All Jammed Into One Entry

Not much time tonight. This is all I got!

SCOTLAND PA.-2002-Typical "indie" comedy-drama this time based on Shakespeare's Macbeth from first time director Billy Morrissette. It stars James LeGros (LIVING IN OBLIVION) and Maura Tierney (the director's wife). They plot murder and smoke a lot of cigerettes. Christopher Walken plays Lt. MacDuff.

MAY-2003-This very weird independent semi-horror movie features a great performance by Angela Bettis (she played the title role in the NBC TV re-make of CARRIE a little earlier) as a lonely assistant vet who's only looking for a friend. She stalks a guy she likes but he finds her a little too nutty. She's seduced by her lesbian co-worker and tries voulenteering to help blind kids (with disasterous results) but eventually she finds her only recourse is to "build" her own friend......

Also with Jeremy Sisto (WRONG TURN). Bettis later starred in Tobe Hooper's remake of THE TOOLBOX MURDERS.

KILLER ANGELS-(1989)-is a pretty neat martial arts action drama with three women known as "The Blue Angel Squad" battling a mob kingpin while also protecting an informer (named Jackie Chan!). There's lots of great fights, shootouts and oh yeah a little bit of storyline too.

BOWERY BLITZKRIEG-(1941)-is a typical comedy-drama featuring "The East Side Kids" (successor to "The Dead End KIds"). This time Muggs (Leo Gorcey) becomes a Golden Glove boxer and Danny (Bobby Jourdan) is involved with gangsters. Huntz Hall is Lumpy. Charlotte Henry (Bo-Beep in MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS with Laurel & Hardy) is Danny's sister. Warren Hull (who played the lead role in THE GREEN HORNET STRIKES BACK the same year) is her policeman-boyfriend. Keye Luke (who was Kato in the same Green Hornet serial) is a pool hall owner. Also with the other "gang" regulars "Sunshine" Sammy Morrison, David Gorcey and Donald Haines. Pat (brother of Lou) Costello has a small role as a trainer who faints at the sight of blood.

CAVALRY CHARGE-1951-In this stupid Technicolor movie (also known as THE LAST OUTPOST) future prez Ronald Reagan plays a Confederate officer during the Civil War. Apparently the makers of this film felt that The Union Army was a growing menace and had to be stopped by The Confederate Army and The American Indians (strangely a white man leads them!). No one mentions slavery.

Ron (who gives a very stiff performance) and his gang spend a lot of time trying to break Geronimo out of jail even though they admit he’s guilty of murder. Eventually The Indians are the ones who can’t be trusted and The Confederates wind up saving their Union enemies. One actor in this, Bruce Bennett was an Olympic shot putter who played the lead in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN (under his real name Herman Brix) in 1935. He later changed his name and appeared in many movies (like LOVE ME TENDER with Elvis and THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE with Beverly Garland & Lon Chaney). He died in Feb. 2008 at the age of 100!

CC also features Rhonda Fleming, Noah Beery Jr, and Hugh Beaumont (6 years before LEAVE IT TO BEAVER), Iron Eyes Cody and Burt Mustin.

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Four Quickies

LOST IN LA MANCHA-2003-This is a documentary about Terry Gilliam's aborted attempt to film his version of Cervantes' "Don Quixote" called "Who Killed Don Quixote".

Apparently Terry never heard of Orson Welles and his attempts to film the same subject matter!

Gilliam comes off as a naive but determined happy idiot. Had he pulled it all off and made this film (whether it was a box office success or not) he may have been hailed as a maverick genius, on par with some one like Kubrick (as the spin doctoring narration by Jeff Bridges, who starred in Gilliam's THE FISHER KING, attempts to do) but more often than not he seems to be overwelmed by the unfortunate circumstances; i.e. : Quixote portrayer Jean Rochfort's prostate problems, heavy rains wiping out a set, etc.)

A must see documentary if there ever was one!!

THE STRAIGHT STORY-1999-This is David Lynch's greatest film!

A beautifully made heart felt story (based on a true character) with Richard Farnsworth (in his last role; he died in 2000) as Alvin Straight, a crippled almost blind WW2 veteran who decides to visit his estranged brother (Harry Dean Stanton) in Wisconsin, travelling by lawnmower!

The direction and photography are excellent as is the acting, especially from Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek as his daughter.

PUBLIC ENEMIES-1996-Glossy,un-real adaptation of the real life 1930's gangster Ma Barker (Teresa Russell) who heads a gang consisting of her 4 sons and Alvin Karpis (Frank Stallone). They rob banks and kill anyone in their path. Eric Roberts shows up in the middle of the story as a cop who becomes Ma's lover.

I've seen pictures of the real Barker. Not a pretty sight I assure you. Also with Richard Eden, Alyssa Milano and Dan Cortese as Melvin Purvis.

Director Mark L. Lester once made movies like CLASS OF 1984, FIRESTARTER and COMMANDO (with future governor Swartzenegger) but in recent years his output has been mainly direct to video.

BOYS OF THE CITY-1940-The East Side Kids (lead by Leo Grocey & Bobby Jordan) go to the country to stay out of trouble and run into gangsters, a haunted house and murder. Their "adult" guardian is named Knuckles (played by Dave O'Brien from "Pete Smith Shorts" and REEFER MADNESS). Minerva Urecal is the creepy housekeeper. Black East Side member Sunshine Sammy Morrison is on hand to look scared and make watermelon jokes. Director Joseph H. Lewis directed other "Eastside Comedies", Lugosi in THE INVISIBLE GHOST and the very cool film noir THE BIG COMBO before going into TV.

Thanks for reading!