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ROLLER BOOGIE (1979) - A SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER ripoff starring the girl from THE EXORCIST, co-written and produced by the man behind HALLOWEEN (Irwin Yablans) and Directed by the man who made FIRESTARTER and COMMANDO - hey, it was the 70s!

Trading in dancing shoes for roller skates, Mark Lester's goofy film about a 'musical genius' rich girl from Beverly Hills (Linda Blair) who meets up at Venice Beach with the local whiz kid skater (Jim Bray) who teaches her how to skate in order to skate in the big roller skating championship. Of course, they fall for one another even though Bray looks much more like a 98 pound weakling than a romeo like Travolta (Bray was indeed a roller skating champ - he never 'acted' again).

The disco soundtrack has a couple of notable tracks by Earth, Wind & Fire and Cher, but composer Bob Esty was no Bee Gees and the album broke no sales records. The supporting cast includes 'Lost In Space's Mark Goddard a meanie who wants to buy out the local roller-rink - by any means necessary! Also, in the cast in Roger Corman fave Beverly Garland as Blair's mom and Russ Meyer bit player Patrick Wright as a cop. Blair's bosom buddy is played by Kimberly Beck who's career ranged from Peyton Place to this to FRIDAY 13th THE FINAL CHAPTER.

ROLLER BOOGIE is fun while on skates, but extremely corny off of them. There is a fun chase scene on skates and The Big Contest brings it all together. No great shakes, but as a time capsule of the 15 minutes when Disco met Roller Skating, it's cheezy amusement.

FRIENDSHIP (2025). Andrew DeYoung's dark comedy about a nerdy neurotic office worker Craig (Tim Robinson) who strikes up an awkard friendship with a neighbor who happens to be the local weatherman, Austin (Paul Rudd). Craig looks upon Austin as everything he isn't, including being cool (he's in a rock band to boot!).

The humor emerges almost entirely from the two main performers and how they contrast. Their wives are very much secondary here (although Kate Mara as Craig's wife makes the most of her time in the spotlight). It's strictly a bromance. Robinson is such a bundle of anxious energy that it borders on cringy (and some will certainly find it crossing that line). It's an A24 release so there is also a good measure of quirkiness mixed in.

DeYoung's debut feature (he also wrote) shows a decent hand here. It gets darker but never does cut too deeply and it's not outrageously funny save for a drug fueled trip which is so appropriately mundane in its specifics that it becomes pretty hilarious. FRIENDSHIP earns a good measure of its ironic title even it never elevates.

DEVO (2025). Devo was one of the most innovative bands in rock history, but their very uniqueness became a double-edged sword for they were so ahead of their time, yet they were too often dismissed as a novelty act. Chris Smith's documentary does a good job tracing the origins and inevitable frustrations of the band. A sound clip in the opening montage describes them as "The Band Who Fell To Earth" - a clear reference to the David Bowie sci-fi film (a quite appropriate reference as Bowie would play a key role in launching the band).

Before they were even a band, Devo was an intellectual art project forged by twin events for the Ohio based artists. First, they were influenced by the outre theory of De-Evolution which included a pamphlet entitled "Jocko Homo" (credit much also go to Bob Lewis who was an early collaborator). Second, key members Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh were on campus and witnesses to the Kent State massacre in 1970. Add in a pinch of the classic horror film ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and what became Devo was born.

It took a few years, but Devo got seen and heard through their innovative short films which predated MTV and the music video revolution (which they became key contributors to). They made their way to NYC and got truly 'discovered' and noticed by the likes of John Lennon, Iggy Pop and Bowie (who eventually shephereded their first album in 1978 via Brian Eno). Even Mick Jagger got into the act as he personally signed off on Devo's first official single, a cover of "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Soon SNL called.

Smith's doc covers all of this in great detail and it makes up more than half of the running time. It's quite clear early on that Devo was never going to much more than a cult act. Their hit single "Whip It" also became a bit of an albatross as the record label kept demanding another hit (it was to be Devo's sole Top 40 record). Devo kept plugging away, touring, shooting videos, recording - rinse, repeat eventually putting out 8 albums during their initial incarnation.

In reality, by 1984 they had been somewhat abandoned by all but their most loyal fans and were dropped by their record label. Members began to quit (and sometimes come back), It may sound like a typical 'Behind The Music' career arc, but what what set the band apart was they never were really in it for the fame and fortune. They had a theory of man's de-evolutionary downward spiral and they preached and practiced it.

Devo may never get into the Rock Hall Of Fame although they've been nominated multiple times, but their experimental excellence endures. DEVO is a fine film tribute.