TALKING MOVIEzzz

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO: THIS BLOG

2011-11-22T15:58:00.000-05:00

It has been five months since the last post here.

So, what happened? How did this once daily blog all of a sudden stop posting?

Honestly, and this is may be difficult to believe, but I just fell out of love with film.

I could feel it happening.

Last year, I would go out to movies every weekend as usual. But they were all forgotten by the time I got home.

I started going to the movies less.

I went from going to see two or three movies every weekend, to, this year, seeing three films the entire year.

The ironic thing is that I was losing interest just as this site was just starting to get more popular.

I used to have to fight to get DVD review copies and then, I was getting offers from most of the studios asking if I wanted them. I wound up having stacks of DVDs to review, and zero interest in watching them. It got to be like homework.

So, even DVDs, I have given up on.

I used to have a 5 at a time Netflix plan. Now, I've canceled my Netflix account, and not because of any price increases. If I watch DVDs, it is mainly TV on DVD sets.

Sarah Vowell has an essay in "The Partly Cloudy Patriot" about being a serious film fan, attending her local college screenings. As the years went by, she started to grow out of it. When I first read this piece, as much as I love Vowell, I couldn't understand how someone could outgrow film. Now, I understand it completely.

I haven't completely lost interest in the entertainment field. Instead, I've rediscovered live theatre. Beginning going to several local plays, I've moved on to on weekends, going to New York City and Broadway. I've seen more plays this summer than I have all my life. The immediacy of live theatre is far more rewarding than film. Not to mention that musicals have always been my favorite film genre, and they live on on Broadway.

But, I'm happy to say that I was there for what will probably be considered the prime of blogging, 2007-2009. These were the years that blogging was fun. Writers were reading others, linking back and forth.

Then, people began thinking "Hey, maybe I can make something from this". Corporate blogs expanded, blogs were created about how to make money while blogging, the fun started to leave. Many bloggers retired. And now, I guess I am joining the retirees.

Will this be the last post here? For the time being, most likely.

Thanks for reading.

UNKNOWN (2011) Blu-ray Review

2011-06-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Liam Neeson is a scientist in Berlin for a conference with his wife (January Jones). After getting in a car accident, he awakens to realize that his wife doesn’t recognize him and another man (Aidan Quinn) is claiming to be him. Diane Kruger, Bruno Ganz and Frank Langella all appear.

HOW IS IT?

UNKNOWN has a set up that Hitchcock would have loved. The innocent man, trying to prove his identity, this could have been made sixty years ago and have worked.

Without giving anything away, after a strong set up, it gets needlessly muddled with a resolution that raises more questions than answers. It just doesn't work.

Rather than sticking to the mystery of the situation, the film instead stays with too many action film cliches. It is filled with car chases and fight scenes. The story was interesting enough that it didn't need these elements.

The Blu-ray contains two featurettes on Liam Neeson and the making of the film.

UNKNOWN will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 21st, from Warner Home Video. It will also be available On Demand and to download on iTunes.

HALL PASS (2011) Blu-Ray Review

2011-06-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Two married men (Jason Sudeikis and Owen Wilson) are given a “Hall Pass”, a week off from marriage by their wives (Christina Applegate and Jenna Fischer). The two enter the world of dating.

HOW IS IT?

HALL PASS has something of an All Star cast of some of the funniest people on TV. Jason Sudeikis from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Christina Applegate from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN and SAMANTHA WHO, Jenna Fischer from THE OFFICE, even other familiar TV faces as Alyssa Milano and THE VIEW’s Joy Behar appear. Owen Wilson and Richard Jenkins are two of the only real “movie” stars in the film.

Watching the film, it makes you really appreciate sitcoms. We are going through a revival of TV comedy. I don’t know if it tells you more about this film, or TV comedy when I can honestly say there are more laughs in a single episode of any of the above TV shows than in this film.

HALL PASS was based on a story by Pete Jones. You may remember Jones as the star of the first season of the late great HBO reality series PROJECT GREENLIGHT, the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon series that followed the making of a film from screenplay through finished product. Pete was the filmmaker who made STOLEN SUMMER (who frequently stated “Over my dead body!” to any argument).

Peter and Bobby Farrelly (DUMB AND DUMBER, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) rewrote and directed the film.

The Blu-ray contains an extended (by six minutes) cut of the film, along with a single deleted scene and a gag reel.

While the cast is always fun to watch, and may make this worth seeing, it isn’t a highlight for anyone involved.

HALL PASS will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 14th from Warner Home Video. It will also be available On Demand and to download on iTunes

You can also play a series of games based on the movie at the film’s website.

RED RIDING HOOD (2011) Blu-Ray Review

2011-06-12T12:20:00.000-04:00

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

In an updated version of the classic story, Amanda Seyfried plays Valerie, the title character. She is in love with one man (Shiloh Fernandez) while engaged to another (Max Irons). When a werewolf kills Valerie’s sister, a werewolf hunter (Gary Oldman) is called.

HOW IS IT?

If you were a fan of TWILIGHT, RED RIDING HOOD might be for you. With a love triangle, werewolves, it seems to offer a lot of the same elements. It is also from the director of the first film, Catherine Hardwicke.

I have to admit, I’m not a TWILIGHT fan. Plenty are fans, but it just isn’t for me. So, I am not the right audience for this film. It just didn’t work for me.

But if you are a TWILIGHT fan, this might be worth looking for.

The Blu-ray contains quite a few extras however.

There is a picture in picture commentary with the three stars along with the director. There is an alternate ending to the film, several deleted scenes, a gag reel, featurettes on the cast, as well as music videos.

RED RIDING HOOD will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on June 14th from Warner Home Video. It will also be available On Demand and on iTunes

You can play a series of games based on the film at their website.

CONCERT REVIEW: THE GO-GO's Live - Northampton MA

2011-06-01T12:14:00.002-04:00

It is hard to believe, but thirty years ago, a band danced in a water fountain on MTV, becoming one of the most memorable groups of the 1980’s. That was the Go-Go’s.

Thirty years later, after albums, breakups, solo careers, “Behind the Music” specials, reunions, etc, they are back together and touring.

Last night, they appeared at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton.

And they sound better than ever.

Confession: The Go-Go’s have, since that video, been one of my favorite bands of all time. Their debut album “Beauty and the Beat” I still consider to be one of the greatest, most perfect pop albums ever recorded. I was also a big fan of Belinda Carlisle’s solo work. And, last night was the first time I saw any of them live.

Maybe it is just early in the tour, but I have never seen a band seem to have as much fun performing on stage. Bassist Kathy Valentine seemed to be smiling through the whole thing. While Belinda Carlisle was always (rightly or wrongly) thought of as the leader of the group, it was guitarist Jane Wiedlin who did most of the song introductions. Gina Schock was amazing on the drums as usual, with Charlotte Caffey (who along with Jane wrote many of the still classic songs) alternating between guitar and keyboards.

Opening with “Vacation” the band sounded fantastic throughout. With “Beauty and the Beat” being reissued in a 30th anniversary edition, with a second CD of an early live performance, most of that album was played. The band played “This Town”, “Lust to Love”, “Tonite” “Automatic”, and more, all sounding great. They played just as many Rolling Stones covers (“Mother’s Little Helper) as Belinda solo songs (a Go-Goized “Mad About You”). They also played more recent Go-Go's songs, including "Has the Whole World Lost Its Head" from RETURN TO THE VALLEY OF THE GO-GOS and "Unforgiven" from GOD BLESS THE GO-GOS.

They closed out the almost 90 minute set with “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got The Beat” returning for two encores that included “Head Over Heels” which still has some of the greatest keyboarding of the 1980s.

Opening act the Dollyrots were a very good pop-punk trio signed to Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records. I wasn’t familiar with them, but will be picking up their CDs.

The Go-Go’s will be traveling this summer (tour dates here), including an appearance this Friday on Good Morning America.

If you get a chance to see them, do not miss it.

WARNER ARCHIVE REVIEW: SOLDIER IN THE RAIN (1963)

2011-06-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN stars Steve McQueen as Sgt Eustis Clay, an Army Supply Sergeant. Eustis spends his days in the barracks coming up with various get rich quick schemes and hanging out with his best friend M/Sgt Maxwell Slaughter (Jackie Gleason who is very good in a rather serious role).

Slaughter has been in the service since the War. It is his life. His office is air conditioned with its own Pepsi machine. He doesn’t see leaving the Army any time soon.

Co-written and produced by Blake Edwards, and directed by Ralph Nelson, SOLDIER IN THE RAIN is an odd film that is tonally all over the place. At times it is very funny, there is also a very brutal fight scene, along with a tragic finale.

The supporting cast includes Tuesday Weld, Tom Poston, Tony Bill, Ed Nelson and even Adam West in a small role. There is a memorable theme song by Henry Mancini, who would team up with Edwards soon after for THE PINK PANTHER.

With Gleason, it is a surprise to see that McQueen turns in the wildest comic performance. His character has this strange squeaky voice reminiscent of Jerry Mathers in early LEAVE IT TO BEAVER episodes. If this had been anyone other than Steve McQueen, you might say the performance ruins the film. But McQueen was so charismatic, it is still watchable.

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN was released soon after THE GREAT ESCAPE, when McQueen was one of the biggest stars of the day. It also had the misfortune of being released a week after the JFK assassination. Because of that, the film has largely been forgotten.

SOLDIER IN THE RAIN is available now from the Warner Archive.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART ONE (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2011-04-07T10:30:00.001-04:00

I started reading the HARRY POTTER series of books around the time of the third being published. They hype was building and I wanted to find out about them. After reading the first, I was hooked and quickly caught up. From the 4th book on, I was buying them the weekend they came out (but never dressing up, or lining up at midnight).

With the films, it has been the opposite. For the first 3 or 4, I was there opening weekend. Since then, I've been waiting for the DVD release. I am only now seeing the latest, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS.

It isn't that I don't care about the films. They have been doing a good job adapting them. But, having read the books, I know what happens, and there is no mystery to them.

It has been a few years since I read the last HARRY POTTER book. Since I have read many books since then, I have for the most part forgotten what happened.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS is PART ONE, covering the first half of the book. The second part will be released this summer.

Harry, Hermione and Ron are not at Hogwarts. Instead, they are on the run, trying to track down and destroy the Horcruxes, magical items that will aid in his destruction of Voldemort.

Harry's nemesis, the evil Voldemort, and his followers have taken over the Ministry of Magic. Harry is now a wanted man and many of his once friends are in hiding, or dead.

As a film, beware, this is just the first part. It ends without any resolution to the story. It also ends on a major cliffhanger moment as well, that will have you waiting for the next part.

The special effects are first rate. And, as for the human cast, Helena Bonham Carter seems to be having a lot of fun as Bellatrix Lestrange.

Extras on the Blu-ray include "Maximum Movie Mode" where the film is shown with actors introducing it and, at times, interrupting with additional videos and on camera explanations about various aspects of the film. I must say that these are a lot more fun than standard commentaries.

A second disc of extras include 10 minutes of deleted scenes, along with a few short "Making Of Featurettes". The set is also including a first look at the opening scene of Part Two (this was not on my review copy however).

A third disc contains a DVD / digital copy of the film.

Fans will be looking forward to the final film of the series, and the Blu-ray should get them ready.

I most likely will be there to see the final film theatrically.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART ONE will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on Friday April 15, 2011 from Warner Home Video.

TRON and TRON LEGACY Blu-Ray Review

2011-03-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

With the release of TRON: LEGACY to theatres last December, there was a great demand for people to watch the 1982 original TRON again (or for the first time). Unfortunately, the DVD, released ten years earlier, had gone out of print. Copies were hard to find.

Now, TRON and its sequel TRON: LEGACY are being released together in a 5 disc Blu-ray set. The films are also available individually on DVD and Blu-ray.

The original TRON may not have the best reputation.

On an episode of THE SIMPSONS from the mid-90’s, Homer, stuck in a computerized world, asks “Has anyone seen TRON?” Everyone around him, Chief Wiggum, Bart, the rest of the gang, all say “No.”

Because it wasn’t a big box office hit, most believe it was a bad film.

That is even though critically, it received fairly positive notices, including a 4 star review from Roger Ebert (who a few years back showed it at his Overlooked Film Festival).

TRON has always been popular with computer geeks though, being a huge inspiration for a generation.

I saw TRON on its original release and was one who loved it. It looked like no film had before. And the idea of entering into the world of a computer (which in those days had yet to make it into the home) was a fascinating premise. Today, the talk of “users” and “programs” is a lot more natural than it was in those days before the home computer

On Blu-ray, the film looks better than ever. This may have been the first time that I picked up on the cameos by Pac Man and Mickey Mouse. The film also sounds terrific.

The Blu-ray contains the extras from the original DVD that includes an almost 90 minute making of documentary. Also included is a new feature, PHOTO TRONOLOGY where director Steve Lisberger and his son go to visit the Disney archives to look at the material that they have about the production. Steve tells his son stories about the making of the film. There is also a feature where the cast of the remake discusses the original.

One interesting fact in the extras, the average cell phone has more power than the computers used to create the FX for the original film.

TRON: LEGACY may not be quite as successful as the original. In theatres, in 3-D, I will go so far as to say that the 3-D effects were stronger than AVATAR in allowing the audience to feel a part of the TRON world. That is, even though it wasn’t used for dimensional effects, with nothing flying out at the audience. So, 2-D home viewing won't really lose anything.

The story, about Jeff Bridge’s son entering a computer to track him down, has its moments. But, it isn’t quite up to the original. While it looks great, it is a bit overlong and rather uninvolving. For fans of the original, it is well worth viewing.

The Blu-ray contains several new featurettes (most around ten minutes) about the making of the film along with a Daft Punk music video.

In addition to the films on Blu-ray, the set contains a copy of TRON: LEGACY on 3-D Blu-ray (that I wasn’t able to review), a copy of the sequel on standard DVD, and a disc of a digital file of the film.

Not included, unfortunately, is a copy of the original video game, still the greatest arcade game of all time.

TRON and TRON LEGACY will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on April 5, 2011 from Walt Disney Home Video.

CAN'T BUY ME LOVE Cast Reunion!

2011-03-24T12:07:00.001-04:00

Thanks to a comment over on the Amanda Peterson story, I discovered this.

Many of the cast members along with the writer of CAN'T BUY ME LOVE (minus the director, Patrick Dempsey, Amanda Peterson and Seth Green) had a screening and Q&A about the film at the NuArt Theatre in LA on February 11, 2011.

The 40 minute video posted above is EXCELLENT, even though the room is so dark you can't see who is talking.

Among the highlights of the conversation

Writer Michael Swerdlick was working in the mailroom at William Morris when he was invited to a party with all the top agents. Because he had a model as his date, he was paid more attention to by the agents who suggested he write a script.

He sold the script, then called BOY RENTS GIRL, to Tri-Star. In a meeting with the studio, a female exec hated it and put it into turnaround.

He was asked to submit a writing sample to do a rewrite on a BMX film called WINNERS TAKE ALL (that starred CBML stars Gerardo Mieja and Courtney Gains). His agent sent over BOY RENTS GIRL. The production company said forget about rewriting WINNERS, lets make RENTS!

The film was shot in Tucson for $1.8 million. It was a non-Union shoot, with picketers seen in the distance of some shots.

After production, one of the friends of the filmmakers (who had appeared in a mall scene) had become the head of acquisitons at Disney. He suggested that Michael Eisner and Jeff Katzenberg take a look at the film.

The writer asked if his family members could screen the film. They arranged a screening. Right before his family was to see the film, Eisner and Katzenberg entered the screening room. They laughed several times, but left before it was over.

Disney then decided to buy the film for $6 million.

They had some reshoots, only by the time of the reshoots, the lawns were dead. For the final scene, riding away on the mower, they had to spend $15,000 for a new lawn.

It cost $125,000 to use the title song, and they had to show the film to the owner of the song, Michael Jackson. A print was taken to Neverland. Michael loved the film.

Marisa Tomei was a favorite to play the female lead but that didn't work out. Uma Thurman also read for it.

Marc Price, "Skippy" from FAMILY TIES was initially offered the lead. He was unhappy about his offer of $35,000. While they were waiting, they were told about Patrick Dempsey. After finding him, they were hoping that Price wouldn't sign. He didn't so Patrick was cast.

Chuck Lorre (the creator of TWO AND A HALF MEN and THE BIG BANG THEORY) wrote one of the songs in the film.

Choreographer Paula Abdul had trouble getting the cast to take things seriously.

Gerardo "Rico Suave" Mieja, who according to the castmembers wasn't all that friendly during his Suave years, is now "a good guy again" and is a pastor in Orange County. Gerardo says he has little memory of the Suave years.

And, Darcy DeMoss who acted as guardian to Amanda during her time in Hollywood in later years, had talked to Amanda a few days before. She had to go through four old numbers to find her, finally reaching her mom. She talked to Amanda who has a little girl who is in school so she couldn't make it to the reunion.

A great interview. Wish I could have been there.

WARNER ARCHIVE REVIEW: THE TWO MRS CARROLLS (1947)

2011-03-02T11:00:00.005-05:00

Barbara Stanwyck and Humphrey Bogart were two of the greatest actors of all time. Despite working in the same era, and making many films for Warner Brothers, the two starred in only one film together, THE TWO MRS CARROLLS.

The trailer proclaimed "The two stars you've always wanted to see together". Bogart plays Geoffrey Carroll, a painter. He meets Sally (Stanwyck), even though he is married. He poisons his wife (with a sinister glass of milk). But after marrying Sally, will she meet the same fate when he meets someone else?

THE TWO MRS CARROLLS isn't a great film. It does have one fun line, Bogart, upon being introduced to someone, calls back a classic line stating "I have the strangest feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful hatred".

Based on a stage play by Martin Vale and directed by Peter Godfrey (who had directed Stanwyck's CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT), the film was made in 1945 but wasn't released until 1947. Yet, even though it may not be among the stars best films,it is well worth seeing. Stanwyck and Bogart in anything is more worthwhile than a film with most of the stars of today.

As with other Archive titles, the only extra is a trailer. The film is remastered and looks quite good.

THE TWO MRS CARROLS is available now from the Warner Archive.

BAMBI (1942) Blu-Ray Review

2011-02-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

While the DVD industry is said to be on the decline, Walt Disney Home Video has been making up for it, releasing their classic films on Blu-Ray. Each of these has been well worth the upgrade. The latest is BAMBI.

What to say about BAMBI that hasn’t been said before? This is a favorite animated film of many, and with good reason. The animation, with the use of the multi-plane camera to add depth to the scenes, is still impressive. Not to mention the story. The scene, in the snow, with Bambi in the woods calling for...well, in the off chance you haven’t seen the film in the past seventy years, I won’t give it away. But it is still powerful today.

The Blu-ray transfer is, as per Disney’s usual standards, quite stunning. It may not be as awe inducing as the recent releases of FANTASIA or ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but that is only because it has always had a more subdued color palette. The film does look the best it probably ever has.

There are all sorts of extras.

New to Blu-ray is an introduction by Walt’s daughter Diane Disney Miller. There are two new deleted scenes, along with a deleted song. These are all recreated from story notes.

The big new feature is the “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings” viewing option. When you watch the film in this mode, you can hear actors reciting transcripts of Walt and his animators discussing the film during the writing process. Early animation and illustrations are also onscreen to illustrate.

Like the other recent Disney animated films, the film is available in Disney View mode with original artwork on the sides of the screen to fill up a widescreen TV.

The Blu-ray also contains the extras from the previous DVD which include documentaries on the making of the film, excerpts from a 1957 TV episode, as well as THE OLD MILL animated short which also used the multiplane camera.

Also included with the Blu-ray is a DVD version of the film.

The Blu-ray also contains a new feature, "Second screen". With this (that I was unable to test) you can watch the Blu-ray and sync up a laptop or iPad to give you extra trivia notes, animated segments, and more while you watch the film.

Once again, Disney releases the definitive edition of a classic film on Blu-ray. If you like the film and have a Blu-ray player, don’t miss it.

BAMBI will be available March 1, 2011 from Walt Disney Home Video

SUNDAY IN NEW YORK (1963) DVD Review

2011-02-16T11:18:00.000-05:00

"New York On Sunday / Big City Taking A Nap"

The theme song of SUNDAY IN NEW YORK, co-written by Peter Nero and sung by Mel Torme, may be better remembered than the 1963 film it is from. The film is now finally available on DVD through the Warner Archive.

Based on a Broadway play by Norman Krasna (WHITE CHRISTMAS, MR AND MRS SMITH, IT'S A DATE, BACHELOR MOTHER) who also adapted it for the screen, SUNDAY IN NEW YORK was directed by Peter Tewksbury, who, other than a couple Elvis movies, worked mainly in TV, directing episodes of FATHER KNOWS BEST and MY THREE SONS.

Jane Fonda, in one of her first starring roles, plays Eileen. She visits New York City one Sunday to get romantic advice from her brother, pilot Adam (Cliff Robertson). Eileen is being pressured by her boyfriend (Robert Culp) to sleep with him. Only, she doesn't know if she should wait for marriage.

Adam tells her that she is doing the right thing by waiting, even though his plans for that Sunday were to get some alone time with his girlfriend.

While out in the city, Eileen meets Mike (Rod Taylor). The two see the sights, including a couple of great sequences in Central Park (look for an uncredited Jim Hutton) and Rockefeller Center.

Then, a rainstorm hits. This, along with a surprise visit from Eileen's boyfriend, create all sorts of complications.

While the film displays its stage origins, and its subject matter may be a bit dated, this is still a very entertaining film. The entire cast is quite good, especially the largely forgotten Rod Taylor. Jim Backus also appears as the head of Robertson's airline.

As with all titles released through the Warner Archive, the only extra on the film is a trailer. The transfer looks very nice, with bright colors.

SUNDAYS IN NEW YORK is available now through the Warner Archive.

Chalres E. Sellier Jr (1943-2011)

2011-02-04T12:07:00.000-05:00

Charles E. Sellier Jr passed away at the age of 67 at his home in Idaho. Sellier may have been best known as the creator of GRIZZLY ADAMS, he was also one of the most important independent filmmakers / producers of the 1970's. I didn't think that the New York Times obituary this morning gave a full impact on his legacy. In fact, it didn't even mention some of the most interesting aspects of his career, and didn't even name the studio he created, Sunn Classic Pictures.

Sellier began making wilderness adventure films in the early 1970's. The most famous of these was 1974's THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GRIZZLY ADAMS. Best known for its short lived and well remembered 1977 TV series, the film was first with Dan Haggerty in the title role (even though his dialogue was dubbed by another actor in the film).

While GRIZZLY ADAMS may have been his best known film, he was one of the pioneers of the "speculative documentary". These films, to paraphrase Roger Ebert "asked a lot of questions but answered none".

Usually narrated by Brad Crandall, Sellier produced such films as IN SEARCH OF NOAH'S ARK, IN SEARCH OF HISTORIC JESUS, the reincarnation film BEYOND AND BACK, the Big Foot / Loch Ness doc MYSTERIOUS MONSTERS, THE AMAZING WORLD OF PSYCHIC PHENOMENA, THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE and, my personal favorite, the Abraham Lincoln conspiracy film THE LINCOLN CONSPIRACY. ENCOUNTERS WITH DISASTER, a documentary on tragedies throughout history, was directed by Sellier.

Sellier and his Sunn Classic were geniuses at marketing. Using market research, they would "four wall" the films, that is, renting theatres in towns, saturating the market with advertising, and clean up at the box office. Several of their films were among the most profitable of the 1970's. They were also brilliant at creating tie in paperbacks for each film, many written by Sellier himself.

They moved into TV with GRIZZLY ADAMS, as well as a series of films based on the CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED comic books. The best known of these is the Jeff Goldblum starring THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW. They also had a series THE GREATEST HEROES OF THE BIBLE.

Sunn Classics billed itself as a family friendly studio. All the films were G or PG rated. By the end of the 70's and early 80's they were bought out by another company and started to expand. HANGER 18 was an outer space conspiracy film and THE BOOGENS was an R rated horror film. Soon after, the studio disappeared.

Sellier continued in independent filmmaking, making the PG rated skiing comedy SNOWBALLING. He would follow this up with his most controversial film (also not mentioned in the NY Times piece).

At the end of shooting SNOWBALLING, he received a call from an old friend from NBC during the GRIZZLY ADAMS days. The friend was now in charge of Tri-star and had a film that needed a director quickly. Since Sellier had a crew together, he figured he would either have to let them all go, or he could take the film (which could be shot in Utah where he was located) and give them all more work. He decided to make the film.

The film in question?

SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT, the Santa Claus as slasher film. While this seems out of place on his resume of G rated family films, if you hear his reasoning, maybe not. He basically did it to help a friend and to give his crew some work. The film, by today's standards, isn't as awful as the resulting protests made it out to be. Sellier himself was a Born Again Christian who would write books about angels and go on to create many religious films. So, it wasn't intended to be an anti-Christmas film. It was just something to give a crew of filmmakers a paycheck.

Sellier would in 1985 direct his final film, the Vietnam Vets turn vigilante film THE ANNIHILATORS and then return behind the camera where he produced many films such as the DESPERADO series of TV films.

In the early 1990's, Sellier rebooted the Sunn name with a new ANCIENT SECRETS OF THE BIBLE series (which can still be seen on cable today). A return to the speculation documentaries of the 1970's, these explored the historical aspects of different Biblica stories. Aaron Eckhart had one of his first roles as Samson on this series.

Unfortunately, during an episode on Noah's Ark, a man was interviewed who turned out to be a hoaxer. After the episode aired, he came out and stated the fact. The network, upset about being duped, and that he wasn't fact checked more, cancelled future series with Sunn.

In the years since, Sellier went on to found GRIZZLY ADAMS PRODUCTIONS. This company began making direct to video documentaries, many religious in nature.

Sellier's impact on film in the 1970's was a great one. He was on the first jury of what would become the Sundance Film Festival. Sunn Classics can be seen as the forerunner of what you would find today on the History Channel or other cable channels.

And GRIZZLY ADAMS will never be forgotten.

YOU AGAIN (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2011-01-30T12:26:00.000-05:00

When VERONICA MARS went off the air, its fans were expecting big things for star Kristen Bell. She was so good on the show, she should continue to have success on the big screen.

Those fans may have been surprised to see her biggest films post VERONICA to be lightweight romantic comedies. You can’t blame her for appearing in the films, as more people saw them than the cult hit TV series, but it was a departure for her.

In YOU AGAIN, Kristen plays Marnie, a successful PR executive, who has finally made something of herself after a traumatic time of being a geeky high schooler. She is called home because her brother (Jimmy Wolk of the late great TV series LONE STAR) is about to be married.

Her brother’s fiance, Joanne (Odette Yustman), turns out to be Marnie’s high school bully, who made life miserable for her. Joanna claims to not remember Marnie. To make matters worse, everyone loves Joanna, including Marnie’s mom (Jamie Lee Curtis) and even her grandma (Betty White). Has she really changed or is she out to hurt her brother?

To add to the drama, Joanna’s aunt (Sigourney Weaver) was the high school nemesis of Curtis.

YOU AGAIN has a great cast. Also appearing are Krisin Chenoweth as the wedding planner, Victor Garber as Marnie’s father and several cameos that I won’t give away.

The problem is that while this could have been a very funny 90 minute movie, it instead runs 105 minutes. There are pacing issues where some scenes go on a bit too long, others could have been dropped altogether.

The script seems to be a mess as well, like it was a first draft that needed a bit of fixing. There is one scene toward the end where the impact of bullying is talked about in a very serious and realistic manner, yet there are also countless scenes that require Bell to resort to some bit of physical comedy that ends with her covered in mud or soup to humiliate her.

Still, the cast is likable. With a lesser cast, it wouldn’t have been worth seeing. But as it stands, it might be worth seeing. A bit of a warning, while Betty White was prominently billed in the advertising, if you saw the trailers you saw most of her role.

The Blu-ray has several extras that prove that the cast probably had a lot of fun making the film. There is a genuinely funny blooper reel along with a few cast featurettes (including a “Funny or Die” skit) that are well worth viewing. There are also twenty minutes of deleted scenes with filmmaker introduction.

YOU AGAIN is available on DVD and Blu-Ray on February 8th from Touchstone Pictures Home Video.

Walt Disney's ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951) Blu-Ray Review

2011-01-24T17:50:00.000-05:00

Last year, with the release of Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND, Disney quietly rereleased the original film on DVD. Since the studio has always been one of the best at releasing their films to Blu-ray, it was surprising that no Blu-ray of the film was released. Surely they didn’t think so little of the original that they were disregarding a Blu-ray release.

Well, a year later, they are now releasing the Blu-ray.

It was worth the wait.

1951’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND is one of the more popular Disney animated films. While it may not be considered in the top tier of classic animated films, that may just because it has never gone on the shelf like the other films. Even in the days of VHS, it was always available, as well as frequently shown on TV.

Like all of the recent Disney animated Blu-rays, the film has been restored and looks better than you can imagine. The colors are glorious. Alice’s hair is bright yellow. It looks like a brand new film.

Even if you did break down and buy the film last year on DVD, it is worth an upgrade for a few new extras.

The new extras are:

The film has an audio commentary of sorts where, the film is on one side of the screen with a video clips and interviews on the other side, telling the story of Lewis Carroll, Walt Disney and the making of the film. Interviews with experts on both of the men talk about them.

The film is also shown in “Disney View” where the black bars on either side of the 1.33:1 image are filled with artwork. As I’ve mentioned before, with a plasma TV that is very susceptible to burn in, I wish more studios would have something like this for older films. It sure beats having to zoom in and cut off the picture.

There is also a newly found color version of a TV introduction to the film hosted by Walt Disney. The Black and White version has been around (and was on previous DVDs) but this new footage premieres on the DVD.

The model for Alice, Kathryn Beaumont, also introduces two newly found film clips, one of live action reference footage of Beaumont as well as the pencil tests for one of the scenes.

There is also a game to be played with the remote control.

The Blu-ray also contains all the previous DVD features. These include, deleted scenes and songs, artwork and TV introductions.

The highlight of these extras has to be an hour long special called ONE HOUR IN WONDERLAND. This 1950 Christmas special, sponsored by Coca-Cola, features Walt Disney, Kathryn Beaumont, Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd and more. It includes clips from various Disney cartoons (including a lengthy bit from SONG OF THE SOUTH).

There is also a half hour clip from another 1950’s TV show, THE FRED WARING SHOW with the voice cast of ALICE singing the songs on stage, along with Walt Disney’s introduction.

The disc also features a Mickey Mouse cartoon “Thru the Mirror” as well as one of Disney’s early ALICE comedies, “Alice’s Wonderland”.

All in all, this is a fantastic disc, with the extras just as interesting as the film itself.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND will be available on Blu-ray on February 1, 2011.

THE LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS COLLECTIONS (2010)

2011-01-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

One of the favorite annual box sets of animation fans were the Warner Home Video Looney Tunes collections. These multi-disc sets featured popular cartoons along with usually an excellent collection of extras.

After volume 6 in 2008, the series ended. Warner Home Video then shifted to releasing single DVDs built around a certain character, many featuring cartoons that were not available on the previous sets.

The two most recent discs featured FOGHORN LEGHORN and TWEETY & SYLVESTER.

FOGHORN LEGHORN & FRIENDS “BARNYARD BIGMOUTH” features 15 remastered cartoons, 14 never before on DVD.

The cartoons on this set include.

ALL-FOWLED UP, FOX-TERROR, A BROKEN LEGHORN, CROCKETT-DOODLE-DOO, WEASEL WHILE YOU WORK, WEASEL STOP, LITTLE BOY BOO, BANTY RAIDS,and STRANGLED EGGS all feature Foghorn Leghorn.

GOPHER BROKE - Features Goofy Gophers

A MUTT IN A RUTT - With Elmer Fudd and his dog.

MOUSE-PLACED KITTEN - A kitten is raised by mice.  

CHEESE IT, THE CAT! - A HONEYMOONERS parody with mice.

TWO CROWS FROM TACOS and CROWS’ FEAT- The adventures of two crows.

The shorts can either be viewed in widescreen or fullscreen versions.

TWEETY & SYLVESTER “FELINE FWENZY” is made up of 15 cartoons. Unfortunately for those that have the previous collections, all of these have previously appeared on DVD.

The cartoons on this set, all of which feature the duo, are:

TWEETIE PIE, BAD OL’ PUTTY TAT, ALL A BIR-R-R-D, CANARY ROW, PUTTY TAT TROUBLE, ROOM AND BIRD, TWEETY’S S.O.S., TWEET TWEET TWEETY, GIFT WRAPPED, AIN’T SHE TWEET, SNOW BUSINESS, SATAN’S WAITIN’, THE LAST HUNGRY CAT, BIRDS ANONYMOUS, and TWEETY AND THE BEANSTALK

All the cartoons in this set are in fullscreen mode.

Both discs carry the disclaimer that they are intended for the adult audiences as they may contain stereotypes that may be objectionable today.

FOGHORN LEGHORN & FRIENDS as well as TWEETY & SYLVESTER are available now on Warner Home Video

YOGI BEAR'S ALL STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER (1982) DVD Review

2010-12-22T10:25:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, I was at the movie theatre with my four year old nephew seeing TRON. When it was over, we were standing in front of the movie posters. I looked up at the poster for YOGI BEAR and asked him if he knew who was in the poster. He shrugged his shoulders.

He didn't know who Yogi Bear was!!

YOGI BEAR'S ALL STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER is a good introduction to Yogi.

This 1982 special finds Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw and the rest of the Hanna Barbera gang arriving at Jellystone Park at Christmas to visit with Yogi and Boo Boo. They find out that Yogi has gone to the city to visit them.

In the city, Yogi hides out as a department store Santa and befriends the disillusioned daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the city. Will Yogi teach her the true meaning of Christmas?

This is truly an "All Star" special. Even Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble make cameos. It is a fast paced 23 minutes.

Also on the DVD is a 1961 special YOGI'S BIRTHDAY PARTY. This time, Yogi is told that there will be a birthday party thrown for him. He prepares while the rest of the Hanna Barbera gang show up for a sort of THIS IS YOUR LIFE tribute to him.

Both of these specials are good overviews of Yogi and the rest of the Hanna Barbera characters. While Hanna Barbera was never at Disney level as far as the animation goes, they should be nostalgic fun for parents wanting to introduce the characters to their familes.

YOGI BEAR'S ALL STAR COMEDY CHRISTMAS CAPER is available now on DVD from Warner Home Video.

SHOWS I LOVE: AMERICAN PICKERS

2010-12-20T13:00:00.001-05:00

AMERICAN PICKERS has quickly become one of my favorite TV shows.

I don't watch the History Channel as much as I should, but caught an episode a month or so ago on a Sunday afternoon. I was hooked. I quickly set my DVR to record it every time it was on. Thanks to repeats and the first season being on DVD, I think I'm all caught up now.

AMERICAN PICKERS is a reality show that follows two guys, Frank Fritz and Mike Wolfe. They run Antique Archeology, an antiques store of sorts in Iowa.

Each episode has them driving in their van in a different part of the country, looking for treasures. They visit people who contact them or they "freestyle", look for old run down barns or yards filled with trash, and go to speak to the owner about looking through and finding things to buy. The two literally crawl through old barns and basements looking for old oil cans, motorcycle parts, pretty much anything they could resell.

Back at home, they keep in touch with their office manager Danielle, sort of a tattooed version of Ashley Judd. She gives them tips of where to stop.

The best part of the show comes, not from the "picking", but from the people they meet. They come across some of the most interesting people you are likely to see on TV. From the man in Pennsylvania who has built an underground dwelling with 23 rooms, to the ex-hippies living in the woods, you never know who they are likely to meet.

The show is sort of an anti-HOARDERS. While HOARDERS gets people to clear out old junk, AMERICAN PICKERS finds a way to almost celebrate it. While some of the people on the show, who refuse to sell items that have been buried in old rundown barns for decades, clearly may have issues, others have very nice collections of stuff that they enjoy.

Unlike a lot of the "reality" shows that are on the air these days, this doesn't feel too scripted. Sure, some of the scenes back in Iowa seem a bit staged, but it all works.

If you are looking for a reality show that doesn't insult your intelligence, be sure to tune in.

AMERICAN PICKERS airs Monday nights at 9 PM EST on the History Channel.

CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS TALES (2002) DVD Review

2010-12-16T12:11:00.004-05:00

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS remains one of the most popular Christmas specials of all time. The 1965 special has remained a favorite, airing every year on a major network.

Other Peanuts Christmas specials have aired throughout the years, but none have caught on like the original.

Now being rereleased on DVD is CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS TALES.

This special, first airing in 2002, is made up of various vignettes featuring Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest of the gang. It is a collection of shorts, about the length of a Sunday cartoon. While a fun cartoon, it isn't as memorable as the original.

Also on the DVD is 1983's IS THIS GOODBYE, CHARLIE BROWN?.

IS THIS GOODBYE finds Lucy and Linus moving away when their father gets a new job. While I may not be an expert on the entire Peanuts series, this seems a bit of a departure as in a few scenes, adult characters are shown. From the movers, to in one scene Lucy and Linus' parents driving a car, they all appear as characters, not just as offscreen trombone voices.

While both of these cartoons may not be true Peanuts classics, they are sure to be entertaining for family audiences.

CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS TALES is available now on DVD from Warner Home Video.

STEP UP 3 (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-12-14T13:45:00.001-05:00

STEP UP 3 is the third film in the STEP UP series. I am mentioning that, not as a joke, but because when I saw STEP UP 2: THE STREETS (which seemed to always be on cable) I thought the 2 was just a way of saying TO. I never saw the first STEP UP film. If there are big storyline reveals in STEP UP 3 that tie in with the first film, I missed them.

Moose, a supporting character from STEP UP 2, returns as a Freshman at NYU. He was going to give up dancing and focus on studying Electrical Engineering. Instead, he falls in with a dance crew who recruit him to join them in a big battle.

Basically, this is just an updating of the BREAKIN films of the 80’s, or heck, go back to the Mickey Rooney / Judy Garland “Hey let’s put on a show” storylines. There are the typical obstacles. The dancers are going to lose their home unless they win the big dance tournament. There is jealousy with an ex-teammate. The lead character having to decide whether they should dance or continue in school.

What follows are a lot of big dance numbers. There is a wonderful sequence, shot in one unbroken take, with two characters dancing down a New York city street.

When STEP UP 3 played theatrically over the summer, it was in 3-D. It was a rarity among 3-D films in that critics not only praised the film as a pleasant surprise, they praised the 3-D. Unlike many of the other 3-D films, even AVATAR, this one actually used the format to effect.

Unfortunately, unless you have a 3-D TV, player and the special 3-D Blu-ray version of the film (which is available) STEP UP 3 can only be seen in standard 2-D. That said, it looks like the 3-D was indeed impressive. A scene with the characters standing over an airvent with Icee Drinks looks like it might have worked quite well.

If you are a dance fan, this film is a must. Even though I can’t make it through an episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE or DANCING WITH THE STARS, I found some of the dancing pretty impressive. The bass heavy soundtrack sure gave my sound system a workout.

The cast is made up of a group of actors that I have to admit I wasn’t familiar with.

However, I was quite surprised that, among the dancers, and not mentioned anywhere on the Blu-ray case, is none other than Harry Shum Jr. who plays Mike Chang on GLEE, one of the main dancers on the show. He appears in the second part of the film.

Both the DVD and the Blu-ray feature a collection of nine music videos (running 29:48) from songs in the film, by performers such as Flo Rida, T-Pain, Trey Songz, and more. There is also a making of segment for the music videos (7:16) and a music montage with additonal dance sequences (7:18).

The Blu-ray features eight deleted scenes with introductions by director Jon Chu (23:57) along with a full version of “Born From A Boom Box” (11:51) the film the lead actor is working on.

STEP UP 3 will be available December 21, 2010 on DVD and Blu-ray from Touchstone Home Video.

THE DUKES (1983) COMPLETE SERIES DVD Review

2010-12-09T11:30:00.001-05:00

THE DUKES, the animated Hanna-Barbera spin off of THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, is now being released in a 4 DVD set featuring all 20 episodes from the Warner Archive.

Confession - I was a huge DUKES OF HAZZARD fan. From season one, I never missed an episode on Friday nights. I had a poster on my wall. I had the 45 single of the theme song. Even today, I have all the season sets on DVD. While I was never a car guy, whenever I see a Dodge Charger, especially one painted like the General Lee, I still think it is pretty cool.

That said, if I was aware of the animated series, I had forgotten it. By 1983, when the show aired, I think I had outgrown it.

The series which aired on CBS in 1983 features Coy (voiced by Byron Cherry) and Vance (Christopher Mayer), the Season five cousins who stepped in when Bo (John Schneider) and Luke (Tom Wopat) were on a salary dispute. Bo and Luke joined THE DUKES in the second season, with episode 14.

The rest of the Dukes cast is present. Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach), Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle), and my favorites Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best) and Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) are all here with their original voices.

The premise is sort of WACKY RACES meets SCOOBY DOO. The Dukes are racing Boss Hogg and Rosco around the world. The boys want to use the money to save their farm. Told in letters back home to Uncle Jesse, each episode has the teams in a different country. From Australia, Africa, Venice, Morocco, London, India, Hong Kong, Switzerland, they travel the globe.

The show is typical of the “limited animation” of the early 80’s Hanna Barbera cartoons. Storywise, it is like SCOOBY DOO, with different evildoers in each episode out to get the gang.

One note about the transfer, while the episodes look fine, I don't know if all the copies are like this, but I found that the sound effects track on the episodes were louder than the dialogue and music, making it sometimes a bit difficult to hear. This could have been my copy, or TV, but thought I would mention it.

Is this a great series? No. But if you grew up watching it, you should enjoy the set.

THE DUKES is available now from the Warner Archive

INCEPTION (2010) DVD Review

2010-12-04T13:12:00.001-05:00

INCEPTION was a rarity this summer at the movies. It was a serious film made for adults that was a hit with both critics and audiences. It is now on DVD and Blu-ray.

The good news for fans of the film, the film looks and sounds great on standard DVD. I can only imagine how the film looks on Blu-ray. If you loved the film, you should be very happy with it.

If you haven’t seen the film, INCEPTION stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an “extractor”, a man who is able to enter the dreams of others to steal information. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Ken Watanable, Marion Cotillard and Michael Caine also star.

INCEPTION was written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Nolan’s previous films include MEMENTO and THE DARK KNIGHT. Like those films, and especially THE DARK KNIGHT, this is a technically dazzling film. The FX and sound design are just stunning to look at and listen to.

That said, and I realize that I am probably alone here, I found this to be a very cold and empty film. I honestly didn’t care what happened to any of the characters, that is when I could understand just what the heck was going on. I felt like I was watching a technical exercise rather than a film.

But then again, I felt the same way about THE DARK KNIGHT and was pretty much alone on that one. I guess Nolan’s films really aren’t for me. If you did like THE DARK KNIGHT, you may enjoy this like everyone else did.

The DVD contains four featurettes on various aspects of the production, including the set design with the staircase, the castle, and the train being profiled.

INCEPTION is available Warner Home Video.

GOING THE DISTANCE (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-12-03T10:00:00.005-05:00

GOING THE DISTANCE has its two leads meet while one of them is playing a Centipede video game. Drew Barrymore is getting the high score and Justin Long puts his quarter on the console to signal next game.

Drew's character is just about to leave New York City for San Francisco. The two hit it off, spend some time together and then she leaves. Justin realizes, even though he has just met her, he doesn't want to let her go and asks if she wants to try to have some sort of relationship.

The ups and downs of their long distance relationship is the basis for the film.

GOING THE DISTANCE works because of the cast. Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are very good together. But they are more than helped by the supporting characters.

Justin's best friends are played by the always funny Jason Sudeikis (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE) and Charlie Day (IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA). Drew's sister is played by Christina Applegate and her husband is Jim Gaffigan. Great cast.

The film might have worked more if the dialogue had been toned done. Rated R mostly for language, there is a lot of dialogue that really didn't need to be as graphic as it was. With so many sitcom veterans in the film, it could have gotten by and been just as funny as a PG-13. In fact, some of the biggest laughs come in the extras, with seemingly improvised dialogue.

The Blu-ray combo pack (that includes a second disc of the film on DVD as well as a digital file) contains a few featurettes on the cast talking about making the film, dating and long distance relationships, as well as a reel of deleted / extended scenes, a music video and a promo on the soundtrack.

GOING THE DISTANCE is available now on Warner Home Video.

CLASSIC TV CHRISTMAS COLLECTION (2010) DVD Review

2010-11-30T13:00:00.004-05:00

The Christmas Episode was a popular TV standard. Various TV characters would have a special episode where they all learned the true meaning of Christmas.

Several studios have begun to release DVDs of the best Christmas episodes from various TV shows. Warner Home Video is releasing CLASSIC TV CHRISTMAS COLLECTION through the Warner Archive.

This 4 DVD set contains Christmas episodes of various Warner TV series from the 60's up until the 1990's. The episodes in the set are:

DISC ONE

DR KILDARE "An Exchange of Gifts" (12-24-64)

THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER "Gifts Are For Giving" (12-23-70)

WELCOME BACK KOTTER "A Sweathog Christmas" (12-15-77)

DISC TWO

EIGHT IS ENOUGH "Yes, Nicholas, There Is A Santa Claus" (A two parter airing 12-14-77)

DISC THREE

ALICE "A Semi-Merry Christmas" (12-18-77

CHiPS "Christmas Watch" (12-15-79)

PERFECT STRANGERS "The Gift Of The Mypiot" (12-16-88)

DISC FOUR

MAMA'S FAMILY "Mama Gets Goosed" (12-23-88)

SUDDENLY SUSAN "The Walkout" (12-19-96)

VERONICA'S CLOSET "Veronica's Christmas Song" (12-18-97)

All the episodes look good. As with most Warner Archive titles, there are no extras.

The only problem, seeing shows like EIGHT IS ENOUGH and ALICE on DVD makes you wish that the full series was available. Just hearing the theme songs again, for shows that were all over syndication in the 80's but haven't been seen since, makes you want to watch the show again. Maybe we will see those in the Warner Archive in the future.

THE CLASSIC TV CHRISTMAS COLLECTON is available now through the Warner Archive.

WALT & EL GRUPO (2010) DVD Review

2010-11-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

WALT & EL GRUPO is a documentary chronicling a little known era of Walt Disney studio history.

After the success of SNOW WHITE, the Disney studios were, financially, doing quite well. Walt built a new studio for the animators.

But then the war in Europe broke out causing a decline in the foreign revenue for his films. Then, the animators went on strike.

Amid what he calls one of the worst times of his life, in 1941 Walt is recruited by the government to go on a goodwill tour of South America. With both Germany and the US trying to get the continent to side with them, Walt was thought to be the perfect ambassador for the country. He was to travel in Argentina, Brazil and Chile, with a group of writers and animators from the studio and use that material for a future film.

Using archival footage of the trip, along with letters sent home by family members, this is a very interesting look at this period in history, before Pearl Harbor. Like an actual trip to South America, this is a leisurely journey. It might go on a bit too long, with some interview segments not adding much to the overall story. But when it focuses on Walt and the trip itself, it is very good.

The DVD contains a few short deleted scenes. Most valuable is the inclusion of SALUDOS AMIGOS, the cartoon that was the direct result of the trip. This is the original version of the film. Earlier DVD releases have removed scenes of Goofy smoking.

WALT & EL GRUPO is available on Walt Disney Home Video.

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY (2009) DVD Review

2010-11-29T14:00:00.006-05:00

After the passing of Walt Disney in 1966, the studio began a long and slow decline. Disney still released animated films, but by the late 70's and early 80's, the culture of the studio had become stagnant.

While I still have a fondness for this era of Disney that was led by Walt Disney's son in law Ron Miller, with THE RESCUERS and PETE'S DRAGON being favorite films when I grew up, for the most part, it isn't considered to be a highlight in the studio's history.

By the early 80's, the studio was in trouble. Animator Don Bluth had left the studio (and would go on to make THE SECRET OF NIMH) taking many of the animators with him.

Then, in 1984, after a corporate battle, Roy Disney brought in Michael Eisner and Frank Wells to run the studio. Also coming onboard was Jeffrey Katzenberg.

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY follows this entire era. Directed and narrated by Don Hahn, an animator on the lot from the pre-Eisner era, who would go on to produce BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the film chronicles the success and failures, egos and battles that went into creating the modern era of Disney animation.

This is not a "talking head" documentary. All the key people were interviewed, including Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Roy Disney. All of their views are heard as voiceovers played over archive footage from the era. It seems the animators were having a lot of fun with home movies and video throughout the decade (look for a young Tim Burton at an animation table in footage from 1980).

This is a surprisingly honest look at the studio. Ending in 1994, with the passing of Frank Wells, and Katzeneberg leaving the company, this is yet another excellent documentary on Disney.

The DVD contains over thirty minutes of deleted and additional footage about the film and different aspects of the story. There are also three wonderful tours of the studio, shot by animators, in 1980, 1983, and in 1990.

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY should be a must see for all Disney fans.

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY is available on Walt Disney Home Video.

THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS STORY (2009) DVD Review

2010-11-29T10:00:00.002-05:00

THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS STORY is a documentary on Robert and Richard Sherman. The duo were the in house music composers for Disney, writing the music for everything from MARY POPPINS, THE PARENT TRAP, to the theme parks. Yes, the duo are responsible for "It's A Small World".

As a big Disney fan, I've known about the two for years. As I put on the film, I was expecting another appreciative look at the genius of the two.

The film is made by the sons of Bob and Dick, Greg and Jeff Sherman.

Very early into the film, after a brief introduction, the filmmakers talk about attending the premiere of a stage version of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, which the duo were also responsible.

The cousins mention that the brothers sat on different sides of the theatre, with their families. And, even though the families lived seven blocks from each other, this was the first time the cousins had spoken in forty years!!

With that revelation, I was hooked. What happened? How could the brothers have such a difficult family relationship yet have created so many great songs?

Through interviews with the two brothers, the at times cantankerous Bob and the more easygoing Dick, Greg and Jeff tell a wonderful and fascinating tale. Also interviewed are fans and co-workers. Clips of all of their songs are heard. I wasn't even aware they did the music for non-Disney fare like SNOOPY COME HOME and CHARLOTTE'S WEB.

The DVD contains over a half hour of extras, mostly deleted scenes. There is also THE SHERMAN BROTHERS JUKEBOX where you can click on various song titles and get clips of the brothers performing them.

For Disney fans, music fans, heck just about anyone, this should be a must see. I went into this thinking I knew the story, and I was wrong.

THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS STORY is available on Walt Disney Home Video.

FANTASIA AND FANTASIA 2000 (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-11-27T12:40:00.007-05:00

FANTASIA is the ultimate Walt Disney film.

While SNOW WHITE and PINOCCHIO may be favorites of many, FANTASIA still stands today as a perfect example of everything that Disney was trying to do. From the bold experiments with animation to the use of his characters, if you want to get an idea of who Walt Disney was, this is the film to see.

Long before MTV, Disney took various classical compositions and set them to animation. Most famous is the Mickey Mouse starring "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" with Mickey battling runaway mops. But there is something here for everyone. There is "The Nutracker", "The Rite of Spring" and the unforgettable "Night on Bald Mountain".

While some may consider FANTASIA 2000 as just a reworking of the original, Walt Disney's goal was always to have the original film a sort of work in progress. As the years went on, it would be rereleased with new segments added and others taken out. Unfortunately, with the original not being a success at the box office, they had to put it all on hold. The 2000 release kept the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and added segments like a New York set "Rhapsody In Blue" by Gershwin based on Al Hirschfeld drawings, Beethoven's Fifth, and even "Pomp and Circumstance" with Donald Duck.

Having seen the original film various times over the years, in a theatrical rerelease, on laserdisc and the previous DVD, I put on the Blu-ray without having seen it in a few years.

While the set contains both FANTASIA and FANTASIA 2000 on different discs, on starting up FANTASIA I thought a mistake had been made. The opening, with the musicians warming up, looked like it was shot yesterday. Did they accidentally put FANTASIA 2000 on disc one? No, this was the original.

The film looks better than it ever has. In fact, I think the original looked better than the sequel.

The Blu-ray contains several extras. The most notable is on the disc for FANTASIA 2000.

That disc contains DESTINO. This is a short animated film started as a collaboration between Salvador Dali and Walt Disney in the mid 1940's. The six minute short was abandoned for various reasons and the production art shelved away in the Disney archives where it went unseen until the 1970's. In the 1990's, Roy Disney teamed up with a group of animators, including the still living Disney animator who worked with Dali on the preliminary sketches, to complete the film. It finally premiered in 2002 and was nominated for an Academy Award.

DESTINO is clearly a Dali short. I see little influence of Disney. There is also a full length documentary DALI AND DISNEY: A DATE WITH DESTINO (running 1:22:18) on the lives of Disney and Dali, how they got together, up through the decision to finally complete it. The short and this documentary are worthy of their own release. The fact that they are just an extra on this set makes this even more of a must buy.

Other extras on the set include

DISNEY FAMILY MUSEUM (4:05) - A look at the Walt Disney museum in San Francisco.

THE SCHULTHEIS NOTEBOOK (13:51) - A feature on the "Rosetta stone of special effects animation", a notebook kept by an animator containing a step by step outline of how each sequence of FANTASIA was filmed. This was only discovered recently, in the home of its late owner that was willed to a group of nuns.

MUSICANA (9:20) - A featurette on an attempt in the 1970's by a group of Disney animators to continue on the FANTASIA story, with drawings of several sequences.

Both films contain audio commentaries by Disney historians, including those from the previous 2000 DVD version containing audio clips of Walt talking about the films as well as Roy Disney.

For serious Disney fans, this set could be the Blu-ray of the year.

Do not miss it!

FANTASIA and FANTASIA 2000 is available on Walt Disney Home Video

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1974) DVD Review

2010-11-23T12:40:00.002-05:00

My three favorite Christmas specials have always been RUDOLPH, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS and 1974's TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

Of those, TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS may be the least known. While premiering on CBS and shown there regularly in the 70's and 80's, it hasn't appeared on the network in years. It does turn up on cable channels, but its showing isn't an event like it used to be.

It was always an odd sort of cartoon. When I first saw it in the 1970's, I couldn't quite understand what this cartoon about mice and clocks really had to do with the poem it is based on. Yet over the years, I have grown to love it.

Previously available on DVD as an extra with FROSTY'S WINTER WONDERLAND, it is now getting its own release. Warner Home Video is releasing it in a remastered version.

A Rankin / Bass production, the story is about a mouse who writes a letter that he doesn't believe in Santa. Because of this, all of the letters to Santa from Junctionville, the town where the letter writer was from, are returned. Can Christmas be saved? George Gobel voices Father Mouse and Joel Grey is the Father. The film does end with a retelling of the famous Clement Moore poem.

The music by Maury Laws features "Even A Miracle Needs A Hand" and "Christmas Chimes Are Calling", two songs which have stayed with me over the years. In fact, upon receiving the DVD, I have been unable to get "Even A Miracle" out of my head.

The only extra on the DVD is an animated feature on Christmas traditions from around the world.

If you have never seen this special, it may take a few viewings to really appreciate it. But if you are a fan, you will be happy with this release.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is available on Warner Home Video.

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-11-22T10:00:00.003-05:00

When I first heard that Disney was making a feature film, loosely based on "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment of FANTASIA, I didn't have high hopes for it. The cartoon, where Mickey battles a group of runaway brooms, is a classic. How can that short segment be made into a film?

Well, the film THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE does a pretty good job, expanding on it, and paying homage to the segment.

Jay Baruchel (UNDECLARED) stars as Dave, a college student. He ends up being recruited by sorcerer Balthazar (Nicolas Cage) who believes that Dave is his chosen apprentice. The two team to fight off the evil sorcerer Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina).

A Jerry Bruckheimer production, directed by Jon Turteltaub (NATIONAL TREASURE), this is a slickly made film. There are some great FX and nice location work in New York City.

For FANTASIA fans, there is indeed a take on the famous sequence that is entertaining.

Rated PG, this is fairly safe for families. There are some action sequences that might be too intense for the youngest audiences. But for the most part, this should be fine for most kids.

The Blu-Ray contains several extras.

There is a collection of featurettes: MAGIC IN THE CITY (12:53) on the locations, THE SCIENCE OF SORCERY (10:15) & MAKING THE MAGIC REAL (11:46) on the FX, FANTASIA: REINVENTING A CLASSIC (10:13) on remaking the cartoon sequence, THE FASHIONABLE DRAKE STONE (2:09) on the character's fashion, THE GRIMHOLD: AN EVIL WORK OF ART (3:46) about the nesting dolls in the film, THE ENCANTUS (2:23) on the book of spells, WOLVES AND PUPPIES (3:07) features the animal actors, THE WORLD'S COOLEST CAR (1:32) is about the Rolls Royce in the film.

There are five deleted scenes (running 7:47) as well as a collection of outtakes (3:14).

The DVD contains one deleted scene as well as a making of feature (made up of footage from some of the featurettes).

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE should be entertaining for family audiences.

THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE is available on Walt Disney Home Video.

The Dukes: Animated Series From The Warner Archive

2010-11-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

THE DUKES OF HAZZARD was such a hit that, in 1983, it became a Hanna Barbera animated series.

Now that the live action series has had its complete run issued on DVD (minus the spin off ENOS), the Warner Archive is now releasing the animated series. The 4 DVD set will feature all 40 episodes.

They are taking pre-orders for it here. If you are one of the first 400 to order, you may get it signed by Roscoe P. Coltraine himself, Mr. James Best!

THE SEARCH FOR SANTA PAWS (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-11-17T11:45:00.003-05:00

The Buddies films have been very popular with kids, even though many adults may not be aware of their existence due to the films going direct to video. The films are about, to put it simply, talking dogs that help people.

Last year saw the release of SANTA BUDDIES. I thought it was a cute film. After reviewing it, I passed it along to my niece Emily (then aged 6) and nephew Jimmy (3).

The two LOVED the film. They would watch it over and over again. They set up chairs in their basement to make it look like a movie theatre and then invited all of their friends over to see it. It became a favorite.

Now, there is a sequel, THE SEARCH FOR SANTA PAWS. This is sort of the origin story of Santa Paws, Santa's dog.

The story begins with Santa receiving word that Mr. Hucklebuck, a toy store owner in New York City, has passed away. He was responsible for so much of the Christmas spirit in the city that Santa heads to see how the city is doing without him. He brings along Santa Paws, a gift from Hucklebuck.

The toy store has been taken over by Hucklebuck's grandson, James Huckle (John Ducey) who has dropped the buck from his name, since he thought it was silly. He and his wife Kate (Bonnie Somerville of NYPD BLUE) want to sell the store but are told that there is a stipulation in the will that they can't sell until they have a profitable Christmas season. They decide to stick it out.

I won't give too much of the story away. Let's just say it involves magic, and amnesia, and muggings, and singing orphans.

And it all works.

Even for an adult, this is, well, I'm going to use that word again, a very cute film. It is perfect for Christmas.

How is it for kids? Who better to ask than Emily and Jimmy. I had them watch it and write a review.

EMILY (age 7) "This movie was the best. It reminded me of ANNIE. The voices sounded familiar. There was a very crabby orphanage lady. She wasn't nice at all. This movie was even better than ANNIE. I liked the ending the most. That movie was the best."

Jimmy (age 4 - review dictated) "Movie was good. Liked the ending. Puppy almost got in fire - made me sad. Liked magic powers. Didn't like orphanage lady."

Jimmy wondered where Rudolph was, as the reindeer appear but Rudolph isn't with them.

When asked how many stars they would give it out of 4, Jimmy gave it four stars, and Emily gave it six.

So, if they are any indication, kids are going to love this film.

The DVD and Blu-ray contain a few extras. There is a storybook, a sing along track, a music video and some deleted scenes.

If you have a "Buddies" fan in your family, this is a perfect Christmas gift.

THE SEARCH FOR SANTA PAWS is available on Walt Disney Home Video.

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935) Blu-Ray Review

2010-11-15T18:25:00.001-05:00

The Winner of the Best Picture Oscar, 1935's MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY is a genuine classic. All three of its stars were nominated for Best Actor Oscars. And it is widely considered to be the best version of the story on film.

Now, it is on Blu-Ray.

Clark Gable stars as Fletcher Christian, officer of the H.M.S. Bounty. He recruits sailors for a two year journey to Tahiti. Franchot Tone is along to document the Tahitian language.

The Bounty is led by Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton). Bligh runs a very tight ship. He hands out lashings without thinking. Even if the sailor is dead, that doesn't matter. They still need to receive their punishment.

On the return trip, Fletcher Christian has enough and leads a mutiny on the Bounty.

Clark Gable deserved his nomination for this film, as did the always underrated Franchot Tone. But the real star here is Charles Laughton.

The more I see Laughton, the more I realize he may be one of my favorite actors. He is always interesting to watch. Here, as the sadistic Bligh, he deserved to win the Oscar, but lost out to Victor McLaglen for John Ford's THE INFORMER.

The film, as seen today, does have some pacing issues. It slows down in the middle section, which coincidentally is when Laughton is offscreen. But it still is an excellent film.

The Blu-ray transfer is very good. It is not as grainy as many Blu-ray transfers of black and white films from the era.

The film is being released in a Blu-ray book, where the disc is housed in a hardcover book, featuring rare photos from the making of the film.

There are a couple vintage featurettes, one on the island featured in the film and a newsreel on the Oscar win.

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY is available on Blu-ray from Warner Home Video.

How Well Known Is LOCAL HERO?

2010-11-10T11:20:00.001-05:00

Last night on Turner Classic Movies, Michael J. Fox was the guest programmer. He chose as one of his favorite films Bill Forsyth's 1983 film LOCAL HERO. Fox claimed that it was a big inspiration for him to do DOC HOLLYWOOD.

Host Robert Osborne agreed that it was a great film and went on about how little known a film it is.

If you don't recognize the image in the banner at the top of the page, that is from LOCAL HERO. It has long been one of my favorite films. The film is about a Texas oil man (Peter Reigert) sent to Scotland to buy up the coast for an oil refinery. Instead, he falls in love with the town and all of its quirky inhabitants. Burt Lancaster plays the head of the oil company who is more interested in astronomy than the deal.

I hadn't seen it in a while, but tuned in last night. I had intended to just see how the transfer was on the HD version of TCM and then flip over to PARENTHOOD.

Two hours later, I sat through the whole film again.

I've said many times that this is one of my favorite films and this viewing confirmed that. It is easily in my top five of all time. I never grow tired of this film. I could watch it again this afternoon (and there are many great films that I refuse to watch even a second time).

If you haven't seen it, if it is a little known film to you, PLEASE rent it from Netflix.

Sadly, it appears the DVD from Warner Home Video is out of print. Used copies are going for over $30 as I write this. I guess a lot of people saw it last night as the price keeps rising every time I check. I would love to see a Blu-ray release. With the photography of the Scottish coastline and the Mark Knopfler score, this is a gorgeous film.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

2010-11-09T17:55:00.003-05:00

The original BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was something of a favorite of mine when it first aired. I never missed it. I had the toys (including the viper that shot the pellets that were later banned for being too dangerous). I had a Starbuck action figure. I had the comics. Just a few weeks ago I was going through some stuff and found an old puzzle as well.

When a new version was announced, I was excited. But then I heard rumblings that the original cast was upset with it. When they mentioned the Cylons were human looking, and that Starbuck was a girl, I lost complete interest.

By the time the critics started raving about it, it was too late to catch up.

I finally finished watching the series on DVD.

My thoughts:

THE GOOD

SMART UPDATING - This is the way to redo a series. It takes enough of the show that it has the same feel, but modernizes it for new audiences.

STARBUCK - This was one of my big problems with the show before I saw it. Starbuck, played so memorably by Dirk Benedict, a girl? I only knew Katee Sackhoff from 24 where I couldn't stand her character so I was worried going in. Turns out, she is almost as cool as Benedict. A great character.

THE REST OF THE CAST - With one exception, this is a superbly cast show. Edward James Olmos makes it all look so easy, you forget just how good he is. I also liked seeing the original Apollos, Richard Hatch, back in a recurring role. As he states in an extra on the set, he appeared in as many episodes of this series as there were in the original.

THE BAD

GAIUS BALTAR - As much as I liked the show, the film grinds to a halt every time that Baltar is the focus. Early seasons had him as a bumbling Hugh Grant like character, which breaks from the tone of the rest of the show. One of the more annoying characters. That said, in the final season, the humor is gone and he plays it straight, becoming one of the more interesting characters.

THE THEME SONG - Minor point, the original series had one of my favorite TV themes (that is heard a couple times in the series) of all time. I'd rank it up there with the theme for STAR WARS. The new one has nothing of the sort.

OVERLY COMPLEX MYTHOLOGY - I'll be honest, when they started going on and on about Cylon mythology and the religious discussions, I zoned out.

TECHNOLOGY QUESTIONS - There were several episodes that could have been made irrelevant if the ship had security cameras.

BSG was at its best in the episodes, especially in the first season, set on the Galactica. Fighting Cylons, the space battles, that worked. When they were on land, it lost me. In the third season especially, I found myself going for a week between episodes. In other seasons, I was going through a 4 episode disc a day.

While I can't share the sentiment that this was one of the best series ever on TV, as some suggest (especially when compared to something like THE WIRE which I reviewed here), it was, for the most part, a fun show.

NOTE: When finished, I rented CAPRICA, the prequel. I watched the first disc and sent the rest back to Netflix without watching. Can't say I got into it.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

OCEAN'S 11 (1960) Blu-Ray Review

2010-11-08T10:00:00.004-05:00

Time has been very kind to 1960’s OCEAN’S 11. Now celebrating its 50th Anniversary, it has been remade by George Clooney and is still seen as something of a classic caper film.

That is even though it may not be the greatest of films.

But with the cast, do you even mind?

Frank Sinatra plays Danny Ocean. He and a group of army buddies (including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Norman Fell) decide to pull the ultimate heist. Right after midnight on New Year’s Eve, they will rob five Las Vegas casinos.

Having seen the film several times over the years, I always feel the same way. It takes a while to get going. The gang isn’t even together until the hour mark.

Yet, to see Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr together, it makes it worth staying with. There is a lot of great music, with the Nelson Riddle score, and Martin and Davis performing a couple numbers.

Now on Blu-Ray, the film looks great. Although sometimes a bit too good. Frank Sinatra’s fuzzy orange sweater in an early scene looks like a bit of a fashion mistake today. And the picture is so clear you can notice some of the problems with the overdubbing of the dialogue.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

All of the extras are taken from the 2001 DVD release.

There is a commentary with Angie Dickinson and Frank Sinatra Jr.

There is a excerpt (3:45) from THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JOHNNY CARSON with Frank Sinatra hosting sometime in the 1970’s and interviewing guest Angie Dickinson. The two discuss the film and especially the ending.

TROPICANA MUSEUM (1:39) - A look at a museum on the Strip.

LAS VEGAS THEN AND NOW - An interactive map of the locations in the film with video of each then and now.

There are also two trailers and an Easter Egg.

OCEANS 11 is available on Warner Home Video.

Jill Clayburgh (1944-2010)

2010-11-06T18:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday in the New York Times, there was an item that actress Lily Rabe was going to have to step out of the Broadway production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE with Al Pacino due to a family emergency. At the time I remembered that she was the daughter of Jill Clayburgh and writer David Rabe.

A few hours later, I heard on the radio that Jill Clayburgh had passed away.

This was very sad news.

Earlier this year, I saw IT'S MY TURN and as usual whenever I see Jill Clayburgh in something, I remembered just what a wonderful actress she was. I immediately added several of her films to my Netflix queue to watch again.

If you look at the period from 1977 to 1982, she was one of the most popular actresses of the era. SILVER STREAK, SEMI TOUGH, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN, STARTING OVER, and I'M DANCING AS FAST AS I CAN are still popular. I recently watched FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER again and she and Walter Matthau are wonderful together.

As the 80's began, her career slowed down. This was most likely to her becoming a mom, with her daughter Lily Rabe being born in 1982. She would continue to act, but the era of the strong female character was over and so were the best roles. She went back to the stage, where she began, and did a lot of TV, including ALLY MCBEAL and most recently DIRTY SEXY MONEY.

She had been fighting leukemia for the past 21 years.

She left behind some fine films and will be greatly missed.

CHEERS Edit on Hallmark Channel

2010-10-30T19:19:00.000-04:00

CHEERS has always been one of my favorite sitcoms. In the 80's and 90's, it was popular enough that, in my area, you could watch it sometimes seven times a day. My local NBC affiliate on Thursday nights, after a new episode, would air a rerun at 9:30 instead of a new episode of WINGS.

So, I've seen each episode at least twenty times over the years.

In recent years however, I haven't seen it as often. My stations aren't showing it as much. And, while the series is out on DVD, I've been holding off waiting for a Complete Series set (but may have to give up on that as Paramount has yet to release one, and the series has been completed for over a year).

I happened to notice that the Hallmark Channel airs the show in marathons in the overnight hours. I've been setting my DVR to tape some of the better episodes.

I just watched the episode where Woody gets hooked on the Home Shopping Network. He begins to give Rebecca things that he has bought, like a plastic cow.

They then have this exchange.

REBECCA - "Oh Woody, I can't take this from you. What would people think?"

WOODY - "That I have a little crush on you?"

REBECCA - "No. That I like crap."

WOODY - "So, you think this is crap?"

REBECCA - "I'm sorry, Woody. It is crap."

WOODY - "That's okay. I was just looking for the right word. Yes, it is crap."

On the Hallmark Channel, each time they said "Crap", they dropped the audio!!

Now I have seen this episode many, many times. In syndication, my local channel would air the episode in the 4-5 PM timeslot. They never had a problem with it, and let it air the way it is.

Somehow, almost twenty years later, times are different, and you can no longer say "crap" on an episode that aired, on Hallmark, at 3 in the morning.

Kind of funny.

THE GOONIES (1985) 25TH ANNIVERSARY BLU-RAY REVIEW

2010-10-29T10:00:00.002-04:00

1985 was a great year to be a kid. At the movies that summer you had not only BACK TO THE FUTURE, but another Steven Spielberg production, THE GOONIES. I had both movie posters hanging on my walls that year.

THE GOONIES was, and still is, a favorite for many who grew up in the era. It was an old fashioned adventure story. I remember going to the video store after seeing GOONIES, and looking for something like it. There was nothing. There are so few films like this that it is no wonder it caught on.

Without having seen the film in a few years, I was surprised by just how well it holds up. The dialogue (written by Chris Columbus) is still very funny. I was a bit surprised by the language. Not that I was offended now, or even then, but a PG rated film for kids with bad language? That just doesn't happen today.

I'm sure Josh Brolin would like you to forget his shorts and sweat suit wardrobe now that he is an Oscar nominee, but the cast is still quite good. Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, Kerri Green, and Jonathan Ke Quan also appear. Jeff Cohen's Chunk is much funnier than I remember him being. Robert Davi, Anne Ramsey (best known as Mama from THROW MAMA FROM THE TRAIN) and Joe Pantaliano play the bad guys. And who could forget Jon Matuszak as Sloth?

Previously released on DVD in a special edition a few years back, the Blu-Ray contains the same extras. These include a video commentary reunion track (which gathers together the entire cast and director to watch the film together), a selection of deleted scenes, a vintage featurette, and the Cyndi Lauper music video, the full 12 minute version (this was during her wrestling phase).

The new Blu-ray is housed in a box set with some fun extras. The box is slightly larger than a standard DVD case, about the size of the SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE box sets. The disc itself is inside the box in a standard Blu-ray case. Included in the box are

A board game, based on the movie.

A small replica of a 1985 promotional magazine (which I believe I bought at the movie theatre back when the film came out).

A reprint of the recent EMPIRE MAGAZINE reunion profile of the cast.

There is also a collection of storyboards, with the stills of the finished scenes on the other size.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

A favorite film of many, now on Blu-ray, this is worth buying.

THE GOONIES 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION will be available on Blu-ray November 2, 2010 from Warner Home Video. You can also download it on iTunes

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK (2010) DVD Review

2010-10-28T10:30:00.001-04:00

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK just finished its three part run on PBS. It is now being released on DVD and available at ShopPBS.org.

Feinstein is one of the champion's of the "Great American Songbook", the classic American standards from the 1920's to 1940's. These are songs, written by the likes of Johnny Mercer and the Gershwins, that became famous through Broadway shows and musicals that are still heard today. Feinstein, through performances, tries to keep the music alive for future generations.

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK follows him on several of these performances. From travelling to the shows, through rehearsals, we see him at work. There is some great footage of his performances here, especially a piano duet with Marvin Hamlisch. Along with the performances, Feinstein tells stories about the songs and the writers and artists who popularized them.

But the real fascinating part of the documentary focuses on Feinstein's work to preserve the history of the era.

Feinstein travels the country, meeting with families of musicians and fellow collectors, going through their archives. When he isn't performing, Feinstein collects sheet music and recordings that he digitize to preserve.

The film follows Feinstein as he digs through storage units and homes. At one point, he visits legendary NY TV personality Joe Franklin. Franklin's office is like something out of HOARDERS, piles stacked high with memorabilia. He even tells Feinstein that he has ten storage units throughout the city with more memorabilia.

While I was well aware of who Michael Feinstein was going in to this documentary, upon finishing, I became enough of a fan that, dare I even say this, I wish a reality show were made of his life. His visiting some of these people was so fascinating, preserving the legacy of the music, it would make for a show that could not only educate audiences on the music and the performers but entertain through the meeting of such interesting people.

As it stands, MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK is one of the best TV events of the season.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

This is a two DVD set. The three one hour episodes are on one disc.

The second DVD contains over two hours of footage. And what footage it is!!

There are unedited music clips, everything from Frank Sinatra performances for Italian TV, to films made for the troops in WWII. My favorite of these is a complete Bob Hope hosted performance with Betty Hutton singing "Murder He Says", Lana Turner cooking a steak (as the troops wanted to hear a steak sizzle) and Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

Following the archive footage are several complete musical numbers of Michael Feinstein performing. There is one featuring a fun duet of "You're The Top" with David Hyde Pierce.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Even if you have no interest in the Great American Songbook, this is a wonderful and fascinating film. It is well worth picking up.

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK is available now only at ShopPBS.org

TOY STORY 3 (2010) BLU-RAY REVIEW

2010-10-27T12:00:00.003-04:00

While the year isn't over yet, I think it is safe to say that TOY STORY 3 may just be the best film of 2010.

That may not be saying much, as this has been a terrible year for film. But it also stands as one of the best films of the past several years.

Pixar has done it again with a film that works not only as a sequel that is as good and possibly better than the previous films, but as an animated film that works as well for adults as it does for kids.

TOY STORY 3 picks up with Andy, the owner of the toys, going off to college and packing up his toys. They are sent out to a local day care center. The toys plan a break out.

TOY STORY 3 has it all. It is very funny, the animation is, of course, wonderful, the action scenes are on par with any other action film you are likely to see, and then there is the finale. I won't give anything away, but if you don't find yourself fighting back tears, you may be alone.

The film is being released in a 4 disc Blu-Ray / DVD combo pack with 2 Blu-Rays, a DVD, as well as a disc with a digital file.

The extras include:

DISC ONE

The first Blu-Ray contains the film with the following extras.

DAY AND NIGHT (6:05) - The short film that played with the film theatrically.

BUZZ LIGHTYEAR MISSION LOGS: THE SCIENCE OF ADVENTURE (4:24) - Buzz and friends learn about science in this short made with NASA.

TOYS! (6:37) - A look at all the different characters in the film.

DISC TWO

This disc also contains the film with the "Cine-explore" commentary, where on screen videos and graphics further explaining the making of the film. There is also a secondary commentary with animators.

THE GANG'S ALL HERE (10:24) - The voice talent talks about what it was like making the film.

GOODBYE ANDY (8:04) - A look at the making of the finale.

ACCIDENTAL TOYMAKERS (3:59) - How a film about toys led to actual toys being made based on the characters.

A TOY'S EYE VIEW: CREATING A WHOLE NEW LAND (5:29) - How the Disney Parks based attractions on the films.

ROUNDIN' UP A WESTERN OPENING (5:47) - The making of the opening sequence.

BONNIE'S PLAYTIME: A STORY ROUNDTABLE (6:31) - Creating the Bonnie character (and how she was partly inspired by Gilda Radner).

LIFE OF A SHOT (7:00) - An analysis of everything that went into the making of the opening sequence.

MAKING OF DAY AND NIGHT (2:05) - A brief talk about the making of the short.

PATHS TO PIXAR: EDITORIAL (4:40) - Pixar editors talk about their work.

STUDIO STORIES - Three terrific animated shorts (WHERE'S GORDON (2:18), CEREAL BAR (1:38), and CLEAN START (3:05)) with Pixar animators telling stories of their workplace.

There is also an extensive PUBLICITY section with trailers and shorts made to publicize the film. Also included is a commercial for LOTS OF HUGGIN BEAR, and a making of segment of how they got it to look like an 80's commercial.

The DVD contains all of what is on disc one, along with the extras PATHS TO PIXAR, THE GANGS ALL HERE, A TOY'S EYE VIEW, and STUDIO STORIES from disc two.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Of course you should.

TOY STORY 3 is available on Walt Disney Home Video

Does NBC Miss THE JAY LENO SHOW?

2010-10-22T12:52:00.001-04:00

I am about to write something that has never been written on the internet.

I kind of miss THE JAY LENO SHOW.

At 10 P.M., I am not one to watch some dark crime series that is on most networks. If I'm watching TV, I normally find myself flipping over to KING OF THE HILL on the Cartoon Network.

THE JAY LENO SHOW, while not great comedy, especially when compared to LETTERMAN or THE DAILY SHOW, was mildly diverting. As I said back when it was on, I watched it more often in the few months it was on than THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO in all of the years it aired.

Now that NBC has gone back to scripted programming, it turns out that the ratings in the 10 P.M. time slot are even worse than THE JAY LENO SHOW. Only two of the 10 P.M. series, PARENTHOOD and LAW AND ORDER LA were higher, but by .2 and .1 ratings points. Hardly a difference.

Just think, if they had stuck with Leno, they would have kept Conan. By now, the ratings for both may have increased.

Instead, they wound up with five expensive shows, one of which (OUTLAW) has pretty much been canceled, CHASE probably will be soon. I do think that PARENTHOOD is a very good show but it would work at an earlier time slot. And I've always been a fan of THE APPRENTICE so am unsure why it is doing so poorly as it has been quite good this season.

The Great 2010 DVD Purge

2010-10-13T11:23:00.000-04:00

While a lot of people like to brag about the thousands of DVDs they own, show off photos of their setups online, I finally realized I just had way too many DVDs.

I had stacks and stacks of DVDs that I had never seen. It had gotten to the point that I don't even watch the DVDs I WANT to see because I feel guilty neglecting those I haven't seen. I had to stop this, and focus on what I WANTED to see.

I have one cabinet that is filled with DVDs, while the rest of my collection (which I never counted but had to be well over a thousand, if not in the thousands) was stored in boxes, and boxes, and boxes stacked in various corners. I try to be an organized person, but being a movie fan, and having very little space, this was how it had to be.

It got to be too overwhelming.

So, I figured it was about time to get rid of a lot of my collection.

As I've mentioned in the past, I was a big fan of the old TV series CLEAN SWEEP, where organizers come in, take all your clutter, and force you to go through it. That is what I did.

I started off going through my boxes of DVDS, sorting them into three different areas, KEEP, GIVE AWAY / TRADE IN TO AMAZON (as I didn't want to worry about the hassle of selling), and TOSS.

This may come off as a sacrilege to many DVD fans but yes, I did throw away DVDs (although I wish I had waited as I found out about Amazon's trade in program after throwing dozens, maybe over a hundred, away). Mostly they were DVDs bought five to ten or more years ago. If a DVD was non-anamorphic or full screen and has since been upgraded? Goodbye. If it was a DVD I bought just to see in the days before I joined Netflix (or Netflix had it as a VERY LONG WAIT) and then realized it was no good? Into the trash it goes. All those poor quality public domain DVDs bought at the dollar store? They are gone too.

For the rest, I got a few hundred dollars worth of credit at Amazon trading others in. For those that I couldn't trade in (review copies, etc), I passed them along to family members.

I have to admit though, I have been getting obsessed with this process. I am now constantly going through my collection, looking for titles to get rid of. I WANT to find DVDs to go.

My policy now is, for each new DVD I get, I have to get rid of two.

The sad thing is, when going through my DVDs, do you realize how many are still sealed? How I never even watched I'd say 80-90% of what I had? This has become a very depressing process. If only I had kept the money that I had spent on these DVDs.

All the DVDs I bought thinking "Oh, this will be fun to watch sometime." That time never comes. The DVDs stack up and, before you know it, you are days away from appearing on an episode of HOARDERS.

There were genres or stars or directors that I would buy their films, only to lose interest in them over the years and wonder why I had all these films that I didn't even really like in the first place.

So, what did I keep? Surprisingly, a lot of TV on DVD. These are probably some of the most rewatchable of my DVDs. I think that will mainly be the focus of my DVD collection now. I'm not one to watch films multiple times. But I've seen some episodes of TV shows 20 to 30 or more times.

Along with my DVDs, I also went through my VHS and Laserdiscs.

Of the VHS, 95% of them are gone. I haven't hooked up my VHS player since I got a new TV, so what is the point of holding on to them? There are a few titles I am holding on to, but I may just end up getting rid of them in the not too distant future. And in looking at them, from the way they have been stored over the years, several have deteriorated, with the tape inside turning white. Even a few I would have wanted to keep ending up going because they were in such bad shape.

And, as much as I hate to say it, 99% of my laserdiscs are gone. I sold off most of my collection years ago. But what I had left, I couldn't even give away. So, while it was fun while it lasted, they had to go. I haven't hooked up my laserdisc player (if it even still works) in at least five years.

My advice to others, don't wait ten years to do this. Every year, go through your DVDs and clear out what you won't / don't watch.

You will feel a lot better when you do.

DISNEY NATURE: OCEANS & CRIMSON WING Blu-Ray Reviews

2010-10-12T09:00:00.003-04:00

Disney continues their series of DISNEY NATURE films with two new releases, OCEANS and CRIMSON WING: MYSTERY OF THE FLAMINGOS. These documentaries continue the Disney nature legacy that goes back to the days of the Disney True Life Adventures.

DISNEY OCEANS is a look at the world's oceans. From the directors of WINGED MIGRATION and featuring narration by Pierce Brosnan, the film is filled with stunning photography of undersea life. Seals, sea lion, crabs, jellyfish, whales, sharks, they are all here, along with several species that you have probably never seen before.

The extras on the Blu-Ray include:

DISNEY AND NATURE: CARING FOR THE WORLD WE SHARE (7:54) - Focusing on Disney's commitment to conservation with clips going back to Walt Disney himself talking about the issue.

MAKING A WAVE: DISNEY'S FRIEND FOR CHANGE MUSIC VIDEO (1:50) - Clip of a Joe Jonas, Demi Lovato music video.

The film can also be watched with "Filmmaker Annotations", a sort of picture in picture pop up commentary track.

CRIMSON WING: MYSTERY OF THE FLAMINGOS could also be called MARCH OF THE FLAMINGOS. The film is about a flamingo migration in Lake Natron in Northern Tanzania. It follows the flamingos from courtship through the raising of baby flamingos. If you were a fan of MARCH OF THE PENGUINS and have an HDTV, this should be a must see as, not only is it as interesting a story as the other film, the flamingos with their colors look pretty amazing on Blu-Ray.

The extras on the Blu-Ray are:

LAKE NATRON DIARIES (19:42) - A five part documentary on the making of the film.

SCREENSAVER (5:12) - A montage of the best moments.

There is also a clickable LIVING PLANET with facts and video clips that pop up when you click on various parts of a globe.

Like with OCEANS, the film is available with "Filmmaker Annotations"

Both are available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Walt Disney Home Video.

ALL IN THE FAMILY SEASON SEVEN (1976-1977) DVD Review

2010-10-09T10:20:00.002-04:00

ALL IN THE FAMILY was one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1970's. It was the top rated series on TV for much of its run and continued to be a popular series in syndication in the years following.

Sony has been releasing the series in season sets for the last several years. They have now turned it over to Shout! Factory. Shout! has just released season seven.

Season seven features the 1976-1977 season. This year saw Gloria and Mike with a baby. After five years of being number one in the ratings, it slipped a bit this season.

The episodes in this three disc set are:

DISC ONE

ARCHIE'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER (Parts 1 & 2 & 3) - Archie has an affair with a waitress and Edith finds out.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT STORY (Parts 1 & 2) - Archie is fired.

ARCHIE'S OPERATION (Parts 1 & 2) - Archie has an operation.

BEVERLY RIDES AGAIN - A transvestite visits.

DISC TWO

TERESA MOVES IN - The Bunkers rent out a room.

MIKE AND GLORIA'S WILL - The Stiviks make up their will.

MR EDITH BUNKER - Edith becomes a TV star after saving someone's life.

ARCHIE'S SECRET PASSION - Archie meets an old girlfriend.

THE BABY CONTEST - Archie and Barney enter their grandchildren in a beauty contest.

GLORIA'S FALSE ALARM - Gloria thinks she is pregnant again.

THE DRAFT DODGER - Mike's friend, a draft dodger, comes to visit.

THE BOARDER PATROL - Teresa invites her boyfriend to stay over when the Bunkers are away.

DISC THREE

ARCHIE'S CHAIR - Archie's chair accidentally gets sent to an art gallery.

MIKE GOES SKIING - Mike tries to get Gloria to go on a ski trip with him.

STRETCH CUNNINGHAM, GOODBYE - Archie gives a eulogy for Stretch Cunningham.

THE JOYS OF SEX - Edith gets a book to improve her relationship with Archie.

MIKE THE PACIFIST - Mike gets in a fight.

FIRE - The Bunker house catches on fire.

MIKE AND GLORIA SPLIT - Mike spends the night with Archie after getting in a fight with Gloria.

ARCHIE THE LIBERAL - Archie's lodge is accused of discrimination.

ARCHIE'S DOG DAY AFTERNOON - Archie accidentally hits a friends dog and takes it to the vet.

There are no extras.

ALL IN THE FAMILY SEASON SEVEN is available now from Shout! Factory.

THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN COMPLETE SERIES (1980-1982) DVD Review

2010-10-08T15:00:00.002-04:00

THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN aired for 21 episodes over two years, 1980-1982. This has long been a favorite of many growing up in the era. It has finally been released on DVD from the Warner Archive.

The series is set in the post apocalyptic future. After a runaway planet in 1994 causes "cosmic destruction", Earth is destroyed. Two thousand years later, it is reborn with Thundarr and his companions Princess Ariel and Ookla the Mook. With the help of his "sunsword" (think lightsaber with the light from the sun) the trio fought all sorts of creatures along the way in the ruins of what once was Earth.

Despite being the perfect age for the show, and being well aware of it airing, I never watched the series. I was too busy watching PAC-MAN and RUBIK THE AMAZING CUBE. I don't think I had seen an episode until the recent Warner Home Video release of the SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS 1980's COLLECTION. That set had a very good documentary on the series.

I would say that the series bears a close resemblance to He-Man, only He-Man came later so that could be said to be a rip off of this. Or, I could point out that the series is just a reworking of CONAN, but one of the men behind this series was Steve Gerber, the co-creator of the comic book HOWARD THE DUCK (which before it was the campy film was a cult favorite of comic fans).

The Warner Archive has released a four DVD set of all the episodes. Each disc contains five or six episodes. As with other Archive titles, there are no extras. Each disc is made up of a simple either PLAY ALL or EPISODE SELECTION option. Each episode looks quite good.

For fans of the series back then, who want to watch it again or introduce it to their families, this is sure to be a welcome addition to your library.

THUNDARR THE BARBARIAN is available now at the Warner Archive.

Humphrey Bogart on DVD and Blu-Ray

2010-10-04T09:00:00.015-04:00

Humphrey Bogart is one of those actors who is so well known, so imitated, that you probably can do an impression of him even if you have never seen one of his films. He is one of the most popular actors of all time.

That said, it wasn't until recently, watching one of his lesser known films on Turner Classic Movies, that I finally noticed just what a great actor he was. Often times, when a star is as popular as he is, you take their acting ability for granted. In this minor film, he proved to be even better than I remembered him to be.

And now, Warner Home Video is celebrating his legacy with three new releases, including the premiere of two of very best films on Blu-Ray.

The most ambitious release (not sent for review) is HUMPHREY BOGART: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTON box set. This is a 24 film set, on 13 discs of the films he made for the studio.

The films included are: Petrified Forest / Marked Woman, Kid Galahad / Black Legion, San Quentin /The Roaring Twenties, Dark Victory / Virginia City, Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse / Invisible Stripes, High Sierra / They Drive by Night, Maltese Falcon / Across the Pacific, All Through the Night / Brother Orchid, Action in the North Atlantic / Passage to Marseilles, To Have and Have Not / The Big Sleep, Dark Passage / Key Largo, Casablanca / Treasure of the Sierra Madre

On the 13th disc is THE BROTHERS WARNER, the recent documentary on the studio.

Also releasing from Warner are two of Bogart's best loved films releasing for the first time on Blu-Ray.

1941's THE MALTESE FALCON is often cited as one of the greatest detective stories ever made. It is hard to argue that. The story of Sam Spade and his hunt for the title object, this is even more notable for the fact that this was John Huston's film debut. One of the great first films.

The disc is filled with extras including.

Commentary from biographer Eric Lax

THE MALTESE FALCON: ONE MAGNIFICENT BIRD (32:05) - A 2000 documentary on the film.

BECOMING ATTRACTIONS (44:45) - A TCM special, hosted by Robert Osborne, looking at the trailers for Bogart's films.

BREAKDOWNS OF 1941 (12:53) - Another fun segment with bloopers (mostly blown lines) from that year's Warner films.

MAKEUP TESTS (1:16)

There are also three radio broadcasts, a Lux Radio broadcast from 2/18/1943, the Screen Guild Theatre (9/20/1943) as well as an Academy Awards Theater broadcast.

There are also trailers for SATAN MET A LADY as well as THE MALTESE FALCON

The film can also be watched in "Night At The Movies" mode, with trailers, shorts, newsreels and cartoons shown before the film.

1947's THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE is yet another of Bogart's most quoted films. "Badges?.. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!". People may use that line, yet aren't even aware it can from this film.

Once again, John Huston is behind the camera directing his father, Walter Huston to an Academy Award winning Supporting performance in this film about Gold prospectors in Mexico.

This is yet another extras filled disc.

Commentary from Eric Lax

JOHN HUSTON: THE MAN, THE MOVIES, THE MAVERICK (2:08:13) - A 1988 documentary hosted by Robert Mitchum about Huston's life with interviews with Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Michael Caine and more.

DISCOVERING TREASURE: THE STORY OF THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (49:57) - John Milius narrates this look at the film with interviews with Martin Scorsese, Leonard Maltin, Robert Osborne and more.

8 BALL BUNNY (7:08) - The Bugs Bunny cartoon where he takes a penguin home, only to meet Humphrey Bogart, as his TREASURE character.

There is a LUX RADIO THEATER Broadcast from 4 / 18 / 1949

The film can also be watched in "Night At The Movies" mode.

SNL - Apple Juice

2010-10-03T13:38:00.000-04:00

In case you missed it

"I sent a bottle of sparkling apple juice to your house. Did you get it?"

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) Blu-Ray Review

2010-09-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

While it was 1989's THE LITTLE MERMAID that may have made critics and audiences begin to take a more serious look at animation, it was 1991's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST that proved that animation wasn't just for families.

After its triumphant preview at the New York Film Festival, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST developed a buzz that few if any animated films had. It would eventually become the first animated film ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

I was in college when the film came out. A lifelong Disney fan, after seeing the 20/20 segment on the making of the film, I left campus the afternoon it came out, driving an hour to the nearest theatre to see it. When I got back, everyone asked me what I saw. After embarrassingly mentioning it was the latest Disney cartoon, rather than strange looks, instead everyone was saying "Oh how was it? I want to see that."

Disney animation was back.

Without having seen the film in a few years, I put on the Blu-Ray. The film looks amazing. Colors are perfectly rendered.

But aside from the animation, the music in the film more than holds up. I had forgotten just how much fun the Alan Menken / Howard Ashman score was. From the opening "Belle", to "Gaston", "Be Our Guest" and the title song, the film was on its initial released often compared to a great Broadway show. Of course, it became one later on.

The film is being released in a three disc Blu-Ray. There are two Blu-Ray discs with a third DVD of the film. While the Blu-ray will be released in a three pack next week, October 5, the DVD will be released on its own on November 23rd.

DISC ONE

There are three viewing options for the film. There is the extended version featuring the very catchy "Human Again" added to the film. There is also the Theatrical Version as well as the theatrical with the "Work Print" version in a picture in picture comparison. An audio commentary is available for the extended version.

Other extras include

COMPOSING A CLASSIC (20:18) - Alan Menken discusses writing the music for the film.

DELETED SCENES - There are two never before seen deleted scenes including an alternate story opening (18:24) and Belle in the library (8:27). Both of these are in rough form, with introductions.

BROADWAY BEGINNINGS (13:07) - Donny Osmond, Deborah Gibson and Nick Jonas among others discuss what it was like appearing in the Broadway play.

MUSIC VIDEO (3:26) - Jordin Sparks sings a new version of the title song.

DISC TWO

BEYOND BEAUTY - An excellent almost hour long documentary featuring crew members, along with others such as Jeffrey Katzenbeg, who discuss the making of the film. This is shown in enhanced mode where, at a few points in the feature, you can click on the remote to hear even more information about a certain point being discussed.

Disc two also features the extras from the previous DVD, including a documentary, music video, alternate versions of scenes, deleted scenes, animation tests, and TV spots.

DISC THREE

Disc three features the feature film and extras on standard DVD

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST DIAMOND EDITION is available on DVD and Blu-ray .

LONE STAR Cancellation - What is wrong with network TV?

2010-09-28T19:46:00.001-04:00

FOX has officially canceled LONE STAR, the best new series of the season.

Despite glowing reviews, no one tuned in.

But did FOX really think they would?

LONE STAR was opposite ABC's DANCING WITH THE STARS. All the families, and most of the female audience is watching that.

It was opposite the much hyped THE EVENT on NBC. That takes most of the male audience, along with the "fanboy" crowd that had been watching CHUCK before it.

On CBS you have the always popular comedies, which are watched by a younger audience that isn't watching the other programs.

Let's not forget MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL on ESPN.

So, who is left? Very few people.

LONE STAR had a minuscule potential audience.

Why didn't they try it on another night? They had the critics. No other new series was as positively received.

But they didn't. Instead of reworking the schedule, moving it to where there were people who would potentially watch, it was canceled.

No word yet, but due to the reviews, you would think that a cable network, maybe FX since this was a FOX show, would come in and save it. Doubtful, but the show was honestly too good to see be the first canceled.

Oh well.

It was a great 2 episode run. Three episodes will remain on the shelf, with production shut down in the middle of the sixth.

Leonard Maltin and Gloria Stuart

2010-09-28T16:35:00.003-04:00

Leonard Maltin has a wonderful tribute to Gloria Stuart who passed away.

If you only know her from TITANIC, there is a lot more to her life and career.

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (2010) Review

2010-09-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

1987’s WALL STREET was one of the most important films in my life.

When it came out, I was in high school, planning on being a business major. I literally counted down the days until the film opened, and was there opening night. I loved the film.

Remember that scene in BOILER ROOM where Ben Affleck and his friends sat around watching WALL STREET and running the lines from it while watching it? That was my high school. I remember a gym class, during a volleyball game where all the guys were reciting the Gekko / Bud Fox beach phone call scene.

This was the end of the Reagan era and we all wanted to be Bud Fox. Forget the fact that the film was meant to be a cautionary tale, that Bud went to jail at the end. The life it showed was where we all wanted to be.

The problem with me came that, instead of loving the world, I began to just love the film. The way that Oliver Stone’s camera circled around Michael Douglas during some of the discussion scenes, I began to be more interested in filmmaking. While I went to college as a business finance major, I eventually switched over to Communications and Film.

Cut to twenty years later.

I didn't go into film. Lately, its gotten to the point that I haven’t even cared about films all that much. I haven’t been to one in over four months. And now the sequel, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS opens.

To be honest, I thought of continuing my movie hiatus and waiting for Blu-Ray. The reviews haven’t been all that terrific to go out to the theatre.

But, with nothing better to do, I decide to go see it.

Gordon Gekko is out of jail. The trial dragged on for five years, and he ended up serving an eight year term. He has written a book “Is Greed Good” a cautionary tale of Wall Street Excess.

Shia LaBeouf is Jake Moore, a Bud Fox like trader who is engaged to Gekko’s estranged daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan). After hearing Gekko speak, Moore approaches him to introduce himself. With Moore’s trading bank taken down in the economic collapse, Moore wants Gekko’s help in going after the bank that he blames for the collapse.

This may not be a perfect film.

While Josh Brolin is very good as a rival trader, there is also a bit about how he and Gekko have a history. Umm, when WALL STREET came out, Brolin was only 19 and just a couple years from his appearing as the older brother in GOONIES. That would have been difficult.

Susan Sarandon also has a couple scenes as Jake’s mother, a house flipper in financial trouble. This seems to only be there to show the human side of the housing crisis and feels more like a deleted scene than anything else.

And I could kind of have done without the David Byrne soundtrack. Nothing against Mr. Byrne, but it just didn’t fit.

Getting that out of the way, I truly loved everything else about the film. It is my favorite film I have seen this year.

There is a scene early on where Frank Langella, as the head of a bank in financial trouble, pleading with the Federal Reserve for help that gives a better idea of what was really going on than you would know from just watching the nightly news.

Michael Douglas is fantastic. He is as good here as he was in the original.

Plus, there is a moment, I won’t give it away as I’ve seen no mention in any of the reviews, but I almost cheered when it happened. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

As I mentioned, the original was always a favorite of mine. So, my reaction may just be my own.

But if you loved the first film, this is truly a must see.

KING KONG (1933) Blu-Ray Review

2010-09-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

KING KONG is one of the greatest films ever made.

There is no denying that.

Remade twice (so far), neither of the reworkings with all of their updated special effects have matched the original. The iconic image of King Kong at the top of the Empire State Building with Fay Wray has never been topped.

I first saw the film over thirty years ago. It was in the days before DVD, VHS, or even cable TV. During the summer the town showed movies on 16mm to kids in the basement of the library. KING KONG was one of those films.

While the film is full of memorable moments, from the finale, to Fay Wray chained while Kong first attacks, the sequence that always stayed with me was of Kong battling the pterodactyl on the side of the cliff.

From its original 35 mm release, to 16 mm, VHS, laserdisc, and finally DVD in the 2000's, KONG has seen every format imaginable. It now has been released in Blu-Ray.

This is another Warner book release, where the film is housed in a small hardback book (written by film historian Rudy Behlmer). The book is the same size as a Blu-Ray case with a very interesting essay on the film.

The extras have been carried over from the previous special edition DVD release.

A commentary track with Special Effects guru Ray Harryhausen, Ken Ralston along with director Merion C. Cooper and star Fay Wray

A 7 part documentary on the making of the film, RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World (2:38:58) with fans and filmmakers interviewed.

The TCM documentary I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (57:02)

The Lost Spider Pit Sequence (5:58) - Peter Jackson and his team's attempt to recreate the legendary lost scene from the film. They do a darn good job as well, making it feel like an actual deleted scene.

Creation Test Footage (4:57) with Commentary by Ray Harryhausen

Original Theatrical Trailer (1:33).

A note on the Blu-ray Transfer. I have to admit that this is one of the grainiest Blu-ray transfers I have seen. The black and white picture is filled with grain. Some purists appreciate this, as this is the way the film is meant to be seen, with the grain giving a better representation of what it looked like in theatrical settings. There have been plenty of raves about this transfer from those who know more about the transfer process than I do. The film is still perfectly watchable, even with the grain.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: BEST OF 2009 / 2010 DVD Review

2010-09-22T17:53:00.002-04:00

Every year for the past five years, one of my favorite DVD releases has been the annual SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE season sets from Universal Home Video. They release a full season, with every episode including all the music acts. They have released the first five seasons so far.

No other show is as much of a pop culture time capsule as SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. From the hosts plugging a then popular movie or TV show and musical guests, to the sketches focusing on what was in the news that week, and the Weekend Update jokes about some forgotten news event, they gave you a better look at the period than any sitcom or hour long drama.

Sadly, it appears that Universal has given up on the Season Sets. After releasing the first five seasons, featuring the original cast, there has been no announcement for a release this year.

Some have argued that it was because the next season to be released (which had Eddie Murphy as a featured player) was not at all popular. But on a personal level, the 1980-1981 season is when I first started to watch it on a regular basis. I’ve seen some on Comedy Central in recent years and it wasn’t as bad as people remember. While I would have definitely bought it, I guess Universal didn’t think enough would and the series is going to stay on the shelf.

Instead, Universal is releasing a Best of collection of the 2009 / 2010 season. Much like last year’s set that was originally sold at Starbucks, this is a 103 minute collection of sketches.

The sketches on this DVD are:

Cold Open with Barack Obama and Chinese Presdent Ju Jintao

Betty White Monologue

Brownie Husband commercial with Tina Fey

ESPN Classics Bowling with Will Forte’s hilarious sports announcer.

What Up With That?

Three McGruber Skits

The Return of Delicious Dish with Betty White’s muffins

DIGITAL SHORT: SHY RONNIE with Rihanna

Jon Hamm as Senator Scott Brown

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with Gabourey Sidibe

A collection of WEEKEND UPDATE jokes

A parody of THE TWILIGHT ZONE's Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

Zach Galifinakis and Kristen Wiig learn about a bidet

The Sarah Palin Network

Hollywood Dish with Taylor Swift

The Kick Spit Underground Rock Festival - "Literally everyone gets a pitchfork!"Worth buying the DVD for this alone!

The Vincent Price Christmas Special

DIGITAL SHORT: ON THE GROUND

TCM Parody with Alec Baldwin

Goodnights with Betty White

I’m sure everyone will have favorite sketches that didn’t make the set. Where are Jenny Slate’s commercials for the doorbell company?

The EXTRAS Are:

A Bronx Beat deleted sketch with Betty White

From Update, a deleted bit with Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig as Garth and Kat, the never prepared singing duo.

There are outtakes from Update featuring jokes that didn’t make air or went really badly.

There are also a few sketches from WEEKEND UPDATE THURSDAY.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

I can see not buying this set. In a way, buying it is telling the studio it is okay that they aren’t releasing the full seasons anymore. But, there is also some good material here that makes it worth seeing.

Let’s hope that Universal either continues with the full season SNL releases or licenses them out to someone who will.

Remembering The Drive In

2010-09-22T11:53:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday, I was looking at the movie timetables in the newspaper.

I happened to see in the listing a drive-in. All of the drive-ins in my immediate area are long gone. This was at a place over an hour away in Connecticut, the Mansfield Drive In. I was surprised it was even listed in our paper. What made it even more interesting was it is a three screen drive in, with three different double features every night.

What was playing on one screen?

A double feature of GREASE and SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.

That is something of a dream double feature for me. The rerelease of the singalong of GREASE never made it to my area, but to see it on a double bill with SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER? Sure, GREASE 2 would be a perfect pairing, but FEVER is pretty darn cool as well. I seriously thought about making the drive to see it.

It was back in the late 70's, when the two films might have originally played together, that I first went to the drive in. In the late 70's, early 80's, there were at least three drive ins in my area. They would always have the biggest ads in the newspaper.

My first trip must have been in 1978 when my parents took me and my sister to see a double feature of YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. I remember little about LIFE except for the theme and fell asleep early on in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS.

Next up, probably in 1980 or 81, was the Don Knotts / Tim Conway comedy THE PRIVATE EYES and BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS. Once again, remember little about the first, fell asleep in the second.

I've always been a bit confused about the next double feature. I always thought it was THE CANNONBALL RUN and MEGAFORCE. That would make sense, as they were both Fox releases, directed by Hal Needham. BUT, they were also released in two different years. Since I literally begged my parents to take me to CANNONBALL (due to Roger Moore starring in it), I may have already seen it by the time MEGAFORCE opened and was seeing it for a second time. However in 1982, we had cable and it might have already been playing. Anyway, I stayed awake for this one.

My final drive-in experience was the Tom Cruise film ALL THE RIGHT MOVES and BACHELOR PARTY. My parents once again took my little sister and I to the films. My mom thought the second film was just a little comedy with "that nice guy from BOSOM BUDDIES, Tom Hanks". I was just excited because Adrian Zmed from GREASE 2 was in it (at the time, and still today, I was a little obsessed with GREASE 2). What I remember most about this trip was that it was like we were seeing the end of the drive in. The place was disgusting. It was falling apart.

By this time, home video had taken off. In looking at the release dates for the films, they always paired films from different years. In later years, one of the films would have already been on video. In those days, before video or even cable, it was a way for the studios to get secondary income from a title.

A few months after that visit, the drive in closed. It closed before I even got a drivers license to go on my own.

They were a lot of fun. The pre-show movies, the snack bar, listening to the soundtrack on the speaker or later radio.

I am glad to see that they are still around.

2010 TV: LONE STAR

2010-09-21T11:53:00.002-04:00

FOX's LONE STAR premiered last night.

Bob Allen (James Wolk) is a con artist in Texas. Since childhood, his father (David Keith) has been using him to help run scams. Now an adult, he is in the family business full time, selling rights to non-existent oil wells across Texas.

Even his private life is a scam. He has a small town fiance, Lindsay (Eloise Mumford) along with in another city being married to the daughter (Adrianne Palicki) of an oil tycoon (Jon Voight) that he is working for.

In the opener, Bob is given a promotion at work, giving him even more control over Voight's business. Bob's father sees this as the opening to finally fleece the company, but Bob thinks it is time to go straight. He is in love with both of the women in his life, and doesn't want to hurt either one.

Will he be able to make something out of the "house of cards" that he has created for himself? With David Keith trying to bring him back into the game, burned victims of his previous scams around every corner, and Voight's sons, jealous that they were passed over for promotion, looking to dig up dirt, it isn't going to be easy.

That is the set up for the series.

The pilot was extremely well done. There is a sequence set in a gas station that was perfectly realized.

The cast was terrific all around. I've mentioned previously how I thought James Wolk should have already been a big star from his TV movie FRONT OF THE CLASS, and he again confirms that here. And Voight and Keith are terrific as the sort of battling father figures.

One funny thing about the episode.

The small town girlfriend was played by an actress named Eloise Mumford. I wasn't familiar with her name, yet every time I saw her on screen I couldn't help but think "Where do I know her from?".

It was driving me crazy. At the ads, I was looking up the show in the TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly, looking to see if they said what she did before this. Other than a few episodes of TV, nothing I would have picked up on.

It wasn't until 15 minutes after the show ended, in the middle of WEEDS when it was still bothering me, that I realized who she was.

She's the girl in the McDonald's New England coffee commercials!

The "wicked bad storm" girl whose "hair smells like sunshine." This ad was all over TV last year, at least here in New England. I even mentioned her here, when she was also starring in a Target ad, calling her the "commercial star of the season". Those ads led her to get this GREAT role.

I haven't seen the ratings for last night's episode yet. Opposite THE EVENT (which I DVRed but haven't seen yet), DANCING WITH THE STARS, and the CBS Comedies, it is a very difficult time slot. (EDIT: Just read the numbers at the Hollywood Reporter and they were not good. It came in last of the night, with only 4.1 million viewers, almost a third of THE EVENT. Let's hope they change the time slot)

I hope that people tuned in. If not, you can watch it online, or On Demand.

LONE STAR airs Monday night at 9 P.M. EST on Fox

The Joaquin Phoenix Hoax

2010-09-17T10:23:00.002-04:00

Last year, after Joaquin Phoenix was on Letterman, the talk of the internet was "What has happened to Joaquin?" His rambling and incoherent appearance shocked audiences. At the time, it was said that Casey Affleck was making a documentary of his life. That documentary, I'M STILL HERE has finally opened.

Critics have been very favorable to the film. Most of them believed what they are seeing is for real. They felt they were really watching Phoenix in the middle of a meltdown, both of his career and his life.

Finally, yesterday, Casey Affleck announced that the whole thing was a hoax. It was all an elaborate act to make a mockumentary of sorts.

Not to say I told you so, but in February of 2009, I wrote this piece claiming "Joaquin Phoenix is no Crispin Glover". I never for a moment believed that the Letterman appearance was for real. There were little moments in it where you could see Phoenix almost giggling to himself, not able to keep character. I honestly couldn't believe how many people fell for it. Now, my suspicions were confirmed.

But the big question seems to be, why is Affleck admitting the hoax now? The film just opened. With the reviews it is getting, more people would be going out there to see it. Knowing it is fake, they will probably stay home.

I can see admitting on the DVD commentary it is a fake. But especially with Roger Ebert, in his three star review stating, "All of this is true. At least we must assume it is. If this film turns out to still be part of an elaborate hoax, I'm going to be seriously pissed.", why ruin the fun now?

THE BIG BANG THEORY SEASON THREE (2009-2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-09-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

THE BIG BANG THEORY Season Three will go down as the season that FINALLY earned Jim Parsons the Emmy. It was about time. He had been deserving it since the first season, creating one of the funniest, and most memorable characters on TV.

Season three proved to be yet another winning season. For those that haven't been watching, it follows two physicist roommates, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johny Galecki), their across the hall neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and two other scientist friends, Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar). The show is part THREE'S COMPANY and part a reworking of the Howard Hawks film BALL OF FIRE (where Barbara Stanwyck taught Gary Cooper and a group of professors about life).

It is no accident that the two leads are named Sheldon and Leonard. The two are named after Sheldon Leonard the legendary TV producer of such shows as THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW. THE BIG BANG THEORY is on its way to become the same sort of classic comedy. While some could argue that the whole Sheldon / Penny romance weakened some of the tension in the series, the writers knew enough that they had a great supporting cast that they could always rely on.

Wil Wheaton returned as Sheldon’t nemesis. Stan Lee guest starred, along with Danica McKellar and Katee Sackhoff.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

The Blu-Ray has all 23 episodes on two discs, twelve on the first disc, eleven on the second. The DVD spreads them across to three discs.

Also on the second disc are the extras.

TAKE OUT WITH THE CAST (10:25) - All five cast members sit on the couch, eating Chinese food, and discussing the season, answering questions from fortune cookies.

SET TOUR WITH SIMON AND KUMAL (7:40) - The actors who portray Howard and Raj give a tour of the set.

GAG REEL (7:51) - Fun collection of missed lines.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

THE BIG BANG THEORY is on its way to becoming the sort of classic sitcom you will see years from now on TV Land. It is well worth owning.

The 2010-2011 TV Season

2010-09-15T09:00:00.007-04:00

It is that time of year again. The new Fall TV season is about to begin.

Here are some of the highlights.

MONDAY

The most heavily hyped show this fall seems to be THE EVENT (NBC). Airing at 9 P.M., this series is said to be so mysterious that even the cast members aren’t given full scripts so they don’t know what is going on with the full story. Will it catch on and become the new LOST? We will see.

Airing at the same time on FOX is one of the shows I am looking forward to most, LONE STAR a Texas set story about a con artist. While the supporting class is quite impressive, including Jon Voight, David Keith, and Adrianne Palicki (Tyra on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS), the big reason to see this is its star, James Wolk, who was excellent in the 2008 Hallmark Hall of Fame film FRONT OF THE CLASS and has the potential to be the big breakout star of the season.

Although with LONE STAR airing opposite THE EVENT, ABC’s DANCING WITH THE STARS, and the CBS comedies (including MIKE AND MOLLY with Melissa McCarthy of THE GILMORE GIRLS and SAMANTHA WHO), LONE STAR could easily get lost in the shuffle.

10 P.M. has the revamped version of HAWAII FIVE-O on CBS. At first, I didn’t think much of it. But seeing the ads, and now that I am in the middle of watching BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and have become a fan of Grace Park, this might be worth watching. It will be airing opposite NBC's CHASE which is almost as heavily hyped as THE EVENT.

TUESDAY

Tuesday is Fox’s night. With GLEE at 8, and two new comedies at 9, this is where I will be.

The new comedies are RAISING HOPE, from the creator of MY NAME IS EARL with Martha Plimpton and Cloris Leachman. That is followed by RUNNING WILDE, another must see from the co-creator of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and starring Will Arnett and Keri Russell.

WEDNESDAY

The highlight of the night is MODERN FAMILY at 9 P.M. on ABC. Other than that, not much to get excited for, although BETTER WITH YOU, the ABC 8:30 sitcom starring JoAnna Garcia (anyone remember WELCOME TO THE CAPTAIN?) might be worth watching.

Reality TV fans will have to decide between SURVIVOR NICARAGUA (CBS) and AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (THE CW) at 8. HELL’S KITCHEN (FOX) returns at 9. While I like HELL’S KITCHEN, isn’t it too soon? Each episode is essentially the same.

THE DEFENDERS is new at 10 P.M. on CBS about lawyers in Las Vegas. From the ads, I don’t know if the show knows what it is trying to be.

THURSDAY

Why do networks do things like this? CBS moving THE BIG BANG THEORY to Thursday at 8? Opposite the NBC comedies? I’m glad I have a dual tuner DVR, but this isn’t a good move.

They moved it so they can team it up with $#’! MY DAD SAYS, a show that hasn’t had the best buzz. If it fails, will THE BIG BANG THEORY go down with it?

The NBC comedies will continue with PARKS AND REC (which will return in the winter) replaced by OUTSOURCED. I loved the film that OUTSOURCED was based on, about a man who goes to India to run a novelty company phone room. BUT, from watching the ads, it appears that the low key, LOCAL HERO like film has become an “Aren’t Indian accents funny?” type comedy. I hope this isn’t the case.

At 10 on NBC will be the return of THE APPRENTICE. While Trump may still be the most awkward reality show host (after all these years, he still doesn't understand how to do post production overdubbing), the show itself is one of the strongest and smartest reality shows.

FRIDAY

It is good to see the networks giving some attention to Friday nights. There are a few new shows.

CBS has replaced THE GHOST WHISPERER with MEDIUM. I think this is a mistake as GHOST was the better show.

Following it they are running CSI NY. While I’m not much of a CSI fan, with Sela Ward joining the cast, I might just have to be! (And while I am at it, where is Season three of ONCE AND AGAIN on DVD???).

At 10 P.M. is BLUE BLOODS. Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan and Donnie Wahlberg star in this story of a police family. Reviews have been promising.

SATURDAY

Anyone remember Saturday night TV? There were sitcoms like SILVER SPOONS, THE FACTS OF LIFE, GIMME A BREAK, GOLDEN GIRLS, and EMPTY NEST. There was THE LOVE BOAT and FANTASY ISLAND. And let’s not forget about HUNTER.

Now, there is nothing. No new shows, or any shows (other than COPS and AMERICA’S MOST WANTED) for that matter. With today’s time shifting, with most cable boxes being DVRs, you would think they wouldn’t give up on the night. But alas, it is gone.

There is still SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE though.

SUNDAY

With THE AMAZING RACE (CBS) and THE SIMPSONS (FOX), Sunday still has some programming. The ABC dramas continue to be popular.

On HBO, the very funny BORED TO DEATH is back, along with the new Martin Scorsese series BOARDWALK EMPIRE and the return of EASTBOUND AND DOWN.

What will be the big hit of the season? What will be the first cancellation?

Stay tuned.

TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-09-14T09:00:00.002-04:00

Disney continues the Tinker Bell direct to DVD films with TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE. This is yet another film that brings the genre of direct to video animation a step higher.

The film opens with Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman, Ann Veal on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and now a star on PARENTHOOD) seeing a car. Since fairies can't be seen by humans for fear of discovery, the rest of the fairies hide. But Tinker Bell follows. As a “Tinker Fairy” she wants to discover how the car works.

She becomes trapped by Lizzy (Lauren Mote) who lives with her scientist father, Dr. Griffiths (Michael Sheen of THE QUEEN and 30 ROCK). The father has a collection of butterflies pinned to the wall. Fearing that Tinker Bell will wind up the same way, Lizzy keeps her hidden from him, and Tinker Bell teaches her about fairies.

Meanwhile, Vidia (Pamela Adlon of KING OF THE HILL and GREASE 2) and the rest of the fairies (featuring the voices of Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy Liu and Raven-Symone) try to rescue Tinker Bell. Their attempts are hampered by a rainstorm that makes it impossible to fly.

As with the previous films, the computer animation is beautiful. Especially on Blu-ray, this is a great looking disc. Once again produced by Pixar's John Lasseter, this isn't quite at Pixar level, but it is pretty close.

This film is geared more to the younger audiences. While the second in the series, TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE I found to be one of the better animated films in recent years, this is more for the kids. Parents may enjoy it too, with a terrifically staged chase scene at the end.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

This is a 2 disc set, featuring the Blu-Ray as well as a standard DVD version of the film.

Extras include:

DELETED SCENES (14:44) - The director and producer introduce deleted scenes in various stages of completion (from storyboards to fully realized sequences).

MUSIC VIDEO “How To Believe” by Bridget Mendler (3:02)

DESIGN A FAIRY HOUSE (1:48) - A group of kids build fairy houses at EPCOT while the winner of an online contest has her house designed.

TANGLED PREVIEW (3:39) - A preview of the upcoming animated film.

There is also a game FAIRY FIELD GUIDE where, with the remote. you create your own field guide, as seen in the film.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

This is sure to be a welcome addition to a Disney Fairy fan’s library.

PRINCE OF PERSIA (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-09-13T09:00:00.001-04:00

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the adopted son of the King.

When the King is murdered, Dastan is framed for the crime and escapes with Tamina (Gemma Arterton). The actual murderer is after a dagger in Dastan’s possession that allows to owner to reverse time.

WHO MADE IT?

Based on the video game, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film was adapted by Boaz Yakin (FRESH, A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES), and the team of Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard (THE UNINVITED)

It was directed by Mike Newell (ENCHANTED APRIL, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, DONNIE BRASCO, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE).

IS IT ANY GOOD?

THE PRINCE OF PERSIA is an old fashioned swashbuckling adventure story. Full of characters scaling walls, jumping, and battling with daggers, it has the feel of something that would have starred Errol Flynn.

While I have never played the video game, I have seen clips of it. The film does appear to be quite similar to the gameplay, with the emphasis on racing across rooftops and climbing up walls.

Jake Gyllenhaal makes a surprisingly credible action hero. He is well served by Ben Kingsley and the always fun Alfred Molina, who is increasingly becoming one of the most reliable actors of today.

The film is fast paced, with a lot of great action scenes.

Despite being released by Walt Disney Pictures, this is a PG-13 rated film. While most of the violence is bloodless, it might be a bit much for the youngest viewers. Although in my day, the PG rated RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK was far more violent.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

The film is available in a combo pack, a 3 disc set featuring a Blu-Ray, DVD, and a digital copy of the film.

Extras include

THE SANDS OF TIME - This is a way of viewing the film, using the Cinexplore feature. At various points in the film, a dagger will pop up on the screen and, if you click on it, you will be able to see over 40 different featurettes, expanding on what you are watching. This is only on the Blu-ray version. On the DVD, there is a standard making of featurette with most of the same material.

There is one deleted scene (1:26) that is probably best skipped by younger audiences (as it involves severed heads).

SHOULD I BUY IT?

If you enjoyed the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films, PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME is worth a look.

"I Want My Two Dollars!" - A BETTER OF DEAD Reunion

2010-09-11T07:00:00.003-04:00

Moviefone has a fun look back at BETTER OFF DEAD, with interviews with director Savage Steve Holland along with most of the cast.

No word from John Cusack, although they talk about his dislike of the film which coincides with what I wrote about the film.

The Cartoon Network Gets MAD Magazine Right!

2010-09-07T12:44:00.000-04:00

Last night, the Cartoon Network premiered the first episode of their new MAD MAGAZINE series.

This isn't the magazines first attempt at crossing over to TV.

In 1974, the magazine created a half hour special. Whether this ever aired or not is open to debate. Some claim they saw it. But Mad Publisher William Gaines has stated it never aired, due to complaints from advertisers.

In 1980, after the success National Lampoon had with ANIMAL HOUSE, they attempted to branch out to feature films with MAD MAGAZINE PRESENTS UP THE ACADEMY. The results were such that not only did Mad Magazine sue to remove their name from the film after its release, star Ron Leibman also had his name taken from the credits. (I wrote much more about the film here).

The magazine remained a magazine throughout the 1980's, with little expansion beyond board games. Mad cartoonist Sergio Aragones animated TV'S BLOOPERS AND PRACTICAL JOKES. MAD TV was launched in the mid 90's. This had little to do with the magazine though.

Now that MAD is part of the Warner, which owns the Cartoon Network, it is natural corporate synergy.

The resulting 15 minute episode that aired last night (and can be watched at their website) was very typical of MAD. There was AVATURD, an AVATAR parody utilizing SOUTH PARK / JIB JAB like animation that worked quite well. There were SPY VS SPY and Don Martin cartoons along with several Sergio Aragones interstitials. And several other comic bits.

Like MAD itself, the result was very hit and miss. I'd say more missed than hit. But that is just the way I remember MAD. I would like to see if they could do something with "The Lighter Side" cartoons. Those were always favorites of mine (although, are they still even in the magazine? I haven't read it in years)

As this airs early evenings on The Cartoon Network, and not as a part of Adult Swim, I'd like to think that this might help out the magazine which not too long ago announced it was switching to a bimonthly publishing schedule.

MAD airs Monday at 8:30 PM EST on The Cartoon Network

THE GREAT SPACE COASTER update

2010-09-06T10:31:00.003-04:00

I updated my Forgotten TV piece on THE GREAT SPACE COASTER with an excellent cast reunion podcast from Just My Show.

Five Years of the Moviezzz Blog

2010-09-02T09:00:00.044-04:00

On September 2, 2005, The Moviezzz Blog began. In the years since, there have been over 2,800 posts, and over a million unique readers.

For the past few years, it has been a daily blog. But, after recently taking my first vacation in that five years, I came back and have been having trouble getting back into the daily habit.

Partly because of this year at the movies. I think it has truly been the worst year for film in decades. I haven't been to a film in months (since TOY STORY 3 I believe). Normally in the summer, I see one or two movies a week. While there have been a few films that I would eventually like to see, nothing had me wanting to run out to the multiplex and pay $8 for a ticket.

The other reason for my lack of blogging is, dare I say this, I think that blogging is on the way out.

A few years ago, blogging was in its golden age. Everyone was doing it. You would go online and have discussions on one site jump to discussions on other sites. There was linking back and forth.

Today, many of those bloggers have given up. While I am still here, as you can tell, my posting schedule has declined quite a bit.

What has taken its place?

Twitter.

While I still don't quite "get" how Twitter works (meaning, how you develop followers and discover other Twitterers) I have found it to be a lot of fun, at least for "following" celebrities. Why watch the nightly news, or read a gossip blog, when you can hear directly from the stars? The sense of community that was in the blogosphere is missing, and at 140 characters, it isn't all that insightful, but it is something.

There is also the fact that DVD is on the decline. Many studios have cut back on releases. While Blu-ray was going to save the industry, it seems studios are more into digital downloads or on demand than releasing older titles on DVD.

So, while blogging will continue, it doesn't look like the format has another five years in it.

Thanks for reading.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD SEASON ONE PART ONE DVD Review

2010-08-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

Today, at least in my area, comic book shops are gone. You also no longer see those spinning racks of comic books in drug stores, or comics on the magazine shelves. Graphic novels are out there, but are usually not for kids.

The last few BATMAN feature films have been geared to older audiences. They have been some of the most popular and acclaimed in the series, but are also not for the pre-schoolers.

Yet, my four year old nephew is a HUGE Batman fan. So much so that on a recent trip to Six Flags, all he cared about was getting to meet Batman again. He went to the park, wearing a Batman shirt, wanting to visit the Hall of Justice where Batman meets his fans. He cared more about Batman being there than any of the rides.

Unfortunately for him, Batman wasn't there that day. He was told that the Legion of Doom had taken over the Hall of Justice, and Batman was away. He was crushed by the news. But then he saw Tweety Bird and Marvin the Martian signing autographs, and he was a little better.

So, even though the Batman comics aren't being read and movies aren't being geared to the younger kids, he is still a very popular character with them.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD should be a popular title with this younger audience as well. It is somewhere in between the campy Batman of the Adam West days and the darker, more recent film versions.

Batman is voiced by Deidrich Bader (THE DREW CAREY SHOW). In each episode, Batman teams up with another DC superhero, such as PLASTIC MAN, AQUAMAN, or THE GREEN ARROW to fight evil.

Airing on the Cartoon Network beginning in 2008, the film has the look of other Cartoon Network series, with a lot of bright colors and thick characters outlines to the animation.

The two DVD set has thirteen first season episodes. The episodes are all in widescreen format.

There are no extras.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD should please the character's fans, young or old.

BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is available now on Warner Home Video.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers In Concert in Hartford CT

2010-08-18T11:55:00.003-04:00

Tom Petty has long been one of my favorite artists. He is one of the few musicians who has stuck around over the past thirty years, still putting out good music and touring.

In all these years of being a fan, I've never seen him live. That is, until last night. I saw him at the Comcast Arena in Hartford CT.

The opening act for this leg of the tour was a little trio by the name of Crosby Stills and Nash. That kind of sealed the deal making me realize this was the tour to finally see.

With Petty turning 60 this year, and with CSN as the opening act, the crowd was a bit older. Yet, there were plenty of younger fans to make you have some hope for the future of music. They aren't all Lady Gaga fans.

Crosby Stills and Nash took the stage exactly at 8:00, doing a set that went from CSN classics like "Wooden Ships", "Deja Vu", "Almost Cut My Hair" and "Our House", to a cover of "Ruby Tuesday" and an encore of Stills' Buffalo Springfield song "For What It's Worth" (ASIDE: Am I the only one who immediately thinks of THE MUPPET SHOW every time I hear this song?). The group still sounds good. While Stills vocals may have been difficult at times, he more than made up for it with several blistering guitar solos.

But the highlight of the set, and possibly the entire show, was their performance of "Southern Cross", one of my All Time Top Ten Favorite Songs. The crowd sang along for the first of many times during the night.

After 75 minutes, they left. Many in the audience might have thought they got their money's worth from them, but Tom Petty was up next.

Or was he?

There was a 45 minute intermission while it appeared the techs were having trouble setting the stage for the next act. This might have been forgiven if not for the fact it was a weeknight show and, well, this is an old crowd that has to get up the next morning!

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers finally took the stage at 10:00, opening with "Listen To Her Heart". The great thing about Petty is that, he has been around so long, has so many songs, that it was essentially a greatest hits show. He played "I Won't Back Down", "Refugee", "Don't Come Around Here No More" (which may have been the set highlight), "Mary Jane's Last Dance", along with acoustic sing along versions of "Free Fallin" and "Learning to Fly". Sadly, he didn't perform "The Waiting", another song in my Top Ten.

The tour was in promotion of his new album MOJO (a download of which came with each ticket purchased). The new album is very good, a bit bluesier and mellower than his earlier work. In the middle of the show, he did a four song set of songs from the album. While the songs were good, he kind of lost the audience with this. I saw a lot of people updating their Facebook status on cellphones. It also didn't help that this was at around 11:00.

His encore was "Runnin Down A Dream" and "American Girl".

So, a great show.

Although, it got to be a bit depressing. Are there any artists today who will still be touring thirty or forty years from now? Is rock and roll dead?

And now some fun with YouTube, someone with a cellphone camera filmed a couple numbers last night. The audio isn't very good, but it will give you an idea of what it was like.

Crosby Stills and Nash sing "Southern Cross"

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers sing "I Won't Back Down"

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - Waited Too Long

2010-08-16T09:00:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend, I finally started watching the new version of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

I was a fan of the original when it aired years ago. When the new version was announced, and I heard negative comments from some of the original cast members, I didn't tune in. By the time critics were raving about it, the series was too far along.

But I finally got the first disc of the first season from Netflix.

It was the miniseries that set up the series. I had intended to put it on and just watch the first part. Three hours later, I watched the entire thing.

I loved it.

After watching THE WIRE earlier this year, I had intended to start watching BSG, but then Katee Sackhoff was appearing on 24. Sackhoff is a fan favorite on BSG as Starbuck, but I hated her so much on 24, I wanted nothing to do with the series. After watching the miniseries, I think Sackhoff should sue the writers of 24 for misusing her so. She is fantastic here, as are the rest of the cast.

The one problem came this weekend.

After sending the disc back to Netflix, and not wanting to wait to see the next episode, I went online to Amazon to check on the complete series. Amazon had the 21 disc Blu-Ray set for $130. It is normally $250. Quite a deal. Since I had that in Amazon gift cards, I thought I would buy it. I waited, to think about it, but when I went online on Sunday to buy it, it was back up to $250!!! I missed the deal.

Oh well. I'll have to stick with Netflix.

ELVIS PRESLEY BLU-RAY COLLECTION

2010-08-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

I love Elvis.

And I will admit, I love the movies. I’ve seen them all. While most aren’t great, Elvis had a presence that made them all watchable.

To celebrate what would have been his 75th birthday, Warner Home Video has released a three Blu-Ray set of three of his films. Two have previously been issued on Blu-Ray and the third (ELVIS ON TOUR) is new to the format. All are available individually.

The films in the set are:

JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957) - Considered by many critics to be Elvis’ best film (although maybe not my favorite), and contains one of his most popular theme songs, here Elvis is sent to prison and becomes a singer, performing the unforgettable title number.

The Blu-Ray contains a commentary by Steve Pond, author of ELVIS IN HOLLYWOOD. It also features a 2007 featurette, THE SCENE THAT STOLE JAILHOUSE ROCK (15:29) about Elvis and the making of the film.

Next up is:

VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964) - This is one of my favorite Elvis films. It features Elvis as a race car driver in Vegas with Ann-Margret. Another classic title song, but I always considered “The Lady Loves Me”, where Elvis sings to Ann-Margaret around a swimming pool, one of my favorite Elvis movie moments. And, watching it again, I loved “My Rival” as well.

On Blu-Ray, the film looks stunning. I had the film on letterboxed laserdisc and it never looked this good. The neon of Vegas, even Ann-Margret’s hair and lipstick, this is a great looking disc.

The Blu-Ray also has a commentary by Steve Pond, along with a featurette KINGDOM: ELVIS IN VEGAS (20:34) about the film and his time in Vegas.

New to Blu-Ray is

ELVIS ON TOUR (1972) - Here is Elvis in his later period, the jumpsuit days. The film follows him on a 15 day / 15 city concert tour. He talks about his life between cities and clips of memorable moments of his career are shown (in montages supervised by Martin Scorsese). When it comes to the music, he performs “Burning Love” for one of the first times (he even has to read the lyric sheet to remember the words). Among the other numbers, “See See Rider”, “Don’t Be Cruel”, “Teddy Bear”, “Love Me Tender”, “All Shook Up”, “Suspicious Minds”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Are You Lonesome Tonight”, and “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”.

There are no extras on the Blu-Ray. In the version of the film sold individually, it includes a book of essays about the film. One disappointing thing about the disc, while there is a chapter selection, it doesn’t list what song is at what chapter. Only a photo of each chapter is shown. This is a bit of a disappointment as the ability to skip to each song would be a great option.

SHOULD I BUY THIS SET?

Diehard Elvis fans probably already have the Blu-Rays of two of the films. If so, they can pick up ELVIS ON TOUR individually. If not, or for the casual fan, this is a great representation of his work.

TCM SPOTLIGHT: ERROL FLYNN ADVENTURES DVD REVIEW

2010-07-30T09:00:00.002-04:00

Today, Errol Flynn is known primarily to modern audiences as the star of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, the 1938 Michael Curtiz classic. Because of this, he is thought of most for swashbuckling films.

The new TCM SPOTLIGHT ERROL FLYNN ADVENTURES 5 disc set from Warner Home Video focuses on his war films, all new to DVD and only available in this set. In the early forties, he made a series of WWII films. All but one of the films were directed by Raoul Walsh, who after Curtiz, he worked with regularly at Warner.

The films in this set are:

DESPERATE JOURNEY (1942) - Errol stars with Ronald Reagan in this film about pilots shot down in Germany during the war.

EDGE OF DARKNESS (1943) - In this Lewis Milestone directed film set in Norway, Errol and Ann Sheridan fight the Nazis in their village.

NORTHERN PURSUIT (1943) - Errol as a Canadian Mountie trying to stop Nazis by pretending to be one of them.

UNCERTAIN GLORY (1944) - Errol in France as an escaped prisoner who volunteers to help the Resistance.

OBJECTIVE, BURMA (1945) - An old fashioned action film with the battle of Burma as the centerpiece.

All the films are presented with the WARNER NIGHT AT THE MOVIES option. This feature, that goes back to the days of Warner VHS tapes, their is a way to play the films with shorts, trailers, cartoons, and other typical of the period entertainment shown before the film. You can also watch the shorts individually.

OBJECTIVE BURMA has an audio commentary from historians Rudy Behlmer, Jon Burlingame and Frank Thompson.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Errol Flynn fans should enjoy this set quite a bit.

COP OUT (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-07-19T07:00:00.006-04:00

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?  

A cop (Bruce Willis) tries to pay for his daughter’s wedding with an old baseball card. When it is stolen in a robbery, he and his partner (Tracy Morgan) try to track it down.

Seann William Scott, Kevin Pollak, Adam Brody, Jason Lee, Michelle Trachtenberg, Rashida Jones, Jim Norton, Susie Essman and Fred Armisen also appear.

WHO MADE IT?

Writers Robb and Mark Cullen were writer/ producters of the TV series LAS VEGAS.

It was directed by Kevin Smith (CLERKS, CHASING AMY).

IS IT ANY GOOD?

After years of writing and directing his own films, Kevin Smith decided to try and branch out, directing a script from someone else.

The result?

Well, Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan are always fun to watch. Here, they make the material watchable. But this is far from a great film.

The film is neither all that funny, and the police storyline doesn't work either.

While it has a great supporting cast, actors like Rashida Jones and Fred Armisen appear, they are wasted. Some of the characters only have a scene or two.

Smith doesn’t really bring much to the material, other than some of his usual vulgarity that is overdone.

I’d say again that I wish he would try for a PG-13, but when he last did that, the result was JERSEY GIRL, his worst film to date.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY.

The film is available to view in what is called MAXIMUM COMEDY MODE. This version, running an hour longer, features the film interrupted by comments by Smith (who appears on camera), deleted scenes shown where originally intended, and alternate takes / bloopers of certain scenes. It is a very entertaining way to look at the film, more fun than the actual film. But running almost 3 hours, it is only for the die hard fans.

There are also a few featurettes

FOCUS POINTS

COP OUT (1:05) - Talking about the alternate title of the film.

THE NEW BUDDY COP DUO (3:26) - The two stars are talked about.

KEVIN POLLAK: MAN OF A THOUSAND VOICES AND INTERESTS (1:42) - Profile of Pollak.

IMPROVISING: NOW THAT’S FUNNY (3:29) - How Smith uses improvising on the set.

POH BOY’S DIAMOND VAULT (2:07) - A tour of the characters vault.

STUNTS BROOKLYN STYLE (3:02) - A look at the stunts in the film.

TRACY MORGAN SPEAKS SPANGLISH (2:31) - A profile of the star.

DAVE’S CALLING CARD (:48) - A profile of Seann William Scott’s character.

KEVIN SMITH DIRECTS (3:11) - A profile of Smith.

There is also another area of extras, WISDOM FROM THE **** BANDIT (4:04) where Seann William Scott’s character gives advice.

The Blu-Ray also contains a DVD / digital file of the film.

SHOULD I BUY IT?  

Fans of the director and stars might find it worth a look, especially the Maximum Comedy Mode, although it isn’t a career highpoint for anyone involved.

THE FILM NOIR CLASSIC COLLECTION VOLUME 5 DVD Review

2010-07-17T07:00:00.006-04:00

The Film Noir is often referred to as the most American of film genres. The crime dramas, the became popular after WWII, were uniquely American. While some may point to the Western, Westerns were being made in France before the US. But the Film Noir began here.

They continue to be popular, with Warner Home Video releasing Volume 5 of THE FILM NOIR CLASSIC COLLECTION.

The set is made up of 8 films on 4 DVDs. Extras are limited to trailers.

The films in the set are:

DISC ONE

CORNERED (1945) - Dick Powell stars in this Edward Dmytryk directed this film with Powell searching for the Nazi who murdered his wife.

DESPERATE (1947) - Anthony Mann directs Steve Brodie as a man who unknowingly gets involved in a robbery. Raymond Burr and Jason Robards appear.

DISC TWO

THE PHENIX CITY STORY (1955) - No, that isn’t a misspelling. This film is set in Phenix City Alabama, called Sin City USA. Richard Kiley and John McIntire star.

DIAL 1119 (1950) - A man escaped from an asylum takes hostages in a bar, saying he will kill patrons unless the doctor who sent away is brought to him. William Conrad is the best known cast member.

DISC THREE

ARMORED CAR ROBBERY (1950) - A robbery, and a cop out to stop it in this film from Richard Fleischer.

CRIME IN THE STREETS (1956) - Don Siegel directs John Cassavetes, James Whitmore and Sal Mineo in this film about a street gang led by Cassavetes.

DISC FOUR

DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946) - A sailor has to prove his innocence before shipping out

BACKFIRE (1950) - Gordon MacRae tries to prove his friend (Edmond O’Brien) is innocent of murder.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Film Noir fans should enjoy this set.

MY FAVORITE FILMS: THE STONE READER (2002)

2010-07-14T07:00:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite films is the documentary THE STONE READER from 2002.

In 1972, filmmaker Mark Moskovitz read a rave review for a book called THE STONES OF SUMMER by a writer named Dow Mossman. Moskovitz buys the book based on that review, starts reading it, doesn't get into it and puts it aside.

Decades later, Moskovitz finds his copy, remembers buying it, and begins reading it again. This time, he is blown away by what he reads. When he finishes, he immediately looks up what else Mossman has written.

He then discovers that THE STONES OF SUMMER was the only book he ever wrote. Not only that, but he has essentially disappeared.

The film then follows Moskovitz as he tries to find out "What Ever Happened To Dow Mossman". He interviews those at the publishing company about the book and talks to old college professors to learn what Dow was like.

As some have claimed, Moskovitz goes about a very roundabout way of tracking down Mossman. He could have done it all in a few phone calls rather than in a 2 1/2 hour film. But those critics seem to miss the entire point of the film.

The book is about the joy of reading. Everywhere that Moskovitz goes, whoever he talks to, the discussion turns to their favorite books. (After I finished watching it for the first time, I immediately went to a book store) They talk about other one book writers, and the nature of artists.

Does Moskovitz find Mossman? I'll let you see the film to discover for yourself.

Released to film festivals in 2002, THE STONE READER had an interesting route to DVD. It was first available as a Barnes and Noble exclusive (who also republished the by then out of print The Stones of Summer. It was later released to DVD in both a 2 disc standard version and a 3 disc special edition directly from the filmmaker. The DVD is out of print today, but used copies are available and you can watch it streaming from Netflix.

There was a bit of controversy about the release of the film on DVD. The director sent out an email to all the fans of the film (I was on the list) asking them to write a review of the film on Amazon to start positive word of mouth. He also joked something like "Even if you didn't see it yet, write a positive review".

Some news organizations picked up on this, not realizing it was a joke, and attacked the director for it, claiming he was trying to drum up positive word of mouth. Since most of the reviews were positive (Roger Ebert, who loved the film, showing it at his Overlooked Film Festival) no one had to phony any reviews.

But now, if you go to Amazon, you will see quite a few negative reviews for the film because of this. Part of this could also be because Moskovitz, in his day job, makes political commercials. His political enemies are attacking his non-political film.

THE STONE READER stands as one of my favorite films of the past decade, and of the past several decades as well.

If you haven't seen it, try to find it.

BREWSTER McCLOUD (1970) DVD Review

2010-07-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

Robert Altman fans rejoice!

Altman’s 1970 follow up to M*A*S*H, BREWSTER MCCLOUD is finally available on DVD through the Warner Archive.

BREWSTER has been one of the hardest to find Altman films. Never released on DVD, and hard to find even on video, many of his fans have never seen it. When I was going through a big Altman phase in the early 90’s, it took a lot of work to find a store that even carried it.

The film stars Bud Cort as the title character, a bird obsessed man living in the Houston Astrodome. He is surrounded by an assortment of oddball characters, like Margaret Hamilton from THE WIZARD OF OZ, Rene Auberjonois who essentially narrates the film, Stacy Keach in old age make up, as well as Shelly Duvall and Sally Kellerman.

The film is very odd. While Altman fans should love it, others may find it a bit TOO out there. As a somewhat casual fan of his work, I admire the film even if it isn't up there with his best for me.

As all Warner Archive titles, the only extra is the trailer. The film, which has been remastered, does look very good, much better than the old panned and scanned VHS I first saw it on.

BREWSTER MCCLOUD will be available July 13, 2010 from the Warner Archive.

Harvey Pekar (1939-2010)

2010-07-12T12:43:00.000-04:00

The great writer Harvey Pekar has passed away. Best known as the subject of the film AMERICAN SPLENDOR, he was one of the most underrated writers working today.

Like many others, my fist exposure to Pekar was through his frequent appearances on Letterman in the 1980's. He would come on as a file clerk from Cleveland, plugging his comic book, and would argue endlessly with Dave.

I often didn't know what to think of these appearances, or Harvey. But he was rather unforgettable.

It wasn't until the 90's that I actually read any of his comics. Once I did, I became an instant fan.

Harvey's AMERICAN SPLENDOR comics, of which there are several compilations available, are truly amazing works. They are some of the most honest, and most human, writing you will read.

Harvey wrote about day to day life in a way that makes you see the world around you differently. Much of his writing is about his financial difficulties. He writes of working as a file clerk, hoping to get paid from freelance review work, selling old albums for money. This is all something few write about but more people are able to relate to than what so many other writers focus on.

He wrote one story about the true meaning of friendship. It was about his moving and being unable to find anyone to help him move his belongings. Then, some guy he barely knew offered to help. He wrote a very beautiful piece about what this meant to him.

In recent years, after the release of the film, he continued to be active, with a new book or so a year.

Everything he writes is worth reading, but I would recommend starting with the American Splendor compilations.

Harvey will definitely be missed.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: The Film vs the TV Series

2010-07-12T07:00:00.003-04:00

As a huge fan of the TV series FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, I had never seen the film version up until a few weeks ago. Now, after having seen the film, I appreciate the series even more.

The 2004 film is quite good. Based on the popular non-fiction book by Buzz Bissinger, it features Billy Bob Thornton as a coach in small town Texas. Director Peter Berg, who is also involved in the series, films the story in an almost documentary like way, with seemingly stolen shots of the town, and ordinary day to day life. Both the film and TV series feel the same.

The difference comes from the characters. Billy Bob Thornton is one of the most interesting of actors. He is incapable of turning in a performance that isn't worth watching. That said, Kyle Chandler in the TV series is a far more developed character. That isn't really being fair as the series has run hours longer, giving Chandler time to get to know the character. But I would rather see Chandler in the lead than Thornton.

While the names of the characters and towns are different in the TV and film, both feature some of the same actors.

Connie Britton plays the coach's wife in both. Once again, this shows the difference in the two as, in the film, she is in several scenes but only really has one scene where she speaks. She is just a background character essentially. On the TV series, she is one of the lead characters.

Brad Leland also appears in both as the head of the booster club. In the film he is John Aubrey, with a silent movie style villain mustache. In the TV series, he is the more interesting and nuanced Buddy Garrity, a fan favorite.

Again, the film is a good one, especially if you like football films.

But the TV series is so much more.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER VOLUME XVIII DVD REVIEW

2010-07-07T07:00:00.005-04:00

I always feel guilty reviewing the MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 sets. While I liked the show, I spent much of the 90’s with a cable system that didn’t carry Comedy Central. I only caught episodes while on vacations (where I got hooked on it one summer) and on the Thanksgiving marathons, where the relative who held Thanksgiving had the channel and I would sneak away to watch.

So, I’m not the expert that others are. I will have to leave it to others to let you know how the episodes in this set stack up to the rest.

Now releasing VOLUME XVIII, the films in this 4 DVD set include:

LOST CONTINENT - Joel and the gang, in this 1990 episode, take on a 1951 film with Hugh Beaumont battling creatures from space.

This episode features the film's theatrical trailer along with a new introduction by Frank Conniff.

CRASH OF THE MOONS - Another Joel episode from 1992. Here, the film is a 1954 compilation of three episodes of the outer space series ROCKY JONES SPACE RANGER. The episode also contains the short GENERAL HOSPITAL.

The disc features the wraparound segments from the syndicated hour long version of the series.

THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS - A Mike episode from 1994. In this film from 1961, Tor Johnson stars in what is considered by Leonard Maltin to be one of the worst films of all time. Also included are the shorts MONEY TALKS and PROGRESS ISLAND USA

The disc has two documentaries on the film and filmmaker, along with the original theatrical trailer.

JACK FROST - From the Sci-Fi Channel days comes another Mike episode from 1997. The film is a Russian Fairy Tale from 1964.

Kevin Murphy supplies a new introduction to the episode.

The DVD also includes four collectible lobby cards for each of the films.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

The MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE series is always popular with fans. There is nothing to say this one won’t be as well.

STREET HAWK (1985) COMPLETE SERIES REVIEW

2010-07-06T07:00:00.006-04:00

What ever happened to Rex Smith?

That was my initial reaction after watching the new STREET HAWK COMPLETE SERIES set.

Rex was one of the biggest stars of the late 70’s. He was on the cover of countless magazines. A big Broadway star, with hit singles, and the host of SOLID GOLD, he owned the early 80’s.

Yet, I haven’t seen him recently. He is still out there, on Broadway and in other tours, along with TV work. Interviewed on the new DVD set, he still looks the same.

Someone needs to revive his career.

STREET HAWK was his biggest role. He plays Jesse Mach, a motorcycle cop assigned to desk duty after an accident. He is recruited to become a crime fighter on a specially designed motorcycle. Joe Regalbuto (best known for MURPHY BROWN) plays the engineer who designs the motorcycle.

The show is part CHIPS and part KNIGHT RIDER, and it is all 80’s. Complete with a Tangerine Dream score, this should be a big hit with fans.

The series aired in 1985 on ABC. It was originally intended to air on Monday nights, before Monday Night Football. But, according to Rex Smith in a documentary on the DVD, the head of the network wanted to air the Craig T. Nelson / Elisabeth Shue Viet Nam war drama CALL TO GLORY in that time period. Instead, the show was put on Friday nights, opposite megahit DALLAS. While STREET HAWK held its own at #2 opposite DALLAS, it was cancelled.

As Smith goes on to say, the head of the network was fired and MACGYVER was given that Monday night slot. It became a huge hit, as STREET HAWK could have.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD

The set features all 13 episodes on 4 DVDs.

DISC ONE

PILOT - Setting up the show, with Jesse being injured and recruited to ride. Christopher Lloyd appears as the bad guy. Interestingly, this episode features a different leading lady, Jayne Modean (who you are sure to recognize as she was a popular 80’s actress, and would briefly marry FULL HOUSE star Dave Coulier).

A SECOND SELF - Jesse’s friend comes to visit. The friend is played by none other than George Clooney in one of his first TV roles. Jeannie Wilson takes over the female lead.

THE ADJUSTER - In this episode, Jesse stops a jewelry robbery.

DISC TWO

VEGAS RUN - Jesse try to protect a mob witness. Sybil Danning guest stars.

DOG EAT DOG - Here, Jesse gets involved in what turns out to be a murder case.

FIRE ON THE WING - A blackmailer becomes an arsonist. Clu Gulager appears.

CHINATOWN MEMORIES - Jesse helps an old girlfriend. Keye Luke guest stars

DISC THREE

THE UNSINKABLE 453 - Bianca Jagger appears in this episode about prison escapees.

HOT TARGET - Joanne Kerns and Charles Napier appear in this episode about gun runners.

MURDER IS A NOVEL IDEA - An author is targeted for murder.

THE ARABIAN - Jesse investigates murder at a horse stable.

DISC FOUR

FEMALE OF THE SPECIES - The great Dennis Franz appears in this episode about a wealthy family targeted by terrorists.

FOLLOW THE YELLOW GOLD ROAD - Jesse vs gold thieves.

Disc four features a 41 minute documentary featuring new interviews with Rex Smith, Joe Regalbuto, and Jeannie Wilson. They seem to enjoy talking about the show, although you wish someone from production was there to talk about the history of the show a bit more. There is a bit of an Ernie Anderson narrated promo for the show that you wish was included in its entirety. Anderson, the voice of ABC, and father of Paul Thomas Anderson, had one of the great voices of all time.

There are also stills and text recaps of the show and stars.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

If you remember the show, or want to relive the 1980’s, this is well worth picking up.

THE SUPER HERO SQUAD SHOW VOLUME 1

2010-07-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

Anyone remember THE MUPPET BABIES? The baby versions of all the Muppets who lived in the nursery?

Well, Marvel took a lead from that and came up with THE SUPER HERO SQUAD. Airing on the Cartoon Network, the series features miniature versions of all the Marvel characters who team up to fight criminals. Not quite the baby versions, these are just at a smaller scale.

Most Marvel favorites are here, Iron Man, Wolverine, Thor, the Hulk, Silver Surfer, Falcon and bad guys like Dr. Doom.

The show looks great. The animation is bright and lively. It also features a terrific voice cast including Mark Hamill, Cheryl Hines, Taye Diggs, Greg Grunberg, Wayne Knight, James Marsters, Kevin Sorbo, George Takei, Michelle Trachtenberg, Robert Englund, LeVar Burton, and Tom "Spongebob" Kenny. Even Stan Lee himself voices a character.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

The disc contains seven episodes on one DVD.

The extras include a brief interview with Stan Lee, a music video, and several trailers.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

THE SUPER HERO SQUAD should be a fun viewing for the young Marvel fan.

THE SUPER HERO SQUAD: QUEST FOR THE INFINITY SWORD VOLUME 1 will be available July 13, 2010 from Shout! Factory.

Woody Allen on Woody Allen Movies

2010-06-30T07:00:00.003-04:00

Woody Allen, in an interview with a UK newspaper via Cinematical, listed his favorite Woody Allen films.

The six films are:

PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO

MATCH POINT

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY

ZELIG

HUSBANDS AND WIVES

VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA

I find that to be a fairly interesting list. Especially since none of those would make my top six.

If I were to name my top six Woody Allen films, they would be (in chronological order)

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

BANANAS

ANNIE HALL

ANOTHER WOMAN

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS

Actually, that is only five. I realized that some of the rest of his films I haven't seen in over 20 years, so I can't remember which I would pick (maybe BROADWAY DANNY ROSE?). It certainly wouldn't have been anything made in the past twenty years.

SMALL WONDER SEASON TWO (1986-1987) DVD Review

2010-06-21T07:00:00.005-04:00

When a sitcom makes it to DVD, audiences can reevaluate it and judge for themselves how the show holds up. After the release of MR. BELVEDERE a while back, critics everywhere wrote that the show was a lot better than they remembered. I for one think BELVEDERE can now be named as one of the better family sitcoms of the 80's, thanks to the DVD release.

And then there is SMALL WONDER.

When the first season of SMALL WONDER made it to DVD a few months ago (reviewed here), it brought with it a legacy of long being thought of as one of the worst sitcoms of all time. The sitcom about the family with their own robot, frequently made the list of the all time worst shows of all time.

It turns out, SMALL WONDER really wasn’t as bad as people remembered. Yes, it was a low budget sitcom (the lowest budget show on the air at that time) and it was geared for younger kids, but the show still held up pretty well. Today, parents can feel safe showing it to their younger kids.

Now, Season Two is being released. Season two, which aired from 1986 to 1987, continued the adventures of Ted (Dick Christie), Joan (Marla Pennington-Rowan), Jamie (Jerry Supiran) and robot VICI (Tiffany Brissette).

Once again, the show isn't as terrible as it is joked about being.

Season two didn't change the series drastically. Edie McClurg is back in a recurring role as the wacky neighbor, and is always fun. Look carefully and you may notice 90210's Brian Austin Green (billed as just Brian Green) as one of Jamie's classmates in a couple episodes. There is also a guest starring episode by future Governor Jesse Ventura as himself.

This is a 4 DVD set with all 24 episodes. The episodes on the disc are:

DISC ONE

CHEWED OUT

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

MY MOTHER THE TEACHER

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

HOME SWEET HOMELESS - Featuring Foster Brooks.

CRAZY LIKE A FOX

DISC TWO

THE OLDER WOMAN

WHO’S THE BOSS

P-P-P PAULA

YOU GOTTA HAVE HEART

THE SHOPLIFTER

THANKSGIVING STORY

DISC THREE

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

MOVIN’ UP

TOP SECRET

THE PERSONALITY KID

MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER

LITTLE MISS SHOPPING MALL

DISC FOUR

VICTOR/VICKI-TORIA  

LOOK INTO MY EYES

WALLY THE WIMP - Featuring Jesse Ventura

THE CAT’S MEOW

VICKI GOODWRENCH

DOUBLE WEDDING

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

While the first season had commentary tracks that were quite entertaining, season two only has a “Printable Coloring Sheet”

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Fans of the show who are now parents themselves may find this a fun series for their family.

SMALL WONDER SEASON TWO is being issued as a Shout! Factory Exclusive, available only through their website.

The Top 10 Songs of June 20, 1985

2010-06-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

ROLLING STONE listed the Top Ten songs from 25 years ago, June 20, 1985.

How do they hold up?

10. “The Search is Over” by Survivor

9. “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves

8. “Things Can Only Get Better” by Howard Jones

7. “In My House” by the Mary Jane Girls

6. “Angel” by Madonna

5. “A View To A Kill” by Duran Duran - One of the more memorable Bond theme songs from one of the worst, possibly THE worst, Bond films.

4. “Raspberry Beret” by Prince

3. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears

2. “Sussudio” by Phil Collins

1. “Heaven” by Bryan Adams

FORGOTTEN FILM: ONE MORE SATURDAY NIGHT (1986)

2010-06-18T07:00:00.002-04:00

With Al Franken now in the Senate, you have to wonder why their hasn’t been a resurgence for his 1986 film ONE MORE SATURDAY NIGHT. Senator Franken starred and co-wrote the film with his SNL partner Tom Davis.

In fact, the film has essentially disappeared. I saw part of it on TV in the 1980’s and the full film on laserdisc in the 90’s but I haven’t seen it since.

What I remember about the film was it was about a group of characters in a Minnesota town on a Saturday Night. Franken and Davis played band members if I remember correctly. It was reminiscent of DAZED AND CONFUSED, but not at the same level.

Of the cast, only a couple of the members, Nina Siemaskzko (LICENSE TO DRIVE) and Meschach Taylor (DESIGNING WOMEN) would do that much after.

Written by Franken and Davis, it was directed by Dennis Klein, to date his only theatrical feature. Klein has spent more time as a writer, Emmy nominated for his work on THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW. He also wrote for THE ODD COUPLE, ALL IN THE FAMILY, THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY, REPORT TO MURPHY and the great Dabney Coleman sitcom BUFFALO BILL (where he also directed).

Reviews weren’t all that kind. Leonard Maltin gives it a very negative review. I don’t remember disliking it that much, but neither do I remember it...at all.

It was released theatrically by Columbia meaning it is now with Sony. Maybe Franken passed a law that Sony can’t release it on DVD? You would think it would be dusted off for cable airings. But, it hasn’t been shown in years.

GINGER ROGERS: MY STORY By Ginger Rogers

2010-06-17T07:00:00.002-04:00

Ginger Rogers was TCM's "Star of the Month" in March. They showed something like 50 films of hers and I DVRed all of those I hadn't seen.

I watched them all. I can now easily claim that she is one of my favorite actresses of all time.

And I can say this even though the films she is best known for, the musicals with Fred Astaire, are some of my least favorite of hers. Not that they aren't fun, but she was just as fine of a comic actress.

Along with watching the films, I was reading her autobiography, MY STORY. Published in 1991, this is one of the most entertaining autobiographies I have read.

It is also one of the most complete. In watching each film, I would look up in the book to see what she had to say about it. Many biographies or autobiographies manage to leave out many of the films the star makes, especially when they are as prolific as Ginger. Not this one. She had something to say about every film.

Among the interesting moments from the book.

As a baby, Ginger was kidnapped and taken to another state by her estranged father. Her mother almost accidentally tracked her down, remembering the father at one time mentioning a city in Texas where the father had family. She went there by chance and found Ginger.
All her life, she was a devout Christian Scientist. The book almost acts as a recruitment brochure for the religion, with her telling miraculous events that occurred through its practice.

On her relationship with Fred Astaire, according to Ginger, it wasn't quite as antagonistic as many critics like to state. They dated briefly when they were both on Broadway. But by the time they met up again in Hollywood, Fred was married and his wife was very jealous. This led to them having a mainly professional relationship.

For their final film together after a lengthy break, THE BARKLEY'S OF BROADWAY, Fred was not happy to be teamed with Ginger again. Not because of her, but because he wanted Judy Garland, who he was involved with, as the star. MGM was then punishing her for her behavior at the studio and wouldn't allow her to star. At one point during production, Judy wandered onto the set and threw a tantrum. Ginger was taken away so that it wouldn't have an impact on her.

While Ginger has good things to say about everyone, their was one rivalry that she talks about, with Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn seemed to be always jealous of the roles Ginger was getting. At one point, Ginger wanted to audition for a supporting role in John Ford's MARY OF SCOTLAND. She put on a disguise, so that she could prove herself and get a screen test. Ford was let in on the joke and he told Hepburn. When it was time to shoot the screen test, Hepburn looked at her angrily and said "Who do you think you are fooling?". When the two filmed a scene sitting at a table, Hepburn kicked Ginger under the table, she disliked her so. Later, while filming STAGE DOOR together, Ginger sent Hepburn some diamond jewelry on her birthday. She never received a thank you or acknowledgment. Years later, Ginger asked her if she ever got it. Hepburn replied "Oh, I think I gave it away to someone.

On her directors, Ginger loved working with Billy Wilder and George Stevens, but not with Marc Sandrich, the director of most of her Astaire films. Mitchell Leisen also does not come across well.

While she was married five times, she also dated Jimmy Stewart and Howard Hughes (the two were even engaged) among others. At one point, when she was dating Jimmy Stewart, she went on a double date with his then roommate, Henry Fonda. Fonda was dating Ginger's good friend Lucille Ball. The four went back to the guys apartment after dinner and, as Ginger wrote, the guys "Danced them into the kitchen" where there were a weeks worth of dishes that hadn't been cleaned. The girls then washed them.

In the 70's, while in Georgia, Ginger met with then Gov. Carter. He gave him a tour of his office and took delight in talking about the collection of construction workers helmets he had along one wall. Years later, when Carter was President, Ginger was invited to the White House. On the receiving line, President Carter said to her "Ginger, do you remember me?"

The book is filled with great stories.

For Ginger Rogers fans, it is a must read if you haven't read it yet.

TOM AND JERRY DELUXE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION (2010) DVD Review

2010-06-16T07:00:00.013-04:00

Tom and Jerry have been one of the most popular, and longest lasting, cartoon comedy teams. To celebrate their 70th Anniversary, Warner Home Video is releasing the TOM AND JERRY DELUXE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

There have been several DVD releases of their shorts in recent years. If you have those previous sets, the new DELUXE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION is probably not for you. Most of the shorts in the set are from the previous collections. This is mainly for casual fans, to remind them of the shorts and hopefully get them to pick up the new sets.

The shorts on the 2 DVD set are:

DISC ONE - OSCAR WINNERS AND CLASSICS

PUSS GETS THE BOOT (1940) - The first cartoon of the duo.

THE MIDNIGHT SNACK (1941)

DOG TROUBLE (1942)

FRAIDY CAT (1942)

PUSS ‘N TOOTS (1942)

THE LONESOME MOUSE (1943)

YANKEE DOODLE MOUSE (1943)

MOUSE TROUBLE (1944)

MOUSE IN MANHATTAN (1945)

QUIET PLEASE (1945)

THE MILKY WAIF (1946)

THE CAT CONCERTO (1947)

THE LITTLE ORPHAN (1949)

SATURDAY EVENING PUSS (1950)

THE TWO MOUSEKETEERS (1952)

JOHANN MOUSE (1953)

TOUCHE, PUSSY CAT! (1954)

THAT’S MY MOMMY (1955)

THE EGG AND JERRY (1956)

TOPS WITH POPS (1957)

This disc also contains MUCH ADO ABOUT TOM AND JERRY (18:51) a very good documentary on the duo over the years.

DISC TWO - THROUGH THE YEARS

JERRY DANCES WITH GENE KELLY IN ANCHOR’S AWEIGH(1945)

TOM AND JERRY SWIM WITH ESTHER WILLIAMS IN DANGEROUS WHEN WET (1953)

PENT-HOUSE MOUSE (1963)

THE CAT ABOVE AND THE MOUSE BELOW (1964)

THE CAT’S ME-OUCH (1965)

COSMIC CAT AND METEOR MOUSE (1975) - Excerpt from THE TOM AND JERRY SHOW

JERRY’S COUNTRY COUSIN (1980) - From THE TOM AND JERRY COMEDY SHOW

FLIPPIN FIDO (1990) - From THE TOM AND JERRY KIDS SHOW (sort of like THE MUPPET BABIES version of Tom and Jerry).

THE KARATE GUARD (2005) - Directed by Joseph Barbera

A GAME OF MOUSE AND CAT (2008) - From THE TOM AND JERRY TALES.

Overall, this is a very good look at the series. While there is nothing from Gene Deitch years (1960-1962) that is discussed in the documentary, where the series was outsourced to Prague, it is fun to see THE TOM AND JERRY SHOW again. This series, where the two were friends, may not be a favorite, but it is the way I first saw the duo (although I wish they had included the full theme song, one of my favorites).

NOTE: The DVD packaging states that the widescreen shorts in the series will be enhanced on widescreen TVs. That does not appear to be the case at least on my copy. While they do appear letterboxed, they are letterboxed within the standard screen size. A couple of the widescreen shorts are even panned and scanned!

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Once again, this is not for the serious Tom and Jerry fan. This is for those that want to watch a few of their shorts. It is a very good overview of the series.

THE TOM AND JERRY SHOW DELUXE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION will be available on June 22, 2010 from Warner Home Video.

THE RED SKELTON WHISTLING COLLECTION (1941-1943) DVD Review

2010-06-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

Red Skelton is virtually unknown today, at least by those under 40. A popular comedian in both television and film, younger audiences are likely to have never heard of him.

While I was well aware of Skelton, I will admit that his film work isn't something I have seen enough of. In fact, I just caught his debut film, HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME on TCM and was interested in seeing what else he did on film.

The Warner Archive is hoping to change this with a three DVD release of his WHISTLING films that he made for MGM in the early 40's.

The three films feature Red as "The Fox", a radio mystery star. Each film has his character leaving the studio and getting involved in some mystery of his own.

In the first film, WHISTLING IN THE DARK from 1941, Red is kidnapped by a cult leader (Conrad Veidt). It seems that the cult is to inherit a large sum of money from one of their followers after her nephew dies. Not wanting to wait, the cult tries to get Red to come up with "the perfect crime" in order to kill the nephew.

This is a very entertaining film, with a surprisingly exciting finale involving an improvised radio show. Red is joined by Ann Rutherford as his girlfriend, Virginia Grey as the daughter of a sponsor, and Rags Ragland as one of Veidts's toughs. Eve Arden also appears in a small role.

Next up is 1942's WHISTLING IN DIXIE. Here, Red and Rutherford head to the South to investigate a murder at an old mansion. Guy Kibbee joins the fun. Rags Ragland returns as the brother of the character in the first film. And there is even a cameo by Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas.

DIXIE takes a while to get going but, much like DARK, it more than makes up for it with a finale set in a flooding room. For a comedy, they are able to really pull off the suspense.

WHISTLING IN BROOKLYN is the final film in the series, from 1943. Here, Red is mistaken for a murderer and has to clear his name while traveling across Brooklyn. Rutherford and Ragland are back again.

This is probably the weakest of the three, with a finale that seems to go on too long. There is a great sequence involving four characters hanging and having to swing to safety that is quite well done. And baseball fans may get a kick out of seeing the Brooklyn Dodgers, but as for the film, it isn't up to the earlier ones.

After watching the films, and seeing Red Skelton at work, I came away with one thing. I didn't become a bigger fan of Red Skelton. I became a big fan of supporting actor Rags Ragland!

Ragland is flat out hysterical in these three films. He is far and away the best thing about them. He essentially plays a big dumb tough guy, an "oaf", and just about every line he has is funny.

Ragland, an ex boxer turned theatre performer, made only 19 films, all for MGM, and most of them within a five year period. He passed away of kidney failure (after one report states going on an drinking binge in Mexico with Orson Welles) in 1946, only three years after BROOKLYN.

While Skelton was a good performer, Ragland was a great performer.

Let's hope to see more of his work available in the Warner Archive.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

As with all Warner Archive releases, these are all DVD-Rs with the only extra being a trailer.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

For fans of Red Skelton, these should be must buys. If you have never heard of him, it might be worth a look. And if you have never heard of Rags Ragland before, be prepared to become a fan.

THE RED SKELTON WHISTLING COLLECTION is available now from the Warner Archive.

LEAVE IT TO BEAVER SEASON THREE (1959-1960) DVD Review

2010-06-11T07:00:00.003-04:00

LEAVE IT TO BEAVER is one of those timeless sitcoms that can be enjoyed by generations. I watched the show regularly in the 70's and 80's, without thinking twice about it being dated. It was just fun.

The adventures of Wally, Beaver, and the rest of the Cleaver family have been quiet lately. It doesn't turn up on TV all that much anymore, now that the syndication of classic programs on local TV stations has become a thing of the past. And, the DVD releases have been on hold for the past few years.

All this is about to change.

Shout! Factory is releasing season three on DVD. And, to make up for lost time, on June 29th, they are also releasing a complete series set featuring all five seasons.

Season three (the 1959-1960 season) is made up of 39 episodes, on six DVDs with an episode guide. All the episodes are complete, fully restored and looking great.

This is the mid point of the series, where the credits open with Wally and Beaver being woken up for school. Not having seen the show since the 80's, I went in wondering how it would hold up. I'm happy to say it is still as much fun as I remember.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

The only extra is a lengthy internet radio interview with Jerry Mathers and Frank Bank (Lumpy). It plays over several episodes, but is not scene specific.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

The only question should be if you should buy the season sets or the complete series collection. Season 4 is scheduled for release in September. No date is set for five. If you own seasons one and two, I'd say continue with the season sets. If not, why not get the entire series now?

WHEN IN ROME (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-06-10T07:00:00.002-04:00

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

A woman in Rome (Kristen Bell) steals some coins from a fountain. The men who threw the coins in begin to fall for her.

Josh Duhamel, Jon Heder, Danny De Vito, Dax Shepard, Will Arnett and Anjelica Huston also star.

WHO MADE IT?

The film was written by David Diamond and David Weissman, the writing team behind EVOLUTION and OLD DOGS.

It was directed by Mark Steven Johnson, director of SIMON BIRCH, DAREDEVIL and GHOST RIDER.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

Kristen Bell should be a big movie star. Anyone who saw VERONICA MARS became an instant fan.

While she had a very good supporting role in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL,with WHEN IN ROME, she got her biggest starring role yet (I’ll forget about that cell phone horror film).

The ads for this film played so often that I kind of had the feeling I had seen the first hour many times before. Because of that, I found it a bit slow going.

That said, the final twenty minutes or so actually pick up a bit. The story resolves itself well.

The cast is likable, the finale involving a little car is kind of cute, but you get the feeling that Kristen could /should be doing better films.

This will do for a start, but she should be working with better material in the future.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

The extras include

KERPLUNK! BLOOPERS FROM ROME (3:07)

DELETED SCENES (7:45) - Eight deleted scenes

MUSIC VIDEOS - For “Starstruck” by 3OH3! featuring Katy Perry and “Stupid Love Letter” by Friday Night Boys.

ALTERNATE OPENING AND ENDING (7:17) - A lengthy sequence from the opening party.

CRAZY CASANOVAS: MISCHIEF FROM THE SET (12:28) - Making of featurette.

EXTENDED SCENES: PAIN WITH THE SUITORS (2:39) - Three deleted scenes.

There is also an Easter Egg.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

WHEN IN ROME isn’t a great comedy, but Kristen Bell is always likable. Fans of romantic comedies may enjoy it more.

WHEN IN ROME will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 15, 2010 from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

THE BOOK OF ELI (2010) Blu-Ray Review

2010-06-09T07:00:00.001-04:00

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

In a post-apocalyptic future, Eli (Denzel Washington) travels across the deserted landscape. He is carrying a book that Gary Oldman wishes to take possession of. Mila Kunis joins Washington in his travels.

WHO MADE IT?

The screenplay was written by Gary Whitta, a former editor of PC Gamer.

It was directed by Allen and Albert Hughes, who previously directed MENACE II SOCIETY, DEAD PRESIDENTS, and FROM HELL.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

When MENACE II SOCIETY premiered in 1993, the hype for the Hughes Brothers was such that I was there first show of opening day to see the film.

It didn’t live up to expectations.

In the years since, the two have worked on and off, with their last major film being FROM HELL in 2001. I remember little about that film.

When I saw THE BOOK OF ELI theatrically, I came out of the theatre hoping we don’t have to wait nine years for their next film.

This is a terrific action film.

Denzel Washington is at his most Denzel-like in this. He is just a movie star, pure and simple. He makes it all look so easy. Whether taking down a team of bad guys with a machete, or trying to strike a deal with Tom Waits, he is just effortless in what he does.

Like with FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, Mila Kunis proves that she could have a big movie career. The rest of the cast, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Jennifer Beals, and a cameo by a star I won’t give away at the end, all serve the material well.

The Hughes know how to stage an action scene. There is one sequence, a battle in and around a house that is just stunning. The camera acts as a sort of referee, running in and out of the house, moving in a seemingly unbroken shot to each side of the battle. On Blu-Ray especially, I can see this scene being played and rewinded and watched over and over again.

The less I say about the story the better. I really don’t want to give too much away.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

The Blu-Ray is a 2 disc Blu-Ray / DVD / Digital File combo set.

The extras are:

WB MAXIMUM MOVIE MODE - A picture in picture pop up commentary of sorts. During the house shootout, a side box appears showing the original 3-D computer design of the sequence.

FOCUS POINTS (34:21) - Nine different segments on the making of the film, with Play All available.

THE BOOK OF ELI SOUNDTRACK (4:59) - Composer Atticus Ross talks about the music.

A LOST TALE: BILLY (5:01) - A sort of animated origin story of one of the characters in the film.

BEHIND THE SCENES - Two featurettes expanding on themes in the film, STARTING OVER (13:03) and ELI’s JOURNEY (17:54).

DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES (1:53) - Several brief scenes.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

THE BOOK OF ELI is well worth seeing. For action fans, this is one that will hold up to multiple viewings.

THE BOOK OF ELI will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 15, 2010 from Warner Home Video. It will also be available On Demand and for digital download.

TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY (1983-1984) DVD REVIEW

2010-06-04T07:00:00.006-04:00

TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY featured Stephen Collins as an adventurer in the 1930’s. Collins plays Jake Cutter who, with his one-eyed dog, pilots a seaplane in a fictional island country. Caitlin O’Heaney, Roddy McDowell and Jeff Mackay co-starred in this Don Bellisario production.

While compared to Indiana Jones in the day (even by myself) the show was actually pitched before the success of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, intended to be a reworking of the Howard Hawks classic ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS with Cary Grant. It was only after the success of RAIDERS that ABC went back and picked up the series. In watching the series today, it is indeed closer to ANGELS than RAIDERS.

Over 25 years later, it finally has made it to DVD, the complete run in a six DVD set from Shout! Factory.

When TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY aired in 1983, I was aware of the series. I remember seeing ads for it. I had friends that watched it. Yet, I honestly never saw an episode. Watching it for the first time today, it holds up pretty well.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

All 20 episodes are here, with the two hour pilot (the most expensive pilot at the time). Five of the episodes have commentary tracks. And, the set comes with a 24 page collector’s booklet.

There is a new 36 minute documentary on the series, with new interviews with Collins and O’Heaney along with writers and directors. My favorite bit from this, other networks actually cheered when the show was canceled after one season as they knew it was going to be a hit and didn’t want the competition.

There are also several text based extras on trivia and photo galleries.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

  If you were a fan of the show, you should enjoy the new set.

TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY will be available June 8, 2010 from Shout! Factory.

A CALIFORNIA DREAMS Reunion

2010-06-03T16:07:00.001-04:00

He Shot Cyrus just had a note asking how he missed this.

I missed it too.

The entire cast of "Forgotten TV" favorite CALIFORNIA DREAMS was reunited on Jimmy Fallon. More cast members got together than on the DVD reunion documentary.

I need to watch Jimmy Fallon more.

BURN NOTICE SEASON FOUR PREMIERES TONIGHT

2010-06-03T07:00:00.020-04:00

A few months ago, there was a sketch on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. It was a game show thats central question was "What is BURN NOTICE?". Clips from the series were shown with contestants trying to determine just what it is.

The joke was that there was a much talked about cable series that no one was watching.

As a big fan of BURN NOTICE, I was offended by the sketch. BURN NOTICE is a great show and shouldn't be mocked this way.

So, if you saw that sketch, didn't know what BURN NOTICE was, then be sure to tune in tonight at 9 P.M. EST to watch the premiere of season four on USA NETWORK.

To give you a brief overview (and the previous seasons are on DVD for you to catch up), the series follows former government agent Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan). He receives a "Burn Notice" meaning that the government is cutting him off. He is stranded in his hometown of Miami trying to find out what happened to earn him the notice.

Each week, he teams up with his friends Sam Axe (the great Bruce Campbell) and on again / off again girlfriend / gunrunner Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) to help out those in need. They are sort of like THE A-TEAM, in Miami, without the van or Mr. T.. Sharon Gless is wonderful as Michael's chain smoking mother.

While each season has an overall story arc, with Michael trying to find out more about some aspect of the Burn Notice, don't let that scare you away from joining in the fun. They do a great job of recapping the story before each episode. And, each episode has its own self contained storyline.

This is an always fun, fast paced, suspenseful series. Season Four, which will feature Burt Reynolds, should be the same.

BURN NOTICE airs Thursday nights at 9 P.M. EST on USA NETWORK.

CADDYSHACK 30TH ANNIVERSARY DVD Review

2010-06-02T07:00:00.003-04:00

Is CADDYSHACK the funniest film of all time?

Quite possibly.

Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Ted Knight, Rodney Dangerfield, it just doesn’t get any better.

Released thirty years ago, I was too young to see it in theatres. But, I caught the first airing on cable, and probably every other one for the next year. I loved it.

Just think of all the quotes from it?

“Nanananananana”

“So, I got that going for me, which is nice.”

“I’ll have a hamburger..no, a cheeseburger..no”
“You’ll have nothing and like it.”

“You take drugs Danny?”
“Every day”
“Good”

“This isn’t Russia. Is this Russia?”
“No”

“I think this place is restricted, Wang, so don’t tell them you’re Jewish.”

“Oh, he got all of that one!”

“Noonan! Noonan!”

“You have a pool?”
"Well, we have a pond, that might be good for you.”

“What did you shoot today?”
“Oh, I don’t keep score, judge.”
“Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?”
“By height.”

"I like you Betty"
"It's Danny sir"

“I’m no slouch myself”
“Don’t sell yourself short judge, you’re a tremendous slouch”

CADDYSHACK is now being rereleased on DVD and Blu-Ray in a 30th Anniversary Edition.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

There is one extra

CADDYSHACK: THE 19TH HOLE (30:59) - The 1999 documentary that has been on previous releases.

I do wish that some of the deleted scenes shown in the documentary were available as their own extra. On TV versions, they are often added to the film. But, you can only watch them as part of the documentary.

The Blu-Ray (not sent for review) features the recent, and very good, Biography Channel documentary.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

If you already have it on DVD, there really is no reason to upgrade as it is the same as previous releases. The Blu-Ray would most likely be worth upgrading.

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME (2009)

2010-06-01T07:00:00.002-04:00

With the passing of writer / director John Hughes, I heard talk of a 2009 documentary about him called DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME. It was about his films and influence. Although, it didn’t seem to have much of a release.

Yesterday, I happened to find it on cable, playing on one of the Starz channels in the early morning.

The film has interviews with a great cross section of those that worked with Hughes and his fans. There are interviews with Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock, Andrew McCarthy, Gedde Watanabe (who in one funny moment admits to being from Utah), Annie Potts, and Justin Henry. Others such as Kevin Smith, Jason Reitman, and Rogert Ebert and Richard Roeper are interviewed as well.

About 60% of this film is terrific. There are a lot of great clips and stories about his career. They only talk about the mid to late 80's films. No mention of his early days at National Lampoon and only a mention of the VACATION films in passing. But it does a good job covering his best known films.

And then there is the other 40%.

Part of the film is the filmmakers traveling from Canada to Chicago to try and find Hughes. Unfortunately, this part goes on much too long. The group of producers and directors and writers talk endlessly, with little of importance to say. From looking over the credits, many of them were actors (the director was it looks like actually a regular on POWER RANGERS) so they seem to like the camera time. It really hurts the film though.

Not that a great film couldn’t have been made about the search for Hughes. Mark Moskowitz’s 2002 film STONE READER followed the filmmaker trying to track down an obscure writer and turned out to be one of the best films of the past twenty years. The difference was Moskowitz was only one person and the quest added to the understanding of the subject.

Even the quest documentary MY DATE WITH DREW, about a guy trying to get a date with Drew Barrymore, was a success in the search portion. In DYFAM, you didn’t care about the quest and wanted to go back to see what made his films so special.

Do they get to talk to Hughes? I won't give that away.

Watching the film, I was once again struck by how Judd Nelson gave one of the best performances of the 1980’s as John Bender in BREAKFAST CLUB, my favorite Hughes film. Every time I see him in it, I like it even more.

And, dare I admit this, but I now am in 100% agreement with Gene Siskel’s negative review of FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (which is shown in the film). I remember being angered when I first saw it, as I saw the film in a sneak preview and was already championing it. Now, years and dozens more viewings later, everything he said I agree with.

The film is worth seeing for the interviews. Since the film doesn’t seem to have had much of a release (there is a listing at Amazon, but the disc seems to be out of print), I wish the filmmakers would go back and cut out about 15 minutes. Then, they would have a great film about John Hughes.

CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION DVD REVIEW

2010-05-31T07:00:00.003-04:00

The Charlie Chan character had a twenty year run in films, from 1929 to 1949. Based on a series of novels by Earl Derr Biggers, the Asian detective, who was portrayed by several actors, and the films produced by several studios over the years, remained a familiar screen presence.

The films in the 1930’s, from Fox, are widely considered to be the best. When Fox retired the series, it was picked up by Monogram. Monogram was known for its low budget films. While Sidney Toler returned as Charlie Chan, the films aren’t seen as the best in the series.

Four of the Monogram films are now being released in a 4 DVD set from Warner Home Video as part of the TCM SPOTLIGHT.

The films in this set are:

DARK ALIBI (1946) - A man is wrongly convicted of a bank robbery / murder with his fingerprints being planted at the crime scene. Chan, along with “Number Three Son” (Benson Fong) and his driver Birmingham (Mantan Moreland) help him solve the case. This is probably the best film of the four.

DANGEROUS MONEY (1946) - On a cruise, a man is murdered. Chan, “Number Two Son” (Victor Sen Young) and driver Chattanooga (Willie Best) investigate.

THE TRAP (1946) - In Toler’s final appearance as Chan, he looks into a murder at a beach house. Number Two Son and Birmingham again appear. This film shows the low budget nature of the film, with most of the outdoor scenes being shot without sound and poorly dubbed.

THE CHINESE RING (1947) - Roland Winters takes over the role of Chan. In this film, a princess is murdered while waiting to meet with Chan, in his home. Number Two Son and Birmingham once again help him.

While none of these films are likely to change the critical opinion of the Monogram years, the films aren’t without interest. Each running a little over an hour, they are entertaining, even if the mysteries never seem to completely work.

One word of caution. Aside from the fact that you have non-Asians in Asian roles, even more troubling is Chan’s African American driver, whose fear in different situations is played for laughs. While Mantan Moreland is always a welcome appearance, there are some cringe worthy moments from watching this stereotypical character.

WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

There are no extras.

SHOULD I BUY IT?  

While not the greatest years of the Charlie Chan films, fans of the series should enjoy having some of the Monogram years on DVD.

THE CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION will be available on DVD on June 8, 2010 from Warner Home Video.

Gary Coleman (1968-2010)

2010-05-28T15:45:00.000-04:00

Gary Coleman has passed away. What makes this even more tragic was the fact that it wasn't related to his lifelong battle battle with kidney disease, but from a hemorrhage after a fall.

Coleman was one of the bigger stars of my growing up. I never missed DIFF'RENT STROKES. I watched all of his movies back in the day on cable, ON THE RIGHT TRACK, THE KID FROM LEFT FIELD, JIMMY THE KID, and THE KID WITH THE 200 I.Q.

But, Coleman was never happy with this life. There were the well publicized problems with his parents, his time as a security guard. He was recently seen on DIVORCE COURT arguing with his wife about his marital problems. In interviews, he always sounded angry talking about his career.

I recently read Gary's DIFF'RENT STROKES co-star, Todd Bridges, autobiography. In it, he said that in recent years, Gary has very distant to him as well. They didn't even speak at Dana Plato's funeral.

There were some highlights in the past few years. Who could forget Gary's cameo, as himself, on THE SIMPSONS Christmas Episode (arguing about the "galaxy of prawns" and his final "Whatchoo talkin 'bout everyone!")

Gary was a guy I was always rooting for. I thought he could have been a natural in another sitcom. He had the timing, and was always a likable performer.

But he didn't want that.

Where Did CLEAN SWEEP Go?

2010-05-27T07:00:00.002-04:00

One of the more popular cable reality programs of recent years was CLEAN SWEEP. This show, airing on TLC, had a group of designers going into a messy home, clearing out all the clutter (literally moving it all to the front lawn), having a tag sale, and redoing the house.

It was one of the more inspirational shows. You couldn't watch an episode without wanting to do a little decluttering of your own.

It was also one of the few "anti-consumerism" shows on TV. It made you NOT want to buy things. Well, you did want to buy organizational items, and cleaning products, which were the big advertisers.

When the show went on the air in 2003, it was hosted by Stacey Dutton. Later, Tava Smiley (not to be confused with the PBS host Tavis Smiley), would take over hosting duties.

Doing the actual work were carpenter Eric Stromer, who built up quite a fanbase from this. Angelo Surmelis was the designer.

The Australian Organizer was Peter Walsh. He was ruthless in trying to get people to throw things away. In one episode, he bullied someone into throwing away a painting, that was painted by his mother on her death bed!!

At one point, TLC was airing it every night. On Holidays, especially New Years Day, they would have all day marathons.

Recently, I went to watch it again and couldn't find it anywhere! From playing every day to not at all? What happened here?

The Style Channel has a similar series, CLEAN HOUSE. This is hosted by Niecy Nash (RENO 911 and DANCING WITH THE STARS). It isn't quite at the level of SWEEP, as they don't start from scratch, only get rid of some of the clutter, and it plays like more of a comedy show than a real decluttering show. Plus, while the hosts all do a good job, SWEEP came first. (Incidentally, I noticed in the credits that original SWEEP host, Stacey Dutton serves as the Casting Director of HOUSE).

It is kind of ironic. HOARDERS is a very popular show, yet CLEAN SWEEP, sort of the anti-HOARDERS, is no more. People would rather watch others in worse shape, than get inspired to clean up their own mess, I guess.

PEANUTS THE 1970's COLLECTION VOLUME 2 DVD Review

2010-05-25T07:00:00.003-04:00

After years of the PEANUTS specials being released on DVD in random collections, Warner Home Video continues their definitive collection, releasing the series in chronological order.

They are now up to the second volume of the specials from the 1970’s. This is a two DVD set.

The specials on this set are:

DISC ONE

BE MY VALENTINE, CHARLIE BROWN - A 1975 Valentine’s Day special, with Charlie Brown and the Little Red Haired Girl

YOU’RE A GOOD SPORT, CHARLIE BROWN - Also from 1975, this Emmy winning special was about, of all things, motorcross! Snoopy appeared as “the Masked Marvel”

IT’S ARBOR DAY, CHARLIE BROWN - What Ever Happened to Arbor Day? Charlie Brown made a special about it, yet it isn’t even talked about any more. This 1976 special has Charlie Brown’s baseball team landscaping the baseball field, complete with a tree on the pitcher’s mound.

DISC TWO

WHAT A NIGHTMARE, CHARLIE BROWN - Released on DVD for the first time, this 1978 special has Snoopy dreaming of being a sled dog. This is mainly a Snoopy cartoon.

IT’S YOUR FIRST KISS, CHARLIE BROWN - A football themed special from 1977 with Charlie Brown having to kiss the Homecoming Queen, the Little Red Haired Girl.

YOU’RE THE GREATEST, CHARLIE BROWN - From 1979 comes this special with the gang competing in the decathlon.

There is one special feature on Disc Two

YOU’RE GROOVY, CHARLIE BROWN: A LOOK AT PEANUTS IN THE 1970’s (18:24) - A look at the creation of the cartoon, with Jean Schulz, the widow of Charles “Sparky” Schulz, gives a tour of his studio and talks about the licensing of the cartoon. There is a lot of great archival footage here.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

Another fine volume in the series that is well worth buying.

PEANUTS: 1970’s COLLECTION VOLUME 2 will be released June 1, 2010.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO: LANCE GUEST

2010-05-21T07:00:00.003-04:00

Lance Guest may be best known today for a film he made in 1984, which may still be his biggest role.

A couple weeks ago, I had someone raving to me about an actor they just saw. In looking who it was, I was surprised to see it was Lance Guest! I have to admit, I wasn't aware he was still out there.

Lance began acting in the early 80’s, in TV shows like DALLAS. This led to roles in films like HALLOWEEN II and I OUGHT TO BE IN PICTURES and on TV in LOU GRANT and ST. ELSEWHERE.

His breakthrough came in 1984, with THE LAST STARFIGHTER. A classic science fiction film for a generation, he starred with Catherine Mary Stewart and Robert Preston.

This led to a few more films, like the Kristy McNichol film JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, JAWS THE REVENGE, and THE WIZARD OF LONELINESS.

There was some TV work, recurring roles on KNOT’S LANDING and LIFE GOES ON, and an occasional episode of THE X FILES, JAG and NYPD BLUE.

But there was nothing at quite the level of STARFIGHTER.

SO, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HIM?

Lance never really went anywhere. He continues to act. There are several independent films and TV series from the past decade, so he is active.

But where he is working today is a lot more interesting.

Lance is playing Johnny Cash in the Tony Award nominated Broadway play MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET. Someone I know recently saw it and was raving about the guy who played Johnny Cash. When I read the Playbill, I saw his name. He has many other stage credits listed, so he has been very busy.

I was always a huge fan of STARFIGHTER. While a stage actor may not get the exposure worldwide that a film actor does, it is far more rewarding. I'm glad to see he is out there.

You can visit the Million Dollar Quartet website here.

FORGOTTEN FILM: WHEN MICHAEL CALLS (1972)

2010-05-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

One of the strangest moments in my years in school came in 8th Grade, when my English teacher handed everybody a copy of the book WHEN MICHAEL CALLS by John Farris. It was the same cover as posted above. It was to be one of our assigned readings that year.

Almost thirty years later, I still have no idea why this book was assigned reading. It was a sleazy, trashy, psychological thriller. Sub Stephen King in the literary department. Today, the book is out of print and there is only a single one star review on Amazon, calling it a "bizarrely lazy thriller".

The class didn't get much out of the discussion, and I forgot about it over the years. The story had something to do with a woman getting phone calls from her nephew, who had been dead for 15 years (and I had to read some of the online reviews to even remember that). I remember the ending being ridiculous, involving hypnosis or something.

There was one thing I remember about the film, it was made into a 1972 TV movie. We watched part of it in class, on those big oversized pre-VHS school videotape machines. We only saw the first part as the second part had been taped over. It was no loss.

A pre-stardom Michael Douglas starred along with Elizabeth Ashley and Ben Gazzara. Director Philip Leacock had a long career in television. He worked on episodes of GUNSMOKE, FANTASY ISLAND, THE PAPER CHASE, EIGHT IS ENOUGH, FAMILY and more. He also directed a very good 1980 TV movie ANGEL CITY with an early performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh.

The film was adapted by James Bridges who would the next year adapt and direct the film version of THE PAPER CHASE and go on to make THE CHINA SYNDROME, URBAN COWBOY, MIKE'S MURDER and BRIGHT LIGHTS BIG CITY.

Because of Douglas, the film, which is often retitled SHATTERED SILENCE, was issued on VHS and DVD. It appears to now be out of print, which is no big loss. I also remember it airing on A&E in the late 80's and early 90's. I never cared enough to see the rest.

Considering all the authors that we never read in school, why we even bothered with this book, I will never know.