My “Cinema A – Z” Has Ten “Killer K” Films!
Time now to continue my alphabetical look at film – this time with the letter “K” – a couple of the movies beginning with “K” are among the funniest of all time – but I’ve got thrillers, action films and searing human drama as well – so let’s go!
10 – “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang!”
After struggling with personal Demonds, Robert Downey Jr. made a big comeback to films in 2005, when he starred as a small-time crook who accidentally becomes an Actor!
Val Kilmer chews the scenery as “Gay Perry”, the private eye who trains Downey for the role, but this unlikely team end up getting involved with a struggling Actress and a murder mystery!
Here is the great trailer:
Michelle Monaghan is terrific, as is Corbin Bernsen – and the film was written and directed by Shane Black, known for his scripts for “Lethal Weapon 1 & 2” and “The Last Boy Scout.”
According to reports, Val Kilmer chose not to drink during the production of the film as support for Downey’s substance abuse recovery.
Downey has called it his favorite role – and it is a hilariously funny, sharp and action-packed ride.
Next up is a superb 1971 detective thriller with an Oscar-winning performance by Jane Fonda!
9 – “Klute”
It begins with this confession from Prostitute Jane Fonda:
“And for an hour… for an hour, I’m the best actress in the world”…
Great news for fans of classic movies. A recent blu-ray release from The Criterion Collection showcases an intense, award winning performance by Jane Fonda.
Here is the trailer:
Fonda gives one of her most personal, candid and honest performances in the 1971 thriller “Klute” – a role that would win her the Best Actress Oscar.
Fonda is Bree Daniels, an aspiring Actress who makes her living as a Prostitute in New York. Donald Sutherland plays the small town Cop who arrives to find a missing friend.
This is a terrific film, a character study as well as a murder mystery that build to a terrific climax….if you click here you can find out about all of the great new bonus features from Criterion:
OK, enough with the serious stuff – time now for what is one of the funniest films of all time – from the guys who made another one high on the all-time list – “Airplane!”
8 – “Kentucky Fried Movie!”
The Zucker Brothers are best known for the comedic masterpiece “Airplane!”, but they warmed up with this classic comedy from 1977 – a series of sketches with a ton of great Guest Actors…here is the trailer:
There are great comedy sketches that come fast and furious – like the classic ad for dating help from who else but “Big Jim Slade”:
“Kentucky Fried Movie” is raucous, offensive, and REALLY REALLY funny – and the film includes a brilliant 30-minute, scene-for-scene parody of the great Bruce Lee film “Enter The Dragon” – called “A Fistful Of Yen!”
If you don’t laugh at this film, then you need to try harder – check out the hilarious trailer and see more about the guest stars who pop up in the movie by clicking on my story here:
Next up: John Woo has directed some terrific action films, like “Face/Off” with John Travolta and Nicolas Cage – but his action thrillers from Hong Kong are mind-blowing!
7 – “The Killer”
John Woo blew away audiences with this incredible action thriller about a hit man who – of course – makes just one mistake, and it comes back to haunt him. This is an action masterpiece, with a compelling lead performance by Chow Yun-Fat.
Here is the trailer – wildly violent and entertaining:
This, along with John Woo’s “Hard Boiled” and his American film “Face/Off” are a triple bill of action that simply can’t be topped – click here to see more of Woo’s terrific work – and some of the greatest Asian action thrillers of all time:
Time to shift from brilliant action to intimate drama – with a love triangle between Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Annette Bening!
6 – “The Kids Are All Right”
This powerful 2010 film was directed by Lisa Cholodenko, and stars Moore and Bening as a lesbian couple who have their lives turned upside down when their two children – conceived by artificial insemination – bring their biological father Mark Ruffalo into their non-traditional family life.
Here is the trailer:
So what happens when your kids invite your sperm donor over for a bite to eat? From that setup, this film explores love, fidelity, family and so much more – and the cast is stellar…a truly special film.
“The Kids Are All Right” is a masterclass of acting…just as my next “film with a K” is:
5 – “Killer Joe”
William Friedkin directed such classic films as “The French Connection”, “The Exorcist” and “To Live And Die In LA” – but this 2012 outing was one of his best – and among his most provocative:
“Killer Joe” sports a great cast including Matthew McConaughey, Gina Gershon, Thomas Hayden Church and Juno Temple – it’s the story of a father and son who decide to kill Mom, using “Detective by day / Hitman by night” Killer Joe to do the job for them!
Matthew McConoughey has a blast as the killer cop, and Juno Temple, who many of you will know from “Ted Lasso”, is pitch perfect as the daughter who may or may not be going along with her Dad’s plan to kill her Mom.
The film is dark dark DARK, but the entire cast digs in and delivers a black comedy that was so wild it was rated NC-17!
Director William Friedkin released his autobiography a few years before he sadly passed away, and it’s a terrific read as well – an honest, candid and fascinating look at his life in movies.
Here’s another brilliant Director who also has an amazing body of cinematic work, including this dark dark DARK comedy with Robert DeNiro:
4 – “The King Of Comedy”
This 1982 film was trashed by Critics when it was first released, but is now considered a prescient masterpiece….first, see the trailer:
Robert DeNiro gives a great performance as Rupert Pupkin, a delusional comedian who will do whatever it takes to become famous. Along with help from his friend Sandra Bernhard, he fulfills his dream…
Scorsese’s masterpiece also starred Jerry Lewis as a late night Talk Show Host who meets Pupkin – and everything escalates from there.
In a world of “instant celebrity” – as well as being “famous for being famous”, this movie captured this world before anyone could imagine how real it would become…and it shows the power of television in creating stars.
There was an anniversary screening lately – and a new blu-ray with tons of great extras – check it out here:
Another legendary Director is next up on the list – Sam Peckinpah directed “The Wild Bunch”, “The Getaway” with Steve McQueen, and this 1975 action thriller starring James Caan and Robert Duvall:
3 – “The Killer Elite”
James Caan is great a government Agent who’s betrayed by a co-worker, Robert Duvall. Check out the vintage trailer:
Duvall and Caan are both great actors to watch, and there are several terrific action sequences as well – Director Sam Peckinpah was known for his “ballet of violence” and for being a bit of a wild man on set – click here for a wild “soup tossing” story from a friend of mine who worked with him once!
Time to step away from Hollywood for our next film – very far away from Hollywood – like the middle of the Pacific Ocean!
2 – “Kon-Tiki”
I love documentaries – and this is one of the greatest of all time. Adventurer Thor Heyerdahl decided to see if South American explorers could have travelled more than 4,000 miles from Peru to settle islands in the South Pacific. So he decided to try and do himself! Here is the trailer:
The Kon-Tiki expedition led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl happened in 1947, and the documentary was released in the United States in 1951. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
It’s a fascinating trip, with footage shot by the team while on the ocean!
Back on dry land, here is my last film with a “K”, and it’s one of the funniest and most under-rated comedies ever – about bowling!
1 – “Kingpin”
After “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary”, the Farrelly Brothers’ comedy winning streak continued with this hilarious 1996 bowling film, starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid and Bill Murray.
Here is the trailer:
Harrelson is Roy Munson, who loses his chance at bowling stardom when he loses his hand!
Redemption comes via Randy Quaid, who plays Ishmael – who is Amish and sneaks away from the farm to bowl.
Ultimately, they go up against champion bowler Ernie McCracken, played with a brilliant deadpan and magical comb-over by Bill Murray.
Murray is clearly having a blast, but Woody Harrelson also is hilarious as Roy Munson, a bowler who lost it all and just wants a shot at redemption:
ESPN Announcer: So Roy, where have you been for the last fifteen years?
Roy: Well, I uh, well, ya see, I uh… Drinking. Lot a drinking.
ESPN Announcer: I see. Well, are you still drinking?
Roy: No. I uh… I put… uh… Why, you buying?
There is SO much to love about “Kingpin”: terrific acting, hilarious set pieces, memorable characters, and of course, BOWLING…see more great bowling films here:
There’s my list of ten great movies that begin with “K” – and of course there are many more…also, if you missed my list of “J” movies, you didn’t see my love for this gem:
Yes, “Jackass!” Hilariously funny and profane – just one of the movies beginning with a “J” – and you can see them all here:
I am also doing a list of “Music A – Z” as a series as well, and the letter “J” made me want to “jump” up for joy:
If you haven’t seen it, check out my latest list of “songs in the key of J” here:
I am also reviewing all of the James Bond 007 films in order, like the one that had a real-life battle with Monks!
Click here for the “cliffhanging” battle for the right location for a shoot!
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Categories: 70's Cinema, Academy Awards, Action Films, Art, Comedy Movies, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Film Noir, Great Films, Movies, Pop Culture, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
I loved Klute! and want to see kiss, kiss! lots of great ‘k’s’ here –
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Thanks for the comment!
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Great line-up, John!
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Killer Joe, Klute, King of Comedy, three of my favourites, John. Thanks for another very interesting selection.
Best wishes, Pete.
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A great selection, John. I’ve seen five of them and my favourite of those was Killer Joe. That may have had something to do with Juno Temple, who I think is wonderful!
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Yes, I rally loved that film, everyone at the top of their game and she stole the movie as the “dim-witted but smarter than them all” femme fatale!
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She’s great, isn’t she. One of the best for me in Ted Lasso – though the whole show was fantastic!
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I was glad to see that Kon Tiki was on the list: I read the book years and years ago, but didn’t know there was a movie, thank you for the pointer!
I was surprised not to see wax-on-wax-off on the list, though 🙃 🥋
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