Tuesday, May 14, 2013

more links (and corrections): Tuesday's Overlooked Films and/or Other A/V: the links

Below, today's set of reviews and citations of audiovisual works and related matter, with the posts at the links... as always, thanks to all the contributors and to all you readers for your participation. And, as usually, there are likely to be additions to this list over the course of the day, and if I've missed your, or someone else's, post, please let me know in comments...thanks again.



Bill Crider: Congo (1985 film); ...the trailer

Brent McKee: NBC's 2013-2014 slate

Brian Arnold: Street Smart

BV Lawson: Media Murder

Dan Stumpf: Belladonna; Temptation (1946 film)

Ed Gorman/Dave Kehr: The Deadly Companions

Scott and Bailey
Elizabeth Foxwell: Triple Cross

Evan Lewis: "Thugs with Dirty Mugs" (and a sadly annoying XBox ad)

George Kelley: Scott & Bailey

How Did This Get Made?: Joyful Noise

Iba Dawson: TCM Film Fest 2013

Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.: Coming Distractions: June on TCM;  The Chase & Sanborn Hour (with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy)

Jackie Kashian: Janeane Garofalo and Maria Bamford; Joe Starr and Transformers

Stranger Than Fiction credits montage stills
Jacqueline T. Lynch: Danger Lights 

Jake Hinkson: Silverado

James Reasoner: Stranger Than Fiction

Janet Varney/The JV Club: Casey Wilson (Casey Wilson's mother, activist Kathy Wilson)

Jerry House: Trouble with Father: "Teacher's Pet"

J. Kingston Pierce: I Love Trouble (1948)

Juri Nummelin: Cimarron Strip: "Knife in the Darkness" (script by Harlan Ellison)

Kliph Nesteroff: Jean Carroll on The Frankie Laine Show

Laura: Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics, Vol. IV;  New Morals for Old
Ghost Ship

Lucy Brown: Experiment Perilous; Wakefield Drama Festival

Marc Maron/WTF: Noah Baumbach

Marty McKee: The Humanoid

Michael Shonk: Ideal TV Crime-Drama Schedules

Mystery Dan: Ghost Ship

Patti Abbott: Mr. and Mrs. Bridge

Prashant Trikannad: Mel Gibson 1979: Mad Max and Tim

Randy Johnson: The Outsider (1968 television series); Adios, Gringo

Rick: The Seven Best Ray Harryhausen Movies

Safety Not Guaranteed
Rod Lott: Godzilla 2000; Fortress 2: Re-Entry

Ron Scheer: Gunfighters

Scott Cupp: Safety Not Guaranteed

Sergio Angelini: Bryan Forbes

Stacia Jones: Summertime (1955 film)
Who Are You, Polly Magoo?

Television Obscurities: MeTV and Bounce Nielsen Ratings

Tim Lucas: The Unnaturals

Yvette Banek: House of Flying Daggers

Todd Mason: from Europe: some satirical films: "Ersatz," Who Are You, Polly Magoo? and "Dirty Girl"
and
Good Casts, Mixed Results: 
About Cherry (2011) occasionally trembles on the verge of becoming good, then reverts to being the Showgirls of the web porn industry. With a cast featuring such solid performers as Diane Farr, Lili Taylor, and Heather Graham (all of whom have had their share of bad roles and bad projects), the film, written by porn vet and academically-serious writing student Lorelei Lee, who also has a supporting role, and first-time director and writing vet Stephen Elliott, seems unsurprisingly well-informed about the porn industry, but the human dynamics in the script are the kind of ridiculous soap that have made the earlier film the anti-classic that it is. Dev Patel and James Franco's roles are particularly goofy as presented, and model/actress Ashley Hinshaw is certainly prettier than the part requires, but she also radiates the kind of smug certainty throughout that this is all Just Right that marked Elizabeth Berkley's performance in that other film...to me, somewhat amusingly in context, she looks as if she could be Graham's younger sister.  (Currently in rotation on The Movie Channel.)
Vamps

Conversely, Vamps (2012) strikes me as a fine film woefully overlooked since barely being released last year (and with a rather more diffuse home-video market than there was even a few years ago, less likely to triumph in that arena). A charming, occasionally too-sitcom-schtick dark fantasy about humane vampires (amid a rather mixed bunch in vampire society) played rather well by Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter, it might particularly appeal to those who like the kind of fantasy Thorne Smith, Unknown Fantasy Fiction magazine, and the post-Peter Beagle urban fantasy folks are often likely to deliver...Amy Heckerling's screenplay and direction aren't flawless, but are certainly deft enough, with 12-step programs, the Patriot Act and its implications, and other vexing matters dealt and played with, and a number of clever touches along the way. The supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver and Wallace Shawn as our primary (though not quite utter) villains, Richard Lewis as an aging (still human) former flame of Silverstone's Goody (who was born in 1841 and turned as a young mother and abolitionist activist), and Malcolm McDowell as a (mostly) rather reformed Vlad Tepes. So, cute but never too terribly cute, and more often clever...definitely worth a look. (Currently in rotation on Starz.)

13 comments:

  1. Hadn;t heard about VAMPED at all, thanks for that.

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  2. Well Todd, I'm still recuperating from Mother's Day hijinks, ergo - my movie post is coming along s l o w l y.

    Apologies once again. But slow and steady wins the race. :)

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  3. Thanks again for hosting A/V TUESDAY! I called WNED and they told me they're "considering" SCOTT & BAILEY.

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  4. I suspect you'll like it, Sergio, when you catch up with it.

    Never any rush, nor need to apologize, Yvette...but I apologize to the MYSTERY*FILE folks, whose site I forgot to check this morning.

    George, viewer interest, particularly member interest, will probably spur them.

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  5. Okay, I'm FINALLY up and running, Todd. Though my film is not exactly an overlooked or forgotten one. :)

    I cheated.

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  6. How *dare* you, Yvette? (I think you'll be forgiven by all.) Thanks!

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  7. I'm going to correct you, for a change. The title of the Alicia Silverstone movie is VAMPS. It's also on DVD in the US for anyone who wants to check for it at their local video store. Also available from Netflix. (Not everyone has cable TV, you know.)

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  8. It is indeed VAMPS...thanks. That would be the reptile brain enjoying knowing the more common word (at least in my own writing). And I figured most could find the DVD on their own...not too many films hit the pay channels w/o some sort of home video offer...though some do, sadly.

    Thanks, Juri!

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  9. Todd, thanks for the link to my post. I have a feeling I might have seen VAMPS on cable, Alicia Silverstone's name ringing a bell. But then, we get to watch (if we like) B-grade vampire films with B-grade cast (not including Silverstone) that sometimes makes me wonder if I'm watching the same film again. I remember watching cheap horror/fantasy flicks in the VCR days.

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  10. Maybe, but it would've been within the last several months, Prashant...the film was released late last year. Silverstone has had a career over the last decade and a half, with her first big splash in the based-on-Jane Austen CLUELESS. This one, at least, isn't the typical (even post-BUFFY) vampire comedy.

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  11. Todd, I have watched a few episodes of BUFFY... but it never really caught on with me. Hollywood films are often shown on cable TV within three to four months of their release in theatres and sometimes they include blockbusters as well, the premieres announced with much fanfare several days in advance. HBO, probably because of its vast copyrighted database of films, takes the lead.

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