Author: Jeff Mitchell

‘Jackass Forever’: The fellas may be getting old, but their act isn’t

Jeff Mitchell

“Jackass Forever” (2022) – “Hi!  I’m Johnny Knoxville, and this is the…” Fill in the blank with your favorite Jackass stunt.  For me, “Fireworks Wake-Up”, “The Beehive Limo”, and “The Field Goal” are three beloved skits that come to mind! With a television series and three feature films under their collective utility belts, Knoxville and his band of merry goofballs with a penchant for personal and public mayhem have delivered countless feats, daredevil tricks, and outrageous pranks that have astounded, mystified, and disgusted audiences since 2000.   The year 2000.  Bill…

‘The Wolf and the Lion’: The animals roar, but the script howls

Jeff Mitchell

“The Wolf and the Lion” (2022) – “Life happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Alma (Molly Kunz) certainly knows this message.  She’s a top student at New York City’s St. Mary’s Academy for Music, and has her sights set on playing piano for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  This scholarly young woman isn’t your standard bicoastal soon-to-be-professional.  She’s a small-town girl from Canada. Her parents passed away, and Alma’s only family connections are her godfather Joe (Graham Greene) and grandfather (Jean Drolet).  Unfortunately, as our movie begins, Alma…

Movie of the Week: ‘Scarecrow’

Jeff Mitchell

“Scarecrow” (1973) – In 1972, Gene Hackman won the Best Actor Oscar for “The French Connection” (1971), and Al Pacino just starred in the “The Godfather” (1972) that captured the Academy Awards’ top honor in 1973.  In 1973, these two thespian heavyweights found their way in a road trip picture named “Scarecrow”.  Now, director Jerry Schatzberg’s picture didn’t win Oscar gold, but it did take home Cannes’ 1973 Palme d’Or.  Well, the two lead characters in Schatzberg’s award-winning flick haven’t won anything in their lives, but Max (Gene Hackman) and…