Reviews

Warner Bros released this onto video as part of a very uneven collection of animated movies that ranged from the exquisite Watership Down to the stylized Hobbit, and the dissappointing Nutcracker. This is probably the worst in the series.

Actually this has got to be the worst adaptation of Oliver Twist available from the many film, miniseries, and television adaptations that have been done. From the cheap, flat animation, to the tuneless songs and drab color palate - there is nothing to enjoy here. The voices (especially songs) frequently have harsh American accents in what is supposed to be London in the mid 1800's. What voices that do have accents are stereotypes with the possible excpetion of Davy Jones from the Monkees who has the right accent but for a singer can't seem to give anything at all with an already uninspired song. The storyline is partially faithfull to the book, but minus any interest or excitement. Bizarre touches such as giving Oliver a sachrine pet frog with a pink collar and a penchant for providing comedy bits at odd moments, and giving Fagan a pet vulture, bat, and crow to mug and misbehave when meaner story bits need attending, provide a strange counterpoint to what should be a very dark story. Oliver Twist isn't really a children's book and was written with an adult audience in mind. This attempt to turn it into Disneyesque Cinderella story is sachrine and uninspired. If you must look for a children's version of this story try the Coles Notes musical version Oliver! or the animated Oliver and Company (that inexplicably makes them all dogs, but still manages to entertain). Avoid this at all costs!

The mistake most often made when approaching a Neil Simon piece is the thought-line "if Simon wrote it - it must be a comedy". LOST IN YONKERS like THE GINGERBREAD LADY (filmed as ONLY WHEN I LAUGH) is most certainly not a comedy - not that it's not funny. What it is is a heartbreaking story about two brothers who by circumstance end up in the care of their severe Grandmother. Thanks to the powers that be - both Mercedes Ruehl and Irene Worth reprise thier stage roles in the film. Both won the Tony for the stage. Both deserved and Oscar for the film. There are several funny bits amidst this disfunctional family fest - and some very tender moments as well. I highly recommend it - just don't sit down with a bucket of popcorn and expect THE ODD COUPLE. Simon's writing has matured far beyond those days and is rich and wonderful.

I liked this movie - though I was surprised to read the novel and find it very very different. Bernadette Peters is very funny and endearing. My only problem is that this is nearly the exact same character she played onstage in SONG AND DANCE (won a Tony for it) except the girl is American, not British. Lower the boom!

RETURN TO OZ was created by Disney to be a sequel to the original book THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum and Disney stodgily shied away from calling it a sequel to the 1939 movie musical of that book. Having said that - they then paid great amounts of money to Turner/MGM for the rights to use the concept of ruby slippers (silver in the original book). They also cast Dorothy as a brunette with braids as in the 1939 movie. The rest of RETURN TO OZ is filled with exquisitely realized visions based on John R. Neil's illustrations (not W. W. Denslow as the first book and 1939 film used). The story line is taken from the second and third of the 12 Baum Oz books - THE MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ and OZMA OF OZ. (Remember this was before movies like LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER made sticking to a book's storyline fashionable). This blending leaves some characters unexplained and many characters with too little background info. A wholly frightening and unnecessarily opening sequence is also added featuring Dorothy going for shock-therapy treatments to forget about Oz (!). In addition the entire film was shot in England (obviously not Kansas in the film) and cast with many British actors who keep their accents. This seems odd in what is the quintessential American fairy tale. The score while beautiful is heavy handed and we see far too little of the beautiful Oz and far too much of Oz in ruins. The distance between the Emerald City and where Dorothy's house fell seems ridiculously short taken into account the first stories adventures. I will say that Tik Toc, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the Gump are amazingly well done. The scarecrow is ok - but looks like a rubber puppet. The Tin Man is beautiful but has almost nothing to do. This is one of those almost movies - but keep it in mind for older children as some bits are dark and frightening. For children who know Oz via the books and not just Judy Garland - it's a fantastic journey that appears to be at least partially full of actual Oz citizens.

ALL THAT JAZZ takes its title from the opening song in the musical CHICAGO that Fosse was directing when he had a massive heart attack. Legend has it that Shirley MacLaine (who Fosse had directed in the film of SWEET CHARITY) told him to start taping conversations he had with people about his heart attack as the basis of a stage show or movie. The end result is ALL THAT JAZZ> It's a brilliant and intense look at the insecure but brilliant Joe Gideon (based on Fosse himself and played by Roy Schneider). In the first five minutes of the film alone Fosse manages to capture more of the angst and worry of auditioning for a show than A CHORUS LINE THE MOVIE does in two hours. What follows ins a roller coaster ride through Gideon/Fosse's life directing and choreographing a new show while battling chest pains. These scenes are inter-cut with fantasy sequences where Gideon converses with Angelica - a seductive angel of death played by Jessica Lange. As much of Fosses later works - this movies is full of Broadway glitter and jazz alongside disturbingly dark themes such as death, infidelity, and substance abuse. Fosse's self vision is unflinching and as in real life we manage to actually cheer for Gideon even though he makes such lousy choices in his personal life much the way so many people adored Fosse despite his treatment of them. Of course when it comes to choreography and filming dance - there is none better than Fosse and this movie shows you why. ALL THAT JAZZ is simply a masterpiece of movie musicals. just don't expect ANNIE or WHITE CHRISTMAS. This is all about the grime and sweat beneath the glitz.