Reviews

This short documentary of the making of the movie Out of Africa and what the life of Karen Blixen a.k.a Isak Dinesen was about was presented as an extra on the DVD. Director Sydney Pollack, leading star Meryl Streep, score writer John Barry, Dinesen biographer Judith Thurman, and screenwriter Kurt Luedtke are among the interviewed. Meryl herself is pretty entertaining when doing sounds of vehicles or animals. So they talk about their experiences during the shoot and what they think of the times and attitudes of the period they covered in the movie. And about Blixen's relationships with the various people she shared her life with during her time in Nairobi and other places in Kenya. Nothing more to say except A Song of Africa is a very worthy view on the DVD.

Last fall, Mom and me visited the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. While in Denmark, the female tour guide on the bus pointed out the house of Isak Dinesen or Karen Blixen as she was previously known as. She mentioned this movie to remind us who it was about. So nearly a year later, I felt the need to check this out from the library so I can find out about this woman with Mom viewing it with me. We both were enchanted by the African landscapes depicted throughout the narrative. Meryl Streep gives another fine performance as Blixen with a perfect Danish accent. If director Sydney Pollack hadn't insisted his friend and frequent collaborator Robert Redford ditch his attempt at a British accent, it would have possibly been a perfect performance from him as well. As it is, the audience wouldn't at least be too distracted by that accent as Pollack was reportedly concerned about. Both Ms. Streep and Klaus Maria Brandauer got deserved Oscar noms and it was nice for Pollack to get his two wins for both direction and picture as well as John Barry for his sweepingly touching score. It's possible some passages made the movie a little meandering resulting in a pretty long movie. Still, Out of Africa was quite an enjoyable and touching ride.

When Alan Arkin died several weeks ago, I had a feeling I'd watch this again having previously seen it in 1986 on HBO and remember thinking how funny it was then. It's a lot funnier now watching some of the scenes I recall laughing at then and now seeing through older eyes some scenes I didn't remember but glad to discover and find hilarious for the first time! Arkin plays a dentist who meets his potential brother-in-law Peter Falk-who works for the CIA-at a pre-wedding dinner. Falk's son is scheduled to marry Arkin's daughter in a few days but Falk is on an assignment that he inadvertently involves Arkin in. I'll stop there and just say this was nearly funny from beginning to end especially when a scene involving the word "serpentine" comes on. I also loved the sequence involving Richard Libertini. I think my mom liked it too though she didn't laugh as much as I did. Be that as it may, we both highly recommend The In-Laws.

This is perhaps one Genesis song that won't be heard on oldies radio stations today because of its subject matter: about undocumented immigrants as they're referred to now trying to cross the border. Specifically, Mexicans trying to make a living in the U. S. as implied by Phil Collins' slight accent change in the recording and his and his teammates' dress and wigs in the video. Also, Collins' fake mustasche. The whole thing is meant to be humorous but the obvious stereotyping and implication of suspicious natures makes this unsuitable for today's more polarizing climate, that's for sure! Just as well that even then, the following lyrics in the song weren't even allowed in the video: "Keep your suspicions, I've seen that look before/But I ain't done nothing wrong now, is that such a surprise?/But I got a sister who'd be willing to oblige/She would do anything now to help me get me to the outside". Be that as it may, I still like the catchy hooks and overall fun vibe I still get from viewing this. So I'll just say if you still like the song and video, there's no harm in watching it even now...

Okay, having just seen the first ep of "Turn-On" and finding it mostly underwhelming, I've now viewed the second ep and it's only a little better by comparison. Since the previous one had many ABC affiliates blocking the show after several of the beginning minutes, this one never aired and in fact, the entire series was effectively cancelled a few days after the first one. Like I implied, there was somewhat better material presented but it's in the same scattershot way with the same beats as scored by the Moog synthesizer with mostly the same monotonous result. Guest stars this time were Robert Culp and his then-wife France Nuyen. Oh, let me also mention that like the previous ep, the skits were filmed in front of a white background with no audience participation so no laughter of any kind. Good move since I can't imagine anyone really thinking any of this was hilarious...P. S. At least one of the commercials presented during the show starred Madeline Kahn before her movie stardom.

Both the first and second eps of this notorious show have recently been uploaded on YouTube. For how long, I don't know. Created by "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" producer and developer George Schlatter, this may have been both like and unlike that show in which there are plenty of scattershot jokes and skits but also an unusual way to present them. For instance, instead of regular hosts to present the material, we get a couple of people operating a computer console flicking switches to certain subjects on screen. Then there are many brief sketches lasting a few seconds entirely scored by a Moog synthesizer. Occasionally, some commercials interrupted though it took a while before I realized they weren't part of the program. The guest star was Tim Conway. Regulars include Chuck McCann-a Laurel & Hardy impressionist who did his Stan Laurel voice near the end when mentioning one of the sponsors, Mel Stewart before temporarily joining the cast of the very popular "All in the Family", and Teresa Graves, yes, the same one who'd eventually join "Laugh-In" the following season. I was amused by some of the material but I can see why many stations cancelled mid-broadcast watching this now and what I saw wasn't very funny . There's at least one more complete ep that didn't air that's also on YouTube I may review soon...

Had I not found out about this song and video by two columnists-Kathryn Jean Lopez and Clerance Page-I would not have gone on YouTube to watch it for myself to find out what the big deal was. Ms. Lopez commented on agreeing with most of the sentiments expressed by Jason Aldean about the crime committed in big cities but also recognized that one line about "Good 'ol Boys" being raised up right as being problematic and compared it to John Mellencamp's more celebratory song "Small Town". Clerance Page was more concerned that the song served "to stoke tribal anger, fears, resentments, and suspicions more than appeal to reason." Then there's this letter writer's concern after reading Ms. Lopez' column-"I think we are all upset by urban crime. The problem I have with the song is it implies small towns don't have this problem because the men of small towns wouldn't let it happen." Then she continues in the next paragraph-"There was a time when vigilantes were the law enforcement in small towns. There were lynchings in small towns. Angry people were satisfied with that brand of law and order. However angry we are about urban crime, let's not go there." She was also happy that CMT-Country Music Television-doesn't air it because of the polarizing images it shows. Me, it's quite effective in the message it's portraying but I agree with Ms. Lopez and Page that it doesn't inspire but fuels the flame, so to speak.

While I had this movie on my recording device for months, I only decided to now watch it because of the recent passing of Paul Reubens. This was his second movie as Pee Wee Herman after Pee Wee's Big Adventure. This also came out when he was also doing his TV show "Pee Wee's Playhouse" which was a very popular Saturday morning program for kids. I recognized at the time that Pee Wee was a little more adult-like in some behavior (like what he does to the Penelope Ann Miller character during their picnic scene) and I also knew about the triangle that would develop when Valeria Golino would appear. Still, it's mostly a kiddie-vibe much of the time since in this one Pee Wee lives in a farm with animals he treats like friends and welcomes the circus after a storm brings them to his farm though the other townspeople (who seem mostly elderly) don't welcome them. The first 30 minutes provides plenty of hilarity while the rest of it is more leisurely with some amusements. The ending seemed anti-climatic but I enjoyed this for what it was. A few years after this, Paul Reubens would get scandalized when he got caught doing something in an adult film cinema causing him to be blacklisted for a while. Be that as it may, he was surely one of the most unique of comic minds, that's for sure! Rest in peace.

I've long known about this Hal Roach-directed short because of its inclusion in a book about a famous comedy team but the actual stars of this one were Thelma Todd and Zazu Pitts, a female version of that other famous comedy team. In this one, the girls are tired of another date to Coney Island. The next day they get splashed mud by a car that happened to pass them by. A man sees them and offers to buy them new clothes. He then gets a date with one of them and offers his friend for the other. I'll stop there and just say this was quite a treat to watch especially when we see where they end up in and also the reveal of that famous comedy team when it's almost all over... P. S. What a treat to also see such familiar faces like Billy Gilbert and Charlie Hall here!

Sandra Bullock is an adventure romance novelist, Channing Tatum is the cover model of them. They both end up in an adventure in a jungle when Daniel Radcliffe as a villain kidnaps Ms. Bullock for her translation skills. Oh, and Brad Pitt also makes an appearance in a surprise role. I'll just now say this was both funny and adventurous and maybe a little touching in places. Both Mom and I enjoyed this one. It's a little like Romancing the Stone with more of the glam and even more of the slapstick scenes. I especially liked the rescue attempt while one of them is still tied to a chair! So on that note, we both recommend The Lost City.

My friend who used to work at a movie theatre and who I hadn't seen in a while expressed interest in watching this one so I decided to oblige him on this point. I expected some laughs and innocent scares but while I was impressed with the visual effects, I didn't think there were many funny scenes or lines unless they were said by Danny DeVito. Still, I liked it fine most of the time and so did my friend. Nice to see all the familiar New Orleans landmarks since I and my friend only live a two-hour drive from there. This friend said he liked it better than the Eddie Murphy version which I've yet to watch. In summary, we both say give this Haunted Mansion a look. P. S. I personally thought it was a shame there was no scene of DeVito with his former "Taxi" co-star Marilu Henner who seemed wasted as a NO tourist.

This is my review of the third and final short starring the comedy team of Anita Garvin and Marion "Peanuts" Byron. I had first seen parts of this one in one of Robert Youngson's silent comedy compilation films, When Comedy Was King. It seemed amusing enough. Now that I've watched the whole thing, it's even funnier than I anticipated, that's for sure! It seems the two women are very hungry so Marion mentions that her boyfriend (Stuart Erwin) is bringing his boss (Edgar Kennedy) over to their apartment and they may take them out to dinner. But when Edgar sees them, he doesn't want to spend so much money on them so when during a car ride, Marion suggests getting ice cream cones, Edgar gives her the suitable amount of change he has in his pocket. The main hilarity involves those ice cream in those cones that Marion keeps losing though there's also a cop trying to keep the car three of those four are in from being parked illegally to add to the fun as well as a teen boy and his father in the apartment above harassing them. It seemed to lose steam near the end but otherwise, A Pair of Tights was a near-perfect comedy in the usual Hal Roach style. After this one, Anita Garvin was back in supporting roles including in a few more Laurel & Hardy ones during the talkie era. One of her last appearances in film was in The Three Stooges' Coocoo Cavaliers before retiring to tend to her husband Clifford "Red" Stanley and their two kids. She'd eventually be honored by the Sons of the Desert society-which is dedicated to the celebration of Laurel & Hardy-during the late '70s and '80s. She died on July 7, 1994. Marion "Peanuts" Byron left Hal Roach after this and in subsequent years, found her parts getting smaller and smaller. Her last film appearance was in 1938's Five of a Kind which was co-written by her hubby Lou Breslow who'd subsequently write the first two of L & H's features at 20th Century-Fox. She and Lou had two sons and remained together until she died on July 5, 1985.

This is my review of the second of the shorts the brief comedy team of Anita Garvin and Marion Byron made, their first being Feed 'em and Weep. In this one, a woman gives them a baby to take care of but they find out it actually was kidnapped and a detective (Max Davidson) eyes them suspiciously when seeing them. So they send the toddler to an orphanage before finding out about a reward for it's return...As with Feed 'em and Weep, there are some scenes missing so stills and text explaining what happened are substituted as before. There are some funny scenes like when Anita causes some beds in the orphanage to bump into each other though it's not as hilarious as the previous short. Still, it's entertaining enough so that's a recommendation for Going Ga-Ga. Next, I'll review A Pair of Tights.

This is the first of my reviews of three shorts starring the comedy team of Anita Garvin and Marion Byron. Never heard of them? Neither did I but I recently found out about them when looking up one of their shorts on the Wikipedia site. None of their shorts are showcased in articles but the site listed their names so I looked up Marion Byron because I knew less about her than I did about Anita Garvin who I've seen in several Laurel & Hardy films. It seems Hal Roach, having seen how successful Stan & Ollie were as a team had the idea to do a female version and thought Anita and Marion would do. Well, judging by their first outing, they are indeed funny as beginning waitresses working for Max Davidson at a train station restaurant. Lots of visual gags involving food, pratfalls, and moving doors abound to hilarious effect, that's for sure! Some scenes were missing so some stills were substituted as well as some intertitles explaining some of the missing scenes. So on that note, I highly recommend Feed 'em and Weep. Next, I'll review Going Ga-Ga.

After watching Torn Curtain on the DVD, I had to then watch this chronicle of the making of it and the not-so-great reactions of both director Alfred Hitchcock and star Paul Newman to the script. They both had problems with it with Newman, especially, wondering about his character's motivations. This was the film that contributed to Hitch's breakup with usual collaborator composer Bernard Herrmann as the latter didn't follow his boss' instructions to the letter, possibly because of some mixup. The DVD provided some of Herrmann's scores on another bonus track and this documentary plays both Herrmann's and replacement composer John Addison's cues for the killing scene though Hitch eventually decided neither score would be used for that sequence. Another cut sequence involved the killed person's brother who was played by the same actor. Those scenes were only available as stills as it seems the actual sequence on film no longer exists. While the written narration acknowledges this particular film isn't a classic on the order of North By Northwest or other like films in Hitch's filmography, it says it's still entertaining enough of which I somewhat agree.

I saw the DVD of this at my local library and knew it was something my mom would like so I checked it out. George Clooney and Julia Roberts play a once-married couple who bicker constantly when they're going to important events involving their daughter like a college graduation or her upcoming wedding in Bali. Because the divorced couple think their only child is wasting her time with a seaweed farmer in a beautiful island, they try to put up a united front in front of her hoping to break up the wedding. I won't reveal any more but I will say that the arguing between the co-star's characters are only meant to be funny as there's nothing really mean-spirited between them. And there's quite a few funny scenes and lines but there's also some touching and tender scenes between them too. Also, nice to see Australia standing in for Bali. Mom and I really liked this one so on that note Ticket to Paradise is recommended by us.

Having previously watched this taped on VHS from an independent station in Jacksonville, FL, during the '90s, I felt the need to watch this again after the passing of one of the stars: Alan Arkin. In only his second starring role, he's quite effective as the malevolent Harry Roat looking for a doll filled with heroin. The woman who took it gave it to a man she just met at an airport. That man's wife is played by Audrey Hepburn playing someone who's blind. Her hubby leaves her alone in her apartment while he's out on assignment. Oh, and Roat has a couple of assistants he manages to convince to play his game. There's also a young girl who helps Suzy (Ms. Hepburn's character) along the way. I'll stop there and just say this is one of the most effective thrillers I've ever seen and my mom-who hadn't seen this before-agrees with me. Ms. Hepburn deserved her Oscar nom and when Arkin was asked why he didn't get his, he basically said one wouldn't get one for terrorizing someone as iconically beloved as her! Those last 8 minutes really pack a wallop, that's for sure! And Henry Mancini's score is one of his best. Ditto Terence Young's direction. I think I said enough so on that note, Wait Until Dark is highly recommended.

With the passing of Alan Arkin recently, I thought I'd get this movie out of the library in his memory which I hope to review next. In this extra on the DVD, he and producer Mel Ferrer tell of their experiences making it especially concerning star Audrey Hepburn's performance. Ferrer was still married to her at the time and he recounts how his wife was never satisfied with her performances thinking she could have done better each time. Arkin himself considered it quite a challenge to terrorize such a lovely person on screen and his performance at the time puzzled some viewers. This was quite a fine tribute to both the film and Ms. Hepburn's performance. I should post a review of the actual movie sometime soon...

This is my second viewing of a movie starring the late Jim Brown after just previously watching The Split. Here, he's an inmate who escapes from prison. He then meets Lee Van Cleef at a bar when Cleef has to deal with some unwanted acquaintances. So they team up to get gold from a fort with help from some Apaches Cleef is familiar with led by Iron Eyes Cody (who I remember from that anti-pollution TV public service ad in which he's seen crying) . I'll stop there and just say this was quite exciting from beginning to end. Quite fun especially when Mariana Hill does some stripping. So that's a recommendation of El Condor.

After football great Jim Brown died recently, I decided to watch two of his films he made after retiring from the sport that made him famous. I've long been interested in watching this one because I found out it was the first one to be rated R after the Motion PIcture Association of America (now simply reduced to Motion Picture Association) started doing the letter ratings system. R at the time meant that "no one under 16 admitted without parent or adult guardian" only raising the age limit to 17 two years later. Anyway, Brown ends up planning a heist of the box office earnings from a football game with Donald Sutherland, Ernest Borgnine (two of Brown's previous co-stars from The Dirty Dozen), Warren Oates, Jack Klugman, and Julie Harris in on the action. Diahann Carroll is his leading lady and Gene Hackman is a police detective on the trail. I liked most of the goings-on most of the time though I admit some scenes confused me. But The Split was really intriguing to me especially when Quincy Jones' score was used. So I recommend The Split for anyone looking for one of Jim Brown's early films. Next, I'll review him in El Condor.

As someone who only saw the original one once back in '87 on a Pay-Per-View channel and it was a little after the beginning scenes, not to mention I've yet to watch it again, I actually liked this sequel made more than 30 years later with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprising their roles of Maverick and Iceman, respectively. It's quite an engaging story with plenty of fine action-packed flying scenes. Also, Jennifer Connelly made a fine leading lady for Cruise here. It was at the request of Mom that I even decided to borrow the DVD from the library since she didn't get to finish this during a recent flight. Also, kudos for reprising the Harold Faltermeyer score and Kenny Loggins' theme song, "Danger Zone". So, yes, that's a high recommendation for Top Gun: Maverick.

Ever since I saw a VHS tape cover of this very movie, I've long been curious to see this especially since it never played in theatres in Baton Rouge, LA, where I lived as a teen then and I still do now. It's from Cannon Films as represented by producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, the same people who remade their Israeli-made Lemon Popsicle into The Last American Virgin. Two players from that last one-Joseph Rubbo and Louisa Moritz-also appear here. Rubbo is one of four teens taking a job at a Mexican resort where they encounter many willing women. I'll stop there and just say the whole thing was silly and ridiculous to the extreme with plenty of predictable stereotyped-characters and occasionally sentimental moments that would either go down easily or just make one wish it was over very soon! I myself felt both emotions several times while looking at the timer on YouTube. I'm guessing this didn't do particularly well as no one in this film seem to have gone on to anything better...

I first heard of this documentary of a teen/emerging adult singing group when Premiere magazine showcased some Oscar mistakes of which one of them was the Academy awarding this Best Documentary Feature of 1968. Turns out this actually made its debut in late '67, so the institution had to forfeit the award. Before actually watching this on YouTube, I found out on this site that it was actually scripted which was obvious whenever scenes are staged for the group to break out in song outside of the stage though those are some of the most charming sequences. Knowing one of those members was Vicki Lawrence just before becoming part of the cast of "The Carol Burnett Show", I recognized her right away and was amused by some of what she says and does here. This was quite a charming film to watch so on that note, I recommend Young Americans.