jwest525 Reviews

Waiting for Godot (1977 TV Movie)

Another Gem from PBS

[19 October 2004]

This was an excellent version of the play. Waites was probably

trying to break away from the John Walton role into more serious

ones. This was a good move. I never taped it either, so this is

purely from memory but I saw it at least twice and a lot is still vivid.

It was accompanied by a short documentary on Waite's Los

Angeles Actors Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard and Western,

a very seedy area at the time. The documentary talks about a

harrowing production Miguel Pinero's "Midnight Moon at the

Greasy Spoon." I would love to see it again. I'm hoping the Museum of Television &

Radio will come up with a tape.

Hank (1965–1966)

and the best athlete

[20 February 2004]

I was a fan too. The main thing I would add to the other comments is that Hank was a terrific athlete. Dabbs Greer, who seems to coach all of the college's teams, always had a practice or a game or a meet in the way of Hank's next class. So when he'd cut across the field Greer would always wonder who that wonderful, sprinter, kicker, halfback was. I haven't seen anything resembling a tape of this but perhaps one will surface on TVLand or at the Museum of Television and Radio. Maybe they'll do a Title IX remake of it. An athlete dropping into class has more of a farcical element than in 1965.

Sole Survivor (1970 TV Movie)

A Haunting Story About Ghosts

[3 September 2003]

The ghosts seem to be as haunted and any of the living here in

this great made for TV movie. I recently came across an old

staticky tape of the show and found it to be as good as I

remembered. The last scene stays with me...well...for 30-plus

years now. The most amazing thing is that the network bureaucrats passed on this. Today, they most certainly would have

cut the characters down to cardboard and sweetened the ending.

Thank heavens for lack of oversight. As TV movies go, this is in my

top five and don't ask me to name the other four. Let me add my

vote to those who say a re-release is in order.

Undertaking Betty (2002)

an enjoyable little comedy

[9/10 · 30 December 2002]

I saw this in a preview and it seems to have not been released in the U.S. Nonetheless, it was one of the more enjoyable little comedies. It concerns the rivalry between two funeral directors in a small British town. The plot [of the movie] gets a little out of hand in the third act but the characters are very enjoyable and memorable.

The acting is great across the board. Sure to be overlooked in the crunch of blockbusters, this is a movie worth looking out for. I know I will try to catch this in the theaters again and/or buy the video.

Breakfast of Champions (1999)

a glorious mess

[4 September 2002]

In the theaters only a few weeks, i was one of the fortunate few

who saw it in its original release. It was/is grea and wonderful

mess of a film. In some ways it makes no sense in others it is a

wonderful satiric look at middle class America. Tiki music never

sounded so good as it does in the score. The only thing I

disagree with director Rudolph is that he is anything but an *.

A Knight's Tale (2001)

a laughable mess no internal consistency

[3/10 · 3 May 2001]

I've seen the other comment so far and they have to be kidding. This was the worst movie--in preview--I'd seen in a long tome even with the caveat that 12 minutes would be cut. To open with the cast singing "We Will Rock You" is a weird convention that makes little sense; to abandon that convention makes less sense. There is no internal reality here. OK, I imagine Chaucer has lost his boxer shorts--I'm not kidding--in a later cut. But I doubt they lost the sexy little blacksmith--a petite and gorgeous woman (aren't all blacksmiths). In this mess was a good movie about jousting that the filmmakers seemed to have no faith in whatsoever. Maybe if the Monty Python crew could have the negatives and final cut, this could be saved. This leads me to believe that Curtis Hanson did a better job on L.A. Confidential than I imagined.

The Producers (1967)

no dead spots in it

[25 April 2001]

This is one of two comedies--Some Like It Hot being the

other--which I can watch time and again, know when the jokes are

coming and still laugh hysterically at them. I don't keep track of

such things but this probably has more quotable quotes than any

other movie except maybe Casablanca. Just other night, It came

on TV late. I said I'll watch 5 minutes of it; I saw the whole thing.

There are no dead spots in it. It's what sitcoms aspire to--a joke

every 30 seconds--except that the jokes here are hysterical. They

all pay off. The characters--and the actors--are so much fun to

watch. They are lovable without being sympathetic. Now that it's a

hit musical, they should re-release it. It must have been a week

since I saw it last.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

A bright, fast comedy--but with a little sex.

[25 April 2001]

At this point, Some Like It Hot has more than enough comments to

recommend it. What I am amazed at is the detractors. I can only

guess that a generation of network zit-coms has numbed their

brains. This movie is well constructed. It has some of the wittiest

dialogue ever. Lines that are thrown away here would be gobbled

up and turned to whole movies by other filmmakers. Every setup

has a very funny payoff. The timing of the acting and the editing is

exquisite. It's a bright, fast comedy--but with a little sex.

Broadcast News (1987)

some of the best dialog outside of a Wilder or Sturges film

[19 April 2001]

I saw this recently for about the 50th time and it still holds up..until the end. In the last 10 minutes the film just peters out rather than climaxes. BUT in the preceding two hours we are treated to some of the best and most memorable dialog--usually from the Albert Brooks character--that I can recall outside of a Wilder or Sturges film. If James Brooks had only let Holly Hunter's character make a choice in what is essentially a romantic triangle he would certainly have copped a best screenplay (and maybe even a best picture) award. In this instance pandering to the public's wishes was the right thing to do.

Trouble in Paradise (1932)

how has this film not made it to DVD or video?

[19 April 2001]

like fine champagne. Every scene is well constructed with beautiful dialogue. The script is worth reading. The performances fine. And a Lubitsch touch or 12 for good measure. There are too many good things to list. I check the revival listings every week and if it is playing work my schedule around seeing this.

how has this film not made it to DVD or video?

The Iceman Cometh (1973)

One of the best films not available on tape

[17 April 2001]

This movie is a rich 4 hours long. Lots of talk very little action. Yet I was transfixed by the dialogue and the acting. I have seen two productions with Robards in the title role and this hold up very well. How it is not on videotape escapes me.