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FEEL GOOD - You have to see these films!
Murder & Mayhem of the 1990's Decade
Oh what a feeling…what a rush! ♫ ♬ ♪
Italian Heritage ~ Mob Bosses
Murder & Mayhem of the 1960's Decade
Girls with Guns .... Knives & Swords
Murder & Mayhem of the 2000's Decade
Murder & Mayhem of the 1970's Decade
Murder & Mayhem of the 1980's Decade
Murder & Mayhem of the 2010's decade
This is a list of films that were released in the 2010's that are either based on real people who were murderers or serial killers, and/or actual events, or are made for television mini-series and/or thrillers that are stories of fiction all of which include murders.
Reviews
Big Jack (1949)
Wallace Beery rode off into the big blue sky after this, his last great western film
Rest In Peace Wallace Beery for you will always be remembered for a fulfilling and everlasting portfolio of wonderful roles and none better than this your last film (which no one would have ever guessed, nor expected to be his last great role).
Wallace Beery plays the rough, gruff Big Jack Horner who is leading a gang of outlaws when he accidentally stumbles upon a lynch mob in the process of hanging Dr. Alexander Meade (Richard Conte). Guns a firing, Jack Horner and the gang quickly disperse the lynch mob and save Dr. Alexander Meade from being hanged.
But their is a steep price that Dr. Alexander Meade must pay to Big Jack Horner for saving him from a rope necklace and the hanging tree. Big Jack advise Dr. Meade that he would like him to become the outlaws personal physician.
Unfortunately both men are polar opposites, one man, Big Jack, has no scruples and will just take whatever he wants including the employment of Dr. Meade without even blinking. Dr. Meade, on the other hand, is a very ethical and law abiding citizen whose only desire in life is to learn as much as he can about the care and treatment of human beings through the advancement of medicine and surgical procedures.
With these two men being in a stalemate and both being very stubborn the chase for superiority continues throughout the film and we the audience get to witness the thought and actions of these two warriors.
I give the film a well deserved 10 out of 10 IMDb rating not just for this being a classic black and white western film, but even more so for rewarding the film legacy of the late, great Wallace Beery's last film role. Rest In Peace Mr. Beery. You are greatly missed.
Jackass Mail (1942)
The first in Wallace Beery's western trilogy as a gruff coniving but lovable hoodlum
I was fortunate to watch all three (3) of actor Wallace Beery's various western roles as a gruff, conniving but lovable hoodlum and robber. Jackass Mail (1942), Bad Bascomb (1946) and Big Jack (1949) were films of Wallace Beery that he starred in as a cowboy robber and thief, but yet still always portraying a lovable and jolly old feller'.
In Jackass Mail, Beery plays Marmaduke 'Just' Baggot who befriends a young boy named Tommy Gargan (actor Darryl Hickman best known as Dobie Gillis) and an interested female companion named Clementine 'Tiny' Tucker (Marjorie Main).
In this Beery film (the first of three of his last western portrayals) Just Baggot has intentions of robbing the US Mail carrier but when he takes a personal interest in the young and easily influenced Tommy Baggot has a sudden change of heart and wants to turn around from being a robber to being a hero and maybe even becoming a husband to the doe eyed Clementine 'Tiny' Tucker.
This is a very simple story line which has been done a thousand times before and a million times since, but yet I am still impressed with the chemistry portrayed between these actors on screen as well as the simple story line of good versus evil.
I give the film a deserving 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Bad Bascomb (1946)
A light hearted western with a slew of great performances
Ahhhh such a relief to watch an old black and white film that conatins all the great scenes which make up an enjoyable and interesting western film.
I couldn't start my review without expressing how much I enjoyed the interaction of the three (3) main characters who are Zeb Bascomb (Wallace Beery), the little orphan girl Emmy (Margaret O'Brien), and the cautious mam Abbey Hanks (Marjorie Main).
Zeb Bascomb leads a gang of criminals who like to rob and steal and when he ends up on the run once again from a posse hot on his heels he decides to hide out within a wagon train of mormons at which time he is introduced to the little orphan girl Emmy who takes a shine to the rough and gruff and very rotund Zeb. An independent but likeable woman named Abbey also has wandering eyes for Zeb, the gruff but lovable newcomer to her wagon train .
Zeb, finds out very quickly that this wagong train of mormons have some valuables amongst them and his initial thought is to help himself to the mormon's valuables when the time is right, but little Emmy and the single lady Abbey influence Bad man Bascomb to reconsider his initial plan to rob them.
It is a great little western filled with a good story line, and plenty of light hearted moments sprinkled throughout. I give the film a worthy 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Black Gold (1947)
It would take several decades more before gullible victims could be protected by scumbags
The story may be about a thoroughbred horse named Black Gold who entered the classic Kentucky Derby, but I found the real story was about an innocent victim named Charley Eagle (Anthony Quinn) whose lack of knowledge of the white man's scrupulous ways to take advantage of the less fortunate was so prevalent in the 1940's and the decades earlier.
In the current decade of the 2020's we still have hundreds of thousands of shady characters who hide behind software and telephone scams to swindle the elderly and new immigrant populations across the world. Back in this 1947 film Charley enters his race horse in a claiming race and when his horse wins easily Charley's initial joy is lost when he learns that his horse has been claimed for a paltry sum by a scrupulous individual who is happy to take the winning horse into his own expanding winning horse stable.
Long before Jed Clampett and the (1962-1971) TV series, The Beverly Hillbillies struck gold, black gold, texas tea, as they called it, the humble but proud farmer Charley Eagle struck oil on the land he owned and unlike the fate that took away his prized racehourse through a claiming race, Charley had a reputable engineer and friend who ensured Charley would reap the financial benefits of his large oil strike on his land.
Yes, there is a dramatic horse race to be run, and yes poor Charley experiences both the highs and lows of winning and losing, but that is how life takes most of us by surprise.
I give Black Gold a passable 5 out of 10 IMDb rating.
The Strangler (1964)
Knock...Knock...Whose there?
Knock...Knock...Whose there?
Just your creepy and overweight neighborhood strangler who has some big mommy issues.
This film makes you wonder what kind of homelife some of our own co-workers, friends, and/or the bar patrons sitting at the next bar stool may be living.
I for one can relate a former work peer to Victor Buono who plays Leo Kroll a Lab Technician as the overweight smug strangler who knocks on unsuspecting womens' doors late at night and once that door is open, the poor woman's nightmare begins as her last breath is being taken at the hands of her personal deranged strangler.
I thought the mental process of how the strangler Leo Kroll initially excited himself by entering a local amusement arcade with the multitude of pinball machines pinging and ponging noises as he walked briskly directly over to the two special ladies who serviced his favorite game of chance which is a ring toss game to which he received a life like toy doll for successfully winning his ring toss game. Once that toy doll was placed in his hands by either of the very pretty game attendants named Barbara Wells (Diane Sayer) and his very favorite dream girl (and mine) Tally Raymond (Davey Davison) a trigger would switch on in his demented brain that could not be reversed and his sexual aggression enticed him to find his next victim. After Leo strangled to death his victim he would leave his calling card, the doll.
The homicide detectives who were assigned to investigate the strangler murders added depth to the storyline. I thought the concept that the detectives had the strangler in for a few interrogations and even having the smug Leo complete a lie detector test just added to the suspense.
Will they catch him through some evidence or will he slip away and continue his murderous spree? No spoiler here. Watch and learn what happens to the next victim of Leo Kroll, the starngler.
I give this black and white 1964 suspense/thriller film an excellent 8 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Lies Between Friends (2022)
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good and vice versa
This is nothing special other than the film's message which is when you mess with the bull you may just get the horns. An 18 year old girl named Emily Bowser is introduced to a wealthy couple by Emily's single father Stephen, who knew Ollie from their college days together. Claire and Ollie who have two (2) children are both successful and Steve hits on his old friend Ollie for a favor long owed to him by Ollie for Steve's taking responsibility for an accidental death of a girl they both knew while they all were in college.
When Emily discovers accidentally that her father Steve was taken advantage of by his old school chum Ollie who went unscathed by the crime he was actually responsible for and that her own father went to prison for, Emily seeks revenge on the wealthy couple.
The plot may be interesting but the delivery in a Lifetime film of revenge on a wealthy couple by a manipulative 18 year old leaves a lot to be desired in the suspense department.
I give the film just a passable 5 out of 10 IMDb rating.
M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder (1931)
The message still resonates 93 years after this film's initial release in 1931
German Director Fritz Lang was an Austrian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States. He has accomplished a broad and succesful film legacy and one of his most successful and memorable films is the 1931 film "M".
I have always enjoyed the black and white film process which allows the film audience not to be distracted and ensures that a film's actors/actresses are putting on their very best performance(s) as the camera is squarely focused on them and their actions.
In the 1931 film M, a serial pedophile lurking in Berlin is kidnapping and subsequently molesting then murdering young children. The pedophile is a middle aged man named Hans Beckert played masterfully by Peter Lorre. The police force and intelligence officers assigned to capturing this pedophile and child murderer is under extreme pressure to capture this deviant offender who takes pleasure in writing to the local newspapers and seeing his crimes in print.
The residents in Berlin are in a frenzy worried about their own children's being this pedophile's next victim and as a result the entire Berlin population is on high alert and they are continually notifying the police with information that innundates the police force(s) with unnecessary false leads that futher bury the criminalists in coming to a conclusion on who the real predator is.
No spoilers here, but suffice to say that some 93 years after this film was first released the world still has pedophile predators amongst us, and the criminalists are still playing a cat and mouse game before the public takes matters into their own hands.
I give the film an essential to see 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Cab to Canada (1998)
A FEEL SO GOOD film that brings tears to your eyes
Wow! Maureen O'Hara plays a lonely elderly person named Katherine Eure, who has lived quite a life over the past several decades hob nobbing with the rich and famous, but sadly, due to her strength and stamina she apparently has outlived all of her closest friends and she relies on her many memories for her past happy life as a successful and beautiful magazine model in her younger days.
After attending yet another funeral of one of her oldest and dearest friends Katherine has one of thos "ah hah" moments and she decides to hire a cab to take her back to some of the memorable locations she enjoyed with her late companion(s). On a whim she just decides to have the local hack, take her from one location after another, staying in hotels over night.
The cab driver who is randomly selected for that first pick up of Katherine is a gruff and well built young man named Mike Donahue (Jason Beghe) who leases his current cab but has ambitions to one day own his own cab and control his own destiny. As cabby Mike and passenger Katherine travel acrouss the USA, negative words are exchanged and Mike keeps calling Sandy (Catherine Bell) who is Mike's cabby dispatcher and his girlfriend while Sandy remains back home minding someone elses' young son named Bobby (Haley Joel Osment). Poor Bobby loves his mom, but that love is not being reciprocated.
The message from this film is that everyone faces some challenges but these challenges seem much less consequential when family and/or friends are willing to listen to one another and show love and affection, rather than anger and resentment.
I have always loved Maureen O'Hara's leading lady roles especially when her co-star was big John Wayne, but let me assure you actor Jason Beghe is no slouch and the chemistry between his role as the gruff cabby Mike, and Maureen O'Hara's like minded gruff role as his pushy and demanding passenger Katherine is simply a wonderful relationship that blossoms over the next few days while travelling across the USA. I will admit it, I cried.
I give the film a well deserved 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Call Northside 777 (1948)
If you (and your beliefs) don't stand for something you will fall for anything
They just don't make great crime movies like Call Northside 777 anymore. Even though the film is based on a true crime that occurred on December 09th, 1932, in which a Chicago police officer was shot and killed by two robbers in a neighborhood speakeasy camoflauged as a delicatessen, the thieves' identities were unknown. An investigation was quickly undertaken, and two men of Polish descent were quickly apprehended, convicted by a court and jailed for 99 years. The two men who were found guilty continued to proclaim their innocence.
It wasn't until almost twelve years later On October 10, 1944, when a classified advertisement appeared in the Chicago Times that stated the following: "$5,000 REWARD FOR KILLERS OF OFFICER LUNDY ON DEC. 9, 1932. CALL GRO 1758, 12-7 P. M." The ad was brought to the attention of the city editor Karin Walsh, who assigned a seasoned police reporter named James McGuire to dig into the story further. What made this a storied advertisement and true human interest story that needed paying attention to, was the personal ad was paid for and the $5K reward offered by one of the convicted prisoners hard working mothers who saved the $5K reward money scrubbing floors for the past eleven (11) years, scrimping and saving and never losing faith in her sons innocence of the crime of murder of a Chicago policeman.
The film took a few liberties with the actual personal names and events that occurred, but the basis of the story remains true. Two wrongfully accused and convicted Polish men were sent to prison to serve a lifetime conviction and a dog determined crime news reporter (fictitious) named P J McNeal (James Stewart) required some considerable convincing before he could be convinced that these two convicts were wrongfully imprisoned.
The film is presented in a semi documentary style which was new at the time to film productions as was filming in the Chicago neighborhood(s) where the crime occurred. The black and white film cinematography just adds another level of realism to the paradox of these two young Polish men. Are they guilty or innocent in a black and white film transparency?
No spoilers here but suffice to say actor Jimmy Stewart and his editor boss Brian Kelly (played superbly by Lee J Cobb) who feeds tidbits of encouragement to a hungry crime reporter P J McNeal to keep fighting the good fight to try and free the wrongfully imprisoned.
I give the film an under rated 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Bruce Lee's name translates to Action and Entertainment
Boy was Bruce Lee in the very best shape of his life when he was filming Enter the Dragon. Through sheer hard work, perseverance and a love for film making Bruce Lee captured his audience's attention even more so after his untimely death since we will have no more feature films of his to look forward to.
Enter the Dragon is a cinematic experience like no other. Bruce Lee's physical appearance on the screen of Enter the Dragon would be by today's standard explained by CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) but the only one using CGI technology back in 1973 and prior was mainly Ray Harryhausen), but make no mistake about it, Bruce Lee's 135 pound physique was pure muscle on muscle and by the end of filming he had lost about 10 pounds.
The fight scenes (which there are many) are complimented by a great athletic story line and the fight scene with an array of deceptive mirrors was the Crème de la Crème of action packed fight scenes.
A memorable film for all action movie buffs. I give it an 8 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Boston Strangler (2023)
Film Noir is back and in fine form in this 1960's version of the infamous Boston Strangler
From the opening scene and throughout the entire film there is a noticeable green hue that encompasses this film noir based on the 1960's historic sexual assaults and murder spree of thirteen (13) women in the greater Boston area.
Through sheer persistence a female newspaper reporter named Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) is eventually granted the privilege of rolling up her sleeves and winning over an all-male dominated Boston newspaper publisher as well as most of the Boston police homicide division to break the story that there is a serial murderer preying on women in the greater Boston area.
Loretta is told she has to work in unison with the only other female crime reporter named Carrie Coon (Jean Cole) and at first begrudgingly she agrees to share the story with Carrie. Very quickly Loretta realizes Carrie is an experienced and seasoned crime reporter that she can learn from so the two ladies work hard and long hours to have their stories printed on the newspapers front page as feature stories.
What I appreciated from this version of the Boston Strangler was the films music score was subtle and only background sound and not overbearing as many crime/thrillers tend to do to camouflage for a lousy story line.
This version of the Boston Strangler is captivating and superbly acted. I give the film a highly touted 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.
The Cheshire Murders (2013)
A well balanced comparsion between Good versus Evil and how this brutal crime could have been prevented
If you have not seen this documentary yet be prepared to hear both sides of the horrendous murders of three (3) female residential home occupants of a well to do family in a very affluent neighborhood. What I am referring to as a well balanced documentary is that there is no excuse for the two convicted murderers of the three (3) female house occupants. The murder victims were 48-year-old Jennifer Hawke-Petit, her 11 year daughter, Michaela, and her 17 year old daughetr Hayley Elizabeth Petit. Where was the father? Dr William Petit was asleep on the couch when one of the two perpetrators, Joshua Andrew Komisarjevsky., beat Dr. Petit over the head repeatedly with a baseball bat that Komisarjevsky found in the basement which is how he found illegal entry into their family home.
Bothe perpertrators Joshua Andrew Komisarjevsky, and his accomplice Steven Joseph Hayes (now legally transgendered to Linda Hayes) were savage animals, binding all four (4) family members after which they ransacked the house then raping both mother Jennifer and the 11 year old daughter Michaela. The documentary clearly explains that Komisarjevsky was attracted to the young 11 yaer old Michaela when he randomly spotted mom and daughter out shopping and so Komisarjevsky decided to follow them to their home to see where they lived. Afterwards he contacted his accomplice Steven Hayes and via text messages their intent is on full view for the jury to understand the mindset of these two well known convicted criminals.
These two animals savagery did not end with the binding, terrorizing, beating and raping but continued with dousing the three women with gasoline and setting the house on fire while the husband Dr. Petit was bleeding profusely from the baseball bat beating and tied to a support beam with ties. Dr. William Petit was able to eventually escape before the home was engulfed in flames, His family was not that lucky. All three female occupants were murdered.
The documentary does try to explain the way these two criminals grew up in their respective households, and their respective families were also shocked by the viciousness of their crimes.
What remained unclear was although the police were apprised of a crime in progress when Komisarjevsky dragged mother Jennifer to her bank to withdraw 15 thousand dollars from her line of credit, Mrs. Petit was able to explain to the bank personnel that her family were being held hostage by two criminals in their home and the police went to the home and remained outside even after Jennifer and Komisarjevsky returned to the home with the money where she and her 11 year old daughter were subsequently raped and then set on fire. The arrests occurred when Komisarjevsky and Hayes stepped outside from the front door and the house was on fire.
Some other IMDb reviewers viewed the documentary as forming a position on the death penalty in the state of Conneticut but I see it as a total tragedy for all involved and my heart goes out to the father Dr. William Petit who survived but has to re-live that terrorizing day over and over again when he lost his precious family.
I rate the documentary a 7 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Young Dillinger (1965)
I watched it all and yet I was left waiting for so much more
I always enjoy the old crime films especially when they are filmed in black and white. Frankly though, Young Dillinger was a big disappointment. I could not understand the relationship on screen between John Dillinger (Nick Adams), and his moll. Elaine (Mary Ann Mobley). They continually expressed their undying love to one another but all I saw were two people reading their scripted lines and lacking any emotion or physical attraction to one another. If anything I viewed Mary Ann Mobley's performance as deserving of a. Golden Raspberry Award. Had this award been available in 1965. Fortunately for Mary Ann Mobley the awards were first presented in 1981.
There is a relatively strong supporting cast with actors such as Robert Conrad, John Ashley, Victor Buono, and John Hoyt but their performances were wasted on this very choppy film with no real sense of direction.
No spoilers here but suffice to say I am still waiting for a proper ending to the film. It is as if the director was left hanging when the entire cast walked out before the film was provided with a proper ending to the Young Dillinger story.
I can only give this film a lacklustre 3 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Tammy (2014)
Starts off strong but peters out over the second half
I really enjoy the physical comedy of Melissa McCarthy and her film Tammy in which she plays the starring role had potential but did not live up to my own personal expectations. The story line was written by the husband and wife team of Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy so they have no one to blame. I am assuming the inexperience of the writer/director Ben Falcone had a lot to do with the film petering out halfway through it.
Heck, they even had the reputable star and original Louise (Susan Srandon) from the classic 1991 Thelma & Louise road trip film playing Tammy's grandmother who fronts the money and her own vehicle for the Grandma and Granddaughter road trip gone wrong.
I was so looking forward to being entertained by Ms. McCarthy and Ms. Sarandon but unfortunately I was disappointed. My advice to Miss McCarthy was leave the husbandry to your husband Ben Falcone, and leave the directing to a seasoned and proven director such as a Ridley Scott or a Clint Eastwood both who have directed successful road trip films.
I can only provide a less than stellar 5 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Diner (1982)
The adult version of American Grafitti
I liked it and I rate it an 8 out of 10.
I always enjoy films that pertain to the 1950-60s era and this film fits that bill perfectly about a bunch of young men (not boys anymore) and women who have been friends for years who always hook up at their favorite Baltimore Diner. The men's backgrounds are varied as what you would expect them to be in real life. You have the habitual gambler. Hairdresser and law school student Boogie (Mickey Rourke) is more interested in taking a shortcut to success by making high stakes bets with a street bookie and we all know how that may work out.
You have the young man. Shrevie (Daniel Stern) who is married already and is an electronics salesman and music maniac who goes crazy when his wife .Beth (Ellen Barkin) even so much as touches one of his record collection and does not put it back exactly in the chronological order he has created in his own mind.
Then you have the young couple who are scheduled to be married on New Years Eve 1960 that is as long as the potential bride can pass her fiances home test by answering a series of sports related questions all of which refer back to his favorite NFL football team, the Baltimore Colts.
One character who you will recognize is a very young. Kevin Bacon wou plays the misguided but wealthy Fenwick, who survives not by working on any particular career path but solely on his parents funding his lifestyle and heavy drinking and hard driving.
There are a few more characters as well but you get the gist. It's a great movie that touches on this potpourri of characters over a 24 hour period that will keep your attention to determine what will happen next. A great job by the film director. Barry Levinson.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 1 (2024)
Enough already with attempting to continually build suspense when there is none
Awwww, what a big disappointment season 4 was for both Mrs. Shullivan and I. From the season title "Night Country" the producers utilized the pretence that this so called suspense all happened in Alaska when the day and night are in total darkness. In my humble opinion the combination of each episode happening in the dark and even when scenes occurred within the confines of the jail, someone's home, or in the science labs, the director used a grainy blue lens filter so that we the viewers were always expected to try and watch through a cloud of darkness.
The four letter word that rhymes with "puck" was used way too often and added absolutely nothing to the shallow plot of a murdered indigenous woman as well as the mystery behind what caused five (5) Scientist's working in the lab to disrobe and freeze to death on the frozen tundra.
All hype, lots of useless swearing, unnecessary sex scenes, and the worst of this season was Jodie Foster telling anyone who was in earshot of her "to ask the right questions". Well I have one question myself "who was the idiot who thought this season 4 was going to appeal to an audience who actually enjoys a good mystery series?"
I rate season 4 with a 4 out of 10 IMDB rating.
Adaptation. (2002)
Some IMDb reviewers refer to this as clever, original and/or unique. Me? I refer to it as another artsy fartsy convoluted disappointment.
Although Adaptation boasts some former Oscar winners in the starring roles, I hate to say it but I found the picture rather empty and with way too much dialogue and little meat and potatioes. Yes, I agree that the very talented Chris Cooper was deserving and thus he won a best actor in a supporting actor award for his role as the toothless John Laroche, whose passion for orchids and horticulture made writer Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep) discover passion and beauty for the first time in her life. If you pay close enough attention to what is going on, Susan Orlean is assigned to adapt her non-fiction book "The Orchid Thief" for the screen but is having difficulty finding enough material content (that is the meat and potatoes that I found lacking) to make her book transfer to the big screen. A noted screenwriter named Charlie Kaufman (Nicolas Cage) is hired to bring the book to the screen but he also is having a writer's block.
Susan Orlean's solution was to meet with John Laroche and go on an orchid hunt for a very rarely seen orchid. Of course Ms. Orleans and Mr. Laroche find what they are looking for in the conservation area that they are trespassing on, and to get Ms. Orlean excited John Laroche suggests she inhales some of the particles of the orchid to feel the euphoria that he also feels.
In my humble opinion maybe if I also had sniffed some drugs as Ms. Orleans had, maybe I would have enjoyed this two tier story line more than i did. I will give it a 6 out of 10 IMDb rating for originiality but I tend to withhold a higher IMDb rating for films that I actually find entertaining and not based on artsy fartsy dialogue and rich idealism.
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
An all time classic black and white film that assuredly will entertain all creature feature movie buffs
Wow! If you are a movie monster buff of the cinema classics of the 1950s - 1960s era than put Creature from the Black Lagoon at the very top of your must watch (again) list. Even if you have already seen this film many years ago, it is in my humble opinion one of those classic black and white monster films that is deserving of cult status and never to be forgotten.
Similar to many films released ever since the talkie films began on October 6, 1927, with The Jazz Singer, a love triangle always makes a film choose a side. Should male number one (1), or male number two (2) win the girl over?
In this case it is the beautiful Kay Lawrence (Julie Adams) who joins the all male expedition along the Amazon River who the natives are very wary of entering when the scientific team accidentally discovers a prehistoric Gill-Man in the Black Lagoon. Miss Lawrence is wooed by two male admirers, Dr. Mark Williams (Richard Denning) and Dr. David Reed (Richard. Carlson) but the Creature from the Black Lagoon also takes a fancy to the beautiful Kay Lawrence when she innocently decides to take a dip off of the side of the boat.
This is a fantastic horror/romance/thriller film and the purpose of filming in black and white is not lost on the viewing audience as you will not be able to decide who your eyes should be focused on. Should you focus on the first glimpse of the creature in the black lagoon or on the beautiful Kay Lawrence when she dons her swimsuit and takes her dip in the Amazon river? No need to worry as both the creature and actress Julie Adams share screen time and we the viewing audience can enjoy this classic creature feature mystery in all its magnificent black and white eerie color.
I give the film a perfect 10 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Frank and Penelope (2022)
An intense and grossly under rated film. Ignore the bad reviews
I really was not expecting much from Frank and Penelope as a serious horror/thriller genre film. Although the film starts off rather mundane, the film gradually builds up steam to what I consider both an effective thriller and with a surprise ending. No spoilers here.
The two main characters Frank (Billy Budinich), and Penelope (Caylee Cowan) are mostly unknown actors but I believe both have garnered significant support from their growing fan base which includes myself now.
The plot has been done hundreds of times before with a dysfunctional group of characters controlling a small town where they go undetected with their dastardly crimes. Coming into this tiny dirt road town in their souped up. American made Dodge Charger are Frank and Penelope who are on the run in a similar fashion as the well known rebels from the.1991 movie thriller Thelma and Louise.
As hard as actor Billy Budinich deserves to be recognized for his character portrayal of a tough guy boyfriend, most of the attention will go to the female lead character Penelope played to perfection by actress Caylee Cowan. Her voice, her swivel hips and pouty lips, but mostly her sex appeal and her sexy baby voice will leave most fans wanting to see and hear more from Penelope.
It becomes a battle of wits and desire to stay alive for Frank and Penelope to get out of this freak town and I found myself rooting for both of them to succeed.
No spoilers here, suffice to say I really enjoyed this horror/thriller film and I give it a most deserving 8 out of 10 IMDb rating.
I look forward to seeing more films from both Billy Budinich and Caylee Cowan.
Tokyo Vice (2022)
The 6 C's
Criminals, Cops, Corruption, Cool, Clever, and Calculating
Criminals:
The simple name referenced as the Yakuza brings fear in the eyes of anyone who dares to stand between this criminal organization. Two rival gang leaders intend to control the underworld to which great wealth and power will be bestowed on the last man standing. Ishida (Shun Sugata) is the reigning Godfather and an upstart smarmy Yabuki (Kazuya Tanabe) the second-in-command of the Tozawa yakuza clan has every intention to take power away from Ishida.
Cops:
Two dedicated detectives, Jin Miyamoto (Hideaki Itô) a dog with a bone detective, and his mentor, Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) a vulnerable family man with a wife and two young daughters but dedicated to his job and his goal to abolish the Yakuza from Japan.
Cool:
One man, one name, "Sato" (Shô Kasamatsu) stands for all that is considered cool. He is third in command in the Yakuza organization the Chihara-Kai, under the Godfather (Shun Sugata) Ishida and Sato reports begrudgingly directly under Hayama when Ishida appoints him as the new Wakagashira of the Chihara-Kai after he served seven (7) years in prison. Sato was a street kid with tons of moxie, handsome, smartly dressed, brute strength and fearlessness but his greatest asset is he has even more smarts and always thinking two steps ahead of any adversary.
Clever:
Clever would be an understatement for the many players in this crime/drama TV series who all seem to have a plan for success in their respective fields. Whether it be the pretty blonde American Samantha (Rachel Keller) who works hard in an effort to establish her own hostess bar, or in the newspaper industry Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort) who follows both the criminals and the enterprises, and the cops with their thorough investigations, the cops who investigate the criminals, and the criminals growing their criminal enterprises.
Communications:
The main star of this series is an American news reporter Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort) who speaks fluent Japanese who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time just to get his next breaking storyline. Although Jake is considered an outsider by the Japanese people, he gradually impresses both the cops and criminals with his insight, and his willingness to learn from both the cops and robbers at any cost, and his love for the Japanese culture and its ways.
Calculating:
A great series always leave its audience with fresh bait before you witness the next big catch. In this series every episode is a story within itself. But make no mistake about it all the various players in this series have a plan and their lives invariably intertwine. Arrest, wealth, success, romance, and even death are just some of the outcomes from the many plans that are put in place. If you liked the.2002-2008 TV crime/drama series The Wire, then you will love both the characters and the many storylines designed to captivate us the audience in Tokyo Vice. Be prepared though as the series is heavy on the English sub-titles but well worth our undivided attention.
I give the series a very smart and cool 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Gone Before His Time: Freddie Prinze Sr. (2023)
It was no nice to have THAT TIME together
Anyone born in the 21st century most likely would be referring to the actor Frediie Prinze Jr who starred in the Scooby Doo feature films, and in his own TV series titled simply Freddie, and married his co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar.
But back in the mid1970s, there was a new half hour sitcom titled Chico and the Man, starring the gruff and old veteran actor Jack Albertson who owns an auto repair garage, and he takes on a young but very talented mechanic named Chico Rodriguez (Freddie Prinze). In real life Chico, was an up and coming but very young stand up comedian named Freddie Prinze. Freddie changed his surname from Frederick Karl Pruetzel, to Freddie Prinze which sounded like a Prince.
I never missed one episode of this TV comedy Chico and the Man, and as this documenatry points out, Freddie Prinze was a top comedian appearing on numerous TV shows and magazine covers.
Unlike many other documentaries which tend to praise and adore their main character, we see and hear about both the talent and the demons of Freddie Prinze. It is a biographical story from his early beginnings in comedy to the heights of Hollywood stardom coming mainly from his TV appearances and not from films.
I give the film a favorable 8 out of 10 IMDb rating. It is well worth watching.
Miss Stevens (2016)
Driving "Miss Chalamet"
I thought the drama teacher Miss Stevens (Lily Rabe) was driving three (3) students to a drama competition? But in reality, the storyline was focused squarely on one only (1) of the three (3) students' named Billy (Timothée Chalamet). The other two (2) students Sam (Anthony Quintal), and. Margot (Lili Reinhart) appeared to be nothing more than fillers so that this road trip would appear to be more about the three (3) students personal problems. Sam being gay, and Margot lacking confidence. Miss Stevens for her baring her soul to these kids and another booty call teacher just did not appeal to me. If this type of road trip students/teacher scenario appeals to you then I recommend Hilary Swank's performance in the 2007 film Freedom Writers, which will bring tears to your eyes.
But make no mistake about it, actor Timothée Chalamet is provided the majority of screen time with their chaperone Miss Stevens as well as Billy getting the big screen to himself when he gets on stage to perform his lines as Willy Loman from Death of a Salesman. We keep hearing over and over again that Billy needs to take his meds and if he does not his quirkiness is exacerbated. My revised title Driving Miss Chalamet is due to Billy coming across as a pill popping spoiled wuss who would rather lie and deceive others than deal with his own insecurities.
The biggest disappointment in the film was the limited screen time that was provided to both Anthony Quintal, and Lili Reinhart. The producers picked a decent enough musical score in the rock group America's Sister Golden Hair which kicks in periodically and as their closer to help inspire the audience to sigh in enthusiasm but instead, I just sighed, when will this meaningless film end?
I give the film a barely passable 5 out of 10 IMDb rating. More on screen time for Quintal and Reinhart would have made the film more balanced and less of a starring role for the whiny Chalamet who seems to always play the same type of role.
24 (2001)
James Bond is 007 now meet Jack Baue 00
Mrs. Shullivan and I have always had the action TV series 24 on our "must watch list" and even though this TV series was first released twenty three (23) years ago we thought we could benefit from binge watching the mind bending total of 207 episodes (after the TV series had lasted an amazing nine (9) seasons) over the next several free weekends, time permitting.
I recall back in 2001 that the TV series 24 was the main topic at work around the water cooler and the subject of exciting conversation before and after team meetings but I just did not have the time to sit down one hour a week and watch each new episode. Especially true since the TV series lasted an astounding nine (9) seasons.
Soooooo, this particular weekend Mrs. Shullivan and I agreed it was time to bite the bullet and start streaming 24 on the Disney Plus channel. Some may think that binge watching a TV series is of great benefit, but I have to tell you that after watching the entire season one's 24 episodes over the past two weekends we quickly realized that binge watching 24 was much like watching the 1993 comedy movie Groundhog Day.
First of all the clock ticking away the minutes of each hour may have been appealing to a one hour per week TV episode, but when you are binge watching through streaming and there are no commercials you quickly realize that the 4 or 5 minutes which elapse when the clock periodically appears were each segments TV commercial breaks which is hilarious.
Now if I get into the meat of this action/drama/suspense series as the old Burger King TV commercials would say about their competitors burgers "where's the meat?" Mrs. Shullivan and I were very disappointed in season 1 with the premise being about agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) attempting to save the senator's life while in the midst of his preliminary campaign running for the presidency of the USA. Half of season 1 concentrated on the trouble Jack Bauer's bimbo wife and daughter caused each and every episode. Planting the last nail in this coffin called 24 was Jack Bauer's every minute being in a pressure cooker driving to or from some criminal mastermind's hideout who want to kill him, the senator and/or his family.
To sum up the series it was boring and so predictable. We watched season one and the first two episodes of season 2 then we buried the TV series 24 and said to each other "adios Jack Bauer" you are not worth investing into 181 more episodes of our valuable time.
I give the series a barely passable 4 out of 10 IMDb rating.
Real Time with Bill Maher (2003)
I have a question?
Why is it that as soon as Bill Maher walks out on his stage there is a very loud and boisterous audience applauding this guy even before he spews a single word? Then when he initiates his monologue from his very first so called sarcastic joke (usually in reference to the Republican Party and specifically he invariably calls out Donald Trump by name ad nauseum) not only do we hear faceless applause but we also hear boisterous laughter and still the camera never pans out to an assumed appreciative audience that seems to salivate on every word, grimace and use of that four letter word that rhymes with PUCK that Bill Maher uses on each episode?
In my humble opinion I believe Bill Maher has been selling his TV audience snake oil with not only his TV induced canned laughter but this late-night show's producers have taken the fake audience to a next level with this constant canned applause and still we, the at-home TV audience never see a real live single audience spectator.
One of these days we may get to see an audience that has in their hands a megaphone in each hand. One megaphone will have a red button on it and when pressed the canned laughter will prevail. The second megaphone will have a button with two little hands depicting a "clap now" insignia that the paid audience can press to save their poor hands from this constant ghost applause that we continually hear but never see an actual audience.
In the past sporadic episodes of his show that I have watched (since nothing else seems to be on) I have heard Bill Maher tell his ghost audience that he has no use for a wife, nor for any children, and I can only assume his home is surrounded with wall to wall and ceiling to floor mirrors so the only person Bill Maher has to look at is his own egotistical self.
I give the Real Time with Bill Maher TV show a fake 4 out of 10 IMDb rating and ask with great passion for the producers to occasionally pan to this never-before-seen audience to see what kind of idiots are actually in the audience who are always laughing and applauding at Bill Maher's every word.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
People please listen to stage critic Maxine Spear's (Noma Dumezweni) opinion ... it is over rated!
Did you ever experience paying a King's ransom to watch a live theatre performance only to eventually and disappointingly walk out of the theatre saying WTF? Well maybe the $9.95 per month Disney charges to watch Only Murders in the Building isn't a King's ransom, but I do value the 30 plus hours Mrs. Shullivan and I invested in watching the first three seasons and yes, we were disappointed.
I have always enjoyed both Steve Martin and Martin Short's physical comedy but their banter back and forth each and every episode with their moderator and third amigo Selena Gomez who plays Mabel Mora, the interior designer and artist, was nothing more than boring banter. Steve Martin plays. Charles-Haden Savage an unemployed TV star from a long forgotten crime series as the 1990's TV Detective Brazzos. Martin Short plays the most unluckiest stage director Oliver Putnam, and unlike having the Midas touch it seems any play Oliver creates falls flatter than actress Cara Delevingne's chest.
Mrs. Shullivan and myself watched the first couple of episodes and we realize that you have to invest some time in the first few episodes of any new TV series before you can actually assess whether or not, a TV series is both entertaining and intriguing. Unfortunately we continued watching each and every episode of the first three (3) seasons and the banter between the three (3) actors just continued to get more meaningless as did the storylines.
There are quite a few cameo appearances by first rate film and/or stage actors such as Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Paul Rudd, Tina Fey, Michael Rapaport, and even Meryl Streep, but even with all that talent and the mantra "the show must go on" , I asked Mrs. Shullivan "how much more of this boring series do you want to endure?"
The series has a considerable amount of time on the actual stage of New York City's iconic 3,400-seat United Palace Theater which is another failed attempt of trying to convince us the audience we are watching a live stage performance for only $9.95 a month, rather than the average $400 ticket price for a front row Broadway experience. Actress Noma Dumezweni plays stage critic Maxine Spear and if her opinion counts, she's not a fan of stage director Oliver Putnam's plays, and unfortunately neither are Mrs. Shullivan and I.
But as the late great P. T. Barnum always said "There's a sucker born every minute" Welcome to the club.
I give this TV series a passable 5 out of 10 IMDb rating and I would really like a refund from the Disney channel.