THE PUNISHMENT
Jesus Christ, did this movie blow! Let's see, you've got two of my favorite actors of all time, Roy Scheider and John Travolta. You've got my hometown, Tampa. And you've got contributions from PCR pals Gus Perez and Corey Castellano. Sadly, you've also got an unbelievable story, too many coincidences and a lead actor who doesn't know what the fuck his name is. Are you Thomas Jane or Tom Jane? TELL ME! Maybe this is why I feeling sick. Look for my review next week. The only thing keeping this from a "Medallion" like half-star rating is the fact the Tampa skyline is showcased beautifully.
TRIVIAL KNOWLEDGE
There used to be a brewery/bar in Tampa where Matt and I used to go that would have a "guess the trivia question, win a pitcher of beer" special. Needless to say, between the two of us, we usually drank free all night. It got to the point where we would give the bartender a question we were pretty sure no one could answer when we left to make up for the free suds. I bring this up because trivia and bars seem to go together. First published in 1954 by the Guiness brewery as a book to help settle disputes in pubs, The Guiness Book of World Records grew into a world-wide phenomena. This week, co-founder Norris McWhirter passed away at the age of 78. I often read the book, trying to see what records I thought I could challenge. I realized I could CHALLENGE any of them. However, I didn't have a chance in hell of beating one.
MEET THE BEATLES, PART 13
April 22, 1965 - After Easter break, the boys return to the set of "HELP!" and film the sequence where they perform the title song on television. Because British television did not have color transmission until 1967, the scene is shot in black and white.. The footage is distributed to the various television stations to promote the single, which was released on July 23. I believe I've mentioned in an earlier chapter that John Lennon, when told the name of the film had been changed from "Eight Arms To Hold You" to "HELP!" went off and wrote the song in ten minutes!
Well, that's it for now. Again, I apologize for the briefness of The Rant this week. Have a great week. Unless you know Gus or Corey is getting anything from your $8.00 movie ticket, stay away from "The Punisher." You've been warned!
See ya!
"Mike's Rant" is ©2004 by Michael A. Smith. Webpage design and all graphics herein are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2004 by Nolan B. Canova.
