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Reviews
Jaws 3-D (1983)
20+ years later, two memories
I saw this film first run, in 3-D!!! I think it was the second film in 3-D that I ever saw (Friday the 13th, Part 3 was the year before). I have only two memories of it that stand out after 20+ years (besides the fact that it was pretty lousy): 1) Dennis Quaid chain smoking through the whole film, and 2) The audience "booing" when the dolphins leaped out of the water at the end. It was a pretty rowdy group that wanted and waited to be entertained by Jaws 3-D that opening weekend. By the end of the film everyone was so disappointed that they jeered when it was revealed that the lovable sea creatures had NOT been horribly eaten by the shark. That audience reaction was the most enjoyable part of the evening.
I Accuse My Parents (1944)
Livingston & Evans
Early in their career, songwriters Jay Livingston & Ray Evans wrote the laughable "Are You Happy in Your Work?" (Do you never, ever shirk?). I suppose this makes the movie notable to trivia buffs, but the film and song are not really worth the effort. Thankfully Jay & Ray went on to write much better songs ("Buttons and Bows", "Silver Bells", "Que Sera, Sera", "Mona Lisa", etc.) for much better films.
The Cross and the Switchblade (1970)
Scared straight!
It may be wrong for me to comment on this film, because I've never actually seen it. However, my parents (for some strange reason) owned the soundtrack album. As a youngster I remember listening to it, and seeing the pictures on the album cover... and they scared me. I remember not wanting to grow up and be faced with drugs and gang fights (I had the childish notion that that's what the grown-up world must be like). In an era that tended to glamorize "free love", drugs and "doing your own thing", the frightening images from this album kept me from wanting anything to do with that lifestyle. I've heard that the film is very dated and poorly made (again, I haven't seen it, so I don't know...), but I'm grateful that it helped me to make some wise decisions growing up.
Jesus (1979)
Lifeless, but accurate
I had heard that this film was being used as a missionary tool throughout the world, and was therefore one of the most watched films in history. While it does present a Biblically accurate account, it does so with very poor and lifeless acting and production values. Jesus was the most important person ever to walk the earth. He deserves better than this... It's time for an updated version.
The Music Man (2003)
Good moments, disappointing hours
Just as any version of "A Christmas Carol" is judged mainly by the performance of "Scrooge", "The Music Man" will necessarily be judged by the performance of "Harold Hill"... and I'm afraid Matthew Broderick's portrayal was lackluster and one-dimensional (maybe even half-dimensional). It gave the appearance of a high school production, where he was satisfied to merely learn his lines and his limited dance routines. I like Broderick. He is a talented man, but he is capable of better than this.
The Mayor (Victor Garber) was portrayed as the "heavy" - menacing and mean. Not one of his malopropisms came off as funny - merely the mistakes of an angry idiot.
I love Barbershop music, and the quartet sounded quite good. However, they lacked a bit in the acting department, and again felt like a high school production.
Though it was not particularly memorable, it was fun to see Patrick McKenna of "The Red Green Show" as the anvil salesman.
Kristin Chenoweth as "Marion Peru" was the highlight of this version for me. She's pretty, she can sing, and there was life in her performance. Watch the scene on the bridge where she convincingly sings a love song to Broderick, who merely stares back at her blankly. Her costumes (except that final hat) were a highlight for my wife as well.
Overall, a disappointment... not really bad, but lacking the joy and life that is inherent in this fine musical.
The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
Small warning for Disney parents
I saw this film for the first time recently and was stunned at first by the language and situations in it. I'm not a prude, but I was amazed because the film bears the Disney imprimatur. Don't misunderstand me, this is a good film - a depression-era story of a young girl traveling across country to re-unite with her father - but I guess I didn't expect to hear "hell", "g*d d**n", "s**t", "son of a b***h", etc. in a PG film from Disney. Nor did I expect a fairly violent dog-fight, or a scene where a man tries to molest the young girl. Again, don't misunderstand... I liked the film and its language and situations were not out of place, nor excessive... just a shock coming from Disney. Parents of young children be aware, while this is an entertaining film, you may want to preview it before showing it to your kids.
Martin & Lewis: Their Golden Age of Comedy (1992)
They WERE funny after all!
I'm not a great big Martin & Lewis fan, but I found out from this video that they were much funnier on TV and stage than in their films. They had a much looser, "play-with-the-audience" style that didn't translate to their movies. This video is a documentary with Martin Short interviewing Jerry Lewis and showing (almost exclusively) video clips from "The Colgate Comedy Hour" of the early to mid '50s. There are also rare clips from their night club act, and the final chapter (there are three) deals with Jerry Lewis after the team broke up. Lots of laughs, and interesting history of the team. Martin Short was pretty funny too. Good video! Maybe I'll become a Martin & Lewis fan after all...
Easter Yeggs (1947)
Rarely seen gem
I grew up on Warner Bros. cartoons, and thought I had seen them all. Somehow I missed this one until I found it on a laserdisc collection. It is now one of my favorites because it contains two of the funniest lines in all of the WB cartoons (see quotes).