If you've "cut the cord" from cable-tv or the internet, tune your rabbit ears and digital converter to ME-TV, a very good classic television station showing all of your favorites from the 50's thru the 80's. "The Rockford Files" is on weekdays at 11AM Central, and back to back 7-8PM, and 8-9PM Monday thru Friday. The only drawback I've noticed is that they don't show all 118 episodes, and tend to repeat some more than others on a regular basis. Every once in a while, they'll show the ones with Isaac Hayes as Gandolf Finch, Rockfish's ex cell mate. Rockford Files is classic tv at its' finest. Catch it soon!
Reviews
22 Reviews
In my Top 5 Andy G. of All Time
27 May 2022
I heard many years ago, in the 1980's that grade schools across America used the Andy Griffith Show as a civics lesson. The "Mr. McBeevee" episode is one of the most cherished and goes a long way to teach about having faith in a child. Opie's imagination seemed to have run wild when telling his unbelieving dad and Barney about meeting a "man in the forest who walked high among the trees, had a silver hat, and jangly fingers, and could make smoke come out of his ears..." The episode boils down to a single scene near the end when an exasperated Barney thinks Andy should punish Opie for telling tall tales and maybe outright fantastic lies. Barney asks Andy, "Do you believe in this Mr. McBeevee?. To which Andy replies, "No...but I do believe in Opie..."
I won't spoil the ending but suffice it to say, it'll melt your heart.
I won't spoil the ending but suffice it to say, it'll melt your heart.
Goodfellas
(1990)
"I'm sorry I got blood on your floor...."
30 March 2022
Goodfellas is Martin Scorsese's Magnum Opus based on real-life ex-made mobster Henry Hill's 1985 best-selling book, "Wiseguys". A tour de force, brilliantly directed and acted by 1990's finest group of mob movie actors. Every scene is thoughtfully pieced together; from the beginning we see Ray Liotta's Henry as a young teen hoodlum, growing up in Brooklyn in the mid 1950's, hanging around low-level Mafia types, running numbers and selling hijacked cigarettes. His meeting a young Tommy De Vito, played older by a riveting Joe Pesci, who's psychotic personality turns the movie on its' head during the first 2 acts, giving it a maniacal, trigger happy feel, only to be reigned in by his cousin, Jimmy Conway, played with typical aplomb by Robert DeNiro. Together, the three make a formidable shakedown mob team, making lots of dirty money by hook or crook, via hijacking, murder, and arson for their boss, Paulie Cicero, played with great dead-eyed, deliberate gusto by Paul Sorvino.
The movie soundtrack is rock and roll at its' best with a slew of Rolling Stones tunes mixed in with a hodge podge of 60's and 70's tunes as the movie moves thru the gang's paces and hits from year to year, culminating in the December, 1978 heist of a Lufthansa plane carrying $6MM in cash at La Guardia Airport in NYC. By this time Henry and his wife, Karen are addicted to and dealing large quantities of cocaine. The movie follows the couples' 1980's highs and lows with them getting busted and going into the FBI's Witness Protection Program after testifying in open court against their former mob buddies.
Whenever the movie comes on TV, I can't resist watching, albeit with much of the dialogue bleeped out, it's still up there with "The Godfather I & II" as the greatest mob movies of all-time. Salud!!
The movie soundtrack is rock and roll at its' best with a slew of Rolling Stones tunes mixed in with a hodge podge of 60's and 70's tunes as the movie moves thru the gang's paces and hits from year to year, culminating in the December, 1978 heist of a Lufthansa plane carrying $6MM in cash at La Guardia Airport in NYC. By this time Henry and his wife, Karen are addicted to and dealing large quantities of cocaine. The movie follows the couples' 1980's highs and lows with them getting busted and going into the FBI's Witness Protection Program after testifying in open court against their former mob buddies.
Whenever the movie comes on TV, I can't resist watching, albeit with much of the dialogue bleeped out, it's still up there with "The Godfather I & II" as the greatest mob movies of all-time. Salud!!
The Holy Trinity...and an Anti-Dentite
19 March 2022
This episode from Spring, 1997 is in my Top 5 All-time favorite Seinfeld episodes. (#1 being "The Puffy Shirt"). Seinfeld usually has 3 stories working at once; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. This particular episode has all 3 working in perfect harmony, every scene memorable. First, George's new g/f is a hot mess, played with aplomb by Suzanne Cryer, who cuts to the chase of conversations by saying "Yada, yada, yada...", leaving out the minutiae of a story, making George aggravated and perplexed. Next, Dr. Tim Watley, played by Breaking Bad's king of meth, Bryan Cranston, becomes Jewish and immediately starts peppering everyday situations with Jewish jokes and anecdotes, leaving Jerry miffed and to realize that the only reason Watley joined the Jewish faith was for the jokes!...lol. The third side-story involves Kramer and his new little man buddy, Mickey, fighting over 2 girls they just met, with Mickey making one of the girls his 4th wife. Debra Messing plays a newly-divorced friend of Elaine's whom Jerry has home-wrecker hots for...hilarity ensues.
This was the penultimate season of Seinfeld, which to me made for the best all-around season, episode for episode; intelligent, wry humor at a consistent level. Seinfeld holds such a grip over its' legion of fans because every year it got better, leaving Jerry to go out on top, and leaving us wanting more. The very essence of classic sitcom gold.
This was the penultimate season of Seinfeld, which to me made for the best all-around season, episode for episode; intelligent, wry humor at a consistent level. Seinfeld holds such a grip over its' legion of fans because every year it got better, leaving Jerry to go out on top, and leaving us wanting more. The very essence of classic sitcom gold.
The Eric Andre Show
(2012– )
The Biggest WTF?? ON TV....EVER
5 February 2022
I'm kinda late to this thing since it comes on very late on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, but it is disturbingly funny as hell. I mean you'll feel ashamed by laughing at most..no, all of the 15 minute shows where it's non-stop slapstick on steroid comedy with lots of scatalogical jokes designed to shock the viewer. It's a mini-talk show with actual stars that come on and they're taken hostage for a few minutes by shock comedian Eric Andre who subjects the "guests" to all sorts of vile and disgusting skits and antics provided by Eric and his sidekick, a huge black guy named Blannibal. It's not for everybody, but a little goes a long way. Think Borat meets Tom Greene..and multiply it by 100.
Gorillas In The Mist!!!
20 January 2022
George's show was hilarious and I still can't believe Jim Belushi's show was renewed and GL got cancelled. Anyway, this episode in Season 2 had a side-splitting scene where Georg barged into the bathroom while his mom, Benny was taking a hot, steamy shower. She peeked out from behind the foggy shower curtain and George exclaimed "Oh my God!! It's like Gorillas In The Mist!!!"...one of the funniest lines in TGV history, for me anyway.
Owning Mahowny
(2003)
One of the Best Movies No One Saw
3 December 2021
Caught this little flick on local tv a few years ago. The main character, played by pre "Capote" Philip Seymour Hoffman, plays a shlubby bank manager in a big Canadian bank with access to a multi-million dollar account and he's got a gambling habit. Based on a true story, Hoffman goes about the business of a white collar thief who plunders the account to feed his gambling addiction which snowballs quickly. He needs more money to gamble so he can catch up on replacing the money...just one big win away and everything will be ok. The movie shows a man living a lie, one step ahead of the cops...fending them off in complete desperation until...
It's a claustrophobic movie as it lives inside the Hoffman characters head evading the inevitable.
IMDB says the movie cost $10MM to make and recouped only $3MM since 2003...that's 18 years of a good movie no one has seen.
IMDB says the movie cost $10MM to make and recouped only $3MM since 2003...that's 18 years of a good movie no one has seen.
The Runner
(1999)
That scene at home plate....WOW!
17 November 2021
It's been 20 years since I saw this movie on cable, but somehow it's never far from my mind. The movie is about a degenerate low-level gambler, played ably by Ron Eldard (whatever happened to him?...) who gets into trouble with a major Vegas bookie named Deepthroat, played with brutal sincerity by John Goodman. Eldard is deep in debt to various gambling "houses" and gets a lucky break to work off his debt by being a "runner" for Deepthroat. Eldard's job is to take large amounts of Deepthroat's money and place bets at casinos around Vegas, never knowing until it's too late that Deepthroat is actually a Vegas mob-connected oddsmaker with a sadistic way of getting even to anyone who crosses him.
Eldard meets a cocktail waitress played by the lovely and talented Courtney Cox. They move in together, she gets pregnant and as Eldard gets deeper into trouble and finally crosses the line by taking money from Deepthroat to stoke his own gambling habit, Deepthroat finds out and takes his revenge by placing a blindfolded Eldard at home plate of a local baseball park, running a high-powered sprinkler only a couple feet from Eldard's head... Let's just say that Deepthroat makes a deal with Eldard involving Cox's baby that makes even the most hard-hearted of viewers squirm in their seats.
Eldard meets a cocktail waitress played by the lovely and talented Courtney Cox. They move in together, she gets pregnant and as Eldard gets deeper into trouble and finally crosses the line by taking money from Deepthroat to stoke his own gambling habit, Deepthroat finds out and takes his revenge by placing a blindfolded Eldard at home plate of a local baseball park, running a high-powered sprinkler only a couple feet from Eldard's head... Let's just say that Deepthroat makes a deal with Eldard involving Cox's baby that makes even the most hard-hearted of viewers squirm in their seats.
White Heat
(1949)
"Top of the world, Ma!!!"
10 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Love this movie and not just for the great acting all around, especially Jimmy Cagney's hair-triggered, mama's boy, psychopathic killer, Cody Jarret. Virginia Mayo is excellent as his gun moll, and Edmond O'Brien plays a solid FBI agent who infiltrates the Jarret gang. There is also great technical use of the FBI's electronic "triangulation" system involving early GPS monitoring to find Jarret's vehicle among Los Angeles' many back roads.
SPOILER ALERT*** The film culminates in a terrific shoot out between the Jarret gang and the FBI at a Long Beach oil refinery with Jarret climbing to the top of one of the oil tanks. He's the last man standing as the FBI takes shots at him, Jarret firing back until he cries out: "Look Ma!! Made it!! Top of the world!!" and he shoots a hole into the oil tank, ending his gangster life in a giant ball of exploding fire. One of the most iconic endings to a great gangster movie ever.
SPOILER ALERT*** The film culminates in a terrific shoot out between the Jarret gang and the FBI at a Long Beach oil refinery with Jarret climbing to the top of one of the oil tanks. He's the last man standing as the FBI takes shots at him, Jarret firing back until he cries out: "Look Ma!! Made it!! Top of the world!!" and he shoots a hole into the oil tank, ending his gangster life in a giant ball of exploding fire. One of the most iconic endings to a great gangster movie ever.
Hachi: A Dog's Tale
(2009)
For dog lovers everywhere...you gotta watch this movie!!
4 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
***Spoiler Alert!!***
This is the ultimate dog lover's movie with Richard Gere as Hachi's owner. Gere, who plays a married college music professor, falls in love with the beautiful Akita and raises it from a pup. The 2 form an extremely close bond and as Hachi turns about a year old, he begins following Gere to the train station everyday to see his owner off to work and returns everyday around 6pm to greet him back home. When the dog is about 3 years old, Gere suffers a fatal heart attack at work and never returns home. Hachi stays at the train station for THE NEXT NINE YEARS, thru summer heat, winter snow and rain, eating handouts from the train station employees (one of whom is played by Jason Alexander aka George Costanza from Seinfeld) with Gere's widow, played greatly by Joan Allen, trying her best to bring the dog home over the years, but Hachi relentlessly, yes DOGGEDLY returns each day to see his master come home, each day growing sadder and sadder to not see Gere get off the train...it's heartbreaking.
I won't tell you how it ends, but it is a tear-jerker all the way, even as the credits roll. It's been on Lifetime-TV at least twice a year over the last 10 years and is on Netflix and DVD. Catch it sometime with your favorite dog in your lap and be prepared to bawl your eyes out, and hug your dog a little tighter while you watch it together.
This is the ultimate dog lover's movie with Richard Gere as Hachi's owner. Gere, who plays a married college music professor, falls in love with the beautiful Akita and raises it from a pup. The 2 form an extremely close bond and as Hachi turns about a year old, he begins following Gere to the train station everyday to see his owner off to work and returns everyday around 6pm to greet him back home. When the dog is about 3 years old, Gere suffers a fatal heart attack at work and never returns home. Hachi stays at the train station for THE NEXT NINE YEARS, thru summer heat, winter snow and rain, eating handouts from the train station employees (one of whom is played by Jason Alexander aka George Costanza from Seinfeld) with Gere's widow, played greatly by Joan Allen, trying her best to bring the dog home over the years, but Hachi relentlessly, yes DOGGEDLY returns each day to see his master come home, each day growing sadder and sadder to not see Gere get off the train...it's heartbreaking.
I won't tell you how it ends, but it is a tear-jerker all the way, even as the credits roll. It's been on Lifetime-TV at least twice a year over the last 10 years and is on Netflix and DVD. Catch it sometime with your favorite dog in your lap and be prepared to bawl your eyes out, and hug your dog a little tighter while you watch it together.
Funny You Should Ask
(2017– )
It's mindless entertainment...Thank you, Byron Allen.
8 July 2021
We need more mindlessly entertaining game shows and less politically-driven talk shows and this game show fits the bill perfectly. Produced by Byron Allen and hosted by the fresh-faced John Kelly, it asks somewhat intelligent trivia questions with answers provided by 6 of today's wacky stand-up comedians, among the likes of Jon Lovitz, Bill Bellamy, Louie Anderson and Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias. I'm happy it got recently renewed for 2 more seasons; catch it sometime late night or afternoons on your favorite UHF tv station.
Bridgerton
(2020– )
Coming Soon To Netflix....
29 March 2021
With the so-called "success" of Bridgerton, Netflix will soon be re-writing history with films based on: "If JFK had lived"..."If Abe Lincoln hadn't gone to Ford's Theater.." "If The Titanic hadn't sunk..." and "If slavery hadn't happened...:"
Complete garbage.
Me, Myself & Irene
(2000)
COMEDY GOLD!!!
24 March 2021
All of 20 years have gone by and this is still one of my favorite Jim Carrey movies. The Farrely Brothers direction and the straight acting by Rene Zellwegger and Robert Forster play off Carrey's impeccable comedic timing and sight gags extremely well. Highlights include Carrey's easy going "Charlie" character trying to avoid becoming his inner schizoid "Hank" at the least little provocation, like in the store check-out line....a classic scene that ends up with "Hank" sucking a new mom's nipple...or at the DMV where Charlie takes his meds, which causes the funniest dry-mouth scene ever put on celluloid. Many scenes involving the dual personalities are laugh out loud funny...see this on DVD today! Oh yeah, Charlie's 3 sons are black (you'll find out why..) with IQ's over 200 and extremely funny, too!
Hoi Polloi
(1935)
COMEDY GOLD!!!
1 March 2021
This classic Stooges short is an early Curly one with the boys at the top of their slapstick game. The early Curly's (1935-39 pre-heart attack/stroke) are IMHO the best due to his manic high-energy wackness. It's a take on the old "Heredity vs. Environment" theme. Two wealthy gents bet each other on who would succede in taking on The Stooges development from ordinary chumps to sophisticated high society hob-nobbers....hilarity ensues.
The Wackness
(2008)
A must see for lovers of mid 90's East Coast hip-hop...
1 March 2021
Saw this a few years ago on THIS-TV and it's one of those flicks that catch you pleasantly off-guard. From the beginning, the soundtrack oozes with a background of NYC sights and sounds pulsing with Summer of 1994 East Coast hip hop including Wu-Tang, Busta Rhymes, ONYX, A Tribe Called Quest and many others. You can practically smell the sweat and weed coming off the screen as Josh Peck and Ben Kingsley form an unusual commercial alliance. There's a dream-like sequence as Peck falls for Kingsley's niece propelled by the ambient weed and hip hop vibe that is one of the best movie scenes from 2008 film-making. Dunno if it's Netflix but watch it sometime to catch the spirit of Summer, 1994.
Sex Drive
(2008)
RUMPSPRINGAH!!!
18 September 2020
The best parts of this movie are when the gang gets stuck in Amish country. Seth Green cameos as an Amish car mechanic who gets the gang back on the road with hilarious results; and an Amish girl who parties hard for her "Rumpspringa" and gets plastered so hard, yelling "Rumpspringah!!" every few minutes. We ended up playing a drinking game every time she yelled it...funny stuff, indeed.
N.Y.P.D.
(1967–1969)
Groundbreaking Cop Drama
14 September 2020
Just binged watch about 6 episodes of this gritty late 1960's cop drama on Decades-TV, which by the way is an excellent network on free tv to catch old, forgotten tv shows. Cop dramas of today owe a debt of gratitude to NYPD as they took on societal issues of the day like homosexuality and interracial marriage head-on with snappy dialog, quick camera cuts and great NYC locations. Also, great casting of future Hollywood stars like Al Pacino, Jill Clayburgh, Jon Voight and even John Cazale are featured in a lot of episodes.
Taxi Driver
(1976)
One scene that has stuck with me for 44 yrs...
8 August 2020
Just a little side note, an observation from one scene that has stayed with me since I first saw this movie nearly 45 yrs ago. It's the middle of the movie when Travis is going thru his metamorphosis from simple-minded taxi driver to full on psychotic protector/vigilante; the iconic "You talkin' to me?" scene. He's in his drab apartment watching American Bandstand and as Jackson Browne's achingly beautiful song "Late For The Sky" plays, the AB dancers sway slowly to the beat, holding each other close...teenagers in love having a tender moment. Travis' face shows how desperately lonely he is; how he's probably never even danced with a girl in his life, much less had a normal relationship with one and how he needs to make a love connection with the Jodie Foster or Cybill Shepherd characters in a most sensational way. To me, a crystallizing scene that moves the story along to its' inevitable shocking end.
"Every day that cop comes in here and drinks my whiskey for free..."
5 August 2020
I can't believe this movie is almost 40 years old, but it still resonates with me especially Eric Roberts' character, Paulie. Roberts was born in Mississippi and raised in Georgia but you'd swear he was pure Brooklyn born and bred by his totally captivating every subtle nuance of a wannabe Greenwich Village street hustler. What crystallizes Paulie's existence for me is a bar scene where he puts horse laxative in a cop's ginger ale whiskey for towing Paulie's car off the previous week. Paulie watches the cop take the drink down fast and waits with glee and much anticipation for the cop's reaction. I won't spoil it here, but Paulie's reaction to the cop's bowels being blown out while on his beat is a cinematic tour de force. Love this movie.
Good Bones
(2016)
Not for the Black Lives Matter crowd
13 July 2020
Saw the first 30 minutes of this quirky little comedy on free tv yesterday. After about 10 minutes of watching, thinking "what a cute little comedy taking place in the Hamptons", it occurred to me that during these last 60 days of being inundated with Black Lives Matter protests, culture-cancelling, and just a general sense of unease by being a middle-aged white man, the movie had all the trappings of extreme white privilege. Not that there's anything wrong with that (to quote "Seinfeld), but how "woke" I am at least these days at noticing the lack of diverse characters. And not to bemoan the delicious eye-candy by the main young female lead, a beautiful young blonde played with aplomb by gorgeous Kelli Bensimon.
R I P Lionel Hutz
30 June 2020
In a word: "Breathtaking..."
8 May 2020
Definitely in my Top 10 all time Seinfeld episodes; Elaine's reactions are especially priceless throughout the whole show as she rides a roller coaster of emotions from the ugly baby scenes and those concerning her attraction to the house doctor. George and his "shrinkage" issue are hilarious as well.
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