I Am Chris Farley
Many comedians are never funny when the microphone is off, but by all reports, Chris Farley would do anything for a laugh, onstage and off. The documentary I Am Chris Farley features reminiscences by Adam Sandler, David Spade, Mike Myers, Christina Applegate and other stars who shared the spotlight with the rotund, double-chinned comic on “Saturday Night Live.” Some scenes were shot in suburban Madison, where Farley grew up trying always to outperform his siblings.
Metamorphosis/Beyond Darkness
Metamorphosis (1990) is a flawed but interesting mid-budget genre picture that attracted little attention upon release but found a following in time. It stars Tom Cruise-wannabe Gene Lebrock as an arrogant science professor working on a formula to prevent cellular decay, thereby arresting the death process. Bureaucratic meddling and jealous colleagues, needless to say, become the least of his problems after he injects the serum in this science-fiction horror movie. Released on Blu-ray with Beyond Darkness.
“The Rebel: The Complete Series”
Amidst the many westerns that filled network programming, “The Rebel” (1959-1961) was outstanding for the psychological complexity of its protagonist. Johnny Yuma was a runaway, a disgruntled ex-Confederate drifting through the postwar West. He wants to be a writer, is fast with a gun, and filled with regret over much of what he’s seen and done. On his journey, he confronts apathy in the face of oppression, injustice and enough experience to fill several novels.
