Steve Brewer's Lonely Street on DVD, with Elvis

Here's a bonus review of all things a DVD...but it is based on a mystery writer's novel

By Oline H. Cogdill
Mystery Fiction Columnist

Lonely Street: Bridge Home Entertainment, $19.99, 88 minutes running time, Rated: R.

Robert Patrick gives one of the best interpretations of Elvis Presley in the movie Lonely Street since Bruce Campbell showed The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll as a nursing home resident fighting mummies in Bubba Ho-Tep.

This is the same Patrick who as the cyborg T-1000 terrorized Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, who played Col. Tom Ryan in CBS’ The Unit and who portrayed Johnny Cash’s father in Walk the Line. Patrick regularly pops up in movies and TV as either a villain or iron-jawed tough guys.

But Patrick is unrecognizable as any of his signature roles as Elvis – or rather Mr. Aaron -- in the entertaining Lonely Street (Bridge Home Entertainment, $19.99, 88 minutes running time, Rated: R).

Based on Steve Brewer’s first novel in his Bubba Mabry series, Lonely Street is a quirky, humorous film that also stays faithful to the spirit of the authors’ amusing series.

Bubba (Jay Mohr, Gary Unmarried) is a down-on-his-luck Albuquerque private investigator who takes just about any job to pay the bills.

In Lonely Street, Bubba may have the job of his life when he is asked to keep tabloid reporter Hank Tankersley away from a client – “Mr. Aaron,” who bears a striking resemblance to Elvis Presley. Mr. Aaron (Patrick) attributes his survival to downing wheat-grass shooters and practicing tai chi while living in New Mexico for more than 30 years.

When Hank is killed, Bubba tries to find out what the reporter was planning to do with his story as well as prove that he had nothing to do with the man’s death.

The investigation gives Bubba a primer on the music industry, courtesy the scheming pony-tailed record producer Jerry Finkelman (Joe Mantegna) and leads him to the hooker with an agenda Bambi Gamble (Nikki Cox) and tabloid editor, Felicia Quattlebaum (Lindsay Price, Lipstick Jungle).

Mohr shows Bubba’s humor and slacker mentality as well as his innate desire to do the right thing, so evident in Brewer’s novels. Mantegna gives his usual spot-on performance, getting caught in the absurdity and campiness that pervades Lonely Street.

But it’s Patrick with his limited screen time that steals the show, mumbling like Elvis yet also showing a regal quality that made that boy from Mississippi grow up to be The King. Only Campbell in Bubba Ho-Tep can beat Patrick as Elvis.

The short bonuses on Lonely Street’s DVD include a look at how this independent movie got made – which included luck and creative fundraising that falls just short of putting on bake sales and car washes. Mohr also tells how he and Cox (Las Vegas) were married shortly after filming ended more than two years ago.

There are also production stills set to original songs by Elvis impersonator James Brown and a music video.

Lonely Street will make you remember why Elvis was The King; read Brewer’s novels to find out what Bubba did after his brush with Elvis.

Article Source: http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/features/arts/offthepage/blog/2009/08/steve_brewers_lonely_street_on.html