As an 18 year old back in 1977 I was a fan of the show and had read that Klugman refused to do the episode, and a guest actor was called in. The series aired on Friday nights and (for once) I had something to do that night (no DVRs yet and VCRs were about $1500). The next day I recall asking my mother how it was, and she said it was one of the best she had seen and was just fine without Klugman. I caught the episode when it was rerun and found it well done and entertaining. Maybe Jack felt threatened when they did it without him, as he never did another boycott after that. And if I recall some of the later shows were of a lesser quality than this one was.
Reviews
10 Reviews
Spectre
(1977 TV Movie)
Spectre series
23 October 2005
Concerning the question of why "Spectre" did not become a series , i would like to give my 2 cents. the 1970's saw a lot of supernatural/sci-fi themed TV movies which were obviously intended as series pilots . NBC had this film , and also "The Norliss Tapes" with Roy Thinnes. "The Questor Tapes" was a Gene Roddenberry concept. CBS had another of Gene's creations,"Genesis II". This was later redone as "Planet Earth" on ABC , which also aired "Baffled!" with Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy as a clairvoyant race car driver(!). Not a one made it to series. I believe it was a concern about not having enough plots to sustain a weekly series , expensive location shooting and f/x , and a continuing lack of support for the genre led to their demise. The failure of ABC's "Night Stalker" and "The Sixth Sense" also didn't help. In addition , "Star Trek" itself was still at that time considered a relative failure despite the beginnings of its resurgence. I think a possible answer may have been to include a series like "Spectre" as part of a rotating "Mystery Movie" type of show along with some more standard detective /thriller series. with a star like Robert Culp , older viewers may have given it a chance , along with younger viewers who were the main fans of the genre.
Major Dundee
(1965)
Heston and a possible "in-joke"
28 August 2005
in one scene , the wounded major Dundee is receiving medical treatment inside french occupied Mexican territory. Dundee instructs Mr.Potts (played by James coburn} to return to their camp , stating " i can make it back by myself" . the coburn character replies , "be careful - you make an unlikely looking Mexican". i believe this is an in-joke/ reference to Heston's casting in the 1959 Orson Welles film "touch of evil" , in which he portrayed a half Mexican police chief. that being said , i am a fan of Heston and think he was excellent in both films. adding to this , another scene features a character described as "a young Mexican girl". the actress appeared to be a 30 year old Irish/English woman.
Batman Begins
(2005)
**1/2 out of ****
19 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
i prefer using the 4 star rating system for this film because a 5 rating is not enough and a 6 is too much. i am definitely in the minority when it comes to "batman", having preferred the third and fourth movies to the first two. "batman begins" starts out very well , giving a good foundation to the batman saga. but it loses its way as it goes along , with the extraneous Morgan freeman character and too many villains. Christoper Nolan is a very good director when it comes to drama and atmosphere , but he is not an action director. the fight scenes are awful , with the climactic battle aboard a speeding elevated train a direct rip-off of - and not nearly as thrilling as - "spider-man 2". overall it doesn't deliver in the action department , and the revelation of the main villain's identity just didn't work. the film is also almost totally devoid of humor. i realize this was intentional and i respect the opinion of fans who prefer the darker tone. but i much prefer superman 1 and 2 and spider-man 2.
High Tension
(2003)
have to admit..i loved it
11 June 2005
if i may explain , being 46 and a lifelong film buff i grew up on movies like Texas chainsaw massacre , last house on the left and mark of the devil (either on reissue, or going to a theater that only paid lip service to R ratings (you 17? OK....).not only is high tension a well done homage to those films , it also has a twist ending (no spoilers here) that is pulled off very well . yes , it is loaded with gore...as were those "70"s flicks. and unlike u.s. films the only rating compromise made was 1 minute of edits to avoid the dreaded NC-17. i can live with this and will see the unrated version on DVD when it is released. the level of suspense and "tension" is indeed "high". is it logical?...no. but get over it and enjoy.
Glengarry Glen Ross
(1992)
lemmon , pacino at the top of their game
10 May 2005
somehow this film got by me over the years, with the current Broadway revival reminding me i had missed it, i rented the video. i am very glad i did. even in a uniformly brilliant ensemble cast , jack lemmon and al pacino manage to stand out. i have seen virtually all of pacino's other films , and all of lemmon's work from 1970 or so on (save for "alex & the gypsy", which is not on video). i consider this film their greatest performances. they were both a bit over the top in their Oscar gigs, "scent of a woman" and "save the tiger". here , lemmon is able to make you care about a character who is the embodiment of the typical annoying salesman we have all been subjected to at one time or another. pacino manages to be utterly hilarious while staying within the context of a drama. if a film has excellent acting , yet is not entertaining , i point this out to friends and in my online reviews. this film has both incredible performances and holds your interest right to the end. the director acquits himself very well , but the one negative comment i feel i must make is that the "boom mike" or its moving shadow is very visible in some scenes.
Quintet
(1979)
Tough sell, but improves with repeat viewings
26 February 2005
Let me begin by saying i am an Altman aficionado. I first saw the film in theaters, upon its release, at age 20. Already a movie buff, i was unimpressed. I viewed the film twice more upon its video release, and still didn't get it. Last week it was on Fox Movie Channel, I watched it again, enhancing my viewing by checking out others online comments and clues. I have now come to appreciate the film, and have ordered the VHS online. I am looking forward to more repeated viewings as it improves each time. Altman is an acquired taste but for the true film buff the rewards are there. I have had a similar experience with other Altman films such as The Long Goodbye and California Split.
She Hate Me
(2004)
is there an audience for this film?
13 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
as i viewed spike lee's "she hate me" upon its video release i kept wondering what audience lee was targeting for the film. the answer i kept coming up with was that he himself didn't know.there are four or five plots going on , most of which are clumsily tied together and none of which make much sense.I'll start with the opening credits, which show various denominations of u.s. currency and the presidents whose images adorn those bills.the credits end with the image of a $3 dollar bill, with a picture of a dopey looking george w. bush. OK, so spike doesn't like the prez.what does this have to do with the movie? as if the whole plot of wealthy lesbians paying $10,000 each to get impregnated - the old-fashioned way(!)-wasn't absurd enough, we then get a subplot about a mafia chieftain whose daughter is one of the clients.He must be the new kinder, gentler form of godfather as he seems to have no problem with his daughter being involved in this.oh yeah, the ladies are worried about disease so they make the main character get tested for everything before the big night, when he has sex with at least 6 women in a row.how do they know the woman went before them was clean? i guess we are supposed to assume that since they are lesbians they can't have STD's. it's all topped by possibly the most preposterous ending in the history of cinema.(if you don't want to know the ending stop here).the main character,his ex fiancée and her lesbian girlfriend agree to stay together to raise their kids, and evidently while maintaining a 3 way sexual relationship! earth to spike :these things don't happen. anyway whoever the intended audience is they didn't find it.here in nyc, the movie played in 1 Manhattan theater for 2 weeks then vanished.
Duck, You Sucker!
(1971)
revised review
19 December 2003
yesterday,after viewing the entire film for the first time i posted a negative review.but i must admit the film stayed on my mind and after a second viewing i have an improved opinion of it.it is still far from perfect but is definetely one of those movies that grows on you,with repeat viewings.(the very 1st time i tried to view it i only got half way thru as i found it unwatchable.)perhaps because it is more complex than leone's other westerns,once you know what to expect it is more enjoyable.also,the explosions are spectacular,and although i still think the train wreck scene looked fake it was probably the best f/x available at the time.if you've seen it and didn't care for it i urge you to see it a 2nd time.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(2003)
well done chiller
20 October 2003
very well done,thanks mostly to the director,who keeps the suspense level high throughout the movie.not quite as gory as critics have described-some killings occur off-screen - but certainly no slouch in the violence dept.good acting (as always) from r. lee ermey-but jessica biel could use some acting lessons (looks hot,however). definitely a thumbs-up.
Tell Your Friends