Change Your Image
cortezjagger
Reviews
Action Family (1987)
Very very funny (if you like Chris Elliott)
My roommate and I rented this on video about 10 years ago at an indie video store in Minneapolis, MN., and I thought this was a great early nugget showcasing Chris Elliott's "annoying but hilarious" persona... If it surfaces on DVD or cable TV this is worth a spin just for David Letterman's blistering cameo where he ball busts Chris at a stop light. There is also a delicious lampooning of both British TV (it's shot on film for outdoor scenes and video live before a studio audience with a laugh track allowing Elliott to jump between the two mediums) and makes fun of the Partridge Family (the family is also a band). Plus there is a dream sequence where President Abe Lincoln spanks a crying Chris Elliott (Lincoln also shows up again in "FDR, A One Man Show"). Worth ferreting this one out if you're a fan of this brand of humor...
Jin bi tong (1979)
My Favorite Kung Fu Movie
I saw this movie on "Kung Fu Theatre" when i was an early teen and just fell in love with this action/adventure! I found a copy on VHS a few years back and have damn near worn out the tape playing it... Anyone who has been over for an extended time has been shown this and for the most part the reaction is solid: This is a great film.
One of the shortcomings is also what makes it so powerful: It's a comic book style with a very simple storyline... on the surface. With characters like Brass Head (who gets killed off way to early!), Silver Spear, Iron Robe and the title character, there are very visual and easily digestible stereotypes to hook the young viewer. But on a more subtle lever there are sub- plots galore and of course lots of twists and intrigue woven into this chop-opera...
Compared to "Five Deadly Venoms", which on some levels is a more richer and stronger storyline, "Kid With The Golden Arm" is less dark and brooding. All of the actors seem to play similar characters in both but this one there is a charm to the ones here that still resonate with me to this day...
I totally recommend this if you like fantastical kung fu, especially in light of movies like "Crouching Tiger..." or "Shaolin Soccer..."
Another Nice Mess (1972)
I knew this movie existed!
When i was a young "tween" back in the early 70's i remember seeing this movie on the marquee and seeing the poster for it at a local movie theatre... one of my friends who had just turned 13 told me he had gotten in to see it and was raving about the "fart" scene that took place in the limo... A few years ago i was trying to tell someone about this movie and got a really blank stare from them... Now I find it did exist! I would be one of those people who would love to see this thing resurface either on DVD or a cable network... I'm sure it's no worse than other "Golden Turkey Award" winning films that have resurface over the years... Maybe producer Tommy Smothers can get together with Jerry Lewis and screen this with "The Day The Clown Cried"...