
In this audio clip from the IOM archives, Islander guest Richard Herd (Episodes 14 & 15) explains how he finds the time for all the different passions in his life. While of course best know for his acting (in film, TV and on the stage), he is also an accomplished poet and painter. Other topics under discussion: soap operas; Richard's one man Cecil B. Demille show (as pictured, left); and his favorite Shakespeare plays.
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Buried Treasure: The Gay Deception (1935)
I never knew much about the split-back formation play in football or how many Triple Crowns a particular baseball player had won, and despite being an avid NBA fan, I remain relatively untutored in the concept of running the picket fence.
Recently, a fellow IOM reviewer, whom shall remain nameless (are you reading this, Steve?), chided me for daring to watch The Express, a film bio of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, without knowing anything about football.
How could I enjoy a sports film without knowing anything about the sport?
At the time, I hadn’t realized I needed to review the greatest college football games, know all the plays, and research every Heisman Trophy winner before even sitting down to watch the film--let alone enjoy it.
I felt enlightened. Yet, I wondered...How could I have liked this the movie without knowing anything about football? Where had I gone wrong?
(Although this is a canard; as a kid I played football with said IOM reviewer, and I know plenty about the Heisman Trophy. It just happens that I'm more into basketball than football.)
I examined my shallow knowledge. Truly, I had been deprived.
The first time I watched The Pride of the Yankees, the Lou Gehrig story, I hadn’t known how many RBI’s he had in a season (that’s runs batted in. There, now that you know that, you’ll enjoy this commentary more).
Yes, I knew basketball. But I’d never followed high school basketball, or heard of the 1954 Hickory Huskers, or what the damn “Picket Fence” that Dennis Hopper kept shouting about in Hoosiers was. But they better run it, or lose!
Ernie Davis was fast. I was sure of that because the movie The Express showed hooligans chasing Ernie as a boy as he raced away. But I had no idea of the running back’s many accomplishments on the field.
Yet, I was shocked at the ending of The Express; I erupted for joy in Hoosiers; I wept for Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees.
Perhaps these movies aren’t really about the sport. They're about the people, their desires, the problems they face, and how we root for them to the end. The sport is just a stage to act on.
So don’t let ignorance prevent you from viewing a sports movie (unless it’s the remake of The Longest Yard. UGH! What were they thinking?).
The characters just might sweep you up their story. Hell, afterward, you might be inspired enough to go out and rent some DVD games of the sport.
Right this minute, though, I’m on my way to the library to read up on windshield wipers before I rent Flash of Genius. I know it’ll make the movie a whole lot better.
Go Lakers!
Pass in Peace: Beatrice Arthur
Much has been said over the past few days about the passing of Bea Arthur, so I thought I'd chime in for a moment. I know this forum is intended as a movie blog, and Bea wasn't actually a movie star...
Kiddie Korner: The Shiloh Series: Shiloh, Shiloh Season, & Saving Shiloh
Based on the Newberry Award-winning novel by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Shiloh is the name of a beagle that eleven-year-old Marty (played in the first film by Blake Heron) rescues from an abusive owner.
What makes this story stand out from the rest? The action is based on moral dilemmas that all the characters must struggle with. There aren’t any chases, big battles, or any hero coming in at the last second to rescue the day.
The parents are real, not Hollywood clueless idiots; the kids act like kids and aren’t allowed to sass back. Marty respects his parents, but must make up his own mind to do the right thing. His dad (Michael Moriarty for the first two films) stands on principle: Another man, Judd (Scott Wilson), owns the dog and Marty must give him back. In addition, the family is poor and struggling, and a dog costs precious money.
Judd, the brutal owner and local hunter, has his own demons. His father beat him when he was a child, and he can't remember a time when he didn’t have welts on his body. He treats his animals the same way he was treated, and he laughs when he hears Marty has named his animal. Judd, after all, just whistles when he wants his dogs and kicks them if they don’t do what he says.
Shiloh is the catalyst here. In the first story, Judd cracks a bit when he lets the dog out of his truck and allows Shiloh to run back to Marty. Judd has left the door open for change. The next two films are about his redemption. Marty figures that if love and friendship can turn mistreated dogs into loving pets, why can’t the same happen for Judd? Marty never gives up on him. The climatic ending to the final story will make you cry (or sniffle a lot).
Rod Steiger plays Doc in the first two films of the series, (the last film is dedicated to his memory), a man who runs a general store in the rural area, Doc can fix up animals as well as people, and he becomes a wise mentor to the young boy.
As a side note: I met Rod Steiger a few years ago at a play my acting teacher, Bob Monroe, took me to see. Afterward, Rod and Bob got together for a chat, giving each other jazz like two old cronies. They knew each other from New York when they were both struggling actors.
Steiger talked honestly about his life: “I’m too old and fat to have a baby and be a dad.”
He said this with melancholy and regret in his voice. A year later he passed away, and I thought how sad it was that his son would grow up without a father.
There’s a moral dilemma here, too: What is the right thing to do, and for whom?
See the Shiloh series with your children, or better yet, have them read the books and talk about them afterward.
Kiddie Korner: Underdog vs. The Cat from Outer Space
No, this isn't a new movie, but instead, two movie reviews for the price of one! Ideal for thrifty blog readers in these tough economic times!
Disney’s live-action version of the 1960’s cartoon favorite Underdog (2007) strays from the original, but it doesn’t disappoint. It’s funny and hip (although I hate rap versions of original songs, the one in this film was tolerable) and moves faster than a speeding frog (see cartoon/movie reference).
Our beagle hero is a disgraced bomb-sniffing dog, and gets snatched by Dr. Sinister (Peter Dinklage) and his sidekick, Cad (Patrick Warburton), where an experiment gone wrong gives the beagle his super powers. After the beagle escapes, he’s rescued by an ex-cop (James Belushi), depressed since his wife died, and takes the stray home for his motherless son. When the boy discovers the beagle’s amazing abilities, he convinces the bumbling canine to become Underdog.
Jason Lee’s voiceover as Underdog is perfect. The plot is thin, (it's never explained how the Dr. and Cad knew James Belushi’s beagle was Underdog) and the way Underdog and his boy stumble into the villain’s lair near the end is downright stupid, but this is a kid’s film, and my son doesn’t let a couple of trivial plot holes keep him from enjoying a movie.
Although critics hated this film, and some adults will think I’m barking up the wrong tree here, my son raved about how funny Underdog was afterward, so I give this howler a big I’M IN!
The Cat from Outer Space (1978) is slower than a speeding frog, has that old, cheesy Disney formula feel, but contains enough good humor and eccentric characters to make it a fun diversion.
An intelligent extraterrestrial cat (voiced by Ronnie Schell) crashes and needs the help of an oddball scientist (Ken Berry) to repair his ship and get back home (basic stuff). The special effects are classic: Primitive rear-view screen projection, clunky levitation, and yes, we can see the wires that make Ken fly.
The movie is carried-off artfully by a cornucopia of fine supporting actors: Sandy Duncan, Roddy McDowall, Jesse White, Hans Conried, Alan Young, and Harry Morgan and McLean Stevenson (playing the same characters they portrayed on TV’s M*A*S*H).
The cat named Jake is the star here, however, and without him kids might be left bored by the slower pace.
This old-fashion clunker may not be the cat’s meow, but it gets a creaky, I'M IN! for family night.
Episode 14: "The Islander" with Actor Richard Herd, More Santo, and Second Time Around
REVIEWS
6 'n 90

Part One of Nancy's interview with veteran stage, screen, and television actor Richard Herd (T. J. Hooker,
Santomania continues at the IOM HQ with another three man tag-team review of a favorite
Santo film
SECOND TIME AROUND
Third acts in American films.
Bedtime Stories (2008). This film has enough laughs for adults as well as kids, although the bug-eyed guinea pig got the biggest laugh from my son, who is my barometer for all things kid-related. He didn’t care much for the “mushy” stuff, but then again, he’s eight.
Adam Sandler plays the overlooked handyman of a hotel. Things get off to a slow start, as the backstory about Sandler's character as a little boy isn't all that interesting and goes on too long, but the middle part of the film and the ending make up for it.
Another unnecessary plot device has Sandler trying to work his way back into his sister's life and good graces (after a long absence) by reluctantly reading bedtime stories to her two kids.
The eventual pay off to this needlessly complicated set-up is that the parts of the bedtime stories that the two kids make-up and contribute actually come true for Sandler. He strives to manipulate the stories in his favor, but instead ends up dealing with the weird twists that the twins come up with.
This is a good family film and worth renting. Surprisingly, the usual Adam Sandler vulgar humor is toned way down, with only a sprinkle of harmless crassness tossed in (shot of cleavage, Mr. Buttkiss, etc.).
If a children’s film is decent, parents will usually flock to it. But this film wasn’t big box office. Here are my reasons why:
First, Adam Sandler is known for his vulgarity, making him a risky choice if you're looking for a film to take your kid to.
Second, the movie isn’t about the kids. Sure, their dad left them, but this takes a back seat to Sandler’s petty problem of being a disinherited hotel owner.
Finally,wouldn't it have been more interesting if the bedtime stories had affected the kids, forcing them to deal with the repercussions of their own actions? Most children’s films and books have the child as the the center of the action. Why? Because a child can relate better to the story that way!
Bedtime Stories had the potential to be another “Night at the Museum” but it falls a little short. At least in that film, Ben Stiller’s character did what he did for his son.
Despite these shortcomings, I’m in!
Episode 13: Encounters with The Famous, Santo & The Islander part 2



This week's podcast lineup.
REVIEWS
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (aka: DAY OF THE WOMAN) (Cult review)
Writer/Director: Meir Zarchi. Starring: Camille Keaton, Eron Talor, Richard Pace. Reviewed by J Messina.
HOLIDAY (Classic review) 1938
Director: George Cukor. Writers: Donald Ogden Stewart & Sidney Buchman. Starring: Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Lew Ayres, Edward Everett Horton. Reviewed by Nancy The Fan.
KNOWING (new in theaters) 2009
Director: Alex Proyas. Writers: Ryne Douglas Pearson, Juliet Snowden & Stiles White. Starring: Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne. Reviewed by Lou Aguilar.
6 'n 90
Reviewed by Da Man
WHAT JUST HAPPENED (on DVD) 2008
Director: Barry Levinson. Writer: Art Linson. Starring: Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Bruce Willis, John Turturro.
THE GRAND (on DVD) 2007
Director: Zak Penn. Writers: Zak Penn & Matt Bierman. Starring: Julie Claire, David Cross, Woody Harrelson.
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU (on DVD) 2009
Director: Ken Kwaapis. Writers: Abby Kohn & Marc Silverstein. Starring: Morgan Lily, Michelle Carmichael, Trenton Rogers.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (on DVD) 2008
Director: David Fincher. Writer: Eric Roth. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond.
CHOKE (on DVD) 2008
Writer/Director: Clark Gregg. Starring: Kathryn Alexander, Teodorina Bello, Kate Blumberg.
Director: Zack Snyder. David Hayter & Alex Tse. Starring:Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley.
BOND BIT
"He moves like a panther."
THE ISLANDER
In part 2, Tom Stempel, who teaches both film history and screenwriting, shares his remaining movie picks with Nancy.


SANTO VS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (SANTO VS LA HIJA DE FRANKENSTEIN) (1971)
Director: Miguel M. Delgado. Writer: Fernando Oses. Starring: Santo, Gina Romand, Anel.
A hero so legendary, a character so large it took 3 reviews to take on one of his movies.
ENCOUNTERS WITH THE FAMOUS



Spend enough time in Hollywood, and sooner or later you're going to bump into someone famous. The IOM staff share a few of their experiences.

THUNDERPANTS: A boy born with two stomachs creates monster farts (which might even make global warming real). All he wants to do is be a spaceman, but he'll need the help of his genius scientist friend (Rupert Grint, Harry Potter's pal).
Come on! If you're a dad, and have a son, this film is for you. Silly, funny, and lots of fart jokes! One of IOM's reviewers couldn't stand this film (but give him a good fart joke and some crude humor and he'll laugh his ass off). But this film is for the 5-year-old kid in all of us. Send mom out to the mall if she's not into it. Thunderpants is a blast!
Who cut the cheese?
Tom Stempel: Islander Guest and More

I attended LACC (Los Angeles City College) in 1975 and took as many film classes as I could. Tom Stempel taught three of them: film history, documentaries and screenwriting. The film history class would meet and watch films in the science lecture hall, a large echoy room with seats set at a steep rake which made it a good place to watch films.
I remember watching Seven Chances there. It was my first introduction to Buster Keaton, who would, in time, become my favorite comedian -- in either silent or sound films. That semester, we also watched Storm Over Asia (Potomok Chingis-Khana), a film by V.I. Pudovkin, and definitely in the Eisenstein mold of early Soviet films. With its bold, direct images; its at times heavy handed visual metaphors; and didactic, unapologetic, manipulative editing; this film, in an odd way, spoke to me. I'd never seen anything like it, and it was a surprise and a thrill to watch. Other great films that I saw for the first time in that lecture hall were Jesse James and My Darling Clementine.
It was no different in Tom's documentary class. It was there that I was first introduced to the documentaries of Frederic Wiseman and the Maysles brothers. Their films have been favorites of mine ever since. In the screenwriting course, I learned about the nuts and bolts and whys and why nots of putting a story together in a visual way -- but with words and on paper.
In his lectures and discussions, Tom was always intelligent and interesting, never bullying or dogmatic. He also brought a welcome sense of humor and perspective to all of his exchanges, whether it was with the entire class or one-on-one with an individual student.
If you're lucky, you can look back, and there are a handful of teachers who made a real difference in your life, who opened doors, surprised, and took some daunting subject and made it exciting and accessible. An even smaller handful of teachers are terrific, decent people, who are able to maintain their own excitement for a particular subject (in this case, film) and continue to excite others about it.
Tom is definitely one of these all too rare individuals. I will always be in his debt.

Coming soon to "The Islander"...
Blogger extraordinaire MARK LISANTI ("Defamer")
and...
(AKA: Skipper Tom from "The Popeye Show"
and the host of KTLA's "Family
We're always looking for interesting people who want to be
marooned on our enchanted deserted island. Know anyone?
Point them our way.
Episode 12 - Movie Moments, The Islander and Rants Revisited
This week's podcast lineup.

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (new on DVD) Directed by Jonathan Demme. Starring Anne Hathaway. Reviewed by Steve "Da Man" Demchak.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS (classic on DVD) Directed by Richard Lester. Starring: Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Michael York, Christopher Lee. Reviewed by Jim Rutherford.
ROLE MODELS (new on DVD) Directed by David Wain. Starring: Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd. Reviewed by J Messina.
WATCHMEN (new in theaters) Directed by Zack Snyder. Starring: Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley. Reviewed by Lou Aguilar.
6 'n 90
Reviewed by Da Man.
YOUNG @ HEART Directed by Stephen Walker.
LEATHERHEADS Directed by George Clooney. Starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger.
MY SASSY GIRL Directed by Yann Samuell. Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Jesse Bradford.
A GOOD YEAR Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring: Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Albert Finney.
MOTHER OF TEARS (LA TERZA MADRE) Directed by Dario Argento. Starring: Asia Argento, Christian Solimeno.
FINDING AMANDA Directed by Peter Tolan. Starring: Mathew Broderick, Brittany Snow.
BOND BIT
Lou reveals how Roger Moore was taken out by a paint gun.
THE ISLANDER
This week our guest on The Islander is Tom Stempel who teaches both film history and screenwriting. He is also the author of six books, all of them on film. Tom shares with Nancy five of the seven films he would take with him to a deserted island. Next week in Part 2, Tom will discuss his remaining choices.
MOVIE MOMENTS
The IOM staff share moments that not only happened in the movies, but in their lives.
DUD OF THE WEEK
Mister Buddwing Directed by Delbert Mann. Starring James Garner, Jean Simmons, Suzanne Pleshette, Katherine Ross, Angela Lansbury. Reviewed by Lou Aguilar.
SPEAKER'S CORNER


A rant from Steve on a subject that should be familiar by now to any of our regular listeners.
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