Come Blow Your Horn (1963)

This is Fun!! Frankie is a bit old for the part at 48 tryin to be 35!! but always great to watch Frankie!! Lee J.Cobb as Dad is just Hysterical!! Cobb was

a briliant Dramatic Actor but watch him handle Comedy!! Molly Picon is fabulous!! A Great Cast and most enjoyable!!!

The story is very cute, although a bit dated. The production values are excellent, but the color in the DVD version is very bland and faded. Having seen the movie when it was first shown in movie theaters, there is no comparison with color quality.

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Thousand Words (2013)

"My name is Jack McCall. I'd like to talk to you, but I can't because if I say just one more sentence out loud, I'll die." Jack McCall (Murphy) works for a publishing firm and will do and say anything to close a deal. When he goes after the most sought after author, spiritual guru Dr. Sinja, he once again says anything that will get him to say yes. The Dr. sees through him and when Jack is at home that night he is shocked to see a tree pop out of the ground. After finding out that the tree loses a leaf every time Jack says a word he is forced to try and change the way he communicates. I have always been a big Eddie Murphy fan and I was looking forward to this one. I was surprised at how heartfelt and emotional this movie turned out to be. While this is a definite comedy and is very funny the real heart of the movie is the emotion that Murphy shows during his change. On that note, while I'm not saying this is an Oscar worthy performance this is his best acting since "Dreamgirls". Seems like just because it is a comedy the acting gets overlooked which isn't really fair. Murphy's performance was so perfect for this movie it took a movie that could have been very cheesy and fluffy and turned it into something so heartfelt and emotional that I actually got choked up a few times. For that to happen during a comedy is a testament to his acting. Overall, a very funny movie with a ton of heart that deserves to be seen. I really liked this one. I give it an A.

I am not eloquent or as well worded as many.

The thoughts and depth of the movie may be the definition of cliche, but it was good.

I mean surprisingly, it was good!

The movie touched on the comedic side at times, coming across as not hard to navigate. Meaning I saw parts coming.

The end was gratifying, the middle pretty good. The beginning was a little slow or rather a little predictable, but not bad.

I liked it, which shocks me more than you know.

In the end, reading the reviews from other users spoiled a little bit of the movies path, but I recommend this movie. It is about 3.5 to 4 stars, and had a good message.

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Eddie Murphy was once one of the funniest actors in hollywood, but thing have changed. This movie will not win any awards, but is a good family movie to watch, that was much better than expected.

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Seriously worth watching! My husband, myself and our 10,12,15, and 16 year old sons enjoyed this movie...hard to find something everyone agrees on! We all agreed very good movie. Great story...great moral lesson...if you want smut...and vulgar humor...not for you...if you want a funny warm fuzzy movie...rent it.

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Eddie Murphy has been making kid's movies for so long he has forgotten how to make them for adults. Eddie plays Jack McCall, a literary agent who has signed a New Age guru, and has agreed to following the guru's ways in order to get the contract. A tree suddenly appears in Jack's back yard, one that loses a leaf every time Jack says speaks or writes a word. The presumption is that when all the leaves are gone, the tree dies and so does Jack and the movie. What happens to the tree, happens to Jack.

The humor is how Jack, a constant talker, now has to be silent as if his life depended on it. It has that "Liar, Liar" feel to it, it just isn't as funny.

It is a yawner that might work for the 14-16 year old crowd. The movie has some heart warming redeeming value to it, you just have to wait for it until the end. If you want to see Eddie Murphy in his street smart role, try "Tower Heist."

Adult language, no nudity, no real sex.

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Smiles of a Summer Night (The Criterion Collection) (1955)

This was director Ingmar Bergman's break-through film, the winner of the 1956 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, the first of his many internationally acclaimed films. The story is a time honored one, referrencing the same tradition of romantic complications found in Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM and Rostand's LA RONDE: every one is either in love with or married to the wrong person.

A famous actress with two very different lovers invites both, their wives, and the son of one lover to her mother's country estate in the hope of sorting out the romantic entanglements to her satisfaction--and the result is considerable charm and unexpectedly dry wit. All the performances are excellent, with Eva Dahlbeck's Desiree a standout, but the real star of this ensemble piece is the unexpectedly witty script. Never quite veering over into broad farce but never sinking into romantic sentimentality, it is a very precisely written tale, and both cast and director make the most of it.

In the face of Bergman's later work, SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT may seem rather slight, and indeed both psychology and cinematography is considerably less complex than one expects. Even so, it is very much a Bergman film: the visual style is distinct, and the themes of appearances vs. reality, the inability to correctly interpret another's behavior, and the failure to understand one's self are very much in evidence--only here to comic effect. It is in every way a charming film that Bergman fans will enjoy.

Incidently, SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT was successfully translated to the stage as the musical A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, the score of which includes the famous "Send In The Clowns." Fans of the original film will be interested to compare the two works.

Fredrick Egerman (Gunnar Bjornstrand) is a forty-something lawyer of precise calculation, a bit of a dandy among the mercantile. He has a young wife Anne (the very pretty Ulla Jacobsson) whom he married when she was sixteen, but somehow never got around to unintacting her virgo. He has a sometime mistress Desirée Armfeldt (the voluptuous Eva Dahlbeck) from whom he has recently been estranged. He has a son Henrik (Bjorn Bjelvenstam) full of angst and love's confusion who lusts after the saucy maid Petra (a blonde Harriet Andersson) while he studies theology and his father's wife.

The night for Fredrick and Anne (after a Platonic nap during which Fredrick inadvertently pronounces Desirée's name) begins with the theater; and who should be starring in the production but Desirée. Anne suddenly takes ill and they rush home. Fredrick now steals away to see Desirée. After a pratfall in some water he ends up in some night clothes that belong to Desirée's current lover, the militaristic Count Malcolm (Jarl Kulle as a sprung-steel bantam) who, as it happens, arrives upon the scene much to the merriment of Desirée and to the embarrassment of Fredrick.

The culmination of love's labors and intrigues takes place at the chateau of Desirée's mother, Mrs. Armfeldt (Naima Wifstrand). The action includes a most amusing duel, some hanky-panky atop a haystack, musical beds, an attempted suicide, some Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (if I caught the label right), the amorous kiss of young lovers, the triumph of the fairer sex, and the very proper lawyer's final humiliation.

If you haven't seen Smiles of a Summer Night you are in for a rare treat: a comedy by Ingmar Bergman. And it is no ordinary comedy. Shakespearean and Oscar Wilde-like in its sharp, satirical (and oh so worldly wise) dialogue, this playful romp with the Swedish landed gentry and servants of a hundred years ago is a delight that will satisfy the most sophisticated viewer as well as the most middlebrow.

Owing something to the French farcical tradition (in particular Molière), to light opera (maybe Mozart), and even the Greek theater, Bergman's romantic comedy sparkles with love's intrigues and pratfalls. According to Pauline Kael, whose review is part of a 24-page booklet that comes with the Criterion Collection DVD, Bergman had just finished directing a stage production of The Merry Widow which accounts in part for the fin-de-siècle setting and the genteel treatment that he finally settled upon for his comedy of manners. Also I think this examination and satire of the class structure with hilarious asides on the foibles of human nature owes something to Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest which was set in approximately the same time period and had a similar cast of characters including a Grand Dame, an ingenue, some rustics, a clergyman, but most directly in the fact that both Wilde and Bergman aim their sardonic wit directly at the burghers and the bourgeois. Bohemians need not apply. Indeed the closest thing to a Bohemian in the play is the actress Desirée who is the very calculating and dominate personage of the film.

By the way, Bergman's future protege, Bibi Andersson, does appear in this movie, but only for a moment as an actress on stage at the theater.

The final, cynical bemusement comes as one reconsiders who ends up with whom. Not to spoil the plot, but notice that in every case there is something less than perfect in each romantic partnership, something slightly amiss that may cause problems down the road, something unsettled that suggests that nothing has really changed. As the French say, the more things change, the more they remain the same. It is this ironic underpinning to this delightful comedy that lends to it something of the timeless. Bergman is good at that.

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I came to Ingmar Bergman films in the mid-sixties, as a teen, and liked them because they seemed so stark, so unlike the typical Hollywood fluff. They called 'em art films, but I liked Bergman because of the characters and the stories, not to mention the look and feel of his films. It was only when Criterion Collection released SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT this year that I finally got to see a film I had heard a lot about but never bothered to seek out. Criterion's other Bergman films were all must-haves so I ordered Smiles right away. (I have seen Sondheim's A Little Night Music on stage some three times and saw the film, so I suppose this Bergman source film seemed less unknown than his others. And, by the way, after seeing Smiles, I appreciate even more how nicely Sondheim et al adapted this film.) True to Criterion's high standards and TLC in presenting its films, Smiles looks as good as it must have when it was released almost fifty years ago. This light comedy involves several pairs of lovers who, for a variety of reasons, might be better off if the deck were shuffled and they ended up in another pairing. Aging actress, married lover; aging lawyer, too-young virgin wife; tortured soul son of lawyer, saucy maid temptress, and lawyer's too-young virgin wife; wife of military man who knows husband has mistresses, including the aging actress. Shuffle the deck a few times and a lot can happen in a movie with characters such as these. Sondheim wrote the entire score to A Little Night Music in waltz tempo, which perfectly captures the whirling intricacies of the relationships. Bergman started it all with a very entertaining and perfectly cast film, full of both comedy and the human dimension of mismatched people who may be investing too much energy in the wrong person. It all sounds confusing, but, trust me, you'll enjoy the heck out of this picture. If you think Bergman is just The Silence, Cries and Whispers and Winter Light, you're in for a real treat with SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT.

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Bergman's first major film, and the only comedy he ever made. This will blow your socks off (especially if you only know Bergman's later works).

It's a romp, a meditation on the unpredictability of life and emotions, a tribute both to perseverance and to capriciousness. The performances are flawless: engaging, complex, simultaneously light and profound.

It will make you wish Bergman had made more comedies: I've never seen another comedy that accomplishes this level of depth and vivacity, with pits of despair danced over, landing in a glorious, life-affirming ending.

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Ingmar Bergman directed a romantic comedy when he filmed Smiles of a Summer Night that is as playful as Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream and is set in a small scale backdrop of Renoir's Rules of the Game (1939). Despite the similarities of other stories Bergman creates a unique comedy that is full of conspiring intrigue as it revolves around a small number of characters at the turn of the century in a small Swedish town.

Fredrik Egerman (Gunnar Björnstrand), a successful middle-aged lawyer and former widower, has remarried with Anne (Ulla Jacobsson) who is at least twenty years younger than him. Fredrik's son, Henrik (Björn Bjelfvenstam), from his previous marriage, is of the same age as Anne and has recently arrived home from completing his theological examinations. Petra, the family maid, flirts with Henrik as he expresses his liking for the opposite sex. As a consequence, Henrik is struggling with an overwhelming inner guilt originating from his incapability to live by his lofty values stemming from his Christian faith. In addition, the prominent actress Desiree Armfeldt (Eva Dahlbeck), a previous lover to Fredrik, is performing at the town theater. Fredrik makes nightly visit to Desiree which puts him in harms way as Desiree's current lover, Carl Magnus (Jarl Kulle), a military officer known for his success in duels visits at the same time. However, this is just the beginning for all the predicaments that Fredrik is about to experience.

Smiles of a Summer Night is a well-written comedy with several subplots that drive the main theme, love, forward as it displays Bergman's wide range of story telling. Bergman displays a simple story which becomes complex as the characters are continually dishonest. It is the profound level of deceitfulness in the story that produces intrigue and brings about the comedy. As the final scene fades away in memory, the audience has gone through a first class cinematic experience that will lighten and enlighten those who participated.

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Tales That Witness Madness (1973)

Fans of "THE TWILIGHT ZONE", "TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE", and other horror anthologies will relish this ghoulishly entertaining four part horror film. The movie opens at an asylum in England run by Donald Pleasance who has just recently solved four fascinating cases. This leads to the four patients relating in flashbacks the shocking stories that led them to be brought to the asylum. The first tale, "Mr. Tiger", is about a boy who introduces his bickering parents to his IMAGINARY pet tiger. In "Penny Farthing", an old-fashioned bicycle sends its owner back in time to unveil a horrible crime. The third and best segment, "Mel", stars the beautiful and sexy Joan Collins as a housewife who finds herself competing with her husband's beloved pet tree! And the fourth and final segment, "Luau", is a riveting tale of voodoo and cannibalism featuring Kim Novak as a mother who is better off not knowing what's for dinner. A crazy compilation, but each tale is well-presented and strangely entertaining. A must for fans of way-out horror films. Directed by Freddie Francis reponsible for another equally creepy '70's mystery/horror anthology movie, the original TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

TALES THAT WITNESS MADNESS brings us four tales of terror, helmed by reputable horror director Freddie Francis and released in 1973. HALLOWEEN's Donald Pleasance and the venerable British legend JACK HAWKINS frame the four tales with some kind of gibberish about Pleasance finding out the horrible "secrets" of four mental patients. The first is a little boy whose invisible tiger takes an intense dislike to his bickering parents (including Broadway's Georgia Brown in a surprisingly banal performance); Peter McEnery and Suzy Kendall fare a little better in the muddled, but spooky, tale of a bicycle that takes McEnery into the past, for what purpose, I never figured out; sultry Joan Collins and the bland Michael Jayston (NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA) play out a two-character drama about a wife jealous of her husband's new found "tree"; and the ever lovely Kim Novak overemotes her way through a lurid tale about human sacrifice and a particularly disturbing luau. More imaginative direction and some recasting might have made this a classic; however, as it is, it's fun to recapture the style of these horror movies of the 70s. Note that the score was done by Bernard Ebbinghouse, who helmed the Living Strings for several years in the 70s.

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Until some months ago , when i streamed this fun little anthology , i had forgotten it even existed . I LOVE all the horror anthology pictures made by both Amicus and Hammer studios . Agreed , some are better than others and several titles have quite modest charms to recommend them . With this release , the United States has only the wonderful DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS yet to be released on dvd/bd in our region 1 format . These various films are seldom actually very scary by today's standards . They have history , assorted constaints , casts , writers , directors and so forth distilled into each delightful time capsule though . If retro horror fun IS your cup of tea ?

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Old fashioned and badly titled! Would never have gotten it had I know what it actually was about! Old stories that were quite predictable

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I didn't particularly enjoy this one. Maybe even an another night, but it did nothing for me. I still think it's the type of movie you should give a chance, it might be you.

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Serious Moonlight (Widescreen Edition) (2009)

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)It's been a full two decades since Meg Ryan emerged from a series of background girlfriend roles to become America's Sweetheart in 1989's When Harry Met Sally..., but in this strangely conceived 2009 comedy, she still has that undeniable twinkle in spite of all the age-defying cosmetic alterations to her face. The screenplay is the last work of the late actress Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed, and co-starred in 2007's agreeably idiosyncratic Waitress, and what they have in common is her supple dexterity in balancing the off-kilter elements of her stories into something deeper. This time, she takes a darker, less whimsical path in exposing the insidious nature of a marriage that has dissipated from a lack of communication. Her "Waitress" co-star Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) takes the helm in her directorial debut, and her lack of experience may attribute to the fact that it feels more like a filmed stage play despite Nancy Schreiber's expert cinematography.

The brief story focuses on married couple, Louise and Ian, on a day when they unexpectedly cross paths at their bucolic vacation home. A high-powered fortyish attorney, she comes home to find her house showered romantically with rose petals and Ian writing a Dear Jane letter to her. He has decided after thirteen years of marriage that he wants a divorce, so he can rendezvous with his 24-year-old girlfriend Sarah in Paris. Unwilling to accept that her marriage has gone kaput, Louise inadvertently knocks him out with a flower pot and takes advantage of his unconsciousness in order to duct tape him to a chair until he relents. This is the beginning of a roundelay in which they spar about the merits of their marriage. Ian spends most of the 84-minute running time stuck on the toilet as he faces one humiliation after another. Even though Louise exhibits vaguely sociopathic behavior, she does not represent the only threat to Ian.

There is a nasty twist to the story in the form of an interloper that turns their vituperative cat-and-mouse game into a game of survival. The open ending doesn't quite satisfy, although the implications that it raises lends texture to what has gone on before. Ryan acquits herself well as Louise, and although it's not remarkable work, it shows that the actress could thrive into middle-age with her fizzy spirit intact. She manages to give heart to the tenacious hold her character has on her flailing marriage. In a welcome big-screen return as Ian, Timothy Hutton does what he can under a lot of duct tape in a mostly passive role with moments of vented exasperation, while Kristin Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) shows surprising grit as Sarah, especially toward the end when the women grapple on the bathroom floor. Justin Long provides a menacing edge to the smallish role of the lawn-mowing low-life. More than Hines' workmanlike direction, Shelly's somewhat uneven screenplay offers enough dark elements to make the contrived set-up worth accepting for the sake of the unfolding story she wanted to tell.

This is an interesting and fun movie. I love watching both Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton so my review is a bit biased. The acting is good from both actors and seeing Meg Ryan play a psycho in the beginning is worth it. If you've seen the movie French Kiss with Ryan and Hutton you can imagine what could have happened if she had not meet Luke (Kevin Kline's character). Interestingly enough her character in this movie is not all that different. The plot and story is not something new. It reminds me of The Ref like another reviewer said. It's not the best performances from either actor and Hutton's new show (Leverage is a good example of what he can do).

The problem with this type of movie is that it tries to be a comedy but the themes are sad and too strong and overtakes the comedy. I dives into the emotional states of the characters then jumps to a comedic point. In that sense its not that great a movie. But if you like watching these actors and don't mind a story that's a little tired you'll have a good time. One more thing, Ryan has uncanny accuracy with flower pots!

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In this story of a marriage on the skids between Louise (Meg Ryan), a high-powered Manhattan attorney, and her husband of thirteen years, Ian (Timothy Hutton), a strange and dark episode unfolds and halts Ian's plans to run away with his girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell).

It all takes a turn when Ian announces his plans to leave her, and Louise reacts by deciding to hold him captive until they can work on their marriage.

Then she goes out to run some errands, and when she returns, she finds that a gardener has stolen most of their belongings, and when he sees Louise, he also ties her up. Soon they are joined by the girlfriend, who is wondering why Ian didn't meet her at the airport--and you guessed it, she ends up with duct tape as well.

What happens next turns this very dark comedy on its ear. Do you think that the warring spouses will make up? Will we find out that something quite unexpected has been going on?

I know I was stunned by the ending to Serious Moonlight (Widescreen)...and that's all I'm saying about it.

Five stars.

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[Anyone who dislikes this movie I'm guessing you've never been married. You just don't get it!] I'm in my late 30's, and have been married 6 years, to a wonderful man. I really enjoyed Serious Moonlight. I could relate to it, and where the wife was coming from. Upset at your husband? No need to yell, scream, holler, get revenge. Instead... grab the duct tape! Serious Moonlight was different. Creative. Unexpected.

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"Why did you ever love me?" Louise asks her husband, Ian. Ian was in the midst of leaving his wife for his girlfriend Sarah until Louise comes home from work and stops him. Louise devises an intervention to get her husband back. She holds him hostage in the restroom while showing him an array of wedding clips. The dialogue between the strained couple is very truthful, which I'm sure most couples can relate to. The lawnmower man came into the house while Louise was in the kitchen and proceeded to rob the place. Sara the younger other woman comes in during the fiasco and gets the privilege of getting duct taped. There certainly was lot of tension when Sara comes in to find Louise sitting on Ian's lap. I enjoyed the brief moments where the gold fish was shown in between moments. Then it dies when the bowl is knocked over. It is a sign of a broken bond. I liked Justin Long's performance here. It's the best I've seen from him. His character, the robber, made a lot of sense too. His theory: A husband promises a woman to love her for life. When the husband fails to do that he is indeed a failure. All in all, men cheat because of something inside themselves they are not satisfied with. It's very easy for men to move on with their "rational" sense of thinking. Although, I think if a couple was together for as long as Ian and Louise, they should recall the point as to why they married in the first place, especially at that age. Anyhow, it was a perfect setup on Louise's part and she got what she wanted from the foo. Perfect mix of humor and darkness. Good film over all.

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The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Ah... there's nothing quite like sitting back and spending an afternoon watching a series of sophomoric jokes, uproarious site gags, and ample naked breasts to make just make the time fly by. The team of Zucker/Abrahms(sp?), that wacky team that done brung (poor grammar is intentional here) you great films like "Airplane" first cut their teeth on a sketch comedy forum they called "The Kentucky Fried Theater". By having the audacity to go places that Saturday Night Live and their censors could only dream about, the Brothers Zucker and Jim Abrahms were able to create raunchy, racy, and hilarious sketchy comedy. In the late 1970's they finally made the big leap and took their `talents' the big screen with the cult hit "The Kentucky Fried Movie".

"...Movie" is a somewhat uneven compilation of sketch comedy that is crafted in the Monty Python mold. Don't let the uneven aspect deter you, though. When "Kentucky Fried Movie" hits its targets, it makes for some of the funniest and most titillating comedy on film. One of the raunchiest skits is a `promo' for an upcoming movie called "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble". The shameless display of naked females, graphic (but, humorous) sex, and crude humor make this sketch one of the all-time classics. Even people who have never seen "The Kentucky Fried Movie" know about this famous sketch. There are some other fairly inspired bits in this film, including another extremely raunchy skit called "Eyewitness News (Nudes?)" where a young couple gets quite amorous while watching the evening news. "Cleopatra Schwartz" which pairs a Hassidic rabbi with a Pam Grier-type as a crime fighting couple seems just plain wrong, but is just plain funny. Other skits like the `Feel-O-Rama' movie theater and `Big Jim Slade's love record' are quite funny.

However, the true crown jewel of this movie is an inspired spoof of the old Bruce Lee movies called "Fistful of Yen". By far the longest sketch, it also packs the most comedic punch per square inch. The Bruce Lee type character must break into an evil criminal mastermind's palace and rescue a damsel in distress. This mastermind has a secret weapon, a prosthetic arm that looks like it was made by Snap-On Tools. Nothing is spared in this set. Shots are taken ridiculously sexual names that are given to Asian characters in these movies; the easy duping of an `expert' bodyguard is spoofed; and, even Detroit is spared no punches. For me, the most hilarious aspect is the criminal mastermind's palace `alarm system'. When you see it, you will know what I mean. This one sketch, alone, makes the movie worthwhile. The shameless amount of raunchiness doesn't hurt, either. If you're curious about how the deranged minds that created "Airplane" got their start, or just enjoy a good film that seems to have been the inspiration for every sex comedy to come along since, then "The Kentucky Fried Movie" will be time well spent.

This midnight movie staple is a great example of (dirty) skit comedy. Another in the great line of quotable movies, there are some skits that are extraoridinarily funny. The "Fist Full of Yen" is so good you will find that you will want to build a Martial Arts Army of Extra-Ordinary Magnitude.

Some of the humor is not for everybody, as it is very sexually explicit. There is a great deal of nudity, so it is definitely not appropriate for the kiddies. But if you find early Saturday Night Live or Monty Python funny, you will definitely get a kick out of this picture. You will certainly never see the Evening News the same again. There are parts of this movie that do not hold up to time and some of the humor falls flat, but most of the skits are timeless and the slow parts are few and far between. Plus, the 70's wardrobe and music are funny, in and of itself.

People from Big Jim Slade the former tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs to all the Catholic High School Girls in Trouble recommend this movie, and so do I. It is very funny.

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Wildly unevenly funny spoof of movies and TV from the team of John Landis and Zucker-Abrams-Zucker, who went on to do Airplane and the Naked Gun franchises.

KFM is notable for its crass humor, celebrity cameos and several unrelated bits. Most of the bits are short and some aren't very funny anymore (Bill Bixby's Headache Clinic and Henry Gibson's United Appeal for the Dead are notable in the aspect, although it is great to see the former "alive again"). Working better are the movie spoofs from "Samuel L. Bronkowitz". The classic is "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble", with its gratuitous nudity and inane jokes. "That's Armageddon" (with Donald Suterhland as the clumsy waiter" )is a great parody of and would probably be better than the future movie of a similar title. ZAZ also use the Bronkowitz name in their later movies.

The centerpiece of the movie is Evan Kim in "A Fistful of Yen", which is part Kung Fu Movie, part adventure movie and part Wizard of Oz (this begins with Dr. Klon melting a la the Wicked Witch of the West and ends with Kim as Dorothy, complete with Auntie Em, Toto, and a very familiar figure from Klon's Mountain.) This sketch comes complete with the evil villain ( Klon, who has a number of attachments such as a hair dryer to an artifical hand), a damsel in distress (Anna) and Kim as the hero. Of course, Kim gets to use his kung fu skills to kill about 50 or 60 men. Pay attention to the end, when Kim returns to Kansas. Some of his dialgoue finds its way into the credits of a future ZAZ movie. Also used in in the future Airplane is the basketball bit, only this time it is martial arts fighters playing basketball instead of aborigines.)

Another longer form sketch is "Courtroom" a black and white parody of the 1950's court shows (and better than the ones on TV today). This is replete with Tony Dow and Jerry Zucker as Wally and Beaver Cleaver, a morph into "What's My Line", and Steven Stucker as a gay court reporter, a role he would revise twice in the Airplane films. Colin Male, who was the reporter on the old Divorce Court, appears as the reporter in this spoof. Incidentally, Male's character is named "Steven McCrosky", a name that ZAZ would later use in Airplane. Also used again in Airplane is the character named "Rex Kramer".

Paying their usual homage to sports, the two opposing attorneys in Courtroom are named "Hornug" and "Taylor". No doubt inspired by Green Bay Packers greats Paul Hornug and Jim Taylor.

Some of the other bits include "Eyewitness News" where a news team watches a couple having sex, a spoof of the Today show (with Academy Award winning makeup artist Rick Baker as a gorilla) and a science film showing that zinc oxide is in everything.

ZAZ and Landis were just warming up for their future endeavors and while KFM is very uneven, it gives us a glimpse of the genius that was yet to come.

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From the guys who brought you the hilarious "Airplane" and the unintentionally funny "Ghost" and "First Knight" and John Landis, director of "Animal House" and "Blues Brothers," this is one hilarious movie. It's crude, it's sloppy, it's rude and wildly inconsistent, but when it's rolling it will actually injure you with laughter.

"KFM" is the evil mutant lovechild of Mad Magazine and the underground video movement that also spawned the original "Saturday Night Live." It features parodies of everything from commercials to those incredibly boring films your teachers made you watch in class when they felt too downtrodden by their crappy pay to actually make a lesson plan. The film's centerpiece is a pitch-perfect Bruce Lee/"Enter the Dragon" parody called "A Fistful of Yen" that devolves into a "Wizard of Oz" parody.

Features no budget, no stars (although Donald Sutherland makes a non sequitor cameo) and about 5 million laughs. Buy it, rent it, own it, dream it. Dare to live it.

Want The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) Discount?

THE KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE is a series of sketches that lampoon various venues of its day: industrial training films, television commercials, news shows, martial arts flicks, and talk shows--in fact, it is very much like the original SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. But while being on the big screen means the film can go a lot further than SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE ever could on television, KFM doesn't have the same level of talent behind it. When you add in the dated quality of the humor, the result is very hit or miss indeed.

The film originated when two brothers and their best friend--David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams--created a live show called "Kentucky Fried Theatre," and it proved such a hit that the three took the show to Los Angeles, where they managed to interest director John Landis and producer Robert Weiss in turning the whole thing into a low-budget film. Filmed with a no-name cast interspersed with cameos by Bill Bixby, Donald Sutherland, and Henry Gibson, KFM became the surprise hit of 1977.

Some of it holds up extremely well, most notably the "movie trailers" for such imaginary no-class explotation films as CATHOLIC HIGHSCHOOL GIRLS IN TROUBLE and CLEOPATRA SCHWARTZ, both of which will probably have film buffs screaming with laughter. And then there is a sketch which has a couple making love according to directions issued by a phonograph record, an instructional film on the uses of zinc oxide, a wicked take-off on "Point/Counterpoint," and a still darker take-off on television public service announcement--all of them a hoot and half.

But when the film falters, it falls with a thud. Fans of Bruce Lee will probably appreciate the film's centerpiece more than I did, a twenty-minute take-off on martial arts films called "A Fistful of Yen;" I myself thought it would be more amusing if it were half as long. The "Feel-Around" selection was a clever idea that never actually took off, and really much the same can be said for most of the sketches. Some of it is a matter of datedness: what was topical in 1977 doesn't necessarily have a great deal of relevance for a contemporary viewer. Some of it is shock-humor that doesn't shock any more because it has been done so often and so much better. But even so, and while the film as a whole is perhaps best approached as a cultural artifact, it's still worth a look--particularly if you like such films as AIRPLANE, THE NAKED GUN, ANIMAL HOUSE, and THE BLUES BROTHERS, all of which were created by various members of the crew that originally created KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE.

As for the DVD, the film quality is as good as it gets (and you should remember it wasn't great to begin with), and it offers the option of viewing the film in either widescreen or pan-and-scan--but the bonuses that seem so intriguing are actually less interesting than you might expect. The "behind the scenes" home movies and stills are actually rather dull, and as for the commentary... well, it sounds like the DVD package producers got the Zuckers, Abrahams, Landis, and Weiss together, gave them a couple of beers, and turned on the movie. They clearly haven't seen the film in quite a long time, spend a great deal of time trying to remember the names of the actors, and generally yuk it up. Now and then it is amusing and even informative, but on the whole it isn't greatly memorable one way or another. On the whole, I do recommend the DVD as a curiosity--and it would be a great party film--but this isn't one that you're likely to replay a great deal.

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Penny Points To Paradise / Let's Go Crazy (2009)

The heavy-handed early films of the Goons do not live up to the radio series. But, what the heck, here they are on screen in two historically interesting and entertaining films. The elusive short film "Let's Go Crazy" is amusing and I was thrilled to at long last find a video copy. Favourite line. When the waitress asks Sellers (in one of several roles in the film), "What would you say to a little fish", Sellers replies, "I would say 'hello little fish'."

"Penny Points to Paradise" could have been much better with a funnier script, more ad libs and the inventive direction of, say, a Richard Lester, a Charles Chrichton or a Basil Dearden. Never mind, it's wondeful to see the Goons on screen in their early days and it is amusing.

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The Truman Show (1998)

I have never been a huge fan of Jim Carrey movies, so when The Truman Show came out, I quickly wrote it off as not one I was going to rush out to see. I shouldn't have. Fortunately, I got the chance to see it at a friend's house, and I can honestly say that it left me speechless and amazed at the brilliance of the film. First of all, Jim Carrey excells in this role. I find him to be a very funny man in real life, but his wacky roles in previous movies (Ace Ventura, Dumb & Dumber...you know them) don't appeal to me at all. BUT, in this role, he shows that he is way more than a go-to weirdo or funnyman. The emotion and the vulnerability he brings to the naive Truman Burbank only improves as the movie goes on. Watching this man crack as the only world he knows begins to slowly betray him and the intensity of his attempts to discover what else is beyond his hidden cage is moving in a way that few movies can convey successfully.

This movie is more than just about watching Truman Burbank find out the truth of his televised life, but it is a stunning portrayal of humanity. Truman's world was created by Christof (the always wonderful Ed Harris) to be what is considered "perfection." Christof is like God in the Seahaven world. He makes every choice for the world, including the weather and even Truman's fears...but Christof cannot change the one thing that noone can manipulate--Truman's thoughts. Truman is given the perfect wife, a brotherly bestfriend, a steady job, and a life in a world that exists without pain, sadness, or evil. But the world is a cage. The movie shows that stability is not perfection, ignorance is not bliss, and a life without ALL emotions--including sadness, fear, and pain--could never exist. Even without knowing that he is trapped, Truman feels the need to escape his "perfect" life and to see what else there is beyond the utopia that is Seahaven Island. It is a perfect display of our quest for the unknown, unsatisfaction with just mundane existence, and our interest in what normality really is.

When you watch this movie, you will become just like the viewers in the movie who are watching Truman. You will root for him, cry for him, and laugh with (or at) him. His is truly a reality show that I hope that never is created for real...but we ARE humans, so who knows how we'll try to play God next...

P.S. The score to the movie is absolutely gorgeous.

Before the absurd reality shows took the airwaves by storm, director Peter Weir and writer Andrew Niccol imagined the world of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey). Adopted and placed in a soundstage build to resemble a small American town Seahaven, Truman discovers that his life is nothing more than a TV show full of product placement. Truman discovers his friends, family and the world he lives in is nothing more than a construct. The first clue occurs when a flood light used to illuminate the massive soundstage where Truman lives falls into the middle of the street. When Truman wants to leave the small town he lives in and go to Fiji the TV show that is when his life begins to fall apart. Although Weir didn't write the film it deals with a subject common to his films; an individual who literally is an outsider in his own world. It's also about deception. Truman like most of Weir's protagonist discovers a web of deceit that corrupts his own world.

A brilliant film that finds Weir ("Witness", "The Year of Living Dangerously", "Picnic At Hanging Rock") in top form, it's amazing that this Oscar nominated film didn't pick up Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Writer and Best Director it was that good. Instead, the Academy rewarded "The Truman Show" like it does any film made by a Hollywood outsider-with a few awards recognizing the brilliance of the film and then settling into sublime mediocrity for the rest of the awards. There are clever visual references to Patrick MacGoohan's "The Prisoner" TV series woven into the visual motif of the film.

Featuring a stunning anamorphic transfer, "The Truman Show" looks nearly perfect. Paramount has done a terrific job with this new edition. Colors are vibrant and bright and the image quality is amazingly sharp and crystal clear. The 5.1 sound mix makes nice use of the format with imaging placed around the speakers.

We get a two part documentary that can either be played separately or as one. Weir, Carrey, Lara Linney and Noah Emmerich appear in interviews in the documentary. Curiously, the only person missing is writer Andrew Niccol. I'm not sure why Niccol doesn't appear in the film (perhaps he wasn't happy with some of the changes that Weir did but they work brilliantly). The fact that it closely resembles elements from Philip K. Dick's "Time Out of Joint" is also not addressed as well. The two part documentary runs about 40 minutes. The first part of the documentary focuses on the genesis of the film and some of the changes that occurred before the film was shot. The second part of the film focuses on pre-production through critical reception. This includes information on the wealthy beach community Seaside, Florida that DIDN'T want them to shoot there.

We also get four deleted/extended scenes that provide additional information and background on the story. While they aren't essential, they are pretty fascinating to watch. There's also original theatrical trailers, TV spots and previews for other Paramount releases.

A terrific film that was overlooked at Oscar time for far lesser films, "The Truman Show" catches Weir and his collaborators in top form. It's ironic that 10 years later the "reality show" world that was predicted came true (although not on this scale). The transfer looks terrific and the extras are certainly superior to the previous release on DVD. Definitely worth purchasing if you are a fan of Weir's work or just this movie!

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Nobody will ever accuse the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of having common sense or good taste. I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why this film was beat out by "Shakespeare in Love", and why Jim Carey, who turned in the best performance of his career in "The Truman Show", wasn't even nominated for best actor.

The plot of this movie is simple enough-Jim Carey plays a young man whose entire life has been entertainment for the rest of the world. He dares to reach beyond the giant bubble which is his universe to see what's out there, only to be foiled.

Of particular note is the scene toward the end of the film where Truman reaches the end of the dome shaped studio and is told by Christoph (Ed Harris) about his world. This stands out as one of the most magical scenes in an extraordinary motion picture.

I realize that this movie isn't for everyone (my wife, for one, didn't particularly like it), but Carey's performance alone justifies the purchase of this video. He displays a vulnerability and childlike fascination that is unlike anything I've ever seen. A very good supporting cast includes the shamefully overlooked Ed Harris, as well as Laura Linney.

"The Truman Show" is one of the most brilliant and overlooked motion pictures ever made. The ersatz "Ed TV", which followed a similar plot, doesn't begin to approach the craftsmanship of "The Truman Show". Hopefully, the Academy will make up for their slight of Jim Carey with "Man on the Moon, which appears to be his second acting tour de force.

Read Best Reviews of The Truman Show (1998) Here

When I first saw this movie in the theater, I soon came to the realization that many of the viewers could not comprehend that Jim Carrey was starring in a dramatic role. They assumed that his innocence and happiness was the common Jim Carrey-goofiness, and unfortunately they overlooked the most brilliant aspect of Carrey's acting. Truman Burbank was brought up in a perfect world, and for this reason, Carrey portrays him as happy, yet not quite satisfied with his life. Every time Carrey smiles to his neighbors, his friends, or his wife, you can see a true emptiness within his eyes that only talented actors can produce. The Truman Show also has a wonderful supporting cast with the performances of Ed Harris, Laura Linney, and Natascha Mcelhone. My personal favorite was Laura Linney, who portrayed the perky wife/obsessed actress whose job it was to live with a man whom she couldn't stand, not to mention act as an advertiser for the show's sponsors. While the performances in the movie were superb, the plot undoubtedly unveils the greatness of this film. Packed full of philosophical inquiry and the realization that no one can be sure of the assumed truth around them, this film leaves the audience thinking about their own worlds long after they have left the theater or shut off the VCR. This kind of reaction to a movie does not happen often, and when it does, it is clear that the film is a true original.

Want The Truman Show (1998) Discount?

Almost every time I mention The Truman Show as a favorite movie I endure stares of confusion followed by statements such as "how could you have LIKED this? It wasn't even FUNNY!"

Of course it wasn't funny! This is nearly the DARKEST, most paranoia-inducing concept I can imagine for a film. Truman's wife, his best friend, and the Almighty-like Christof are diabolical, cash-driven thieves of a good heart and gentle soul. They will stop at nothing to keep Truman in their sick version of "REAL".

Sure, Carrey does manage to pull a couple of wry laughs-which are truly profound statements of his growing disgust with his created world. We laugh, even as we're crying as Truman learns of the nature of his life for thirty years.

Jim Carrey is brilliant in this largely-overlooked film, and those of us who looked beyond his capabilities as Fire Marshal Bill certainly realize this. There is no one else who could have portrayed Truman Burbank so perfectly.

The musical score is also tremendous. It wrings every intended emotion out of the audience.

Was nothing real? Jim Carrey WAS real. This is a triumphant movie. I remain in stunned disbelief this film was overlooked for Oscar nomination. This movie continually fights with Shawshank for the Number One rank on my favorites list.

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A Star Is Born (2013)

A blockbuster at the time of it's original release (it was the second-highest grossing film of 1976), the third screen version of A STAR IS BORN has always divided critics and fans alike. The film open to scathingly negative reviews, however, $5.6 million-budgeted picture went on to gross over $150 million at the box office and won an Academy Award and five Golden Globes. It's not without some irony that Streisand's most commercially successful film would also remain her most controversial. For every ten fans who state that STAR is Streisand's best film, there are always ten more who claim it is the weakest film in her filmography. Although both sides have some merit to support their claims, it should still be noted that the seventies take on A STAR IS BORN remains one of the most touching and highly entertaining showbiz dramas that Hollywood ever produced. For my money, it's the best version of the often-told tale.

The film is solidly enjoyable and throughly absorbing. Changing the setting from the old Hollywood studio system to the competitive world of the music industry was actually a great idea, and the screenplay forges a realistic contrast between the characters' romance and their careers. This is the main area that the 1976 version of A STAR IS BORN actually surpasses it's classic predecessors. For example, the film is especially successful when depicting the clashing personal and professional difficulties during recording sessions and the never-ending phone calls that interrupt Kristofferson's songwriting attempts. This version of the story is also more believable in it's portrayal of the lead characters. For example, the female leads in the two previous versions were so virtuous and self-sacrificing that they came off as saints. On the other hand, Esther, the female lead in this version, is not only portrayed as being strong and passionate, but also flawed and conflicted. This makes her feel more real than the Janet Gaynor or Judy Garland characters felt in the previous films, and makes the story that much more effective.

The performances are all on target, even though the supporting characters aren't fleshed out enough. If you're looking for an actress/singer who can walk the fine line between tough and vulnerable without making herself seem like a script contrivance, Streisand is definitely the girl you want. She's one of the few film stars who can make even the most banal dialogue seem fresh and natural, and, as usual, she manages to make a strong emotional connection with the viewer. Simply put, her Esther is a fully-realized, three-dimensional human being. Kris Kristofferson may not get much respect now for his laid-back characterization, however, he's always interesting watch and displays a magnetic charisma here that he seldom displayed elsewhere in his career. Kristofferson actually received rave reviews at the time from Newsweek, Time, and even the New Yorker's usually vicious Pauline Kael. Gary Busey and Paul Mazursky also give believable performances, but both have a fairly minimal amount of screentime.

The film's soundtrack recording was also a massive success, hitting the #1 on Billboard's Hot 200 and selling over four million copies in the US alone. The Streisand-composed "Evergreen" (with lyrics from Paul Williams) is unarguably one of the most gorgeous songs in contemporary pop, brought to even-further life by an absolutely incomparable vocal performance from Streisand. The rest of the film's original songs (mostly composed by Williams and Rupert Holmes) are pretty good as well, and Streisand sounds fantastic her live solo numbers remain in the memory long after the rest of the movie has faded. Streisand's vibrant performances bring "Woman In The Moon" and "With One More Look At You" to thrilling life, and make even sillier numbers like "Queen Bee" work far better than they have the right to. Kristofferson's solo numbers sound somewhat tuneless, however, that may have been intentional since he is playing a singer in decline.

Though naturally dated in some respects (it definitely does reflect the decade in which it was made), the seventies take on A STAR IS BORN still holds up remarkably well. The film is well-mounted and slickly produced, the chemistry between the leads is extremely powerful and always feels genuine, and Streisand has two emotional scenes near the finale that are both aching effective. In conclusion, A STAR IS BORN is not only entertaining and moving, but it also transcends all criticism.

DVD UPDATE (12-6-06): The A STAR IS BORN DVD is finally here after several delays, and it was worth the wait. The picture quality is well above average, and is very film-like. Sure, there are the usual tale-tale signs that mar all films from the seventies (namely grain and inconsistent sharpness), but the transfer is great for a catalogue title that is over the 30 years old. The 5.1 sound is exceptional even by modern-day standards.

As far as supplements, Streisand's commentary is informative and entertaining, although I would have loved to hear Kristofferson join her on at least some scenes. The wardrobe test reel is good fun, and the 12 deleted/alternate scenes are great to have. I wish that the promotional television special "With One Look at You" and Streisand's thrilling performance of "Evergreen" from that year's Oscar telecast had also been included, but perhaps Warner Home Video could not secure the rights. All in all, with great picture, exceptional sound, and a healthy portion of supplements, the A STAR IS BORN DVD was well worth waiting for.

I highly recommend the disc to Streisand fans who will relish Barbra's full-length film commentary, 16 minute of additional scenes (many previously unseen), and original wardrobe test footage. Of course, the movie itself in all of its remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack glory sounds and looks as vibrant and possibly even better than it played in cinemas. The musical numbers and theatrical lighting are exceptional and features some truly classic Streisand singing on stage. With the inclusion of Barbra's complete humming and acoustic guitar rendition of "Evergreen," we finally have the opportunity to enjoy an otherwise unused musical number. Even her commentary is enlightening, revealing that Kristofferson had a first shot at the song's lyrics but didn't submit them until just a few years ago when he sent Barbra a framed copy. Among the deleted footage is Barbra applying lipstick to KK in the bathtub scene where she admits being comfortable enough with him from earlier years to forego anything covering her chest. Indeed, she first met KK at L.A.'s Troubador club escorted by manager Marty Erlichman whose virtues she frequently praises in the commentaries. In her discussion during the film Barbra recalls being certain she wanted to become a film director during A Star Is Born's shooting, as she often made suggestions to KK between takes and thought the movie's director Frank Pierson cut the camera prematurely. After directing three films, Barbra recently declined ASIB producer Jon Peters's recent invitation to direct an upcoming ASIB remake. Her commentary also details her music composing resume back to "Ma Premiere Chanson," admitting that winning an Oscar for composing "Evergreen" is the biggest thrill of her career. She wants to release another set of unreleased songs, including recordings made with Leon and Mary Russell in their home. In the commentary Barbra identifies her antique clothes worn in the film and says "People look great in black...you listen to them better." Of course, her 2006 concert wardrobe is almost exclusively black. She also engages in thoughtful analyses of the importance for her of being in the moment when capturing performances on film, especially her singing. Barbra elaborates how choices were made for the film's finale and even calls attention to her runny nose quite candidly and humorously. Concluding, she remembers ASIB as "a satisfying work experience," and that's how I would describe this DVD, perhaps more than satisfying yet not completely satisfying. Missing is the excellent Barbra: With One More Look At You TV program on the making of the movie, copies of which have circulated among fan-collectors for years. The DVD would also be enhanced and appear more complete by a collection of photo stills, especially the famous Scavullo poster session, a staple on nearly all DVDs. Including the original 4-minute theatrical trailer for ASIB as well as those for the previous two Star films with Garland and Gaynor is a nice touch.

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(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)Thirty years after its initial release, the third version of "A Star Is Born" finally comes to DVD in a package that should please the most devoted fans of Barbra Streisand. That would include me since I just saw her in concert singing among other numbers, the feminist anthem "Woman in the Moon" from this 1976 film. Easy to dismiss, the movie's career-polarizing story is such a sturdy pile of Hollywood-style clichés that variations of it exist in other films including Streisand's own "Funny Girl". This time reset to the then-contemporary music scene, the timeworn plot follows self-destructive rock star John Norman Howard on his deep-dive career descent just as he meets club singer Esther Hoffman who is awaiting her big break.

Troubles dog their courtship from the outset, as John Norman (both names please) responds to grasping fans and bloodless DJs with random acts of violence (from which he inexplicably escapes prosecution). To John Norman, Esther represents his last shot at happiness, and in turn, she is drawn to the innately decent, creative musician underneath the façade. In the movie's most pivotal scene, he gives Esther her big break at a benefit concert, and her career takes off. Inevitably, he can't handle the failure of his career in light of her meteoric success, and if you are familiar with any version of this story, you know the rest. Directed by Frank Pierson (although Streisand's budding directorial talents are obviously on display), the film still manages to draw me in, even though I know it is shamelessly contrived and manipulative. It still has a certain emotional resonance despite its numerous flaws.

Although Streisand in her prime seems like the ideal choice to play a rising singing star, her screen persona is simply too strong and predefined to play Esther credibly. The same can be said for her performing style since the script seems to make allowances for her softer Adult Contemporary-oriented material to be accepted within the otherwise hardened world of arena rock. From the moment she pops her head up as the middle of the Oreos, she can't help but come across as an established star. I can forgive the lapse simply because she is an unparalleled vocal talent, but what becomes less forgiving is how she makes Esther more strident than poignant when John Norman's woes become overwhelming. This creates an oddly discomfiting dynamic in the last part of the film when it becomes less about what caused the climactic event than Esther's response to it. This is capped off by an uninterrupted eight-minute close-up of her memorial performance great except when she regrettably mimics John Norman's style toward the end.

Kristofferson, on the other hand, gives a superb performance throughout, managing a level of honesty that grounds the film and makes palpable his concurrent feelings of love, pride and resentment toward Esther. He makes his vodka-soaked onstage growling work within this context. Otherwise, what always strikes me as strange about this version is how all the supporting characters are relegated to the background as if they didn't exist unless they were interacting with the two principals. The only ones who register are Paul Mazursky as John Norman's level-headed manager Brian and Gary Busey as his cynical band manager Bobbie. Veteran cameraman Robert Surtees provides a nice burnish to the cinematography though a level of graininess persists in the print. A big seller in its day, the soundtrack is a hodgepodge of different styles from the 1970's some songs still quite good ("Everything", "Woman in the Moon", "Watch Closely Now"), some that have moved to kitsch ("Queen Bee", Kenny Loggins' "I Believe in Love") and of course, the inescapable "Evergreen".

The print transfer on the 2006 DVD is clean and the sound gratefully crisp thanks to digital remastering. Streisand's participation is the chief lure of the extras beginning with her feature-length commentary. She gives insightful information about the genesis of the film, the casting and the reportedly troubled production. She is also refreshingly candid about the megalomania of Jon Peters, her hairdresser boyfriend who became the movie's producer, and her dissatisfaction with Pierson as a director. I just wish she could have provided more scene-specific comments that directly relate to what is onscreen. She also tends to repeat the same anecdotes when the mood strikes her, e.g., it gets tiring to hear for the third time how the person playing the chauffeur was a friend of Peters. I think having a second commentator could have drawn out other nuggets from her.

There is a wardrobe test reel that shows some amusing 1970's clothes, especially Kristofferson's mixed-fabric poncho and orange polyester shirt. There are also twelve deleted scenes included with Streisand's optional commentary. One is a comic bread-baking scene which reminded me how much I like Streisand in farcical comedies. Another is an extended scene in which she plays "Evergreen" on the guitar in front of an awestruck Kristofferson who then falls asleep. The most interesting is an alternate take on the musical finale incorporating fast cuts, which I agree with Streisand should have been used. Fittingly, the theatrical trailers for all three versions of "A Star Is Born" are also included.

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Why in the heck is this movie not out on dvd yet?? I've been waiting for years to own the disc!! It's such a classic love story of my time and I will never forget all of it's tender moments. I first saw it at it's premiere when I was 17 in Hollywood. After that I owned the music LP, now today the cd. I think the movie to this day is still as great as it was back then. Can you imagine hearing it come in on 5.1 surround? Aw nice!! Come on now, A Star Is Born fans are waiting!!!

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Originally scheduled for a December 2005 release, A STAR IS BORN was delayed by Warner Home Video with no definite release date revealed. Streisand fans are well aware that, out of her film career, only A STAR IS BORN and YENTL remain unreleased on DVD. (YENTL will be released by Sony, which bought MGM/UA's library ... again, no official date set for that one).

On February 21, 2006, reps from Warner Home Video chatted online at hometheaterforum.com. Of the delayed STAR IS BORN disc, they said: "The approval process on the '76 STAR IS BORN is taking longer than we had anticipated, but it's happening and will be worth it."

So, there is still no official release date, but at least they acknowledge they're working on it! Warner Home Video always does an excellent job on their DVD releases -A STAR IS BORN ('76) will certainly be no different. I am most excited to hear the 5.1 mix Dolby Digital mix of sound. (I reported alll of this over at my Streisand fan site, )

By the way, isn't this summer the 30th Anniversary of STAR IS BORN? It was released summer 1976 ... and this summer is 2006. That would certainly be a good selling point.

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Dark Star - Thermostellar Edition (Blu-ray) (1974)

A lot of people i know who are not aware that this film was originally released in 1975 fault it for being derivative, when, actually, if anything, the shoe is on the other foot.

Dan O'Bannon's special effects sequences are incredible, especially since the entire budget for the whole film wouldn't buy coffee for an effects house working on teevee commercials today; i am especially taken with the utterly convincing planet-buster bombs made from an HO-scale piggyback trailer turned upside down with engine parts from a 1/25th scale model car attached (if you look closely on a good copy you can still read the logo of the car manufacturer on the valve cover used as part of the bomb's drive mechanism).

So many great lines and sequences in this film -Pinback and the beachball and the elevator may exceed the Maximum Allowable Funny Quotient for a minor film, and Doolittle's conversation with the bomb (capable of destroying an entire planet) that plans to detonate right alongside the ship, as he leads it into beginning philosophy and convinces it that maybe it *didn't* really hear the "go" code...

The theme song, "Benson Arizona", one of the more warped contry songs one will ever hear, is a hoot; the original is by Carpenter and a lyricist whose name i have lost, and SF fans have been adding verses to it for years.

Watch for the "THX-1138" gag -for many years (if not still) the only time the *whole* title has been used in a film reference.

O'Bannon worked on special effects on the first "Star Wars" film, and basically borrowed his own "computer search of the blueprints" sequence from "Dark Star" for that film.

The basic design of the "Dark Star" itself is by Ron Cobb, background astronomical paintings by Jim Danforth, and the design of the crew's spacesuits is determined by the fact that they used a commercially-available toy spaceman for effects shots.

As an example of the sort of audience this film appeals to -it was briefly released theatrrically in the latter Seventies; a frind here in Atlanta went to see a matinee, and realised that the only other people in the dark with him were Joey Ramone and his girlfriend.

It's funny, as I read the other reviews, I struggled to think of something that wasn't said. I was especially tickled by the 1-star review by a guy who obviously didn't get it, and obviously hated it. I can certainly understand how someone would not like it, because it's not a film for everyone. It's very cerebral in parts, and really makes you concentrate to get the message between the lines. It's also very funny, very satirical, and for a low-budget sci-fi movie, the effects are occassionally very impressive. I've tried to show this film to friends who stare at the screen with their head cocked like a dog who has heard a high pitched squeak. It's an acquired taste, and if you're in the right frame of mind (and I don't necessarily mean under the influence of mind-altering substances), you'll love it. The country song "Benson Arizona" still makes me break into laughter alone. The talking bomb is one of the funniest characters to ever appear in a space movie, rivaling HAL and the robot in Fantastic Planet. Watch it with an open mind, and a room full of hard-core sci-fi fans and I think you'll come away pleased.

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So, I thought I would show this movie to my fiancee and a friend of hers, both of whom I would definitely say are picky and typically like the empty flashy movies that draw in money, but have no substance. She was laughing very loudly by the end (and so was her friend, by the way).

John Carpenter may be known for his other really big hits (Halloween, In the Mouth of Madness [his best, in my opinion], or Vampires), but before fame arrived, he was a student. This was his film. Along with co-conspirator Dan O'Bannon, the two made this student film with zero budget (the chest plate on the star suit is a muffin pan), until it was viewed by a producer. $60,000 and a few extra scenes later, it was released and immediately picked up a cult following. I first saw it on PBS, back in the days when they showed such classic films.

Funny, irreverent, and strikingly enough, deep and meaningful. Don't look for famous actors here, go rent a Bond flick for that. Look for insight into the human spirit, the plight of the isolated, and one of the most humorous sci-fi movies ever made! I highly recommend it for fans of a good comedy or science fiction flick. You won't be disappointed!

Read Best Reviews of Dark Star - Thermostellar Edition (Blu-ray) (1974) Here

This is just about the only Hollywood film to recognize the fact that interstellar communication is limited to the speed of light, that artificial personalities may be less than cheerfully subservient, and that deep space exploration may not neccessarily attract the best and the brightest of the human race. Naturally, this is not a movie for everyone. It's very much like a film-school film, but like one made by a couple of VERY talented students. It features a lot of dialogue that wavers between comedy and ironic philosophy, and never really settles on either end of the spectrum. A couple of the scenes involving the beachball er, alien were later worked into Alien and Aliens, some of the computer graphics were used in Star Wars, and the overeager and intelligent bomb concept forms a major theme in the entire Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I love it. But when I say it's not for everyone, I mean it. This is a film to watch with a bunch of serious science fiction lovers (and I'm not talking about Star Wars fans), or alone. You were warned.

Want Dark Star - Thermostellar Edition (Blu-ray) (1974) Discount?

Looks and sounds as expected. Decent upgrade from previous DVD releases.

Please Note: Amazon lists the "Special Features" as "None." Which is wrong. I believe it was changed because it initially stated that both the 68 min. student film, and 83 min. feature film version of the film, were each present on this release -and that isn't true. So they simply deleted that information and substituted "None" in the Special Features field. A common mistake made by Amazon. There "are" Special Features. They are the same as VCI's previous Hyperdrive DVD edition, and are as follows:

1. Let There Be Light: The Odyssey of Dark Star The Extended Version (feature length documentary in HD)

2. Audio commentary track by "super fan" Andrew Gilchrist

3. On-camera interview with science fiction author Alan Dean Foster (SD)

4. 3D Visual Guide to the Dark Star spaceship (SD)

5. An interview with actor Brian Narelle (Doolittle)(SD)

6. Text trivia

7. Original theatrical trailer.

** AGAIN: Missing from this edition is the shorter, 68 minute "student film" version of the film **

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