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Reviews
Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago (2016)
Fascinating, but self-indulgent.
I had recorded "Now More Than Ever" on my DVR when it first aired on CNN, but it was accidentally deleted. Having finally watched it (the bonus edition, anyway) I would say it was worth the wait, but I had reason to nitpick. For one, there was no direct mention of Laudir de Oliveira, even though he appears in some of the 1970s performance footage. That is especially disappointing, considering Laudir died suddenly less than a year after the CNN broadcast. Dawayne Bailey barely gets a mention, either.
Additionally, what the four remaining original members say about maintaining the band dynamic in the first hour contradicts the "anyone is replaceable" remark early in the second hour. The "core four" were the co-producers of this film, and its clear that not only was this made largely from their perspective, but their hostilities with Peter Cetera, Donnie Dacus, and their longest-serving guitarist Bill Champlin still linger. (I've heard Cetera is a prick, but still.) Glad to see Danny Seraphine and Chris Pinnick, though.
So why seven stars? The band's tales of the road are fascinating, as it goes more into detail than their "Behind the Music" episode from the early 2000s. The story of how "Just You and Me" was composed is compelling, as is Lee Loughnane's battles with drug abuse. The core four are clearly lifelong friends. Chicago's forgettable 1990s and 2000s output is rightfully skimmed over, though I've heard okay things about XXXVI, their most recent studio album as of 2016. In a nutshell, I recommend "Now More Than Ever," but with some reservations.
The Babysitter (1969)
Late '60s Cheese
If it weren't for the casual nudity and sapphic silliness, this movie might have received the MST3K/RiffTrax treatment a while ago. This movie turned up as a recommendation on my Amazon Prime in July 2017, and like many of the obscure titles that have come up, this is hardly a diamond in the rough. It was clearly written and produced by a middle- aged SoCal Republican who saw the counter-culture movement as an excuse to be an uncivilized hedonist. (Think "Poison Ivy" meets "Slouching Towards Bethlehem.") The affair/blackmail plot at the center of everything probably would've worked with a younger actor, but maybe Don Henderson and George Carey were looking at this like wish fulfillment. At its best this is a competently made "message" movie bordering on exploitation, bogged down by one-dimensional characters and flat, hygiene-film acting.
Carnal Awakenings (2013)
Unintentionally Hilarious
It goes without saying that you'd be hard-pressed (pun intended) to find much artistic merit in anything Cinemax or MoreMax airs in the wee hours of the night. This low-budget, soft-core bore fits well into the description. I found this movie by accident while channel surfing, and I wish that was a lie. It's a chamber piece of sorts, with only five actors with speaking parts in the entire movie, but they're embodied by the line-reading "acting" you'd commonly find in most porn flicks. Steven St. Croix, who had a small but memorable part in the porn-themed comedy "The Girl Next Door," is clearly showing his age; even though he's only five years older than co-star Nicole Oring, they look 10+ years apart. Worse yet, the plot is a vague series of bullet points and the twist ending makes no sense whatsoever. If you find anything gratifying about this... well, to each their own.