M*A*S*H (1970)

The 70's Rivers, Day 10

M*A*S*H (1970)
Definitely a big event when the original movie appeared on television during the early 70’s, even in a slightly edited version. “Hey did you see the shower scene/football game/pot smoking scene?”

The Altman River, Part I
An intense river whose flow can be grand and can also dry up quickly at times. Unlike many of the 70’s rivers, The Altman River did occasionally resurface during subsequent decades quite strongly.

Read More

THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971)

The 70's Rivers, Day 9

The Last Picture Show (1971)
This is still one of my favorite movies. Nostalgic, well told and shot in glorious black and white. I would have picked this over The French Connection for Best Picture that year, but nobody asked me.

The Bogdanavich River
Of all the rivers that ran strongly during the decade, yet dried up quickly, none of the drop-off seemed quite as severe as The Bogdanavich River.

Read More

THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)

The 70's Rivers, Day 8

The French Connection (1971)
It’s really been a long time since I’ve seen this one. It holds up as a model of many of the action movies that followed it, though I’ve never once picked my feet in Poughkeepsie.

The Friedkin River
A raging river in the early part of the decade. The Friedkin River, like so many others of the time, continued to flow much more sporadically as the decade progressed.

Read More

BADLANDS (1973)

The 70's Rivers, Day 7

Badlands (1973)
I can see where Terrence Mallick's couple on the run story has a cult follwing. It’s well done and there is more to it than one might think, though overall I still think I’d choose Mallick's Days of Heaven over it even if Martin Sheen pointed a gun at my head.

The Mallick River, Part II
The beginning of the Mallick river is a little rough going for the faint of heart, but try to stay afloat if you can.

Read More

DAYS OF HEAVEN (1978)

The 70's Rivers, Day 6

Days of Heaven (1978)
I had never seen a Terrence Mallick movie before this viewing and can understand why many love his vision and camera, even if it may be at the expense of characterization.

The Mallick River, Part I
One of the most beautiful waterways of the 70’s. But you have to look fast for this river-it only resurfaces about every ten years or so.

Read More

FIVE EASY PIECES (1970)

The 70's Rivers, Day 5

Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Another small film about the inner conflicts of a prodigy adjusting to…well, life. My favorite Nicholson movie of the decade, which is saying something.

The Rafelson River
A river of the decade that raged strong but quickly ran dry, perhaps unfairly. But, hey,-thanks for The Monkees, Bob.

Read More

THE CONVERSATION (1974)

The 70's Rivers,Day 4

The Conversation (1974)
That small, personal film about a wiretapper that exemplified the kind of film that seemed so fresh during the decade.

The Coppola River, Part III
Not as deep as the first parts of the Coppola river, yet it ran just as strong in its on way. But alas, such a river as this just couldn’t run so freely forever.

Read More