David Lynch Made Avant-Garde Cinema/TV Mainstream

I’ve often said even when David Lynch made a bad movie, it was still a lot better than some other director’s best movies. I remember watching the 2002 Academy Awards telecast and very briefly there was a shot of Lynch standing next to Robert Altman as they were casually talking. It was one of thoseContinue reading “David Lynch Made Avant-Garde Cinema/TV Mainstream”

‘Twisters’ Are Doin’ It For Themselves

A movie like Twisters was inevitable. But it should’ve been made about 25 years ago. Reportedly production on the first Twister wasn’t the most pleasant. It was Jan De Bont’s first movie after the success of Speed. And it was also Bill Paxton’s first starring vehicle in a huge blockbuster. The popularity of Helen HuntContinue reading “‘Twisters’ Are Doin’ It For Themselves”

Final Bow For Dame Maggie Smith

You could probably survey 100 people at random on what they most remember Dame Maggie Smith for and you’d probably get dozens of responses. Smith, who died on Sept. 27 at the age of 89, had a body of work many actors would dream of. It is hard to summarize her work with just aContinue reading “Final Bow For Dame Maggie Smith”

Yabba-Dabba-Don’t! ‘The Flintstones’ At 30 Still A Rocky Adaptation

Picture it, mid-June 1993. Thousands, if not millions flocked to the movie theaters to see Jurassic Park. The juggernaut Hollywood blockbuster defined the summer of 1993. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero made the foolish mistake of opening the week after. Even though the Governator said that Jurassic Park had moved its release date to JuneContinue reading “Yabba-Dabba-Don’t! ‘The Flintstones’ At 30 Still A Rocky Adaptation”

‘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”

Oscar’s Most Cringeworthy Moments

As glamourous and star-studded the Academy Awards can be, it doesn’t mean every year, things go off without a hitch. Part of the problem is that a producer has a radical idea that backfires in the worse way. Famed producer Allan Carr basically sunk his career 35 years ago when he opened with an actressContinue reading “Oscar’s Most Cringeworthy Moments”