Reviews
Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942)
Good comments, Mike!
I have the movie and have watched it several times, but what I watch for is not the humor and not the plot. Johnny Weissmuller 'dives' off the cable supports of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is not a stunt double. This is not a special effect. This is an Olympic athlete 'diving' off the Brooklyn Bridge. I would score it an easy 9.5.
Get it. Watch it. Enjoy.
Thx, Dan
Moonlight (1982)
May it play again soon!
"Go around, man! What do you do, get paid by the beep?!" -- Victor Barbella, from under the hood of his car.
I saw this movie scheduled to play as a rerun back in the mid '80s. As there was nothing on the cable that I particularly wanted, I decided to record it. You see, I was in the military at the time and stocking up on films to take with me overseas. How apropos! Our hero for this little romp was born and raised in the streets of Little Italy, and here I am preparing for a trip to Big Italy.
I had made it my habit to record movies without watching them, giving me something to look forward to during my years out-of-country. This one, "Moonlight", got several overseas viewings -- as well as at home. With plot twists galore, and a most unfitting, and yet fitting, hero, played by a very memorable Anthony (Antony) Ponzini, he takes you on a grand tour of spy vs spy -- at layman level.
"E equals r square! Anything beyond that and I'm lost!" -- Victor Barbella's knowledge of Einsteinium physics, as shouted from his seat aboard the noisy Chinook helicopter.
The ever righteous Mr. White gives Victor Barbella (Antony) the lowdown on who's minding our nation's security in 1982. Looking at his history, it appears that Antony got his start in a little daytime drama soap called "General Hospital". The man is good and needs to do more -- much more. As for his boss and mentor, you may remember William Prince (playing the incomparable Mr. White, here) as Keyes in "Spies Like Us".
As for watching the movie, you've got three distinct levels of role playing here, and all done very, very well: Action; Suspense; Comedy. Rent the flick -- settle back -- enjoy the ride.
Who's Harry Crumb? (1989)
Hilarious. Get the movie and have a good evening.
Barry Corbin, as multi-millionaire (does this guy have any other roles?) P.J. Downing, performs as the mystified victim rather well, always surprised with Harry's (John Candy) easy wit and wisdom, never realizing for a moment that the man is just as lost as anyone else in this case. Comedy, per se, is not on the screen, but rather in the heart. As a man with an eidetic memory who couldn't sleuth his way out of an open phone booth, Harry Crumb cleverly deciphers the clues and incorrectly solves the case, which ends up releasing all the right answers and surprising himself more than anybody else. Harry Crumb is the greatest criminal investigator the world has ever known -- just ask his sidekick, Nikki Downing, the millionaire's youngest daughter, played by a very effective Shawnee Smith.
Family Business (1989)
A surprising story, complete with a sadly, happy ending . . .
Good acting. I was quite surprised with the end result. Three blockbusters with an excellent supporting cast.
Seeing that this was Connery and Hoffman, billed together with Broderick, I was expecting a real thriller. Ouch! Sitting way out in the audience, even I had to think. This film is a brain-teaser from start to finish, and gently plucks at the emotions. When you rent it, or go to see it, pay attention.
A criminal family, torn between right and wrong? How could this be?
Cute, innocent Victoria Jackson, as Christine, plays Matthew Broderick's, Adam's, fiancée, and is revealed to be someone even lower than this three-generation family of thieves.
Fascinating, ironic, clever, well done . . .
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
A marvelous experience, paralleled only by -- let's see, what else has Gilliam done . . . ?
From "And Now for Something Completely Different" through "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and all points in between, Gilliam seems to triumph through it all. This one, with the talented John Neville as the incomparable Baron von Münchhausen, is visually stimulating, artistically presented, and graphically ironic, while, at the same time, funny -- and just plain fun to watch. There is never a dull moment, with the incredible Berthold, the fasted human alive (Eric Idle); Gustavus, who can hear anything, anywhere, over any distance (Jack Purvis); the mighty Albrecht; the strongest man who ever lived (Winston Dennis); and sharpshooter Adolphus, who can even see beyond the horizon -- with clarity (Charles McKeown)! With people like this on your side, what could you possibly do??
How about if the five of you went and stopped a war -- cold?! What about getting a little crossed in your directions and sailing to the moon?! Sail away with the baron. Don't worry. It may be a bit frightening -- at first -- but he'll not allow any harm to befall you. And if you should happen to die -- ah, me -- well fear not. The goodly baron will see fit to battle Death himself for your soul's return -- well, barring incidents, of course .. .
Anyway, I was just watching this fabulously refreshing adventure (for about the twentieth time) with my youngest son and we had just seen him escape the clutches of Charin (Death), still at the beginning of the film, when I was paged and had to go in to the office (11 PM no less) and I thought, as long as I'm here, why not drop a line about the film.
A marvelous achievement, doubtless one which will be enjoyed by millions over and over again, and destined to become a classic (one that I think should be made mandatory viewing for any and all motion picture courses).
Firewalker (1986)
An enjoyable adventure
The special effects for this one are (what can I say?) missing, but the story-line is interesting, and the cast obviously had fun making this film.
The problem most viewers would have with this is that it's not a karate flick (sorry). No, this one is an adventure comedy. As for not being Abbott and Costello, nobody but the incomparable Bud Abbott and Lou Costello could be. What we have here are reluctant, but trusting, partners. This story revolves around a long-lost mythical treasure (Romancing the Stone?), guarded by a demigod with supernatural powers (Jewel of the Nile?).
Take the kids and have a good time.
The Naughty Nineties (1945)
Excellent, excellent, excellent . . .
If you want the complete, though edited, "Who's On First" script, here it is! ("I don't give a damn" is "I don't care" in this one). Henry Travers as good ol' Capt'n Sam Jackson of the River Queen is slipped a Mickey Finn and, in a crooked poker game, ends up losing control over the honestly-run river boat -- and losing it to 'shudder' dishonest gamblers.
One for the entire family. Watch the show, relax, and enjoy this glimpse of the 1890s (Well, for the boys that was only fifty years ago...).
The Last Starfighter (1984)
You got kids? Get the movie, pop a great big bowl of corn, and enjoy!
"Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontiers against Xur and the Kodan Armada..."
Is that how it went? I don't generally do this sort of thing, but . . . Oh, all right, I did. A few years after it was released, while living in Italy, I managed to rent the movie. "The Last Starfighter". Enjoyable. I liked the cover and so I took it home to watch it. Then I watched it as I re-recorded it to a blank tape. Then I watched it again -- all of five times that first day, and more the next. That tape is now quite faded, but still a good show, and just the other day, I picked up a legal copy and enjoy it all the more. Robert Preston had always been one of my favorites and, as Centauri, he was the best choice for that flamboyant, magnanimous, space privateering roll. If you see it in the rental, by all means get it. If you see it for sale, by all means buy it. Escape and, while you're at it, have some fun.
--Until the next adventure, Starfighter!
The Master Gunfighter (1975)
Not the greatest film in the world, but would definitely be worth the price of a rental . . .
I remember seeing this when it first came out. At the time, considering the year of 1975, it was looked upon as quite an adventurous film, with dash and charm. I haven't been able to find it since, and I have been searching. One dealer advised me that, since this was a made-for-TV movie, it was probably never released to video. A real pity, if true.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
There's not enough room on the Internet to critique this masterpiece of comedy!
Tania Rose and William Rose...
Are they related? This is amazing. Simply amazing. Did this incredible work of classic art actually come from only two heads? Well, I'm sure, as the comedy teams and soloists all crowded in to show off their stuff, there were rewrites galore, with approximately 80 different styles of handwriting as well! Everyone was shown with their best faces forward. There is nothing but talent in this film, and these people don't mind proving it.
Spencer Tracy, as Capt. Culpeper, tosses his hat out the window! Uncle Milty, as J. Russell Finch, has a seaweed farm! Sid Caesar's character, Melville Crump, "falls into yellow"! Buddy Hackett, as Benjy Benjamin, cannot fly a twin-engine Beechcraft! Ethel Merman, playing Mrs. Marcus, takes the car keys! Mickey Rooney is Ding Bell, and he's gets filibustered! Dick Shawn plays Sylvester Marcus, speeding to his Mama's rescue! Phil Silvers, as Otto Meyer, needs a canoe! Terry-Thomas, as J. Algernon Hawthorne, plays a foreigner! Jonathan Winters, as trucker Lennie Pike, levels a gas station -- by hand! Edie Adams is Monica Crump, trapped in a hardware store! Dorothy Provine gets to be Emmeline Finch in a biplane!
Not enough? Well, folks, it just gets better and better! And what started the whole mess? Why, Jimmy Durante, aka Smiler Grogan, 'kicked-the-proverbial-bucket', of course! But don't fret. The Three Stooges are on hand to assist as the airport's emergency crewmembers. Who could possibly ask for more? Well, I don't know either, but there's a lot more here!
Now, you wanna have some fun? Then sit back, enjoy -- and see how many faces you can name in this spectacular film event!