Film and Documentary on PopDaze

Laurel Canyon: A Bird’s Eye View of the Epix Documentary

Every so often, a film or documentary arrives at just the right time to soothe the feelings that the daily stress of life can create. That’s the case with Alison Ellwood’s “Laurel Canyon,” a feature-length documentary about the Los Angeles folk/rock scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s that’s currently airing in two-parts on Epix. I’ll be honest …

Film and Documentary

Gram Parsons: A Life Cut Short

Gram Parsons’ star blazed bright, but sadly, burned out far too soon. Born Ingram Cecil Connor III in Winter Haven, FL, his early life was badly shaken when his biological father committed suicide when he was 12. His mother quickly remarried, and young Gram took the surname of his step-father, Robert Parsons. For a time, …

Film and Documentary

Valley Girl: A Retrospective Look at an 80s classic

This ’80s coming-of-age tale, while thoroughly entertaining, is a movie of somewhat lost or unrealized opportunities. Unlike other 80s teen movies, this one lacks substance or really any admirable characters. Julie’s (the female protagonist) ex-hippie parents are the closest thing to ‘role models’ because they want their daughter to make her own decisions uninfluenced by …

Film and Documentary

The Breakfast Club: A Retro Review

What do athletes and prom queens have to do with geeks and stoners? The Breakfast Club suggests the answer is this: a lot more than you might think. It’s Saturday, March 24, 1984 at Shermer High School in Chicago. At a little before 7:00 a.m., five high school students arrive to serve a day of …

Film and Documentary

St. Elmo’s Fire: A Review of a Classic

St Elmo’s Fire is an angsty post-college drama about 7 close college friends, and their forays into the adult world with varying degrees of success. This film is co-written and directed by the late Joel Schumacher and is a great one to put into a time capsule – it’s held up very well. Centered around …

Film and Documentary

The Lost Boys: A Retro Review

As The Lost Boys begins, the Emerson family has just moved to fictional Santa Carla, California (really Santa Cruz, CA), the self-titled “murder capital of the world” after a bitter divorce. Mom Lucy, and sons Michael and Sam move in with Grandpa, hoping for a new start, and it doesn’t take long to see just …

Film and Documentary

Batman (1989): Retro Review

“Millionaire Bruce Wayne by day, avenging Batman by night, the caped crusader encounters a grinning face from his past when a madman known as the Joker threatens Gotham city.” This is the best description I’ve ever seen of this movie. We all know the story. Bruce Wayne’s parents were killed in front of him as …

Film and Documentary

The Goonies: Never Say Die!

What do you get when kids are left to their own devices, and decide to go on a treasure hunt, using a map they found while rummaging around in the attic? You get The Goonies, a rambunctious, noisy, pirate-themed treasure-hunt action-fantasy that almost everyone seems to love. This is a delightful tale by Steven Spielberg, …

Film and Documentary

Almost Famous: 20 Years Later

Almost Famous is a Cameron Crowe written and directed movie about rock and roll. But it’s far more than that – it’s a timeless coming-of-age story that appeals to viewers regardless of whether or not they were around during the 70s. It’s about bands, music, and life on the road, during the era of “sex, …

Film and Documentary

Xanadu: 40 Years Later

Forty years after its release, I consider Xanadu to be not only a cult classic, but a true guilty pleasure. “Cheesy” doesn’t even begin to describe it, yet that’s at the heart of its delightfully perverse charm. Now, that’s entertainment! Initially panned by critics, Xanadu cannot be watched with anything resembling a serious mindset, nor …

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Film and Documentary on PopDaze

Laurel Canyon: A Bird’s Eye View of the Epix Documentary

Gram Parsons: A Life Cut Short

Valley Girl: A Retrospective Look at an 80s classic

The Breakfast Club: A Retro Review

St. Elmo’s Fire: A Review of a Classic

The Lost Boys: A Retro Review

Batman (1989): Retro Review

The Goonies: Never Say Die!

Almost Famous: 20 Years Later

Xanadu: 40 Years Later

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