[RobKnapp]

The Front (1976)
Turner Classic Movies

Director: Martin Ritt Writer: Walter Bernstein
Stars: Woody Allen, Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Andrea Marcovicci

Woody Allen stars in one of the few films that he didn't direct; he and all of the cast give marvelous performances. Martin Ritt's The Front is a black-comedy about the McCarthy hearings of the '50s and the subsequent Hollywood blacklisting. Woody Allen plays a bookmaker who become "a front" for a group of blacklisted Hollywood screenwriters who aren't able to get a job, because of their alleged communist ties.

Several of the stars of "The Front" (Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Lloyd Gough and Joshua Shelley), screenwriter Walter Bernstein and director Martin Ritt were themselves blacklisted for refusing to cooperate with HUAC.

The Front may not be all you need to know about the 1950's blacklist tragedy, but it's certainly one of the finest films ever made on the subject. Academy Awards, USA 1977 Nominee Oscar, Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen , Walter Bernstein. 8/10

 

[RobKnapp]

Alone in the Wilderness (2004)
DVD/PBS

Director:Dick Proenneke
Writers: Dick Proenneke (journals)
Stars:Dick Proenneke, Bob Swerer Jr

I watched this on PBS and as it turns out I also own it on DVD after rummaging through my collection. Double super jack-pot !

It took a very creative engineer and amazing individual to build his quaint log cabin without help, power tools or modern conveniences, manufacturing kitchen tools from used gas cans and wood scraps. It was amazing to watch as he set his camera rolling, pursued the task at hand, and then re-set the camera for another activity.It's some fine Wilderness cinematography I believe shot on 8mm and possibly even 16mm .

Dick Proenneke in Alone in the Wilderness (2004)

​

In 1968, 51-year-old retired mechanic Dick Proenneke spent over a year on his own in the wilds of Twin Lakes, Alaska. With a camera and a tripod, he recorded his activities, fishing and building a log cabin and surviving without any modern comforts. He went back home to Iowa for a brief time and then spent the next 30 years in his cabin, alone. This film, produced for public television, presents the footage from that first year, with narration (read by producer Bob Swerer Jr.) from Proenneke's journals.

​

This production film is food for my overly-urbanized soul. I can turn it on and feel so much peace from the majestic landscapes, music and the narrator's soothing voice. This is an excellent story of a man who was extremely interesting because of both his capability and remarkable simplicity. Highly recommend.

Clips from: Dick Proenneke in Alone in the Wilderness

Alone in the Wilderness DVD

Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. The first summer he scouted for the best cabin site, and cut and peeled the logs he would need for his cabin. Dick Proenneke returned the next summer to finish the cabin where he lived for...

shop.pbs.org

​

 

[RobKnapp]

The Current War: Director's Cut (2019)
Blu-ray

Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Writer: Michael Mitnick
Stars: Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, Tuppence Middleton, Katherine Waterston, Nicholas Hoult

The Current War, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon creates a vivid and fascinating look at the battle to bring the invention of power and lights to the general public. It was a long fought and devious war between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon), as well as the work of Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult). This race to bring America into a brand new era is beautifully explored in this fast paced and artfully done feature.

As far as the on-screen talent is concerned, you really couldn't do much better than what you've got here. Cumberbatch is terrific as Edison, a man who so desires to bring his vision to the world. As for Shannon, the actor brings a certain gravitas to every role he inhabits, and he ably brings an understanding to Westinghouse. The rest of the cast adds strong support including Hoult, Middleton, Holland and Matthew Macfadyn as J.P. Morgan.

The Current War: Director's Cut is a sublime feature examining this exceptional time in history. It manages to keep viewer's engaged in what could have easily been a slow and drawn out history lesson. In fact, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon injects a level of energy into this stirring examination that brings a sort of timeless quality to the movie going experience. Gorgeously shot with strong performances and an impressive score, this is the type of film that educates in an enjoyable way.

Ultmiately, The Current War the director's cut is an impressively done feature that brings the invention of electricity to life with an exciting and fresh vision. Inspired by true events, is one of the most eye-popping and engaging features. Well worth seeking out.

 

[RobKnapp]

Homeland:
The Complete First Season
Blu-ray

​

A bipolar CIA operative becomes convinced a prisoner of war has been turned by al-Qaeda and is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on American soil.

Creators:Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon
Stars:Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis
The winner of 6 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Homeland is an edge-of-your-seat sensation. Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody is both a decorated hero and a serious threat. CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar. The delicate dance these two complex characters perform, built on lies, suspicion, and desire, is at the heart of this gripping, emotional thriller in which nothing short of the fate of our nation is at stake.

Claire Danes in Homeland (2011)

Mandy Patinkin in Homeland (2011)

Truly an incredible season, from start to finish, gripping, tightly plotted , action scenes and twists galore .
One of the best written TV seasons I've ever seen. It's a perfect puzzle - each episode provides fragments, little pieces that at the end come together in a suspenseful way.
Homeland is an addictive, politically resonant spy thriller and compelling character study that benefits from superb performances.

​

 

[RobKnapp]

The Great Race (1965)

Blu-ray

​

Comedy, action, drama, romance, gadgets, cars, swordfights, pie fights, dopplegangers, clichés, and more!

Director:
Blake Edwards
Writers:
Arthur A. Ross (screenplay) (as Arthur Ross), Blake Edwards (original story)
Stars:
Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon , Peter Falk

"The Great Race," a delightful parody of silent film, is still one of my favorite epic comedies. The adventures of Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk as they compete in the early twentieth century to win a New York to Paris auto race. This movie is a ride on the Hilarity Express, from the opening credits to the closing scene. Always make me laugh hysterically . And has any other film even approached the firing in rapid salvoes of 2,357 pies in the biggest food fight in cinematic history.

Natalie Wood in The Great Race (1965)

Lemmon is brilliant in his dual roles of Prof. Fate and Prince Hoepnick. Completely different characters, yet easily two of Lemmon's best. I always rooted for Prof. Fate to win Natalie Wood's Maggie Dubois is energetically comedic, a "modern woman" reporter. She smokes, she cusses, she punches! Natalie Wood was never more beautiful. Tony Curtis' Great Leslie is preposterously perfect. The completely calm eye at the center of this storm, yet the irritant in the eye of the other two principle characters. Peter Falk is perfect as poor Max, the Professor's idiot henchman. The settings are beautiful, the costuming is superb - no wonder it garnered an Academy Award nomination for Cinematography.

Yes, it is long, but it is one of the few comedies I have seen that keeps up the laughs consistently... it never sags or has dull moments. It is downright hilarious from start to finish. And to top it all off, it has some very cool cars. 9/10​

"Push the button, Max!"

 

[RobKnapp]

In Cold Blood (1967)
Turner Classic Movies

​

After a botched robbery results in the brutal murder of a rural family, two drifters elude police, in the end coming to terms with their own mortality and the repercussions of their vile atrocity.

Director:Richard Brooks
Writers:Truman Capote (based on the book by), Richard Brooks (written for the screen by)
Stars:Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe

Robert Blake and Scott Wilson in In Cold Blood (1967)

​

Truman Capote's best seller, a breakthrough narrative account of real-life crime and punishment, became an equally chilling film in the hands of writer-director Richard Brooks (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). Cast for their unsettling resemblances to the killers they play, Robert Blake (Our Gang aka. The Little Rascals) and Scott Wilson (The Great Gatsby) give authentic, gritty performances as Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who in 1959 murdered a family of four in Kansas during a botched robbery. Brooks brings a detached, documentary-like starkness to this uncompromising view of an American tragedy and its aftermath; at the same time, stylistically In Cold Blood is a film-making master class, with clinically precise editing, chiaroscuro black-and-white cinematography by the great Conrad L. Hall (American Beauty), and a menacing jazz score by Quincy Jones.

Child actor Mickey Gubitosi a.k.a Robert Blake

​

Then known as "Mickey Gubitosi", Blake began his acting career as Toto in the MGM movie Bridal Suite (1939), starring Annabella and Robert Young. Blake then began appearing in MGM's Our Gang short subjects (a.k.a. The Little Rascals) under his real name, replacing Eugene "Porky" Lee. He appeared in 40 of the shorts between 1939 and 1944, eventually becoming the series' final lead character. Blake's parents also made appearances in the series as extras. In Our Gang, Blake's character, Mickey, was often called upon to cry, for which he was criticized for being unconvincing. He was also criticized for being obnoxious and whiny. In 1942, he acquired the stage name "Bobby Blake" and his character in the series was renamed "Mickey Blake." In 1944, MGM discontinued Our Gang, releasing the final short in the series, Dancing Romeo. In 1995, Blake was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award for his role in Our Gang

 

[RobKnapp]

In This Our Life (1942)

TCM Summer Under the Stars Film Festival: Olivia de Havilland

​

Directors:
John Huston, Raoul Walsh (uncredited)
Writers:
Howard Koch (screenplay), Ellen Glasgow (novel)
Stars:
Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland

This is an impressively splendid melodrama. Featuring two of Hollywood's greatest actresses (both dual Oscar winners) in Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland. Stanley (Bette Davis) and Roy (Olivia de Havilland) Timberlake are sisters. (The origin of their masculine names is never explained). Stanley is a wild thing famous for careening around in the car her uncle gave her. Spoiled rotten, the wealthy Stanley runs roughshod over her sister. The day before her wedding (Davis) steals her sister's (De Havilland) husband. The limit comes when Stanley, driving in excess of the speed limit,

strikes and strikes to pedestrian causing serious Carnage.

Bette Davis is at her best when she is bad; and she is really rotten here. Olivia De Havilland’s calm and lady-like but strong performance is a perfect foil to Davis’s histrionics. .Ms. De Havilland is an actress that always played convincingly in everything she did, as is the case here. It was such a treat to watch two of Hollywood's greatest actresses on screen together. 8/10

Olivia de Havilland RIP 👼

 

[RobKnapp]

The Daydreamer (1966)
Turner Classic Movies​

Brings back memories when I was a kid. This was one of the special movies they showed on TV when we got a rare day off from school.From the award-winning team that delights youngsters annually with their 1964 classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer . One of Rankin & Bass' best-loved theatrical movies, filmed in an enchanting combination of live-action and stop-motion animation.

It is a fictional story based around Hans Christian Andersen's life and how he day dreamed his classic stories with the help of The Sandman (Cyril Ritchard), such as Chris's encounter with the little mermaid(Haley Mills) and the Evil Sea-Witch (Talluah Bankhead), His adventures with Thumbelina (Patty Duke) ,Mr. Field-Mouse (Boris Karloff) and Mr. Mole (Sessue Hayakawa), and of course the Emperor (Ed Wynn) and the two rogue tailors (Victor Borge and Terry Thomas). An All star cast comes together ! Best suited for sentimental Rudolph fans and kids who adore lengthy song-and-dance classics like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this visual candy store runs 99 minutes. Wonderful family film!

 

[RobKnapp]

The Innocents (1961)
Blu-ray

Director: Jack Clayton
Writers: Henry James (based on the story "The Turn of the Screw"), John Mortimer (additional scenes & dialogue)
Stars: Deborah Kerr, Peter Wyngarde, Megs Jenkins, Martin Stephens, Pamela Franklin

A perfectly balanced adaptation of Henry James The Turn of the Screw, with Deborah Kerr in her greatest performance. The best part of this movie might just be the acting of the two children Martin Stephens, Pamela Franklin who are excellent in their roles. Our governess is convinced that they've become possessed by their former caretaker and her lover, destroying their innocence and corrupting them. The roles demanded an acting grace that is uncommon in children this young. The cinematography is rich, the atmosphere is dead on, the dialog is razor sharp.

Catches an eerie, spine-chilling mood right at the start and never lets up on its grim, evil theme. Director Jack Clayton makes full use of camera angles, sharp cutting, shadows, ghost effects and a sinister soundtrack.

One of the most elegantly filmed Gothic ghost tales ever made.

 

[RobKnapp]

The Sea Wolf (1941)
Blu-ray

Bristling Jack London tale . Shipwrecked fugitives try to escape a brutal intellectual sea captain who's losing his mind.

Actors: Edward G. Robinson, Alexander Knox, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Gene Lockhart, Barry Fitzgerald
Directors: Michael Curtiz
Writers: Robert Rossen

John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Edward G. Robinson

Michael Curtiz has done a remarkable job creating the atmosphere for this film. The cast is superb. Edward G. Robinson is excellent, John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Alexander Knox Gene Lockhart and Barry Fitzgerald all give powerful performances. The cinematography is very moody and the score is top notch. The story is excellent and the characters are well established. Good art direction and the special effects were nominated for an Academy Award.

The Sea Wolf was shot by Sol Polito, who had also teamed with director Curtiz on The Sea Hawk and who would be Oscar-nominated for his work the same year on Sergeant York. Polito's work on this film has rarely been seen in its entirety since 1947, when The Sea Wolf was cut by fourteen minutes for re-release, and the deleted portions of the negative were destroyed. Warner Brothers has spent years searching for an element of sufficient quality to restore the film to its full 100-minute length, but for a long time it was believed that the only surviving copy of the complete film was a 16mm print donated to New York University by the family of John Garfield. Experiments with combining 16mm and 35mm footage were attempted, with results that did not meet the high standards set by the Warner Archive Collection.

But one day, WAC noticed that it had two separate entries for The Sea Wolf in the nitrate storage facility for New York's Museum of Modern Art, and one of the listings did not include a running time. When this second element was retrieved and inspected, it turned out to be a fine-grain master positive made in 1941 before the film was cut for re-release. Warner's Motion Picture Imaging facility proceeded to scan MOMA's fine-grain, and as per current Warner policy when dealing with the best surviving source, the scan was performed at 4K. MPI then undertook extensive color correction, followed by WAC's customary cleaning to remove dirt, scratches and age-related deterioration. The resulting 4K master has been used both to create this new Blu-ray and to generate preservation elements on high-grade contemporary stock, so that the complete Sea Wolf can now be safely lodged in Warner's library.

WAC's 1080p, AVC-encoded disc is yet another worthy addition to its growing collection of black-and-white classics on Blu-ray. 8/10

The Sea Wolf: Blu-Ray​

 

[RobKnapp]

Becky (2020)
Blu-Ray
Fist Time View

​

Deliciously gory and demented.

Directors:Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion
Writers:Nick Morris, Ruckus Skye | 1 more credit »
Stars:Lulu Wilson, Kevin James, Joel McHale

Becky, a strong-willed 13 year-old girl played by Lulu Wilson, is still in mourning one year after the tragic death of her mother from cancer and is dealing with the loss by rebelling against the world in every way imaginable.
A teenager's weekend at a lake house with her father takes a turn for the worse when a group of neo-Nazi convicts wreaks havoc on their lives.

Kevin James, Becky (2020)

Comparisons to "Home Alone" are obvious, but "Becky" isn't that type of entertainment. It's grisly, ultra-violent and proudly so, with Milott and Murnion getting rowdy with the adventure, not cutesy, delivering a thrillingly nasty piece of work without any narrative distractions or visual restraint.

Becky has the kind of gore that makes your skin crawl. You'd be surprised how far it's willing to go, despite its basic thriller tropes. It goes by quickly, and I could've easily taken another hour. I wish there were more neo-Nazi protagonists to torture and more convicts to kill. This is not a ground-breaking film, but it's the first time I've seen a vengeful teenager knocking out brutes like they're cattle. Absolutely demented. Don't [email protected]#ck with Becky ! Lulu Wilson is Sublime. 9/10

🎃 October 31 days of Halloween viewing 🎃
1. Becky (2020) F.T.V. 9/10​

 

[RobKnapp]

Once Upon a Time
...in Hollywood
Blu-Ray ​

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Al Pacino, Julia Butters, Dakota Fanning
Narrator: Kurt Russell

A bold preamble flashes up on screen announcing Quentin Tarantino's ninth film. It's a stark reminder that Tarantino is competing with his own legacy. Can anything truly match the sheer brilliance of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction?
First cuts are often the deepest, but Once Upon a Time in Hollywood comfortably reaches the bar set so unreasonably high.

His customary attention to detail is forensic as 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, film is used to frame a story set in 1969. Fictional characters are cleverly set against true events as they mingle with real people in a concurrent storyline.

Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a jobbing TV actor who fears the big movie roles have passed him by. He is consoled by Bounty Law; a long running Western where he plays the grizzled bad guy. Faithful wingman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) is Rick's stunt double, best friend and confidante. Back in Beverley Hills Rick has new neighbors. Impossibly beautiful actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) has moved in with husband Roman Polanski. Rick is excited by the prospect and could be one pool party away from starring in a Polanski movie. If only he could actually meet them. Meanwhile, producer Harvey Schwarz (Al Pacino) is convinced he can reignite Rick's career with a spaghetti western. Interestingly, the Manson clan is hardly shown in the movie. I actually like this choice, because it left a lingering thought that perhaps Manson was a danger at all times, and didn't play to the audience the way I thought it would. It wasn't a story about the Manson murders. Manson just happened to be going on at the time Dalton and Booth were having their struggles, and it intersected.

There are many pleasures to be found in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," but Tarantino's interest in replicating Los Angeles in 1969 is worth the price of admission alone. It's enough to find period cars and costumes, but Tarantino goes above and beyond, filling backgrounds with detailed signage and theater marquees, redressed buildings, and packing the radio with advertisements and glorious rock hits to set the mood. Tech credits are downright miraculous, securing the time machine nature of the feature, with Tarantino as much in love with his layered frames as he is with the characters, working diligently to take away the modern world. There's enough going on around the action in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" to warrant multiple viewings, just to see the hospital corners Tarantino achieves when resurrecting the end of an era. Very impressive .

DiCaprio proves to be such a perfect choice for Dalton that one can't really imagine anyone else in the part. It's one of his best performances, although he's arguably topped by a fantastic Pitt, that reminds viewers how wonderful he can be in the right material. Margot Robbie, was fabulous as Sharon Tate with her effervescent personality. Margaret Qualley, as SuperPuss was a standout.

It's a glorious fusion of genres; part western, buddy movie and homage to popular culture in the 1960s. Stylish and visually stunning, it bears the classic hallmarks of a Tarantino film. Maddening tangents, delightful cameos and set pieces all provide a compulsive mixture. The cinematography, the writing, the casting, the soundtrack, all flawless. This is a superior film and sits comfortably in my top three Tarantino films.

92nd Academy Awards Films I have seen to date:
Little Women 10/10
1917 10/10
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood 9.5/10
Jojo Rabbit 9/10
The Irishman 9/10
Bombshell 8.5/10
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 8.5/10
Ford v Ferrari 8/10
The Two Popes 8/10
Toy Story 4: in 3D -7.5/10
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World: in 3D 7/10

 

[RobKnapp]

Annie Hall (1977)
Blu-ray

Director: Woody Allen
Writers: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton,

At the time it came out, it was a huge hit. At that time in his career, Allen's neurotic persona was the main character of his films. His ethnic neurotic shtick was different than what everyone else was doing, and came off as fresh and funny. He brought in Diana Keaton to play her WASP neurotic persona as his love interest. Allen and Keaton had a winning formula for the 1970s Jewish neurotic plus WASP neurotic, equals successful comedy. "Annie Hall" was Allen's first deeper satire and it was successful to the extent of Oscar possibilities. Keaton won the Best Actress Academy Award as the title character and while he didn't win for his performance, Allen won for directing & co-writing the screenplay.9/10

 

[RobKnapp]

National Lampoon's
Animal House
(1978)

It's OK to visit ANIMAL HOUSE every so often - just be sure you don't decide to live there!

At a 1962 college, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him.

Director: John Landis
Writers: Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney
Stars: John Belushi, Karen Allen, Tom Hulce

There is no question that party movies are not for everyone. ANIMAL HOUSE set the standard for everything that the best party films have to offer: raunchy humor, lots of males flunking out of college, an eccentric professor (or two), a sneak-peek at the frat house milieu, occasionally vulgar , tasteless. At times showing utter dis-respect for authority and lots of gratuitous nudity!

John Belushi in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) ​

It is also one of the funniest comedies I have ever seen. It's hard to be offended by something that is so stupendously funny. Splendid mixture of low-brow and lower-brow gags, Animal House is arguably the most influential comedy of our time. delightfully enigmatic cast, and a sharp script that allows for the perfect balance of story and irreverent silliness.

Blu-ray comes with a few tasty extras." Beer pong" quiz, the others showing how Animal House was filmed and what happened to the original house on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene ( still a big stoner school ). The best part? The fictional part showing what happened to the characters 30 years later; interviewing "Dean Wormer" in his wheelchair at the assisted living residence down in Florida was the most hilarious.

Food Fight ....

Martha Smith and Mary Louise Weller in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

​

 

[RobKnapp]

All Creatures Great and Small
Masterpiece on PBS
Festive finale of All Creatures Great & Small on Rocky Mtn. PBS

I really didn't know what to expect from All Creatures Great and Small . I being new the source material. I enjoyed it tenfold. Even the character Tristan Farnon I grew to appreciate. ANNA MADELEY as Mrs. Hall was my favorite this season . Her character is splendidly charming . The mixture of photogenic wildlife, ravishing Dales scenery and charming cast and script made for delightful escapist comfort food television . Very glad All Creatures Great and Small was renewed for a second season; and this James Herriot new adaptation will return once again to Farnon's veterinary practice in Darrowby. Everything you want a British Masterpiece PBS show to be !

https://shop.pbs.org/WD0092.html?ipi=megamenu_shows_AllCreaturesGreatandSmall_12.30.20

 

[RobKnapp]

Predator (1987)
3D Blu-ray

It featured Arnold Schwarzenegger as a mercenary named Dutch who along with his team was assigned to retrieve a cabinet minister who was being held by guerrillas in a Latin American jungle. The story turns out to be a “Mono e mono” monster battle between each member of Dutch’s team and the Predator with the winner getting to survive.

I’m a collector of Blu-ray 3D discs and was very happy to see this was converted back in 2013. Considering the film’s age and that it wasn’t originally filmed in 3D, the presentation is very solid.
I didn't know Predator looked this good!!!. It's always been on VHS or DVD. My experience with this movie has always been grainy, flat, and dull. This Blu Ray solves that!

A sci-fi action classic and one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best films, this is a tense, action packed extravaganza of action sci-fi awesomeness.

Kevin Peter Hall in Predator (1987)

Actor Kevin Peter Hall is a menacing and terrifying alien .​

Great thing about Predator was that Dutch’s team was made up of a bunch of bad asses. That included Jesse Ventura as Blain, Carl Weathers as CIA agent Dillon, Sonny Landham as Billy, and Bill Duke as Mac and an excellent performance from Schwarzenegger. This spawned sequels, and a spin off series Alien vs Predator but this is the original and the best. Fun fact, Jean Claude Vann Damme was originally supposed to play The Predator but was considered too short for the role!

Predator is the fabulous. This film nails everything perfectly. It has the right amount of drama, cheese, suspense, action, humor and a splash of sci-fi horror for good measure. This is a great film and still in my mind a bit underrated by the public at large. Good stuff!
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shane Black, Jesse Ventura, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Richard Chaves, and Sonny Landham in Predator (1987)

​

 

[RobKnapp]

Dark Angel (2016)
Masterpiece on PBS

​

Dark Angel headlines the fabulous Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates in Downton Abbey) in a true story of Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton, in a two-part drama beginning at Durham jail in March 1873.

British nurse and housekeeper who was believed to be Britain's most prolific female serial killer. They say poison is a woman's choice of murder weapon. Mary Ann Cotton is a major reason why. Criminologists and historians estimate she killed thirteen to twenty-one people with her little tea pot.

Joanne Froggatt is quietly ferocious playing against type as the sociopath Cotton. She is totally sinister, yet charming, approachable, promiscuous, stoic, no regard to consequence, manipulative, and completely narcissistic. She also projects the fear and vulnerability of a (periodically) single woman in a highly class-conscious society. It's a must-watch for Ms Froggatt, who acts her heart out at every turn. She's an amazing actress.

Joanne Froggatt in Dark Angel (2016)

Outstanding period settings; great scenery and atmosphere. The period costumes were superb. I found it an overall interesting, an engaging approach of a macabre true story. Recommended for fans of British costume dramas and compelling crime shows.

Real : Mary Ann Cotton

 

[RobKnapp]

Clarice (2021)
CBS Television Network

​

Creators:
Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet
Stars:
Rebecca Breeds, Michael Cudlitz, Jayne Atkinson
I just binged the first three episodes thru Comcast .FBI agent Clarice Staring is listed as one of the top ten heroes in cinematic history by the American Film Institute. Being asked to play the role of Clarice Staring in a reboot is kind of a big ask ; the reality is there's no replacing Jodie Foster in any universe. I have to say Rebecca Breeds is really carrying the show.I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. Physically Rebecca Breeds is mesmerizing and quite an accomplished actress. I've never heard of her or seen her in any other films or TV shows. So far, Clarice has been an intriguing blend of character development and single-episode and ongoing cases. For my tastes ,

What unfolds is a procedural with a compelling overarching story, entrenched in creepy, horrific, and often psychological mystery. Clarice is compelling to watch.

Creepy, suspenseful, and well-executed, the cast, crew, and creators on this offshoot of The Silence of the Lambs world have created a worthy world to investigate the origins of Clarice Starling.

Rebecca Breeds in Clarice (2021)

I'm also getting a nostalgic kick from the character Joe Caputo and the dog Precious
Joe Caputo
Fictional character

the dog Precious

Episode 3 high-lite​

Didn't you love how Clarice fired her therapist? She admitted she needed help, but she required someone smarter than him and smarter than her as well. This guy was a Tool. I wonder how this therapist is going to get his comeuppance ! I hope it's very visceral .

It Put's the Lotion in the Basket

 

[RobKnapp]

Super 8 (2011)
Blu-ray/Special features on DVD

​

During the summer of 1979, a group of friends witness a train crash and investigate subsequent unexplained events in their small town.Super 8 follows a group of kids (yes, they ride bikes) who are making a film for a film festival - and yes, it is shot on Super 8 film. One night while working on their film at a train station, a spectacular train wreck happens - this crash is the highlight of the film, it is amazing. After the train wreck things are amiss in the small town that they live in. The Air Force arrives and a cover up begins.

Director:J.J. Abrams Writer:J.J. Abrams Stars: Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, Kyle Chandler
There is a story-line in the film that follows the main character Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) and him dealing with the death of his mother. This eventually ties in with another character and their father. This story line is the one used by Abrams (who wrote this film) for the emotional punch. The story line about the train wreck, Air Force and the strange creature is for the ; I must add , superb action.

Super 8 is a love letter to Steven Spielberg (who also served as an executive producer on this flick) from J.J.
Abrams. It is made with a keen eye to replicate Spielberg's visuals from his early days. The film pays a lot of homage to Spielberg and that is one of this films greatest aspects.

Super 8​

I learned a bit about J.J. Abrams as I watched the Blu-rays special features . Super 8 is all about celebrating the past, from its early-80's time period setting to the subject matter that motivates the celebratory heart of the film itself. J.J. Abrams is thanking the Romero's and Spielberg's and Lucas's and Carpenters of the world with a cinematic love letter, a celluloid portrayal of who he was and what their influence did to cause him to become what he is today.

I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining film . The kids that make up the group are all fantastic. Elle Fanning is especially good in the film. Super 8 kept me interested the whole time because I didn't quite know what was going to happen from one moment to the next and I loved all the little touches of nostalgia that Abrams put in.

Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee

​

 

[RobKnapp]

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
(2004)
Blu-ray

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Retro, Sci-Fiction concepts combined with modern CGI and sound effects are what really makes this movie unique. This is a guilty pleasure. Forget about realism and technology that seems to defy the laws of physics, this movie is meant to be for pure pop-corn entertainment, nothing more. Does it ever succeed ? Yes it does.

Steampunk ? Or should I say .... Dieselpunk Influences .The world is filled with anachronisms including flying robots, lasers, rockets, and hovercraft. The retro aesthetic comes from envisioning the future as seen from the 1920's and 30's.

In SKYCAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, hero pilot Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan (Jude Law) and intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) investigate the disappearance of a group of top scientists and the invasion of enormous robots in this magnificently imaginative tribute to the adventure films of the 1930's. Solving the puzzle -- and saving the world -- takes them from Manhattan to Tibet, from an aircraft landing strip that floats above the clouds to a dynamite-packed abandoned mine and the depths of the ocean. And every bit of it except for the actors, costumes, and a few props, is made from nothing but imagination and
pixels.

Gwyneth Paltrow in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Jude Law in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

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Paltrow and Law are fine, as is Giovanni Ribisi as Law's mechanical whiz buddy who gets kidnapped by the robots and Angelina Jolie with an eye-patch as the endlessly sporty Commander Frankie, especially considering that they all spent weeks in an empty room being told to move precisely two feet to the right and then look amazed or resolute. But they did a fine job and it totally works

Angelina Jolie in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

If you really want a movie that gives you the entertainment and fun you deserve after a long week, you'll be pretty much served with Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.