Unfortunately It Does...

EXISTS-2015-5 losers go to a remote cabin and film it. They act like morons and do a lot of stupid things. They have an encounter with Bigfoot at night and decide to leave the next morning but their car gets wrecked. So instead of running away in the day time they go back to the cabin to spend another night! One guy tries to get help on his dirt bike but Bigfoot gets him. Since this is found footage there's lots of shouts of “Go! Go! Go!” and shots of feet. It seems they killed it's baby. A relative to one of the campers, Uncle Bob somehow shows up but is killed. The remaining survivor does a “mea culpa” for Daddyfoot and gets to live. 

Filmed in Texas by Eduardo Sanchez, director of THE SEVENTH MOON and co-directed of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.

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Candace Hilligoss

Happy 82nd birthday Candace Hilligoss!!!

Lady Bug

LADYBUG LADY BUG-1963-A panic arises at a small elementary school when it appears they get a warning of a nuclear attack. The principal (William Daniels) sends all the kids home and along the way their fear and paranoia grows. It seems to end tragically with one girl hiding in an abandoned refrigerator and a boy losing his mind when he hears a plane flying over head. Though it might seem tame today I'd bet it scared a few moviegoers back in the turbulence of the early '60's. 

The husband-wife team of Frank Perry (director) and Eleanor Perry (screenwriter) made other offbeat, unusual films including THE SWIMMER and DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE. Frank later directed MOMMIE DEAREST.

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My Little Talent

MY LITTLE EYE-2002-6 losers win a chance to make 1 million dollars each if they can all stay together in a secluded cabin for 6 months. The whole thing is being video taped for a reality show. Yeah, right. It becomes obvious they are being manipulated but by whom? Does it matter? Bradley Cooper plays a guy who shows up mid-way through the story to have sex with one of the women. Boring ugly nonsense shot in Canada by a British company by some guy named Marc Evans.

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Boxing

THE RING-1952-This overlooked tale is about Tommy Cantanios (Lalo Rios) a young Mexican American kid who becomes a fighter to help his family and gain respect from the White community. As “Tommy Kansas” he becomes successful but his father (Martin Garralaga) and girlfriend Lucy (Rita Moreno) give him a hard time. At a party a guy dances with a glass on his head (??). After suffering several losses his trainer (Robert Osterloh) wants him to retire but his manger Pete (Gerald Mohr), doesn't have the heart to tell him. Tommy makes a comeback but to help a cigar chomping promoter (Jack Elam) Peter puts Tommy in a main event against a much better fighter (played by real life boxer Art Aragon) who promises not to hurt the kid. But Tommy double crosses him and then gets ko'd. Seeing his little brother sparring Tommy throws his gloves away and quits boxing, helps his father and gets back with Lucy. Peter Brocco and Robert Shayne have small roles. Novelist Irving Shulman (who'd done the adaptation of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE) adapted the screenplay from his own novel.

German born director Kurt Neuman had made many Tarzan entries before this and ROCKETSHIP X-M. He later directed THE FLY. Mohr who did lots of voice-overs for many films was in THE SNIPER and INVASION USA the same year. Star Rios was later in TOUCH OF EVIL and BIG LEAGUER but died at age 46 in 1973 of liver disease.  

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Well, It's Shorter Than Renaldo and Clara...

MASKED AND ANONYMOUS-2003-In a war torn fictitious country ruled by a dying dictator, a crooked music promoter Uncle Sweetheart (John Goodman) plans a big musical benefit to aid the impoverished country but actually wants to keep all the proceeds for himself and pay off his debts. Unfortunately the only performer he can get is a once famous but now forgotten rock star Jack Fate (Bob Dylan) who's in prison. He's let out and goes by bus to perform. It turns out Jack was born and raised there and was childhood friends with the low life who plans to take over when the dictator dies (Mickey Rourke). Another musician Bobby Cupid (Luke Wilson) who joins Jack and his band "Simple Twist of Fate" (Dylan's real band) says he has a guitar that belonged to Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Meanwhile Sweetheart's wife?/girlfriend?/sister? Nina (Jessica Lange) insults him, complains, smokes a lot and cries. A government agent (Bruce Dern) sends a reporter (Jeff Bridges) to spy on the activities. He's accompanied by his religiously bent wife (Penelope Cruz). Other characters include an animal handler (Val Kilmer), a performer friend of Fate's father (Ed Harris in black face), a government whore (Angela Bassett), Christian Slater as a roadie, Fred Ward as a drunk and Cheech Marin in one scene with Dylan whose character mainly listens to others spouting their philosophy and has very little actual dialogue (he narrates much of it though). I didn't expect the violent ending. 

The film was written by Dylan and Larry Charles, both using pseudonyms. Charles was a former writer/producer for SEINFELD who later worked on a lot of TV shows (CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, THE TICK, DILBERT, ENTOURAGE) and directed nonsense like BORAT and BRUNO.  

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