Mean Streets (1973)

I am always looking to catch some classic films to kind of learn where some actors and directors have come from and how they got to be where they are. I had never really seen a lot of Martin Scorcese's (The Irishman) early films so when I saw that Netflix had the 1973 film Mean Streets I had to check it out for today. The film stars Harvey Keitel (Thelma & Louise) as Charlie, an up and coming wannabe mob guy who will do anything to please his Uncle and get himself some street credit. All of that is put to the test for Charlie when things start going south due to friends who can't seem to keep their heads on straight and relationships that he is embarrassed to address in front of anyone. The film also stars Robert De Niro (Hands Of Stone) as Johnny Boy, David Proval (The Shawshank Redemption) as Tony, Amy Robinson (From Hell) as Teresa, Richard Romanus (Point Of No Return) as Michael, Cesare Danova (National Lampoon's Animal House) as Giovanni, Victor Argo (King Of New York) as Mario, George Memmoli (Phantom Of The Paradise) as Joey,  Jeannie Bell (TNT Jackson) as Diane, David Carradine (Kill Bill Vol. 1) as Drunk, and Robert Carradine (Mom Got A Date With A Vampire) as Boy With Gun.

The film felt like it was a journey in the life of low level wannabe gangsters and the shenanigans that they do while trying to build some cred. I have seen Robert De Niro at just about every level of the gangster tier and he definitely does not disappoint as the irresponsible Johnny Boy who likes to borrow money without paying it back to everyone so he puts Charlie in a real bind. It was also a film that I had a real hard time figuring out who was in charge in this film the whole time because it seemed like different guys took charge in different scenes so the hierarchy was a little messed up. Scorcese once again shows his love for The Rolling Stones in this film, but instead of using the usual track, we hear Jumpin Jack Flash in this film which was a nice change from the usual. I'd be interested to see how many Scorcese films actually featuring Rolling Stones tracks, but we could always do that some other time when I actually care enough to keep track. I loved the cinematography because you can sort of see Scorcese's signature all over this film and for the most part the acting was really well done. Keitel was of course very good in the film and David Proval was great as well, but in second place behind De Niro was definitely Richard Romanus who I kept thinking was hi brother Robert Romanus from Fast Times At Ridgemont High. A lot of cool actors seemed to get their start here, but like I said it was a decent film that I think is worth checking out if you are a fan of Scorcese. So, I am going to give the movie an B+ for a final grade.

30 Day Movie Challenge: Day 18: Mom Got A Date With A Vampire (2000)

I never really had an great answer as to why I never watched anything from the Disney Channel especially considering I had it for so many years. So when I added this option to the 30 Day Movie Challenge, it was time to start catching up as the task was to watch a Disney Channel original movie and the film I chose was 2000's Mom Got A Date With A Vampire which was directed by Steve Boyum (Lethal Weapon). The film stars Matt O'Leary (Live Free Or Die Hard) as Adam Hansen, a kid that is more into the horror world then most kids his age. All Adam wants to do is go to a concert to see the Headless Horsemen, but when he and his sister get in trouble they are grounded. So in order to secure a chance to sneak out, they decided to set their mom up on a date, but little do they know that he is a vampire. The film also stars Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) as Chelsea Hansen, Myles Jeffrey (Babe: Pig In The City) as Taylor Hansen, Caroline Rhea (Sabrina The Teenage Witch) as Lynette Hansen, Charles Shaughnessy (The Nanny) as Dimitri Denatos, Robert Carradine (Revenge Of The Nerds) as Malachi Van Helsing, Jake Epstein (Degrassi: The Next Generation) as Duffy, J. Adam Brown (Enemy) as Boomer, Patrick Gallagher (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) as Bone, and Karl Pruner (Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery) as Count Krelski.

First off, if you are looking for a best picture nominee then you are definitely in the wrong place as I am sure this film entertained a lot of kids back in the day. The one thing I will give them credit for is that the film could be considered a sort of easy transition into horror almost like training wheels instead of throwing them head first into the fire. This provides them with some laughs and entertainment while also intriguing them into wanting to know more about monsters and all the fixings of horror. Now I am not saying Caroline Rhea was bad at acting or anything as she fit the role of single mom of three, but a vampire is interested in her? A vampire can convince any woman with his charm and he looked at Caroline Rhea and said why not, I haven't been lucky lately and boy am I hungry. All I kept waiting for when I saw Shaughnessy on screen was for Fran Drescher to pop out with that annoying voice of hers and thank the heavens it didn't happen. The other thing that bothered me is that I get it's a Disney Channel movie, but no Vampire would have put up with those brats the way this one did, but like I said it's Disney. The story was pretty decent and it was kind of fun to watch, but that is the end of the road. I would have loved to know who the Headless Horsemen were considering every t-shirt the kid owed was one of their's in a different color. I am going to give this one an C+ for a final grade. You can watch it on Disney Plus right now.