My aunt first told me about Blazing Saddles sometime in the 1980s but all she mentioned was the famous fart scene. A group of cowboy marauders are sitting around a campfire eating beans when one of them, Lyle (Burton Gilliam), leans over and lifts up his leg a little and lets one out. Then, theContinue reading “‘Blazing Saddles’ Turns 50”
Tag Archives: movies
‘Monarch’ Has A Legacy Of Boredom
Sometimes a TV series, movies, or album looks better in the advertisement because the powers that be realized they had something mediocre on its hands and trying to pump it up for the public. That’s the case with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a 10-episode series on AppleTV+ that feels like fanfiction of the MonsterVerse ratherContinue reading “‘Monarch’ Has A Legacy Of Boredom”
Carl Weathers Went The Distance
Very few people can claim the achievements in life of Carl Weather’s. He was an actor finding himself cast in multiple franchises as well as gaining lots of acclaim and praise for his directing. It’s not bad for a young man who started out as an all-athlete playing football, soccer as well as being involvedContinue reading “Carl Weathers Went The Distance”
‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ Is ‘Groundhog Day’ Meets ‘War Of The Worlds’
Tom Cruise has grown from a 1980s teen heartthrob to a 1990s acclaimed actor to a 2000s action star to an overall odd celebrity. Maybe it’s the Scientology stuff. The whole Oprah episode didn’t help his reputation. There’s a lot of people who don’t like him even though at 61, he’s still jumping out ofContinue reading “‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ Is ‘Groundhog Day’ Meets ‘War Of The Worlds’”
‘Self Reliance’ Still Needs Some Help
A movie like Self Reliance only works if the protagonist is both likeable and little bit detestable. I think of Griffin Dunne in Martine Scorsese’s After Hours in which he plays what we think is a hopeless romantic but is actually quite an arrogant selfish person. Even though he’s put through the ringer, you kindaContinue reading “‘Self Reliance’ Still Needs Some Help”
Documentary Is A ‘Sly’ View Of Stallone
Sly is an appropriate name for the documentary on the life and career of Sylvester Stallone. The runtime is about an hour and a half, about half the length of the Netflix documentary on his rival, friend and business partner Arnold Schwarzenegger, but maybe that’s because the “Governator” has had more of a fascinating life.Continue reading “Documentary Is A ‘Sly’ View Of Stallone”
‘Pain Hustlers’ In A Fix For A Good Story
Emily Blunt is one of those actresses whose name, appearance and body of work seems like she should be doing Downton Abbey, The Crown or some other period piece movie or TV show. At one time, she was the contender to play Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But she has proved that sheContinue reading “‘Pain Hustlers’ In A Fix For A Good Story”
‘Straw Dogs’ Has A Better Bite Over Its Original’s Meager Bark
Filmmaker Jean-Luc Goddard once said, “The way to criticize a film is to make another film.” In 1971, when Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs was released during the Christmas holiday season, it shocked audiences and divided them. Based on the novel The Siege at Trencher’s Farm, it starred Dustin Hoffman as a meager intelligent mathematician whoContinue reading “‘Straw Dogs’ Has A Better Bite Over Its Original’s Meager Bark”
‘Ted’ Works Best As Sitcom Parody But Still Feels A Bit Overstuffed
There was a joke on a Family Guy episode in which they did some Seth MacFarlane self-parody with the line is “Yeah, he watched TV in the 80s. We get it.” When Family Guy burst on the scene in 1999 after the Super Bowl, it reflected a growing change in movies and TV that decadeContinue reading “‘Ted’ Works Best As Sitcom Parody But Still Feels A Bit Overstuffed”
‘Tetris’ Still Scores Despite Over-Layered Storyline
Tetris is one of those crazy games that looks so simple but it can be so addictive. All it is stacking block shapes together to make a horizontal line that vanishes. It was a simple game and it was developed by a Russian using parenthesis on his home computer. So, how did something that lookedContinue reading “‘Tetris’ Still Scores Despite Over-Layered Storyline”
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