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Reviews
Spotlight on Paul Carr (2002)
Great interview
To my limited knowledge this program is a production of a very small local cabel access channel here in Portland. So who among this community of film/tv buffs will actually have access to this taped bit?
But for those who want to see it and have some way of seeing it I think that this is a wonderful interview. Anytime you get the chance to hear an actor or showbiz type of the 40's, 50's, 60's it is a great thing and the rarest of rare treats. Being a fan of Star Trek, Perry Mason, and all of the old shows this appearance was of particular pleasure.
Lots of great stories and heartache....
thanks.
Beach Ball (1965)
hate it, but The Walker Bros. are in it.
This movie is common for it's species, it's terrible. If there were a writer, a director, or a plot then it would not even have mattered because the cast is so terrible that whatever this is (or could have been) is so far beyond help that it needs never be mentioned as a film, or even a mild stupid form of entertainment.
That said, I have the whole thing on tape and will preserve it forever in my archive.
Besides, the fact it was made for one reason and for one moment in time for a cotton-candy world where teens got their little fix of good-looking boys and girls in swim-suits while set to a compilation of hit songs that made for a perfect Saturday night with the girl next door...it was in essence a time like today where stupid teen movies and bad music dominate the entertainment needs of dumb kids. MTV madness!!!
So, I freaking hate this movie but...
Enough negativity. Let's now focus on the good points, no, Great points. Mixed into this soundtrak of terrible baby music are two moments of greatness. Number one is an appearence by the Walker Brothers. They do a terrible song but for those us of who are huge Scott Walker fans or admireres of the Walker Brothers it is a huge treat to simply look at them, at Scott while he breezes through this odd little movie shoot.
The other moment of pure genius is the performance of the legendary Supremes. We all know the three black girls and Diana and all of those hits etc...but here in this movie there is a song that is amazing, very dark, tonally intriguing, and to my ear one of the most serious pop songs of the early sixties. I have looked hard for this song on any Supremes product but cant find anyhing about it. The words "Surfer Boy" repeat in the chorus but I dont know the actual title of the song.
Without this movie life would be a little less good.
Storie di ordinaria follia (1981)
better than air
Charles Bukowski is one of the most important men to have ever lived. His work is of the ages and I would put thousands of his passages up against the work of all those writers generally considered great. What all that has to do with this movie is not very much. As a film it falls short of the mark as it wanders like a drunk through the streets trying to give us a snapshot of sorts, a month in the life of the great Charles Bukowski. As for reality, I am sure that the Buk was pretty much drunk all the time and wasted lots of time with dirty women but that was his business. I am just glad that he put in some heavy time at the typewriter. I am also grateful for this film as it provides another document, a bit of proof that Charles Bukowski was real. Ben Gazarra does a nice job painting this particular picture of Chuck but it is not a performance that would alone make this a rental for the upcoming acting students. For a more realistic approach check our Mickey Rourke in Barfly. There is a very beautiful Italian actress (Ornella Muti) in this picture who plays the main love interest. She is worth the price of rental or even a bloated DVD purchase. I doubt that Bukowski ever had a girl this beautiful but that's the movies for ya.
Magnum, P.I.: Don't Eat the Snow in Hawaii (1980)
I eat the snow
Dont Eat the Snow is as good as it gets. Where have all the good ideas for television gone? Instead of watching next week's Friends episode try to track down a copy of this movie. If you see it you will end up taping Magnum every day from the A&E channel.
Magnum PI as a series was not as good as it could have been but when all totaled up, it served up about 40 or 50 great episodes that were as dramatic and moving as anything yet done on the subject of the Vietnam war vets and the American life lived once at home. This is the story of aging warriors dealing with a life out of the war setting. A bit timid and unprepared for real civilian life, these four guys settle in Hawaii to be surrounded by jungle fauna and short black-haired Asian people, the war not yet fully out of the rear view mirror.
So when I say that the series was not as good as it could have been I mean to say that this 2-hour pilot movie was so good, set such a high standard that the series had no other chance but to let down. The 2-hour pace, the big budget look and sound of "Snow..." is quite out of the ordinary for any of the three decades I have been taking in TV-movies.
High Art Baby....
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
William Golding retold
Lot's of stuff to admire here, especially if you get to see the uncut version. AMC just showed an edited version the other night and it was missing 11 minutes of what makes Russ Meyer movies worth watching.
The story here is nothing new. To be told once again about the deceptive nature of fame, glory, and a life over-indulged is pretty boring but to wrap this message in such colorful trappings; the weed, naked girls, groovy tunes etc...is just the kind of thing lots of people enjoy watching. Also, the popular thing to do is to make fun of Roger Ebert for his terrible writing but I think just the opposite. Within this campy B-grade flick context I believe that the dialogue, the shot-gun verbiage (by the Z-man especially) is some of the coolest stuff I've ever heard. Mostly though this is a dark, very dark study of human evil that illustrates (to the point where you can smell it) just how low we can become once immersed in the art of self loathing. killer!!! It's like a hipster's version of "Lord of the Flies".