Talk about a difficult film to watch. In 1968, mass shootings were rare, although that was the year of two assassinations: Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. Targets was conceptually influenced by the 1966 Texas University tower shooter Charles Wittman, who killed 15 people and injured 31, after first killing his wife and mother. … More Targets, a film by Peter Bogdanovich (film review)
Here are a few horror films that time has mostly forgotten. These are B-films from the 1960s and 1970s. You won’t find Psycho, Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining or The Exorcist on this list. There are so many, maybe I’ll add a second list. Eye of the Devil (1966) One of MGM’s British-made films on the … More Cheesy Horror Films
Today’s NFL is pass, pass, pass. Running the ball is boring for fans, and is only used to keep defenses honest. Besides, chicks love the long ball, as they say in baseball. I always marveled at teams that had a stable of quality running backs, and this was when teams only had a 40-man roster, … More When Football Was About the Run: L.A. Rams in the 1970s
Jim Bouton was an average baseball pitcher, although he had a couple of very successful years. He had once been a member of the proud New York Yankees, where he won 21 games in 1963, and appeared in two World Series, even winning two game in the 1964 series. He won 18 games in 1964, … More Ball Four: The groundbreaking 1970 book about the game of baseball
It was the psychedelic sixties, and for a brief period, rock and roll was hippy, spacey and trippy. Actually, one could say that psychedelic music continued well into the seventies, if you count the offshoot into space-rock, fusion and funk-rock – but who’s counting? My point is that what we commonly refer to “psychedelic rock” … More Their Satanic Majesties Request: The Rolling Stones’ Answer to Sgt. Pepper?
Ranking the Beatles’ albums, probably the favorite music topic of bloggers. I’ll follow my colleagues by name my favorite five songs on each album. Ready, set, go! 13. With the Beatles (1963) – Too many covers for me, but still a wonderful album. “Rollover Beethoven,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “All My Loving,” “Money” and … More Beatles Albums Ranked: My List
Video blogger Barry Robinson has ignited a firestorm with his recent blog about bands that should stop touring. Declining vocal and skills, crass commercialism, use of prerecorded enhancements and absence of original members are reasons noted for making the list. With some encouragement, I’ve developed my own list of artists that should pull the tour … More Too Old to Rock and Roll?
Who is Bobbie Gentry? The big-haired, sultry sounding gal from Chickasaw County, Mississippi, most famous for her song “Ode to Billie Joe.” Gentry, born Roberta Lee Streeter, was a maverick, something that did not fit well in the male-controlled music industry in the 1960s. She wrote most of her own music, wanted a say in … More Bobbie Gentry: Remembered
Three films, that’s all we need to appreciate the appeal and talent of Ava Gardner. A screen legend, certainly; beautiful and desirable, of course; and underestimated as an actress. If you only saw her late in her life, you got the remnants of her legend, but unfortunately not the full power of how she commanded … More A Look at Ava Gardner
Movie music is fascinating. Most of it is average at best; functional, but not memorable. Bond films, Hitchcock suspense, the themes from Jaws, The Exorcist, Rocky and Breakfast at Tiffany’s – all magical film moments. We can all think of our favorite film scores, whatever generation we represent. Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, Henry … More To Kill a Mockingbird: Musical Score
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