Film Review: ROCKY IV (1985, Sylvester Stallone)

Stars: 4 of 5.Running Time: 91 minutes.Notable Cast or Crew: Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen (RED SONJA, COBRA), Talia Shire (THE GODFATHER, OLD BOYFRIENDS), Burt Young (CHINATOWN, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA), Dolph Lundgren (UNIVERSAL SOLDIER, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE), Carl Weathers (PREDATOR, ACTION JACKSON), Tony Burton (THE SHINING, THE BLACK GODFATHER), James Brown as "The Godfather of Soul."  Mr. T and Burgess Meredith in archival footage.  Featuring the song "Double or Nothing," by Kenny Loggins.Best one-liner: "Get ready...

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Further Praise for SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS

Photo by Michael Blase.Graphic Design by Sean Gill.A few more  press responses to SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS (a description of which can be found here):Flavorpill says:  "[SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS] depicts two familiar worlds– the workplace and dreams– only this symphony in shadows is far more exhilarating and terrifying than the norm or even Freud... Klein's Sleeper and her pesky Shadows move gracefully through the realms of modern dance, burlesque, gymnastics, and Romantic-era ballet.  The erotic dreams may be too much for the delicate...

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Only now does it occur to me... THELMA AND LOUISE

Only now does it occur to me...  that the highlight of THELMA AND LOUISE is not when they drive off the cliff together, nor is when they blow up the tanker–   (although, now that I mention it, it miiight be when they blow up the tanker...)but in fact it is the subtle pleasure of watching Harvey Keitel beat Brad Pitt about the head and neck...   ...with his own cowboy hat.THWACKTHWACKK THWACCCCCKK!As I say, it's a subtle joy, and one that's amplified by the fact that Keitel isn't really given that much to do in this...

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RIP, Susan Tyrrell

It pains me to report that Susan Tyrrell has passed– one of my all-time favorite actors, and one of the most fearless, talented, and outrageous performers of her– or any other– generation. She had a storied romance with Hervé Villechaize, performed for years a one-woman show entitled MY ROTTEN LIFE: A BITTER OPERETTA (which can be watched here), and was told by Tennessee Williams that "My favorite actors are fifty-percent male and fifty percent female.  You, my dear, are neither."  From dilapidated gin joints (FAT CITY) to the...

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The Village Voice on SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS

Photo by Michael Blase. Graphic Design by Sean Gill.Some excerpts from the Village Voice review of SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS (a description of the show can be found here):"A lively and fantastical depiction of how we hide from our own issues, pushing them down in our daily lives until they have no other choice but to come after us in the night...  one of Symphony's greatest strengths  is its ability to depict a setting that's no so much unlike ours, yet one that's just cloudy enough to play with the performance's levels of reality...  a...

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Only now does it occur to me... SNAKE EYES

 Only now does it occur to me...  that Nic Cage once played Rick Santorum in SNAKE EYES, the biopic focusing on his lesser-known early career as a sleazy Atlantic City c...

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Only now does it occur to me... AGAINST THE WALL

Only now does it occur to me...  that Harry Dean Stanton must occasionally request for "singing" to be included in his contracts.  As he broke into song, I recalled Harry Dean's hearty rendition of "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane" in STRAIGHT TIME, Harry Dean's eerie hymnals in BIG LOVE, and I'm pretty sure he sorta sings along with the radio in WILD AT HEART.  That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure there's more, but in general, I must say that I'm happy we get to see Harry Dean belt one out in every other movie.  Anyway,...

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More praise for SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS

Photo by Michael Blase.  Graphic Design by Sean Gill.More reviews of SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS (a description of which can be found here):Backstage says:  "The world that the dancers craft is visually sumptuous. Klein's staging fills the theater from floor to ceiling, and each of the fantasy sequences allows a different dancer to perform a virtuosic set piece in one of many worlds sensuously imagined..."Courtesan Macabre says:  "The production is an extravaganza of ballet, aerialists, musicians, surreal costumes, acrobats, burlesque...

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Praise for SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS

Photo by Michael Blase.  Graphic design by Sean Gill.A few early press responses to SYMPHONY OF SHADOWS (a description of which can be found here):Call Me Adam says:  "A show that will stay with me for years to come! One of the best performance pieces I have seen...The extremely talented cast of performers engulfed the audience with their artistry."Theater for Nerds says: "Eye-catching and exciting, with a very wide range of performance styles... spider women will swing over the stage, ballerinas dance en pointe, and busty burlesque queens...

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Only now does it occur to me... DR. NO

Only now does it occur to me...  that James Bond values fine booze above human life, or perhaps even humanity itself.  Now, on some level I'd always known this, but I'd forgotten about this wonderful little exchange in the midst of DR. NO.It's the scene in the film where Bond dines with the mastermind-antagonist at his underwater nuclear installation and they test their intellects against one another, invariably setting up the final act.  At Bond's suggestion, the Bond-girl of the moment, Ursula Andress, is removed so they can...

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