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brinchatt
Reviews
Doctor Doctor (1989)
I really miss this show
I have several episodes of "Doctor, Doctor" on VHS...about 16, It think. I didn't even know it ran for nearly three seasons. Does anyone have any idea when this wonderfully funny show will be released on DVD? It was truly "Must-See TV" on CBS. I just found out it was canceled because the head of the network's wife thought it was silly and didn't understand the comedy....heck, she probably didn't like the fact there was an openly gay character on it. This show was definitely the "Will and Grace" of its day....it was truly, rolling on the floor, laughing your a** off" comedy. I want it on DVD. OK, IMDb says I don't have enough lines in my comment, so I will write more. Matt Frewer was the star of the show, and it revolved around his relationships with his brother, mother, father and his medical associates at "Northwest Medical Partners" in Providence, RI. Hey, you know a show has to be good if it was set in a city like Providence, instead of New York or LA. After all, there are many more cities to set shows in! And, did I mention I would love for this show to be on DVD?
Batman and Robin (1949)
A wonderful glimpse into another time!
I was fumbling through the DVD section in Wal-Mart, and what do I find? The 1949 Batman and Robin complete serial!!! Newly released by Columbia! Being a true fan of the caped crusader, how could I NOT want to watch it??!! OK, folks, let's get real, don't watch this if you are looking for high-tech special effects, brilliant dialogue, women (there's only one and she's a main character, Vicki Vale...who is always "getting in trouble", with Batman having to save her!), a Batmobile or any Bat-gadget! This serial was made at a time when studios spared all expense in making "fluff" to appeal to kids when they went to the movies on Saturday mornings. (Don't scoff, all you baby boomers....cartoon makers of the 1970s did the same thing...with the same bad dialogue and bad acting...witness "Superfriends", (which I also liked!), they just did it for Television!) I started watching this serial having never seen it...only saw a little of it in the special features of the 1966 Batman movie DVD. The costume is silly...looks like Bruce Wayne's grandmother sewed it together...Robin's costume isn't much better....there is no Batmobile, (although Batman and Robin do ride around in a Mercury convertible, and even change costumes in it..hmmmm..homo erotica? NAH!!), and no Bat-gadgets, although there is a neat scene where Bruce Wayne uses a device in the Batcave to "retore" a burned photo-negative. (I also giggle at all the shadows of flying bats in the cave....but you NEVER see a bat!) What there is is a good story! A super-villain..namely "The Wizard", whom the episodes lead you to think is an old, wheelchair bound scientist, who, when he sits in a chair that looks like it was stolen from the state penitentiary's execution room, regains the use ofhis legs...and puts on a black costume, shrouding his entire body, and, using a stolen bit of technology he created, can remotely control all motor vehicles...but not only that, he can make them explode as well, and the pies de resistance....he can make himself INVISIBLE!! He also has the ability to project his image and hypnotize victims with flashing eyes. Truly creepy!!! However, there is a GREAT plot twist at the end to prove who the Wizard REALLY is! As far as the acting is concerned.......there isn't any. I am reminded of Ed Wood flicks like Plan 9 from Outer Space when I watch it...but why not? George S. Plympton was one of the writers...wasn't he a friend of Ed's??? There is little emotion portrayed by the actors...everyone says their lines in a manner-of-fact way, however, the story is so good and action so fast-paced, you really don't notice it. What I DID notice and what made me giggle, was that EVERY male performer, except the Wizard so far, wears a Fedora!!! They all look like they were in some old gangster movie!! I originally wrote this review after seeing only 6 of the 15 episodes...it was difficult to turn the DVD player off after the 6th episode...but, I wanted something fun to watch tomorrow!! I came back and corrected some incorrect information I gave AFTER finishing the series. If you're a die-hard Batman fan, you should like this, unless you get upset by movies not following the comic's story lines! Those of you who like to get a glimpse of a time gone by, you'll LOVE this! It's not possible for me to give this serial 10 out 10 stars, mainly because of the bad acting....however, it certainly earns at least 7! By the way, it is very easy to tell that this is what the 1966 Batman TV series was based on!
Batman Begins (2005)
A Worthy Batman!!
Finally...a Batman that is NOT driven by the villains, with an actor, (Christian Bale), who is worthy to play the Dark Knight! The movie takes quite a while to get started showing all of Bruce Wayne's training, with various flashbacks that can get confusing, but it all leads up to a fantastic appearance of Batman! The only negative thing I can say about it is that the fight scenes move so fast, you can't tell what is happening. Batman has some GREAT lines, like, when the bad cop says, "Swear to God", and Batman replies, "SWEAR TO ME!". Christain Bale plays the Dark Knight with true and complete emotion and projects real "fear" into the criminal mind. Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow was also a delight in the movie...however, I felt he should have been the main villain and NOT Raj a Goul, played by Liam Neeson, although, it made for a GREAT plot twist! (Cillian Murphy is just a SUPER HOTTIE!!!) Finally, Christian, you need to go see a dermatologist!! There are two moles on your face that need to go, one on your throat and one on the inside right of the upper portion of your nose, right next to your eye that are just distracting on the big screen!! This is a FANTASTIC movie....FINALLY taking the silly "campiness" out of the franchise...I hope to see at least one or two more sequels!
Bewitched (2005)
It was cute...that was about it......
I've been a Bewitched fan for most of my life, (I'm 43!), so, I waited with baited breath for the new Bewitched movie! I was kind of concerned when I found out that it wasn't a complete remake of the TV show, but kept an open mind. Thank GOD I got a free ticket when I purchased the TV first season DVD! I would be really upset if I paid a full admission to see this movie! I wish they would have done a real re-make of the TV show.
Nicole Kidman, normally a wonderful actor, must've watched all the Marilyn Monroe movies she could find....she whispers her way through the movie in Marilyn's style and it gets ridiculous! I've never been a fan of Will Ferrell....it seemed in this movie he was trying to be Jim Carrey. I just don't think he's that talented...VERY mediocre! The one bright spot in the movie is Michael Cain...he plays Nicole's father with cool to burn! Shirley MacClaine is DREADFULLY underutilized as "Endora". She also didn't play Endora with the same wonderful sarcastic, "looking down her nose" attitude that Agnes Moorehead, who immortalized the role for drag queens throughout the last four decades, did! Also, the character of Nicole Kidman's next door neighbor is irritating, to say the VERY least!
And what about the missing characters??? The surviving relatives of David White, who played Larry Tate, should be incensed that that character was completely left out of the movie! (Not to mention Louise Tate...Kasey Rodgers, who was the second Louise, should be really upset!)
Finally, I felt it was an abomination to not have a "dedicated to the memory of" at the end of the movie and listing all the cast members who are no longer with us: Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Dick Sargent, Agnes Moorehead, David White, Paul Lynde, (the character of Uncle Arthur appears in the movie played by an actor who does a passable imitation...but it's almost an insult to Paul Lynde!), Marion Lorne and others. I know you could say that, since the characters appeared on various TV screens in the movie, that it was a tribute, but it really wasn't!
A good effort, and it was cute and I'll probably buy the DVD, but overall, a VERY mediocre movie...which is, unfortunately common in today's movie society!
Zorro: The Gay Blade (1981)
The BEST of all ZORROs!!!!
I really do consider this the best of all Zorro's, mainly because it is so FUNNY!!!! I do want to take a moment to mention to any gay person out there who considers this a negative stereotype....GET OVER IT!!!! It's fun!!! And, how many queers do you know who really DO act that way?? I know lots...and I'm a gay man too!! There are only 2 negatives I can mention: 1. Lauren Hutton is a TERRIBLE actor and not that pretty....her role is forgettable. 2. Why not a love-interest for Bunny????? OH, I forgot, that was before "Making Love", when men couldn't love men on screen! The music is absolutely WONDERFUL....although, I'm surprised to learn it's a MONO soundtrack! Most of the music was from Joachim Turina's "Danses Fantasikas", which persuaded me to go buy a recording of that work, but, the love theme, which is BEAUTIFUL, and makes me cry, is not Turina's work. I wish they would have produced a CD soundtrack recording of the music from this movie...interspersed with quotes like: "2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits a peso, all for Zorro, stand up and say so!" and "the ships in the field...the little ba-ba-bas", etc.
GREAT fun and a timeless classic!!
They Shall Have Music (1939)
1939 was a good year for movies!
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie...and I watch it from time to time still. I've used it in my music classes at the school where I teach. The kids seem to enjoy it, although, they wish it were in color.
The best thing about this movie is, for me, who grew up after Heifetz had died, is the chance to actually see the master violinist work his craft! I was surprised at how "up to date" the story line is. Although, references to "reform school" are outdated. A boy, whose father had died, and is being raised by his mom and stepfather....most of our kids today are being raised by stepparents, although the movie makes it seem like most stepparents are cruel. I get VERY angry when his mother doesn't take his side and defend his actions against the step-father.
Also, the musical selections are difficult to believe. I find it unbelievable that a child, who looks to be about 8, can play the "Minute Waltz", or that a 13 year old girl could sing an aria from Rigoletto.
Other than that, it's a really fun, feel good movie and I do recommend it. I wish it would come out on DVD.
I Dream of Jeanie (1952)
I Had a Nightmare of Jeanie
I found a DVD of "I Dream Of Jeanie" in the $1.00 bin at Wal-Mart. When I saw that it was the "story of Stephen Foster", being a musician and music educator, I had to see it. I had no idea what year it was made for it did not say on the cover, just that it was a remake of 1939's "Sewanee River". Bill Shirley's portrayal of the composer is sometimes painful, sometimes laughable. The man has NO testosterone and is a wimp all the way through! I have a difficult time believing Stephen Foster thought music publishers were doing him a favor by publishing his songs...without paying him for them! In addition to that ridiculous notion, there is a nearly 20 minute segment of Ray Middleton and his black-faced "Christy Minstrels" performing Stephen Foster's songs that was difficult to watch, to say the least. I can hardly believe anyone would consider this movie appropriate to resurrect in our current time. It is an embarrassment and should remain forgotten. Fortunately, Stephen Foster's songs will NEVER be forgotten....also, Eileen Christy's portrayal of Jeanie was certainly the highest point in this lowest point of Hollywood history.