Elizabeth Taylor 1932 – 2011

Washington Post Obit Here

I saw Elizabeth Taylor walking down a quiet street one day in Richmond, back when she was married to John Warner. That was about the time this picture was taken. She was all alone, wearing a fancy blue gown, seemingly just out for a little stroll.

She was staring off into the distance, as if she was thinking about something from the past, and she had a little smile on her face. She looked perfectly happy.

Her eyes were purple and glowed like lazers.

I was so stunned, I had to go home and sit down for a while.

Elizabeth Taylor 1932 – 2011

Washington Post Obit Here

I saw Elizabeth Taylor walking down a quiet street one day in Richmond, back when she was married to John Warner. That was about the time this picture was taken. She was all alone, wearing a fancy blue gown, seemingly just out for a little stroll.

She was staring off into the distance, as if she was thinking about something from the past, and she had a little smile on her face. She looked perfectly happy.

Her eyes were purple and glowed like lazers.

I was so stunned, I had to go home and sit down for a while.

The Stranger (1946)***1/2 Blu-ray

Among the actors, the only weak link is Welles. His turn as Rankin starts with impressive subtlety, evoking the whispered edges of veiled secrets. But, much like the film itself, his performance eventually teeters over the edge and onto a chilled platter of diced ham.

Read the Full Review at IONCINEMA.com

Click Here

The Stranger (1946)***1/2 Blu-ray

Among the actors, the only weak link is Welles. His turn as Rankin starts with impressive subtlety, evoking the whispered edges of veiled secrets. But, much like the film itself, his performance eventually teeters over the edge and onto a chilled platter of diced ham.

Read the Full Review at IONCINEMA.com

Click Here

Bunchie's Scrapbook: Bad TV Edition Part 2

Hank was kind of a Dobie Gillis rip-off that aired in the mid-60s. The only reason I remember the show was I watched it with my Grandma one night and she turned to me and asked "Is this supposed to be funny?" I was a little kid and it was the first time anyone had asked my opinion on anything. Maybe that's what made me want to be a critic....

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This show was an interesting, and rare, TV flop from James Garner. He played a sheriff in a dusty Arizona town in the early 20th century. I remember he rode a clunky, homemade motorcycle instead of a horse. Margot Kidder played a sweaty and slightly slutty bartender. The show was very laid back and comedic, sort of a hippie version of Gunsmoke.

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Captain Nice was a superhero comedy, and an attempt to ride the capetails of the very popular Batman TV series. I don't remember much about it, except it helped launch the very long and successful career of William Daniels. How many actors can claim to having roles in The Graduate and Blades of Glory?

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Speaking of captains, Captain Scarlet was one of those Gerry and Sylvia Anderson sci-fi puppet deals. It was revived in the 2000s as a Pixar style animated series, but I preferred the old marionette version. The series featured an all-female fighter pilot squadron and they were really hot...err, I mean for puppets they were hot...not like real girl hot...oh let's change the subject...

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Room 222 was all about a high school in sunny Los Angeles, where the kids had a lot more fun than we did in rural Virginia. Of course they had bigger problems too. Every week some kid OD'ed, or got arrested for car theft or discovered his dad was an escaped convict or something. That sort of stuff didn't happen too much in VA. Only the occasional incident with livestock...

Bunchie's Scrapbook: Bad TV Edition Part 2

Hank was kind of a Dobie Gillis rip-off that aired in the mid-60s. The only reason I remember the show was I watched it with my Grandma one night and she turned to me and asked "Is this supposed to be funny?" I was a little kid and it was the first time anyone had asked my opinion on anything. Maybe that's what made me want to be a critic....

---

This show was an interesting, and rare, TV flop from James Garner. He played a sheriff in a dusty Arizona town in the early 20th century. I remember he rode a clunky, homemade motorcycle instead of a horse. Margot Kidder played a sweaty and slightly slutty bartender. The show was very laid back and comedic, sort of a hippie version of Gunsmoke.

---

Captain Nice was a superhero comedy, and an attempt to ride the capetails of the very popular Batman TV series. I don't remember much about it, except it helped launch the very long and successful career of William Daniels. How many actors can claim to having roles in The Graduate and Blades of Glory?

---

Speaking of captains, Captain Scarlet was one of those Gerry and Sylvia Anderson sci-fi puppet deals. It was revived in the 2000s as a Pixar style animated series, but I preferred the old marionette version. The series featured an all-female fighter pilot squadron and they were really hot...err, I mean for puppets they were hot...not like real girl hot...oh let's change the subject...

---

Room 222 was all about a high school in sunny Los Angeles, where the kids had a lot more fun than we did in rural Virginia. Of course they had bigger problems too. Every week some kid OD'ed, or got arrested for car theft or discovered his dad was an escaped convict or something. That sort of stuff didn't happen too much in VA. Only the occasional incident with livestock...

Escape Clause (1996)****

Reviewed by Guest Blogger Shu-Zin

Who’d have thought that opening ESCAPE CLAUSE with a rousing speech about risk assumption to a bunch of insurance pros at a convention would have me on the edge of my seat, with my mouth hanging open? Well. It did, and mine was, and I knew right away I was going to love this movie. See, that opening scene did not talk down to the audience, nor was it dumbed down or overwrought. It was simply smart and intriguing, and that’s the mark of good writing in a film. I shouldn’t be surprised if the Ramsey Curve really exists in modern, real-life risk assessment.

This smart, gripping quality did not quit til the end of this stylish, well-paced thriller about insurance, infidelity and murder. After some early morning matrimonial bliss, the story, about an insurance exec (Andrew McCarthy, in a nicely understated and compelling performance) whose wife seems to have contracted for his murder, begins in earnest. This is a thriller, and I felt chills visit my spine more than once as the story proceeded to a sneaky surprise ending.

 Director Brian Trenchard-Smith makes everything flow; one senses he is demanding and hands on, and in cahoots with the production designer and the cinematographer. The production is perfect, lovely to look at; good, rich colors, great light and shadow shots, good pacing. While there are familiar elements (Double Indemnity, for example, addresses some of the themes here), this is a fresh, original take, and you’ll experience a jolt or two of paranoia with your suspense, which brings me to the score; it will make your hair roots tingle.

Good casting all around, with excellently annoying in-laws and the great Paul Sorvino as sad, observant, big bear cop with a trick or two up his sleeve. Heads up: things are quite steamy in the marital bliss department, and “labial folds” are mentioned, sotto voce, by the police. There are two scenes with men lying in a sea of broken crockery, but not much else noteworthy in the violence department. Recommended good fun.

Reviewed by Guest Blogger Shu-Zin