barahona Reviews

Fernwood Tonight (1977)

A little, forgotten treasure

[20 July 2000]

I was never a big fan of 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman' but this hilarious spinoff of that show (a local talk show from the 'MH, MH' setting of Fernwood, Ohio) featured Martin Mull as smug host Barth Gimble and Fred Willard as his empty headed sidekick.The show rather mercilessly skewered small town America, its prejudices and foibles. One show for example featured a Jewish man whose car broke down in Fernwood and was featured as a guest in a segment called "Talk to a Jew".(One old lady: "Barth, I can't believe someone as sweet as this young man murdered Our Lord").It only lasted one season and for some bizarre reason the next year, the show moved its setting to Hollywood and became 'Hollywood 2Night" but without the small town setting the show's point was lost.

Extra props to the late, great Frank DeVol(veteran tv/movie composer of the 'My Three Sons" theme) as the eternally basset hound faced show's band leader Happy Kyne and His Mirthmakers, who also owned Fernwood's finest fast food joint the "Bun

'n' Run"

F Troop (1965–1967)

Sgt. Bilko out west...

[19 June 2000]

'F Troop' was a favorite of mine when Ii was a sixth grader. Essentially the show is 'Bilko' out west with the crafty scheming sargeant(Forrest Tucker), the zany sidekick corporal (the inimitable Larry Storch) and the clueless commanding officer (Ken Berry). Reruns are currently being shown on TV Land and it does provide some amusing gags, such as Private Vanderbilt, the fort lookout who can't see two feet in front of him!

Kojak (1973–1978)

who loves ya, baby?

[29 April 2000]

Telly Savalas used his considerable charisma to breathe a little life into this look at a New York detective.Helped by some good location filming in the Big Apple and fairly realistic plots(not to mention that Noo Yawk attitude), Kojak stands as an above average 70's cop show.

You'll Like My Mother (1972)

Some creepy moments

[24 January 2000]

There are a couple of things to recommend this picture. First there is the snow: a LOT of snow, which adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere. Also a truly creepy performance by Richard Thomas (pre Waltons) as Kenny. Just the way he refers to himself in the third person is more effective than a hundred stabs of a knife. A good rental but not as bloody as genre fans might like.

Blue City (1986)

a great guilty pleasure

[7 January 2000]

This movie has always been lambasted but I have seen it a few times over the years. It has some exciting action scenes and captures the seedy atmosphere of a corrupt Florida town very well. Judd Nelson does his usual smirk acting job but nice supporting roles by David Caruso and Paul Winfield help compensate.

Just Tell Me What You Want (1980)

alan king's finest hour

[7 January 2000]

Alan King is absolutely terrific as a vulgar, sharp, overbearing millionaire who is keeping Ali Mc Graw as his mistress. She can't take anymore of him so she starts seeing a young playwright (Peter Weller). Since King is the driven type who HATES to lose, he does everything he can to win her back. This is a highly cynical but also highly enjoyable comedy with some great one liners and a stark sense of amorality throughout(The final scene just shows that everyone has their price). Even McGraw is less lockjawed than normal.Directed by the king of New York movies, Sidney Lumet.

White Lightning (1973)

Just a good ol' boy, never meanin' no harm...

[7 January 2000]

Burt in one of the roles that helped make him a 70's icon. This actually is a little better and slightly more intelligent than what is typical of this genre. Director Joseph Sargent put together some good action sequences and the film is always watchable. It even spawned a sequel "Gator' but that wasn't nearly as good.An OK time killer, no more.

Incident in an Alley (1962)

made for pocket change

[8 December 1999]

Low budget cop movie which pops up on Showtime now and then concerns a cop who shoots and kills a young juvenile delinquent and how he deals with it. The most amusing part is the big city 'precinct' set which looks like the receptionist area at a dentist office.

The Lamp in Assassin Mews (1962)

oddball black comedy

[28 November 1999]

The Showtime cable network a few years ago showed several British black and white movies from the early 60's that were each a little over an hour long. I found a few of them enjoyable (at least they were short!). This oddball comedy is about an elderly couple who kill a couple of people for reasons I really can't remember. (Assassin Mews is the name of the street they live on). Nothing special but painless attempt at making murder hilarious.

Inspector Gadget (1999)

This movie should be on Ritalin!

[14 November 1999]

Since I never saw the original cartoon series I had no preconceived notions of how this picture should turn out. After viewing it, I must say that it is the most frantically paced movie I have ever seen. Characters and plot twists are introduced so rapidly it is hard to take a breath. This is yet another F/X laden movie(although some of the effects are good). Rupert Everett has a way of making even the lamest lines sound halfway amusing and the gag about famous movie and TV sidekicks with their own support group is pretty good..but it comes halfway through the final credits.

Clean Slate (1981)

ripe for a remake

[13 November 1999]

Burt Reynolds (of all people!) once commented that it was pointless remaking classic films because of the difficulty of improving on them. Instead Hollywood would be better served by remaking movies that are either good but could be improved or that are unknown or forgotten in the first place. This French version of a Texas set novel by Jim Thompson(best known for writing the Steve McQueen thriller The Getaway) is a classic example of the second category. Set in a French African colony (it was filmed in Senegal) in the 1930's, Philipe Noiret in a terrific performance plays a passive police officer who lets everyone push him around until he discovers that a few well placed killings can get him what he wants. The plot takes a few twists and turns and ends up a satisfying little black comedy/thriller. I think some of Hollywood's middle aged action stars looking for a change of pace role might want to look into this as a possible remake. Just remember where you got the idea!

Knighty Knight Bugs (1958)

Looney tunes classic

[5 November 1999]

This cartoon (Oscar winning animated short for that year) is just out and out hilarious. I have a weakness for Yosetime Sam, here as the Black Knight trying to get into Bugs' castle. Of course he fails with hilarious results. If this doesn't make you chuckle, check your pulse.

The Sum of Us (1994)

quietly moving

[23 October 1999]

In an era of Big Event Movies with Big effects, Big emotions and Big everything, it is refreshing to come across a movie that plays it low key. This movie about a working class gay man and his relationship with his father touches a lot of emotions without making a big deal about it. As a result it stays with you (unlike a lot of its Big brethen). I agree that the talking to the audience gimmick gets irritating quickly(it was only truly effective by Michael Caine in Alfie). However the shyness of the two young men in starting a new relationship is something that a lot of people, gay or straight, can relate to. Not perfect by any means but a little treasure that should be seen.

Bloodbrothers (1978)

not as good as the novel but nicely done

[16 October 1999]

First I have to say that the novel Bloodbrothers by Richard Price is one of my alltime favorite books. Usually Hollywood has to make changes to make a movie viable , but in this one changing the book's ending kind of negated the novel's point. This is about a blue collar Bronx family with a long line of tradition as construction workers. Richard Gere in one of his first leading roles plays the sensitive older son who wants to work with children. His macho father, well played by Tony Lo Bianco, pressures him to work construction.Lo Bianco's tyrant character has made his whole family miserable, yet he is never played as a stereotype. The entire cast is good but at times it plays like a blue collar soap opera. If you haven't read the book, the film's highly charged emotions may hit home.

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Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968)

not as bad as it sounds

[16 October 1999]

By 1968 Herman's Hermits had become passe to their teenybopper fans, so it is not a surprise that this picture was barely released. It was one of the last of a subgenre of building a movie around a British Invasion musical group. Mrs Brown in this case was a greyhound that the band try to make into a racing champ. The redoubtable Stanley Hollaway provides some professionalism as the band's wealthy sponsor. And he just happens to have a daughter that Peter Noone takes a shine to. Do you think she will toss off her arrogant fashion photographer boyfriend to be with Noone? If you don't know the answer to that one , you haven't seen too many movies! Still this has some nice color photography and it's always amusing to see Hollywood's idea of "hippies" from the late 60's.

Prince of the City (1981)

vivid and superbly acted

[11 October 1999]

This film which is a logical followup to 'Serpico' concerns a true story about a cop who agrees to testify about corruption as long as he doesn't have to testify against his fellow officers in the detective unit he is part of. Of course his world falls apart the minute he agrees. In this era of superficial filmmaking, a film this detailed is a rarity(although it is a little long)and the huge cast is uniformly excellent. Lumet's fine eye and ear for the complexities of being a nypd cop was never better.A 9 out of 10.

Entrapment (1999)

sean connery phones it in

[3 October 1999]

Entrapment is a nice piece of Hollywood fluff but nothing more. Sean Connery is a master art thief(is there any other kind?)who is playing a cat and mouse game with Catherine Zeta Jones a

gorgeous insurance investigator(is there any other kind?). This Thomas Crown Affair meets It Takes A Thief concoction is easy to take but just as easy to forget. Connery here is coasting on his popularity and charisma. A 4 out of 10.

The Road Killers (1994)

routine plot, routinely done

[3/10 · 3 October 1999]

The old standby of a family driving through the desert and being terrorized by young punks in souped up cars is trotted out again. Craig Sheffer plays the leader of the gang and Christopher Lambert is the family man who has to protect his loved ones. If you have 90 minutes to kill, there are worse movies you can see. Of course,there are also better ones.

Where the Heart Is (1990)

disappointing and strange

[3 October 1999]

This "farce" about a wealthy millionaire who puts his spoiled children out of their plush lifestyle, forcing them to live in a Brooklyn slum building he owns is a strange little item. There was possibilities in the storyline but Coleman's children (which include Uma Thurman) are so flighty they get on your nerves quickly. Circumstances occur that force Coleman to enlist his children's help and the movie gets unglued at the end. Both Dabney Coleman and Joanna Cassidy, both fondly remembered from the "Buffalo Bill" tv series of the mid 80's, deserve better.

Busting (1974)

well made cop comedy/drama

[10/10 · 3 October 1999]

I saw this on the bottom half of a double feature and it quickly became one of my all time favorite obscure movies. The basic plot is nothing special(two vice cops , tired of busting hookers and gay bars, decide on their own to take on the city's vice/drug kingpin) but it is exciting and well made. A couple of action scenes stand out: one involves a chase of drug dealers through a supermarket all done in one long take (like the opening scene in "Touch of Evil") and the second is the final chase between two ambulances(!) that in my opinion is as good as those in Bullit and the French Connection. This is also features Elliot Gould's best performance. One scene in which he is forced to recant his testimony against a prostitute he arrested(because she had 'friends' in the department) and the resulting humiliation and frustration he expresses while being cross examined was very vivid. I don't think this is on video and it rarely plays on tv but it is a well made film that should satisfy action fans and make them think a little too.