Sidewinder’s View: The Last Shark (1981), AKA Great White (1982)

I'm uncertain if this cut, apart from the difference in film scores, is identical to Great White, but it's my opinion Stevens's score would have improved the film, even if only slightly. Apparently, I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Sidewinder’s View: The Red And The White (1967)

The filmmaker doesn't want us to become comfortable with these characters. His intention is to keep us uncomfortable as we're watching his film. As an audience, we're meant to be kept off-balance as we watch these events unfold. Aesthetic attributes aside, this particular quality is what gives the film its potency.

Sidewinder’s View: Seizure (1974) [SPOILERS]

While not a great film, containing certain surrealistic elements which probably read better on the page, there's enough talent and creativity on display to merit repeat viewings.

Sidewinder’s View: Four Friends (1981)

From 1981, this morning's movie... https://youtu.be/kktCZJpS464 ...which I'd seen only once before, around 1982 or 1983 on The Movie Channel at my mom's house. I remember liking the movie at the time, but this morning, I found the first half-hour or so difficult to sit through. I didn't find any of the characters appealing and …

Useless Adventures In Movie Trivia: River’s Edge (1986)

File this one under "Learn Something New Every Day" (photo discovery courtesy of IMDb's River's Edge page): Listening to director Tim Hunter's audio commentary for the 2014 Blu-ray of River's Edge (one of my teenaged Eighties favorites), I learned that he'd originally cast Corey Haim...COREY HAIM...as Keanu Reeves' creepy, weird, sociopathic little brother Tim. Once …

Sidewinder’s View: Head Over Heels (1979) / Chilly Scenes Of Winter (1982) [SPOILERS]

I'm not one of those filmgoers who has to like, sympathize, or 'relate' to a character in order to remain invested in the story they're featured in. I'm not looking for role models when I go to the movies. Just give me a compelling story driven by intriguing characters.

Or, As Peckinpah Once Said, “It Ain’t A Radio Play, Folks” [To Paraphrase L.Q. Jones]

"Let the character actors lay out the plot. Then, when there's something important to say, you say it, and people will listen."

Today’s Second Homemade FAKE Criterion!

Recently, on a podcast, I watched the host and his guests discussing modern Hollywood's cozy relationship with the CIA. https://youtu.be/m0cdZO3WNM0 The group consensus here was that Hollywood hadn't made a movie critical of the CIA since 1975's Three Days Of The Condor. https://youtu.be/DE3yZXQQnPo Apparently, none of them had heard of this movie: While The Amateur …

The Cycle Of Violence Is Never Absolute

While my dubious reaction to being bullied, by becoming a bully myself, might seem to make the case for the existence of a "cycle of violence", it wasn't a cycle. It was simply a reactionary behavior, which ended as soon as someone gave me that fully-deserved, retributive beating.

When Everyone’s A Film Critic, No One Is.

My desire to pursue a career in film criticism ended during high school, when I realized I'd be required to watch a lot of movies that didn't remotely appeal to me. Such an occupation sounded positively awful.