★ 8 / 10
**_Beauty and the Beast in West Texas_** A
Wuchak
**_Beauty and the Beast in West Texas_** A heartbroken man in Austin (Billy Budinich) meets a winsome exotic dancer (Caylee Cowan) and they head toward West…
**_Beauty and the Beast in West Texas_**
A heartbroken man in Austin (Billy Budinich) meets a winsome exotic dancer (Caylee Cowan) and they head toward West Texas, but unfortunately end up in the wrong town, ran by a charismatic, but twisted sage (Johnathon Schaech). Kevin Dillon is on hand as the Sheriff.
“Frank and Penelope” (2022) is a quirky romantic road movie within the context of a crime drama/thriller written & directed by Sean Patrick Flanery, who’s perhaps best known as the star of “Powder” (1995). His style is reminiscent of Tarantino and a maybe Rob Zombie, but with some artsy flair akin to, say, Darren Aronofsky.
Flicks like “Psycho III” (1986), "True Romance" (1993), “Chasers” (1994), "Love and a .45" (1994), "Kalifornia" (1993) and a little "The Hot Spot" (1990) come to mind, along with a bit o’ “Ravenous” (1999). Schaech as Chisos is even reminiscent of Neal McDonough in “Ravenous.” As far as I’m concerned, “Frank and Penelope” is the best of all of ’em (it’s at least on par with the top ones).
To be expected with such a list, there’s an amount of sleaze, violence, ugliness and twistedness that you’ll have to roll with, but there are also glimpses of beauty and light. For instance, lust and love are contrasted.
Speaking of beauty, Caylee is a revelation in the tradition of Marilyn Monroe. And the desolate West Texas locations are scenic while the bright palette is a highlight. I’m so glad that fad of a muted colors from a dozen years ago is (hopefully) over. I should add that lovely Sydney Scotia is also featured in the fairly prominent role of Molly.
The film runs 1 hour, 52 minutes, and was shot in Austin and Terlingua, Texas, the latter of which is in the Big Bend area.
GRADE: A-
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★ 6 / 10
You like Pretty?
nogodnomasters
Frank (Billy Budinich) arrives home early to surprise his wife and he is the one who gets surprised. He ends up at the "End of the Rainbow" where he meets a…
Frank (Billy Budinich) arrives home early to surprise his wife and he is the one who gets surprised. He ends up at the "End of the Rainbow" where he meets a friendly dancer who quietly lifts his credit card. After a ruckus with the owner the two of them take off in his Prius down a Texan road only later to trade it in on a vintage muscle machine. They travel down the road to Motel Quicksilver (Motel Hell already taken.) which used to service a local mercury mine. We discover in short order (SPOILER) that they are devout Christians doing the Lord's work by punishing sinners and serving long pig, a trapped miner's tradition. And everyone is a sinner.
This is a quirky noir type film with a cover soundtrack and no Buoys. Penelope Angelo (Caylee Cowan) our dancer is both a dimwitted blonde and an intelligent person in one. She is an interesting complex character who knows how to use her looks.
Guide: F-word. Sex. No significant nudity.
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Rating 7.1? Should 1.7! Top 10 hollywood movies dont get 7+