Another year, another mediocre big budget biopic, filled with Oscar aspirations, about a musical genius. I’m a huge fan of Elton John, and have been for years, but he deserves so much more than what is mainly just a serviceable musical drama about his life. While it gets credit for consciously dodging biopic tropes (and seems to also be a retort to “Bohemian Rhapsody” which openly shied away from Freddie Mercury’s sexuality), “Rocketman” only inspired me to re-visit his classic music.
The Bootleg Files: To Tell the Truth
BOOTLEG FILES 713: “To Tell the Truth” (long-running television game show).
LAST SEEN: Plenty of old episodes are on YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: A few of the older episodes are on DVD from a highly dubious label.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Never properly repackaged for home entertainment channels.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely at all.
Liars are the most fascinating people. After all, they can give you a spiel that could be utterly convincing and compelling, but it is only later when you realize their smoke-and-mirror act played you for a fool. And it takes a certain brand of talent to sell a falsehood in a manner that it is happily embraced as a fact and its seller is welcomed as an all-around good sort.
Continue reading
The Reliant (2019)
“The Reliant” is that movie you watch when you thought that 1984’s “Red Dawn” wasn’t jingoistic enough and well–just didn’t preach enough about the love for guns and God, dagnabit. What we get is post-apocalyptic clap trap where a group of wholesome, blonde, upper class, white kids and their guns survive an economic collapse as they are relentlessly hunted by evil, gun toting atheists. “The Reliant” is based on a book that is perfect fodder for Kevin Sorbo and his increasing library of movies that preach about Christianity, and the danger of not being Christian.
Cats (2019)
Twenty five years too late, “Cats” is that kind of Broadway hit that may have worked wonders on the stage but fails spectacularly when it’s given a very literal adaptation on screen (e.g. “Jersey Boys”). I say that as someone that’s never liked “Cats” or really ever seen the big deal behind it. I barely stayed awake during a production airing on PBS back in the mid-nineties, and I only fondly remember it thanks to a classic TV ad that played around the clock in the eighties and nineties. “Cats” has always been that production I hope studios would stop trying to put on to the big screen.
And sadly, here we are. Oh the horror.
A Message for Readers for the Holidays
The holidays can be a joyous time, a time where we can celebrate our year and be with our families. We pig out, we indulge in gifts, and we also reflect on our successes and failures. But for many it can be a very tough time. It’s a time where we still grieving the ones we’ve lost, are reminded of those we love that couldn’t be here to enjoy the holidays with us. For those people out there that don’t see the holidays as a joyous time and think they need some serious help, we know how it feels.
There’s absolutely no shame in getting help and seeking counseling from a professional in times of great stress and or pain. Especially when you have to endure Christmas, and or Hanukkah. It’s okay to not be happy during the holidays, it’s okay to be in pain and it’s okay to admit that you need help, and you need help from someone who can remind you that life is worth living and this too, shall pass.
No matter what happens in your life, you deserve good health. You deserve to have peace of mind. You matter. You’re wanted. People care about you. Most of all, you’re not alone. Not in the world, and not in suffering.
If you’re contemplating suicide please consider the Suicide Prevention Hotline, right now.
Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Fun Festivus for the Rest of Us, and Happy New Year!
Thanks for another wonderful year from Cinema Crazed.
Silver Bullet (1985): Collector’s Edition [Blu-Ray]
I admittedly have a long relationship with “Silver Bullet” as it’s a bonafide childhood favorite horror movie that I’ve seen at least a thousand times. Years later, it’s managed to hold up very well, and that’s thanks to the fact that it embodies what often can break or make a Stephen King tale. There’s a strong sense of folklore and urban legend mythology behind the tale of “Silver Bullet” and King manages to combine so much from a murder mystery, a whodunit, a family movie, and a creepy werewolf picture in to a horror gem that earns its place in the pantheon of great King adaptations.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
With director JJ Abrams returning to the “Star Wars” universe once again (taking the reins for Rian Johnson), he’s able to repeat history of generations’ past. He offers fans the final film of a three movie saga that never quite hits the high bar set by the previous films. “The Rise of Skywalker” is a great movie in its own right, but like “Return of the Jedi” it is held back due to many unfortunate screenplay inconsistencies, characters that don’t do much of anything, and blatant retconning that Abrams commits to at the expense of the story. “The Rise of Skywalker” is a very good movie and great closer to the Skywalker saga, warts and all.