Movies at Home: John Travolta double-feature on Amazon Prime

In 1978, John Travolta was the coolest man on the planet.  He starred as Vinnie Barbarino in the high-school TV comedy “Welcome Back, Kotter” (1975 – 1979) and made girls’ hearts melt in “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) and “Grease” (1978).  Looking back at his movie-resume, he has plenty of great films that will make you figuratively toe-tap after the final credits roll.

Since we are living in a dystopian pandemic (at the moment, and hopefully not forever) and have to lay low, why not be cool like Vinnie Barbarino and watch two terrific John Travolta movies on Amazon Prime.

Neither film includes include song and dance, but close.  Actually, they are about the movie business.

“Blow Out” – In Brian De Palma’s, Jack (Travolta) is a sound man for a collection of B-movies, but one day while trying to capture wind on an ordinary Philadelphia summer evening, he hears and then sees a car run off the road and fall into a river.  There is, however, much more than meets the eye…errr ear.  (3.5/4 stars)

“Get Shorty” – Chili Palmer (Travolta) is a Miami tough-guy loan shark who ends up in Los Angeles, and decides to dabble and then dive into the movie business.  Travolta is surrounded by director Barry Sonnenfeld’s perfectly-chosen cast, including Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, and a scene-stealing Dennis Farina.  (3.5/4 stars) 

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