Of the three sensational films Michelle Pfeiffer’s made in 1988, Robert Towne’s California crime drama Tequila Sunrise (1988) has really grown on me. The other two, Married to the Mob and Dangerous Liaisons, felt like instant classics for me., but Tequila Sunrise took a little time to work it’s slow charms on me—not too long, … Continue reading Meet Me at Vallenari’s
Tag: movies
Lost and Found: Streetwalkin’
One of the more prevalent cult movie genres in the 1980s featured prostitutes navigating the dangerous streets of whatever big city in which they plied their trade (almost always New York or Los Angeles). Let’s name it the Streetwalkin’ genre, after the 1985 film that, in my humble opinion, best personifies this style: Streetwalkin’. A … Continue reading Lost and Found: Streetwalkin’
Revenge
When we first meet Jennifer, the protagonist of Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge (2017), she’s sucking suggestively on a lollipop. This suggestive act serves as foreshadowing; within minutes she will be enthusiastically performing fellatio on her lover. After focusing on her lollipop sucking, the camera’s gaze shifts to Jen’s hot pink, micro-miniskirt and the long, tan legs … Continue reading Revenge
All the Colours of Edwige Fenech
This December, on Christmas Eve, French-Italian actress and producer Edwige Fenech turns 75, which offers as good a reason as any to celebrate this living legend. If you’ve never so much as dipped a toe in the beautiful and strange world of 1970s Italian giallo films, you might be questioning that “living legend” assertion. For … Continue reading All the Colours of Edwige Fenech
Bad Girls We Love: Eve from See No Evil, Hear No Evil
The third of four cinematic collaborations between comedy legends Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) was a cable television staple in the early to mid-1990s. That’s where I saw it, over and over again, probably on my beloved WPIX-11. The film’s plot sounds like the setup for a joke: … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Eve from See No Evil, Hear No Evil
Lovely Rita
Oh! lovely Rita, meter maidWhere would I be without you?Give us a wink and make me think of you “Lovely Rita” by the Beatles It’s been a long time since I last saw I Am Sam (2001), but the other night I slid the disc into the player and gave it a spin. This rewatch … Continue reading Lovely Rita
Is This Thing On?
Ever feel a bit like Susie Diamond the first time she takes the stage with the Fabulous Baker Boys? You know, when she forgets to flip the switch on the microphone and no one in the audience hears her—until she turns on the mic just as she answers Frank Baker in frustration, “What fucking switch?!” … Continue reading Is This Thing On?






