A 1972 pilot film to a short-lived television series, it’s ahead of its time and still a ton of fun. The title refers to the secret organization PROBE Control — with the acronym standing in part for “Program Retrieval Operations”; the remaining two initials are top-secret — where 007-esque agent Hugh Lockwood (Hugh O’Brian, TV’s […]
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Bridesmaids
Can’t we just call it “really hilarious” and leave it at that? Then again, consider that Hollywood’s women-fronted comedies are almost always of the rom-com variety and aggressively push Kate Hudson on us. This work is not of that lineage, and thank the Lord for that. “Bridesmaids” marks not so much a breakthrough for females […]
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Vampire Circus
I attribute this to the first time my parents took me the supposedly greatest show on Earth, and right before my toddler eyes, a trapeze artist experienced an “oops” moment and fell to his death. Even if that hadn’t happened, there’s always the clowns. So I’m down with the sinister vibe of “Vampire Circus,” a […]
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The Ron Howard Action Pack
His transition from in front of the camera to behind it is encapsulated in “The Ron Howard Action Pack,” which pairs two pictures he did for Roger Corman: 1976’s “Eat My Dust,” which he starred in so that he could leverage his way into starring, writing and directing 1977’s “Grand Theft Auto.” One of Corman’s […]
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The Ambulance
Sometimes — “Phone Booth,” “Cellular” — they pay him the big bucks for it. More often, than not, however, he goes the low-budget route — “Maniac Cop,” “Q,” “The Stuff” — and the result can be gold. Or at least well-polished fool’s gold. Such it is with 1990’s “The Ambulance,” a spirited conspiracy thriller about […]
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American Teen
With its unforgiving caste system, peer pressures and never-ending crises, high school could reduce even the most hard-bitten survivalist into a knock-kneed mess. Regardless of your own high school experience, chances are a lot of memories will come flooding back with “American Teen,” a remarkable 2008 documentary that chronicles four teens navigating their senior year. […]
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Better red than dead
For a moment, it looked like The Bled had breathed its last. The Arizona-based outfit had put out three albums establishing it as one of the most exciting bands in the post-hard-core genre. But The Bled never enjoyed the success of similar acts like Atreyu or As I Lay Dying. After releasing a pair of […]
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Nine Nation Animation
Now that CGI is no longer a novelty, but something our eyes take for granted, the opportunity for true cinematic artistry falls to the kind that rarely unspools onto the big screen: the animated short. As the feature-length anthology “Nine Nation Animation” demonstrates, there’s no global shortage of experimentation in the field. Equipped with a […]
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Bang on!
A rundown of a Boom Bang show reads like a rap sheet: destruction of property, public nudity, fireworks and lots of drunk and disorderly conduct. Although the Oklahoma City act itself isn’t engaging in the extreme stage antics quite as much, the legion of fans it’s built up is more than picking up the slack […]
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Back to the nest
Quite possibly, that utterance can be interpreted in cave drawings. Or maybe it’s instinctual? But who listens to their instincts? I, Sarah Hill, am a recent college graduate. And I live with my parents. Hello, everyone. I’m happy to be here at the NCGSG (New College Graduate Support Group). I heard about you guys from […]