Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream

The story of how, after meeting Elvis at a young age and later seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, Tom Petty became singularly focused on rock 'n' roll, and formed the band Mudcrutch who played throughout the Gainesville, Florida circuit. Driving 3,000 miles to Hollywood, they shopped their demo, scored a record contract, changed their name to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and became a staple headliner for over 30 years of ups and downs. Peter Bogdanovich's Runnin' Down a Dream is an excessively long and rife for parody documentary, almost cheaply and lazily made by mostly editing in concert and music video footage with current interviews. It is still watchable and never boring, while continuously featuring great music and background to an inimitable singer/songwriter.

*** out of ****

Targets

A washed up movie star (Boris Karloff) questions his lot in the days leading up to his final B-picture premier at a local drive-in. Meanwhile, a recently returned and seemingly wel-adjusted Vietnam vet secretly begins planning a Charles Whitman-like shooting spree. Peter Bogdanovich's impactful debut, which he was not only able to talk Roger Corman into letting him direct but also able to procure Karloff's services who owed time, is one of those two unrelated storyline films arriving at the same destination, which quickly becomes apparent. Its commentary on gun violence, here pitted against an outmatched horror movie monster, feels rushed and pretentious. but the picture is competently made, the finale is extremely well edited, and Karloff is quite good.

*** out of ****

She's Funny That Way

After casting a call girl (Imogeen Poots) he has frequented in his latest production, a stage director (Owen Wilson) also hires his wife (Kathryn Hahn), her lover (Rhys Ifans) while the writer (Will Forte) becomes involved with the escort's therapist (Jennifer Aniston). Peter Bogdanovich's latest Hollywood throwback has it's moments, as do Wilson and Aniston among the cast, but is too inconsistent and too bent on emulating classic farce that it loses sight of making a funny, coherent picture. Many cameos. The final one is, let's just say, strange.

** 1/2 out of ****

The Last Picture Show

In a 1950s depressed, desolate small Texas town, a high school senior (Timothy Bottoms) cares for his impaired younger brother (Sam Bottoms) and romances the football coach's lonely wife (Cloris Leachman) while his best friend (Jeff Bridges) slowly realizes his days of courting the town's high class beauty queen (Cybill Sepherd) are quickly coming to a close. Their time is spent is spent either in the establishments of the weathered, principled and beloved Sam the Lion (Ben Johnson), which include a diner, pool hall, and the soon to be closed single screen movie theater playing the latest Howard Hawks Western. Peter Bogdanovich's adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel, brilliantly directed in grainy black and white, is a perceptive, sage film made with frank honesty and featuring either tender or harsh, though all excellent performances from actors at the beginning, middle, and ends of their careers.

**** out of ****