in an annoying neo-horror that's intentionally so since the villain's  purpose is to drive the protagonists <i>and</i> the audience crazy...</p><p>But there's not enough mix and match, and Michael Keaton has very little to do but sit around in dark brooding shadows looking sinister (under director John Schlesinger's modern Noir aesthetic). A shame since we know how hyperactive-charming Keaton can be. Imagine some black comedy injected throughout. After all, is this young-couple-harasser within a refurbished old home any different than Beetlejuice? Well yes, he is... because it's simply no fun hating him, and <i>should</i> be. Thankfully, Melanie Griffith, the stronger of the two victimized landlords, unleashes an intriguing 11th hour payback.<br /></p><p><br /></p>

horror, john schlesinger, matthew modine, melanie griffith, michael keaton, neo noir, nineties, thriller

JOHN SCHLESIGNER'S GLOSSY YUPPIE HORROR 'PACIFIC HEIGHTS'

PACIFIC HEIGHTS Year: 1990 Rates: **1/2 One of those Premise Thrillers: This one about a renter renting from a young couple who bought a Sa...

PETER FALK IN 'COLUMBO CRIES WOLF' WITH REBECCA STAAB

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRWQfELXs2YVI2UmnvoVCeSEADLElGNCr1nz2-YHhuTb3llu_-sIabvX26qVcINvHMcMSDfTUQYTkaV9rETtJZ9HGc6loNdtzZro2qdfRYHeB-VPMpnePyY-fSWzsB2mrM1PaqLZX51J_/s1600/Screen%252BShot%252B2020-02-17%252Bat%252B1.51.41%252BAM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRWQfELXs2YVI2UmnvoVCeSEADLElGNCr1nz2-YHhuTb3llu_-sIabvX26qVcINvHMcMSDfTUQYTkaV9rETtJZ9HGc6loNdtzZro2qdfRYHeB-VPMpnePyY-fSWzsB2mrM1PaqLZX51J_/s1600/Screen%252BShot%252B2020-02-17%252Bat%252B1.51.41%252BAM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1990 cast: Peter Falk, Ian Buchanan, Rebecca Staab rating: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> If every COLUMBO episode can be judged upon how conceited and prosperous, and downright horrendously in-your-face lucky the villain is, you can chalk this up as one of the best...<br> <br> That is, of the latter episodes made during the 1990's wherein Peter Falk is an older, scruffier Columbo, still feigning naivete with his ruffled trench coat and even wearier eyes, not even having to act the way he seems and looks being older: yet he's still always thinking... <br>

actress, crime, gumshoe, ian buchanan, mystery, nineties, peter falk, rebecca staab, thriller, TV

PETER FALK IN 'COLUMBO CRIES WOLF' WITH REBECCA STAAB

year: 1990 cast: Peter Falk, Ian Buchanan, Rebecca Staab rating: **** If every COLUMBO episode can be judged upon how conceited and pros...

KURT RUSSELL, MARTIN SHORT & MEADOW SISTO SAIL 'CAPTAIN RON'

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGBirQgTUUaLx36XtIZSZYqXv4yTZJoiPJ1dUd3YelaeI522qEuGQc1QQphUKOTYn4S9Cbgprtr0d0vgxJkd0PNQT6riGFSYhee6cBU8DK1uq-aKb7pUOfDX7W4VrnO7A-auqQUmUWcZz/s1600/0+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGBirQgTUUaLx36XtIZSZYqXv4yTZJoiPJ1dUd3YelaeI522qEuGQc1QQphUKOTYn4S9Cbgprtr0d0vgxJkd0PNQT6riGFSYhee6cBU8DK1uq-aKb7pUOfDX7W4VrnO7A-auqQUmUWcZz/s1600/0+2.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Kurt Russell, Martin Short and the beautiful Meadow Sisto in CAPTAIN RON Year: 1992</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Martin Short's greatest role was in THREE AMIGOS as a man who looked like a boy who acted like a teenager. But when he plays a husband/father, i.e. a typical guy in the VACATION style comedy CAPTAIN RON, it doesn't completely wash; and is one of many movies where a successful, hard-working yet uptight businessman learns how to become a flake in order to be liked by his family. Which happens all the time, on screen...<br> <br> With the reluctant, almost accidental "help" of Kurt Russell, resembling ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Snake Plissken's goofy identical brother had he had one, he's the title character who passive-aggressively pilots a dilapidated boat Short was left by his dead uncle: And of course, the scraggly yet endearingly hopeless Ron is their only hope as he basically tags along on a busman's holiday around Caribbean-like islands...<br> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjbgCEndTkdJG_TqJqsy1w7bdaiVa8DlR3_gNP3Fk-hwyD_F0kOxsqWYMhbElm0eVOXWTsDP6d4uCue6FBHTxLut9I3EgCZbxxelFWZyfEUm1OfNlZvqHzqF62Zud4FRGWo5nBWu4fQXD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-28+at+10.35.02+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjbgCEndTkdJG_TqJqsy1w7bdaiVa8DlR3_gNP3Fk-hwyD_F0kOxsqWYMhbElm0eVOXWTsDP6d4uCue6FBHTxLut9I3EgCZbxxelFWZyfEUm1OfNlZvqHzqF62Zud4FRGWo5nBWu4fQXD/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-28+at+10.35.02+PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Meadow Sisto as Caroline Harvey hotly walks the deck in CAPTAIN RON which Rates: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> During this uneven adventure/comedy our heroes encounter smugglers, guerillas, bad weather and a bevy of semi-chuckle situations that keep this boat floating, but only in shallow waters. What helps is both Mary Kay Place, as the wife/mom, and Meadow Sisto, as the daughter/sister, both wearing skimpy summer clothes and looking quite lovely. Like mother/daughter Karen Austin and Kerri Green in SUMMER RENTAL, Mary Kay and Meadow compliment each other perfectly. Both are the kind of personal pretty you eventually fall head-over-heels for.  <br> <br> Chartered by the 1980's zombie-yarn NIGHT OF THE COMET director Thom Ebersol, the rhythm and timing is a tad off, which doesn't matter when it comes to a semi-enjoyable, semi-comfortable, glossy-neon 1990's time-filler. Yet the cast seems in on the joke — if this came out six years earlier, it'd make much more sense. And is Russell parodying himself, the genre, or the previous decade in which he finally grew up after all those years at Disney? <br>

adventure, comedy, family, kurt russell, martin short, mary kay place, meadow sisto, nineties, thom eberhardt

KURT RUSSELL, MARTIN SHORT & MEADOW SISTO SAIL 'CAPTAIN RON'

Kurt Russell, Martin Short and the beautiful Meadow Sisto in CAPTAIN RON Year: 1992 Martin Short's greatest role was in THREE AMIGOS...

ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR' REBECCA STAAB

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDb9xist-ktoPG7BMGuR_xagChl_O3waGoWv9fC62Zz7LYCO1iS2-HLycsIAPnPuf9MJkhwoqyIaopAM9yUMjYAHSj38q-4ig3p6k7w07R3fFJFwfcEFHQBpgPsrfYieIvmuuTbcGB86d/s1600/MV5BM2IzYjAxYWItNGVmMi00NTRjLThiNjktNjM3ZjhhNTU1MDgxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQ4MTI1NTc%2540._V1_.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="1331" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDb9xist-ktoPG7BMGuR_xagChl_O3waGoWv9fC62Zz7LYCO1iS2-HLycsIAPnPuf9MJkhwoqyIaopAM9yUMjYAHSj38q-4ig3p6k7w07R3fFJFwfcEFHQBpgPsrfYieIvmuuTbcGB86d/s400/MV5BM2IzYjAxYWItNGVmMi00NTRjLThiNjktNjM3ZjhhNTU1MDgxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQ4MTI1NTc%2540._V1_.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Roger Corman Presented The Fantastic Four from 1994</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The unaired Roger <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Corman</span> FANTASTIC FOUR television-movie stars Alex Hyde-White as the brainy and ambitious Dr. Reed Richards, who, along with fellow collegiate Victor Von Doom, attempt an experiment scarring Victor while sparing Richards... <br> <br> A decade later, scientist-astronaut Richards is joined by Johnny Storm, an over-the-top Jay Underwood, and the gorgeous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rebecca</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Staab</span> as his sister, Susan, whose childhood crush on Richards becomes instantly mutual. Ben Grimm aka Thing is portrayed with brawny charm by Michael Baily Smith. And once in space they're pummeled with cosmic rays, crash land on earth, and have thus acquired <i>superpowers</i>: Richards is a human rubber band; Johnny flings fireballs; Susan can become invisible; and Grimm’s turned into that super-cool brick-layered Thing. <br>

action, adventure, alex hyde-white, cult, fantasy, import, jay underwood, marvel, nineties, rebecca staab, roger corman, science-fiction, stan lee, superhero, tv movie

ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR' REBECCA STAAB

Roger Corman Presented The Fantastic Four from 1994 The unaired Roger Corman FANTASTIC FOUR television-movie stars Alex Hyde-White as t...