THE OSCAR

THE OSCAR-1966
Was probably the funniest movie that year. I have never seen so many beehives in my life! A honey bear would go wild on the set, every woman in the movie wore her hair up high like a towering inferno.
"The Oscar" starred Stephen Boyd as Frankie Fayne a young starving actor, together with the help of his wise cracking buddy from Brooklyn,Hymie Kelly (Tony Bennett), Frankie crawl, fight and sleeps his way up to the top in Hollywood.

Frankie has such lust for power and fame, he doesn't care who he hurt along the way... the list of his victims include, Joseph Cotton, Jill St. John, Elke Sommer. Milton Berle Eleanore Parker and Ernest Borgnine, like the cast of "The Poseidon Adventure".
This movie also featured a lot of cameos of famous Hollywood celebs like Bob Hope, Hedda Hopper (who looked a lot an older Debbie Reynolds to me), Peter Lawford, and Frank Sinatra.
I was delighted to see the mysterious Edith Head , whose name was practically seen in every movie credit as wardrobe designer throughout the 40's and 50's) make an appearance. It was fun to see her in person, with dark black hair, think black Harry Carrey glasses and stylish clothing, she resembled a lot like Edna E Mode of "The Incredibles".

Jean Hale plays Cheryl Barker, a Paris Hilton type, an obnoxious Hollywood bimbo full of herself who treated Frankie Fayne badly but by doing so, she literally helped him launched his career as Hollywood's # 1 bad boy.
Frankie is so evil, that you laugh with him as he come up with each rotten antic to reach to the top. You laugh and applaud as he calls the naked Eleanor Parker "OLD LADY" leaving her screaming and crying. You cheer as he slugs the sleazy Ernest Borgnine, sending him to a double somersault over a desk, then you'll hold your breathe in anticipation as they announce the winner of the best actor award that Frankie Fayne is nominated and risked everything for.


I love Peter Lawford as the one hit wonder, Steve Marks, who sank so low after his movie career failed, that he end up being the head waiter of a Hollywood lounge. I also laughed out loud at the idea of working on a TV pilot is so disgusting to any one in Hollywood, that no leading man would take the role unless he has hit rock bottom. Which said a lot about the old TV shows that featured former movie actors.
There are little gems like Frankie talking to his agent (Berle) about "a spy project" he might consider from Warner Brothers, But Berle answers "They gave that to Dean Martin"
"Dean Martin?!" Frankie reacts in disgust as if he were about the say: "Dean Martin?! That C*ck s*cker isn't good enough to smell my sh*t!"
This is a fun, laugh out loud movie that leave you cheering all the way to the bitter end!

JFK

JFK -
By Oliver Stone is the most paranoid movie you'll ever see. For 3 hours the audience are forced fed with so much information, you'll feel like you ought to be taking notes and put the pieces of the puzzle together to solve the biggest mystery of all time.
Little did I know that some of the information shown in the movie were not true at all. There was a 40 minute scene with Kevin Kostner as Jim Garrison meeting up with a secret Mr. X played by Donald Sutherland bringing him proof that to this conspiracy.
I had no idea it never took place.
Then there are some wacky gays played by Kevin Bacon, Joe Pesci and Tommy Lee Jones, that are there for comedy relief. Other than that Stone treat you to some graphic images of the Kennedy autopsy that leave you sick.
In the very beginning of the movie a woman is thrown out of a car in the middle of nowhere, I forgotten who she was suppose to be but I kept thinking about the famous psychic Miss Jean Dixon who claimed she predicted the Kennedy assassination, but no one believed her. She even tried to contact the White House and yet was turned away by non believers. Somehow I assumed that woman was Jean Dixon.

BATMAN AND ROBIN 1997

BATMAN AND ROBIN
Once I heard someone said "Joe Schumacher should burn in Hell for what he's done with the Batman movies". I totally agree especially "Batman and Robin", the movie starts with the 2 men (Batman and Robin) getting dressed and ready for action. Close of of the masks, the rubber nipples and the fake rear ends and flash across the screen. Then Batman and Robin are out to stop Mr. Freeze in their bright colored plastic ugly rubber suits.
This movie makes the old "Batman" TV show with Adam West an dark action drama! The script is so awful that is a complete insult to anyone watching the movie let a lone die hard "Batman" comic book fans.
George Clooney dawns on the cape and cowl this time, after Val Kilmer's failed performance in the previous movie "Batman Forever". It's hard not to know Batman's secret identity as Bruce Wayne in this film because they both talk in the same tone with the famous George Clooney bobble head.

The villains featured are Poison Ivy, played by Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Mr. Freeze. Everyone turned in an over-the-top performance. There's an awful scene where Batman and Robin pays a visit to a fund raiser as the guests on honor! What is the dark knight doing?!
Alicia Silverstone plays the over weight annoying niece of Alfred Pennyworth (Bruce Wayne's butler), Barbra Wilson. While snooping around the mansion, Barbra discovers the Batcave and just in a matter of seconds, she becomes Batgirl!

Thee only likable part of this film is Uma Thurmans's perform ace as "Poison Ivy". Rest of the cast just go no where.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE

CHARLIE'S ANGELS" FULL THROTTLE -
Even though "Charlie's Angels" were to prove that women can be beautiful, but they also be smart, resourceful and strong; yet the "Angels" has been making fun of women since they hit the TV screen in 1976.
In 2003 still they are no different, they are till kung-fu fighting bimbos. This time it's even worse because it's on the big screen and in a PG-13 rating they can be even more ridiculously sexy than their TV conterparts from 30 years ago.
Bernie Mack plays the Black Bosely and role previously played by Bill Murray and David Doyle, 2 middle aged white men. But they did cleverly explained that the name Bosely belonged to a foster family sponsored by Charlie and anyone come out of that home is named a Bosely, explaining the black man and the future Bosely played by 15 year old Shai Labeouf.
I have to admit I enjoyed the first big screen version of "Charlie's Angels" back in 2000 however silly that was but this one was too over the top to enjoy.
Demi Moore plays Madison Lee and former angel gone rouge, there were a lot of hype about this performance since Demi has been missing from Hollywood for almost 10 years, so this return there were a lot of pressure on her to compete with the sexy Lucy Liu and the tall thin Cameron Diaz.
After months of work out, the 40 year old Demi Moore looked almost masculine, showing big muscles and a hard face in a bakini as she run across Malibu.
The angels literally fly across sky, survive explosions, car crashes and various dangerous scenarios.
The only really appealing moment in this film is the cameo by an original Angel Kelly Garrett : Jacklyn Smith.

AMERIKA - 1987

AMERIKA - Another ABC TV event kind of a follow up to "The Day After", as the "Red Scare" of the '80's continue (just 2 years before the end of the cold war).
This time the all star cast with Krist Kristopherson, Sam Neil and Merial Hemmingway and Rober Urich. The story takes place 10 years after the Soviets took of America in the year 1996. The first thing they did was to remove to C in America and replace it with a K. It seems like it was all that they did because the mini-series cover the life a group of white trash living in poverty, which may not be far from reality by the time 1996 came around "The Jerry Springer Show" was so popular that we are following the lives of these rebellious derelicts.
All I can sum up about this project was couple of quotes from TV-Guide Magazine:
"Arguably the most boring miniseries in a dekade"
"ABC's Amerika tried to hold America hostage for seven tedious nights (and a stupefyingly dull 14½ hours) by conjuring up a fuzzy vision of a Soviet occupation of the U.S."

THE DAY AFTER - 1983

THE DAY AFTER -
Was a Made-For-TV event back in the Fall of 1983. Before the days of 911, Saddam Hussein, and terrorism, the biggest trend in fear was Nuclear War. This was the mark of the Reagan Era. In 1983 ABC TV had made this 3 hour presentation of what would happen if someone has "dropped the bomb".
It was such an major event that schools and churches held discussions about the film the day after- "The Day After".
Although I am not sure just what is the majority view on nuclear weapons these days, but little did they know in 1983 that by the end of the Regan 2nd term, the Berlin wall has come down and communist Russia was no more. Therefore ending the Nuclear Scare along with setting back the "Dooms Day Clock" a few hours.



As for this film the bomb was launched because of an poor judgement the military made and it was just no turning back. Of all places the missles were located in Kansas City Missour, "bye bye Hallmark".
The effects were done in made of tv quality, some good stock footage of the mushroom cloud and then viewers were treated to a slide show of various settings before, then a flash of light and after, damged houses and skeletons were leftover the scene.
Throughout the movie we follow the lives of one "No Nukes"-family, headed by Jason Robards and JoBeth Williams when the bomb dropped it was the day of their daughter's wedding...so we saw the day after that.

LOST BOYS

LOST BOYS- 1987
Watching this movie now, the first thing you will notice is just how dated this looked. All the mousse and gel that were used in the hair of these Lost Boys is innumerable. "Lost Boys' was also a beginning of the teaming of the 2 Coreys. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Both were the hottest teen hearthrobs for most of 1987, because I can't imagine them having much popularity after that.
It's hard for me to figure this movie out, it has the gore and senseless violence of an 80's drive-in movie, the funny gadgets of a "Goonies"/"Gremlins" adventure and the love story of a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and a dose of the John Hughes' single mother and teens adapting and accepting each other.
Top everyting off with a loud '80's electronic soundtrack, with a scene featuring a grease up guy doing a cover of "I still believe" by The Call.
If you are into teenage vampires and big hair, this is a MUST SEE!

GASLIGHT

GASLIGHT- I think every husband in the world should watch this movie. What could be more fun than trying to drive your wife crazy? Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Joseph Cotton star in this classic thriller about a young woman who was a witness to the brutal murder of her famous aunt, later returning to live in that haunted home with her mysterious new husband.
Again this movie is filled with wonderful performances and beautiful sets. It's hard to believe that Ingrid Bergman is only 19 years old in this, she turned in such a graceful and classy performance. While Charles Boyer is so evil that you just can't wait to see him gets it in the end.
But what really enticing about this movie is the subtle things that Boyer tried to do to make his wife thinks she's going out of her mind, things like repeatedly hiding her belongings making her think she lost them. Going out at night and making noise upstairs that no one can confirm it because the only other person in the house with her was their old maid with bad hearing!
Joseph Cotton is also very heroic in the film as the dashing young detective coming to t he rescue, plus Angela Lansbury is fun to watch as the flirty hussy maid Nancy. The flirting between both Boyer and Lansbury is fun to watch too considering the time period of this story, with lines like:
Gregory Anton: And whom are you going to the music hall with?
Nancy Oliver: A gentleman friend, sir.
Gregory Anton: Oh, now you know, Nancy, don't you, that gentlemen friends are sometimes inclined to take liberties with young ladies.
Nancy Oliver: Oh no, sir, not with me. I can take care of myself - when I want to.
Gregory Anton: You know, Nancy, it strikes me that you're not at all the kind of girl that your mistress should have for a housemaid.
Nancy Oliver: No, sir? She's not the only one in the house - is she?
But it's Ingrid Bergman's screams and madness that makes this comedy mystery a must see!

INDEPENDENCE DAY

INDEPENDENCE DAY - 1996
I think in the middle 90's the world of computer graphics came out with a software to create the effects of the White House blowing up, because more than one disaster film came out that year has featured that image "Independence Day" was one of them.
Starring Will Smith and an all star second rate cast was the start to me a wonderful dream of the return of the disaster movies genre!
Alien with giant space ships attack the Earth, the only person that can save the Earth is a computer geek Jeff Goldblum and his very Jewish father Judd Hirsch. The effects was very good for 1996, and it was delight to see characters like Harvey Fierstein, Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek), Harry Connick Jr., and Randy Quaid getting blown up by the aliens!
Will Smith is the big hero, basically this was The Fresh Prince in space. He place the cocky Navy pilot dating a stripper and together the two fight off the aliens and save the Earth!
As I said this was sort of a lame attempt to bring back the disaster movies, because the same year several films followed "Deep Impact", "Armageddons" and "Mar Attacks".

KING KONG

KING KONG 1933-2005
There's been more than one version of this classic story of Beauty and the Beast, but none are as good as the original. Starring Fay Wray and the stop motion animation talents of Willis O'Brien. So why such a classic be in a blog such as this? because of it's son "King Kong" -1975 and grand child "King Kong" - 2005.
I guess it took 30 years for the 8th wonder in the world to reproduce. "King Kong"-1975 was suppose to be another ground breaking film because of the life size robot of Kong. Well having super model Jessica Lange lying on a leather couch talking to a giant fur coat just didn't do it for me.



But the sight of Kong climbing up the Twin Towers these days does create a very haunting image.
As for the all Computer Generated Kong in 2005, well it was just 3 hours too long. Kong is a great simple story, I don't see why it would have to take so much time for them to go through Jurassic Park before Jack Driscoll come face to face with Kong.
To this day I still don't understand that Carl Denham the crazed movie director and adventure, going all the way to Skull Island shooting dinosaurs and killing pterodactyls, and yet all he wanted to bring back to Manhattan was a giant gorilla that's not too different than the ones you see in the Bronx Zoo.
After the billions of dollars and talented computer artists, none can compare to the fun and excitement of the original King Kong of 1933. Not just for its wonderful animation, but also for lines like "Scream Ann! Scream like you've never screamed before!!" Or scenes like when Ann Darrow is posing for her screen test, Jack and the captain are watching Carl at work, Jack says to the Captain:
"Do you think he's crazy?'
Captain replies, "No, just enthusiastic"!
Again like all monster and disaster movies, nothing beats the scenes like Kong beating the T-Rex to death by breaking its jaw and checking to see if it's dead by flipping the jaw up and down, or the scene of Kong pulling the woman out of bed then drops her down the high rise! Scenes like that is just priceless!!

THE POSIDEN ADVENTURE

THE POSIDEN ADVENTURE - Is the Grandaddy of disaster movies, great effects, great cast, good music, and characters dying left and right in the most creative and hilarious ways!
Wonderful performances by Shelly Winters, Gene Hackman, Stella Stevens and Red Buttons. Can you imagine Red Buttons in a role as a bachelor? The love interest in the movie is Red Buttons?
The effects are just as good as the 1997 disaster "The Titanic". When the ship is flipped over, the screams and the people trying to hold on for their lives it's a terrific sight~
Shelly Winters plays an old Jewish grandmother and her husband both constantly refers their "Little Grandson" both unseen and without a name. Later Winters risked her life to save Gene Hackman, a hippie preacher. That's wonderful! There's also the know-it-all 10 year old kid played by Eric Shea with his teenage queen sister played by a Pre-Nancy Drew Pamela Sue Martin.
As I say this movie started the disaster movie trend of the early 70's, the audience are drawn to the edge of their seats as they follow the characters find their way to safety not knowing who will die or who will survive. If they do die we sit and wonder how they will die; heroically? like sacrificing himself to save another, or in some stupid way like a heavy beam falling down on top of them.
Sit back and enjoy this classic comedy!