Reviews And Otherwise

Discussing the new documentary BITCHIN’: THE SOUND AND FURY OF RICK JAMES and the Leos Carax/Sparks experimental musical drama ANNETTE (plus predecessors PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, NEW YORK NEW YORK and DANCER IN THE DARK).

Beginning with a discussion of horror director Lucio Fulci’s Italian Western costarring Franco Nero and George Hilton. Also discussed: Liesl Tommy’s misfired authorized Aretha Franklin biopic RESPECT and Gracie Otto’s anecdotal rock documentary about George Martin’s decade-long AIR recording studio in Montserrat (UNDER THE VOLCANO).

Discussion of Lisa Joy’s neo-noir romance REMINISCENCE and Lewis Gilbert’s wife-killer noir CAST A DARK SHADOW, plus Tom McCarthy’s Americans in trouble abroad character study STILLWATER.

Reviews of the mildly entertaining legal drama/caper comedy NAKED SINGULARITY and the artificially contrived CODA, which was a Sundance favorite but plays less well on big-screen TV.

Discussing the Matt Yola-directed documentary WHIRLYBIRD, which is receiving an under-the-radar VOD release. The film profiles Bob (now Zoey) Tur and then-wife Marika Gerrard and how their often sensationalist coverage of Los Angeles stories (usually via helicopter) had an ultimately negative effect on local TV news.

Reviews of James Gunn’s sequel/reboot THE SUICIDE SQUAD and ROADRUNNER, Morgan Neville’s controversial take on chef/author/travelogue host Anthony Bourdain.

Discussing the new documentary about Val Kilmer’s life and career—plus a sidebar on actor George Peppard, who had a Kilmer-like trajectory from prestige acting school training to being primarily regarded as a handsome personality star.

On Hulu’s Rick Rubin-guided tour of Paul McCartney as Beatle, Wing and solo artist.

Returning from a hiatus prompted by a hospital stay, here are brief comments on Questlove’s SUMMER OF SOUL, Liam Neeson’s action programmer trifecta of THE ICE ROAD, THE MARKSMAN and HONEST THIEF, and the surprisingly not bad SPACE JAM sequel.

Reviewing two new VOD releases (HOLLER, THE DRY) plus Steven Soderbergh’s latest venture into noir (NO SUDDEN MOVE, playing on HBOMAX) and Joseph Lerner’s recently rediscovered and restored 1950 noir GUILTY BYSTANDER.

Reviews of Chris McKay’s THE TOMORROW WAR (another Paramount blockbuster offloaded to Amazon Prime) and Neil Burger’s young adults going wild in space VOYAGERS, which cribs a little from George Lucas’s THX-1138.

Discussing the FAST AND FURIOUS films I’ve seen (counting spin-off HOBBS AND SHAW) and crediting the series longevity to FAST FIVE (best of) changing format from street racing sagas to blue-collar MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE mixed with DIE HARD.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, now getting a novelization, has become Quentin Tarantino’s TITANIC—a theme park viewers love to visit many times (and counting). Is this at the expense of discovering newer, more diverse filmic voices? Plus, some qualms on my part over mythologizing the Hollywood workplace without understanding the racism and narrow thinking that can be found there.

Discussion of Edgar Wright’s tribute to the brothers Mael—plus a few tangentially related films such as the Ramones END OF THE CENTURY, Fishbone’s EVERYDAY SUNSHINE, A BAND CALLED DEATH and selected Julien Temple-directed documentaries.

Begins with overview of Clint Eastwood’s 70s Westerns (with special attention paid to THE BEGUILED), then segues into genre deconstruction, defined as unconventional stories/aesthetics/directorial choices. Films discussed include McCABE AND MRS. MILLER/BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS (Altman), BAD COMPANY (Robert Benton and David Newman), THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDGE ROY BEAN (John Huston, John Milius...

Discussion of the simultaneous theater/streaming releases RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON and IN THE HEIGHTS. Also mentioned: how HBOMAX gets more criticism than Disney+ and how both WB and Disney hide the viewership numbers and streaming grosses from the trade press and mainstream media.

First of a sporadic series of episodes about the decline of the Western genre in the 1970s. John Wayne, reluctant to stretch the boundaries of his image, made two Westerns which, more or less, did just that (TRUE GRIT, THE COWBOYS). Otherwise, he cranked out programmers for his core audience—both Westerns and cop films not departing markedly from his Western persona. Films from this period that go...

Begins with discussing two types of sequels—the ones that build on the artistic success of their predecessors and the mediocre kind offloaded to directors who care more about making studio release dates. The third CONJURING film is the latter, and A QUIET PLACE PART II is, thankfully, the former.

Discussion of six films (Too Late For Tears, Woman On The Run, The Scar aka Hollow Triumph, The Devil Thumbs A Ride (shoutout to Barry Gifford’s book of film noir essays sharing the same title), Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (now known mainly for co-star Barbara Payton, who later became part of a scandalous, violent triangle—Karina Longworth and poet Michael Shepler’s differing approaches to Payton’s life...

Ten films either so bad they’re good or good mistakenly classified as bad. Includes Westerns starring William Shatner and Marty Robbins, Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine as bank robbers disguised as hippies, Roger Corman underwater and in outer space, Doris Day and Richard Harris as spies in the cosmetics industry, Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland’s counterculture CANNONBALL RUN, the indescribable...

Capsule reviews of WRATH OF MAN, DREAM HORSE, ROCKFIELD: THE STUDIO ON THE FARM and ARMY OF THE DEAD.