Get Shorty (1995)

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers: Elmore Leonard, Scott Frank

Composer: John Lurie

Starring: John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Dennis Farina, Delroy Lindo, James Gandolfini, Jon Gries, Renee Props, David Paymer, Martin Ferrero, Miguel Sandoval, Jacob Vargas, Linda Hart, Bobby Slayton, Penny Marshall, Bette Midler, Harvey Keitel, Alex Rocco

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Drug smuggling. Racketeering. Loan sharking. Welcome to Hollywood!

Plot: A mobster travels to Hollywood to collect a debt and discovers that the movie business is much the same as his current job.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

Man, this flick is a lot of fun. There aren't too many films where I dig on Travolta but this is one of my favorite rolls of his.  He plays cool so well.  And what a cast this has!  Everyone nails it and brings the fun, especially Farina.  I love that guy.  There's such a light sense of fun the fills the picture from beginning to end and there's a great mix of humor and violence.  Great writing and fun score.  I've seen this probably three times already and not once for the sequel (which I have on my shelf).  I should get on that.  The MGM DVD sports an anamorphic widescreen print but the only extra is a non-anamorphic theatrical trailer. 

The Exorcist III (1990)

Director: William Peter Blatty

Writer: William Peter Blatty

Composer: Barry De Vorzon

Starring: George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Brad Dourif, Jason Miller, Nicol Williamson, Scott Wilson, Nancy Fish, George DiCenzo, Don Gordon, Harry Carey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Fabio

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Do you dare walk these steps again?

Plot: A police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased 'Gemini' serial killer, lead him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

I haven't seen this in nearly 25 years.  I remember liking it but I REALLY liked it on this most recent watch.  Scott has a couple of moments where he a little too intense (at least it seems weird).  Dourif has a great monologue where he really gets to show off his acting chops.  It's more of a detective thriller with some supernatural elements than it is a horror film.  Blatty, who wrote the novel that started the franchise, gets his second and final directing gig and he does a great job.  There's a genuine sense of evil and dread running alongside some wonderful performances.  It's been said the studio forced him to add an exorcism at the end for fear audiences would stay home without it.  I don't think that part is as bad as some people think but I am curious to see what Blatty had in mind.  I read recently that there's a Blu-ray release in the works that will have Blatty's cut of the film.  I'd LOVE to see that.  The Warner Bros. snapcase DVD has the film in anamorphic widescreen with only the theatrical trailer (also in anamorphic widescreen) for an extra.  There should be more as it's a good film and the best sequel in the franchise (and some would say even better than the first).

Play Misty for Me (1971)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Writers: Jo Heims, Dean Riesner

Composer: Dee Barton

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch, Jack Ging, Irene Hervey, James McEachin, Clarice Taylor, Don Siegel

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The scream you hear may be your own!

Plot: A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture.

My rating:  8/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

It's FATAL ATTRACTION (1987) years before FATAL ATTRACTION became a thing...and it's really good.  Clint Eastwood, in his directorial debut, knocks this thriller out of the park.  It doesn't take long before you can see Evelyn (played by a super young Jessica Walter) is going to be a batshit crazy bitch and the gradual progression is nicely played.  Eastwood is Eastwood and that's perfectly fine by me.  The only thing about him I'm not buyin' is that he's a radio DJ.  That and he's a small town DJ that lives in a nice house on the Pacific Coast Hwy overlooking the ocean.  Even then that place had to be worth at least a million bucks.  There's no way he'd be able to live there on his salary.  Suspension of disbelief aside, this is a well-paced, good and tight thriller.  I LOVE the way Clint disposes of his problem.  One thing that's bugged me from the first time I watched this thirty years ago is the diversion from the film when Clint goes to the jazz festival.  He's there for a while just hanging out.  I know he's a lifelong jazz fan but that whole sequence feels like filler and he's being self-indulgent.  It's not a deal killer, it's just not necessary.   The Universal DVD set, Clint Eastwood: American Icon Collection, is great.  This is one of four pictures in the set and the extras for this film include a 50 minute new documentary on the making of the picture (it's GREAT!), a 6 minute piece on Clint, Don Siegel and Misty, a photograph montage, more behind the scenes photos, the evolution of a movie poster and the theatrical trailer in fullscreen.  The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen.

Shopgirl (2005)

Director: Anand Tucker

Writer: Steve Martin

Composer: Barrington Pheloung

Starring: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Sam Bottoms, Frances Conroy, Rebecca Pidgeon, Samantha Shlton, Gina DOctor, Clyde Kusatsu

More info: IDMb

Tagline: Relationships don't always fit like a glove.

Plot:  A film adaptation of Steve Martin's novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again? Probably not.

I don't watch many romantic comedies because they're often trite.  This one caught my eye because it was written and stars Steve Martin.  The entire cast does a wonderful job and there are some good laughs but the romance is not what you typically get and that's one of the film's strengths.  Right from the start everything points to a leisurely paced and relaxed film, from Martin's narration to the easy going moments in Mirabelle's (Danes) life and the consistently casual, mellow score (apparently there are A LOT of people who hate the music and feel it's one of the worst scores ever but I completely disagree).  I thought the score was great and it fit the mood of the film very well.  For those who hated it (and there are apparently a lot of folks), keep in mind that this is a composer who has worked on a lot of films with the director so he knows exactly what the director wants and he delivers it.  Anand even says in the extras how much he digs the score.  So there!  Ray (Martin) is an interesting character that has difficulty with intimacy which doesn't really change all that much by the end of the picture.  He's a swell guy and he's honest to Mirabelle about his situation but it shows how difficult it is to maintain distance but with moments of closeness.  Relationships rarely work out the way you want in situations like that.  Anyway, I really liked the way Ray and Mirabelle were together.  It's a different story when it comes to the younger Jeremy (Schwartzman).  Unlike Ray, Jeremy has a pronounced character arc but it's clear his transformation is a work in progress with one foot firmly in his old ways...but he's trying.  Ray only shows a hint of progress despite his understanding that he's going to be miserable unless he fixes himself.  Perhaps Jeremey's story is told in much more detail in Martin's novel but it was the weakest part of the film for me.  Danes was delightful and a real treat to watch.  The Touchstone DVD has a nice anamorphic widescreen print with a few extras including a 21 minute featurette, 2 deleted scenes and an audio commentary with the director.  I only watched the featurette but I enjoyed it and it helped understand the film a little more in how it went from the novel to the screen.

Mystery Men (1999)

Director: Kinka Usher

Writers: Neil Cuthbert, Bob Burden

Composer: Stephen Warbeck

Starring: Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Wes Studi, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, Artie Lange, Pras Michel, Claire Forlani, Tom Waits, Louise Lasser, Ricky Jay, Jenifer Lewis, Michael Bay, Doug Jones, Dana Gould

More info: IMDb

Tagline: This summer expect the unexpected

Plot: A group of inept amateur superheroes must try to save the day when a supervillian threatens to destroy a major superhero and the city.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again?  Probably not.

Man, it's been a lot of years since I saw this.  I liked it then and I like it now.  There is so much to like about this picture.  The cast is great.  I still don't care for Stiller but he's less annoying here than in most of the pictures he's made since.  I REALLY loved Kinnear and Rush in this.  They were perfectly cast and are an awful lot of fun.  It's crazy that this picture is two hours long but it mostly works.  But the thing is I can't think of anything that should be cut.  It flows pretty quickly and it's over before you know it.  It was definitely a few years ahead of its time but that certainly doesn't lessen the fun factor of playing with the super hero genre and having fun.  The Universal DVD has a whole bunch of extras with one of the best being the origins of the film in the comics and how the characters changed from the comic book to the screen.

Oh, God! You Devil (1984)

Director: Paul Bogart

Writers: Andrew Bergman, Avery Corman

Composer: David Shire

Starring: George Burns, Ted Wass, Ron Silver, Roxanne Hart, Eugene Roche, Janet Brandt, Robert Desiderio, John Doolittle, Julie Lloyd, Ian Giatti, James Cromwell

More info: IMDb

Tagline: That's funny, they both look like George Burns.

Plot: George Burns is back as God, but oops, here he is as Satan, too. A young rock star is ready to sell his soul to Satan, and Satan is all too happy to oblige. Oops! Seems the fellow was watched over by God as a baby, so now the almighty and his nemesis have to duke it out over the soul.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

I LOVE the first film and I haven't seen the second yet but this third one is much better than I expected.  I only watched it because of George Burns.  He's hilarious and the best parts of the film are when he's on screen, especially at the end when he's playing poker with the devil (also played by Burns).  That's great stuff.  The rest of it isn't that bad.  It hits all of the right beats for a story like this but it's more enjoyable than you'd think.  It's not that bad.  Fans of George will love watching him have a good time; everyone else might want to give this one a pass unless you want your Christian children to learn what happens when you make a deal with the devil to be a rock star (also nothing but fiction).  The Warner Bros. DVD presents the film in anamorphic widescreen and the only extra is the theatrical trailer, also in anamorphic widescreen. 

Fists of Fury (1971)

Original title: Tang Shan da Xiong

AKA: The Big Boss

Director: Wei Lo

Writer: Wei Lo

Composers: Fu-Ling Wang, Peter Thomas

Starring: Bruce Lee, Maria Yi, James Tien, Marilyn Bautista, Ying-Chieh Han, Tony Liu, Kun Li, Nora Miao, Shan Chin, Chih Chen, Chia-Cheng Tu, Tso Chen

More info: IMDb

Tagline: KARATE KUNG-FU! The new screen excitement that gives you the biggest kick of your life!

Plot: A young man sworn to an oath of non-violence works with his cousins in an ice factory where they mysteriously begin to disappear.

My rating:  6/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

This is Bruce Lee's first film and there wouldn't be much reason to watch it if it weren't for him.  The story is average as are the production values.  It's a typical chop socky flick from the 70s.  There is a little bit of nudity which was highly unusual for the genre at that time.  Bruce has two major fights.  They're very good but they're also less than a half hour from the end so you've got to sit through an hour of mediocre to get to them.  He's amazing to watch, though, in the fights and it's worth watching just for him alone.  The 20th Century Fox DVD is pretty piss poor.  There are no extras, the English dub is cheesy, the non-anamorphic widescreen print is dirty and there are no other language options.  It's been decades since I saw this and I'm pretty sure that there's no reason to revisit this one again.  Lee did three more pictures before he died and they're all better than this one.