In November 2022, Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, were widely criticized for the ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The pre-sale website crashed within an hour, but 2.4 million tickets were sold despite the outage, breaking the all-time record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day.

Ticketmaster claimed that “historically unprecedented demand with 14 million showing up” was the cause, but it felt like just another example of bad customer service and worse business practices for so many.

Directed by Pieter Colpaert and Nicholas Fraccaro, this film shows how Ticketmaster and Live Nation, following their significant 2010 merger, have caused ticket sales to increase in price and give you no other option to buy tickets or see a show. This has led to the U.S. Congress attempting to revert the merger, as it appears to be a monopoly that has led to high prices and worse service.

Swift’s tour promoter, AEG Presents, remarked that Ticketmaster has exclusive deals with the majority of U.S. live venues, so they had to work with them. However, AEG Presents has also been criticized for its role in the high ticket prices. Fans have responded by filing a variety of lawsuits.

This should be no surprise to music fans.

In 1994, Pearl Jam was one of the few bands that tried to do something about it. Their complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice antitrust division claimed that Ticketmaster had a “virtually absolute monopoly on the distribution of tickets to concerts.”

It’s a stark reminder that the issue of ticket sales has been brewing for decades, and we’re still grappling with it today. This reiteration of the historical context helps the audience feel connected and part of a larger narrative.

Former Ticketmaster CEO told The Los Angeles Times, “The public brought all this on itself. I have no sympathy for people whining about high ticket prices. They helped create this situation where artists must make all their money on tour. Artists and the market set the prices, and you can’t pay a Motel 6 price and stay at the Four Seasons.”

This movie might not solve the problem, but it does an excellent job of laying it out. By presenting the issue in a clear and comprehensive manner, the film ensures that the audience feels informed and enlightened.

You can watch this on Tubi.

Sources

The Eras Tour: Taylor’s Version – Tiger Tattler. https://thetigertattler.com/5697/opinion/the-eras-tour-taylors-version/

Why has buying tickets for Taylor Swift been such a nightmare? Fans met with errors, disappointment. https://www.clickondetroit.com/entertainment/2022/11/16/why-has-buying-tickets-for-taylor-swift-been-such-a-nightmare-fans-met-with-errors-disappointment/

The Cure’s Robert Smith got Ticketmaster to pay back fans – Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-03-16/the-cures-robert-smith-ticketmasters-fees

EDITOR’S NOTE: Speedway was on the CBS Late Movie on May 4, 1973 and February 1 and November 22, 1974.

I always thought the Eddie Murphy joke about Elvis acting — he’d just sing instead of speak — was a joke until this movie.

Elvis embodies the role of Steve Grayson, a NASCAR race driver whose generosity knows no bounds. He showers his friends with gifts, bails them out of financial hardships, and is always there for everyone. This portrayal reflects the real Elvis, who was known for his generosity. He often gifted his Memphis Mafia and even strangers with money, homes and cars.

The bad news is that his manager, Kenny Donford (Bill Bixby), is a compulsive gambler who has mismanaged Steve’s fortune to support his habit. Just like Colonel Tom Parker did to Elvis.

The IRS sends agent Susan Jacks (Nancy Sinatra) to watch over Grayson and ensure that they get their $100,000 in back taxes, but of course, she falls in love with the big lug.

The film is a treat for NASCAR aficionados. It features authentic late-’60s NASCAR footage shot at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Viewers can catch a glimpse of Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, and Tiny Lund on the track. This is a unique experience as it marks the first time NASCAR drivers were featured in the opening credits. Elvis’ car, a 1967 Dodge Charger, the Cotton Owens team #6 car, driven in real life by David Pearson, adds to the historical charm of the film.

Directed by Norman Turong, who made plenty more with Elvis, as well as movies with Martin and Lewis and Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine. It was written by Phil Shuken and was the twenty-second movie Elvis made since he debuted in Love Me Tender. Fun fact: It’s the only Elvis movie to feature someone other than him on the soundtrack, with Sinatra singing “Your Groovy Self.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The World, The Flesh and the Devil was on the CBS Late Movie on March 29 and September 18, 1972; May 13, 1974 and January 27, 1976.

Based on The Purple Cloud by M. P. Shiel and the story “End of the World” by Ferdinand Reyher, this was directed and written by Ranald MacDougall, who also wrote Mildred Pierce.

In his third objection to the ‘prudence of the flesh’ is a sin in Summa Theologica, Saint Thomas Aquinas said, ‘Just as man is tempted by the flesh, so too is he tempted by the world and the devil.’ This theological concept forms the title of the film, ‘The World, The Flesh and the Devil ‘, as these three are the enemies of man. The film uses this title to explore the complex and intertwined nature of these three temptations, and how they manifest in the context of race relations.

Harry Belafonte’s production company, Harbel Productions, set out to create films that would offer a more authentic representation of African-Americans in Hollywood. This film was their first venture. However, by the film’s conclusion, Belafonte and his co-stars, Inger Stevens and Mel Ferrer, found themselves critiquing the film’s portrayal of race relations.

Ralph Burton (Bellafonte) finds himself in a mine when the world ends, a revelation he uncovers as he frees himself from his entrapment. Living alone in a building with mannequins, he soon encounters Sarah Crandall (Stevens), who has been observing him for some time. She falls in love with him, but even as the last two people alive, he is unable to overcome the barriers of segregation.

They soon nurse Benson Thacker (Ferrer) back to health after finding him, and he falls for Sarah. Ralph tries to leave them to be a couple but can’t find himself to leave the city. Benson believes that with Ralph alive, he can never be with Sarah, so they go to war with one another, a ridiculous thing when everyone else is dead, killed by a radioactive cloud. The film’s ending is particularly poignant, as it shows Sarah making Ralph and Benson walk hand in hand down the street, symbolizing a potential for unity and understanding between races, even in the most extreme circumstances.

Source

The World, The Flesh And The Devil – Morrissey-solo Wiki. https://www.morrissey-solo.com/w/index.php?title=The_World,_The_Flesh_And_The_Devil&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile

Ethan Newton (Aiden Howard) is a podcaster who doesn’t just track down true crime stories; he also reveals the lousy police work and abuse that happens along the way. Perhaps that doesn’t make him very popular, but he feels he has a mission to expose things. One evening, after recording his latest episode, he gets a call from Seattle, the home he left behind. His sister is dead. Now, the world of true crime is more accurate and personal than it ever has been before.

After spending some time there and reconnecting with his estranged mother, Ethan discovers that the cops missed a cipher in his sister’s apartment, which leads him to the dark web—ominous music, please—and the Murdershow, a live killing floor that his sister Amanda “Mandy” Newton (Lauren Jackson) and her friend Kate (Kimi Alexander) watched once in their battle to scare one another.

It turns out that this dark web group is run by clowns who look like they stepped out of The Purge or The Strangers wearing generic Spirit store Slipknot costumes — indeed, you can buy the Twisty the Clown, Dollmaker and Doxy masks from this movie on Trick or Treat Studios which claim this movie was actually made in 2020, because they’re on clearance — who took Mandy, crucified her and then sliced her up with a chainsaw while they lived in a haunted house that looks like it’s sponsored by Hot Topic. Also, much of this movie feels like it happened sometime in the 2000s.

Of course, the cops — like Detective Sawchuk (Josh Blacker) — are no help, but they all hate Ethan and his show. So he has to go into business for himself, working with Kate (Kimi Alexander), who he’s always had a crush on, and his hacker friend Shadow (Brendan Fletcher).

It turns out that the news reports in the beginning that this is a death cult are accurate, and soon, Ethan and Kate know way more than they ever wanted to know about the Murdershow.

So many moments in this movie feel like they are taken whole cloth from Ed Piskor’s comic book Red Room, even calling the room such. I know that these urban legends have been around before the comic, but between the chat windows and what people are saying within the room, as well as having people pledge crypto to watch people die, it’s a bit too close to be a coincidence.

There’s also a not-so-shocking twist ending that really feels more like the expected ending, but you know that going into straight-to-streaming horror these days, right?

I don’t really want to speak ill of the dead, as director and writer Dan Zachary died on New Year’s Eve of last year after a brief and unexpected illness. He also made American Conjuring, Mortal Remains and Darkest Hour.

This is rather polished for a Tubi Original, but if there’s one mean thing I can say, they should have given Aiden Howard a few more takes for his funeral scenes. It might be amongst the worst emoting I’ve seen, and I exist on a steady diet of Claudio Fragasso and Bruno Mattei movies.

You can watch this on Tubi.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Psychopath was on the CBS Late Movie on July 23, 1973; January 30 and December 17, 1974. 

Between Die! Die! My Darling! and the poster for this film featuring the killer, Glenn Danzig clearly found plenty of inspiration in British horror movies.

Directed by Freddie Francis for Amicus, this film revolves around a series of murders in which each victim is found with a doll that looks exactly like them attached to their body.

It embodies the early elements of Giallo cinema, highlighted by a striking scene of a room filled with dolls. If it had some stylish fashion, a jazzy soundtrack, a few bottles of J&B, and a touch of nudity, it could easily fit into that genre. I would also consider it a slasher, and I’d support your choice in that classification.

Patrick Wymark, known for Blood on Satan’s Claw, plays Inspector Holloway. Margaret Johnson, from Night of the Eagle, portrays the mysterious, wheelchair-bound doll maker Mrs. Von Sturm. John Standing, known for his role in The Elephant Man, plays her obsessive son Mark.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “A movie where a man with mommy issues turns into a murderer sounds a lot like Psycho, you’d be right—this was written by the same author, Robert Bloch.

EDITOR’S NOTE: 7 Faces of Dr. Lao was on the CBS Late Movie on June 22 and December 14, 1973; June 30, 1975 and May 27, 1976.

The last film directed by George Pal was written by Charles Beaumont, who wrote many Twilight Zone episodes, Queen of Outer Space, Burn, Witch, Burn! and The Masque of the Red Death. Pal said that the writer had “a kooky mind like mine.” It was based on The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney.

Abalone, Arizona, is, well, falling to pieces. Clinton Stark (Arthur O’Connell) knows that the railroad is coming to town, so he’s trying to buy it out from under the townspeople. He’s opposed by only librarian Angela Benedict (Barbara Eden) and newspaper editor Ed Cunningham (John Ericson).

Then, the enigmatic Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) and his mesmerizing circus, brimming with magical wonders, grace the town for a fleeting two days, casting a spell of fascination over the townspeople.

Dr. Lao, a 7,321-year-old sage, arrives with his circus, assuming the roles of Merlin, Pan, a giant serpent, Medusa, Apollonius of Tyana, and the Abominable Snowman. He imparts his profound wisdom, ‘This is the circus of Dr. Lao. We show you things that you don’t know. Oh, we spare no pains, and we spare no dough; oh, we want to give you one hell of a show. And youth may come, and age may go, but no more circuses like this show.‘ His teachings are a revelation, a beacon of enlightenment for the town.

He also takes a moment to explain life to Ed’s son Mike (Kevin Tate):

Dr. Lao: Mike, let me tell you something. The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it. The way the sun goes down when you’re tired comes up when you want to be on the move. That’s real magic. The way a leaf grows. The song of the birds. The way the desert looks at night, with the moon embracing it. Oh, my boy, that’s…that’s circus enough for anyone. Every time you watch a rainbow and feel wonder in your heart. Every time you pick up a handful of dust, and see not the dust, but a mystery, a marvel, there in your hand. Every time you stop and think, “I’m alive, and being alive is fantastic!” Every time such a thing happens, you’re part of the Circus of Dr. Lao.

Mike: I don’t understand.

Dr. Lao: Neither do I.

Despite the henchmen of Stark destroying the newspaper office — look for Royal Dano as one of them — the entire building is unharmed in the morning.

That night, during the second show, Lao shows the town a magic lantern show that relates their town to Woldercan, a kingdom destroyed by greed (and using special effects from past Pal effects movies like Atlantis, the Lost Continent and The Time Machine). The town is saved by this lesson while the henchmen decide to destroy the circus. As they break a fishbowl, it unleashes the Loch Ness Monster, who chases them away.

As the circus departs, it leaves behind a town transformed, its inhabitants filled with newfound hope and understanding, ready to embrace the magic of life.

Sources

7 Faces of Dr. Lao – Wikiquote. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/7_Faces_of_Dr._Lao

EDITOR’S NOTE: Wuthering Heights was on the CBS Late Movie on April 20, 1973 and April 8, 1974.

American-International Pictures, known for its exploitation films, took a surprising turn when the 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet proved to be a box office hit. This success prompted AIP to venture into the realm of classic romance adaptations, with Wuthering Heights being their next ambitious project.

Curtis Harrington was the announced director, but he made Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? instead.

Robert Fuest — yes, the director of Dr. Phibes and The Devil’s Rain! — would direct. He told the Evening Standard, “We shall show Heathcliff as a man completely fascinated by Catherine’s passion, sexuality, jealousy and cruelty. And the tempestuous Catherine will be seen as a woman hypnotized by Heathcliff’s violence, brutality and sadistic vengefulness.” This interpretation, with its controversial themes, aimed to stay closer to the book than the 1939 movie and saw the story as one about the generation gap that has always existed.

Producer Louis Heyward cut to the chase: “Heathcliff was a bastard and Cathy a real bitch, and that’s how they’ll be in this film.”

Unfortunately, the film did not resonate with either critics or audiences. The harsh reviews and lackluster box office performance led to the cancellation of AIP’s plans for future literary adaptations, including Return to Wuthering Heights, Camille, The House of Seven Gables, and A Tale of Two Cities.

If you read the book, you may know the story. Mr. Earnshaw (Harry Andrews) returns from a trip to the city with Heathcliff, who grows up to be played by Timothy Dalton. Earnshaw’s son Hindley (Julian Glover) detests his adopted brother of sorts, yet the ragamuffin grows to become the companion to Hindley’s sister Catherine (Anna Calder-Marshall). After the Earnshaws die, Heathcliff and Catherine are wild and in love on the moors — you’ve seen them run toward one another even if you don’t know the reference — as Hindley stews in resentment. But then Catherine meets a new love, Edgar (Ian Ogilvy). Heathcliff disappears for years, learning how to be more refined and cruel in the big city and comes back to not only pine for Catherine but to marry Isabel (Hilary Heath).

The significant difference from the book is that Hindley is more sympathetic. And, oh yeah, he gets to kill Heathcliff, who reunites with Catherine when they’re both ghosts. This unexpected twist, along with the controversial themes, forces writer Patrick Tilley (The Legacy) to contend with the ghost of Emily Bronte and the derision of English teachers everywhere.

That said, this movie is a visual feast, with lush cinematography that brings the moors to life. It also introduces the first open discussion that perhaps Heathcliff is the illegitimate son of Mr. Earnshaw, which makes Heathcliff and Catherine half-siblings. That sounds closer to the paperback trash and Italian movies that usually make it on this site, not works of Gothic romance.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Vigilante Force was on the CBS Late Movie on February 13, 1981.

The town of Elk Hills, California, has been getting rough ever since the oil field workers stuck around. Ben Arnold (Jan-Michael Vincent) joins the police to try and keep things safe while his brother Aaron( Kris Kristofferson), a Vietnam vet, hires mercenaries — his war buddies Beal (Charles Cyphers), Viner (Shelly Novack) and Selden (Carmen Argenziano) — to deal with the problem. But much like what happens after someone hires cats to get rid of the mice, who gets rid of the cats? The mercenaries — and Aaron — are now out of control and take over the town.

Director and writer George Armitage said that the film was a “very slightly coded reference to the Revolutionary War…although what I was really doing there was Vietnam.” Jan Michael-Vincent’s character was named after Benedict Arnold, while Kristofferson’s was named after Aaron Burr.

If the town where all this goes down seems familiar, it’s the Mayberry back lot set at Desilu Studios in Culver City, California.

Ben’s also a widower who falls for schoolteacher Linda (Victoria Principal), and Aaron gets with bar singer Little Dee (Bernadette Peters); who can blame either of them? Plus, David Doyle, Dick Miller and Loni Anderson all appear.

This movie gets wild because it’s almost a white version of Bucktown and has a bizarre ending where Kristofferson and his buddies dress as a marching band to rob a bank. I can’t think of another movie that ends with the guy who wrote “Sunday Morning Coming Down” standing on top of an oil tower blasting townsfolk with a machine gun while dressed like a drum major.

Produced by Gene Corman, this fine exploitation film has an above-average cast. It’s also nearly a modern Western, with an ending that pits brother against brother, and only one can walk away.