My Movie Journal is Better Than Yours

Other Movies Seen By This Director (0)

Notes History

Date Viewed	Venue	Note
11.12.23	Internet	This Screening is part of event: DVRfest 2023 Darren McGavin is Carl Kolchak, ace reporter on the Las Vegas beat circa 1972, following a mysterious case of girls showing up dead that "have lost a lot of blood." I've heard about this movie/series on and off for years so I finally decided to give it a watch. I didn't know it was a TV movie but damn is it a good one. You've got early 70s OG vegas footage, you've got a cadre of old noir faces making up the supporting cast, you've got that groove-heavy 70s TV movie score, and you've got a Richard Matheson script. All in a tight 74 minute runtime. I quite liked this. Yes, it's a little rough around the edges, like some shots are just out of focus and the act breaks come out of nowhere, but there's also a lot of charm and style going on. It definitely has that 70s vibe that stands alongside stuff like Duel. and Don Siegel. I really only know Darren McGavin as Ralphie's dad from A Christmas Story (and his performance there lives on forever) but hs same shtick kind of works as a reporter too. Mostly it's just a great premise. Something akin to a Stephen King story (in fact, his short story The Night Flyer feels borderline homage). A very fun watch. Actually, let's keep this train rolling and turn a double feature into a triple feature.