Ryan on a Tangent

This was another selection guided by my progression through the review compilation When the Lights Go Down by Rosemary Kael, which collects her reviews from the latter half of the 70's. Valentino emerged in 1977, one of a multitude of biopics from Ken Russell, this time focused upon the silent film star Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) and his rise from ballroom gigolo dancer to massive movie star, following abruptly with his premature demise.  Tasked to play the Italian-American was Soviet dancer/choreographer Rudolf Nureyev; his strongly accented English, though not authentically Italian inflected, nonetheless 'works' in an organic fashion (it isn't 'fake' bad English, if that makes any sense). Further, the fact that Nuryev is not an actor per se actually plays nicely into the caricature -- and not having the pleasure of knowing the real Valentino, I must assume that is what this portrayal largely is: a larger than life caricature. 'Rudy' is always '

I won't bother with excuses as to why it's been several years since my last post (ok but only briefly...a 3 year old son came into the picture and that has certainly curtailed my activity in just about every way); I'm back with a look at July of 1980 and, starting at the top, we have Show Stoppers, hosted by Odd Couple star Tony Randall. I was only able to find a couple numbers from the show, thanks (perpetually) to my friend YouTube and user blah. At 9:30, the main event, Lee Majors, that ubiquitous face of action televsion through much of the 70's and early 80's, stars in Killer Fish. Killer Fish, I kid you not. When I first saw this title in the guide I thought "...some kind of nature documentary, a la Wild Kingdom etc..." but no, upon further perusal I find it has something to do with a jewel heist and, yes, evil fishes.  Piranhas again, to be precise. But this plot is clearly an attempt to hit that 'evil nature' thing somewhat obliquely, wit

6.4 on IMDB? Are you kidding? Nine to Five is brilliant, clever, hilarious, and has aged quite well. Perhaps I am blinded by the fact that I saw this film as a child and am letting nostalgia get in the way of objective judgement, comedy is so difficult to gauge given one's own cultural experience I suppose. But, I just find 6.4 a tad bit low. This is a true classic gem. First the cast. Wonderful ensemble cast starring Dabney Coleman (in perhaps his greatest role, certainly his most memorable - found myself wondering what the hell ever happened to this guy, so synonymous with the 80's), Jane Fonda (spot-on portrayal of the mousey Judy, Dolly Parton (fantastic given she isn't an actress in her daytime career), and finally, Lily Tomlin as Violet (anything but a dainty flower, she is the highlight of the film by far). Great chemistry amongst the girls; very natural and comfortable and organically funny. Hart is quintessential douche boss prototype: perfect. The story is

The first movie listed in the January '82 guide is Snowball Express , airing at 6:30 am, perfectly appropriate for the little ones to wake to (see previous post for my comments on the similarly inappropriate scheduling of Border Cop immediately afterwards at 8:30). This is a Walt Disney production starring Dean Jones (whom I recognized from somewhere when I first saw him, and it appears I'm remembering from the Herbie the Love Bug Disney flicks as I don't see anything else in his oeuvre that looks remotely familiar) and the instantly recognizable Harry Morgan (actually instantly known from his characteristic voice more this his appearance, hidden as it is behind a scraggly beard in this appearance) from the TV series MASH . Also noteworthy is the little freckly ginger kid (Johnny Whitaker) from Family Affair , a late '60's/early '70's TV show I remember well in syndication during the late '70's, typically aired around the Partridge Family and si

Game on. HBO Guide challenge #1 January 1982, 8:30 am (not sure what they were thinking with this time slot given the film's violence and lack of a rating, but I digest). As indicated previously, I 'messed up' and started with the second movie of the month first - "Snowball Express" is actually in the 6:30 am slot - but we are just going to do this or the whole thing will stall in the gates. The guide refers to this film as "Blood Barrier"; clearly it WAS known by this title at some point in its history, but all current references, DVD's, etc., refer to it as "Border Cop". This is fitting as the former title is probably suggestive of a bit more subtlety than the film pulls off; human trafficking across the Mexican border is the topic, and our central character, played by Kojak star Telly Savalas, is out to "...see that justice is done" as per the guide description. The set up: Savalas is a border cop (hence the descriptive t