Movie review - "Welcome to LA" (1976) ***

 Washed over me and I went with it. Sort of Son of Nashville with Keith Carradine as a fboi musician once more, only this time in LA. Carradine is back in LA and old flame Viveca Linsfors wouldn't mind shagging him but instead he shags real estate agent Sally Kellerman (married to John Considine), a receptionist Diahnne Abbott, model Lauren Hutton (mistress to Carradine's dad Denver Pyle), and Geraldine Chaplin (married to Harvey Keitel). Kellerman and Considine try to hook up with other people but wind up together. Sissy Spacek is seeing Keitel and offers to sleep with Considine for money.

Carradine has a silly beard. The movie has a wonderful tone. Spacek goes topless and Chaplin full frontal - the seventies! 

Movie review - "The Sons of Katie Elder" (1965) *** (rewatching)

 So much great stuff I wish it was better - John Wayne being manly, Dean Martin as his brother (great team), the concept, the locations, the colour, Dennis Hopper as a coward (fantastic work), George Kennedy as a gun man. Henry Hathaway. But too much much is underwhelming - Earl Holliman (in the film to die basically but I wish he'd had more to play), Michael Anderson (less good than original choice Tommy Kirk), bland Martha Hyer.

Lots of fun still - just could have been a classic, that's all. 

Movie review - "Southern Comfort" (1981) ****1/2 (rewatching)

 The most incomptent soldiers ever? Stealing boats, losing maps, going nutty, yelling, lighting fires, counting chickens before hatched... It feels very real. Magnificently shot and acted. I love the relationship between Powers Boothe and Keith Carradine.

Movie review - "The Warriors" (1979) **** (re-watching)

 Great fun and style. Love the differentiation in the warriors - the gay artist (well, coded gay), the dumb big white guy, cocky Ajax, taciturn Swan, the whimpy white guy who gets knocked out. Spooky sequences like the baseball furies and the Lizzies though I have a soft spot for the Orphans, desperate to prove they're cool.

Keith Carradine Top Ten

 

Re watching Southern Comfort (1981) prompted me to revisit Keith Carradine's filmography. I haven't seen all he's done, esp in recent years, but his run in the 70s-80s alone is easy for a top ten.

1) McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971) - one scene but maybe the best scene in the movie

2) Thieves Like Us (1974) - astonishingly good and touching in another Altman masterpiece

3) Nashville (1975) - another Altman: I'm not actually a huge fan of the movie but he's terrific

4) Emperor of the North (1973) - counter balances Marvin and Borgnine wonderfully

5) The Duellists (1977) - I feel like this movie gets rediscovered every seven years or so; he's great

6) Pretty Baby (1978) - this film would be illegal if made today - he's very good

7) The Long Riders (1980) - the brothers should've worked more together, they all rock in this.

8) Choose Me (1984) - I'll put this in for all the other Alan Rudolphs I haven't seen

9) Chiefs (1983) - splendid mini series

10) Southern Comfort (1981) - my favourite Carradine performance I wish he and Powers Boothe had worked together again

NB recognise he has done much fine work post-1984 this is just to cover that first 15 years

Movie review - "Rio Lobo" (1970) **1/2 (re-viewing)

 Not a good movie but I enjoy it, with its 70s hair, John Wayne beaming at the inadequate supporting cast, Jorge Riviero not up to it, neither Chris Mitchum or Jennifer O'Neill, but Jack Elam fun, and plenty of random helpers eg Shelley Lansing.

But no one has much of a character to play - Victor French (baddy) has a clear goal (money) as does O'Neil (revenge) but everyone else feels sketchy. 

Movie review - "Up the Creek" (1984) ***

 Loved it as a kid, the three stars is generous but it's fun enough, helped by decent production values (Oregon location, rapids, bars, extras, a mini flood) and a classy support cast: James Sikking s in there, John Hillerman. Tim Matheson is full of handsome confident swagger that promised a stardom which never came; the bloke from Porky's seems a little lost, Stephen Furst is fat, the nerd is an alcoholic which is interesting. Jeff East is an ideal villain. Jennifer Runyon is very sweet as the love interest - she and her friends are very sexually aggressive and not punished. Blaine Novak's Coyote-style army villain entertains. Cheap Trick didn't like its theme song but I felt it was fun.

I'm not objective about this film but it's fun. One of Sam Arkoff's post AIP efforts.