mirok

My World and Welcome to it was a cult classic of the late 1960's, at a time when home computers and the Internet were still things of the future. Videos and DVD's, likewise, were still distant dreams. And you would have thought that, when these formats became available on a mass scale, shows such as this would inevitably become available to the general public. However, My World and Welcome to it remained overlooked for a long time and, as several reviewers have noted, it just wasn't available on DVD.

Until now, that is. I was writing to some friends about this series and decided to check something at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com), which always shows the availability (or lack thereof) of movies, TV shows and the like on DVD, VHS and CD (soundtracks). Lo and behold, Amazon.com is now carrying the short-lived My World and Welcome to it on DVD. Thurber fans, rejoice.

Ever wonder where that episode, "Tuttle," came from in the middle of the first season of M*A*S*H? Well now the cat's out of the bag: they got it from this Soviet film, a satire on how dumb the Tsar is, due to the slip of a pen (rendering the phrase "the Lieutenants, though ..." into "Lieutenant Kizhe" which has no meaning) and nobody being honest or gutsy enough to contradict him and just tell him the truth -- Kizhe doesn't exist and never did. So they make up an imaginary life for him and eventually kill him off. And 40 years later, David Ketchum and Bruce Shelly borrowed this zany plot and gave us essentially the same story, only on the other side of what had become the Cold War, proving that people in high positions can be equally dumb no matter what their loyalties may be!

First let me tell you -- Spalding Gray was a man who could mesmerize, as his numerous one-man shows are evidence of. This is a "short movie" -- only about 90 minutes instead of a full 2 hours -- but it's positively compelling and makes you wonder why you didn't hear about it, why it didn't get that much publicity in your neck of the woods, etc. until you were lucky enough to stumble across it.

One thing I adore finding are movies that can be paired up as a double feature. An example would be Ed Wood's last film, Plan 9 from Outer Space, together with Tim Burton's homage work, Ed Wood. Watch them together and it's just great. I would also recommend watching The Killing Fields, in which Gray plays a minor role (as the U. S. Consul in Phnom Penh) and this movie, in which he talks about the making of said movie.

Remember that this is a topical movie because it was made in 1987. By that time the infamous "killing fields" were gone and Pol Pot's regime had been driven out of Cambodia by rebels supported by the Vietnamese. However, the Heng Samrin regime was far from democratic and for some strange reason the UN continued to recognize the Khmer Rouge regime -- the one led by Pol Pot -- as the legitimate government of Cambodia in one of history's craziest throws of the cosmic dice. It was not until the early 1990s that peace and democracy finally came to that troubled country.

For quite some years this movie was available only on VHS. I wondered when it would ever come out on DVD. Finally it's available on DVD so I say there's no excuse not to go out and get it.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is one of my all-time holiday favorites and it's hard for me to believe it was made in 1970 because I was fully 12 at the time and I used to think I'd grown up seeing it as a kid. Oh well, memory plays tricks on us from time to time. But it's a timeless classic and is suited for family members of all ages.

How can a children's story hold the interest of adults? Well, aside from the wonderful animation, singing and the extraordinary talents of the various artists -- Fred Astaire as the postman, Mickey Rooney as Santa, Keenan Wynne as Winter Warlock and Paul Frees as the Burgermeister (did you know his most famous vocal role was Boris Badenov in the Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle? If the voice sounds familiar that's why!) -- there's more than meets the eye to this simple tale.

Just look at it and you eventually discover that Sombertown is a metaphor for Germany. I mean, the scenery, the sounds of people's accents, especially the Burgermeister's (Burgermeister, after all, means mayor in German), and the like, make it quite plausible. But that pesky Burgermeister ... bullying, isn't he? And he's so hung up on making kids miserable and he bans toys and every time Kris Kringle comes by with a load and foils his plans he gets madder and madder and at one point he sets fire to a whole load of toys in the town square while the kids cry.

This particular segment of the plot -- I'm not saying, of course, that the WHOLE story is about this -- is a thinly disguised observation on how Hitler banned books and other materials from Jewish artists and everyone dubbed "degenerate" in Germany. The children of Sombertown are metaphors for the Jews in pre-Holocaust Germany during the Nazi years.

Now don't get me wrong; the story is mainly an answer to many children's questions about why Santa comes down chimneys, why he lives at the North Pole and so on. But when you look at the story and read between the lines you discover that the writers, in dealing with that one particular aspect of the script, were carefully concealing a very powerful political statement.

And as Santa is the spirit of giving and love, of course he triumphs over the Burgermeister!

Rocket Robin Hood was a clever animated version of the adventures of Robin Hood and the Merry Men but with futuristic twists. Instead of being set long ago in Merry Olde England it's far in the future; instead of Sherwood Forest we have Sherwood Asteroid; and Nottinghamshire becomes N.O.T.T. or National Outer-Space Terrestrial Territories. Definitely one that would appeal to kids although it must be admitted that the humor would appeal best to adults, same way as the awful groaners in series such as Batman and The Green Hornet weren't aimed at kids either. It's good, family fun and so what if it isn't the greatest effort made in this regard -- it is still enjoyable after all these years. N.O.T.T. to be missed in my opinion!

It's unbelievable that, after 37 years, this movie has never been issued on VHS or DVD. There is nothing boring or tedious about this movie, it simply carries the viewer along. Stefan (Werner), an orchestra conductor, is interviewed by Sally (Ferris), a magazine reporter. Her interest in him grows and soon the personal overpowers the professional and before they know it, they are having an affair. One with tragic consequences, though, as Stefan has a wife, Antonia (Maskell) and children. Eventually the inevitable confrontation between wife and mistress takes place, and there is an exchange I'll never forget. Antonia asks Sally if she loves music and she replies, "Well, yes, I like music." There is dead silence and then Antonia says, "No, I mean do you LOVE music, do you ADORE it?" because her husband lives and breathes music as a career. That was something Sally had never contemplated during the affair, and a sacrifice she is not willing to make. Exquisite score of Classical excerpts. Watch with someone you love and bring at least three boxes of Kleenex.

This is an unusual venture for Welch, who tackles a thorny issue here, namely the teaching of anti-Semitism as "history." There have been attempts to do this in the past and what is frightening is that some people in real life actually believe this garbage. You know there's something wrong if your kid comes home and tells you stuff such as Jews started all the major world conflicts and that the Jews founded the Communist Party. This movie should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who cares about the truth vs. revisionist history. Anti-Semitism is unfortunately alive and well in America and Welch's character is on a crusade to remind us we need be ever vigilant against it. This movie is superbly done. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD.

Let me be brutally honest: this is nothing more than a trashy, soft-core porno flick. So why did I watch it? Well, I was a Peaks Freak and had seen Sherilyn Fenn in Twin Peaks and wondered -- was there life after that show for her and others? And I just so happened to have heard about Boxing Helena and decided to rent it.

Worst decision of my life, I think, regarding movie rentals. I wanted my money back. This was appalling. There was no "drama" unless you're talking the type of "drama" in stuff like Red Shoe Diaries or Erotic Confessions and so on.

The story concerns a surgeon who intervenes in a woman's life when she's hit by a truck and badly injured. Now there's only one explanation as for what happens from the point of her being hurt onwards and it comes up at the end of the film and when you see it you will be mightily disappointed. In the meantime so many weird things happen.

You may enjoy it if you like soft-core porn, plotless movies, trashy directing, non-consensual bondage, and the like. Otherwise I would say STAY AWAY FROM THIS LOSER.

About the only "reward" I got from having seen this regrettable excuse for a movie was a few years later when, watching an episode of "Sisters," I saw one of the actresses in a scene where she's working out on a treadmill and there is an absurdly high stack of videos next to her. Just so happens her character is dating a man who's a boxing champ. And it's Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III and so on, well on beyond the number of "Rocky" movies ever made, up to an absurdly high number (like Rocky XXVII or something like that) and finally, on top of it all, is one marked BOXING HELENA. I nearly died laughing.

An absolute bomb. 0 out of 10.

I ran across this film recently on the Independent Film Channel ... by accident. But after watching only a few minutes, I was captivated by the plot, by the scenery, the music ... it was pure cinematic magic. Somewhat comedic and lighthearted in nature, it is also a telling drama of how some people can give way to excessive temptation and greed. It's a fascinating way to explore the human soul. I recommend it for anyone who loves a great flight of fantasy, particularly in the ever- increasingly-cynical 1990s.

It is best to remember that, when this comedy was made in the mid-1960s, we had never heard of anything like the AIDS epidemic, there wasn't anything like "political correctness" and people weren't suing one another over such things as sexual harassment. That said, "The Knack ... and How to Get It" is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, together with "Mr. Hulot's Holiday", "Bedazzled", "The Magic Christian" and "Ghostbusters". One fellow in the movie is a real "lady's man"... or so he thinks ... and he's teaching a friend on how to seduce women. Rita Tushingham plays the target. She only faints and is NOT sexually attacked, but is convinced that she has been... and the fellow who thought HE had that "Knack" ... well, she doesn't let him forget what she thinks has happened ... by today's standards, it's pretty tame. No nude scenes, drug use, simulated sex, violence or obscene language. Some may be offended by the apparently light-handed way in which rape is dealt with, but, as Rita's character is never assaulted and only is under the delusion that she has been ... seeing her getting revenge on that smug would-be seducer makes for a riotously funny film! If you're old enough to watch a film rated PG-13, I recommend it; you'll be laughing most of the time.

I saw previews of "The Faculty" and decided to rent it. However, I was quite disappointed in the long run. Twice, as I was watching, I thought I should just hit "Stop" and not bother with the rest because it can get very gory at times, but decided to watch it all the way through so my remarks could be based on seeing 100% and not less of the film. In my opinion, films that feature themes like students vs faculty, drug use, alien invasions, conspiracy theories and the like, especially if they appear in combination as is the case here, have truly been done to death and more creative efforts could be made for science fiction and horror films (anyone ever see Roger Corman's early 1960s version of "The Pit and the Pendulum"? very classy horror flick without all the blood and gore). All I can say is, bottom line, this film is NOT for you if you are squeamish! If you have seen movies like the "Scream" and "I know what you Did Last Summer" series, just add alien conspiracy stuff to it and you'll know what I mean. If that's your speed, you'll love this film. If those films turn you off ... "The Faculty" will look worthless to you.

I watched "Cruel Intentions" and, although the film category read "Drama", I was laughing my way through most of it. True, there are some moments that are truly "dramatic", but on the whole, it's a stylish, wicked, bizarre comedy about a stepbrother (Philippe) and a stepsister (Gellar) who simply enjoy manipulating people, playing head games and the like. One thing is for sure: "Cruel Intentions" lives up 100% to its title. And, for a "drama" ... this film was savagely, fiendishly comical! If you're old enough to watch an R-rated movie, I say don't miss it!

I have seen "Evil in Clear River" and was shocked when the documentary pointed out that people have actually been taught, in public schools, that the Holocaust never took place; that, in fact, according to such teachers, Hitler was "oppressed" by the Jews and had no choice but to try and eliminate them. These "revisionist historians" try to make the claim that Communism and Judaism are allied, which is total nonsense. The movie is gripping and quite suspenseful and is based on a TRUE story which occurred in the 1980s in Canada. I recommend that this documentary be shown more often.

This is a great comedy and I recommend it to many viewers. The most hilarious scene in my opinion is when Depardieu is playing the piano in a bar; he doesn't know that his daughter is trying to pass him off as her boyfriend, and he's singing "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" ... all the patrons except for one woman walk out in disgust, thinking he's a child molester! That scene is absolutely priceless and will leave you splitting your sides, guaranteed.

This was such a funny series that, when it was canceled, I was stupefied. There are a lot of second-rate (or worse) shows being made all too often these days (especially the sitcom genre) but this wasn't one of them. It was brash, irreverent, high-spirited and had all the ingredients for a very successful series. I laughed my way through every episode. It never, ever disappointed. And when fresh faces were needed on "Ellen", at least Clea Lewis (Tea Leoni's wannabe hangaround friend in this series) was spotted and almost stole *that* show too!

I saw "Pit and the Pendulum" in 1967 while I was in 4th grade and only 9 years old. It was so well done that I was scared spitless and yet I knew there was something fascinating, even alluring, about this masterwork. I have seldom seen it since (for instance on The Movie Channel a few years back). In this day and age when "Horror" seems to be synonymous with blood and gore for its own sake, Roger Corman, Vincent Price et al. stand as a monument to what horror films SHOULD be -- scary and yet the type that make you want to come back again and again. A shame the same story was "re-made" around 1990.