Kevin Cronin Movies

REO Speedwagon were one of the most popular American rock bands of the 1970's and 80's, and they're still hard at work, entertaining fans across the country and around the world every year. REO Speedwagon: RAW -- Real Artists Working offers a look at the nuts and bolts that make up an REO Speedwagon concert tour, first looking in as the band rehearses their set and prepares their show, and then capturing the excitement of the band's performance on the tour's first stop. The documentary also includes interviews with the members of the group as they discuss their individual histories in music, their approaches to their instruments, and how they choose their gear. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Leonard Maltin wasn't alone when he noticed similarities between Goonies and the 1934 Our Gang comedy Mama's Little Pirate. Adapted by Chris Columbus from a story by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of misfit kids (including such second-generation Hollywoodites as Josh Brolin and Sean Astin) as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and her outlaw brood. Fortunately, the kids manage to befriend Fratelli's hideously deformed (but soft-hearted) son (John Matuszak), who comes to their rescue. The Spielberg influence is most pronounced in the film's prologue and epilogue, when the viewer is advised that the film's real villains are a group of "Evil Land Developers." The musical score makes excellent use of Max Steiner's main theme from The Adventures of Don Juan, not to mention contributions by the likes of Richard Marx and Cyndi Lauper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide