There’s no guarantee a 1978 film about a 1958 musician will hold up decades after its release, but “The Buddy Holly Story” remains an easy watch. Of course, the biopic is assisted by generous helpings of Holly’s music. The film, which traces his career arc from small-town Texas beginnings to tragic death, echoes the timeless simplicity of Holly’s music, possessing an unscripted feel and casual irreverence. Gary Busey’s performance is riveting. Not that it’s perfect. There’s also a bit of a small, TV-movie feel and the narrative is burdened by cliché friction within The Crickets as Holly’s star takes off.
Archives for posts with tag: Gary Busey
Did the psych team at the LAPD ever pursue the possibility that Riggs wasn’t crazy but was merely suffering psychotic episodes due to the weight on his brain from that huge, feathery hairdo? I mean, he’s one pair of latex pants away from being lead singer in a metal band. But I digress, which, thankfully, is something “Lethal Weapon” (1987) never does. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover’s tightly constructed, opposites-attract buddy-cop flick became a blockbuster and spawned sloppy sequels thanks to their chemistry (Danny’s buttoned-down, Mel’s unwound) and the fact that it’s fast-paced and not overambitious with the plot twists.
There is a certain element of ridiculousness to just about every movie Kurt Russell makes. If you can handle that, you can handle “Soldier” (1998), in which a trained-from-birth killing machine is discarded for a newer model before ultimately learning – and teaching – a lesson in humanity. But it’s basically just a big ’ol stupid action movie that takes place in the not-too-distant future. (Fashion tip: pack lots of scarves. The weather is always crappy in the not-too-distant future.) If you try real hard, the story is a metaphor for a lot of deep topics. My advice? Don’t try real hard.
100wordreviews 