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Reviews
Vega$: High Roller (1978)
Best Episodes were Excellent
A few of the earlier comments have a couple facts confused... I was kind of a Vega$ junkie from way back.... Suffice it to say Vega$ was produced by Aaron Spelling for 3 seasons, (not 4)and though never a ratings blockbuster, Vega$ was ushered out of prime time when protest grew against the "t&a" look of some ABC network shows. The best episodes of Vega$ were outstanding,some were really corny, but from reading about the show, Vega$ was based on the life of real Las Vegas detective Eddie Larue. The exteriors for Dan Tanna's home were taken at a building just north of the Circus Circus Hotel Casino, with a sign saying Tanna's drive in home was the "Wardrobe Dept." for the Desert Inn. (Notice in every long "stock" shot of Tanna's house the same white Volkswagen Bus is waiting at the drive in teller at the bank, which was located about 100' in front of Tanna's house)... The Desert Inn (now also long gone) was endlessly plugged during each episode...The show's shooting during the days when Las Vegas was changing from a smallish quirky city to today's huge metropolis is indeed neat to see... When you watch the Vega$ pilot, notice the scenes shot at the under construction Barbary Coast Casino Hotel, which must have been taken in the summer of 1976? The Barbary Coast is still there, and looks about the same as it did back then, but so much of Vega$ has changed....... Urich as Tanna was cool, and his character was named after Dan Tana's restaurant in Los Angeles...Bart Braverman was solid as sidekick Binzer, Phyllis Davis steamy as Urich's gorgeous assistant, The Landers sisters fun, Tony Curtis credible as a casino owner, "Slick Roth", Greg Morris as the police detective,and the never ending parade of guest stars good to watch... Heck, we could pick apart the details of some episodes, but overall Vega$ was certainly not the worst detective show we have seen on prime time. Urich later in a 1986 TV Guide interview expressed regret at the fame Vega$ brought him,(he did not like people on the street still called him "Dan Tanna" as he was pretty unhappy with the show's final season, but there is no doubt Vega$ put Urich on the map. I was saddened about his passing a few years ago...
Be Cool (2005)
Not Quite As Good As "Get Shorty" funny lines, but.....
"Be Cool" is one of the better recent movies that combines a decent Hollywood entertainment story with quirky characters, and John Travolta still good as the charismatic ex mobster Chili Palmer. Travolta's menacing charm is evident through the movie, and his tenacity and skill in dealing with music people is good... Travolta and Danny De Vito both seem ageless, as "Get Shorty" was lensed 10 years ago, and they have not aged a bit... "Be Cool" is a bigger movie than "Get Shorty", it has a much larger cast,and the major disappointment for me was not enough Chili Palmer on the screen. Another thing I missed was not having Harry Zimm (Gene Hackman) and Karen Flores (Renee Russo) make a decent cameo in the movie... In "Be Cool", weary of the movie business, and making 2 "Get Shorty" sequels, Chili decides to try his hand at producing an up and coming young singer, and discovering many pitfalls are in the music business. Early on Chili discovers the music business also has some very unsavory characters, just as the movie business did... Turns out in "Be Cool" The Rock can actually act, and Cedric the Entertainer is decent as the hot tempered rap music mogul. Vince Vaughn's character is as dumb as anyone seen on the screen recently, and Danny DeVito makes a couple cameos as the super egomaniac actor Martin Weir. Uma Thurman looks incredibly trim and beautiful and her old school chemistry with Travolta is evident throughout the movie.... A must see for all fans of Travolta, the movie and music biz, and the original modern day classic, "Get Shorty"
Seabiscuit (2003)
Excellent, But Not 100% Accurate
Seabiscuit is an excellent film, and shows a real moment in our country's history when a racehorse became a legend. Gary Ross did an excellent job in directing this movie. Spoiler: My main problem is the somewhat inaccurate portrayal of Seabiscuit as a "dog" before the Howards bought him. Seabiscuit had set several track records before the Howards bought him, and they paid quite a chunk of change for him...Probably the equivalent of 125K today...The horse was not being trained properly, and the Howards had the right trainer to bring him to his full potential.It's quite a good film, and great for the whole family...