kh98021 Reviews

Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership (1949)

MGM's Top Twenty-Five 1924 - 1948

[10/10 · 20 April 2013]

These are the films Lionel Barrymore counts down as a celebration of MGM's Silver Anniversary: 1924-The Big Parade, 1925-The Merry Widow, 1926-Flesh and the Devil, 1927-Ben Hur, 1928- Tell It To The Marines, 1929-The Broadway Melody, 1930-Min and Bill, 1931-Trader Horn, 1932-Grand Hotel, 1933-Tugboat Annie, 1934-Dinner at Eight, 1935-Mutiny on the Bounty, 1936-San Francisco, 1937-The Good Earth, 1938-Boys Town, 1939-The Wizard of Oz, 1940- Boom Town, 1941-The Philadelphia Story, 1942-Mrs. Miniver, 1943-Randon Harvest, 1944- National Velvet, 1945-Meet Me In St. Louis, 1946-The Green Years, 1947-The Yearling, 1948- Easter Parade

Love Reinvented (1996– )

Nice DVD Cover, Bad Movie

[3/10 · 12 July 2003]

This is not a feature film, but a collection of 10 shorts. The total running time is 70 minutes. All except the first are in French with English subtitles. All are either directly or obliquely (sometimes very obliquely indeed) about AIDS. None are exceptional. I have been known to enjoy DVD collections of short gay-themed films. If some of them are not very good, at least I enjoy the different perspectives that filmmakers bring in their examination of what it means to lead a gay life. For me, none of these films was remotely interesting. If you are looking for some smart, sexy, French short films, rent the collection of François Ozon's short films that has been released to DVD.

No One Sleeps (2000)

Beating a Dead Horse

[2/10 · 1 June 2003]

One has to wonder if at any point in the production of this film a

script existed that made any sense. Was the rough cut 3 hours

long and was it trimmed into the incoherent mess that survives?

Why would anyone finance this mess? I will say that Tom

Wlaschiha is a good looking young man and he does what he can

with the dialogue and dramatic (?) situations he is given. But

characters come and go for no apparent reason, continuity is

non-existent, and the acting, cinematography, and direction are (to

put it politely) amateurish. Not One Sleeps is an unfortunate

choice of title as it will probably prove untrue should anyone

actually attempt to actually watch this film.

Under One Roof (2002)

Sweet and Sexy Gay Comedy

[7/10 · 2 April 2003]

Okay, if you are looking for slick Hollywood production values, skip this one. But the film does have sweetness, charm & sincerity. The acting and writing are uneven at best, but I thought James Marks as the boarder Robert was charming & sexy. Yes, "The Wedding Banquet" is a superior film that covers much of the same territory. But "Under One Roof" has its honest pleasures as well.

On Our Merry Way (1948)

A Strange Little Movie

[5/10 · 3 November 2002]

Not the "rediscovered gem from the Golden Age of Cinema" as it is proclaimed on the Kino Video DVD case, but a curiosity nonetheless. It is an anthology movie with four different stories tied together by a young Burgess Meredith asking the question "How has a child influenced your life?" The most successful sequence (directed by the unbilled John Huston & George Stevens) involves James Stewart and Henry Fonda as a couple of down-on-their-luck musicians. Not only is it great to see these two real-life pals work together for the first time, but their chemistry & easy slapstick antics are quite funny. Seeing Henry Fonda playing the trumpet while gradually getting seasick, and taking Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer down with him, is worth the whole movie. I guess the copyright on O. Henry's "The Ransom of Red Chief" had expired as the Fred MacMurray, William Demerest sequence (years before they were teamed again on T.V.'s "My Three Sons") is a blatant and not very inspired rip-off.

The Fluffer (2001)

Not Much To It

[4/10 · 3 March 2002]

I entered the theatre intending to pass a pleasant 90 minutes being entertained if not enlightened. I left neither entertained nor enlightened. This movie can't make up its mind what it wants to be and ends up being not much of anything. There are a few funny lines and a few incredibly pretentious movie references (The 400 Blows--for this character? come off it!). While none of the characters gets treated with much respect, the over thirty gay men get the worst of it: all predatory, fat, sad, slobs. If you're in the mood for a movie dealing with gay relationships check out Parting Glances, Longtime Companion, Trick, All Over the Guy, Red Dirt, Maurice, Philadelphia instead. You'll thank me.

The Judy Garland Show (1963–1964)

Landmark Television Series

[10/10 · 21 December 2001]

"The Judy Garland Show" has found new life thanks to Pioneer Artists' DVD release of most of the series episodes. After years of clips and compilations, it is a incredible to finally be able to see these shows in their entirety. Garlands's performances are undimmed by the passage of time. And so many wonderful performances by guest stars like Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Mickey Rooney, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone and Liza Minnelli are preserved here as well. The technical quality of these DVD releases is astounding. Included also are many outtakes, alternate takes, and other fascinating behind-the-scenes shots. I just can't recommend these shows too much

Mind Meld: Secrets Behind the Voyage of a Lifetime (2001 Video)

My Dinner With Kirk and Spock

[10/10 · 1 December 2001]

Your reaction to this program is going to depend on your affection for these two performers and the iconic characters they've portrayed over nearly thirty five years. I've never been to a Star Trek convention ("not that there's anything wrong with that"), and I was late coming to the original series. Still I was fascinated, moved and totally absorbed in listening to and watching these two men interact. For fans of the series and/or movies this is quite a gift. Both Shatner and Nimoy are very articulate, and their conversation covers a broad range of topics relating to both their personal and professional lives. This video taped conversation takes place in the back yard of Nimoy's home and, briefly, in his den. The affection and respect that these two men share for each other is very apparent. I highly recommend this program to those who appreciate Star Trek in its many incarnations, and to those who admire the work of William Shatner and L

Defying Gravity (1997)

A Touching Little Movie

[10/10 · 13 September 2001]

Okay, maybe this film is not cinema art, but somehow it really gets to me. I have never been in a college fraternity, and my own coming out years are way in the past. But somehow I find this film quite affecting. The performances are, perhaps, not as accomplished as we are used to seeing, yet the director uses his actors well. The story is touching and believable if not incredibly realistic (MOVIES ARE NOT REAL LIFE, FOLKS). Note on the DVD release: the sound is atrocious, but fiddling with my system I was able to achieve a listenable presentation. It's frustrating, to be sure, but I'm still glad that I own this title

Prince of Central Park (2000)

"Central Park" Misses But Young Frankie Nasso Scores

[6/10 · 14 August 2001]

The only reason I even stumbled across this film is because one of its young stars, Carmen Moreno who plays Sofia, was one of my students this past year. I know the film had a theatrical showing in New York, but it does not appear that it was ever picked up for national theatrical distribution. After finally seeing the film, this is not surprising; it's a film that cannot quite make up its mind what it wants to be JJ (Frankie Nasso) lives with an abusive foster mother Mrs. Ardis (Cathy Moriarty) in present day Staten Island, NY. He dreams of finding the mother who left him, and one day he leaves Staten Island for Manhattan with hopes of finding her. In a parallel story we meet Rebecca (Kathleen Turner) and Noah (Danny Aiello) as a well-to-do Manhattan couple whose marriage is inexplicably crumbling. In JJ's journey to find his mother he also encounters The Guardian (Harvey Keitel) an eccentric New York "character" who lives under a bridge in Central Park. Along the way we also discover that JJ is a musical prodigy who can play any melody he hears, well, not only play it, but turn it into a full blown musical piece. Once JJ and Rebecca meet (she has a grand piano that nobody has played for a long time) the film heads toward its inevitable conclusion. The producers claim that "Prince of Central Park" is a modern day retelling of Huck Finn. Okay . . . There are also borrowed plot elements from such diverse sources as "Oliver Twist" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". The problem is these exemplary literary sources don't really mix very well. Consequently, the film has a patchwork feel, the sum of the parts don't really equal an engaging whole. Still, there are pleasures to be had here. Frankie Nasso gives an engaging performance as JJ. There is an inherent sweetness to his performance which goes a long way toward helping the audience get by some of the gaping holes in the plot. We come to care about this character despite some of the situations that the filmmakers throw him into. Screen stalwarts Turner, Aiello, and Moriarty give fine performances even if the script does not always support their best efforts. Harvey Keitel (admittedly not one of my favorite actors) has a harder time with a character that strains credulity to its limits. Also of note are the performances of Carmen Moreno as Sofia and Tina Holmes as JJ's mother. Both are quite affecting. The film has a nice score as well.

Family (1976–1980)

A Classic Family Drama

[10/10 · 13 August 2001]

Producer Edward Zwick, along with Marshall Herskovitz, went on to produce "thirtysomething" "Relativity" "My So-Called Life" and "Once and Again." Sada Thompson, Gary Frank, and Kristy McNichol all won Emmys for their work on this series. Many veteran and up-and-coming performers made guest appearances on this series: Mildred Natwick, Tommy Lee Jones, Doris Roberts, James Woods, Elizabeth Ashley, Pat Crowley, Sheree North, David Dukes, Blair Brown, Brooke Adams, Linda Lavin, Kim Darby, William Daniels, Leirf Garrett, Annie Potts, Charlotte Rae, Shelley Long, Mare Winningham, Steve Guttenberg, Michael Biehn, Ted Danson, Stephanie Zimbalist, Michael J. Fox, and Henry Fonda (in the 1979 episode "thanksgiving" directed by Joanne Woodward). TRIVIA: James Broderick (Doug Lawrenece) is the father of actor Matthew Broderick; John Rubenstein (Jeff Maitland) wrote the theme from "Family" and is the son of pianist Arthur Rubenstein.