TV review - "Spacey Unmasked" (2024) ***1/2

 Two part doco about the allegations against Spacey. So consistent and repetitive that it's even more remarkable the charges haven't stuck - actually, no, that's not remarkable, really. Plenty of strong ex military guys wanting to be actors struggling to explain why they felt so helpless but they are not the only type. Confronting. To flesh it out there's accounts from Spacey's brother about their upbringing - it's not a portrait devoid of sympathy. I wonder if it wouldn't have been more successful as a contained piece rather than a two parter. Still, well done.

Movie review - "Truck Turner" (1974) ***

 Nothing to do with Trucks - Isaac Hayes is a bail bondsman constantly coming up against racist white idiots and smacking them around which is satisfactory for me as a white viewer so must've worked wonders for the black audience.

There is too much misogyny - yes, I know it's blaxploitation but Truck is always smacking them around, calling them bitch.

On the bright side Yaphet Kotto is a superb antagonist Nichelle Nichols is great fun as a bitter madam, the acting is strong, Hayes has this great low key big dick energy. The movie ambles rather than roars but it does have emotional power. Jonathan Kaplan directs with some flair.

Larry Gordon was an excellent production chief for AIP.

Movie review - "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" (1977) ***

 Roger Corman was always pestered to make "serious" films and it's forgotten he did - this was his stab at Ingmar Bergman territory, made at New World, with classier talent, from a famous book. I think he was hoping for his own One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

I'm not sure Anthony Page is Milos Forman or Kathleen Quinlan is Jack Nicholson but everyone's really trying to make a good movie. Quinlan is absolutely fine... she goes there... but she's not a star. Jodie Foster, who Corman at one stage wanted, would've been better. Not Quinslan's fault.

 Susan Tyrell impresses in a flashy support role as a patient. Sylvia Sidney's there too.

But main issue with film IMHO - lack of a strong core relationship. There's Quinlan and shrink Bibi Andersson but  that's just shrink patient, really - it doesn't have impact on the shrink in the way say Equus did. Doesn't have a core relationship the way Cuckoo's Nest did with McMurphy and Chief and Ratched. There's a woman at the end who might be Quinlan's future lover/friend but that feels rushed. I think the movie needed to fix around three or so solid relationships, have these give it narrative, and it would've been fine.

Movie review - "Inside Out 2" (2024) ****

 Funny how the public can smell a hit. They wanted to see it, sensed it was good, and came.

I was actually upset they wanted to make it, the first was so lovely but... actually it makes sense because the character is thirteen and there's a bunch of new emotions (anxiety, ennui, etc).

Good, cheap way to do therapy, clever script, typically strong animation, plenty of colour and action. I get why they avoided the boys issue.

Movie review - "El Condor" (1970) ***

 Larry Cohen nwas called in to rewrite this - he whinged about what was done to his script, as he often did, but although his script may have been better it's an enjoyable movie with Jim Brown and Lee Van Cleef as a left-field double act trying to get gold in Mexico with the help of Apaches.

Rousing music, impressive set, a surprising amount of nudity (there's a raid at night to kill soldiers in bed with prostitutes - most of them are naked), Marianna Hill is beautiful, Patrick O'Neal a worthy adversary, the Apache roles are underdone.

The rushed rewriting of the script is notable, and I got confused here and there.

But generally a decent late period Western.

Movie review - "Otto by Otto" (2024) ***1/2

 Moving, well done doco about Barry Otto from his daughter Gracie. I met Barry once or twice - he was off with the pixies then as his own family admit in the doco so his dementia was hard to pick up... although it was notable that he struggled with a script. 

I was really moved by this - in part because he reminded me of my grandmother, one foot in fantasy land, house full of crap, painting, eventually second foot goes off with dream land. 

Lovely for Brisbane people too to see the artistic community of Twelfth Night. His wife (second) helped set up the Nimrod but gave it up to be a parent... there is more story to be told there.

Appearances (or, rather, vocals) from people like John Bell, Gillian Armstrong (who does have to stop staying Australian stories started to be written in the 70s), Baz L, Cate Blanchett. A Bob Ellis review quoted. Excellent home movie footage and fascinating glimpses of Nimrod, Belvoir etc.

AIP Top Ten of the 1970s post James H. Nicholson

 AIP's history post James H Nicholson often gets short shrift. It was overshadowed by New World and Sam Arkoff's decision to sell. But look at some highlights

1) Black Caesar (1973) - Larry Cohen goes a black 30s gangster film, so well you wish he'd done more blaxploitation.

2) Coffy (1974) - Jack Hill is another filmmaker who like Cohen gave AIP of the 70s its greatest success.

3) Sisters (1973) - early de Palma

4) Dillinger (1973) - early Miliys

5) Truck Turner (1974)

6) Macon County Line (1975)

7) The Land That Time Forgot (1975)

8) Rolling Thunder (1977)

9) Love at First Bite (1979)

10) Dressed to Kill (1981)

Donald Sutherland and Australia

Donnie was a Canadian, who are like Aussie cousins, so I thought there would be a few links and I was right.

1) Bear Island (1979) - Canadian Sutherland often returned home to make movies so it was fitting he starred in this, Canada's most expensive film made til that time, from a novel by Alistair Maclean... directed by Aussie Don Sharp. (Film isn't bad, not as good as the book, too many parkas).

2) Six Degrees of Separation (1994) - Donald Sutherland had, unlike Elliot Gould, a knack of consistently picking outstanding roles after the 70s. This was one, terrific film, directed by Australia's own Fred Schepesci.

3) Don't Look Now (1973) - this film, with yes its famous sex scene, was edited by Aussie Graeme Clifford.

4) Fools Gold (2008) - treasure hunt adventure film with Sutherland in one of his colourful support roles - shot in various spots in Queensland.

5) Cold Mountain (2003) - Donald Sutherland played a lot of dads and in this one, a film which no one much remembers any more, he was father to Nicole Kidman

6) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1991) - he was in the original Buffy! V loose Aussie connection - the Divynyls 'Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Any more' is on the soundtrack but I remember seeing it at the cinema and being v excited when I heard it in the film

7) The Kentucy Fried Movie (1977) - Sutherland has a small part in this comedy as does Australia's own George Lazenby - both in the same bit "That's Armaggedon"

8 ) Uprising (2001) - TV film about th Warsaw Ghetto Uprising where Sutherland appears opposite Australia's own Radha Mitchell

9) Court Martial (1966) - British TV series with American stars - Sutherland appeared in an epiosode opposite Aussie Kenneth J Warren

10) Donnie Sutherland - hosted 'Sounds' - not Donald Sutherland

Book review - "Rhino Ranch" by Larry McMurtry (2009)

 I think McMurtry did this because he liked Duane Moore so much he felt compelled to see it through to Duane's death - rather quick, of a heart attack while fishing at the end of this book. Painless. But happy enough.

Once again all the gals want Duane - even his wife Anne, who at the start has left him, and at one stage dates Imran Khan which is cool, now is revealed to be on meth head, and she dies in an accident; Honour, his shrink, he occasionally talks to, and is killed off via cancer; there's Dal, a Cambodian at his son's work who moves in platonically but he could love her' a manic pixie horny girl who gives him a blow job and wants to work in porn; some other girl who offers to root him, a sculptor; a millionairess who wants to root him; a journalist who interviews him who might want to root him then roots his grand son.

He has a nice grandson, rabbiting daughters who are barely in it and have no dimension, a loyal friend. Chapters are super short, plots come and go with rapidity (a rhino ranch, meth users, a proposed statue), as do characters (the rhino, a Khalahari bushman, a Texas ranger, a female sherrif). There's sideswipes at Thalia/Archer, a lot of moseying around.

This one is for the diehards but since I'm a diehard I guess I enjoyed it, especially as it's clearly so personal.

Kevin Costner Top Ten

 1) Silverado

2) Bull Durham - probs my favourite of his movies

3) The Bodyguard

4) Waterworld - actually a decent B picture Mad Max rip off

5) Tin Cup

6) The Untouchables

7) No Way Out

8) Open Range

9)Thirteen Days

10) Revenge

(I'm just doing films not TV

Movie review - "Thunder and Lightning" (1977) **1/2

 The last of Roger Corman's four 1970s movies for Fox this is done with some polish but lacks a little magic. David Carradine isn't the first actor you think to play a good ole boy nor is Kate Jackson the first for a good ole girl.

There's a lot of yelling. I didn't like this movie. It just got at my nerves - all the yelling. Some decent car action at the end. Maybe it took too long to get going for me.

Movie review - "Rollercoaster" (1977) ***

 James Goldstone tried really hard to make a good movie but I think he was limited by his talent and also the restrictions of Universal - it has particularly ugly 70s art direction and costume design (those checked pants).

At heart this feels like an episode of Columbo with some spectacle (rollercoaster scenes, crowds at themed parks) - we know who did it straight away the film becomes about catching the killer. There's cat and mouse phone calls between hero George Segal and bomber Timothy Bottoms.

I liked Bottoms and Segal, though I wished Elliot Gould had been in either role. There's a lot of craggy faced actors like Henry Fonda, Harry Guardino, and Richard Widmark, and newer faces like Steve Guttenberg, Helen Hunt, and Craig Wasson. There's a fun cameo from a non famous band, decent extras. a solid rollercoaster explosion at the top, so much smoking (like, everyone's smoking, there's a plot about Segal trying to give up smoking - smokes killed one of the writers IRL), bits of business for Segal to play that was presumably actor bait (girlfriend Susan Strasberg, divorced from wife, trying to give up smoking, snappy attitude, scenes with Fonda and Widmark), lots of scenes of phone calls (dilligent plotting but I felt half an hour could've been cut out just with scene trims).

I wish the police had tried other ways of tracking Bottoms (eg interviewing people who saw him when he pretended to be giving room service... not hard to do, would've taken time, provided a sketch to give Segal).

But this was a pretty good movie. The acting was solid, it was smart, there was suspense (I expected the bomb crew to be blown away), the villain isn't dumb.

Brat Pack Top Tens

In honour of the new Brat pack doco here is my top ten films that wrecked the Brat Pack

1) Blue City (1986) who better to star in a Walter Hill written adaptation of a Ross MacDonald noir novel than... Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson??? Michelle Manning copped the blame for this but the script is terrible and I love Walter Hill

2) Wisdom (1986) - Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore in a film written and directed by Emilio who was the same age as when Orson Welles made Citizen Kane but Emilio didn't have Herman Mankiewicz, Gregg Toland, the Mercury players, ten years experience in theatre, the life of Randolph Hearst...

3) Kansas (1988) - Matt Dillon, Andrew McCarthy under the direction of Australia's own David Stevens

4) Fresh Horses (1988) - props to Molly Ringwald giving this a go, based on a play which made a name of Suzy Amis, it showed that audiences only really wanted to see Molly as the girl next door and then only at high school

5) The Pick Up Artist (1987) - Molly R has had a lot to say about the dodginess of John Hughes films... I haven't been able to find much she's said about James Toback (google him)... I would genuinely be interested to know her thoughts

6) For Keeps (1987) - another Molly film that under performed... although she was a high school kid... possibly the issue was the lack of star power via Randall Batinkoff

7) Illegally Yours (1988) - Peter Bogdanovich tries to get Rob Lowe to do Ryan O'Neal in a film which is perhaps the strongest argument that Peter B should have stayed away from the type writer

8 ) Square Dance (1988) - Rob Lowe goes the Simple Jack route and got a Golden Globe nom in a film no one went to see - he's still around though so who's laughing (my take on Lowe... as in most of the bratpackers... only Demi Moore was a proper star the rest were better in ensemble films)

9) Maid to Order (1987) - it is harder for female stars than male stars as shown by the fact Ally Sheedy had a huge hit with Short Circuit then made this then wasn't a star anymore - ditto it killed Amy Holden Jones' directorial career. (Compare this to Robert Downey Jnr who had the lead in something like twenty flops)

10) Out of Bounds (1986) - Anthony Michael Hall leaps to fame as a nerd then plays a tough guy in this, followed by a tough jock in Johnny Be Good,

And for fun here are ten Brat Pack movies not known for being Brat Pack movies that are actually really good

1) From the Hip - Judd Nelson lawyer comedy from David E Kelly script

2) Catholic Boys/Heaven Help Us - genuinely good coming of age teen film from Andrew McCarthy with people like Kevin Dillon and Patrick Dempsey in it

3) Bad Influence - Lowe and Spader and Curtis Harrington - underserved flop

4) Youngblood - decent hockey film with Lowe, Swayze and young Keanu and Cynthia Gibb should've been a bigger star

5) Maximum Overdrive - to lunaticly insane to not be fun

6) Masquerade (1988) unofficial remake of Hithcock's suspicion from script by Dick Wolfe... decent film

7) About Last Night (1986) - maybe cheating to have this but it's a good movie, the leads handle Mamet dialogue v well and showed how the Brat Packers could have evolved - keep co starring in films, have better writers..

8 )That Was Then This is Now - (1986) not bad SE Hinton film from Emilio

9) Rumble Fish (1983) - think The Outsiders counts as a Brat Pack film but Rumble Fish doesn't seem to but Rumble Fish is also awsome

10) Red Dawn (1984) - John Milius makes a proper Brat Pack action film

Movie review - "Baby Face Nelson" (1996) *

 Roger Corman went back to the gangster well a few times in the 1990s - Dillinger and Capone and this, which is about Baby Face but also features Dillinger (Martin Kove) and Capone (F Murray Abraham).

The budget isn't big but is big enough to cover period clothes and extras. The script is full of cliches but that's not fatal.

What kills this is C. Thomas Howell's hilarious attempts to play a Chicago tough guy. It really is something.

Lisa Zane is the girl.

Book review - "Boone's Lick" by Larry McMurtry (2000)

 Not bad Western from McMurtry - at the end of the Civil War a family head north to Wyoming to find the missing father of the family ("missing" as in he shot through not he's a mystery). They arrive in time to witness the Fetterman Massacre.

There is easy going prose, bursts of violence, a cameo from Wild Bill Hickcok and a bigger role for Fetterman. Like I said, not bad. Narrated from teen Shay. There's a tough female lead, some cranky old timers. 

The journey doesn't start until one-third of the way through. It's not a long book. The book doesn't feel cohesive. One review I read thought the problem was the focus was it was told from a teen's POV and he wasn't across the emotional issues the way that grumpy Uncle Seth would've, or the female lead. Maybe.

McMurtry said Tom Hanks was interested in a film version - I'm not sure a film version would've been that awesome.

Movie review - "Tidal Wave" (1975) **1/2

 Japanese film The Submergion of Japan was retitled by Roger Corman for New World, who added a few scenes with Lorene Greene though not many. Decent effects but I think the successs was due to its concept - they figure out tidal waves will wipe out Japan causing the whole country to be evacuated. Massive stakes. Great issues. Refugees etc.

Aussies will enjoy a scene where a Japanese politician asks the Australian ambassador to take people.

Movie review - "Capone" (1975) **1/2 (re-watching)

 A film of some good moments - Ben Gazzara/Capone going mad at the end, the vivacity and beauty (and nudity) of Susan Blakely as Capone's upper glass gal (her death has someweight), John Cassavetes is electric in an all too brief appearance, the relationship between Capone and his unfaithful support Frank Nitti well played by Sylvester Stallone (a decent role for Sly).

But theres too much pointless gunfire and people shouting and not enough suspense,, sex, build up. It's unsubtly done. Like St Valentine's Day Massacre there's lots of details but we don't really get a sense of why it's important.

Top Ten ITC Entertainment Films

 1) Farewell My Lovely (1975)

2) Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

3) Eagle Has Landed (1976)

4) Capricorn One (1977)

5) Boys from Brazil (1978)

6) Movie Movie (1978)

7) The Muppet Movie (1979)

8) Gregory's Girl (1981)

9) On Golden Pond (1982)

10) Sophie's Choice (1982)

That is a good record.

Steve Martin Top Ten

 1) The Man With Two Brains (1982) - can't believe it wasn't a bigger hit

2) Dead Man Don't Wear Plaid (1982) - also loved this

3) All of Me (1984) - fantastic physical comedy

4) Roxanne (1987) - terrific rom com

5) Only Murders in the Building - one of his best efforts

6) Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - small role he was terrific

7) Grand Canyon (1991) - Martin as Joel Silver

8) Parenthood (1989) - these roles are harder than they look

9) Bowfinger (1999) - magic

10) Pink Panther (2006) - you know something, I'm giving him this because it seemed such an impossible job to step into Sellars' shoes and he pulled it off

Movie review - "The Abominable Dr Phibes" (1971) **** (re-watching)

 Really good. Director has tried. Great art direction. Interesting touches - Price speaking via a mike. Enigmatic beautiful assistant (maybe could have done more with her). Polished cast. Great Terry Thomas bit looking at a porno from those days. Charismatic Price. Boozers nose on cop actor. Ineffective cops. Just fun. Also serious when Cotten's son is abducted. Well written.

Movie review - "Orphan of the Wilderness" (1936) ***1/2

 Beautifully made film - one of Ken G Hall's best. Simple story that borrows from Call of the Wild, the story of Chud the kangaroo who really goes through the wringer. Mum killed, finds nice family, tortured by local, threatened with death, escapes to circus, tortured again, chased again. It's full on.

Brian Abbott has a nice speaking voice and odd teeth. he'd be dead soon afte this, drowned. Gwen Munro is winning. I liked their relationship - grown ups. She works for the circus. He's a farmer with a mum. 

Colourful clrcus folk. People like Ron Whelan and Joe Valli.

A really lovely film.

Gene Tierney Top Ten

 I haven't seen all her films but let's give this a shot

1) Laura (1944) - start off easy!

2) Leave Her to Heaven (1945) - she's superb, another easy one

3) Ghost and Mrs Muir (1947) - love comedy/romance

4)Heaven Can Wait (1943) - she's great, film's less interesting when she dies

5) Dragonwyck (1946) - good old scared woman melo

6) The Shanghai Gesture (1941) - silly third world tosh done very well

7) Sundown (1941) - silly British Empire tosh done very well

8) Son of Fury (1942) - silly SouthSeas tosh done very well... a patten is emerging!

9) Belle Starr (1941) - I'm starting to stretch - she was a little miscast but the film is fine

10) The Razor's Edge (1946) - she's brilliant

Movie review - "Dad Rudd MP" (1940) ***

 The last official Cinesound film - shorts, and Smithy did follow. Sad because it ws so slick and confident. 

You do sense boredom from Hall with comedy. The firemen sequence is outstandingly funny. The Laughing gas scene not bad. Other stuff not as good - Dad telling Ossie Wenban the birds and the bees, Dad charming snobs at fancy dress... these seem like retreads of Dad and Dave Come to Town.

The film copies a lot of that - mum's inspirational speech. Alec Kellaway is back and just as gay.

Hall seems more interested in spectacle and Hollywood drama - Dad and Webster fighting over the dam, a crooked political machine smashing up operations a la Mr Smith Goes to Washington (Aussie politics is veyr corrupt here), trying to stop a dam flooding. a romance between charming Yvonne East and Grant Taylor (slim, handsome, baldind, terrific). The backprojection of the dam. All the extras running to vote. There's even alittle song and dance at the end where people celebrate Dad's victory.

East and Taylor are a sweet  team. Also very sweet is where Dad and Mum discuss their old romance.

Barbara Weeks is in it as a man trap American bit she's hardly a threat. (This feels very "Frank Harvey" this plot. The political machine plot feels very cribbed from Hollywood especially Capra.)

Movie review - "A Son is Born" (1946) ***

 Three stars maybe high for something low budge (the sets are very basic) but it's very comptent, well realised. Unpretentious. Plot follows logically. Muriel Steinbeck marries dead beat Peter Finch - her mum believably unsympathetic. He drinks. Travels. Their son prefers him. She walks out, son stays with dad, dad dies, son grows up to be bitter, wants vengeance by seducing daughter of Mum's new bloke (John McCallum).

Finch is very good as is Steinbeck - she's a little soap actory but it suits story. Randell is brilliant - handsome, evil, charismatic. He marries Jane holland intending to root her and dump her. That's full on. They don't have sex here - McCallum and Steinbeck get to the church. Boo! 

It ends in New Guinea. Randell becomes a Good Person rather quickly via war service. There's some terrific Damien Parer photography and action. The ending does work.

Kitty Bluett, the maid, had an affair with Randell IRL.

Holland is likeable. McCallum looks the part but is a little stiff playing "old".

But just a really good solid film. Location filming helps immeasuably.

Book review - "Sin Killer" by Larry McMurtry

 McMurtry prides himself on creating characters but the ones here are pretty thing. Hoity yet horny aristoctratic lady who hooks up with hunky mysterious Indian, stuffy lord, cranky Indian... Come on, Larry.

Enjoyable. Easy descriptions of the time, world, 1830s Missouri, Some violence. A little lazy.

Movie review - "Ants in His Pants" (1939) **1/2

Recut from the original Come Up Smiling - I'm not sure what was added. Maybe another song? I'm guessing the bit at the end when the kid shoves ants in Will Mahoney's pants.

Half a good film. Slick. Mahoney is engaging. Clearly talented.

Script a bit of a mess. It's a bunch of incidents and bits. Mahoney at the circus. Mahoney looks after soprano Jean Hatton (why not make them father and daughter? Why make Sid Wheeler Hatton's dad?) Mhoney raising money to help Hatton's voice. Gets in the boxing ring. There's something about gangsters. Mahoney in blackface with a lamb. Mahoney at a snobby party. Mahoney in love with Shirley Ann Richards who is with John Fleeting. Why? Richards could've been cut out of the movie. And Fleeting.

They should've made Richards into Mahoney's daughter. Or sister. She's helping raise Hatton - give her stakes. She's just in the film. Have her fall in love with Fleeting not be with Fleeting.

Evie Hayes is in it - Mahoney's wife. She helps him train, I think. Sings a number. There's a few numbers.

It's slick. Technically. Not story wise. Frank Harvey didn't write this and you can tell. 

Chips Rafferty is an extra but good luck spotting him.

Script review - "The Big Chill" by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedeck

 At one stage this film was a Big Deal. The Soundtrack sold like gangbusters. Became a short hand - a Big Chill type gathering. Didn't invent the format. Return of the Secauscus Seven. But also plays.

It's like a play. Kasdan and Benedeck keep it visual in a way - a funeral, a visit to a bar, chasing bats, differnent rooms, sex.

The dynamic of the friends is worked out well. I'll use character names:

- William Hurt - one of best characters. Flashy role. Drug addict, dealer. Doomed, Funny, Impotent. How is being with Meg Tilly going to make him better.

- Meg Tilly. Bad character on page and screen. Just dull. I know why she's there.

- Jeff Goldblum. Terrific character. I like how Mary Kay Place went out with him but it ended badly and no one really likes him and he's a vulture but funny. He felt real.

- Glenn Close and Kevin Kline. Decent people. Some adultery. They work. Grounded centre.

- Tom Berenger. Funny. Poor little rich guy. Radical, though? No one is really radical. Danny Peary thought they old out but I get the sense they were all middle class.

- JoBeth Williams. Very believable. The love for Berenger. Her essential mediocrity. 

The Big difference the script has... a flashback to the characters in 1972. Not in the film. Way too late to bring into the film. But what this does flesh out is:

* the toxic romantic relationship between Jo beth Williams and William Hurt and William Hurt and Mary Kay Place

* Tom Berenger's radicalism

Interesting. But even on the page - I'm trying not to be smart here - it didn't work.

Book review - "The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage" by Nick de Semlyen

 This was fine. Easy read. Very surface. Very kind on Chuck Norris who I gather is more terrible. Seagal is lively as he always is. I was hoping for more of a deep dive. These Hollywood stars are so addicted to log cabin personal narratives - I mean, Stallone went to finishing school, for crying out loud.

Movie review - "Private Lessons 2" (1993) *

 Cripes. Officially a sequel to the 1981 hit but actually a remake in Japan,with the kid played by an old looking pop star so the whole point is diluted. Joanna Pacula, who had a moment back in the 80s, pays the rent.

TV review - Hacks Season 3 (2004) ***

 Lots to like no sharks jumped just felt that a lot of the scripts were written fast and on the spot. Very simple linear plotting. No massive emotional upheavals. Megan Stalter and Paul Downs' scenes are outstanding - they're the breakout. They struggle to find stuff for Marcus to do.

Kathleen Turner Top Ten

 1) Body Heat - what a debut

2) The Man with Two Brains - what a follow up - do more comedy!

3) Romancing the Stone - she really was on a hot streak, what a great performance

4) Prizzi's Honour - there's that hot streak

5) Crimes of Passion - whatever the female equivalent is to balls to the wall, this was hit

6) War of the Roses - magnificient - she should've worked more with Douglas

7) Peggy Sue Got Married - Coppola can't do comedy and neither can Nic Cage, but Turner can and she saves it

8) Serial Mom - great fun

9) Who Framed Roger Rabbit - the voice, the voice...

10) The Virgin Suicides - the tide went out very quickly for Turner, but she was good in this (she's good in lots of later films, this stands out)

Movie review - "Truck Stop Women" (1974) **1/2

 Pretty good exploitation from Mark Lester, with Claudia Jennings in the lead as a woman who runs a prostitution ring with her mother that services truckers. Claudia has a bust up with her maw just as the mafia move in. That's a solid idea, based on familial conflict.

You've got hookers, bars, Jennings, mafia, nudity, some smashing trucks. Lieux Dressler is the lead - I was unfamiliar with her and the other actors. She's fine - I maybe wish there was a proper star. Jennings is great.

The story never quite clicks into gear.  The momenum doesn't rise. But there's always something happening.