Reviews

A fine live early TV version of Mark Harris' novel. Given the limitations of a television studio,and doing a show "live",this is a bona fide homerun! Newman is great as Henry "author" Wiggen's,star lefthanded pitcher for the NY Mammoths,who takes the teams dying 3rd string catcher under his wing. Newman does a great adlib at the programs opening when he tosses a scrap of paper towards a wastebasket and misses,saying: "Hell of a pitcher I am,I can't even hit the trash can!"

That scrap of paper is the ONLY miss in this fine dramatization of one of the great baseball novels ever written. Too bad nobody has ever filmed the other two novels in Harris' trilogy about Henry Wiggens!And Newman i

Renoir's tale of Paris,the Cancan,a washer-girl and the Moulin Rouge.A more subdued,but highly entertaining version of the opening of the Moulin Rouge. Jean Gabin gives his usual excellent performance.The Technicolor photography on the print I saw was exquisite.An easy evening's viewing. chris w galla

The greatest rock movie ever! A "road" movie without the road,Frank

Zappa's look at a 60/70s rock band on the road,small town america and

the realities behind the music industry was far ahead of it's time and

today seems far less dated than many contemporary films. Shot on video

tape and edited onto film,the film has a highly original look to

it,including shots where the roof of the studio it was shot in is

purposely visible. Keith Moon as a groupie obsessed nun,and Ringo Starr

as a dwarf made up to look like Zappa are among the movies

highlites,along with Theodore Bikel as the Devil,A.K.A. Rance Muhamitz. Thirty years after it's release ,still an entertaining film.It makes a

great double feature with the Monkees' film "Head",in which Zappa has a

small c

Other than Louis Jordan's appearance,apart from his 'hairy palms',this is perhaps the most faithful adaption of Bram Stoker's novel. The acting is firstrate by all with a splendid turn by Frank Finlay as Van Hesling.The BBC's practice of filming exteriors and videotaping interiors is a bit disconcerting,but it's a minor annoyance. Infinitely superior to Coppola's MTV version

As good as "Das Boot" is in it's original theatrical form,and in an director Peterson's extended version in the re-release,the TV version,coming in at close to five hours long shows so much more of the day to day life on the boat.The claustriphobic nature of life on a WWII submarine is opened up for us. It delves far more deeply into the personalities and lives of the crew,both on and off the boat.They become real human beings,and we see how hard their lives are while on patrol.As with "All Quiet on the Western Front",the senselessness of war is brought home when see from the losing side. Highly moving

This film alone was worth the price of the DVD it shares with "Plan 9 from outer space." See the locations used,hear members of Wood's "stock company" talk of him! See Ed Wood actually directing scenes from a Grade Z western!!And,it answers once and for all just what did Ed Wood use for the flying saucers??Who could ask for more?

Who but Woody Allen would have a character become delusional as BOTH Wright brothers?Fine performances all around ,with Dom DeLuise giving a great turn as priest/would-be magician in hiding.Infinitely superior to the 1969 film with Gleason.A minor gem from All

"The General" is the perfect film. Even poor prints do little to diminish it's beauty,and seen in a good print it is a stunning film. The entire chase north by Keaton to regain his stolen train(The General of the title),and the efforts of the Union raiders to stop him,are mirrored in Keaton's return south after getting his train back,and his efforts to thwart the union army following him.Complimenting this are some of the best gags ever done with a train.The film was so far ahead of it's time that seen today,it seems less a silent,than a film that's lost it's soul.