Winter Kills (6/10)

A genuine oddity, Winter Kills stars Jeff Bridges as the younger half-brother of a fictional president who was assassinated in 1960. After receiving information that his brother's murder was the work of wealthy, powerful conspirators, Bridges sets about trying to discover the truth -- but all his sources of information start to mysteriously die or disappear.

Obviously modeled on theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination, the basic idea is interesting, but the film is so convoluted and "out there" (and often over-the-top -- particularly John Huston as Bridges' "Joe Kennedy"-like father) it's hard to take any of it seriously. The tone of the movie is also awkwardly inconsistent, being incongruously serious one moment and satirical the next, so it is difficult to stay engaged. Winter Kills is also just plain boring much of the time, which doesn't help.

I went to another of the local Alamo's Secret Screenings last night. I never would have guessed this movie.

BMX BANDITS
6.5/10

I had never seen this 1983 Australian comedy before. Nicole Kidman makes her screen debut as part of a group of teens who want nothing more than to ride their BMX bikes. The kids stumble upon a box containing special frequency walkie-talkies which are needed by a group of thieves in order to pull off a heist. The bulk of the movie has the thieves chasing the kids all over town which leads to some very clever BMX stunts as the kids ride through assorted venues including shopping centers, construction sites and even a water slide! It's all very wacky. The cinematography is quite good. (It was shot by future Oscar winner John Seale.) The biggest problems are overlength (even at just under 90 minutes it felt way too long) and a very slight premise.

Suspicion (1941) 6 of 10

-Strange how I hadn't realized it was maybe 20 years plus since I saw this, and I had always remembered liking it. Got a Blu-Ray upgrade and when I watched it.....suddenly it seemed to fall flat with me. Maybe it's a comment on the changing times we live in now, but Fontaine's devotion to Cary Grant really comes off as weak now. Maybe it's also because overfamiliarity even after 20 years makes it harder to be caught up in the mood of the piece because ultimately we know in the denoument that it was all just a terrible misunderstanding. When I was younger I appreciated that more, and now that I'm older.....the original concept where Grant would have poisoned her and then unwittingly mailed a letter implicating him would have been more appropriate.

YouTube has been a fascinating place to discover or rediscover some very obscure TV-movies of the 70s. And some of them occasionally can offer a real surprise.

The Astronaut (1972) is one of those quickie 73 minute "world premiere for television" things that were very common back in the day to fit a 90 minute time slot. What's amazing about this is that the plot will offer some deja vu for those who know "Capricorn One." Astronaut Monte Markham, while engaging in the first EVA on Mars drops dead but the TV picture is before he collapsed. So well-meaning idealistic NASA director, Jackie Cooper decides that in order to save funding for the program, they will keep the live TV/radio off the rest of the flight and cover-up Markham's death and then when the capsule returns with the other astronaut, they will have it land off course so a carefully trained lookalike (also played by Marham) can then be subbed for the genuine astronaut. They will keep up the charade until funding for another Mars flight is approved and then Markham duplicate can be given a new ID and the "real" Markham will be said to have been killed in a boat accident.

-Where things go awry lie in Markham II trying to sell the deception to the real astronaut's wife, Susan Clark. And because this is a cheap TV movie of the early 70s, it has to compensate by giving us some pretty good human drama when Markham's conscience forces him to confess to Clark. And then after the histrionics, Clark soon finds herself falling in love with the substitute!

-The really fascinating thing though is that this is also a story of government officials engaging in a cover-up made BEFORE the Watergate scandal (this aired five months before the break-in). As a result it is a story of government cover-up without the usual Watergate cynicism lens we associate with 70s conspiracy films. Cooper is much like Hal Holbrook in Capricorn One in terms of being a likable idealist who's been corrupted by events he couldn't have predicted. Chief astronaut Robert Lansing, also participating in the cover-up is more cold and ruthless about the whole thing BUT......the ultimate resolution of the film is that when events *really* get out of control, Cooper chooses to "do the right thing". And while Lansing grumbles, he's not going to do something that we'd see later versions of this kind of character do in the post-Watergate era by committing murder or something else to preserve the cover-up. The image is still one that "things will be made right" in the end. If this had been made even for TV just two years later, we would have seen a far darker script. Coming out in early 72, it's a fascinating snapshot of attitudes just before things really hit the fan.

The Missouri Breaks (8/10)

A very good (and sadly overlooked) western / thriller -- well-written, with believable three-dimensional characters, and beautifully shot as well. The film does unfold at a leisurely pace but has no shortage of suspense. On top of that The Missouri Breaks further gives one the unique experience of seeing Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson act together (in two of their better film performances). John Williams' score is subdued but highly effective -- and one of his most unique, eschewing orchestra altogether, in favor of a small ensemble of guitar, electric bass, piano, clavinet, harmonica and percussion.

-Alpha (2018): 9/10



In the dog days of summer, it's heartening to find an actual piece of actual cinema amongst the cast-away dreck like The Happytime Murders. Alpha is a marvelous experience, like a PG-13 cross between The Revenant and Never Cry Wolf. A resonant Boy & His Dog epic filled with gorgeous visuals, elegant storytelling with a minimum of dialogue (what is there is subtitled, and -- frankly -- if the Blu-Ray offers an option to turn them off, I will, because the film is plenty easy to follow without them) and exciting action sequences, the new film from a solo Albert Hughes (who, with twin brother Allen, made fine thrillers like Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and the underrated Jack The Ripper shocker From Hell) is a real feast in an era drowning with audiovisual overkill and past-their-prime franchises bellowing like mastodons as they sink into a morass of pricey CGI goo. Kodi Smit-McPhee delivers a fine central performance as "Keda", a young (cave)man left behind by his tribe after he's presumed dead from a fall, and gradually befriends a wolf (played winningly by "Chuck", with occasional, subtle CG enhancement) left behind by his pack after being injured. The two develop the same kind of lyrical, unhurried bond that fueled classic films like The Black Stallion and Never Cry Wolf, and in a genre I'm admittedly a sucker for, this stands as one of the best examples of its kind. There are minor cosmetic flaws (like an opening action sequence followed by a "One Week Later" title card, an annoying affectation of modern movies that plays like they left a trailer for the movie you're already watching at the beginning, those unnecessary subtitles, which are intrusive and perfunctory, and a typically generic modern musical score for a movie that cried out for the melodic gifts of a James Horner or Basil Poledouris), but overall this is a tonic coming after a particularly anemic summer movie season. It'll probably be gone from theaters inside of two weeks, so see it on the big screen while you can.

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) 7 of 10

-I've spent a sleepless overnight watching this film and I've realized with a shock that it's been probably well over 25 years at least. Part of that was my decision way back in the late 80s and early 90s to divorce myself from the movie series and the spinoffs and confine my Trek fandom to the original series only. But even when I did that, I always took the view that WOK was the one film I always regarded as great. I played Horner's soundtrack so many times and "remembered" the movie, and yet I never went back and watched it again until now.

-I think the biggest shock to me after all these years was realizing for the first time just how much of a low budget this film had in contrast to the first movie which largely sank under its excess with a not very compelling storyline. The film boasts a very small cast overall, and the reason why a "space dock" in this film is just a small shell of a thing but in Trek III it becomes this gigantic city in space is also a comment on how much of a small budget this film really had and why it was necessary to go this route if Trek had viability succeeding as a long-term franchise. It never *seemed* small to me back then but now I can see different.

-The film's storyline is still engaging and compelling and it was a brilliant device to go back to a series episode for story inspiration. And having watched "Space Seed" about a month ago, you can see how Ricardo Montalban's preparation to re-immerse himself in the character really paid off (he delivers the great lines from "Moby Dick" better than Gregory Peck did!). If there is one thing lacking though, it's the fact that because of too many extraneous elements that don't hold up all these years later, we never get to see a more fully fleshed dynamic of this clash between Kirk and Khan on a personal level. And this isn't just because the logistics kept Montalban and Shatner from doing any scenes together face-to-face. The real thing that is missing from this film is any sense of contemplation on Kirk's part regarding Khan's revenge obsession. The way the story unfolds, Kirk is simply thrust with seeing Khan again out of the blue commandeering a starship and declaring his desire for revenge, and he's had no time to get the full details of what's happened. He doesn't know of the plight of Khan's people on Ceti Alpha V that I'm sure Kirk never would have wished on them when he exiled them there. What I think the film needed was a moment of introspection on Kirk's part on whether or not he *did* have any responsibility for not checking on what had happened and is there a responsibility on his part for Khan's madness and the fact that he is now in potential possession of an ultimate weapon. Perhaps even a rumination on Marla McGivers and her fate. The ideal place for this would have been in the Genesis Cave sequence, and perhaps McCoy could have offered Kirk a reminder that he couldn't have foreseen what happened to Ceti Alpha V etc. and that the fault was more likely with a Starfleet bureaucrat for not having the situation checked out at some point.

-Instead, the Genesis Cave sequence becomes the jumping off point for the film's most dead-end subplot, the whole matter of Kirk's past relationship with Carol and the matter of his son. I can only surmise at the time that as was the case with the character of Saavik, David Marcus was meant to be a permanent recurring character of new faces to mix in with the old. We ultimately saw how that went nowhere (just as the character of Saavik ultimately went nowhere) and with hindsight, the film would have been much stronger if they'd just not bothered with Kirk's personal relationships from the past and instead concentrated more on the personal clash with Khan.

-The film also offered a reminder of the great first impression Kirstie Alley made. She alas wasn't able to maintain that, becoming more of a caricature.

-It was great revisiting it. Except for the first film someday, it's the only Trek film I ever feel worth seeing again.

I think Eric's scale only goes to 7.

You hit seven and you're good with flaws on my scale. 8 to 9 is the A level for me and very few movies other than the masterpieces get above 9 with me.

In short, I grade generously on the curb.

I'd add that the final battle scenes really hold up well decades later and gave the audiences what they wanted to see after the much too cerebral tone of the first movie. And much as I always felt bringing Spock back to life was ultimately a cop-out from a storytelling standpoint, I of course recognize that Nimoy was exercising his own perogative to change his mind and was seeing the potential for a good series of films, but I'll still pass on revisiting III and IV (never did see V and VI).

Doing some other reading on-line about the production, I have read that originally Bennett wanted Marla McGivers in the script, but the problem was that by that point, Madlyn Rhue was suffering from multiple sclerosis and confined to a wheelchair (what few acting jobs she still managed to do had to be done from one). Not recasting the part was their acknowledgment of how she'd been as vital to "Space Seed" as Montalban. It would have been interesting what dynamic they could have added if she'd still been healthy enough to do the film.

Spacecamp (1986) 5 of 10

-Yeah, this was the other Kino Lorber cheapie I got recently and it wasn't any better than "Last Embrace" was (maybe a half point). Owing to repeated interruptions caused by work it took me 24 hours and three sittings to get through this but the fact that it wasn't very involving to me is why I wasn't rushing myself to the finish.

-The film's main problem is that if you're familiar with the history of NASA, this movie ends up being an unfortunate snapshot of the very latest moment in time when NASA was selling the American public a bill of goods about the value of the shuttle program and its potential. A film like "Spacecamp" and its mid-80s settings of space oriented education made me think back to the wide-eyed fascination of my days of going to the Air And Space Museum in Washington in this era and how I was fool enough to believe these flights would become routine with civilians and in time a lot of activity in Earth orbit to dazzle us.

-And then of course along came Challenger and the revelation of a seriously fxxxed up agency cutting corners and safety to justify its ambition. This same agency would then go on to repeat the same mistakes and lose another shuttle in 2003 revealing once and for all that America wasted its time, money and lives on this whole program.

-The reason all of that historical commentary is necessary is because it's why I found it so mind-boggingly quaint to see this snapshot of NASA just before the sxxx hit the fan and how ONLY an agency selling unbridled optimism in its future could think it was safe to cooperate with a film selling us the conceit of a shuttle with teens aboard and one qualified astronaut somehow accidentally getting launched thanks to one of those annoying 80s concepts of what a computer robot was. That kind of scenario would have seemed fun and enchanting if NASA were an efficient organization to have faith in. In light of what was really going on, it ends up being an unintentional piece of dark satire from my standpoint.

-Williams score reflects his basic style. His main theme is similar to his fanfare for Liberty Weekend which came out that same year. It may not be one of his best scores but its the Williams who made me a film music buff big time and so its fascinating to hear him elevate a film to a higher level with his touch.

It is interesting Williams took that project -- if I'm not correct, it's the only score he wrote in a virtual 3-year span, in between THE RIVER (Christmas 84) and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (Summer 87). Naturally he had to have been interested in the subject matter because it was not a producer, director or even studio he had any familiarity with, AFAIK.

Back at that time he was working with the Pops, toiling on "Amazing Stories" and other things (the aborted Pan musical that morphed into HOOK maybe?) and wasn't scoring a ton of movies, so it almost seems like that project was available at the time he was available, and he liked the film's messaging. Otherwise, there wasn't any other component to draw him into it.

The Hot Rock (1972)
6.5/10

Gloria (1980)
8/10

The ‘70s not only produced a landmark amount of great films, but also a number of terrific pictures that captured New York City in all its expansive grittiness. Two NYC-set tales mark Twilight Time’s latest Blu-Ray releases: the Robert Redford heist flick THE HOT ROCK (100 mins., 1972, PG) along with John Cassavetes’ 1980 effort GLORIA (121 mins., PG), the latter affording a terrific role for Cassevetes’ wife (and on-screen leading lady) Gena Rowlands in the director’s arguably most commercial endeavor.

Growing up, my Dad was always reading novels, and counted Donald Westlake’s books among his favorites. Translating Westlake’s prose to the screen, however, proved to be difficult, even with the author occasionally trying his hand at writing the screenplays. The result were as varied as 1973’s flavorful “Cops and Robbers” and the disastrous 1990 Christopher Lambert vehicle “Why Me?” (meanwhile, one of Westlake’s best efforts was the script for “The Stepfather,” the 1987 thriller with Terry O’Quinn).

THE HOT ROCK was arguably the highest-profile adaptation of Westlake’s books, attracting star Robert Redford – anchoring an ensemble cast that also included George Segal, Ron Leibman and Zero Mostel – along with A-list screenwriter William Goldman and director Peter Yates. The resulting film, though, is more interesting for its location shooting – including a helicopter ride near the then under-construction World Trade Center towers – than its dramatic content.

Westlake’s story was adapted from one of his “Dortmunder” novels, following Redford as the author’s master thief who – along with cohorts Segal, Leibman and Paul Sand – tracks the elusive “Sahara Stone” in a series of botched thefts that take the group in and around the NYC of the early ‘70s. The movie is both watchable and yet seldom compelling, with Goldman toning down some of Westlake’s comic components and Yates, whose career was always hit-or-miss, seeming out of his element – there’s an overly cool, detached feel to the film, which plays at odds with the more playful elements of its source material.

Watching the film today, it’s a curious exercise that likely would’ve benefitted from a different directorial approach, though Redford fans and those with a fondness for the NYC depicted in the era would still do well to check out Twilight Time’s Blu-Ray. This 1080p (2.35) transfer must have been struck from a 4K source as the presentation is spectacularly detailed and presented, along the lines of many of TT’s recent Fox titles. The original mono soundtrack is included along with an odd stereo 2.0 remix, which tries to implement directional effects (including dialogue) but comes off as more distracting than anything else. Quincy Jones’ “atmospheric” but mostly unmemorable score is isolated on a secondary channel with the trailer and a new commentary with TT’s Nick Redman, Julie Kirgo and Lem Dobbs offering ample insight into the production.


John Cassavetes’ filmography includes many moody, character-driven works, and his output as a director seldom included studio films like GLORIA. Ironically, Cassavetes never intended to direct the film, either, but rather sold his script to Columbia Pictures – opting to make it only when Rowlands expressed an interest in playing the title role. The resulting film – a heartfelt story of a former mobster’s girlfriend (Rowlands) grudgingly becoming a protector to a young boy (John Adames) whose family is offed by the mob – showed that Cassavetes could have had equal success in studio fare, if he ever wanted to travel down that road.

Though “Gloria” didn’t perform all that well at the box-office – even with Columbia’s backing – it’s a strong film that includes superb turns from both Rowlands and an unaffected performance from young John (Juan) Adames, whose lack of acting experience served him well in a grounded and believable portrayal of the emotionally ravaged boy. Together with its location shooting and a nuanced Bill Conti score, “Gloria” hits right at the heartstrings without cloying sentimentality – making for a distinctive Cassavetes project.

Twilight Time’s Sony-licensed Blu-Ray looks great (another fine 1.85 transfer from the Columbia vaults) and offers a clear DTS MA mono soundtrack, isolated score mix, and trailers.

AndyDursin wrote: ↑Wed Aug 29, 2018 2:16 pm Back at that time he was working with the Pops, toiling on "Amazing Stories" and other things (the aborted Pan musical that morphed into HOOK maybe?) and wasn't scoring a ton of movies, so it almost seems like that project was available at the time he was available, and he liked the film's messaging. Otherwise, there wasn't any other component to draw him into it.

After the Peter Pan musical got shelved, Williams suddenly had a window of free time in early 1986 and was available to do a movie. I wish Sidney Sheinberg had insisted (and begged) Williams do the replacement score for Legend instead of Tangerine Dream, but his score for Spacecamp is certainly likable enough.

I remember when SpaceCamp was released -- a few month months after the Challenger disaster -- and thinking "this movie is doomed". I'm amazed Fox didn't send it straight to television.

Paul MacLean wrote: ↑Sat Sep 01, 2018 11:11 pmAfter the Peter Pan musical got shelved, Williams suddenly had a window of free time in early 1986 and was available to do a movie. I wish Sidney Sheinberg had insisted (and begged) Williams do the replacement score for Legend instead of Tangerine Dream, but his score for Spacecamp is certainly likable enough.

I thought the whole reason Tangerine Dream was chosen was to make the movie more "accessible" to teen audiences, and because they had scored Cruise's biggest hit to that point, Risky Business. Why would they have dumped a gorgeous symphonic score by Jerry Goldsmith...to request another symphonic score?

My daughter and I saw Jaws (****) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (****) in the last week at local theaters, 2001 in IMAX. I am not using hyperbole when I say, it reminded me why I got obsessed with movies in the first place.