Sweet Castaway Mary Ann Is Gone

 

TV favorite Dawn Wells has died at 82 from Covid related causes. This star of the classic show Gilligan's Island in the mid sixties and endless reruns had appeared in other shows and films, but her fame will always be as castaway, Mary Ann. I had the pleasure of meeting her twice in 2010 and 2017 (I think) at the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Covention. She was every bit as nice as you could imagine and commented on how my name was the same as a cousin of hers. She even noted my Wild Wild West t-shirt, and said she appeared as a guest on that show. My picture with her has been a source of pride and sweet memories of a celeb who will always be remembered with fondness.

Truth and Lies in WONDER WOMAN 1984

                                       

An entertaining follow-up to its superior predecessor, Wonder Woman 1984 has an interesting plot and powerful villains to boot; fans will likely approve.

Decades after World War I, the ageless Amazon warrior, Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), now living in 1984 Washington D.C., befriends a shy, timid archivist, Barbara (Kristen Wiig), who comes across a mysterious stone with unknown purpose and powers.  TV personality and oil speculator Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is also interested in power and wants the stone’s magic as each person’s dreams and desires are realized with sinister consequences that threaten Diana’s world and forces her to revisit a painful past including her lost love, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine).

This film has a theme and intriguing premise that begins promisingly with the development of its two antagonists, and moments with Pine’s ‘fish out of water’ in a modern world are amusing, while he and Gadot shine together and culminates in a touching moment of truth. You will pick up direct and passing references in literature (The Monkey’s Paw) and films (Heaven Can Wait and Indiana Jones).  Plus we get to see Diana display new abilities. 

Partially shot in DC and Virginia, the film feels slightly long (at 2 1/2 hours) as the storyline spirals (purposely?) into a couple loose ends, while action scenes including a battle in the White House (X-Men United did a better job) and the climactic battle at a military facility don’t flow quite as well as they should; indeed, a couple of effects shots are average.  

However, with its timely message and the acting of its leads, this is still a solid adventure and worth a viewing. Do stay for that mid-credits scene, a valentine for fans.

*** of **** stars (for Gadot fans and the mid-credits)

Davidson Glows in THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND

 

Saturday Night Live player Pete Davidson shines in his first major starrer that draws from his own life, and the result is a humorous, at times biting drama that reveals glimpses of a rising talent.

Scott (Davidson) is a 24 year old son living at home with his widowed mom (Marisa Tomei) on Staten Island. Jobless and going nowhere, his pipedream is to open a tattoo parlor/restaurant while he hangs with his druggie friends and sweet girlfriend who longs for more in life. When his sister moves out for college, his mom begins dating a firefighter, Ray (Bill Burr) much to Scott’s misery. It seems his own father was a firefighter who died in the line of duty when Scott was a boy. Depressed with post trauma, Scott must learn to navigate an uncertain future and confront his past.

Much as he helped comedian Amy Schumer draw from her own background for Trainwreck, director Judd Apatow (Knocked Up) elicits some painful memories from Davidson’s real past including losing his firefighter father during 9/11 and reframes them with a cynical, humorous eye.

The sharp, heartfelt screenplay (by Apatow, Davidson and David Sirus) walks a fine line between humor and drama never deviating far from its comedic roots. It doesn’t quite gel as well as you would like, but there are memorable moments such as Scott walking Ray’s kids to school and interacting with them, and the battle of wills between Scott and Ray.

Davidson’s touching, self-cathartic performance shows he has a legitimate, dramatic side to complement his comedic talents.  Let’s face it, he’s the reason to see this film; it’s his show all the all the way, and he makes the most of it.

*** of **** stars (add ½* for Davidson fans)

Dancin Reinking

 Actress, dancer and choreographer Ann Reinking passed at 71. A protégée of Director Bob Fosse, her career spanned into the modern era of musical theater in Sweet Charity, A Chorus Line, Chicago, and many others. Her choreography in Chicago won her a Tony Award. She appeared a handful of films, but it is her role in Fosse's semiautobiographical All That Jazz where she shined in her beauty and dance moves. Broadway has lost one of its best.

A Horror Parable

The Masque of the Red Death was an interesting horror film from 1964 at the height of producer Roger Corman and star Vincent Price's successful adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe classics. The vivid colors and set designs were striking despite their limited budgets. Cinematographer Nicolas Roeg would go on to be a noted director (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Don't Look Now). This tale was originally told in Poe's short story and makes you think even today.

The Best of Veterans Day

 

The Best Years of Our Lives from 1946 won 9 Oscars including Best Picture. This post war drama centers in the lives of three veterans adjusting to civilian life. There is not one battle scene. There is, however, an impeccable cast and sensitive, outstanding direction by the master, William Wyler. I can't think of a better film to help commemorate Veterans Day.

A Gameshow Icon

Long time Gameshow host Alex Trebek has succumbed to cancer at 80. An institution since the 1984 revival of the quiz show Jeopardy, he was nominated 31 times and won seven Emmy Awards. Other top shows would reference or cross mingle with this popular show like Golden Girls, Cheers, Saturday Night Live, and even The X Files. Even through his original diagnosis and the Pandemic, viewers hung onto his every appearance. His passing is like losing a family member we grew up with that we visited on a daily basis. With several pre-taped episodes still unaired, at least we can slowly say farewell.

The answer:Alex Trebek. 

The Question: WHO WAS A GAMESHOW ICON

Childhood Halloween Memories

 Wow, Halloween falls on Saturday amid Pandemic and Daylight Savings Time!

(My first trick or treat was on a Saturday, and I remember the Outer Limits was on TV.)

Here are obscure horror films I grew up with as a child watching Chiller Theater on TV. They made a vivid impression on me.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

-Fiend Without a Face- 1958-grisly invisible monsters

-It the Terror from Beyond Space-1958-remade into Alien

-Thirteen Ghosts-1960-playful horror inspired Poltergeist

-Gorgo-1961-became Spielberg's The Lost World

-Carnival of Souls- 1962-one of the first nightmare vs reality films

"Bond, James Bond"

Superstar Sean Connery has passed at 90. The original film James Bond created an indelible portrait of Ian Fleming's sexy, macho British superspy who saved the world from evil domination starting with Dr. No through several classic adventures reaching its apex in blockbusters like Goldfinger. 

The Scottish actor made a respected career away from the iconic spy and built a catalogue of films over five decades (The Wind and the Lion, The Man Who Would Be King, The Hunt for Red October, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade-a series partially inspired by the Bond films) that led to an Oscar in The Untouchables. His win generated a standing ovation. 

My first Bond film was when my mom took me and my brother to see You Only Live Twice. It was like nothing I had seen before, and when my dad took us to a double feature of Thunderball and From Russia with Love, I was and still am convinced that Connery was The Best Bond despite a subsequent gallery of other actor portrayals. 

He had a misogynistic reputation, and as much as he wanted to shed Agent 007, he would return again and again in Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again. I raise my glass to you Sir Sean Connery.

The Redheaded Star

Movie star Rhonda Fleming passed at 97. A leading lady in the 1940s and 1950s, she was paired with some of the greatest leading men of Hollywood. She also starred in genre classics like Spellbound, Out of the Past, and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. She did TV work and later led charital causes. Her stunning redhead and green eyes are forever memorialized in Technicolor.

Diana Rigg and Her Groundbreaking Role

 British actress, Dame Diana Rigg, has passed at 82. She burst on the scene (as recently passed Honor Blackman's replacement) on the trendsetting spy show The Avengers from the 1960s. She left at the height of ots popularity to embark on a distinguished acting career in such films as The Hospital, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (as Mrs. James Bond) and Evil Under the Sun, making a name for herself in television and on the theatrical stage winning Emmy and Tony Awards. She was known to a new generation for recent appearances on Game of Thrones and just finished her last film, Last Night in Soho due for 2021. But it was her role as Emma Peel in The Avengers that will always stand out. Here was a strong willed character not defined by her sex. She was smart, cultured, independent, and boy, she could kick butt with her martial arts. It was a groundbreaking character way ahead of its time.

Wakanda Forever

I cannot believe it. I knew something was wrong, but actor Chadwick Boseman has died from cancer at 43. He had recently appeared frail, and now it is confirmed. This talented actor whose excellent biopic portrayals of real life figures like Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, and James Brown culminated in a live action realization of a comic book icon, Black Panther, that elevated the already legendary Marvel Cinematic Universe to stratospheric heights amid glowing reviews, box office records, numerous Oscar nominations including Best Picture and made a splash in the cultural landscape. His career lives on in celluloid but it is a sad day that such a young star has been cut short. Wakanda Forever!

The End of SHIELD

 

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ended its seven year run on its terms. This stepchild of the Marvel Cinematic Universe started linking to that world but never allowed to connect  directly. Instead, the writers branched into original stories that involved evil HYDRA, LMD robots, Inhumans, virtual reality of The Framework, space aliens, and time travel all the while as it built and nurtured a family of talented heroes and superheroes comprised of perhaps the most diverse cast on television. The ratings were never great but the fans were loyal. The finale did not link to The Avengers:Endgame nor did it revisit some other major characters, but the ones that returned were welcomed faces. It was an ambitious, a bit jammed together, saving its best effects for last, but the emotional payoff was there. When all was said and done, it was all about a family. Kudos to the creative talent that even got this aired and outlasted every Marvel TV show. Excelsior!

Versatile Brit Was a Visionary

My friend Murray Siegel has a very good recollection of director Alan Parker who just passed at 76. He visited University of MD College Park in 1983 and we were able to spend time with the filmmaker. I recall him buying us a meal and sharing a beer at the local restaurant RJ Bentleys while relating stories. He signed some posters and stills. We drove him to Georgetown, and it was an adventure. This gifted director was part of the new Britiah wave led by Ridley Scott. Despite a limited filmography, some of his memorable films included Midnight Express, Fame,  Mississippi Burning, and my favorite, Shoot the Moon. A bright, unique talent who, from my impression was a cool guy and gentleman.

The Grand Dame Is Gone

Olivia de Havilland passes at 104, the last major star of Hollywood's Golden Era. A double Best Actress Oscar winner and sister of actress Joan Fontaine, she won a landmark decision over Warner Brothers that broke the studio contract system and transformed the industry. Her many pairings with Errol Flynn yielded some of the best adventure films ever including The Adventures of Robin Hood and They Died With Their Boots On. The best film I ever saw of hers was The Snake Pit. What a performance! What a life!

Film and TV Star Saxon Passes Away

               
Actor John Saxon has died at 83. This star of film and TV bridged Hollywood's golden era and the new wave. I remember him on TV's The Bold Ones and later in Bruce Lee's classic Enter the Dragon. One of the most memorable moments came in an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man when he played a killer robot battling Steve Austin.  He also played the sheriff in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street.  I met him in 2002 at a Fanex event. Nice guy.

Philbin Passes Away as All Time Holder of Most TV Hours

                 

Regis Philbin passed away at 88 and his hours of TV appearances were an all time record. I remember him as late night talk show host Joey Bishop's sidekick in the sixties, and then he pioneering midmorning talk show with Kathie Lee Gifford and later Kelly Ripa. His appealing New Yorker personality and enthusiasm were magnetic and on full display on tv shows especially David Letterman where both shared heart procedure events. An Emmy winner and beloved by TV fans, his greatest success was the huge ratings event of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Going to miss his smile.