About Double FeatureDouble Feature is the title of a column that I write for the newsletter of Lehigh Pocono Mensa, the local group to which I belong. It gets published monthly in "Magniloquence." I used to belong to Central PA Mensa, so I offer the column to the editor of "Penn Central" and it shows up there pretty regularly. As the title implies, each Double Feature column features brief reviews of two movies that I have seen. I try to find a connection between the two films - subject matter, stars, awards, etc. - but, since it's my column, I reserve the right to occasionally choose two films that have no connection to each other at all. The reviews found in the Movies section of this Web site serve as the basis for Double Feature. I try to keep each column somewhere around 500 words (which fills about one page in the newsletter), so I usually have to edit the original reviews to fit into the space allotted. If you'd like to read the individual reviews for the films mentioned in Double Feature, you can do so here. The rating scales are a little different. The conversion chart is as follows:
|
Current ColumnJanuary 2025 - Happy New Year! I've not made any New Year's resolutions but maybe, just maybe, 2025 will be the year that finally sees me see at least one movie in a movie theater. We shall see. This past year was most definitely not that year as I relied more than ever on streaming services for my viewing pleasure. For example, I spent several weeks binging a classic TV show that featured one established star and one on a meteoric rise. That TV show would be Moonlighting, which premiered on ABC in March 1985. Now, nearly 40 years later, all five seasons are streaming on Hulu. The series paired Cybill Shepherd with newcomer Bruce Willis as the bickering heads of a private detective agency in Los Angeles. It also starred Allyce Beasley as their rhyming receptionist and, later, Curtis Armstrong as junior investigator Herbert Viola. Al Jarreau sang the theme song, which climbed the Billboard charts in 1987. Shepherd played Maddie Hayes, a former model known as the "Blue Moon Shampoo girl." When her accountant runs off with her cash, Maddie is left with few assets, one of which is a private detective agency run by the fast-talking, smart-alecky David Addison (Willis). Sexual tension ensues as Maddie renames the agency after her shampoo, takes over the office across from David, and sets her sights on making a profit. Overall Review: Liked it. I thought that I had watched the show when it first aired. I would have been in college and then just starting my career. But, watching it decades later, I can honestly say that I had very few memories of the show. It was like watching it for the first time. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order. Maddie and David constantly "break the fourth wall." In several episodes, they address the audience directly to inform them of happenings such as a writers' strike or a change in time slot. They also frequently make comments aimed at the writers or network execs. Maddie and David are characters in a TV show who are aware that they are characters in a TV show. That awareness makes them more relatable as they often refer to ridiculous plot points that the audience knows are ridiculous, too. The first three seasons are better than the last two. The show never met a dream sequence that it didn't like. Charles Rocket had a recurring role as David's brother. He appeared in six episodes. I wish it had been more. There are a lot of chase scenes that usually come to an unrealistic, nonsensical end. But, if cars are involved, Maddie and David always put safety first and make sure to buckle up. The show is a lot grittier than I expected. David and Maddie often explored the seedier side of life as required by whatever case they were working on. Maddie usually thought too much. David usually never thought enough. Maddie and David both knew how to dress well. And, speaking of dresses, I can't recall ever seeing Maddie in jeans or even a stylish pantsuit. It's really sad to watch Bruce Willis deliver his rapid-fire dialogue while knowing that he will eventually lose the ability to speak much at all. |
All Columns |
"No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough." »» Roger Ebert |