The Skeleton Key is not The Champ

Reviews from Nick at Nite

The Skeleton Key

I blame the time I wasted watching this movie on The Movie Snob. He would not tell me how it ended and it forced me to watch it when it came on HBO this weekend. The plot centers on Goldie Hawn, no wait, not Goldie Hawn, Kate Hudson's character being hired to take care of an elderly couple in an old plantation house in a Louisiana swamp. Much voodoo ensues. It is supposed to be creepy. I only found it moderately so. Movie has three plot twists. I sniffed out the first two much too soon. The third plot twist I never saw coming. My guess is the movie might not have been much of a hit because of the last of these plot twists. Since you can catch it on cable now, I saw watch it if you have access. If you have to rent it, rent something else. I give it a "C."


The Champ

*** SPOILER ALERT *** SPOILER ALERT ***

I watched a few minutes of this movie this weekend while my son was taking a nap. I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid. I also remember crying my eyes out. Makes me wonder if I should have seen it when I did, but that is water under the bridge now. This 1970ish movie features a very young Ricky Schroeder, a middle-aged Jon Voight, and a still very good looking Faye Dunaway. The plot centers around a washed-up boxer who is trying to make one last comeback because he needs the money. Things don't go so well for him in the end. It is a heartbreaker. Ricky Schroeder's meltdown at the end of the film is so convincing, if you aren't welled up by the end you are a robot. Very good film. Underrated. If you happen to catch it, I recommend watching for a few minutes. It will suck you right in. I give it an "A."