cult film freak: May 2012

Written by James M. Tate / 5/31/2012 / No comments / action , eighties , walter hill

LES LANNOM REVISITS SOUTHERN COMFORT

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Les Lannom Interivew</td></tr>
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<i>Walter Hill's cult classic SOUTHERN COMFORT is one of the great all-time action flicks, pitting a group of National Guardsmen against some angry Bayou Cajuns who use shotguns, big dogs and even bigger trees in this gripping thriller featuring character-actor LES LANNOM as "Sgt. Casper," the second-in-command who winds up leading the ill-prepared troop against some bad odds...</i><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>How was the scene where “Bowden” (Alan Autry) tips the canoes filmed?</b></span><br />
<br />
The  camera and sound were on boats and were there in the water with us.  There was no marked difference in the number of takes required to cover  the stuff. You always have cover shot from the distance and that is  followed by a number of closer shots from various angles and covering  varying numbers of cast members.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canoe goes down</td></tr>
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Walter just took these shots until he  felt he had the scene and action sufficiently covered. He just shot  until it was right, and Walter seemed to be very good at knowing when to  stop and move on to the next shot.<br />
<br />
The  one significant problem we encountered was losing a very expensive M-60  machine gun in forty feet or so of damned cold water. They looked for  it but never found it. We were all wearing wet suits, so none of us were  in danger of drowning (you couldn't sink!); and the most difficult part  about it was making it look like it was a desperate situation. Fun  stuff, though!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casper takes over</td></tr>
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And  when we finally waded ashore and filmed the rest of the scene, we  couldn't wear the wet-suit booties. Had to wear the combat boots, as our  feet would be seen. Everybody's feet were aching from soaking in the  water. The water was cold (this was fairly early in the shoot) and the  air temp was about 36 degrees. The socks were not much insulation when  they got wet. All of us parked our feet up next to some kerosene heaters  to try to thaw them out.<br />
<br />
A little later, because this  was an ongoing problem, Keith [Carradine] found out that he could peel  off the sole from the booties and stuff them into a slightly over-sized  combat boot and make the situation bearable. All of us followed suit,  and the rest of the shoot was a lot more comfortable... if you discount  the fact that every morning we arrived at the set and had to put on  still-freezing damp wet-suits that had hung all night in our un-heated  dressing rooms in the honey-wagons!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice friendly dogs</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The part when the Rottweiler dogs attack the men… Was this as scary as it looked?</span></span><br />
<br />
Jim,  those dogs were not Hollywood dogs. They were trained attack dogs...  but (and this is a BIG "but"), they were trained to go after the arm...  mainly. If you resisted them they would go after damn near any part of  you they could reach.<br />
<br />
The idea was to offer them an arm  and then struggle with them. They were scary. They had tried to use  "Hollywood-trained" dogs, but they just didn't have the same level of  ferocity Walter was looking for. I didn't really have to have actual  contact with them, and was I glad.<br />
<br />
I made it look like I  was hitting the dogs, but the very last thing you wanted to do was get  one of these Rotts pissed off at you. I made the mistake of making eye  contact with the only female dog they were using, and she started  preparing to come and get me... and I was about 40 feet away.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog Attack</td></tr>
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The  dog's handler was a German woman, and she alerted me that looking at  the dog was an act of aggression, and that I should refrain from doing  so. The female was actually the most difficult one to work with, and  they sort of put her off on the sidelines while the close work was being  done. Not fun. Fortunately, nobody else pissed them off either, and the  dogs did their "thing," which was to grab and shake like hell, and  nobody got hurt.<br />
<br />
Of course, some of the hairier long  shots had stunt men in them. They weren't 2,000 pound trees falling at  you, but they sure could have done some serious damage if they'd gotten  carried away.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Were there any injuries during the falling trees scene?</span></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Les with Booth & Carradine</td></tr>
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One  of the falling fake trees nearly cut short my career. Almost got me,  and my son, who was about twelve at the time, was on hand to see his old  man damn near get pile-driven into the swamp! That was invigorating,  believe me! You can actually see it in the shot. It's the last two trees  that are dropped.<br />
<br />
The very last one was released by  the special effects guy just a teensy bit early. I saw that thing coming  and made a mad scramble up the bank. Dropped my rifle (buried the  barrel in the mud!), dropped my helmet, and clawed my way out of that  shit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If a tree falls in the swamp...</td></tr>
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Lewis  [Smith] ducked into the one safe hole between the branches... of course  he did that every time anyway... liked to live kinda on the edge... and  Carlos (now Allen Autry) went high-stepping out into the swamp!<br />
<br />
When  they cut it together, they used a couple of different takes, so you see  me fall and bury the rifle barrel, but still see me come up the bank  with the helmet on and the gun in my hand. My son still talks about the  day he was almost made a fatherless child. Those trees were made of  fiber-glass, except for the branches, and weighed a couple thousand  pounds. Wouldn't have been good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNG8Y4K1zYoRfsEDrj5NSVzZhW7cE5Gc22bMOpJk3D0-wIUi2n8G4JijpAx7DvgjPvBXRgmK3OAMeFx4x6s8ysCFAvl-zgZPZZ_f7NLA9yXCWTFd7bySlSTaSxfUWN-ekmDnPbEhVQfI/s1600/n37836724603_1497197_269349.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562239693069886002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrNG8Y4K1zYoRfsEDrj5NSVzZhW7cE5Gc22bMOpJk3D0-wIUi2n8G4JijpAx7DvgjPvBXRgmK3OAMeFx4x6s8ysCFAvl-zgZPZZ_f7NLA9yXCWTFd7bySlSTaSxfUWN-ekmDnPbEhVQfI/s200/n37836724603_1497197_269349.jpg" style="float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 167px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former DVD Cover</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">There’s  a DVD cover that predominately shows “Casper” as he’s running through  the swamp (right before he’s shot)… Have you seen this?</span></span><br />
<br />
I  had never seen it... didn't even know it existed! Son-of-a-gun! I sure  as hell remember the day this picture was shot. It was as cold as hell. I  walked out to the set and looked out at the bayou. There was a skim of  ice all over it, and I just knew I was in for a real treat. Walter had  me rehearse the run toward camera about three or four times.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Born to Die</td></tr>
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Once  I tripped and fell in the water, lost my helmet, scrambled up and  grabbed it and kept on running. When you first walk out into the bayou  the water is crystal clear and it's like stepping on a trampoline. You  can feel the years of fallen twigs and cypress needles bouncing under  your weight.<br />
<br />
Do a couple of runs across it (or have  about six or seven guys walk through it) and you break through to the  soft mud bottom.  Couple more passes and you've dug a trench. Water that  was only shin-deep is then up to your thighs. Deviate from the path  you've created and you trip on the side and down you go. Happened a lot!  After a couple of takes they re-set for the close shot of me taking the  bullet-hits, and I went off to wardrobe to put on the jacket they had  wired up with the squibs.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buying the Farm</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">And your death scene…</span></span><br />
<br />
They  had submerged a wooden platform that I had to step onto and then spring  backward to simulate being shot by those buffalo guns. Everything went  fine on the first take (except for the ice-water hit to the brains when I  hit the water), but Walter wanted to cover himself, and, besides, they  had a second jacket all rigged out for the bullet hits! Yay!<br />
<br />
Got  to freeze my cranium a second time and we moved on to the next set-up.   As they say in the song: "Hi diddle dee dee, an actor's life for me!"

action, eighties, walter hill

LES LANNOM REVISITS SOUTHERN COMFORT

Les Lannom Interivew Walter Hill's cult classic SOUTHERN COMFORT is one of the great all-time action flicks, pitting a group of Nati...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/25/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , barry sonnenfield , science-fiction , tommy lee jones , will smith

MEN IN BLACK III

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tommy's not around for long here</td></tr>
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<b>title:</b> MEN IN BLACK III<br />
<b>year:</b> 2012<br />
<b>cast: </b>Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin<br />
<b>rating: </b>**  <br />
<br />
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return as Agents J and K… sort of. Before you know it, K’s wisped off as if he never existed – at least in his partner’s lifetime. The main villain is an imprisoned alien named Boris the Animal. The angry goon, resembling a mutant biker, has one arm thanks to Agent K years earlier.<br />
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After breaking out of the moon’s prison, Boris goes back in time and kills K for revenge. To resurrect his partner, J leaps into the 1960’s where young K works for The Agency. For a little while the film becomes a 48 HRS replica: the hard-nosed "cop" doesn’t trust the energetic "convict" who keeps begging for a gun. Although it takes some talking into, K’s soon convinced of their basic mission: kill the bad guy to save himself <i>and</i> the earth won’t be taken over.<br />
<br />
Sound confusing? Well some parts are – but it doesn’t matter. There’s a few good action scenes that occur much too quickly and the counter-culture shock (including a run-in with Andy Warhol) seems a mere distraction. Josh Brolin as the young K imitates his NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN co-star dependably and has decent chemistry with Smith. But they’re joined by an annoying alien who, resembling a dimwitted college student wearing a snow cap, provides so much exposition about the “time continuum” our heroes have little to figure out on their own while the climax, set at the Apollo 11 takeoff, lacks the bombastic punch of the original. And the lesser aliens along the way are too bright and flashy and…'90’s-looking, most likely an intentional homage to the fifteen-year-old predecessors – but a better script (and villain) would have helped.

2012, action, barry sonnenfield, science-fiction, tommy lee jones, will smith

MEN IN BLACK III

Tommy's not around for long here title: MEN IN BLACK III year: 2012 cast: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin rating: **...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/24/2012 / No comments / eighties , jami gertz , ralph macchio , ry cooder , walter hill

WALTER HILL DIRECTS RALPH MACCHIO IN CROSSROADS

eighties, jami gertz, ralph macchio, ry cooder, walter hill

WALTER HILL DIRECTS RALPH MACCHIO IN CROSSROADS

year: 1986 As the legend goes, Robert Johnson stood on the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil... With that contract he wrote tw...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/23/2012 / No comments / jack nicholson , louise fletcher , photofade , seventies

PHOTOFADE: RATCHED REVERIE

If, when watching <b>ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST,</b> you sense sexual frustration by Nurse Ratched towards the devilish Randall McMurphy, here's what her daydream may have looked like. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KG7FZXSSdsTkdP9MiqProjNe5ZNfg7rWo0KrdiGFaG76EUGb4Vl5vRnsLD0Ucru3K7sCzZmArvszggkqFWH8B1P0pVVWd2GIfPg-5rUE66BdXEflDRKFHdFjArmkow2qtoUmDpUVaqT1/s1600/423006_350617371649216_106638979380391_996804_1755872624_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KG7FZXSSdsTkdP9MiqProjNe5ZNfg7rWo0KrdiGFaG76EUGb4Vl5vRnsLD0Ucru3K7sCzZmArvszggkqFWH8B1P0pVVWd2GIfPg-5rUE66BdXEflDRKFHdFjArmkow2qtoUmDpUVaqT1/s640/423006_350617371649216_106638979380391_996804_1755872624_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's right, the Big Nurse lets her hair down, but only in her dreams. I'd say this beats a frontal lobotomy.  </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And you can listen to my podcast interview with <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cultfilmfreak/2012/03/15/louise-fletcher">LOUISE FLETCHER</a>.</div>
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jack nicholson, louise fletcher, photofade, seventies

PHOTOFADE: RATCHED REVERIE

If, when watching ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, you sense sexual frustration by Nurse Ratched towards the devilish Randall McMurphy,...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/22/2012 / No comments / 2012 , cierra ramirez , coming-of-age , eva mendes , matthew modine , patricia arquette , quirky , teen

GIRL IN PROGRESS

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IC1gXhdNjW2jmRcX-ixxdlgezqnyeOGkQEBds0jmiScE4imSNOs9oKyzGNVkAqI91bwgExcmbagaW1hoIT35eMWhRIu0dCQL1PXNiUdCID3Q0_8C8O65Ug7vqxdoDhGGcDjgy0H-ALPs/s1600/ent_girlinprogress_0509_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IC1gXhdNjW2jmRcX-ixxdlgezqnyeOGkQEBds0jmiScE4imSNOs9oKyzGNVkAqI91bwgExcmbagaW1hoIT35eMWhRIu0dCQL1PXNiUdCID3Q0_8C8O65Ug7vqxdoDhGGcDjgy0H-ALPs/s320/ent_girlinprogress_0509_blog.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
<b>title:</b> GIRL IN PROGRESS<br />
<b>year: </b>2012<br />
<b>cast: </b>Eve Mendes, Cierra Ramirez<br />
<b>rating: </b>**1/2 <br />
<br />
CABIN IN THE WOODS has a group of kids unknowingly forced into a slasher film setting, becoming victims of other people’s whim. Ansiedad, our Latino teenage protagonist, uses the same concept with a different genre and is in complete control of the situation, almost.<br />
<br />
In an attempt to mirror the plot-points of Coming-Of-Age novels, she intentionally lives the life of a good girl who progressively turns bad and, like in the books, sets up a character-arc by first becoming a geek in the Chess Club and then befriending the mean-spirited popular girls; going to parties; and losing her virginity to the rebellious womanizer.<br />
<br />
Not all of these plans are carried through and along the way she burns bridges unintended: like hurting her overweight best friend and distancing herself even more from her single mother Grace, played by Eva Mendes, a sexy working-class freespirit having an affair with a married man.<br />
<br />
Not sure whether it’s a quirky JUNO type indie holding back or a mainstream flick with a progressive edge, GIRL IN PROGRESS lacks focus while the over-opinionated teen gets annoying; she knows too much for her (and our) own good.<br />
<br />
Thankfully there’s Grace… waitressing at a Crab restaurant and trying to keep her affair going… to even things out, but her tale gets clichéd and, eventually, predictable.

2012, cierra ramirez, coming-of-age, eva mendes, matthew modine, patricia arquette, quirky, teen

GIRL IN PROGRESS

title: GIRL IN PROGRESS year: 2012 cast: Eve Mendes, Cierra Ramirez rating: **1/2 CABIN IN THE WOODS has a group of kids unknowingly...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/21/2012 / No comments / 2012 , bill nighy , comedy , ensemble , judi dench , maggie smith , quirky

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

<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/AVvXsEiF9fTDwf4Yxx2nVSXFOQRXUg6OJnmmeSirR4ytV6nhEAzPN3sNzoCizVlU95TGecC1D_cqoHB8a0FOEzneolv91xYqSIog6wTTHu_mCV8uLIFkfCaxn5J6s2Bxn-THHFuItYAf8odhNI48/s1600/6a00e009804e13883301630472aa66970d-500wi-1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9fTDwf4Yxx2nVSXFOQRXUg6OJnmmeSirR4ytV6nhEAzPN3sNzoCizVlU95TGecC1D_cqoHB8a0FOEzneolv91xYqSIog6wTTHu_mCV8uLIFkfCaxn5J6s2Bxn-THHFuItYAf8odhNI48/w400-h297/6a00e009804e13883301630472aa66970d-500wi-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2011 rating: *** </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Despite timeworn age, there’s beauty within everything. This doesn’t only refer to the veteran cast of THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, but the building itself – that’s the idea, anyway.<br />
<br />
A determined young man has a vision: his dilapidated India hotel, misleadingly touched-up in the advertisement, is the ideal place for the elderly. Enter a handful of Brits including a judge, a widow, a married couple, two sexually active optimists and a really old lady in a wheelchair.<br />
<br />
You’ll see the result of certain stories right away – mellow Bill Nighy is so mismatched with bickering wife Penelope Wilton, and has such cozy chemistry with widowed Judi Dench (who provides the narration: a daily journal on her online blog) while Maggie Smith, not trusting any race but white, slowly warms up to the Indian culture... a character in itself.<br />
<br />
The busy streets of India are balanced with lovely countrysides, yet the natives seem a bit too helpful and cheery, providing little edge for the storyline. But not all the characters are as predictable: Tom Wilkerson, a classy judge searching for his lost love from years past, holds a secret. And with the relaxing chemistry of the old-timers, Dev Patel’s Sonny, the young dreaming Hotel owner, and his relationship with a beautiful local is distracting.<br />
<br />
Most of the humor relies on two elderly young-at-hearts seeking the perfect sexual encounter (though not with each other) and yet the person who really stands out is Nighy’s narrow-minded wife – while the other actors play variations of themselves and/or old folks created to be liked, Penelope Wilton  turns in a memorable performance as the sole antagonist.<br />
<br />
There’s little magic involved within the Hotel, yet it's so uncomfortable the residents are forced outdoors where the matchmaking occurs, but what kind of title would BEST EXOTIC PATIO be?<br />
<br />
As a feel-good movie this works fine. But like the Hotel itself, the presentation often exceeds the outcome.

2012, bill nighy, comedy, ensemble, judi dench, maggie smith, quirky

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

year: 2011 rating: *** Despite timeworn age, there’s beauty within everything. This doesn’t only refer to the veteran cast of THE BEST E...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/20/2012 / No comments / eighties , john travolta , sequel , sylvester stallone

STAYING ALIVE REVIEW HAS RELOCATED

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHMIj6Oi1tQUB1AxnYCJRVdh1bP3mrLAxLhKOqWWTAcw36iB3B-4e92kBPA-CRo0M1LGzfsgs0ACWNXKXwPVo1AmpcvCc5YfBMDT1U0GX1ahn15G830YE0gspYXPk5xgDYGcYmZUF5ogi/s1600/StayingAlive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHMIj6Oi1tQUB1AxnYCJRVdh1bP3mrLAxLhKOqWWTAcw36iB3B-4e92kBPA-CRo0M1LGzfsgs0ACWNXKXwPVo1AmpcvCc5YfBMDT1U0GX1ahn15G830YE0gspYXPk5xgDYGcYmZUF5ogi/s640/StayingAlive.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/06/saturday-night-fever-travolta.html">REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEg4cJLgraJ7JbEBcqACQ5adDC17LrhXRy83cNrIhhiOHLJ1aPkZy3GO7CEHDARLznxACwUOqbmS3qj7t7A4OBzy4NLX7busoA4RH21eQSNsGzkJLifHn3JHgAt9BPWcBr0OKytGMAV36Vk/s1600/stayling+alive+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cJLgraJ7JbEBcqACQ5adDC17LrhXRy83cNrIhhiOHLJ1aPkZy3GO7CEHDARLznxACwUOqbmS3qj7t7A4OBzy4NLX7busoA4RH21eQSNsGzkJLifHn3JHgAt9BPWcBr0OKytGMAV36Vk/s640/stayling+alive+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/06/saturday-night-fever-travolta.html">REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<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/AVvXsEgAImsKDiG3JmfUwDYDvvK5SlvX99IzlBUbzEFQk5oMe9jerisQMhjfg88ctvlqUe-yWDS4D7wuYnbZELcnLVgPvOgryFLwmIbjXMmngC7g3n5YFPDAP2UBUQSmx1jwr6ZAcoutTYWyMOQ/s1600/stayling+alive+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAImsKDiG3JmfUwDYDvvK5SlvX99IzlBUbzEFQk5oMe9jerisQMhjfg88ctvlqUe-yWDS4D7wuYnbZELcnLVgPvOgryFLwmIbjXMmngC7g3n5YFPDAP2UBUQSmx1jwr6ZAcoutTYWyMOQ/s640/stayling+alive+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2014/06/saturday-night-fever-travolta.html">REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>

eighties, john travolta, sequel, sylvester stallone

STAYING ALIVE REVIEW HAS RELOCATED

REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST REVIEW MOVED TO A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER/STAYING ALIVE POST REVIEW MOVED T...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/19/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , brooklyn decker , liam neeson , taylor kitsch , war

BATTLESHIP

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_Aism_vLXg3F5DgU8Pp9_3z-NKn9tN98d5NAYbx9l3c5Gt9gRaMU9s8-GiMHNTLOCsCwb5BBoomJBEpSZITvfy5Fj2FbDgXGa_46uMRoadG7b3SeNVQTfHDAoa2_Mef0gYN65FHqizgP/s1600/battleship-poster-rihanna1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_Aism_vLXg3F5DgU8Pp9_3z-NKn9tN98d5NAYbx9l3c5Gt9gRaMU9s8-GiMHNTLOCsCwb5BBoomJBEpSZITvfy5Fj2FbDgXGa_46uMRoadG7b3SeNVQTfHDAoa2_Mef0gYN65FHqizgP/s400/battleship-poster-rihanna1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>title:</b> BATTLESHIP<br />
<b>year:</b> 2012<br />
<b>cast:</b> Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson<br />
<b>rating:</b> **1/2<br />
<br />
The classic board game BATTLESHIP is a lot more involving to play than watch. That being said, the worst parts are attempts to simulate the game itself: opponents stare at a grid and figure the other battleship's location to sink it. Switch that to a spacecraft and… well let’s not skip ahead. We begin with the typical slacker antihero; long-haired Alex Hopper (JOHN CARTER’s Taylor Kitsch) breaks the law to make sure gorgeous blond Samantha (Brooklyn Decker), who ordered a burrito in a bar after the grill closed, gets her wish by robbing a convenient store. His Navy Officer brother Stone tells him to shape up – we skip to the near future where Alex and Stone work within a fleet of battleships. Alex hasn’t changed much except for a haircut: he’s about to be thrown out of the Navy for his bad behavior… and his girlfriend’s Admiral father (Liam Neeson) might just wring his neck. At this point you’re thinking... what this particular hotshot needs is a real challenge – and he gets just that when aliens land in the ocean and eventually blow up (using exploding “pegs” like the game) all but one Destroyer – and now everything’s up to Alex, reluctantly in charge of the sole vessel. Here’s where the board game tactics take over. As the crew stare at a grid consul to figure the alien's underwater location, the silly fun is absent for much too long. But thankfully the third act pits the aliens against the “antique” Battleship U.S.S. Missouri, where a crew of real life old-timers help save the world (as AC/DC blares nonstop). Meanwhile, on land, real life war hero Gregory D. Gadson, who lost both his legs and uses metal prosthetics to walk, aids Hopper’s love interest in… doing something technical along with a nerdy comic relief. But even these scenes needed more cool stuff to happen and less cliché militaristic dialog. All in all it’s not a bad film – if you long for the retro "America Rules" kinda flick, this will do just fine. But even the most patriotic viewer might feel that flag waving a bit too much. Who knows, perhaps STRATEGO will get it right!

2012, action, brooklyn decker, liam neeson, taylor kitsch, war

BATTLESHIP

title: BATTLESHIP year: 2012 cast: Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson rating: **1/2 The classic board game BATTLESHIP is a lot more invol...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/18/2012 / No comments / 2012 , brooklyn decker , chick flick , chris rock , comedy , dennis quaid , ensemble , jennifer lopez

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING

2012, brooklyn decker, chick flick, chris rock, comedy, dennis quaid, ensemble, jennifer lopez

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING

year : 2012 cast: Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, Dennis Quaid rating : **1/2 While having a baby is a woman’s task – and not an easy one...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/17/2012 / No comments / 2012 , ben kinsley , comedy , john c. reilly , sacha baron cohen

THE DICTATOR

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XenfwkGtNmUqTrgjMKdeeYr0gJE8SwW8i_iLQi7jYdgAm999ngWcR0SP51xCxWWYnW5ICu5ImJou6Rk6eSGRc1eKqRiaSXQQ5trgyQADWsy5llSvSborJAd4mUMh6onhc75PjkwQAaEl/s1600/dictator-span-articleLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1XenfwkGtNmUqTrgjMKdeeYr0gJE8SwW8i_iLQi7jYdgAm999ngWcR0SP51xCxWWYnW5ICu5ImJou6Rk6eSGRc1eKqRiaSXQQ5trgyQADWsy5llSvSborJAd4mUMh6onhc75PjkwQAaEl/s320/dictator-span-articleLarge.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<b>title:</b> THE DICTATOR<br />
<b>year:</b> 2012<br />
<b>cast:</b> Sacha Baron Cohen<br />
<b>rating: </b>*1/2 <br />
<br />
What happens when an undercover agent’s identity is revealed? They have to move on, as did Sacha Baron Cohen… No longer able to slip beneath the radar as a BORAT or BRUNO, where oblivious non-actors react to his crude statements, we’re left with an actual movie. Like Christopher Guest’s FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION… the first non-mockumentary attempt after helping define the genre… this treads very shallow waters. Cohen is the dictator of a country called Waadeya and has a lot of fun ruling his people, winning his own Olympics and not taking U.N. resolutions very seriously. The jokes and situations are only as clever as the one-liners allow, which are hit and miss (and mostly shown in the trailers). But alas… we can't savor his rule very long till he goes to America where, after an agent strips him of his signature beard, Aladeen is a nobody in the streets of New York. He finds work with a spunky feminist who owns a health food store. Anna Faris as Zoey provides the kind of rom-com love interest that corners this film into mainstream avenues Cohen and director Larry Charles seem completely lost in. Adding sporadic over-the-top sexual and/or “toilet humor” seems more befitting a Judd Apatow flick and now, instead of laughing at people with Cohen like the good old days, we’re held hostage to a story that doesn’t even seem spontaneous. Not that THE DICTATOR lacks humor – a few good jokes are present. But they just don’t feel natural anymore.

2012, ben kinsley, comedy, john c. reilly, sacha baron cohen

THE DICTATOR

title: THE DICTATOR year: 2012 cast: Sacha Baron Cohen rating: *1/2 What happens when an undercover agent’s identity is revealed? ...

THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY

<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/AVvXsEj9VLzEUIDIqWb_YoGIqunIMfmk9BNh5D2hZka8qqienpdYLG6f6wooRvNPCpEwN8Q427kc8CHyfcmidrkuMithTPNZB_YkxkhSRw2rzivVC8UocyaPCuOxZ0t_dX7djsYa4JAd8ZGQQH8/s1600/donnasummer_zps72dd5f91.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VLzEUIDIqWb_YoGIqunIMfmk9BNh5D2hZka8qqienpdYLG6f6wooRvNPCpEwN8Q427kc8CHyfcmidrkuMithTPNZB_YkxkhSRw2rzivVC8UocyaPCuOxZ0t_dX7djsYa4JAd8ZGQQH8/s640/donnasummer_zps72dd5f91.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1978 cast: Donna Summer, Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, Ray Vitte, Valerie Landsburg rating: ***</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
God knows they just don’t make 'em like this anymore. Even Rock N' Rollers might enjoy this character-driven ensemble about a night at a plush two-story Discothèque owned by Jeff Goldblum. With all the elements of a disaster film without the disaster (Disco Inferno aside) we’re introduced to each character before they wind up at the location where most of our time's spent.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB73cDkyShM8vgscJATcnNSunT5wwXRuncHcXHpNNiNn9WDGcONMtQ5YtABFDIrme0kszHV9x_Sa22XtIWh0Nhrhz2H2ncgqkZBI6TA9MNd6oaV6hMwo0ZJp9HT287VFtqENIi8W88do/s1600/Thank-God-It's-Friday-Jeff-Goldblum-Andrea-Howard-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFB73cDkyShM8vgscJATcnNSunT5wwXRuncHcXHpNNiNn9WDGcONMtQ5YtABFDIrme0kszHV9x_Sa22XtIWh0Nhrhz2H2ncgqkZBI6TA9MNd6oaV6hMwo0ZJp9HT287VFtqENIi8W88do/s1600/Thank-God-It's-Friday-Jeff-Goldblum-Andrea-Howard-2.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
Of the important players, Debra Winger and a friend are looking for their Mr. Rights – but in the era of slick seer-sucker womanizers, it might be difficult. Geeks John Friedrich and Paul Jabara desire their own perfect women, and you can rest assure these two humble cliques will eventually connect...<br />
<br />
Mews Small is a punked-out free spirit while blue-eyed beauty Andrea Howard plays a curious suburban wife forcing her uptight husband to peek into wonderland, where she’s seduced by Goldblum who hired DJ Ray Vitte in a centralized glass booth overlooking the dance floor while starlet underdog (and recently departed) Donna Summer tries to get her record played.<br />
<br />
Lightweight suspense is provided as ANIMAL HOUSE crooner DeWayne Jessie travels across town to pick up instruments for The Commodores, who may or may not show up. Meanwhile, one girl... Valerie Landsburg as Frannie, the buried lead... really wants (and deserves) to win the dance contest finale, and everyone’s having a good old time despite random obstacles, from bullies to bitches to broken dreams, that keeps this an ever-enjoyable romp of a bygone era.

debra winger, donna summer, ensemble, jeff goldblum, judy brown, ray vitte, seventies

THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY

year: 1978 cast: Donna Summer, Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, Ray Vitte, Valerie Landsburg rating: *** God knows they just don’t make ...

SCENECAP: TRUNK BUNNIES

SCENECAP: TRUNK BUNNIES

Bill McKinney goes bunny loco in THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTFOOT SCENE CAPTURE: In Michael Cinino's THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT, title ch...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/15/2012 / No comments / comedy , interview , john landis , mary-louise weller , seventies

MARY-LOUISE WELLER REFLECTS ANIMAL HOUSE: AN INTERVIEW

<i><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/AVvXsEiby2hSxUr2idFlRvqA6PFwuNUpUv_uiNEnpysvETEcorr9PaWOO7c5-9F9Sj1y65vzsospptrr9qITJNbxAwleIggKWldU1sMCAuXCOjf95114pMScYkim3ZgJvb5n2dHtXM9oa-dlKrjg2feOLKQPKMDWw9W9lsBci5pSlW9pa2eYR22M0Hqw7MK2zA/s808/marylouise_zpscb4f226b.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="808" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby2hSxUr2idFlRvqA6PFwuNUpUv_uiNEnpysvETEcorr9PaWOO7c5-9F9Sj1y65vzsospptrr9qITJNbxAwleIggKWldU1sMCAuXCOjf95114pMScYkim3ZgJvb5n2dHtXM9oa-dlKrjg2feOLKQPKMDWw9W9lsBci5pSlW9pa2eYR22M0Hqw7MK2zA/s16000/marylouise_zpscb4f226b.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE</u></td></tr></tbody></table>ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Belushi and other great actors and actresses including the gorgeous and talented MARY-LOUISE WELLER as blond bombshell Mandy Pepperidge...</i><br />
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<u><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">When did you first know you wanted to be an actress?</span></b></span></u><br />
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<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/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7Jtul2ILQsRQazq7xBROEvW-WUiZ6BzgTpd0SZe3lub6xaInck2irln45RPJ9egh97GKjNogpHTnW6vaQJ2U59OjXFFJK-W5zX8RHqQ2GWFgq2zAygYLfoHE20vJKM3cXPMTFhGBFXaAxUA_SDZLDA_idTGQggutSfjt3uvfLtaGq6wHXYLXqI3eNQ/s720/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-16%20at%209.32.05%20PM.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7Jtul2ILQsRQazq7xBROEvW-WUiZ6BzgTpd0SZe3lub6xaInck2irln45RPJ9egh97GKjNogpHTnW6vaQJ2U59OjXFFJK-W5zX8RHqQ2GWFgq2zAygYLfoHE20vJKM3cXPMTFhGBFXaAxUA_SDZLDA_idTGQggutSfjt3uvfLtaGq6wHXYLXqI3eNQ/w156-h200/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-16%20at%209.32.05%20PM.jpeg" width="156" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller</u><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>I  flew out of the womb in full camera makeup and screaming "HAIR...  MAKEUP"!!! First role was (not joking here for a change) while still in  diapers I played an X-mas present in a box under the Xmas tree… My Dad  grew up with and hung out with Danny Kaye... who was always a family  friend... which really got my little engine going... My Aunt was head of  Dell publications, which at that time published all the tabs… so there  were always fabulous drunken singing and dancing stars in her house...<br />
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<u><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">How were you cast for “Mandy” in Animal House?</span></b></span></u><br />
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They  had hired another actress before my meeting with the boys in the black  tower at Universal. Suffice it to say something rather graphic happened  in my audition that convinced them to hire me and pay off the first  actress... who has gone onto huge huge movies...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><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/AVvXsEjxpN4vvXnJWd5IaZvBChOROBLXZ-71Mvi-lGAp1irdA8XFxfseVZio5rHels55NsiByBSlG5i8ODv4I16TObwU-XH26KAOkGZcKQSN8UMcnQ4LOnA1Dyhe7PhN-HnXMtX9XvZlRKEIDQF2sfu1tV661v4aOSzDYpcUSXz3GGIqmwg73TfUl6rWttcp1Q/s636/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-16%20at%209.32.08%20PM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="636" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpN4vvXnJWd5IaZvBChOROBLXZ-71Mvi-lGAp1irdA8XFxfseVZio5rHels55NsiByBSlG5i8ODv4I16TObwU-XH26KAOkGZcKQSN8UMcnQ4LOnA1Dyhe7PhN-HnXMtX9XvZlRKEIDQF2sfu1tV661v4aOSzDYpcUSXz3GGIqmwg73TfUl6rWttcp1Q/w320-h198/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-16%20at%209.32.08%20PM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>With James Daughton</u><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><u>A memorable scene where you and “Greg” (James Daughton) are in the car on the hill and you’re, um…</u></span></b></span><br />
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OH  GAWD!!!!! That scene will forever be stuck in my mind... it was  freezing out... it took forever to shoot... shot night for night... the  motion with my hand was actually just us shaking hands...<br />
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But the entire  crew was leering over the windshield discussing how each one of them  liked that particular motion... you know... faster... faster... NO NO...  not faster... SLOWER SLOWER... Really hard (sorry pun) to do while  hands are frozen into claw shapes... face is blue... lips stuck to  teeth... and laughing so hard.<br />
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<u><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">On the DVD commentary it’s said the Omegas and the Deltas were separated during the filming… Is this for real?</span></b></span></u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdCRb5svWLezAwvA_xOtTyHx5hKSKFA_MFmliyX-uwUzxvpYKHccoXD6ciweiDCf2LSzzuAEPG_nLIAHIt1tywizz5iX5GUGtLTII-3rLxCQM5EXR-_JXBRtMZW24dWQiXpk2jPZxnjc/s1600/zzz.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698104624596855330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdCRb5svWLezAwvA_xOtTyHx5hKSKFA_MFmliyX-uwUzxvpYKHccoXD6ciweiDCf2LSzzuAEPG_nLIAHIt1tywizz5iX5GUGtLTII-3rLxCQM5EXR-_JXBRtMZW24dWQiXpk2jPZxnjc/s320/zzz.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" width="166" /></a><b> </b>Sorry...but  that just isn't true... the movie cost barely a million dollars... they  were way to cheap to put us in different hotels... there was only one  rental car for all of us and it was rented and paid for by Martha  Smith...<br />
<br />
We all hung out in D-Day's hotel room... where he had somehow  secured a large piano... a fridge…You couldn't have separated us with  crow bars...<br />
<u><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Did you have any idea how big this film would be?</span></b></span></u><br />
<br />
I'm  pretty sure all of us knew that the movie would be a huge hit... The  script was simply brilliant...<br />
<br />
I remember showing it to Brandon  Stoddard... who was head of ABC at that time... he also knew it would be  an enormous hit... but he warned me that it would be the movie I would  always be known for...<br />
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<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/AVvXsEiTZVlWvIi1c76OF7HO2jywQ5pPxRuXeYVSqw85AOEg_wXqCE39CUBwPNXHG49qBugXx587tEjYfHKuBFQ4wUD5jq_KsPiHV-gFa3TlZHyMrbFcCEoQQGtnzK0Y0Ebz7gj48zVehrbIq9o/s1600/Picture+20.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTZVlWvIi1c76OF7HO2jywQ5pPxRuXeYVSqw85AOEg_wXqCE39CUBwPNXHG49qBugXx587tEjYfHKuBFQ4wUD5jq_KsPiHV-gFa3TlZHyMrbFcCEoQQGtnzK0Y0Ebz7gj48zVehrbIq9o/s1600/Picture+20.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with John Belushi </u><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEj7NEelBgQnl0QRY2aQXrTdUtU4I9ZZhyNtS3l5L5rqA3HHxIEl9p2KRk7crR-10Bc6G3qkk1EFIYqrhUsF_2Czb7VS_z8ZfPH9_eARM3ivETdnZrMB5Uv78D_7RgsWpxVAu8nPPTeRMOyiEdXg4DWpFluH87VubNIL9t6-c7pKU0L7MD4YLebxVZ8BvA/s858/Picture+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NEelBgQnl0QRY2aQXrTdUtU4I9ZZhyNtS3l5L5rqA3HHxIEl9p2KRk7crR-10Bc6G3qkk1EFIYqrhUsF_2Czb7VS_z8ZfPH9_eARM3ivETdnZrMB5Uv78D_7RgsWpxVAu8nPPTeRMOyiEdXg4DWpFluH87VubNIL9t6-c7pKU0L7MD4YLebxVZ8BvA/s16000/Picture+2.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with Tom Hulce and Stephen Furst<br /></u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEin1kd9cxPeJu3CftzRIvYD9on0ZE8YskHkQuq5ZL8kXjozLupAWN3dhRzW6EA81z2KmXWCL4JfIciZ-zGouFsjW29kHvvWuVagrG9HKlx9C2dYFYM8pRNVxGnzUaipa2NSGY31jKMwgYez2hLehRSYhCUYRdZQ9TSShHn5X62sd_sLRYRfu_icd9O9fQ/s962/Picture+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin1kd9cxPeJu3CftzRIvYD9on0ZE8YskHkQuq5ZL8kXjozLupAWN3dhRzW6EA81z2KmXWCL4JfIciZ-zGouFsjW29kHvvWuVagrG9HKlx9C2dYFYM8pRNVxGnzUaipa2NSGY31jKMwgYez2hLehRSYhCUYRdZQ9TSShHn5X62sd_sLRYRfu_icd9O9fQ/s16000/Picture+3.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with James Daughton<br /></u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEiJBHBQ6m7_ZhJqUtjvx_eIlWNIOLCAIj7vE0BXVLFPS7zWyiG2QgaSuSz8xMSN0Jux-CGVfpSTfzr6DxMYpNm40_h7jlqFX6qMSUNIbe4cdERiEYYfYKaVtVjUs5hVp3TlY7EKrrDm_o4ogK8tt8xoc6hcnH68MZtGftrReTlok67hVRWVm_x4o8AgDQ/s1023/Picture+5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="1023" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBHBQ6m7_ZhJqUtjvx_eIlWNIOLCAIj7vE0BXVLFPS7zWyiG2QgaSuSz8xMSN0Jux-CGVfpSTfzr6DxMYpNm40_h7jlqFX6qMSUNIbe4cdERiEYYfYKaVtVjUs5hVp3TlY7EKrrDm_o4ogK8tt8xoc6hcnH68MZtGftrReTlok67hVRWVm_x4o8AgDQ/s16000/Picture+5.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with Martha Smith<br /></u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEhzmHeq3UgkwfrQcfuE0lpUDOOPS35SP8jH1Pvnj0vDac8Mde4El0ZxJmApIyd91WzFvNER5JIawVsTS9M1cHcwc6RTmKkPQk1b5_n4P-PaKEl-cWX6oiFJPJIN8KpJ7Std5e7gQj8MOVuS8xPVile3CLV-KKAUJOCrMuxEv1bWEiHhwU44Dmc2eR1AFg/s1110/Picture+7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmHeq3UgkwfrQcfuE0lpUDOOPS35SP8jH1Pvnj0vDac8Mde4El0ZxJmApIyd91WzFvNER5JIawVsTS9M1cHcwc6RTmKkPQk1b5_n4P-PaKEl-cWX6oiFJPJIN8KpJ7Std5e7gQj8MOVuS8xPVile3CLV-KKAUJOCrMuxEv1bWEiHhwU44Dmc2eR1AFg/s16000/Picture+7.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE </u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEhsenn_sVoQ3x7tXfI7db1kNiWv0iPvuuQx5QqxHPjbtwqNdTn4JTEhc4oKeUXKwilAmVYabJf8VxHoQdaVEcN54Z5y8ZqLWa5IBPrIc0mRSV7yxc9B___qnDvUWo8mkeXwfUNXB7T1ZCqcG2ucl3cHKkEjAiurKSuuT13iJXf4vsbZ8utT2x_C_FrVMQ/s1057/Picture+13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="1057" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsenn_sVoQ3x7tXfI7db1kNiWv0iPvuuQx5QqxHPjbtwqNdTn4JTEhc4oKeUXKwilAmVYabJf8VxHoQdaVEcN54Z5y8ZqLWa5IBPrIc0mRSV7yxc9B___qnDvUWo8mkeXwfUNXB7T1ZCqcG2ucl3cHKkEjAiurKSuuT13iJXf4vsbZ8utT2x_C_FrVMQ/s16000/Picture+13.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with Kevin Bacon<br /></u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEjyYRIHb1V_QhrkkMhg64mEb95bwFjSs99znekjOoaLAdITU9wdo2_FDi6wg2d5CPd_X45x2bvJUU9JDB7453rbzqtGWlPty8bc-d5cFEc0iTP4BPHoN1lLrlSN7Ej9BNn7Epdlx3L8gN_d1OQZqLzZJx10dz7J6ENSWol0GK-tP_AjQrLJhGD4mig9VA/s1056/Picture+15.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="1056" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYRIHb1V_QhrkkMhg64mEb95bwFjSs99znekjOoaLAdITU9wdo2_FDi6wg2d5CPd_X45x2bvJUU9JDB7453rbzqtGWlPty8bc-d5cFEc0iTP4BPHoN1lLrlSN7Ej9BNn7Epdlx3L8gN_d1OQZqLzZJx10dz7J6ENSWol0GK-tP_AjQrLJhGD4mig9VA/s16000/Picture+15.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with James Daughton<br /></u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEhfV3-nOXOl8EbqPCEixIN0xFFnCy9B-TGAJ0R8RumlzzC2_-3vYVtXfHshDeHG8eCBTMNoFa26io6gyLfEr-hD6LNLeUshF5wQDSPVOBSCRLtDEqdC8Dko2_uE_5A5SxMg_QIveDPADCz3eXGIZJAG819LPcPkVEkkAApA69mU_45LY62YMtafGcsosQ/s1050/Picture+16.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfV3-nOXOl8EbqPCEixIN0xFFnCy9B-TGAJ0R8RumlzzC2_-3vYVtXfHshDeHG8eCBTMNoFa26io6gyLfEr-hD6LNLeUshF5wQDSPVOBSCRLtDEqdC8Dko2_uE_5A5SxMg_QIveDPADCz3eXGIZJAG819LPcPkVEkkAApA69mU_45LY62YMtafGcsosQ/s16000/Picture+16.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with John Belushi </u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEiwYtTgKgQbbe2TkJkHJI4QOtdKBThfBurmLEBjyIEsHtwH1-qMAjBvYP69mVlx-MElVRukNNM1jLXmMTiqK377AZzr2PKjCtDl9jQGYGfX7XmhutH-ubzS7ufvjLl36AjF3zWYFBZMa7P_iXFxWUmjZY-vY5E2uTQkHFGiLLUFnsC9ayZR8354m5dxcQ/s1055/Picture+17.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="1055" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYtTgKgQbbe2TkJkHJI4QOtdKBThfBurmLEBjyIEsHtwH1-qMAjBvYP69mVlx-MElVRukNNM1jLXmMTiqK377AZzr2PKjCtDl9jQGYGfX7XmhutH-ubzS7ufvjLl36AjF3zWYFBZMa7P_iXFxWUmjZY-vY5E2uTQkHFGiLLUFnsC9ayZR8354m5dxcQ/s16000/Picture+17.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with John Belushi </u></td></tr></tbody></table><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/AVvXsEjndErUdEAiK41Hu-CX2VARAnHLQE4s4INnjsJW_BFISA1KbdSkDYIqZB6K5MCiTSJ-OXSZmVr0gNgWdzRwA150Yr4BncKvh-5QOGsT8lq4SKVx5233PaITjvByLUR1pDhOmdFJ_FR5bKcAd8_oCY6bd5S72-Vz_6ISjUuaAR6Rp8Xi7T9WGqXjDj8IIQ/s1137/Picture+21.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjndErUdEAiK41Hu-CX2VARAnHLQE4s4INnjsJW_BFISA1KbdSkDYIqZB6K5MCiTSJ-OXSZmVr0gNgWdzRwA150Yr4BncKvh-5QOGsT8lq4SKVx5233PaITjvByLUR1pDhOmdFJ_FR5bKcAd8_oCY6bd5S72-Vz_6ISjUuaAR6Rp8Xi7T9WGqXjDj8IIQ/s16000/Picture+21.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mary-Louise Weller in ANIMAL HOUSE with Tim Matheson<br /></u></td></tr></tbody></table><br />

comedy, interview, john landis, mary-louise weller, seventies

MARY-LOUISE WELLER REFLECTS ANIMAL HOUSE: AN INTERVIEW

Mary-Louise Weller in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE ANIMAL HOUSE, directed by John Landis and produced by Ivan Reitman, stars John Be...

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DIANE KEATON IS LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR

diane keaton, richard brooks, richard gere, seventies

DIANE KEATON IS LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR

year: 1977 cast: Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Tom Berenger rating: **** A movie that can make even the most jaded viewer dead silent as ...

COLOMBIANA

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<b>title:</b> COLOMBIANA<br />
<b>year: </b>2011<br />
<b>cast:</b> Zoe Saldana<br />
<b>rating:</b> *** <br />
<br />
Don’t judge this movie by a farfetched scene that, once the plot of a revenge-driven femme fatale seeking the killers of her family is well in place, our antiheroine winds up at the mansion of a fat womanizing embezzler where, in the swimming pool beneath a plastic cover, sharks are trained not to attack unless blood hits the water. Our heroine Cataleya, played with lithely lethal prowess by Zoe Saldana, swims above the circling fanged fish without a care in the world: and this could be where the movie jumps the… you know what. But the rest isn’t so awful. Beginning with Cataleya as a naïve wide-eyed little girl witnessing her family’s brutal slaying in Columbia by a drug lord, she escapes... Then cons the authorities into America where she lives with her uncle, a professional killer who does what we don’t see… teaches her to be an assassin. By the time Saldana takes the role as a twenty-something she’s got the skills of 007 and Tarantino’s Bride in KILL BILL, which this movie borrows from in the Spaghetti Western combined with Martial Arts melodrama. One scene as Cataleya fakes a drunk driving accident, outsmarts prison guards and takes out her target in a guarded cell merits fine direction and swift editing. Stretch disbelief to the limit as a spindle-armed woman takes on so many bad guys all at once and you’ll do fine, because while it’s not a great movie, COLUMBIANA succeeds at being pretty good.

action, martial arts, tens, zoe saldana

COLOMBIANA

title: COLOMBIANA year: 2011 cast: Zoe Saldana rating: *** Don’t judge this movie by a farfetched scene that, once the plot of a r...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/11/2012 / No comments / 2012 , comedy , dan curtis , eva green , horror , johnny depp , lara parker , michelle pheiffer , tim burton

DEPP & BURTON REMAKE DARK SHADOWS

2012, comedy, dan curtis, eva green, horror, johnny depp, lara parker, michelle pheiffer, tim burton

DEPP & BURTON REMAKE DARK SHADOWS

2013 rating: ** DARK SHADOWS, based loosely on the strange and unique Dan Curtis soap opera of yesteryear, has a new generation’s Barnaba...

21 JUMP STREET: NEMESIS

crime, eighties, johnny depp, olivia barash, TV

21 JUMP STREET: NEMESIS

Olivia Barash guests on 21 Before shrugging your shoulders and screaming at the top of your lungs in a bedroom full of PIRATES OF THE CA...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/09/2012 / No comments / 2012 , comedy , emily blunt , jason segel

THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

2012, comedy, emily blunt, jason segel

THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

Who made Segel a sex symbol? Why? title: THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT year: 2012 cast: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt rating: ** We’ve all s...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/05/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , blockbuster , chris evans , chris hemsworth , marvel comics , robert downey jr. , science-fiction , superhero

THE AVENGERS

2012, action, blockbuster, chris evans, chris hemsworth, marvel comics, robert downey jr., science-fiction, superhero

THE AVENGERS

year: 2012 With only two days in theaters, this is already regarded as the best superhero blockbuster ever made – yet it takes a while t...

TOUCH

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7zzazhcqb9LJfICuHF7EersIO06J1HiUVTiyHUc7Bo0T8Wl17sOTjxvOnvXzgWoXcgmB5n2oQRviFUd2KKSbmebaCMjsovuTh6yRh3OviVBIlhIG7jqJgNYSSqYAk-3Sk1IwppLiJIlJ/s1600/4q2zdh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7zzazhcqb9LJfICuHF7EersIO06J1HiUVTiyHUc7Bo0T8Wl17sOTjxvOnvXzgWoXcgmB5n2oQRviFUd2KKSbmebaCMjsovuTh6yRh3OviVBIlhIG7jqJgNYSSqYAk-3Sk1IwppLiJIlJ/s1600/4q2zdh.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>title:</b> TOUCH<br />
<b>year: </b>1997 <br />
<b>cast: </b>Skeet Ulrich, Bridget Fonda<br />
<b>rating: </b>**1/2<br />
<br />
After the success of Barry Sonnenfeld's GET SHORTY, cult auteur Paul Schrader provides an Elmore Leonard adaptation in the same breezily entertaining style but with mixed results. The plot centers on a young man nicknamed Juvenal played by Skeet Ulrich – a Johnny Depp version of Ethan Hawke or vice versa – who, with the power to heal, is sought after by former sideshow evangelist/shyster Christopher Walken. The most intriguing aspect has Walken sending ingénue Bridget Fonda undercover where Juvenile works at a detox center. She learns he’s got more soul than those who want his powers for fame and money. And he's great looking to boot. When Juvenal heals random people... from the blind to the diseased... his wrists and side bleeds: this is called Stigmata and, being a serious subject, is surprisingly treated by director Schrader (who never strays from controversial religious subjects) like baking a cake. Once Skeet and Fonda hit the sack and our melancholy protagonist begins losing his <i>touch</i>, the film hits a wall – or two. Tom Arnold as a hypocritical religious fanatic, constantly meddling into everyone's business, proves his <i>talents</i> dwindled after a miraculous turn in TRUE LIES. Not sure if it’s a comedy or a drama or a melodrama or a romance, perhaps this fable, like Leonard's novel-turned-movies that work, could have used some guns-wielding criminals. And while it’s difficult to tell if TOUCH would have fared better without Schrader’s purposely-downplayed voyeur style of watching characters interact without much editing, perhaps he made this more interesting than it would have been otherwise. But the director and actors and the funky Dave Grohl soundtrack aren’t the problem… The bland script is what needed healing.

bridget fonda, christopher walken, elmore leonard, nineties, paul schrader, skeet ulrich, tom arnold

TOUCH

title: TOUCH year: 1997 cast: Skeet Ulrich, Bridget Fonda rating: **1/2 After the success of Barry Sonnenfeld's GET SHORTY, cult...

Written by James M. Tate / 5/03/2012 / No comments / action , blaxploitation , cop , franchise , john guillermin , richard roundtree , sequel , seventies

SHAFT IN AFRICA

action, blaxploitation, cop, franchise, john guillermin, richard roundtree, sequel, seventies

SHAFT IN AFRICA

year: 1973 cast: Richard Roundtree rating: ***1/2 What separates SHAFT IN AFRICA to the iconic original is adventure. The title chara...

JMT

Written by James M. Tate / 5/31/2012 / No comments / action , eighties , walter hill

Written by James M. Tate / 5/25/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , barry sonnenfield , science-fiction , tommy lee jones , will smith

Written by James M. Tate / 5/24/2012 / No comments / eighties , jami gertz , ralph macchio , ry cooder , walter hill

Written by James M. Tate / 5/23/2012 / No comments / jack nicholson , louise fletcher , photofade , seventies

Written by James M. Tate / 5/22/2012 / No comments / 2012 , cierra ramirez , coming-of-age , eva mendes , matthew modine , patricia arquette , quirky , teen

Written by James M. Tate / 5/21/2012 / No comments / 2012 , bill nighy , comedy , ensemble , judi dench , maggie smith , quirky

Written by James M. Tate / 5/20/2012 / No comments / eighties , john travolta , sequel , sylvester stallone

Written by James M. Tate / 5/19/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , brooklyn decker , liam neeson , taylor kitsch , war

Written by James M. Tate / 5/18/2012 / No comments / 2012 , brooklyn decker , chick flick , chris rock , comedy , dennis quaid , ensemble , jennifer lopez

Written by James M. Tate / 5/17/2012 / No comments / 2012 , ben kinsley , comedy , john c. reilly , sacha baron cohen

Written by James M. Tate / 5/15/2012 / No comments / comedy , interview , john landis , mary-louise weller , seventies

Written by James M. Tate / 5/13/2012 / No comments / diane keaton , richard brooks , richard gere , seventies

Written by James M. Tate / 5/11/2012 / No comments / 2012 , comedy , dan curtis , eva green , horror , johnny depp , lara parker , michelle pheiffer , tim burton

Written by James M. Tate / 5/09/2012 / No comments / 2012 , comedy , emily blunt , jason segel

Written by James M. Tate / 5/05/2012 / No comments / 2012 , action , blockbuster , chris evans , chris hemsworth , marvel comics , robert downey jr. , science-fiction , superhero

Written by James M. Tate / 5/03/2012 / No comments / action , blaxploitation , cop , franchise , john guillermin , richard roundtree , sequel , seventies

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