Next of Kin (2012)

Quick can you name a movie that has Ben Stiller, Patrick Swayze, Helen Hunt, Liam Neeson, Bill Paxton, and Adam Baldwin in it? Probably not, as most people can't, and what a shame. "Next Of Kin" is a fine portrayal of the "Eastern Mountain Way" as well as the love of family and the bond of brothers.

I enjoyed this movie greatly. Although the plot has been somewhat rehashed many times the performances here stir emotion. Especially Liam Neeson's. If not for his performance in this movie I probably would have given it 4 stars, but he shines brightly here. The loyalty and love of his character combined with the contempt and anger of his character, what a great performance.

When this movie first came out I didn't even know it. I don't know how it fell off the radar screen before ever being noticed but it is cerainly worth a look.

Buy it enjoy it, over and over.

In terms of just pure plot, Next of Kin is -in many ways -a typical example of the unconventional cop vs. the mob film genre of the 1980s...However, if Next of Kin is ultimately a genre piece, its still a better-than-average example of the what the genre is capable of. Certainly, its probably the only film ever made by Patrick Swayze that can legitimately be called underrated.

Plotwise, the film sounds almost like a parody. Patrick Swayze is a former hillbilly from Appalacia Country who has left behind his rustic family to become a big city cop and to romance sophisticated music teacher Helen Hunt. (Is there a reason why big city cops with simple backgrounds always seem to end up romancing music teacers in these films?) Swayze's younger brother Bill Paxton also comes to the city, to pursue a life of petty crime that ends up getting him killed by mobster Adam Baldwin which leads to yet another Swayze brother coming down to the city, this one played by Liam Neeson. As Neeson seeks revenge, Swayze is forced to return to his roots in order to avenge both his brother and protect his girlfriend.

Yet somehow, all of this works rather effectively on screen. The film is directed by Englishman John Irvin who has made a rather unsung career out of bringing a stronger-than-usual sense of characterization to genre films (the best example being the war film Hamburger Hill). Although Irvin's filming of the action scenes are a little pedestrian, he still has a strong visual sense and manages to vividly contrast the conflicting worlds of the country and the city. The film's supporting cast is well chosen and both the heroes and the villians all come to life with a surprising amount of dignity. At no point do any of the actors demean their roles by playing ...typical hillybillys or, for that matter, ...typical mobsters and that shows an unusual and admirable amount of integrity for a film of this sort. Paxton isn't on screen long but remains, as always, a likeable presence and Adam Baldwin makes a compellingly understandable and hissable villian. Michael J. Pollard shows up as a hillbilly and brings his trademark quirkiness to the proceedings while the role of the nerdy mob scion is played by Ben Stiller, of all people. Its a little jarring to see Stiller show up on screen (especially playing an essentially villianous role) yet he gives a strong performance without resorting to do any standard Stiller bits. Helen Hunt's role is ...typical but she's probably far warmer in this role than she's been in any of her prestige pictures. Certainly, the best performance in the film is given by Liam Neeson who dominates the proceedings with the grim sincerity he brings to his quest for revenge. This Irish actor also manages to perfectly capture the unique accent of the Appalacian region. As an actor, Patrick Swayze has always been limited and he's always been better at projecting sincerity than complexity. Luckily, his role in Next of Kin has been designed to require little more of him than sincerity and, if Next of Kin doesn't represent his best performance, its certainly his most likeable.

Next of Kin isn't a great film. As stated before, the story is a tad bit too predictable and that's only made more obvious when the story is populated by a better-than-average cast and directed by a truly talented director. However, this is a rare genre piece in which it is obvious that everyone involved actually put in their best efforts to make a worthwhile film and the results are both admirable and entertaining.

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I loved this movie before I knew who Liam Neeson, Helen Hunt, Ben Stiller, Bill Paxton were! I still love it today. My younger brother knew that I had been wanting to see it again and he gave me my own copy for my birthday. I don't know why Adam Baldwin is listed here as the star, though. Patrick Swayze and Liam Neeson are clearly the stars of this movie. If you live in the South, then you realize the closeness of these people and their desire to avenge their family is not too far fetched. There are so many interesting characters in this movie. I have always felt that one day someone would be digging around and unearth this old gem.

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Patrick Swaze is the big city cop from the backwoods whose younger brother is shot dead by the mob and he vows to track down those responsible.

However,when he takes his brothers body home to be buried,his elder brother,loose cannon Liam Neeson,is disappointed with the lack of direct action;and threatens to become involved.

Neeson does become involved with tragic results which brings a variety of strange hillbilly types into the big smoke to extract retribution.

Reasonable action thriller,but could have done with more of"the kin"and Michael J Pollard;now approaching the veteran stage;steals every scene he appears in.

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Damn good movie and entertaining, too. Being a Kentuckian, I liked how it showed the differences of the eastern Kentucky mountain people's environment, lifestyles, and their beliefs, which is still carried on to this very day, in contrast to the big city's(Chicago)smug, fast-paced attitude. The guy traveling in a converted school bus full of snakes was a bit hard to swallow, and how Liam Neeson's character could find his way around Chicago, and never having been there, is a mystery to me. Yes, there are many bow hunters in Kentucky!! They have a special time during deer hunting strictly for bow. And, yes, they are good with them! But, the movie as a whole is fun to watch with a big bowl of popcorn. Might not be suitable for small children due to language and violence.

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Red Planet / 2010 / Contact (Triple-Feature) (2012)

Warner has done a number of these "Triple-Feature" releases on Blu-ray and it's a good bargain for a trio of films that range from exceptional to good.

"The Red Planet" features Val Kilmer and Carrie Moss as part of a team sent to Mars to find out what happened to a previous expedition that vanished without any final message. Complicating things their robot assistant has gone rogue when it's damaged reverting to its original combat mode. While "Red Planet" certainly has its flaws, it's an entertaining, diverting science fiction adventure. Tom Sizemore, Terence Stamp and Benjamin Bratt fill out the other spacesuits in this adventure.

"2010" based on Arthur C. Clarke's first sequel novel of the same name to "2001" has a somewhat similair plot to "The Red Planet". Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider in the sequel) who sent the Discovery on its voyage to Jupiter hooks a ride to Jupiter on a Russian ship commanded by Tanya Kirbuk (an anagram for Kubrick and played by Helen Mirren)when the Discovery is spotted. HAL's creator Dr. R. Chandra (Bob Balaban)comes along for the ride in hopes that they can boot up HAL and when they suspect that he caused the demise of the crew. Featuring John Lithgow and a host of terrific character actors, it can't quite measure up to the original film but it's still a worthwhile adventure from director Peter Hyams ("Outland", "Capricorn One", "The Presido", "Narrow Margin").

"Contact" based on Carl Sagan's novel of the same name takes the most risks tackling questions of faith and has a truly stunning opening sequence. Directed by Robert Zemeckis ("Who's Afraid of Roger Rabbit?", "Back to the Future", "Forest Gump")and starring Jodie Foster the film tackles the first contact story form a very different perspective--what if the aliens return a message to us with instructions on how to build a device so we can meet? How will that change the balance of power, impact our sense of our place in the universe and our faith? It's a well made science fiction film although the casting is a bit wonky at times (I felt that Matthew McConaughey was miscast). Featuring some stunning visual effects and great casting (James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichnter, David Morse, Angela Bassett), the film is only dated by the use of footage of President Clinton and Larry King (which gave the film a sense of reality at the time)but holds up remarkably well. The film is a bit talky at times but still manages to be engrossing.

All three films look quite good--there were some complaints that "Contact" had a bit too much digital noise reduction when it was released but it looks quite good regardless. "2010" also looks quite nice although a restoration wasn't done on the film (which was produced in 1984). "Red Planet" looks pretty good with nice strong detail throughout the presentation. There are some occasional compression artifacts but, on the whole, the film looks quite nice with bold colors and, while not reference quality blacks, they are still fairly strong.

Audio is quite strong for all three films.

The special features vary a bit ranging from weak (deleted scenes for "Red Planet" along with the theatrical trailer)to decent (the original production promotional featurette which is presented in standard definition, the theatrical trailer)to very good (commentary tracks by one from actor Jodie Foster, one from director Robert Zemekis and producer Steve Starkey, and one from senior visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston and visual effects supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum; we get three animated shot/set design that were done in CGI; "The Making of the Opening Shot" a very good featurette about the shot of the Eagle Nebula; the destruction of the NASA machine, as well as, "The Making of the Harriett Landing" and a composite reel. As I recall all three were carried over from the original DVD release) for the three films.

This is a nice, good set of three enjoyable science fiction films all on their own discs and just repackaged.

Three sci-fi movies that were nicely packed at a great price. The video and audio quality are superb, the best transfer I've seen since I saw them at the movies. The colors are vibrant and the sound is rich. If you enjoyed these films, this triple feature blu-ray is for you.

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Three great movies that go well together. Only thing I don't like about the 3-fer DVD's is missing special features, but the price is truly right for 3 movies as good as these.

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If you love sci-fi like my Wife and I do then this is a worthwhile purchase! We've already seen Contact which is a great story and dvd, but to have these in bluray makes it even more whorthwhile for less than 7 bucks a bluray!? Wow! Again, we've seen Contact on DVD, but can't wait to see it on bluray. After purchasing and arriving, we both watched Red Planet already and all i can say is, whoa! The sound in 5.1 is A+, picture another A+, and all around great story! The space scenes are awesome on a hifi hd bigscreen 60"! Can't wait to see 2010 and Contact! If you don't have these in your collection what are you waiting for? Very Affordable!

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Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

I must disagree with Leonard Maltin; Steamboat Bill Jr. is one of Keaton's best, and as a very fluid and well-plotted example of late-silent filmmaking, it makes an excellent intro to his work for neophytes-better perhaps than some of the more deliriously surreal comedies such as Sherlock Jr. Keaton's performance as the college boy son of a riverboat captain is generally regarded as his best acting, and the 20-30-minute hurricane sequence is one of his most remarkable feats of solo pantomime (it includes the famous clip of a building front falling on him, the window landing exactly where he stands). This tape is also worth noting for the presence on it of a recently discovered complete version of the short Convict 13, one of the last missing bits of silent Keaton.

I have most of the Buster Keaton DVDs and this is one of the most fun. "Steamboat Bill Jr" is the typical Buster Keaton plot, with twice the stuntwork. The hurricane scene is one of his most famous and shows the talent, genius and dexterity of this man. Incredibly fun and entertaining for the whole family.

The first short, "Convict 13" is not a very high quality print, and some parts of it get very hard to decipher, but you must remember that 1 complete reel of this film was considered lost forever until recently. At least we get to see the short in it's entirety. "Convict 13" was one of Keaton's first starring movies for Metro studios and shows him in a very slapstick-ish role; His trademark dean-pan expressionism and personality have not quite evolved at the time of this film. It's still very fun, but not as sophisticated as his later work.

The final short on this DVD "Daydreams", is another 'nearly lost' classic. The DVD states that some of the footage is unavailable and they took the liberty to piece a few extra stills and title cards to make the movie flow with a comprehensible storyline. Once again, the transfer quality is not high, but better than "Convict 13". "Daydreams" is classic Keaton, complete with the chase scene of 20-30 police officers, ala "Cops" (See 'The General' DVD). There is an implied attempted suicide in "Daydreams", but it's all completely off screen.

Once again, I have yet to be disappointed by a Buster Keaton DVD from Kino International. I recommend it highly.

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As one of his last great silent films, Steamboat Bill Jr.(1928) is one of Buster Keaton's finest. Nearly a third of it's 69 minute running time is comprised of some of the most spectacular and funniest stunt work Keaton ever did. The General, Our Hospitality and the 45 minute Sherlock Jr. are better films but none are any more entertaining than Steamboat Bill Jr .

Bill (Ernest Torrence) is the tough Captain and owner of the old and somewhat run-down Stonewall Jackson river boat. He is about to be run out of business by the richest man in town, King (Tom McGuire). King has built a huge, fancy river-boat and gets the Stonewall condemned.

Bill then gets word that his son is going to visit him. He has not seen his son for many years-Bill Junior aka Willie, has been in college back east-and Bill Sr. imagines his son must be bigger than he is. He's pretty disappointed that not only does his son look like a 90 pound weakling, but he's got a city slicker hat on that has got to be replaced pronto. Father decides its time to make a man out of his son, while son Willie, has his eyes on a beautiful young lady (Marion Byron) who happens to be chief rival King's daughter.

Father Bill ends up in jail, and Buster Willie tries to break him out. He succeeds, but is almost accosted himself so Father turns himself back in and Willie is sent to the hospital with a minor injury. Just when it looks like the old Steamboat is doomed for extinction, and Willie won't get the girl the weather changes.

The final extended sequence of the film begins at the front porch of the King Hotel. King is warned that a wind storm is coming and the pier is not going to be strong enough to hold his fancy boat against the wind.

The wind blows and the death defying stunts, and inventive sight gags begin. A man tries to start his car, the wind blows the hood of the car up which makes the car into a land sail boat-with the man being dragged down the street holding onto his cars bumper. The car comes to a halt in front of the King Hotel. The Pier collapses and the King Steamboat breaks away and some of its crew leap for their lives. The entire front of the King Hotel collapses into splinters and is blown away. People on the street struggle as they run for cover and shelter.

Buster Willie who is in the hospital, remains in his bed as the patients and nurses flee out the hospital which is then entirely blown away. Buster tries to leave the area with remarkable calm but must leap onto his bed as it is propelled through the ruins of the town's streets and through a horse stable. In the middle of the street, Buster goes under the bed for cover. A man leaps from the second story of his house onto the bed. The Bed collapses on Buster. The wind blows the escaping man and the bed away.

Then the somewhat confused Willie rises to his feet, in front of the house that will be ripped apart by the winds and give us one of the most infamous and death defying stunts in all of movie history. As he stands groggy and confused, the entire two ton facade of the house falls and crashes over him. A small window opening just happens to have passed over the very spot he is standing. Buster had positioned himself with only inches to spare so that the facade would crash over him but avoid crushing him to death. If he had missed his mark by a few inches, or if something had gone wrong, Buster Keaton would have been crushed to death.

Realizing how close he has come to death, Willie tries to run, but the wind is too strong and soon he is sliding and tumbling and being blown as if he is a tumbleweed down the street. Eventually he winds up amongst stage props at what remains of the theater. More inventive gags follow leading to an exciting finale in which he must rescue his father from drowning in the Jail,the woman he loves, and more.

Keaton did all of his own stunts. He designed many of them to be shot in longshots, choreographing movements so he tumbled or was dragged from end of the frame to the other. His acrobatic ability continues to amaze. It should come as no surprise that one of Keaton's biggest fans is Jackie Chan, who carries on old stone-face `s tradition quite well.

The credits list Charles F. Reisner as the director of Steamboat Bill Jr., but it is unlikely Reisner even co-directed the feature with Keaton (Keaton did collaborate with Eddie Cline on several shorts). Keaton actually directed all of his feature films, sharing or giving away credit to a string of studio assigned directors who did very little work on Keaton's films.

Also featured on the wonderful KINO DVD (and video) are two wonderful Keaton shorts. Convict 13 and Daydreams. Convict 13 (1920) contains some clever physical slapstick choreography while Daydreams (1922) shows the early genesis of ideas that would be fully realized in the classic Sherlock Jr., and ends with an exciting chase scene in New York City.

Steamboat Bill Junior was the last film Buster made for producer Joseph M. Schenck. He would then begin his ill-fated contract with MGM. After The Camera Man and during Spite Marriage, the sound era began and MGM would team Keaton with Jimmy Durante (bad idea) and then in several mediocre comedies completely mis-using Keaton's talent and forcing severe restrictions on him. Keaton already in a bad marriage and an alcoholic, allowed his career to be destroyed.

Buster Keaton is one of the top directors, and comics who ever lived. He experimented with film in ways that none of his contemporaries even dreamed of and in doing so surpasses even Chaplin and Lloyd in terms of genius. Some of the innovations he explored continue to be used by modern film-makers today.

Chris Jarmick Author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder A steamy cyber thriller available January 2001. Please order it today. Thank You

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When we think about Buster Keaton, we think of one of the kings of slapstick comedy during the silent era. The master of physical comedy, a talent known for his deadpan expression and his films, well-revered today as one of the best actors and directors of all time and beloved by many.

But in 1928, Buster Keaton was going through one of the most problematic times of his life. A marriage to Natalie Talmadge (of the popular Talmadge family and sister to actresses Norma and Constance) which was going south and to make things worse but two years prior, Keaton had learned that Joseph M. Schenk (the man in which Keaton was contracted to) would be taking the job as President of the new United Artists (created by D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks).

And with Keaton now losing independence as a director/actor and becoming part of the new studio mentality, in the three year period, he would create three films which would be his final films he would have complete control over and that was "The General" (1926), "College" (1927) and his final film with United Artists, "Steamboat Bill, Jr" (1928).

Like "The General", "Steamboat Bill, Jr." is considered one of the best films that Keaton had created but in 1928, people didn't feel the same way. People were now getting read for the talkies (which was in its infancy) and slapstick comedy was phasing out and people were wanting something new and different.

Eventually like many silent era stars, "Steamboat Bill, Jr." is considered as Keaton's last great silent film and is now considered today as not just one of the top Keaton comedy films ever created but one of the top comedy silents of all time.

VIDEO:

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." is quite literally the best looking version of the film available and for an 82-year-old film, Kino International has once again done a spectacular job on a silent film release on Blu-ray.

Before I discuss the picture quality of "Steamboat Bill, Jr.", it's important to note that because this is a silent film, it's important to emphasize that each silent film has been handled and stored differently. With that being said, I also want to add that there are only so many very good silent films still around, many destroyed from fires started by the Nitrate film or mishandling (or improper storage). Fortunately, a good number of Keaton films have strong film elements that have led to Kino International wanting to release more Keaton films on Blu-ray and to also make sure the film has not been digitally tampered.

Similar to "The General", Kino International has done a a great job with bringing this film to Blu-ray. Presented in 1080p High Definition, black and white, yes, the film is not pristine (no silent film in HD will be) looking as it does have scratches, dust, hair and other damage that the film has gone through within the last 80-years. But this is to be expected, if anything, many silent films on nitrate were not well taken care of, so each time I see a film in which the films are much better than I expect, I'm quite pleased and for "Steamboat Bill, Jr." in HD, it's definitely a major improvement over its original DVD counterpart.

I have watched many silent films that have had considerable nitrate damage but this film still looks fantastic for its age and you will not see the nitrate damage or acid buildup in the film's sides. Yes, it's not pristine but it's the best looking version of the film that I have seen so far. There is a good amount of detail where you can actually see detail on the ground, on the wood of the Steamboat bill ship, the curvatures and bark on a tree. It's important to note that some elements of the film do show its change in black levels but by no means was this distracting for me. I know of one review that said that contrast was blinding and I think that comment was a bit excessive. There are changing levels but by no means was it blinding or over-contrast. I found the black levels and contrast more distracting on the DVD but I believe that KINO did a wonderful job in fixing it on the Blu-ray release (and I am assuming it was fixed also on the ultimate collection 2-disc DVD that was released simultaneously on the same day as the Blu-ray).

The differences between the Buster Keaton Estate version and the Killiam Shows Archives version is quite interesting as the films show different takes. Because the film were handled by different properties, the picture quality is slightly softer in the Killiam version but personally, both looks good and I'm very grateful that both films are included in this release.

Many have wondered if the film does have any DNR and Bret Wood posted on Nitrateville.com:

When we transferred THE GENERAL, we had the grain-reducer turned down to zero, assuming that would kill it. But when we QC'ed the Blu-Ray, we saw traces of digital artifacts. As a result, we re-transferred THE GENERAL for Blu-Ray, with the grain-reducer not just turned to zero, but completely by-passed (and we followed the same technique for STEAMBOAT BILL JR.).

By this time, the DVD of THE GENERAL had already been released, so it has a slight amount of digital noise reduction, but it's virtually undetectable on a SD monitor.

But despite its having its share of dust and particles and other things that do show up in the video, comparing both this Blu-ray version to the DVD version in my Kino "Art of Buster Keaton" set, "Steamboat Bill, Jr." looks fantastic on Blu-ray!

On the DVD, there is constant flickering and there were times that blacks look quite deep and were hard to see faces at times. Also, seeing how much cleaner the print looks on Blu-ray vs. the original KINO DVD is quite amazing.

Iknow some Blu-ray purists that have never seen a silent film can be alarmed that silent films are not clear and pristine but the fact is many of them aren't but if we can get something as close to perfect, for an 82-year-old film, I'm quite impressed with the results!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

With any release of silent films on Blu-ray, one thing that I have always wanted to see is more musical scores that people can select for their own viewing and personal preference.

For "Steamboat Bill, Jr.", you get the The Biography Players music presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, an organ score by Lee Erwin and a piano score by William Perry. Unfortunately, the music by Gaylord Carter presented on the original DVD is not included.

It's important to note that the Buster Keaton Estate version comes with The Biography Players DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 score and a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo version and the Lee Erwin mono organ score. The Killiam Shows Archive version only features the William Perry Dolby Digital 2.0 piano score.

The Biography Players lossless score was well-done! I enjoyed Gaylord Carter's score from the original, so to hear another score, I was quite impressed of how the orchestra carried on various instruments during a scene's most emotional or hair-raising moments. It is important to note that the score is presented on all five audio channels. But just in case, you don't like that, you can always select a Dolby Digital 2.0 version of the score.

I also enjoyed the organ score by Lee Irwin (presented in Dolby Digital mono) and you get the Dolby Digital 2.0 piano score by William Perry.

There are no subtitles in this Blu-ray release.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." comes with the following special features:

* Steamboat Bill, Jr. (Killiam)(1:10:29) The second version of the film which is similar to the Buster Keaton Estate version but the Killiam Shows Archive version does feature different cuts of scenes (such as the trying on a hat scene). The Killiam Shows Archive version only features the William Perry Dolby Digital 2.0 piano score.

* Visual Essay (12:20) A short documentary explaining Keaton's mindset during the filming of "Steamboat Bill, Jr." and the challenges that Keaton faced at this time in his life.

* Steamboat Bill: The Song Early recordings of a folk song that created the persona from which the film was derived. Performed by Edward Meeker (1911, 2:10) and Irving Kaufman (1919, 2:48).

* "Why The Call Him Buster" (1:11) A musical montage of pratfalls and stunts created to promote the upcoming release of KINO's "Lost Keaton".

* Stills Using your remote, you can cycle through various stills from the film.

EXTRAS:

"Steamboat Bill, Jr." comes with a slipcase.

JUDGMENT CALL:

As a big fan of Buster Keaton films, from his silents to his talkies, I do feel that Kino International has done a fantastic job with this Blu-ray release of "Steamboat Bill, Jr.".

While I really enjoyed "The General", "Steamboat Bill, Jr." is a film that I enjoyed even more. I felt the physical comedy by Buster Keaton was fantastic! The scenes when the hurricane hits the town literally makes your jaw drop and makes you wonder how they created those scenes in 1928. Hurricane-like winds, watching Keaton risk his life and putting his life into this crew's hands as homes and buildings collapse all around him, houses falling on him and literally escaping harms way to seeing him on a tree and being carried away by the hurricane (of course, a crane whisking him away from land to ocean). The fact is for this film, Keaton put his life in jeopardy and just the slightest miscalculation could have either killed him or maimed him. Fortunately, Buster and his crew prepared quite well for those scenes.

Keaton including his third wife have said in past interviews that he didn't care about doing those scenes because at the time, he was fighting off depression. His marriage had failed (which would actually hurt him severely a few years later), his financial problems were mounting and the lifestyle that his wife had wanted was taking its toll (it's important to note that in their bitter divorce, Natalie Talmadge literally took all his money and his children away from him and leaving him a broken man driven to alcoholism).

As much as I love the film, I can't help but feel saddened that this incredible film was a box office failure and literally stripping away Buster Keaton's control over his films. But the fact is that Keaton was one of the casualties of the crossover from silent films to the talkies. Without Joseph Schenk, without the support of his wife, without control over his films. But he took the advice to close down his own studio from Schenk and to move to Columbia Pictures. This slapstick comedy king had his whole role reduced when he went to MGM (which Buster would say was the worst decision he made all his life) but the truth was, whether he kept his studio or not, the movies would never be the same for these silent film stars. And while Keaton would go on to make commercially successful films, the days of Keaton showcasing his physical comedy (which the studio would not allow and he had to work with a stunt double) was over.

So, in many ways, "Steamboat Bill, Jr." can be seen by many of us today, as his final silent film in which we got to see the actor at his most daring. Exciting, captivating, and doing things that not even Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd would ever dare do. But the attitudes towards cinema during those final silent years were not kind to these silent stars and for many people watching this film, its difficult to imagine how this film did terribly because it's a fantastic film that you can't help but respect Keaton for what he accomplished.

As for this Blu-ray release, once again, Kino has done silent film fans a big service. Another wonderful Keaton film in HD and their continuing dedication of bringing silent films to the masses, especially to those who are now discovering silent films for the very first time. The fact that you get both the Buster Keaton Estate version and the Killiam Shows Archive version is a major plus (same film but both have different takes and alternate scenes). Also, I was quite pleased with the features presented in this release.

I will say that if you are planning to buy this release, you're going to read different reviews about "Steamboat Bill, Jr." on Blu-ray and you are going to see reviews that are positive and negative due to the way the video is presented. I am on the side that feels the presentation of "Steamboat Bill, Jr." was well-done and I know there will be those who will debate the black-levels and the contrast and so forth. In my case, the contrast was not blinding but again, we all have different equipment.

But for the film alone, what was included on this Blu-ray release and its' over all presentation, "Steamboat Bill, Jr." is a winner and is highly recommended!

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STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. (1928): Never having seen each other before, preppy college student Buster arrives to meet his father at his father's riverboat town along the Mississippi River. Buster's burly father expects a tall blue-collar guy he can pass his riverboat business on to inherit but is disappointed to find a prancing Buster in pantaloons, ukulele, and a ridiculous French beret which comes to irritate his father. It's bad enough that Buster is an incompetent wreck on the boat, the worst thing he had done is get involved with the daughter of his father's enemy. Later, Buster's father gets sent to jail for trying to slug his enemy and this becomes an opportunity where Buster gets to prove himself. The last third of the movie contains some of the most classic scenes Keaton ever filmed, which involve the destruction of the town in a cyclone. Scene after scene shows Keaton bouncing around town trying to survive the desecration swirling around him. I've never seen him more athletic. This movie contains the famous scene of Keaton going through the glassless-window of the side of a 2-story house, which slams to the ground around him. You can see that the wall missed his left shoulder by about an inch. The film did not do well financially when it was released in 1928, but I think it was due to a distribution problem. As an independent filmmaker, Keaton did not release all his films from one single company, such as a good one like MGM which turned his films into hits. I think Steamboat Bill, Jr. was released by United Artists, which was a troubled company. However, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is a definite classic and deserved to be a hit.

One of the offhand things I found amusing in this film is that there's an actual typo on one of the title cards! After seeing numerous silent films, I noticed that the punctuation and grammar in them is always perfect, so I was surprised to see a typo here! The title card that says "That must of happened when the dough fell in the tool chest" should read "That must've happened when the dough fell in the tool chest".

CONVICT 13 (1920): Another one of Keaton's early shorts, this one has the rambunctious quality similar to the shorts he did with Arbuckle a few years earlier. Buster gets kicked out of his golfing clothes by an escaped convict and winds up in that guy's stripes. He ends up in prison where we are shown quickly-paced gag after gag involving prisoners and guards. The print on this DVD is OK, but there are a few shots that appear mushy and unfocused. Still, Convict 13 is well worth a watch numerous times.

DAYDREAMS (1922): Daydreams shows Buster trying to win his gal by claiming through letters that he's a successful career-guy-on-the-go, when actually he's the opposite and most of the film shows him getting into trouble in the jobs he's too embarrassed to admit he has. There's a warning at the beginning that a few scenes from the original print have been lost, but it doesn't really matter, unless you've seen those scenes and know what you're missing. I noticed that a classic scene of Buster on the paddlewheel of a boat was cut a little but it didn't bother me much. Daydreams shows a lot of filmed-on-location scenes, which I prefer over his studio soundstage filmmaking.

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Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)

I was annoyed to find that 2/3 of the reviewers (or at least one) who gave this movie one star haven't even seen it; they judged it purely on the ads they saw and automatically assumed that the book was much better. I loved the book dearly, and I actually read it when I was already 14!! I was so tired of all these stories about boys and their dogs, and how a boy needs a dog to have a good childhood; this was different, because I could associate with Opal so much better!

Sure, there are a few minor differences--Opal is a blonde not a red-head, and that dog is anything but ugly. Big deal. It's not as traumatic a change as having Harry Potter be a blonde and have no scar. People made too much an issue out of that, and also complained that AnnaSophia Robb could not act. This I must disagree with. That kid drew every emotion out of me that a filmmaker would want. She almost made me cry (on five occasions), and not just any kid actor can make tear up. She is a good actress in her own right, and I'm glad she'll be in a few other films this year.

The rest of the cast was great as well, even Dave Matthews. I loved seeing Eva Marie Saint in her role (it's been a while for her to be on the big screen!) In fact the only annoying thing in this movie was the cop, thrown in for a few very cheap, very annoying laughs (like the wedgie joke). But he's only in two scenes, thankfully, though the movie would be a lot better on the whole without him.

Overall, this is one of those movies you MUST see before you judge it. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a cynic! "Because of Winn-Dixie" combines a sweet story with good acting, directing, effects, and all that jazz. It can be very entertaining for the entire family, teenagers included (if they'd give it a chance!). Really, you're missing out if you decide to pass over this one.

I'm a 51-year-old guy, and I took my best friends' little 9-year-old girl to see this film (recommended by my own mother!). Previously, we'd seen "Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events," which I enjoyed immensely. Normally, we go see computer animated films. "Robots" is next!

"Because of Winn-Dixie" is a true family film, and that is a genre I usually avoid like the plague. Maybe this film hit me at a time when my heartstrings were ripe for plucking, I don't know. But I began shedding tears almost immediately after it began, and those tears kept pumping, even though I laughed here and there. I might add that my "niece" did not cry, but she liked the film a lot. (She's never owned a dog, but this movie isn't really about the dog, anyway.) I don't know how this film would strike me on a second viewing. It has some obvious flaws, but it's a wonderful film in so many ways that I have to give it 4 stars based on this one viewing. With respect to the young star, AnnaSophia Robb, I found her very adorable (but not cutesy), and, with all due respect to some other negative opinions expressed here, a wonderfully convincing actress. There are a lot of bad child actors out there (the all-time worst had to be the kid who played Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace). But AnnaSophia is NOT one of them. I would recommend this film to any adult who has a big heart, and who hasn't already been jaded by routine family fare.

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The movie "Because of Winn Dixie" has been kept true to the book. I found it to be as charming, heartwarming and even a bit better in some instances in comparison to the printed version. I think it's mainly Cicely Tyson's 'Gloria Dump' that takes it up a notch. She was a perfect choice to play the blind women who teaches India Opal what it means to truly 'see.' I pictured Gloria very differently and was pleasantly surprised by the uncharacteristically scruffy Tyson. Jeff Daniels and Dave Matthews are men who have been hurt but still manage to take the risks needed to keep love flowing to them and from them. "Winn Dixie" is set in an old, rural town in Florida which made me yearn for a simpler time when it was safe for children to ride their bikes around town, explore, and just be kids. In that way, "Because of Winn Dixie" reminds me a lot of "Sandlot."

This movie is all about heart and it is a perfect family movie, for boys and girls, young and old alike and should be on everyone's pre-order list. I really can't recommend it any higher and I feel it's a must have for everyone, even families without kids. It is THAT good.

Read Best Reviews of Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) Here

One expects a movie pushed so hard as a 'kid's movie' to be pretty dreadful ... lots of sprinkles, treacle & gooey-goodness.

Thank the gods, this *isn't* 1 of them. The adult stars Jeff Daniels, Eva Marie Saint, Cicely Tyson & [surprise!] Dave Matthews are great, but the true sparkle is Anna Sophia Robb as the lonely daughter of an abandoned preacher in a tiny town w/the church in a convenience store. Enter Win-Dixie, a horse of a mutt [actually a purebred, but he *looks* quite mutty] shines as he helps the child tear down the fences beween people. Every time you expect the film to go into "aww!' fulness, it swerves into a more considered and dare i say it? more adult look at the distance people put between each other ... & how to shorten it into nothingnesss.

Good in a wholesome but *never* icky-poo sweet way, it shows the delight 1 can find in a squalid trailer park, a convenience store-turned-Baptist chapel, & a dusty, small town in the middle of Nowhere FL [actually, LA]. Recommended.

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When I saw the ads for this movie, I was hoping I would be able to avoid having to take my kids to see it. The studio marketed this film like it was another "Beethoven" film with the dog doing all kinds of wacky stuff that only the 10 and under crowd would enjoy, "Racing Stripes" anyone?? So when I got home last night and my wife had rented the dvd of "Winn Dixie" I was less than thrilled. We popped it in, and within 10 minutes I knew this was not a standard kiddie flick. Sure it's kid friendly, and the 10 and younger crowd will love the dog, and goofy deputy, but there is so much more to this film. To be honest the movie really isn't about the dog, it's more of a coming of age tale of the young girl. The characters all come to life and aren't just there for window dressing or to do reaction shots for the dog. The acting is great, the story is wonderful (don't be surprised to find yourself with a lump in your throat on a couple occasions). There is more "To Kill a Mockingbird" to "Winn Dixie" than there is "Beethoven". A really wonderful film.

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Too Late Blues (1961)

This was the second film directed by John Cassavettes, and it suffers from his quirkiness, and terrible editing job. It was originally 4 hours long. Although I'm a fan of JC's anyway. With a character as complex as Ghost, and a back drop of the world of jazz musician's trying to make it, he could've had a classic, gritty film about the subject. He almost does. But what saves it and makes it worth while for me is Bobby Darin. He lives, breathes, and is Ghost Wakefield. Darin easily shows great emotion with his communicative brown eyes, and his pliable, handsome face. He's a natural, and it's a shame his health robbed him of the opportunity to do more film work. He has a dymanic presence on screen, sizzles with sexual undertones. Darin would only have gotten better and better as he matured.

Why I rate it high is because it belongs in any retrospective of the legendary, uncompromising director, and it gave Bobby Darin one of the most multi-talented entertainers of all time, a chance to shine. I'll be forever grateful to Cassavettes' for casting Bobby in this role.

The Raksin theme (aka A SONG AFTER SUNDOWN) is the real highlight of the movie and gets TOO LATE BLUES an extra star. John Cassavetes directs what's generally regarded as a failure, albeit one with potential and some curiously good moments. The biggest problem is that the film doesn't concentrate enough on the music, or the beat-generation mentality, that defines it. It's too mainstream, and there was little freedom to explore, with any detail, the psychosexual connection between a hooker and an impotent musician. Darin and Stevens are obviously discombobulated by the Cassavetes knack for improvisation, and weak editing only compounds the problem.

The Olive Films' blu-ray looks sterling.

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An uncompromising jazz musician (Bobby Darin) holds firmly to his artistic convictions not to sell out for money and fame. But when he falls in love with a sad and wounded wannabe singer (Stella Stevens), he feels humiliated and ashamed when he can't physically defend her from a drunken thug (Vince Edwards) and he turns against her and his bandmates. After the critical success of his indie film SHADOWS (which won the Critics award at the Venice film festival) in 1959, director John Cassavetes second directorial effort was for a major studio, Paramount. Yet it doesn't have the feel of a slick Hollywood studio movie, it feels improvisatory and spontaneous (Cassavetes co-wrote the script) while retaining an authentic jazz milieu. Only the ending feels like a mainstream Hollywood film but I don't know if it was Cassavetes' idea or a compromise. The acting is excellent with both Darin and Stevens showing great potential that was never fully realized in either's acting career. Stevens, in particular, seems a major actress about to bloom. The nicely rendered B&W photography is by Lionel Lindon (MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) and the minimal underscore by David Raksin (LAURA). Fine supporting work by Everett Chambers as Darin's mean spirited and spiteful agent, Cliff Carnell, Seymour Cassel, Nick Dennis, Rupert Crosse and Marilyn Clark as rich matron who makes Darin her gigolo.

The Olive DVD is a crisp B&W transfer in an anamorphic 1.85 aspect ratio.

Read Best Reviews of Too Late Blues (1961) Here

Too Late Blues [Blu-ray]Recently bought this bluray and as with all the OLIVE FILMS product, the transfer is sumptuous. First of all I never understood why John Cassavetes kind of disowned this film. I believe it is excellent. The film is made with a great deal of discipline which Cassavetes "more personal" efforts mostly weren't. His skill at directing actors was always wonderful and it is no less true of this film. Everyone in it is at their peak. Some have asserted that Bobby Darin was miscast here but I don't agree at all. The real standout in a grand cast is Stella Stevens. Recently Tim Lucas (of Video Watchdog)opined that Jerry Lewis MUST HAVE SEEN THIS FILM before casting her in his own THE NUTTY PROFESSOR. I never thought of that before but the similarity in the roles template is reason to wonder at the very least. And she is not only one of the most beautiful women to ever exist but QUITE a grand DRAMATIC as well as comic actress.

So many of the other performances (for that matter co-writer Cassavetes had more discipline in the script here than ever)are super. Everett Chambers wonderful lizard like performance turning on dime from smiling glad-hander to back-stabber, Bobby Darin playing a jazz musician (someone whose musical tastes AND OUTPUT was ALWAYS broad in real life)who is basically a self-centered egocentric (MANY would assert not far from his REAL personality)is always convincing and never a caricature. Nick Dennis is always a ball to watch and see (Everyone remembers him in Aldrich's KISS ME DEADLY..."Pretty POW!"). Vincent Edwards (when he was doing almost NOTHING but villains before BEN CASEY too him to stardom) isn't convincing as an IRISH person, but is effective as a drunken bully who beats tiny Darin up and humiliates him in front of his friends/bandmates and girl (Stevens)...In addition the parts of the band are played by real jazz players and they are all extraordinarily effective...as is Lionel Lindon's cinematography and David Raksin's score. SEE IT!

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Too Late Bluies has a weak story and even weaker acting. One of Bobby Darin's first acting efforts and he is not good.

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Cleopatra (1963)

There seems to be a great deal of confusion regarding the various running times attributed to "Cleopatra", and which version is available on home video as of early 2012. Let me try to help those readers who have been seeking to purchase the most complete version possible.

When director and editor Joseph L. Mankiewicz first screened the rough cut for Fox executives back in 1963, the film ran approximately 5 and a half hours. Mankiewicz conceived the film being released as two separate features, the first detailing Cleopatra's relationship with Julius Caesar and the second exploring her liaison with Marc Antony. Fox head Darryl F. Zanuck adamantly refused Mankiewicz' plan: Fox had so much money invested in the film that the studio was on the verge of bankruptcy, and Zanuck wanted to rush the film into theatres quickly and recoup as much money as possible while the public was still fascinated by the real-life romantic scandal taking place between Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra) and Richard Burton (Antony). He ordered Mankiewicz to edit the film down to a cut that ran a little over four hours (248 minutes). This is the version that was shown to reviewers and early "roadshow" audiences.

However, when it came time to send the film into general release, theatre owners complained that the movie was so long, it could only be shown once per evening. Zanuck agreed and had the film cut again, down to about 222 minutes, and then a second time to a little over three hours in length (192 minutes) so that it could be shown twice per evening and thus, theoretically, bring in twice as much money, and quickly. This 192 minute theatrical version thus became the most complete edition of the film that most original audiences ever saw.

However, with the advent of the home video revolution and the consequent revival of interest in the film, Fox searched their vaults and came up with a print of the four hour "roadshow" edition, and it is this print which is currently available on DVD in both the out-of-print 3-disc "Five Star Collection" and the current 2-disc "Award Series" releases. Although various press releases advertise the DVDs as running 193 minutes (including, at present, the Amazon Item Descriptions), they are incorrect. The DVDs run approximately 248 minutes, with the feature spread out over two discs. (The third disc in the "Five Star Collection" edition contains a wealth of bonus materials, including vintage multiple trailers and newsreel clips, an extensive gallery of publicity stills and portraits, and best of all, the AMC original full-length documentary, "Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood.")

So ... if you've been avoiding a purchase because you want the most extensive cut of the film available, wait no longer! 50 years after the film was released, with the hullaballoo over the film's cost and the scandal over the Taylor-Burton affair no longer dominating viewers' minds, "Cleopatra" is definitely worth a look. The performances are not nearly as bad as the initial reviewers claimed (Taylor and Burton were both lambasted while Rex Harrison received an Oscar nomination and won the National Board of Review's Best Actor accolade), and the production values are dazzling. "Cleopatra" may have cost a mint and nearly sunk Fox financially, but for sheer visual spectacle it can't be beat. The film scooped up Oscars for Cinematography, Art Direction & Set Decoration, Costumes and Special Effects, and it deserved every one of them. It also should have garnered Roddy McDowall the Supporting Actor Oscar, but Fox mistakenly designated him as a Leading Actor, and he failed to be nominated by the Academy in that category.

As a postscript, I should mention that the search for the missing footage that would restore Mankiewicz' original vision of the film as a five-and-a-half hour blockbuster continues as of this writing. Hopefully, we will all someday see "Cleopatra" as it was intended to be seen. Until then, the 248 edition currently available is definitely recommended.

That a film as good as CLEOPATRA is was created at all under the madness and panic of it's legendary production is indeed an amazing feat. That CLEOPATRA has been given such loving care in it's restoration in this DVD of the "Road show" print and the attendant bonus materials is a wondrous gift to those who love this film.

The documentary, "Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood" is in on it's own an engrossing and informative two hour movie. For anyone who knows little of the history of CLEOPATRA, or who was not around at the time, this documentary will give them the feeling of what those last days of old Hollywood were like. And therein one can find the reasons why this intimate epic is indeed the wonder that it is. Much thanks must be given to the Mankiewicz family and the producers of the documentary.

The print and the sound of CLEOPATRA seems now to surpass what I recall it to be in its first presentation nearly forty years ago. The depth of the colors and the richness of the shadows are indeed splendid. In it's present form it is hard to believe this film is as old as it is. The commentary track is like finding the lost treasures of the long dead monarch. For there are wonderful recollections by Martin Landau, Tom and Chris Mankiewicz, and even Jack Brodsky gets to read sections from his book "The Cleopatra Papers". But I must give special mention to Landau's part. With his keen eye for the art direction of John DeCur one sees things in the background and along the edges of the scene that one never noticed before. Such lovingly detailed sets and interiors will never be seen again. The costs today are just too prohibitive. Also his insights into what was cut from the film, particularly his and Richard Burton's contributions in the second act give one the idea of what Mankiewicz was intending. Poor Richard suffered the unkindest cut of all. The presentation of the DVD menus are so clever and exotic and are to be commended in their art direction. At last we now know what is behind the massive 20th Century Fox logo!

The film itself remains what it has always been, a good film that might have been great if only Zanuck had but trusted Joe Mankiewicz' original vision. In the documentary it is stated that Fox is looking for the missing film, one can only hope that they succeed.

The performances range from excellent to good. Particular praise must go to Rex Harrison, Richard Burton, Martin Landau, Robert Stephens, Andrew Keir, and Roddy McDowall. Lastly in this department there remains Elizabeth Taylor's performance as Cleopatra. At the films release she got the brickbats and for reasons that had nothing to do with her performance. It is always hard to separate the history of the lady from her film roles. But here in this film is where she became the ELIZABETH TAYLOR she has remained in the mind of the world to this day. In this fact alone she is perfect in the role. She is at once regal and commanding, strong and tender, soft and hard. The contradictions that have always been at the heart of Cleopatra herself, the public enigma wrapped within a mystery. In her performance as written by Mankiewicz she is probably not too far off from the historical Cleopatra.

Ever since Judith Crist gave CLEOPATRA the needle in 1963 and in the act made her name, the public, for the most part, has viewed this film a failure. But today, stripped of the scandal, hype and hysteria of its release in June of '63 it is now possible to view CLEOPARTA as the wonderful film that it is. Historically this is an important DVD and I recommend it highly. CLEOPATRA remains as seductive, beautiful, and intelligent as it was in Walter Wanger's original conception.

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BLU-RAY UPDATE (June 12, 2012) The blu-ray is magnificent. The film has never looked or sounded better. The film is vibrantly rich and a feast for the eyes and ears. A wonderful update on the extras in included with two new short documentaries. One called; "Cleopatra Throught The Ages" and the other "Cleopatra's Missing Footage". Both are icing on the cake. Bravo to Fox for a job well done on the preservation of this important piece of Hollywood history.

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When I first saw "Cleopatra" (1963) at the theater it was a big let down. I think the public was awaiting something completely "out of the mold" after being bombed by an aggressive publicity campaign. It's my feeling that this was the cause of "Cleopatra" being initially a big flop.

More than thirty years after its release I saw this movie again and was amazed: such a great epoch reconstruction, such historical accurateness, such great performances from the three main characters!

The story is well known. A young and beautiful Egyptian princess seduces and gets protection and support from the mighty Roman general Julius Caesar. A love affair emerges and a boy is born. Cleopatra seeks Caesar to be King of Rome and his son to be his heir. Unfortunately March Ides arrive and Caesar is murdered by his entourage.

Cleopatra flies to Egypt; there she awaits the development of political events. Finally Marc Antony arrives and starts a new love affair. There is a final confrontation among the Roman rivals and fate is again blind to Cleopatra's hopes.

Decoration and Costume both won, deservedly, Oscar Award. A full scale reproduction of Alexandria's port and marketplace is shown. The Egyptian palaces' reconstruction is amazing. The same may be said of Roman buildings and halls.

Cleopatra's costumes are gorgeous, she wore 65 different! The wardrobe of all the cast is impeccable!

Special mentions must be addressed to: Rex Harrison's performance as Julius Caesar, sober and realistic, no overacting or histrionics; Elisabeth Taylor at the apex of her career is just adorable; Richard Burton gives the audience a passionate and ruthless personification of Marc Antony.

A film to be admired and treasured!

Reviewed by Max Yofre.

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Despite the legendary excesses and scandals that went on during the making of this unjustly maligned movie, it has three of the most critical foundation stones any work of this scope needs to succeed:

1). A unified vision or point of view, extending from the development of plot and characters to the physical look of the production itself.

2). A literate and compelling script that could play irrespective of the opulence of its surroundings.

3). Four leading actors who instinctively understand how to work their material, making the seams between performer and character invisbile to the spectator.

#s 1 & 2 were supplied by director / screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz, #3 by Taylor, Burton, Harrison, and McDowell.

This is a film that easily bears repeated viewings, and, again, thanks to Mankiewicz and his actors, functions simultaneously on a variety of levels. For example, there are the love stories:

Caesar & Cleopatra / Antony & Cleopatra.

The tender scenes are written and played almost poetically, but there are also political manouverings going on as each uses the other to attain or augment their power. This is made even more fascinating in that these are obviously intelligent, witty, charming, beautiful, ruthless, and influential people whose calculations shape nations and Empires.

Given all of the above, the movie also looks like the enormous sum it cost, has a brilliant score by Alex North, an accomplished supporting cast (in particular, Martin Landau, Pamela Brown, Hume Cronan, Cesare Danova), and spectacular "set pieces" that though fully integrated into the plot, almost play as "movies within the movie" Cleopatra's Entry into Rome, Cleopatra's Barge & Banquet, the Battle of Actium.

In sum, Mankiewicz and cast succeed in bringing off the big "world stage" themes critical to this genre of historical film. Their greatest achievement however lies in making an audience understand that these ancient archetypes were human beings trying to bear the weight of both history and their emotions.

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I think Cleopatra is the best movie ever made, it is also the most expensive movie ever made costing twice more than Titanic in today's money, but it just didn't make it to the screen. Intended to be two movies, Caesar and Cleopatra & Antony and Cleopatra, three hours each. But partly because of the attention of the famous Taylor-Burton affair, Darryl F. Zanuck shamelessly ruined Cleopatra from its 6-hour two movies into ONE 3 hour 14 minute movie, which is the TV version, which is Horrible! But luckily, the 4-hour version, this DVD version, survived the brutal cutting of the film. This movie is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. The sets, clothes, props, and music... they are just FLAWLESS! As many people know, Rex Harrison as Caesar and Richard Burton as Antony both got nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars, but because the movie was cut to one, they were nominated against each other in the same movie, and more importantly, their best scenes were cut because of the length, so none of them won (but they deserve to), and Roddy McDowell got nominated in the wrong section and his votes were canceled. Martin Landau was going to be nominated as Best Supporting Actor, but after the film was ruined, the Academy Awards dropped him. Elizabeth Taylor's best scenes were cut off that she was so angry she puked at the Premiere.

The Music of the film is the BEST. Till this Day, I don't know why the Oscars didn't give Cleopatra the award. Of course, Oscars didn't give Gone with the Wind, Gladiator, and lots of other film's beautiful scores the Oscar, it's weird.

How do I know about all about Cleopatra? I have ALL the books, interviews, and even the full movie shooting script of this movie, I am the biggest fan! If you have seen the movie, you'll realize that Cleopatra was usually unhappy and tense. But there is a happy side of her, for example, there was a scene where Cleopatra, Antony and her son with Caesar were in the garden, Cleopatra watching them play swords. Then Caesarian, the son, stubbed Antony with his wooden sword and Antony cried out in "pain", and Caesarian suddenly went crying, saying "don't die, don't die!" Antony suddenly comes back to life and tickles Caesarian, then drags Cleopatra into them and they were all laughing and rolling on the floor... it was so happy, and that's one of the many sides of Cleopatra that's been cut off.

In the four-hour version, we first see Cleopatra dumped out of a carpet. That was NEVER intended to be the first scene we see Cleopatra. From the script I learned that there was a whole story of Cleopatra outside Alexandria, and she and the others planned to meet Caesar and how to sneak her in. Just after they got to the Palace, some soldiers almost caught them and the maid had to lure the guards away... it was thrilling to read the pages of the script! There are sooo much to saying about what Cleopatra should have been, but sadly, no one expect FOX has the missing footage, and they are the best scenes of the movie (some scenes were so humorous that I laughed out loud!).

In the late 70's, 20th Century FOX called a recording session to record the lines of the movie so they can restore it, since the sound elements were missing. But it was called off at the last minute. But the three-and-half hours of missing film footage was NEVER lost! With today's technology, they can totally restore the film back, including the sound. They also have the missing part of the unused scores, but why doesn't FOX, after making a two hour documentary about the film, restore it? No one knows! Movies like "A Star is Born", "Lawrence of Arabia", "Sparticus", and many other classic movies has been successfully restored and loved by many. Why not Cleopatra? I am writing just to let you know the truth about the movie, and hopefully, if more people know maybe FOX will restore the film to the intended way. In a Late interview with four-time Oscar winner Joseph L Mankiewicz, the director and screenwriter of the movie, when the subject Cleopatra went up, he literately cried (on TV!). He said he wanted the film to be perfect that he bit his nails until they were bleeding that he had to wear gloves when he was writing the script... He called Cleopatra his "butchered masterpiece". But however, it's still one of the best movies out there! Totally worth buying!!

FOX: PLEASE RESTORE CLEOPATRA BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, BEFORE THE FILM ROTS OR A STUDIO FIRE AND BURNS THEM TO DUST, LIKE FOX'S 1917 VERSION OF CLEOPATRA!

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Robin Hood (2010)

As a scholar of the Middle Ages I can say you're not likely to see a better re-creation of the era of King John than any random frame you might pick from Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. From Celtic monuments to Roman ruins, to Loxley hall abundant with 12th century furnishings this film is breathtaking and superbly researched. Except perhaps for the huts clustered around London Tower-the castle was in the midst of a city long before AD 1199. But real huts may be preferable to digital animation.

The authors know English history and the Robin Hood material and play fast and loose with both -which is being true to the tradition of Mallory,Shakespeare, and the Victorian versions of the tale that nowadays seem to be taken for Robin Hood gospel.In a merry spirit of throwing a bit of everything into this script, we are being treated to glimpses of the masked Dying God in the forest (see archeologist Margaret Murray's The God of the Witches for what that's all about.) The Magna Carta -complete with authentic signatures of the 1215 version and Matthew Paris's illustrations of shields from forty years later -makes a premature appearance twice. And the royal favorite turns out to be an agent working for the unpopularity of the king to make way for an invasion from France -a plot twist borrowed from the time of Richard III (don't trust Shakespeare for this, see Paul Murray Kendall's definitive Richard III.) But, hey, Walter Scott combines three centuries in the opening paragraphs of Ivanhoe, why can't Ridley Scott? I give this film five stars, it is stunningly produced, persuasively acted, and keeps up the long tradition of anchronism in Robin Hood plots.

The story of Robin Hood has been told in films with different plot twists. In Douglas Fairbanks' version from 1922, Robin Hood is the Earl of Huntington, going off on Crusade with King Richard (played by Wallace Berry). Huntington returns to oppose Prince John, who is threatening to take the throne from his brother.

Errol Flynn's version has Robin Hood staying in England as a Saxon nobleman opposing Prince John for the same reasons as Douglas Fairbanks' Huntington. Kevin Costner keeps the Third Crusade in the story but adds a Muslim warrior played by Morgan Freeman. There are many approaches to telling the story of Robin Hood.

Ridley Scott's version is perhaps the most ambitious. The film begins with Richard the Lion Heart's siege of the Castle Chaulus Chabral in Normandy. This is where we meet Robin Longstride, a skilled archer, who has followed King Richard into battle for many years. The king looks for an honest man and is confronted with Longstride who has been running a game of chance and is accused (by Little John) of cheating. Robin is not cheating but, ironically, his honest answers to the king land him and his companions shackled. So much for honesty and kings.

The death of King Richard allows Robin and his companions to escape and flee back home. Along the way, they run across a party led by Robert Loxley retuning the crown back to England. Loxley has been attacked by an English nobleman named Godfrey (magnificently played by Mark Strong) who is conspiring with King Philip of France to invade England. Loxley is mortally wounded but Robin and his companions rout Godfrey and his men. The dying Loxley asks Robin to return his sword to his father. Not being a nobleman, Robin impersonates Loxley and returns the crown to the hands to Prince John.

The story develops with Robin and his men going to Nottingham where Robin is, conveniently, asked by Sir Walter Loxley (Max von Sydow) to pretend to be his son in order to preserve the household for his daughter-in-law Marion (Cate Blanchett). The story centers on stopping Godfry and the intended invasion of England by King Philip. A sub-plot concerns the rights of Englishmen centered on a documents of rights that Robin's father (long ago executed) was instrumental in conceiving. The document is the Magna Carta in all but name.

This Robin Hood brings the 12th century to life in all of its grim realities of hard work and, by our standards, hard living. The production design is beautifully conceived, down to the rushes strewn on the floor of the manor house. The performances are magnificent down to supporting roles. It was nice to see Mark Addy (of The Full Monty) as Friar Tuck and Oscar Isaac made an effective quarrelsome King John. John Hurt has a strong role as William Marshall, a courtier of King Richard, and Eileen Atkins made a strong Queen Eleanor. Danny Huston made an exciting Richard the Lion Heart.

The film ends with Robin declared an outlaw for supporting the rights of Englishmen. The film ends where Errol Flynn's version begins. I have not heard if Ridley Scott intends to take up the story but we are left in anticipation of what is to come. This Robin Hood is well acted and beautifully photographed. The story is refreshingly different from the other Robin Hood's but it is a story that has differed from film to film and television.

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I adored this movie. Not only did it give some humor, action, and what notbut it also gave a much more realistic and historic view of the famous Robin Hood.

I was watching the History channel the night before we went to see this movie in the theaters. I think it gave the movie sort of a prequel of what to expect along with actual historical informationwhether it was on the kings, Robin Hood himself, or the weapons used. The amount of detail that went into the movie to make sure it was as historically accurate as possible was amazing. The construction of the bows, the shields and weapons used (my favorite part was the war hammer that Robin used near the end!) and the horses.

If you aren't interested in the historical part of RH and would rather see tons of explosions and what notthis movie may not be for you. If you are interested in a more realistic/historic tale of Robin Hoodthen I think you'll enjoy this piece.

Check out the History channel's special on Robin Hood I think you'll come to find how amazing this movie is along with the amount of detail that was put into the weaponry and other items in the movie.

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Ridley Scott's version of Robin Hood isn't the version you're used to. This tells the mythical story of Robin Hood before he became an outlaw and lived in Sherwood Forest. Of course the story of Robin Hood is one of a lot of mythology and possibly a little bit of fact. No one knows the real story. Chances are that film/book depictions of "Robin Hood" are completely wrong, so it's difficult to say if this movie is realistic in any way, shape, or form minus the historical accuracies dealing with the king of England.

This version of Robin Hood is probably the best I've seen. It's very entertaining, and not a "big, dumb action movie." It's not on the level of Ridley's Gladiator, but I think it's a big leap ahead of Kingdom of Heaven (the theatrical release, at least).

The problem with Robin Hood is the ending. *Warning: spoilers ahead if you don't know the story of Robin Hood* I have not seen the director's cut yet but I would hope that between the final 2 scenes in the film there's something stuck in between them as a bridge. You go from a pretty mediocre beach battle to the king declaring Robin Hood as an outlaw. It feels like they had to cut something, or they just got tired with the film and wanted it to end and they rushed through the final scenes. At any rate, the film almost completely falls apart at the end, though the shots of Robin Hood going into Sherwood Forest make up for a bit.

Ultimately, this is one of the most watchable films of the last couple of years. It's not perfect by any stretch, but it's entertaining and one that I could watch over and over again. It has that kind of vibe to it. Other films I put in that category (in recent release) are the Hurt Locker, Shutter Island, The Wrestler. Just films that I can watch and be entertained by no matter how many times I've seen them. That's good company, and though critics panned Robin Hood, you should give it a shot. As I said, from a technical standpoint I can see it's flaws, but this is a very entertaining movie, and sometimes that's good enough for me.

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This was a good prequel and action movie. I was left wanting to see a Robin Hood movie at the end though. I think they should have stuck with the original title of the film "Nottingham" or even "Robin of Locksley" then made a sequel called Robin Hood. Some people probably complained about how Robin was a commoner in this film and not the aristocrat that everyone knows him as, but he was actually a commoner in the earliest versions of the story. I hope they release a directors cut like Kingdom of Heaven that made the theatrical version of the film look like crap and a sequel film with Crow actually being Robin Hood.

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The Rocketeer: 20th Anniversary Edition (1991)

Based on Dave Stevens' graphic novel (which was inspired by "King of the Rocketmen" a movie serial from the 40's), this retro fantasy is a blast (pardon the pun). Unfortunately, the DVD transfer is not so hot. Director Joe Johnston ("October Sky", "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and "Jurassic Park III")does a nice job with this feature film recreating the look of Hollywood in 1938.

BLU-RAY REVIEW:

Disney has given us a very nice looking Blu-ray debut for "The Rocketeer. Although the image is occasionally a bit soft the overall detail, depth and colors are far superior to every previous edition of the movie. The film looks exceptionally good for a film that is 20 years old.

We get a nice 5.1 lossless mix--it won't blow you away the way that, say, "Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon" audio might, but it's immersive and sounds extremely good with crisp, clear dialogue.

Special Features: Someone missed the boat at the Mouse house here--we get the theatrial trailer and really nothing else of worth. That's just wrong since there's A LOT of material out there on the making of teh film.

4 stars for the transfer which looks extremely good and 1/s star for the "special Feature".

Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) and "Peevy" (Alan Arkin) have put together a cutting edge stunt plane. During a test flight the plane is destroyed in an accident involving the FBI and the Mob. It seems the Mob has stolen a revolutionary rocket packet designed by Howard Hughes (the great Terry O'Quinn)which the U.S. wants to use for military purposes. Unfortunately, so do the Nazi's who hired Mob kingpin Eddie Valentine (Paul Sorvino) to steal it. Secord accidently comes into possession of the rocket pack and suddenly everyone from Hollywood actor/Nazi agent Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) to the FBI want to catch him and retrieve it.

ORIGINAL DVD REVIEW:

This is a fun witty film of the graphic novel. The DVD transfer looks so-so. The image is frequently too dark and there's lots of digital artifacts (aliasing, etc.) that mar the picture. Presented in widescreen, it's not enhanced for 16x9 sets and doesn't appear to be an anamorphic transfer either. Why does all that matter? Because on a widescreen TV it would have enhanced and improved the picture quality making it look sharp, vivid and alive. The original theatrical trailer is the only extra. I don't know if Disney has any immediate plans to reissue this but if you do purchase it, be aware that it doesn't look all that great on DVD because of the transfer by Disney.

I'm hoping that Disney will be reissuing this terrific movie because it certainly deserved it. Unfortunately, the film with its loopy charm and srong performances didn't get the audience it deserved and died at the box office. Disney, get off your duff and reissue this as a two DVD Special Edition as it deserves!

The Rocketeer is one of the most enjoyable action-adventure movies ever made. Everything about this film is wonderful. Director Joe Johnson perfectly captures the look and feel of Hollywood (or what Hollywood should look and feel like) during the 1930s. Great casting with Bill Campbell right on target at Cliff Secord, Jennifer Connelly as his best girl, Jenny Blake, Alan Arkin as Cliff's mentor and mechanic/inventor friend, and Timothy Dalton as the evil Nazi spy-movie star Neville Sinclair. Like Raiders of the Lost Ark, it is a homage to the film serials of the period, but with a lot more spit and polish. The special effects are great, the set decoration, costumes, makeup, all evoke the time and place perfectly. A wonderful script adapted from the graphic novel of the same name sets this movie apart from others in this genre. The dialogue is funny, fast and at sometimes furious. Campbell plays the All-American boy with a real gee whiz, almost Jimmy Stewart kind of charm. The plot about a secret plan by the Nazis to build rocket packs for an army of "Rocketeers" to take over the world is added and abetted by Dalton as the Errol Flynn-like movie star. When a prototype rocket pack accidentally ends up in the hands of Campbell and Arkin, the action, and their troubles, really start. This film is filled with dozens of wonderful characterizations. Some of the best are Paul Sorvino as gangster Eddie Valentine, Terry O'Quinn as Howard Hughes, and Tiny Ron as Lothar. The musical score by James Horner is outstanding. It's heroic, quiet and inspiring. Why this film didn't turn out to be the big blockbuster it should have been is beyond me. I love Raiders of the Lost Ark, but this film matches it in almost every category. One of my favorite modern films, I never tire of watching it. Perfect entertainment and perfect for all ages. The Rocketeer is a real winner.

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This movie is clearly a five star film. It's exciting, fun, adventurous and great for kids, but also for adults! The photography is great, sets and costumes are authentic, and the acting is first rate. HOWEVER, this has got to be the worst DVD transfer I have ever seen. It looks to me like they took a widescreen 72 mm print and projected it on a screen, then rephotographed it on 35 mm... no kidding. Nearly every letterbox film I have goes from one side of my flat panel monitor to the other. This one is well within all 4 sides of my monitor... and the color is milky and faded and there is a grainy character to the picture. The sound is clearly stereophonic and wonderful... so why Disney can put out an amateur transfer like this is beyond me. Having said that, the film is not expensive and I still recommend it.... but Disney needs to re-release a clear transfer of this wonderful film. I will be worried about the quality of future Disney and Miramax films on DVD if this is how they are going to be released.

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Somehow as a kid I missed watching this film, but I amended this oversight during college by acquiring the standard DVD edition of the film. "The Rocketeer" blew me away, not due to intensity of action or spectacle, but instead by a quality increasingly rare in our blockbusters... its heart. The film undeniably wears its earnestness on its sleeve, but the result is far from cheesy, manifesting into an atmosphere of excitement and wonder that hearkens back to Hollywood's Golden Age and the old 1930s serials. Aside from the better Indiana Jones films, "Rocketeer" is probably the best homage you can find to that style of storytelling. Not that the film is perfect -far from it -but "Rocketeer" uncannily manages to turn many of its flaws in its favor. They add to the charm, as does James Horner's rousing score, which ranks easily among his very best.

Yet "The Rocketeer" has never been the unqualified success it deserves to be, having had the misfortune of opening against a little indie film you may have heard of called "Terminator 2." It was unceremoniously dumped on VHS and then the aforementioned DVD -a barebones disc with a non-anamorphic, smeary mess of a transfer that, on today's HD televisions, is damn near unwatchable.

Enter this "20th Anniversary Edition" Blu-ray. Video is pretty good for a film of its budget, production methods, and vintage; not reference quality, but certainly a vast, VAST improvement on the wretched DVD. Audio is slightly disappointing with a distinct lack of LFE in the sound effects, but James Horner's score sounds wonderful.

Most disappointing is the almost complete lack of bonus material. The menu is stylish and the disc even uses BD-Java, but the only available extra outside the film is a standard-definition trailer. For a release billed as a "20th Anniversary Edition," this defies logic. Surely a retrospective featurette is called for at the very least? According to The Digital Bits, cameras were present at a 20th Anniversary screening at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood that included a Q&A with the filmmakers, so I suppose it is possible that they are saving features for a future release, but given this title's treatment in the past another, later release on Blu-ray seems unlikely.

In summary, five stars for the movie, four stars for the video, three stars for the audio, and no stars for the extras. Why, then, is the overall rating for this review five stars? Because, with today's equipment, all previous video releases of the film are unwatchable, and the quality of the upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray is easily worth five stars, especially considering the quality of the movie, and frankly we are lucky to have this Blu-ray at all considering the film's reputation as a box-office flop and as something of a stepchild for Disney. Considering that a future, feature-laden Blu-ray upgrade is highly improbable, this "20th Anniversary Edition" is highly recommended.

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For those of you who don't know about this movie, read the other posts here. What I'm going to talk about is the poor video quality of this release.

To start, the framing has been noticably cropped from its original 2.35:1 Panavision scope aspect ratio. If you are familiar with the original widescreen/letterbox laserdisc that Disney released, you'll find that this DVD sports the exact same composite video transfer with all of its inherent problems intact. No new high definition master was created for this release.

The only thing of merrit is that the ORIGINAL 5.1 surround track was used to encode it to Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Yup, the packaging is in error. You're in for a treat as the split surround channels are pretty darn active considering it was mixed in the early days of 5.1 digital surround equipped cinemas.

Hopefully, Disney will re-do this DVD in the near future. They created a fresh transfer for The Santa Clause SE, so why not the superior The Rocketeer??

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The Music Man (2010)

Looking for the musical that beat WEST SIDE STORY for the Tony Award? You've found it here, in Meredith Willson's THE MUSIC MAN -and its appearance on DVD, in widescreen format and with all the bells and whistles, is long overdue.

Pop the disc in, and you'll immediately be taken to the "Right Here In River City" documentary (you'll have to press the MENU button on your DVD controls to get to the main menu so you can actually view the movie -why the disc goes immediately to the documentary is rather odd). Hosted by Shirley Jones, who still looks great, the top-notch, too-short documentary is crammed with lots of good stories and bits of trivia, in the words of several of Those Who Were There. You'll find out, for instance, which segments were actually filmed first, how amazed Susan Luckey was at Robert Preston's ability to lip-synch "Trouble" during filming, and why Shirley Jones wore so many frills and flowers on her dress in the scene at the footbridge.

As for the film itself -the print is beautiful, and as someone who had only experienced the film in pan-and-scan format, it is a delight to finally see entire dance sequences without the cropping. And you'll finally be able to see all four members of The Buffalo Bills barber shop quartet (the poor fellow singing bass could never be seen in TV-formatted versions).

There are other, smaller moments that have always cried our for the letterbox format, and if you watch both versions closely, you'll notice the real advantages in seeing the entire scene as it was shot. For example, one particularly disorienting scene in pan-and-scan format is the "Pick A Little, Talk A Little/Goodnight, Ladies" sequence, when Professor Hill is speaking with Mrs. Shinn and the town ladies about Old Miser Madison, and dismebodied voices drift in from off camera. At one point, Mrs. Shinn says, "Miser," and an off-camera voice says, "Madison," causing Mrs. Shinn to grimace. In pan-and-scan, it looks like a mistake; in widescreen format, the speaker is finally visible to Mrs. Shinn's right, bringing the scene together in a logical fashion. Sounds like a trivial moment, I know, but that scene in pan-and-scan has grated me for years!

The DVD also contains a theatrical trailer, but it's not the trailer for the original 1962 release, but for the re-release a number of years later. It's still an interesting curiosity, featuring a reworked version of the "76 Trombones" sequence with Preston signing new lyrics about the film.

If there's any shortcoming in the disc, it lies in the sound quality. You'll have to crank the volume up a bit to hear everything properly, but beware -the moment you hit the MENU button, you'll be blasted by and ear-splitting version of "76 Trombones" on the menu screen. Ouch. Hit MUTE right before you touch MENU. You'll thank me later.

It's a worn out cliche, but they really DON'T make musicals like this any more. And if your only experience with THE MUSIC MAN has been with the pan-and-scan format, do yourself a favor and pick up either the DVD or the letterboxed VHS format. You really WILL realize what you've been missing.

I love this movie. As silly as it is -a goofy plot, absurd over-the-top characters, the wacky "think system" -it is just a whole lot of fun. Robert Preston sparkles as the fly-by-night con artist/salesman who just happens this time to get his foot caught in the door, and who better to catch that foot than Shirley Jones, who is as beautiful and talented a leading lady as has ever graced a big screen musical. Ron Howard is as funny as a kid can be in the movies, and the music will stay with you long after the movie is over.

The film also has a great cast of supporting character actors and comedians, not to mention the fabulous Buffalo Bills. I love the anvil salesman character (THAT'S a great line of merchandise for a traveling salesman!), and my favorite song has to be the pool hall song, "There's trouble in River City." The movie, funny as it is, also has its touching moments, especially when Professor Harold Hill, standing on the footbridge, confronts the gap between his dreams and his life for the first time, and really realizes he is in love with the beautiful librarian. For pure fun and entertainment, it's hard to find a better movie than this lively but affectionate kidding of the Hawkeye State, and hard to find a more fun couple than the engaging Robert Preston and the lovely Shirley Jones.

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The previous DVD releases of The Music Man were basically OK in terms of sound, color, brightness, and contrast. But MY! Did they ever mess up the picture with edge enhancement! I don't mean just a little ghost line to the right, but also to the left. At times, the "enhancement" made it difficult to make out facial details on a large-screen TV. My guess is that it was transferred using a 19" monitor from a distance of a couple of feet, where the enhancement wouldn't be as noticeable.

Fortunately all this video gunk is corrected in the Blu-Ray edition. The colors are bright, the sound noticeably better, and the movie just comes more alive in blu-ray.

But there always seems to be a flip side. In this case it's noticeable in the opening train scene, where blue matte artifacts around people, and slightly off masking at the windows clearly shows that it was shot against a blue screen. But, what you see is what people saw in the theaters when it was released. If the artifacts didn't bother moviegoers at the time, they shouldn't really bother us in the present. Little glitches like this are just part of the technology available at the time, and shouldn't be used to rate the movie...

...and I'm really not, just pointing out that seeing more can mean seeing more of the bad, as well as more than the good.

Aside from little things like this which caught my eye and don't really bother me I hope you'll consider picking up the best release of an old favorite. Improved sound, improved picture what more could you want. I doubt it'll look better unless George Lucas gets involved in cleaning up the blue-screen artifacts. And who knows what he'd feel like adding!

Fun. A couple of hours well spent. And for me, a new appreciation of Hermione Gingold as Ms. Eulalie Shinn. Her looks and voice in "Pick a little" really steal the show, as she does in other scenes she's in.

It's hard not to enjoy such a high-spirited musical as this, end even harder not to like it in Blu-Ray. A real gem.

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Professor Harold Hill makes his living conning small town residence by telling them he's going to start a boys' band then leaving with their money before the promised direction begins. Taking an unintended challenge, he gets off in River City, Iowa. While the locals at first appear cold, his charm soon changes their minds. Or almost all of them. Marion, the local librarian and piano teacher, is convenienced that the professor isn't all he claims to be. Meanwhile, Harold has set his sites on wooing the spinster librarian. Will he win her heart or hurt her? Will the townspeople find out the truth, or will this encounter change everyone for the better?

As much as I love musicals, I had missed this one until the recent ABC movie version. I fell immediately under its charming spell. The story is fun and the music is fantastic. After enjoying the remake so much, I was looking forward to watching the original, and it didn't disappointment. The cast, lead by Robert Preston and Shirley Jones, is strong. The chorography makes me want to join in the fun (always a must for a musical), and the story fleshes out a couple minor points I had missed in the remake. And I simply must praise the work of the Buffalo Bills as the school board. They've inspired me in my search for good barbershop quartet music.

The DVD preserves the movie well. The widescreen picture is sharp and clear and the sound is just fine. Watching the trailer for the reissue shows just how much work has gone into the restoration. Shirley Jones provides an interesting intro and serves as host for the behind the scenes special.

This is a classic musical that everyone will enjoy. It tells a fun story with wonderful music and evokes a simpler time and place. If you haven't watched yet, pick up a copy and enjoy tonight.

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OK, I have to be honest here: I don't like "family entertainment." If I go to Blockbuster, I usually avoid the Family section entirely for something a bit edgier or darker. And although I love Fred Astaire and most Gene Kelly, I am not at all a fan of Hollywood musicals from the fifties and early sixties, when they were becoming more "epic" as the movies tried to provide something that television could not.

Nonetheless, I find THE MUSIC MAN to be one of the most thoroughly enjoyable pieces of light entertainment ever. Primarily there are two reasons for this. First, there is the great score, the most famous tune notwithstanding (maybe I have heard it too often, but "Seventy-Six Trombones" really leaves me cold). But nearly every other song is utterly delightful, especially the magnificent "Till There Was You." Am I a dork if I confess that I love the barbershop quartet numbers (I was second tenor in a high school quartet)? But as fine as the score is, take away Robert Preston and you have at best an average, forgettable film. Preston today is remembered almost exclusively for his role as Professor Harold Hill, which is a reflection not so much on his prior career as on the extraordinary job he did in performing this role. There is a similar parallel with Rex Harrison, who despite a long career on stage and screen, is primarily remembered for MY FAIR LADY. Interestingly, in both MY FAIR LADY and THE MUSIC MAN, other actors were considered for the lead role, although both Preston and Harrison created the roles for Broadway. Interestingly, Cary Grant was considered for both films (though Grant very famously responded that he wouldn't star in the film and if Preston weren't cast in the lead, he wouldn't even go see it), though Warners first choice was Frank Sinatra. Luckily, things worked out, and Robert Preston "owns" the role of Professor Harold Hill like few actors own a role.

The film is also helped by a rich supporting cast. Shirley Jones was her usual excellent self in the film (though it is well known that she was pregnant during the shooting), and the film provided the late Buddy Hackett with one of his finest screen roles. Paul Ford, best known as the colonel on the Phil Silvers Show, turns in a nice screen performance as the Mayor. Hermione Gingold, who spent most of her career on stage and had as a result a surprisingly small screen career, excels as the mayor's wife and the leading light for culture in the town.

But mainly, this is a great, great vehicle for a great leading man who has utterly nailed a great role. If Frank Sinatra or Cary Grant had been enticed to play the lead, perhaps we would still be watching this film today, but for some reason I am sceptical. But I am certain that this is one family film that all but the hardest of hearts will enjoy.

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