Published Feb. 22, 2007 in Kansas City’s Sun Tribune, Sun Gazette and Liberty Tribune newspapers. 

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By Steve Crum 

Ghost Rider is the perfect movie for middle school and high school-aged kids. Let me amend that to include MOST teen males. They will absolutely love it. Being five times removed from that demographic, this critic liked the movie very much.

Ghost Rider is definitely a comic book movie with dialogue and pop morality to match. No mind stretch here, but what hot visuals: a flaming skull, blazing cycle, and a three-alarm, 20-yard chain used like a whip.

This is the good guy battling not only the devil (Peter Fonda), but his snarling son and cohorts. It looks, especially at first, like a not-so-obvious hero versus obvious villains. Not far into the story however, we get used to the scary, smoldering skull guy (Nicolas Cage) and discover his humane side. He only snuffs out dangerous criminals while protecting innocent citizens.

Here is a classic example of style over substance, a usually negative criticism that works fine here. The flick is packed with visual fun. Just do not expect introspection like in the A-Class Marvel adaptations Spider-Man and X-Men. 

Ghost Rider is second-tier Marvel, played fast and flashy. Do I sound like a 13-year-old or what?

Director/screenwriter Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil) opens the saga in flashback as 20-ish Johnny Blaze (Matt Long) makes a deal with Mephistopheles (Fonda) to cure his ill, motorcycling dad (Brett Cullen) of cancer. Both Johnny and his father are teamed in an Evel Knievel-type stunt act. Things do not turn out as promised, and Johnny’s plans to marry his girlfriend Roxanne (Razuel Alessi) are thwarted.

Jump to present, and Cage’s mature Johnny has stayed with daredevil cycling, even jumping over blade whirling, parked helicopters. He tries to hook up again with Roxanne (now played by Eva Mendes), who is a TV reporter. Satan reappears, demanding Johnny do his bidding as the avenger, Ghost Rider. He is to flame-on and rid the world of rogue demons, particularly the devil’s son, Blackheart (Wes Bentley), and sidekicks. Even Johnny’s cool motorcycle transforms into a sleek bomber bike aka the Hellcycle. Awesome scenes include Ghost Rider gunning his chopper through city streets and across the desert in blazing glory. 

However, our hero is careful not to injure innocents; he will often stop in pursuit of bad guys to help the needy. Oh yes, the transformations always occur at night, no doubt because it is much more spectacular. 

A neat plus is Sam Elliott’s Caretaker, who has his own reason to link with Johnny and his Ghost Rider persona. Without spoiling too much, just think more fire and retribution.

Definitely think Kevin Mack, whose pyro-wild special effects pretty much steal the picture. Cage and crew obviously enjoy their campy work, as will most audiences. 

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GRADE on A-F Scale: B

Published Jan. 18, 2007 in Kansas City’s Sun Tribune, Sun Gazette and Liberty Tribune newspapers. 

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By Steve Crum 

It is not long into Notes on a Scandal that one discovers Dame Judi Dench is delivering one of the best acting turns of her illustrious career. Make that one of the best in film history. She is superb as Barbara Covett, a matronly British teacher who befriends and ultimately blackmails fellow instructor Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett in a strong supporting performance). 

Director Richard Eyre weaves Patrick Marber’s adapted screenplay slowly but steadily from the beginning of the new high school term in inner city London. We find veteran teacher Barbara arriving late at the opening faculty meeting and obviously at odds with the headmaster and paperwork protocols. Probably burnout is the best way to describe her demeanor. She is determined to do things her way, as she has done for decades, and she is proud of it. When the new art teacher Sheba is introduced, we hear Barbara’s piercing thoughts about her.

In fact, we hear those and other sarcastic musings, mostly about fellow faculty members, from the film’s opening. It seems Barbara is an avid journal writer, entering daily observations (hence the movie’s title) at home in the company of her pet kitty. Barbara has never married, but she keeps writing and pressed memorabilia of past close female relationships in dozens of filled diaries. Lesbianism is never specified in Notes on a Scandal, but it is obviously Barbara’s sexual preference. 

In contrast, Sheba is a free-spirited hetero, married to a man (Bill Nighy) 20 years her senior. They have a son with Down syndrome as well as a teenaged daughter. When Sheba befriends Barbara, it is not only a professional courtesy but out of need for friendship. 

When Barbara spies Sheba having sex with a 15-year-old student (Andrew Simpson) after hours in the art room, she soon contacts her new friend with warning of criminal prosecution. Now the story turns grim and threatening. Essentially blackmailing Sheba, Barbara makes her promise to end the affair immediately. In return, Barbara demands closer involvement in Sheba’s life in and out of school. That means becoming a frequent dinner guest with Sheba’s family, which rapidly wears thin with the husband. 

A particularly good sequence involves Barbara showing up on the sidewalk in front of Sheba’s home, demanding Sheba be with her that second instead of driving away to see her son’s play with the family. That is just the beginning of Sheba’s nightmare, which grows wickedly worse when Barbara discovers Sheba is still seeing her student.

In a role which would have suited Bette Davis in her Baby Jane persona, Dench’s psychotic Barbara is in contrast a layered and mannered portrayal. Her creepiness grows as the story unfolds. Her voice, at first tempered and low, becomes loud and erratic by film’s end. Barbara’s body language shows bolder with arms flailing, as she trudges while walking.

Is there a moment when Blanchett becomes Joan Crawford and has fisticuffs with Barbara? Close. This seductive psychological thriller is loaded with anticipation and payoff. 

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GRADE on A-F Scale: A-

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Published Jan. 25, 2007 in Kansas City’s Sun Tribune, Sun Gazette and Liberty Tribune newspapers. 

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By Steve Crum 

No filmmaker wants his or her mistake displayed on huge movie screens or via DVDs for home viewing. But it happens all the time. Errors in continuity, factual dates, and props are among the most common, which does not mean they are that easy to spot. However, what fun to try.

In one of my favorite movies, Alfred Hitchcock’s NORTH BY NORTHWEST, Cary Grant’s character is on the run after being framed for murder. In a crowded restaurant located atop Mount Rushmore, his girlfriend (Eva Marie Saint) pulls out a gun and shoots him. Before she pulls the trigger, however, a young boy extra (looking the other way) can be seen in the distance placing fingers into his ears in anticipation of the sound. Perhaps the kid had already read the script?

Here is a sampling of some kind-of-recent and not-so-recent movies with fun/sad errors. 

•In Martin Scorsese’s THE DEPARTED (2006), Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bill Costigan is having coffee, holding a cup near his mouth. Where did the toothpick go that was in his lips a second ago? Let’s hope he didn’t swallow it.

•NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (2006) features a prehistoric slip, among many glitches. A caveman’s footprints leading to an open window suddenly disappear in the next shot. 

•Would a classic, standing-the-test-of-time movie like THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) have even one mistake? There are dozens, among them Dorothy’s pigtails. They increase and decrease in length when she first meets the Scarecrow. Frightened follicles maybe?

More of my favorite movie errors, predating internet listings, include:

•MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961)—Confederate prisoners escaping in a balloon encounter a downpour when they are above the clouds. Now that’s mysterious. 

•BULLITT (1968)—The Dodge Charger chased by Steve McQueen up and down the streets of San Francisco clearly loses three hubcaps. Soon after, the car crashes as three more hubcaps take flight.

•ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS (1940)—Raymond Massey does a fine turn as President Lincoln, so much so an extra who was supposed to join the crowd in yelling, “Goodbye, Mr. Lincoln!,” instead shouts, “Goodbye, Mr. Massey!”

•DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)—Fred MacMurray is taunted by Barbara Stanwyck in this classic Billy Wilder murder tale. Even though his character is a confirmed bachelor, he wears a wedding ring throughout. 

•JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957)—During the dynamic prison dance/singing sequence of the title, Elvis Presley’s uniform number changes from 6239 to 6240. Wasn’t 6240 the address of Heartbreak Hotel on Lonely Street? Nah.

•Finally, little did I realize when attending 1968’s volcano disaster movie KRAKATOA: EAST OF JAVA (at the long gone Capri Theater in downtown Kansas City) that in fact, Krakatoa is WEST of Java. 

Who in lava land wants to know the correct location for this forgettable movie anyway?

Published Oct. 8, 2004 in The Kansas City Kansan newspaper, my review of a Julianne Moore motion picture is less than glowing. 

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By Steve Crum 

It is too bad The Forgotten is not nearly as good as it first seems to be. All the elements are there: a strong cast led by Julianne Moore; a grabber plot set-up involving madness and mayhem; and at least three on-screen jolts that will literally cause held popcorn bags to spill. 

Frankly, I thought about the movie for days after its screening. But my thoughts were knee-jerk based. I was still reacting to the director’s shock gimmicks that made me jump in spite of myself. One involves a slam-bang car wreck while another includes a man being rocketed through the roof of a house. In both cases, jolting sound effects are effectively used. Brother, are they!

The Forgotten, like its creepy movie cousins The Sixth Sense and The Others, is nearly impossible to review without giving away spoiler plot details. So please forgive me and be forewarned.

Director Joseph Ruben (Sleeping With the Enemy) and screenwriter Gerald Diego (Phenomenon) begin with a terrifying premise: What if a grieving young wife and mother, in this cast Telly Paretta (Moore), wakes up one day to find her husband Jim (Anthony Edwards) has no memory of their nine-year-old son, a boy who died in a plane crash 14 months ago?

Sam tells her she had a miscarriage and has fabricated the boy’s existence. Telly’s therapist, Dr. Munce (Gary Sinise), suggests this is all linked to a post-traumatic syndrome.

But Telly has photos in her boy’s still kept room that verify her belief. But why is it that since yesterday all the pictures are missing, and the framed portrait of husband, wife and son now excludes the son? And the son’s room is now a den? Pretty soon her husband will deny ever being married to her. Old friends are strangers. (In your mind, cue The Twilight Zone theme.)

 Lucky for Telly that she and her son frequented the children’s playground down the street, and she befriended Ash Correll (Dominic West) there. Ash’s daughter is Telly’s son’s best friend. Lo and behold, the girl was killed in a plane crash. Not so lucky after all. Ash now says he never had a daughter, and does not remember Telly, let alone her son.

Add to the mix that suited men flashing “National Security” badges are trying to arrest Telly. She is on the run from them. Factor in a police detective (Alfre Woodard) who starts believing Telly’s wild stories. What about that so-called Friendly Man (Linus Roache) who pops up wherever Telly is? (OK, now have your mind cue The Outer Limits music. Actually, James Horner wrote The Forgotten’s eerie score.)

Julianne Moore is very effective as the victimized Telly. It is truly her show, albeit one of constant running and frequent tears. Her frantic outbursts increase as she tries to convince others of her sanity. 

There are plenty of plot gaps and credibility lapses with The Forgotten. Satisfying explanations of the whys, whats, and whos are missing. Yet this X-Files type thriller has its moments. Make sure your chair has a seat belt. 

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GRADE on an A-F grid: C+

My weekly Kansas City Kansan newspaper column took a new turn with these celebrity passings…originally published Sept. 9, 2004.

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By Steve Crum 

Beginning today, a regular part of this column will be “The Unforgettable Gone,” focusing on showbiz celebrity deaths. 

My intention is to report passings that are unreported in the mainstream press, usually because the celebrity is no longer high profile. Look for supporting actors and actresses as well as former stars of movies, TV, radio and stage. And even the less celebrated. It’s pure and simple nostalgia.

The feature will be included at the close of each column, usually following a movie review. Since this is the feature’s premiere, here is the expanded cut. Listed in no particular order…

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•JACKSON BECK (died at 92 on July 28, 2004)—During the golden days of radio, pre-1950, Beck made a good living as an announcer. Among his gigs was narrating the Superman radio series: “Faster than a speeding bullet; more powerful than a locomotive; able to leap tall buildings in a single bound….” In those days, Bud Collyer (later of TV’s To Tell the Truth) voiced Superman/Clark Kent.

Surely you remember Beck’s voice in 300 Popeye cartoons. (He was Bluto.) On TV, he was a very British King Leonardo in Saturday morning cartoons.

•RED ADAIR (89; Aug. 7, 2004)—One of John Wayne’s most colorful film roles is that of Paul Neal “Red” Adair, the legendary oil fighter depicted in 1968’s The Hellfighters. It was natural causes, not flames, that ended the adventurer’s life. 

•GYPSY BOOTS (89; Aug. 8, 2004)—If you were a nut about The Steve Allen Show during the 1960s like yours truly, you have to remember the bizarre Gypsy Boots. 

Boots was one of a cadre of eccentrics Allen would feature on his late night talk/variety show from Vine Street in Hollywood. The homeless looking guy appeared in only one movie, the forgettable Mondo Hollywood (1967). 

Robert “Gypsy Boots” Bootzin was a hippie-looking, beared, short, spindly health freak who shared his dietary strangeness with Allen and the world. Once you saw Gypsy and heard his gospel of fruits and vegetables, you never forgot him.

•HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON (95; Aug. 2, 2004)—One of the world’s great photographers, Cartier-Bresson was also a sometime movie actor. He made a notable appearance in director Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game (1939) as Le Cuisinier.

•MARIUS CONSTANT (79; May 15, 2004)—You probably don’t know his name, but you know his sound. He wrote the ever famous theme for TV’s The Twilight Zone. If you can’t get enough of that music watching Rod Serling reruns, check out the theme at your nearest casino. 

It’s now a part of Twilight Zone penny slot machine.

•DANNY DARK (65; June 14, 2004)—His was the voice-over in hundreds of TV commercials and cartoons. Remember Charlie the Tuna? Recall the rejection, “Sorry, Charlie,” when Charlie wasn’t good enough to be Starkist quality? That was Dark giving the bad news.

And some animal pals:

•KEIKO (died of pneumonia at 27; Dec. 12, 2003)—The imposing, killer whale star of the Free Willy movies took his final dive in Norway. In Japanese, “Keiko” means “lucky one.” 

•MISTER ED (19; in California during 1968)—On his popular TV series, Ed would only speak to Wilbur. The palomino was voice by Allan Lane, the former cowboy star better know as Rocky Lane in dozens of heroic B-westerns. Ed had another name too, his real one: Bamboo Harvester.

Plus a long living chimp:

•J. FRED MUGGS (born March 14, 1952)—At last report, this early TV sensation was still alive and climbing in Tampa, Florida. That makes the celebrity chimpanzee 52 years old! He has outlived his 1953-58 Today Show co-star Dave Garroway by decades. [Recent Update: J. Fred Muggs died on June 21, 2025, at the age of 73.]

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