Can Redford & Company Heist "The Hot Rock"?

When you think of classic Robert Redford movies, your mind probably jumps to iconic films like Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Way We Were, All the President’s Men and The Natural. Redford also made some enjoyable movies that are likely just a little bit off your radar, such as the 1992 thriller Sneakers, co-starring Sidney Poitier. Another underrated film in Redford's oeuvre is the entertaining heist flick The Hot Rock (1972) directed by Peter Yates, (of Bullitt fame) and based on a novel by celebrated crime writer Donald E. Westlake. I re-visited the movie after Redford's recent passing, and it's an enjoyable, diverting movie that's worth checking out.

Redford plays John Dortmunder, a just-out-of-prison thief reluctantly pulled back into the game by his brother-in-law Andy for what appears to be a relatively low-risk, high-yield caper. The successful theft of a priceless diamond from a New York museum promises to deliver Dortmunder and his team a pretty decent payday. Of course, things quickly spiral out of control, and the museum heist is followed in short order by a prison break, an attack on a police station, and a clandestine visit to a bank, all in pursuit of the elusive diamond.

Robert Redford & George Segal

Each attempt to acquire the diamond features clever (and increasingly absurd ) schemes conceived by Dortmunder, all of which spiral comically and chaotically out of control. Can Dortmunder and his motley crew of thieves find an idea that works, and finally steal the diamond? The Hot Rock is a breezy, witty caper film that showcases several 1970s New York locations via the excellent cinematography by Donald R. Brown, which is complemented by the jazzy score composed by the one and only Quincy Jones. The screenplay was written by William Goldman, who also penned the scripts for Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid and Marathon Man.

Redford is quietly effective as Dortmunder, subtly portraying the character's growing frustration with his failed plans, and his crew's inability to obtain the diamond. The film's stellar supporting cast, includes George Segal, Ron Liebman, Paul Sand and Zero Mostel, all do excellent work playing comic foils to Redford's low-key, but increasingly exasperated, straight man and master thief. The film has kind of an offbeat, deadpan sense of humor, and showcases a New York City that largely doesn't exist anymore via the excellent location shooting. The Hot Rock isn't trying to be a high-stakes thriller or a slapstick comedy, but it finds a solid groove somewhere in between, offering a charming Redford performance and an endearing rogue's gallery of supporting characters in an entertaining caper film.

Here's a look at the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48APEydOt64. Fun fact: George C. Scott played a thinly disguised version of Dortmunder, with the character renamed to Walter Upjohn Ballantine, in 1974's Bank Shot, directed by Gower Champion, which was also based on a Donald E. Westlake novel, the second in the "Dortmunder" series.

"Alien: Earth" The Real Monsters Are Us

In an era where franchise fatigue has become a real problem for fans, with endless re-iterations of popular films and television series, Alien: Earth, the latest chapter in the saga which began with director Ridley Scott's 1979 classic, has arrived to shake things up in the Alien universe. The new series, now airing on FX, was created by writer-director Noah Hawley, who was the driving force behind the television version of Fargo and the offbeat X-Men spinoff, Legion. Alien: Earth is set two years before the events of the first film.  Governments have been abolished, and five multi-national corporations run the world.

One of those corporations is Prodigy, run by a young genius known as Boy Kavalier, whose company is experimenting on transferring the consciousness of a human being into a synthetic body. Kavalier and his team of scientists have taken the minds of a group of children and implanted them into artificial bodies, called hybrids. He's named these hybrids after characters from J.M. Barrie's novel Peter Pan. Meanwhile, a spaceship from the Weyland-Yutani corporation (a name long-time fans of the Alien series will recognize) is returning to Earth with several types of alien specimens, including a very familiar xenomorph. When the ship crashes into a building owned by Prodigy, a race begins to obtain and do research on (as well as exploit) these valuable specimens.

Unlike previous entries in the saga, Alien: Earth takes place not on faraway planets or the cold steel corridors of spaceships, but right here on our own planet. The alien menace is just as dangerous as ever, but this fascinating series focuses on another dangerous predator as well: mankind. Noah Hawley and his writers have cleverly united the science-fiction concepts from the world of Alien with another Ridley Scott directed film set in a dystopian future: Blade Runner. There are several kinds of cybernetic beings featured in Alien: Earth, all of whom are questioning what they are (just like the replicants in Scott's 1982 movie) and if they are really human, as well as what that word means. 

Alien: Earth does a great job examining the ethical and scientific experiments (and obvious greed) of the insidious Weyland-Yutani and Prodigy corporations, while exploring new ideas in the Alien universe. The series builds its own mythology, while cleverly acknowledging what has come before. One episode, a flashback centered tale relating how the Weyland-Yutani ship crashed, is a chilling homage to the original film. There are also callbacks and nods to other films in the series, which will delight long-time fans. While those Easter eggs are fun, this is a truly original story that is set in an existing world, taking the Alien saga in exciting new directions.

The cast is excellent, with standout performances from Sydney Chandler as Wendy, the lead hybrid, Timothy Olyphant as the android Kirsh, and Babou Ceesay as Morrow, the security officer from the crashed spaceship. Visually, the series delivers a blend of grounded futurism and biological surrealism. Practical effects and CG are expertly combined by the talented crew, and the series is atmospheric and well-directed. What makes Alien Earth so compelling is how it reinvents rather than reboots, bringing the alien terror to our home planet, and showing us that the most frightening monster of all just might be humanity itself.

Here's a look at the trailer for Alien: Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbsiKjVAV28, now airing on FX and streaming on Hulu.

Play On: A Fabulous Raspberries Tribute

The Raspberries are one of the most beloved bands in the power pop genre. The group has a dedicated group of fans, including artists like Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Paul Stanley, and Rick Nielsen. If the band had only recorded the classic 1972 hit “Go All The Way,” their place in the rock and roll firmament would be assured, but the group had several other hits, including “Let’s Pretend,”  “I Wanna Be With You,” and one of my personal favorites, the epic "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)." Their quartet of original albums are considered power pop classics. The original Raspberries lineup featured the late Eric Carmen on vocals, guitar, bass, and piano, Dave Smalley on guitar and bass guitars, bass) Wally Bryson on guitar and Jim Bonfanti on drums. 

The band’s legacy is being celebrated on Play On: A Raspberries Tribute, a super-sized two-disc tribute album which will be released on September 12th. This comprehensive record features 37 tracks from an all-star roster of musicians ranging from power pop royalty like Rick Springfield, Debbi and Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, and Marshall Crenshaw, to up and coming artists such as The Lemon Twigs, Olivia Rubini and Bird Streets. The amazing lineup of performers also includes fan favorites such as John Waite, Kasim Sulton, Darian Sahanaja and The Hudson Brothers. There are also appearances from Wally Bryson’s son, Jesse, who delivers a heartfelt version of “Might as Well,” original drummer Jim Bonfanti, who plays on four songs on the disc, and Eric Carmen, who provides the count in on Lou Gramm’s rendition of “Tonight.”

You’ll find many of the band’s classics here, including Rick Springfield’s fabulous version of “Go All The Way,” The Spongetones excellent Beatles style run through of “It Seemed So Easy,” and album co-producer Ken Sharp’s spirited remake of “I’m A Rocker.” This stellar collection is filled with musical gems from across the Raspberries catalog, ranging from all out rockers like Eric Dover’s dynamic cover of “Ecstasy,” ex-Runaway Cherie Currie’s kick out the jams take on “Hands On You” and Brasko’s kinetic “Making It Easy.” Chris Price infuses “Nobody Knows” with Motown vibes, while The Caulfields amp up the pop/rock energy on “Goin’ Nowhere.” There’s also a strong focus on the band’s wonderful ballads, including Karla DeVito’s lovely version of “I Can Remember” and Katie Ferrara’s deeply emotional reading of “Come Around and See Me.”

Play On: A Raspberries Tribute is a cross-generational rock and roll love letter to The Raspberries and the enduring power of their music. Ken Sharp (author and longtime Raspberries devotee) and Fernando Perdomo (producer and multi-instrumentalist) did excellent work curating this amazing record. Covering a band whose music is as melodic and emotionally rich as that of the Raspberries is no easy task, but all of the artists here have done a superb job. They manage to highlight the strengths of the original songs while allowing their own personality to shine through on their renditions of these unforgettable tunes. Play On: A Raspberries Tribute will be released on September 12 on Think Like A Key records. Here’s a link to a sampler of the music on this fabulous record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2KUH3d_ZIc.