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Jimmy-14
Reviews
The Hollow Men (2005)
It was a fine show in the tradition of Monty Python
I knew the first time I watched The Hollow Men it was too good for the likes of Comedy Central's base audience -- it was too British. I loved it, and I also knew it would not survive. I guess it is very tale-telling when the idiotic and very tired Reno 911 gets a third season and Blue Collar Comedy is doing well that the Hollow Men would not be understood by the same audience. So, it is canceled, and replaced with the less sophisticated Stella.
Now that Chappelle seems to over, the only thing left worth watching on Comedy Central is The Daily Show. I am hoping that Jon Stewart moves to network television, then I can get rid of Cable TV altogether.
Now Voyager (1985)
Interesting collaboration with Hipnosis & Barry Gibb...
If you are familiar with the works of the the artists collectively known as Hipnosis, then the look of Barry Gibb's first (officially) released solo album art and accompanying video, NOW VOYAGER, will have a look I describe as a sort of deja vu -- unique, yet familiar. Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell were responsible for many great album covers from 1968 to well into the 80's as Hipnosis. They did classic covers for Led Zeppelin, Yes, Peter Gabriel, 10CC, Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath, and Pink Floyd. In 1983, Thorgerson, Powell, and Peter Christopherson formed Green Back films, and Nowvoyager became one of their first projects. The marriage of Barry Gibb's music with Hipnosis visuals create an interesting if somewhat surrealistic sojourn with the late veteran actor Michael Hordern as a Rod Serling type host who interacts with Gibb between the different sequences for the nine songs. It is ashamed that neither the album nor the video got much attention as it is well worth watching. Most of the songs broke new ground for Gibb who experimented with several new styles which worked very well in my opinion. Even though "Shine Shine" made the top 40, it should have been a bigger hit. American radio was still blaming the Bee Gees for a handful of disco songs some six years earlier and refused to play anything sung by the Bee Gees. They were clever enough to keep right on having huge hits as writers and producers for other artists.
Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)
One of Hammer's Best Efforts...
Those who write that this film is bad really cannot be fans of Hammer Films. It is important to understand that Hammer was a small, independent company that made low-budget, campy, and sometimes classy horror films. This one was Christopher Lee's second appearance as Dracula. His first, Horror Of Dracula, was made in 1957, and Lee did not want to risk being type-cast such as Bela Lugosi and therefore turned down the offer to be in Brides of Dracula. His return for Prince of Darkness was on the condition that he not be made to deliver dialogue that he thought was bad or unbefitting for the undead Count to say. For this one film, Christopher Lee never says a single word -- he hisses a time or two, but speaking isn't necessary. Just one menacing glance from the Count says it all. The supporting cast is another great asset to Dracula: Prince of Darkness. Barbara Shelley in particular is excellent as Helen. I love the way she goes from stern and sensible at a local pub to cautious and frightened when the other three members of her party want to spend the night at Castle Dracula. She isn't at all sexy, but after her encounter with Dracula, she is transformed into a vixen. Vampire women seem to prefer really sexy shrouds. Well, that's just a few comments, I could say a lot more, but it isn't necessary. Hammer fans know that these films are really great fun, and that is what really appeals to me. The only ones who take them seriously are the actors which is as it should be. Watch and enjoy!
Dark Shadows (1966)
A Unique Soap Opera That Is So Bad It's Good...
I was a young lad when Dark Shadows was first telecast. At the time, I thought it was the greatest thing on television. Watching it some 30 years later, it was like looking at old photos of oneself in the 70's or in some other unflattering time in which you realise that it must of been fun at the time but is very embarrassing now. The one thing that makes it like all other soap operas is that it takes forever for the plot to advance any. If you don't believe me, watch it on one day and check it two weeks later and see what has transpired.
The best thing I can say about it now is that it remains unique, and when compared to some of the absolute garbage that is passed off as a hit television series, it is quality viewing. Dan Curtis and his cast and crew had a shoestring budget, and they did very well with it. Having Joan Bennett as one of the actresses was a major coup. She added a touch of class to the often times very silly plots. It is amusing to watch now and see the flubbed lines and occasional problems some of the supernatural characters had with their appliances. Jonathan Frid was and remains my favourite character, and he was certainly funny at times when he was supposed to be serious and scary. I suppose the imperfections and the unintended comedy can be looked upon as one of the things that makes Dark Shadows a fun guilty pleasure.
The Godfather (1972)
A masterpiece that will stand the test of time...
It is no wonder why The Godfather is consistently ranked #1 by registered members of the Internet Movie Database. It is quite simply a great film in every respect. I won't rehash all the points that affirm why this picture is an undisputed classic that will be as relevant 50 years from now as it was in 1972.
The sequels, Godfather Part II and Part III, complete the story. Part II got the praise it deserved becoming the first and only sequel ever to win a Best Picture Academy Award. Unfortunately, Part III suffered from too much anticipatory hope that germinated from the 16 years between the two films. In other words, the film was held to a standard that would be impossible to achieve. It was masterfully told and with the same attention to detail given the earlier films, but a fair assessment was not to be given. Al Pacino's performance was outstanding, especially in the final scene with his reaction to death of Mary. It is a stunning and thoroughly heartbreaking expression of grief from a father who has lost a child. I wrote about Part III because many have dismissed it as a lesser film not up to par with the others, but this is criminally unfair.
One last comment about The Godfather films -- some have suggested that the films are too long. Well, that's just a stupid thing to say. It's like the King in Amadeus telling Mozart that his composition has "too many notes". Mozart asks, "which notes would you cut"? The Godfather films are too complex to be shortened to accommodate those with a short attention span.
The DVD versions of the Godfather Trilogy are supposed to be released in Fall of 2001. I can't wait for all the extras. It'll be an offer we can't refuse.
U-571 (2000)
Well, it certainly isn't Das Boot, but it tries to be...
It appears that Jonathan Mostow is a fan of good submarine movies. It's too bad that he didn't make one. He imitates selected action sequences from Das Boot and The Hunt For Red October, but U-571 has none of the intelligence of those movies. Even though there are many casualties, there are too many close calls that always pan out for the crew. One is reminded of Star Trek and how the cast repeatedly makes that one-in-a-million chance.
Still, it is ok to watch once.
Super Fly (1972)
Curtis Mayfield's soundtrack makes Superfly the best of the original blaxploitation films.
Gordon Parks Jr.'s "Superfly" is interesting enough with its cliches of drug pushers, users, pimps, hos, and the dismal life that is the ghetto. Good performances are given by Ron O'Neal as Priest, the drug pusher who wants to do the unthinkable -- get out of the business, and Julius Harris as Scatter, Priest's former connection to "The Man". After a little "help" from his friends Priest discovers he can only trust his woman, Georgia (Shelia Frazier). But, Priest has masterminded a way to take him and Georgia away from this life to another.
Throughout the film, Curtis Mayfield's superb soundtrack has a way of elevating what might be just another b film to a cult classic. From "Little Child Runnin' Wild" in the opening sequence to Curtis Mayfield's live performance of "Pusherman" in Scatter's club to the end credits with the title track, this is simply one of the finest pieces of music ever written specifically for a film. The soundtrack album, which produced hit singles with "Freddie's Dead" and "Superfly", stands with Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" as perhaps the two greatest soul albums of the 1970's.
The Sum of Us (1994)
The love between a father and son that is truly unconditional...not to mention, unconventional.
This is a very nice film that is refreshingly devoid of stereotypes. Don't miss this one.