Rest in Peace, Ian Holm

Sir Ian Holm (1931-2020)

ME...WANT!: Prrrfect (and pricy) Cat Toys for Movie Lovers

I love cat toys, especially the kind I never intend to play with, like the one pictured above. It's a 1/18 scale die cast replica from the 1977 horror film, The Car (aka Jaws on wheels), and set me back about ninety bucks, the most I ever spend on a movie collectible. But that's nothing compared to some of these wonders, all available to anyone willing make-it-rain (just click the photos!). As for me, unless I want to end up in divorce court, they'll have to remain on my personal wish list.

THE MALTESE FALCON Statue Prop ($159)

BLUE THUNDER 1/32 Scale Die Cast ($226)

STEVE McQUEEN Action Figure ($251)

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK “Lifeclock” Smartwatch ($399)

Prepare to Die by INDIGO MONTOYA'S Sword ($399)

Handmade AMITYVILLE Dollhouse ($400)

ALIEN Ring ($475)

DEATH STAR Fire Pit ($2399)

 

Seven-Foot Remote Control ROBBY THE ROBOT ($32,000)

Finally, this beauty...but since it is homemade and took the guy 6 months, it's probably not for sale. But damn, it's cool...

PENNYWORTH: Alfred, You Naughty Boy...

PENNYWORTH – THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (Blu-ray Review)

Starring Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Emma Paetz, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Ryan Fletcher, Jayson Fleming, Emma Corrin, Dorothy Atkinson, Ian Pileston-Davies, Paloma Faith, Polly Walker. Various directors. (2019/564 min)

FROM WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION

Review by Cuddles, the Couch Potato😽

Pennyworth is a strange show and probably not intended for fans of the so-called DC Universe (no matter which universe is your thing). In fact, only the DC logo and the names of three principal characters link it to anything we might be familiar with.

While the titular character is best-known as the Wayne family's loyal and resourceful butler, the series takes place in the late 1960s, when young Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) is an ex-soldier with a fledgling security company. The setting is an alternate, dystopian vision of England on the brink of civil war. Two extremist organizations with their own agendas – the puritanical Raven Society and the CIA-supported No Name Group – are both trying to overthrow the current government. Initially hired by American agent Martha Kane (Emma Paetz), Pennyworth becomes more of a hired-gun and occasional assassin, though his allegiance remains with the Queen and he absolutely does not trust Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), a CIA agent working undercover.

A few episodic subplots exist within the overall story arc, such as Pennyworth helping a gay computer whiz defect to America, ridding his neighborhood a local gangster's psychotic nephew and falling in love with dancer Esme (Emma Corrin). Some of these side-quests are interesting, but a few feel like they belong in a different show, such as Martha & Thomas' inexplicable confrontation with legendary satanist Alistair Crowley and Alfred consulting an incarcerated witch to find a killer.

Alfred actually prefers Superman comics.

Though there isn't a cape, gadget or flamboyant super-villain to be found, Alfred is a pretty badass anti-hero, re-imagined as a skilled killer who thinks on his feet. He also has just enough personal integrity and working class charm to remain likable, even when he's blowing someone's head off. He's well-played by Bannon, whose reserved mannerisms remind me of a young Michael Caine (maybe that's why he got the job). In a sea of antagonists – including some in England's own government - Raven Society henchwoman Bet Sykes (Paloma Faith) is the most entertaining and arguably the closest the series has to a psychotic Batman villain.

But even though Pennyworth ain't your daddy's DC Universe, it ain't your kids', either. Several characters – including Alfred – engage in some serious bumping & grinding. What's really surprising, however, is the copious amount of bloody violence...shootings, stabbings, eye-piercings, dismemberments, suggested cannibalism, disembowelings and even some poor bastard whose nose is lopped off...all depicted in loving, graphic detail.

Because of all this, one might cynically assume the sole purpose of making it Alfred Pennyworth's story is for brand name recognition, and you wouldn't necessarily be wrong. With just three quick name changes, the series could be about anybody, especially since it doesn't appear to take place in any existing DC Universe. Still, the first season Pennyworth is pretty binge-worthy. Smart, exciting, brutal and often quite funny, the show offers an intriguingly-shady backstory to a beloved comic book character. 

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS. 

Mr. Biscuits’ ADVENTURES IN THE BUDGET BIN: Dollar Tree Edition

I normally try to avoid Dollar Tree because the one near my house is like entering the fourth circle of Hell. Claustrophobic, dirty and haphazardly stocked, it usually looks like their supply truck simply drove through the front window and exploded.

Still, their periodic “Weekly Wow!” ad featuring Blu-ray titles is enticing enough for me to arm myself with a face-mask & crash helmet to enter the circle. More often than not, their selection is already picked clean of everything except exercise videos. But every now and them, I time it right and find some interesting stuff (and off-brand pork rinds)...

THE BELKO EXPERIMENT (DVD) – This is a pitch-black comedy that has an attitude similar to Ready of Not. Though not nearly as funny, it's a gory good time. I'd have rather found it on Blu-ray, but I'd spend more on gas hunting it down at other Dollar Trees than simply picking it up for five bucks on Amazon.

300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE (Blu-ray) – Though it's a sequel no one asked for, this follow-up to one of Zack Snyder's two good films has boasts one thing the original doesn't...Eva Green (mee-ow!). Elsewhere, you have more of the stylized battles & bloodletting that made 300 visually interesting, though the novelty has worn off. A 3-D version is also included, but who cares?

 

THE SIGNAL (Blu-ray) – This is the movie Cell should have been. Presented as three linked chapters that are different in both tone and execution (the result of three directors), a mysterious signal transmitted through TVs and cell phones starts turning people homicidal. Though filmed on an low budget, the film manages to convey the apocalyptic implications of its concept. The hilarious second chapter alone makes this one worth the change in your pocket.

UNKNOWN (Blu-ray) – Surely, a dollar is a paltry price to pay to enjoy watching Liam Neeson once again kicking-ass in the name of senior citizens everywhere. Unknown isn't as much fun as Taken, but it's got an interesting story and a few surprises up its sleeve.

GLADIATOR (4K SteelBook): Why, Yes, We Are Entertained

GLADIATOR: 20^th Anniversary Edition (4K/Blu-ray Review)

Starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris. Directed by Ridley Scott. (2000/155 min - Theatrical cut / 170 min - Extended Cut)

FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Tiger the Terrible😸

This isn't the first time Gladiator has been released on 4K, nor is it the first SteelBook edition. This is, however, the first time it's available as a 4K SteelBook. And although it comes with more bonus content dedicated to a single movie than any disc I've ever reviewed, none of it is new.

But it did nab a batch of Oscars and is generally considered a modern classic. Surely some kind of commemoration is in order for its 20th Anniversary and this version is more aesthetically pleasing than the previous SteelBook, which had the same ol' cover art as every other Blu-ray and DVD release. As far as the bonus content and technical aspects go, there was really no room left for improvement and any new bonus features would probably be an exercise in redundancy (what's already here flirts with that, anyway).

Though I personally think Gladiator is a tad overpraised, it's the kind of big, bold historical epic only Mel Gibson was making at the time and certainly one of Ridley Scott's best looking films since Thelma & Louise, particularly the first half. I especially love the opposing color palates of the Germanic battle sequence and the grungy arenas where Maximus (Russell Crowe) fights for his life. Scott even appears to have taken a few cues from younger brother Tony for the hyperkinetic – and bloody - action scenes.

"Joey...do you like movies about gladiators?"

But once the story settles in Rome, the use of CGI is increasingly apparent, giving an air of artifice to the setting. The overall narrative also becomes a little  meandering, though Joaquin Phoenix livens things up considerably. He's a real hoot as Commodus, Rome's narcissistic, incestuous Emperor. His performance reminds me of Peter Ustinov's wonderfully manic turn as Nero in Quo Vadis, not to mention a certain current world leader who shall remain nameless.

Like previous editions, this set features both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film. Personally speaking once again, I don't think the 15 additional minutes of the extended cut enhance the story in any meaningful way, but at least they're here for those those who can't get enough, as well as superlative technical specs and an exhausting amount of bonus goodies. If you've never added Gladiator to your shelf, the 20th Anniversary Edition is a good as it gets. But if you already have it on 4K, time to decide if the new packaging is worth double-dipping for.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

THEATRICAL CUT & EXTENDED CUT

"THE SCROLLS OF KNOWLEDGE” - Watching the film with this option lets you jump to brief informational featurettes related to that particular scene. You can also view them separately.

"VISIONS OF ELYSIUM” - A massive collection of brief featurettes – running anywhere from 1-10 minutes – covering virtually every aspect of the film. I didn't bother to count, but there must a couple hundred of them. And if that isn't enough...

"STRENGTH AND HONOR: CREATING THE WOLRD OF GLADIATOR” - ...this is 3-hour, seven-chapter documentary. And if that isn't enough...

"IMAGE AND DESIGN” - ...this five-part feature detailing things like storyboards, costumes & production design, weapons. A combination of interviews and photo galleries. Many of these are also offered in “Visions of Elysium.”

"THE AURELLIAN ARCHIVES” - Even more making-of featurettes, trailers & TV spots, interviews, “My Gladiator Journal” by Spencer Treat Clark (who plays Lucius); “An Evening with Russell Crowe” (a pretty funny audience Q&A). Segments of some featurettes are also offered in “Visions of Elysium.”

"ABANDONED SEQUENCES & DELETED SCENES”

AUDIO COMMENTARIES – By director Ridley Scott & Russell Crowe (Extended cut); By director Ridley Scott, editor Pietro Scalia & cinematographer John Mathieson (Theatrical cut).

RIDLEY SCOTT INTRODUCTION – Optional introduction to the extended cut by the director.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.

SNIPER: ASSASSIN'S END (but probably not the franchise's)

SNIPER: ASSASSIN'S END (Blu-ray Review)

Starring Chad Michael Collins, Sayaka Akimoto, Tom Berenger, Lochlyn Munro, Ryan Robbins, Michael Jonsson. Directed by Kaare Andrews. (2020/95 min)

FROM SONY

Review by Tiger the Terrible😼

For those of you keeping count, this is the eighth film in a franchise that began with 1993's Sniper, which remains the only one that was ever released in theaters.

And for those of you keeping score, Sniper: Assassin's End marks Chad Michael Collins' fifth go-round as the main protagonist, surpassing original star Tom Berenger, who still pops-up to boost the film's marquee value. But while the franchise will almost certainly continue, the conclusion of this one surprisingly suggests another passing of the baton.

For now, though, Collins returns as Brandon Becket, a military sharpshooter just like his old man, Thomas (Berenger). He's on vacation when we first meet him, but it's cut short when he's framed for the assassination of a foreign president. Hunted by both the CIA and a mysterious female assassin (Sayaka Akimoto), Brandon seeks-out help from Dad, now retired and living in a fortified cabin in the woods. Meanwhile, agent “Zero” Rosenberg (Ryan Robbins) is trying to uncover who's really behind the assassination.

Yes...they met on Tinder.

Assassin's End is serviceable budget-conscious action fodder. A bit more plodding and less violent than the previous installment (Sniper: Ultimate Kill), the film still has its moments, one particular highlight being a tension-filled, three-way sniper-stand-off, which sort of reminded me of the climax in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Once again, Collins is decent-but-unremarkable in the lead role, while Berenger is mostly on-hand for franchise continuity. Conversely, Akimoto throws a lot of zeal into her character, amusingly known as Lady Death and decked-out in standard-issue skin-tight leather required for all female assassins.

In the unofficial race to crank-out the most direct-too-video sequels no one asked for, the Sniper franchise has an edge over such low-watt fare as The Marine. And fortunately, newcomers can join the party any time, since prior knowledge of the other films isn't really a prerequisite. Like the others, Sniper: Assassin's End isn't especially memorable, but there's enough action and implausible fun to maintain interest on a dull evening. The door is left open for a sequel, of course, but also hints the series is ready to move on from the Becket family.

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.

FRIDAY THE 13TH (Steelbook): Boomers Beware!

FRIDAY THE 13TH: 40th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Review)

Starring Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Jeanna Taylor, Kevin Bacon, Betsy Palmer. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham. (1980/95 min)

FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat😽

Of course, it's a lot easier – and cheaper - to find your favorite music on YouTube or iTunes or however-the-hell my kids get it for free. But what's the fun in that? You miss-out on the album experience: big, colorful cover art, lyrics sheet, photos and the tactile pleasure of slipping the record from its sleeve, throwing it on your turntable and dropping the needle.

I've more-or-less said the same thing (numerous times) to my bemused kids, right before getting off my soapbox and strolling to the counter of our local record store to shell-out $29.95 for an Emerson, Lake & Palmer album I already own on CD. They didn't get it. For some music lovers of a certain age – Boomers, as my kids would say – the whole package is just as important as the songs themselves.

Movie collectors feel that way, too. Sure, most titles are available to download or stream, but it's not the same as displaying your hard-earned collection of DVD or Blu-ray titles on a shelf (probably multiple shelves). And to the amusement of your millennial urchins - or chagrin of your significant other - there's always more ways to improve that collection...even for aesthetic reasons.

For example, I'm about 90% certain most of you reading this have not-only seen the original Friday the 13th, but own it in one format or another. So I'm saying up-front that this 40th Anniversary Edition contains no new bonus material, nor is the video or audio upgraded. Other than the new SteelBook packaging – and a digital code, which I doubt any Boomers care about – this is the exact same version of Friday the 13th Uncut that's been available on Blu-ray for over a decade. Not only that, it ain't much cheaper than the 8-movie collection Paramount released just a few years ago.

"...POLO!!!"

But if you're still reading, chances-are you were sold at 'SteelBook.' If DVD slipcases are home video's equivalent of a paperback, then SteelBooks are the classy hardcovers, created for the sole purpose of telling the world, “This guy's a serious collector.” As such, Friday the 13th is impressively packaged. The front features the iconic artwork & logo from the original poster, which went a long way in selling the concept to bloodthirsty teens back in the day. Scrawled across a blood-spatter on the back is the film's most memorable – and chuckleworthy – piece of dialogue: “Kill her, Mommy. Kill her!” Lining the inner tray is a three-color, minimalist rendering of Crystal Lake.

Say what you will about the quality of Friday the 13th (or the lack thereof), the promotional artwork for the entire franchise – especially the Paramount releases – was always uniquely creative. What old-school horror fan wouldn't want a bit of that on-display at home? The movie is a definite product of its time, just like my $29.95 Emerson, Lake & Palmer record. But for some of us boomers, nostalgia trumps practicality.

EXTRA KIBBLES

"FRIDAY THE 13TH REUNION” - A convention appearance featuring some of the cast & crew - including Betsy Palmer & Tom Savini – who discuss their participation. Palmer is especially amusing.

"THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGACY” - Producer-director Sean S. Cunningham puts the film in perspective.

"LOST TALES FROM CAMP BLOOD, PART 1” - The first of a series of side-shorts that have appeared as extras on other disc releases from the first 8 films).

"SECRETS GALORE BEHIND THE GORE”- Take a guess.

"THE FRIDAY THE 13TH CHRONICLES” & “FRESH CUTS” - Two interesting making-of documentaries.

AUDIO COMMENTARY – Including Cunningham & writer Victor Miller

DIGITAL COPY – The original R-rated version

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PURR-R-FECT PACKAGING.

Finding Inspiration in THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE

THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016)

Starring Emile Hirsch, Brian Cox, Olwen Catherine Kelly, Ophelia Lovibond. Directed by André Øvredal. (86 min)

Essay by D.M. ANDERSON💀

As parents, we never really stop worrying about our kids.

My oldest daughter, Natalie, is in her twenties and earning a college degree in microbiology. For the most part, she has grown to be an intelligent and responsible young woman. Personally speaking, I've been luckier than other parents I know, whose kids went through various tumultuous stages during their teenage years. I count my blessings that Natalie never felt compelled to drink or do drugs, never stayed out past curfew, never wrecked the family car or even got a speeding ticket, never alienated friends & family by getting stupidly twitterpated over a boy...all things yours-truly subjected his own parents to by age 17. Except for the twitterpated-over-a-boy part. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have a daughter to talk about, would I?

It hasn't all been sunshine & lollipops. Natalie developed some weird-ass taste in music, never-once following her old man's footsteps by raising devil horns in the name of all things metal. Worse yet, she has little interest in movies. Oh, she'll watch one on occasion, but usually while multitasking with a phone in her hand. Blasphemy! While I wasn't exactly grooming Natalie to be Mini-Me, her general disinterest in the things I hold sacred sometimes has me wondering who my wife was fucking 25 years ago.

Aside from a near-death experience when she had the audacity to declare her dislike of the original Star Wars trilogy while I was in the room, we both survived her impressionable years relatively unscathed. But even now, there are moments when she briefly concerns me, such as the last time we watched a movie together.

What the fuck is this shit?

I have a love-hate relationship with horror films. As much as I enjoy the genre, the bad ones far outweigh the good ones and I've seen so many over the years that I can usually tell the difference within couple of minutes. Sometimes not even that long. I'll immediately quit a found-footage film or anything that opens with a carload of teenagers.

Call me jaded, but the older I get, the less most movies actually scare me. Good ones offer more than gratuitous jump-scares. Great ones have interesting characters and maintain a chilling tone & atmosphere. Exceptional ones make me think about them long after they're over. Cult classics incorporate all those ingredients and top it off with a dollop of originality. The Autopsy of Jane Doe checks off all those boxes, and I suspect people will still be watching and talking about this one long after they've forgotten the likes of Annabelle or Slenderman.

The film takes place almost entirely in a morgue run by local coroner Tommy Tilden (Brian Cox), who's assisted by his son, Austin (Emile Hirsch). Following a violent multiple homicide, the police bring in the body of a unidentified young girl. But unlike the other victims, she was partially buried in the basement and shows no outward signs of having been killed in the same house.

That evening, Tommy and Austin begin the autopsy - which is lengthy, methodical and extraordinarily graphic. As it progresses, they make increasingly unnerving discoveries, such as traumatic injuries that would be impossible to inflict without leaving external evidence...charred lungs, shattered wrists & ankles, scarred organs. She could have died in a variety of ways, all of them inexplicable, all of them horrific. They also discover a few creepy-ass foreign objects inside the body, some marked with symbols and numerals related to atrocities committed centuries earlier...in the Northeast...in Salem...

Meanwhile, things begin occurring to suggest Jane Doe might only be mostly dead (to coin a phrase). Trapped in the morgue with her – with a sudden storm outside growing worse - they feel the only way to escape might be to learn how and why she died in the first place. Dark, gruesome and consistently unnerving, The Autopsy of Jane Doe makes the most of its claustrophobic setting, which is creepy as hell even before the shit hits the fan. Cox and Hirsch are good in their roles, but extra kudos have to go to Olwen Catherine Kelly, who “plays” Jane Does. Granted, she has no dialogue, nor is she required to emote whatsoever. But just think about how hard it must have been to convincingly play a naked corpse for an entire movie, not-once breaking the illusion that she's anything but stone dead.

"Dibs on the drumstick."

The Autopsy of Jane Doe is ghoulishly compelling from beginning to end, so I just had to share it with my younger daughter, Lucy, who loves horror and has become just as discriminate. She loved it, too, and later convinced her big sis to sit with us for another go-round. Though she only has an occasional taste for terror, Natalie enjoyed it, too. Quite a bit, actually. In fact, she found it downright inspirational.

During an early moment when Austin begins helping his father with the autopsy, Natalie scoffed, “That's not how it works. You don't get to go to work with dad like a summer job. You have to have a coroner's license.” Far be it from me to doubt her. After all, she's the one going for a science degree. So I shrugged and said, “Well, for the sake of a movie, you can.” But soon after, it's established that Austin's a certified assistant. “Ahhh,” Natalie nodded. “that makes sense.”

The next day, guess who was at her computer, Googling the requirements to become a certified coroner's assistant. “Autopsies are cool!” she chirped a bit too enthusiastically.

In the '80s, flashy fare like An Officer and a Gentleman and Top Gun convinced a lot o' folks they'd be dropped into cockpit of a fighter plane the second the they joined the Navy. As a teacher of 20+ years, I've known dozens of idealistic young educators inspired by a movie to become BFFs to classes of delinquents. And God only knows how many gullible rubes have been coursed into becoming lawyers, cops, doctors, crime scene investigators and a slew of other professions that have been romanticized by Hollywood. Even Jackass makes being fatally stupid look like a hell of a good time.

But The Autopsy of Jane Doe does not romanticize morgue work. Your workplace is dank and oppressive. You're slicing open corpses, removing organs, breaking rib-cages, probing into throats, sawing skulls. Not only that, you're surrounded by other dead people, not all of whom left this world peacefully. It's fascinating to watch, but sure as fuck didn't inspire me to make a career change. When you throw in the remote possibility of 300-year-old murderous cadaver, I'm pretty sure the only worse job would be working as a Starbucks barista.

Natalie, however, is apparently wired differently. Based on the horrifying facts about bodily functions she regularly regales us with at the dinner table, I always knew she was into gross stuff (or at least grossing us out). But I found it a bit alarming that she was inspired by one of the more graphic horror movies I've seen in recent years to consider such a career move. I can picture her a few years from now...wrapped in a bloodied Hello Kitty smock, hunched over a bullet-ridden corpse while clutching a fistful of rusty scalpels. K-pop blasts from her AirPods and she tries humming along to keep from giggling. An occasional string of drool leaks from behind her surgical mask. And every now and then, she glances around to make sure no one is watching, then pockets another sample to take home to her cats.

Yeah, I'm probably overreacting a bit, but now I know how my parents felt when an Iron Maiden concert briefly inspired me to save-up for a guitar and start a metal band. Surely such a decision would condemn me to a life of poverty, heroin and syphilis...or worse yet, still living with them at 40.

Of course, Natalie's just inquiring at this point and it ain't like being a coroner is disreputable work (nor would she contract syphilis). But if it turns out carving up the dead makes her happy, that's ultimately what's important. I just think it's morbidly amusing she was inspired by a gory horror film. At least we weren't watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that night, which might have inspired her to open a barbecue shack.

URBAN COWBOY: Unearthing a Time Capsule

URBAN COWBOY (Blu-ray Review)

Starring John Travolta, Debra Winger, Scott Glenn, Madolyn Smith, Barry Corbin, Brooke Alderson, Mickey Gilley. Directed by James Bridges. (1980/134 min)

FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😼

I’m willing to wager a lot of you don’t remember the first time John Travolta was the bee’s knees, a genuine star whose bread & butter was high concept, audience-friendly pictures, most of which were created to sell just as many soundtrack albums as movie tickets.

And I’m pretty certain few of you recall when Debra Winger was a sex symbol of a different type. Never striking or perfectly-sculpted, she had a natural, girl-next-door quality that somehow rendered her more accessible. Heather Locklear might have been out of our league, but someone like Winger seemed at-least plausible.

And I’ll bet some of you weren’t around to endure those dark days when country music & fashion had the audacity to creep into the mainstream, to say nothing of those bizarre contraptions known as mechanical bulls. Their popularity was only exacerbated by movies like Urban Cowboy.

Finally, I’m sure most of you were today-years-old when you heard Urban Cowboy is finally on Blu-ray, 40 years after it was first released. Considering the film was a sizable hit and a bit of a cultural phenomenon, I’m kind of surprised it took this long. I’m also surprised it wasn’t released as part of Paramount Presents, the studio’s new series of their most iconic films. Considering the focus has mostly been on titles from their high-concept glory days, you’d think this would be a no brainer.

"Yeah...I know the band."

Neither as timeless as Grease or as gritty & groundbreaking as Saturday Night Fever, watching Urban Cowboy today is sort of kind unearthing a time capsule. This is Travolta cashing in on a formula he helped popularize, albeit with diminished results. Oil worker/bull rider/line dancer Bud Davis is less interesting than Tony Manero, though more immediately likable if congeniality is your thing. But ultimately, the film is calculated to exploit a growing fad by incorporating the skills of Hollywood’s preeminent trendsetter of the time.

In that context, mission accomplished, since I’ll bet a few of you who were kicking around back then might have been inspired to git yerself a pair o’ shitkickers and take-on one of those mechanical monsters. Now that I think about it, ol’ Travolta once inspired people to do a lot of silly things. Of course, the film is wall-to-wall with the music of the day, mostly “urbanized” country tunes that probably offended purists but went down easy for the masses. A few of those artists make cameo appearances in the film, as well.

Urban Cowboy is also notable for being the last successful “Travolta Film” - one built around his persona and bankability. That would eventually turn out to be a good thing, since his best performances were still ahead of him. Still, this is an interesting relic from an era when John Travolta was not-only a movie star, he showed us what to wear and how to dance.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - “Good Times with Gilley: Looking Back at Urban Cowboy”

DELETED SCENES & OUTTAKES

REHEARSAL FOOTAGE

DIGITAL COPY

KITTY CONSENSUS:

NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.

OUT OF THE PAST: You May Be Cool, But...

OUT OF THE PAST (Blu-ray Review)

Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Webb. Directed by Jacques Tourneur. (1947/97 min)

FROM WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION

Review by Mr. Paws😸

You may be cool, but you’ll never be Robert Fucking Mitchum cool.

I don’t made such a bold statement lightly. Throughout the only history that matters – movie history – a lot of guys fit the dictionary definition of cool. I could list-off the usual suspects, though chances-are you can guess who’s on it. And by the way, if Stallone happens to be on your own personal list, you should probably turn-in your Movie Man-Card right now. Sly ain’t fit to hold Mitchum’s fedora.

But Mitchum is one of the few who’s earned the right to change the middle name on his birth certificate. Take Out of the Past, for example. Not only is it one of the most superlative examples of classic film noir, it is prime Robert Fucking Mitchum.

RFM is private dick Jeff Markham hired to find gangster Whit Sterling’s (Kirk Douglas) wayward wife, Kathie (Jane Greer). He falls hard for her instead and the two decide to disappear together. But even when Whit shows up in Mexico to confront him on his progress, Jeff doesn’t lose his cool. And even when Kathie kills Jeff’s greedy partner, he doesn’t loose his cool. Years later, when Whit finds him running a desert gas station under an alias, Jeff never loses his cool. And finally, when he knows he’s being set-up to take the rap for a greedy lawyer’s murder, he keeps his cool, methodically playing Whit and Kathie against each other. For him, cool is practically a survival tactic.

"Stop me if you've heard this one..."

Cool people don’t waste a single minute reminding others how cool they are, but the coolest guys don’t seem to be aware of how cool they are. It’s in their DNA and requires zero effort, like breathing. Robert Fucking Mitchum has always given off that vibe, but it’s probably most prevalent in Out of the Past, where his character plays everything close to the vest and takes no shit from anybody, not a powerful mob boss or shifty femme fatale. And even though he’s fully aware of his own mortality, it’s simply part of doing business. You don’t get any cooler than that.

Of course, Out of the Past remains irresistibly re-watchable, not only because of Robert Fucking Mitchum in his prime, but a wonderfully twist-laden story and great performances that include young Kirk Douglas in a rare villainous role. It’s the kind of classic that makes you wanna buy a trenchcoat, don a fedora and take up smoking, which will definitely make you cooler…

...but never Robert Fucking Mitchum cool.

EXTRA KIBBLES

AUDIO COMMENTARY – By author James Ursini

KITTY CONSENSUS:

MEE-OW! LIKE TAUNTING A MOUSE TO DEATH