‘Once Upon A Time In America’ At 40, Still A Conflicted Masterpiece

Sergio Leone is mostly remember for his western. He was basically the John Ford of the Spaghetti Western genre, a somewhat misleading term for some good movies. Spaghetti Westerns were known for being filmed in the Iberian Peninsula or Mediterranean area and featured mostly Italian and other European actors. The most famous one is TheContinue reading “‘Once Upon A Time In America’ At 40, Still A Conflicted Masterpiece”

‘Spacey Unmasked’ Is An Eyeopener But Still Leaves Some Stuff Under Wraps

There just always something about Kevin Spacey early on that made him seem odd. He seemed to be perfect at playing characters you didn’t like no matter what. His role as a corporate stooge in Glengarry Glen Ross could’ve easily been dismissed. It was because he wasn’t as well known as the rest of theContinue reading “‘Spacey Unmasked’ Is An Eyeopener But Still Leaves Some Stuff Under Wraps”

‘Baby Reindeer’ Examines Realities Of Stalking And Cyber Harassment

If there ever was an example of the phrase, “No good deed goes unpunished,” then Donny Dunn and his experiences are a testament to that. Donny (Richard Gadd) is a bartender and aspiring comic in the London area who does one simple thing for a person having a bad day only to have it snowballContinue reading “‘Baby Reindeer’ Examines Realities Of Stalking And Cyber Harassment”

RIP Dabney Coleman

One of the earliest movies I remember seeing is 9 to 5, so I had known who Dabney Coleman was for a long time. His performance as the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot Frank Hart in the movie was so perfect. Coleman was able to balance the awful, cold-hearted sleaze with the sardonic, goofy, gullibleContinue reading “RIP Dabney Coleman”

‘Joy Ride’ Is One Helluva Trip

Back in 1971, a young up-and-coming TV director named Steven Spielberg was given the opportunity to direct a TV movie in which Dennis Weaver played a businessman harassed by the driver of a tanker semi on desolate Southwestern highways. The movie was called Duel. There was such critical acclaim for it that the movie thatContinue reading “‘Joy Ride’ Is One Helluva Trip”

‘Lake Placid’ Takes The Plunge

Lake Placid is one of those horror movies where once you’re introduced to the main cast, you can tell that there is no threat to any of them. Normally, that would take some of the thrills out of the plot. But the movie remains one of my guilty pleasures of a creature feature/when nature attacksContinue reading “‘Lake Placid’ Takes The Plunge”

‘Leviathan’ Is A Hodgepodge Of Terror Under The Sea

Picture it, 1989. George H.W. Bush had just been sworn in as President becoming only the second incumbent Vice-President to be elected to the Oval Office. Batman mania was spreading across the nation. The Berlin Wall was going to be torn down by year’s end. And everyone was dancing to “Walk the Dinosaur.” It wasContinue reading “‘Leviathan’ Is A Hodgepodge Of Terror Under The Sea”

‘Drive-Away Dolls’ Crashes Badly

From their inception in the early 1980s, the filmmaking duo of brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen seemed to work a certain way. They both wrote the scripts. Joel was credited as the director while Ethan was the producer. They also functioned as editors until the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes. While they both technically directed, JoelContinue reading “‘Drive-Away Dolls’ Crashes Badly”

‘Tulsa King’ Allegations Represent A Universal Workplace Issue

This past week, the production of the TV show Tulsa King, which is filming in Georgia instead of Oklahoma, has faced allegations that its star Sylvester Stallone and director Craig Zisk were upset over the appearance of the background extras. Reportedly, they didn’t like that one actor was using a cane. And Stallone has beenContinue reading “‘Tulsa King’ Allegations Represent A Universal Workplace Issue”

Rest In Peace, Joe Flaherty, A Great Comic And Scene Stealer

Joe Flaherty was one of those comics and actors who didn’t look like he should be a comic or actor. He had originally served in the United States Air Force before focuses on dramatic theatre. Maybe that was why he was so easy to be cast in numerous movies of versatility. He could flash thatContinue reading “Rest In Peace, Joe Flaherty, A Great Comic And Scene Stealer”