MY REVIEW: BAXTER! (1973)

 

Okay, so this isn't even a golden oldie.  In fact, there are few reviews anywhere on the web about this movie.  It was probably a box office flop though I can't even confirm that.  "Baxter" was written by Reginald Rose ("12 Angry Men" and "Whose Life Is It Anyway") and based on a novel by Lin Platt who was best known for writing for Hanna-Barbera cartoons like "Top Cat" and "Jonny Quest" which explains why that company is listed as one of the co-producers of the film.  Whether this story is autobiographical in any way is also unknown.
     The story, of course, concerns a pre-teen boy whose parents have recently divorced after a messy marriage and the physical abuse of the kid.  Baxter, played by Scott Jacoby, ends up moving from California to England with his Mom.  Neither parent shows any love or affection for him as they are both very self-involved and selfish.  The boy is confused, angry and knows he's growing up faster than he should.  He talks like an adult except for the fact the he has never learned how to pronounce his R's.  Oddly enough, at the British school for Americans he attends, no one laughs or makes fun of him.  I think they know someone deeper is troubling this boy.
     He soon makes friends with a young married couple (one Brit gal and one French guy) who live in the same apartment complex and eventually becomes a surrogate child to the friendly couple who really take an interest in the child's life.  The French shows a scar on his face, caused by the Nazis in World War II, to make Baxter feel less self-conscious about his speech impediment which didn't really make sense to me but, hey, at least he tried, right?
     He later makes friends with a British girl who was spying on Baxter across the street with a telescope from a different apartment.  They're both unsure about how to friends as they both have been alone in their own ways.
     Later, Baxter starts seeing a school speech therapist played by Patricia Neal.  She soon learns how much Baxter is unwanted by both of his parents and get him to starts to get him to speak properly some of time.  She also learns that Baxter is beaten and left in a locked closet by his Mom after he breaks a telephone after being told by his Dad that a poker game is more important than him.  The speech therapist show up at Baxter's apartment to find him after he fails to show up for school and ends up decking his Mom and then says 'I hate violence, Mrs Baxter, and tomorrow I'm going to hate myself for this, but right now I warn you if you so much as move, I'm going to break you into little pieces.'
    Geez, was the Debbie Downer character based on this kid?  I didn't even tell you the part where he tries to die standing up after he decides he's not wanted anymore after his girlfriend moves away and the French man's young wife dies of pneumonia.  At the end of the movie, he decides to stay with his surrogate Dad who is still greiving for this loss of his young wife. Yikes!
     The movie was produced in England and directed by the Brit Lionel Jeffries and I suppose the story resonated more with the British as the country was going through an impoverished time with high unemployment and there have been many families like this.
     The acting is first rate but I'll be damned if I knew if there was a point to this film beyond the fact that all children deserve love and affection.  That subject was hammered home continually throughout the movie.  I still liked it for the subject matter even though I'm not sure I loved it.
     

I'M WHELMED

     It's been awhile since my last posting.  Sorry about that.  There have been some recent changes that have prevented me from having enough time to update this ol' blog of mine.  Don't fret;  there will most likely be more to come.....just at a slower pace (think of pouring molasses).   Meanwhile, just go outside and enjoy yourself.  God knows you've earned it after reading enough of my gobbledygook.

R.I.P. TO CRASHING

     I've just learned that HBO has cancelled the Pete Holmes semi-autobiographical series "Crashing."  I had a feeling that this was coming as the network barely promoted the show.  That's probably because the network couldn't rightly call the show 'sexy', 'edgy', 'haunting', or 'groundbreaking,'  It wasn't.  It was funny, sweet, realistic, and not cynical.  In other words, a real rarity for these times.
     I'll not say anything more than this except to watch all three seasons now.  Especially if you're looking for the exact opposite of "Big Little Lies" or "Succession." Thanks.

IS THERE A BETTER (OR BIGGER) PICTURE?

    

     The 2019 Oscars gave just about everyone something to celebrate as well as criticize.  What else is new?  Even with a more diverse slate of nominees and winners, many people felt the need to shit all over the Best Picture winner "Green Book."  I didn't think it was the best film of last year but I certainly didn't think it needed to be pummeled into the ground either.  Many viewers were upset at civil rights hero and Senator John Lewis for introducing a clip from this film.  Because he felt the film was important, many viewers and commentators rushed to the conclusion that poor old misguided Lewis didn't even see the movie.  How do you know this is true?  Is it possible that someone his age may still have a different world view of race relations than the younger filmmakers who supposedly are more enlightened and 'woke'?  It's certainly possible.  But does that make it right to condemn him for his views?  You certainly have that right but with all the things he has done to help improve race relations in this country, I don't think throwing him under the bus is necessarily the correct response but, then again, that is the exact drawback of social media:  People tweet their first emotional responses without thinking rationally first.  I know this because I see all of the deleted tweets and apologies that occur the next day.
     Spike Lee won his first competitive Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay but apparently turned his back and started walking out of the theater when "Green Book" was announced as Best Picture.  Is this really the message he wants to send to young people?  I honestly don't know.  Octavia Spencer is one of the producers of "Green Book."  Do you think she would have helped make this movie if she didn't really believe in it?  Again, I honestly don't know.
     Personally, I believe Robert Redford should have been nominated for his performance in the 70s throwback heist film "The Old Man And The Gun."  I think it was a very nuanced and gutsy performance.  However, I'm not going to bitch and moan about it.  And do you know why?
     Because I believe we currently have a government that is not working for the people and the decisions they are making are causing ripple effects across the entire world that we will not be able correct any time soon.  Once the proverbial horse is out of the barn, its very difficult to wrangle him back in again. To me, real life and death matters a bit more than winning or losing.  I'm sorry if I seem more concerned about the state of the world than who won what award but I guess I'm just funny that way.

NEVER ENDING MATH EQUATION

    

For those of you looking here to read some story on Modest Mouse (you may have to Google that reference), I'm sorry but it really has something to do with what I'll be talking about here.
     With the brutal attack of cable news pundits from all sides of an issue, you're head might spinning after hearing all the different ways a subject can be turned into an opinion or, in one man's case, actual talking points for the leader of the free world to memorize and regurgitate to the media the following day.
     This is where the political machine has got this method down to a science, even if some of them don't believe in actual proven scientific facts.  One of the most popular phrases in the mathematical or scientific community is to view the question, simplify the actual meaning or expression and then justify why that meaning (or theory) is the 'truth.'  They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I say the truth is in the emotions of the beholder as well.  Once we manipulate your emotions, we have you wrapped around our finger.  Once the supposed the truth is narrowed down to sound bytes, slogans and headlines; you can easily be persuaded.  This is especially true if you make no effort or have no desire to do your own research to verify what is trying to be proven.  And because people are so busy these days working more than one job, being enslaved to technology, social media and wanting to escape the horrors of the real world, we will be satisfied to just believe the most convincing answer and move on with our mundane lives.
     We want drive-thru answers to questions that require a full fine dining explanations.  Go ahead and order when you're ready.....if you dare.

MAIL FORWARDED TO A NEW ADDRESS IN SIBERIA

 

Everyone is flawed.  We know this but we repeatedly try to make sinners out of saints and vice versa.  There is a difference between getting arrested for shoplifting and being found guilty of spousal assault.  There is no such thing as the court of public opinion but we repeatedly use this nonsensical institution to make final judgments on people who get caught sinning.  We hold our public figures to a ridiculously high standard that they'll never be able to achieve.  We are looking for these people to be heroes when we should be casting our eyes and ears elsewhere.

     If a person is found guilty of something illegal such as having sex with a minor, serves his time, attends therapy, and then proceeds to save several people who were trapped in a burning building, how do we judge him?  Is there any change in perception of that person?

     If a person apologizes for appalling behavior on audio or video several decades ago, do we forgive them or do we severely punish them to make an example to the rest of the world that this type of behavior is never acceptable?  Do we still punish the person after a lifetime of public service and helping the same people who are punishing him?  Will we ever let this person back into public life or will we forever banish them to their own private Siberian-like hell?

     Every incident should be judged on case by case basis-not in the court of public opinion but in an actual courtroom.  To me, this is simple common sense that has been devoured and swallowed by the faceless mob courtesy of social media created for the sole purpose of provoking emotions and knee-jerk reactions rather than laying out all of the evidence in a rational matter and then making your best judgment to find one a upstanding person or not.  And what really qualifies one as upstanding?  Isn't that subjective as well?

     We celebrate national holidays for people we now know were far from perfect people but yet did everything they could to make life better for many of us.  How do we separate private life from public service?  Have we lost the ability to forgive but not forget?

      Going back to my first two scenarios, would you perception change if the person arresting for shoplifting was doing so because they were trying to feed their family after being let go from their job?  Would you perception change if the person found guilty of spousal assault wasn't correctly diagnosed with PTSD after serving in a overseas war causing them to lash out irrationally because of an illness that was overlooked? 

      We know the answers.  How willing are we to roll up our sleeves and face them?  I have a scary feeling that the easy way out doesn't have a return entrance.

MY REVIEW: MATCH GAME 2008 PILOT

    

The recent death of Bob Einstein  (a.k.a. Super Dave Osbourne) has brought forth some interesting and heretofore unknown facts about the comedy legend for the casual fan.  First, his brother is another comedy legend, Albert Brooks who changed his name for show business purposes as his real name, Albert Einstein, just might be a little confusing.  Their father, Harry Einstein, was a famous comedian during the golden age of radio.
     However, the most interesting artifact for me popped on YouTube a few days after Bob's death.  This would be most of the 2008 pilot for a proposed revival of  "Match Game" that was commissioned by TBS but never became a series on that or any other network, at least in this incarnation.
     The pilot was hosted by comic Andy Daly and featured celebrities such as Bob.....er, Super Dave, Sarah Silverman and Norm MacDonald among others.  The set was an exact replica of the 1973 revival that was the top rated game show for awhile in the 70s.  It even appears to have been shot in Studio 33 at CBS Television City where the famed 70s version was taped.
     The rules even seem similar to the 70s version right up to the bonus round.  This is where things are a little different.  Instead, of the audience match where the top three answers would decide how much money they would play for in the final head to head match with a celebrity of the contestants choosing,  there was five phrases that had the final word blanked out and the contestant, with some help from the celebrities, would have to guess the final word for each one for a chance to go on to the final head to head round.  I have intentionally left monetary values out of this review as I believe they are a bit irrelevant to what is basically a crapshoot of a Friday night party game at someone's key party (70's version only.)
     All in all, this was a very good revival effort (with Daly being a competent host) and the changes were minor and did not harm the freewheeling nature of the original 70s version.  For those not in the know, Gene Rayburn did a version of this show in the 1960s that was much different and lacking in the goofy humor the later updates of the show possessed.  I will say that the 1996 pilot for a proposed syndicated revival with Charlene Tilton (WTF?) was horrible and the 1998 one season syndicated effort with Michael Burger, who was also a competent host, was just too mean spirited.
     The only version of the franchise I haven't seen now is a much talked about and little seen 2004 pilot called "What The Blank" made for the Fox Network (with that title, who else could it be?) with Fred Willard hosting.  I would have went with the title of the German version of the show, "Schnick Shnack", but that's precisely why the networks will never hire me.  I'm just a lone wolf.  However, I will give the 2008 pilot a grade of B+ as it is more or less similar to the current Alec Baldwin version except that the contestants on the current version seem to be way too excited as if they were forced to enjoy some complimentary cocaine in the green room before entering the stage.  Tone it down, people.  Remember; hugs not drugs.