Gun Shy (2000, dir. Eric Blakeney)

Gun Shy (2000, dir. Eric Blakeney)

What Is It?: A quirky romantic comedy about a stressed-out DEA agent played by Liam Neeson who's trying to weather one last mission by attending group therapy sessions and dating Sandra Bullock.

What About It?: In a world of romantic comedies where nary a character is recognizable as a real human being, this piece of piffle is worth the 101 minutes of your time. The wildly underrated (and underused, in most films) Oliver Platt delivers what should have been a star-making supporting role as the mob underboss that Neeson is trying to bust. We're particular fans of Neeson -- he has a way of carrying his hulking frame in such a manner that makes him both approachable and extremely likable. And he shines in what feels like an underwritten role. The only real downside of the film is that it grinds to a halt whenever Bullock (who also produced) is on screen. Her character isn't given any motivation or reason to exist outside of providing an attractive foil for Neeson's, and that seems to be too little.

Why Should I See It?: For Platt and Neeson's individual performances and for their chemistry together. Official Friend of the Lost Classic, JM, hated this movie and commented that it has no business being recommended to anyone. While we respect his opinion, we still find that there are many small pleasures to be had in watching this lightweight, under-seen comedy.

What Else Is It Like?: Amateur, Panic, Analyze This.

When Is It Playing Until ON DEMAND?: 2/15/07

Watch It ON DEMAND On Comcast Cable.

-- ddt/pdx

What's New This Week (That's Worth Watching to One Degree or Another)?: ... And Justice for All, Body Double, The Wings of the Dove, Breaking News, The Dark Half, Das Boot, Only Angels Have Wings, Playing God, A Raisin in the Sun, The Scout, Sherlock Holmes in New York, Young Guns of Texas.

Major Dundee (1965, dir. Sam Peckinpah)

Major Dundee (1965, dir. Sam Peckinpah) (Special Edition, 2005)

What Is It?: An epic Western, set during the last days of the Civil War about a flawed calvery Major and his mad quest to fight a war against the Apaches with a small fighting force made up of Confederate prisoners of war.

What About It?: A sprawling, engaging mess starring a steely-jawed Charlton Heston, chewing on most of the scenery in sight with a studied deliberation. His rival officer, plucked from the ranks of the Confederate prisoners, is played with a similar verve by a young Richard Harris, who inexplicably wears eye make-up for the duration of the film. It suits his acting style and his character, however, so perhaps we shouldn't complain. The cast is rounded out with bit parts played by Warren Oates, James Coburn (who, as a one-armed scout, has a fantastic fight scene with his Apache scout partner) and Slim Pickens.

Why Should I See It?: Saved from a savage studio cut after the film was taken from Peckinpah's hands, it was re-released in 2005 in something close to what the director intended. The (re)finished product this is well worth the time for any fans of this era's Western, before the revisionist period – where Peckinpah was a major force – and the death of the Big Studio Picture precluded most epic-size flicks.

What Else Is It Like?: Rio Lobo, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Professionals.

When Is It Playing Until ON DEMAND?: 1/o4/07

Watch It ON DEMAND On Comcast Cable.

-- ddt/pdx

What's New This Week (That's Worth Watching to One Degree or Another)?: Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Fiddler on the Roof, Gun Shy, Man of the Century, Marked for Death, Road House, Single White Female, Three Amigos, Tombstone (Special Edition), The Usual Suspects, Weekend at Bernies.

No Way Out (1987, dir. Roger Donaldson)

No Way Out (1987, dir. Roger Donaldson)

What Is It?: An espionage thriller starring rising star Kevin Costner when his shtick was still refreshing and engaging and people called him a young Gary Cooper without groaning.

What About It?: A remake of the noir classic The Big Clock, starring Ray Milland, but with a contemporary (to 1987) Cold War-era plot directed with muscular verve by the go-to government thriller guy, Roger Donaldson (The OK White Sands, the pretty good Thirteen Days, and the ludicrous The Recruit). The twisty spy thriller starts out with a fairly standard, and none-too-interesting love story between Costner and flavor-of-the-mid-80's starlet Sean Young. Once that's out of the way, and the second act begins with a satisfying bang, it's solid stuff the rest of the way.

Why Should I See It?: Great supporting performances from the great Gene Hackman to a break-out creepy performance from Will Patton. The Lost Classic thinks that Patton is, himself, a lost classic, and feels bad that he's not an A-List baddie to this day. Too bad, but he is terrific here.

What Else Is It Like?: Mission: Impossible, Enemy of the State, A Perfect Spy.

When Is It Playing Until ON DEMAND?: 1/31/07

Watch It ON DEMAND On Comcast Cable.

-- ddt/pdx

Gimme Shelter (1970, dir. Albert Maysles, David Maysles)

Gimme Shelter (1970, dir. Albert Maysles, David Maysles)

What Is It?: The classic (hardly Lost, but still) rockumentary about The Rolling Stones on the road to disaster at the Altamont Speedway.

What About It?: The Maysles brothers (known for the cult classic Gray Gardens and the brilliant Salesman) made a thoroughly atypical Rock Doc with Gimme Shelter. Opening with the Rolling Stones in the editing studio with Albert and David Maysles listening to Sonny Barger of the Hell's Angels on KSAN blame the debacle at Altamont on the band, then flashing back to the opening of their 1969 US tour at Madison Square Garden, the film is structured as a thriller. In an almost Hitchcockian fashion, the viewer knows what will happen, that James Merideth will be stabbed while the Stones sing “Under My Thumb,” so all of the actors' actions are suffused with suspence and tension. By the time we get to the show in Northern California, the entire enterprise is fraught with anxiety. And Rock.

Why Should I See It?: If you're a fan of the Rolling Stones, or of 60's era R&B, then there is much to love here before it all goes to shit. There's a scene in particular with Tina Turner singing the Otis Redding Classic, “I've Been Loving You Too Long”, that will stop your universe in its tracks. In addition, if you're into documentaries, the Maysles have made a fascinating document of a seminal event that many have called the death of the sixties. We won't be quite so grand, but we will say that it both rocks and is a bummer.

What Else Is It Like?: C**ksucker Blues, Monterey Pop, Festival Express.

When Is It Playing Until ON DEMAND?: 1/24/07

Watch It ON DEMAND On Comcast Cable.

-- ddt/pdx

What's New This Week (That's Worth Watching to One Degree or Another)?: Air Force One, The Bishop's Wife, Dead Man Walking, Drunken Master, Fargo, Far Away Home, Get Shorty, 12 Angry Men (1997), The Manchurian Candidate, Midnight Cowboy, My Girl, No Way Out, Rocky I, II, III, IV & V (!)

The Last Dragon (1985, dir. Michael Schultz)

The Last Dragon (1985, dir. Michael Schultz)

What Is It?: The ultimate blaxploitation kung-fu, fantasy, musical, comedy guilty pleasure.

What About It?: Also known as Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon, this trash classic was made in 1985 for 10 million dollars and untold gallons of Jheri curl. Ostensibly about the rise of a young kung-fu legend, Leroy Green, and his romance with Prince protege Vanity and his rivalry with Sho' Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, easily one of the greatest screen villians of all time. No, really, he's phenomenal. Julius Carry, who plays Sho' Nuff, imbues the character with a grandeur and mania not seen much this side of Brando. That it was directed by Michael Schultz, the auteur behind Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Also available ON DEMAND until 12/31/06 and also staggeringly great/bad/wondrous/totally watchable) and Krush Groove, makes it all the more great.

Why Should I See It?: Because you enjoy fun, over-the-top guilty pleasures now and then. This is one of those. Watch it with someone you love, because they likely won't believe that it exists otherwise.

What Else Is It Like?: Nothing of this universe. OK: They Call Me Bruce?, Big Trouble in Little China, Black Samurai.

When Is It Playing Until ON DEMAND?: 12/14/06, so get on it.

Watch It ON DEMAND On Comcast Cable.

-- ddt/pdx

What's New This Week (That's Worth Watching to One Degree or Another)?: Breathless, Bustin' Loose, The Deer Hunter, Destry Rides Again, Johnny Mnemonic, Last House on the Left, Dallas 362, The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, Mute Witness, Nightmare, One Missed Call, One Missed Call 2, Pretty Woman, Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave, Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out, Young Frankenstein.