Reviews Written by Bill
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January 19, 2003
One of Elvis's best comedies
This is a generally underrated comedy that is actually one of the half-dozen of Elvis's best films and roles. It has many funny scenes and lines, and shows Elvis's flair for comedy that was seldom utilized in his movies. Sometimes this film is criticized for portraying the central characters as sterotyped southern bumpkins, yet I believe this is negated by the fact that they outsmart all their enemies to triumph in the end. And it's all done with playful humor anyway.
All the cast is good, with standouts being Elvis, Arthur O'Connell as Elvis's amusingly daffy father, and Simon Oakland as the mafioso that is outsmarted at every move. The few songs are decent, though none is terrific; the title song and "Angel" are the best of these. Gordon Douglas directs the movie well, and he is the only person to have directed both Elvis and Frank Sinatra. If you haven't seen FOLLOW THAT DREAM, you're missing a treat. ... -
Un Ballo in Maschera - Metropolitan Opera (1980)
by Elijah Moshinsky | VideoPrice: $32.34 to $32.34 Compare PricesJanuary 15, 2003
Bravo!
This is a fine version of Verdi's "A Masked Ball," with very good performances all around. This is often said to be one of Pavarotti's best roles, and he shines in it here as well in his Met debut. Katia Ricciarelli is also a standout. Sets and costumes are colorful, and the Met orchestra plays well. The only caveat is that sound and visual quality, even on the DVD, are rather uneven (hence 4 stars instead of 5). The microphones were apparently placed near the orchestra, so that the level of the singers voices is too low. Yet this problem is relatively minor, and the sound is low in distortion and in stereo. Also, the image is occasionally a little blurry. But these are quite minor imperfections, so I much recommend this recording. ... -
January 12, 2003
Good film, one of Elvis's best
This is easily one of Elvis's best films, a far cry from the drivel he usually got stuck in. It's a serious story of a talented young man (Elvis) who is pulled in different directions, represented by three women he knows, and he must decide which path to take. The scenes between Elvis and sexy Tuesday Weld crackle with electricity between them. Other performances are good too, including Hope Lange's as the mentor trying to encourage Elvis's latent writing talent. The script is a bit awkward at times, though - hence 4 stars and not 5. The film's few songs are good and appropriate for the scenes they're used in. I have not seen the DVD of this, but I'll note that the director made use of the full width of the screen, so this should really be seen in widescreen. WILD IN THE COUNTRY is worthwhile viewing. ... -
December 30, 2002
Fine black comedy
This is the first, and probably still only, film based on a story by the great science fiction and fantasy writer Robert Silverberg. It's changed a bit from the original story, but Silverberg gave it thumbs up. An interesting and very humorous black comedy, it's much more subtle and sophisticated than most sci-fi movies done recently. It deals with alien invaders confused by California "valley girl" Amanda, who is not properly scared by the aliens at all. Since the film was done for Showtime on a fairly low budget, this occasionally shows a little compared to big-budget films. For Star Trek fans, Michael Dorn (Worf) has a prominent role, and some funny Trek jokes ensue, such as Amanda asking if the aliens don't have a "Prime Directive." Violence and other unpleasantness is minimal, but there is a bit of nudity. This movie is very good, and has gotten too little attention. Watch it. ... -
October 19, 2002
Surprisingly good
I don't usually expect a lot from TV series' music scores, but music was one of the highlights of the original Star Trek. Many of the scores for that show were wonderfully melodic and well-crafted. This disc is not the original recordings, but digital re-recordings that are newly-arranged suites. All on this disc are good ones, especially "The Empath," which is eerily beautiful and surreal. Volume 1 of this set is also wonderful, and on both you hear many of the music snips that were used many (too many, admittedly) times on the show. It's wonderful too to hear all this performed by a world-class orchestra, while the conductor and arranger was one of the main composers for the series, so that gives it an added authenticity. If you're at all a fan of the original Star Trek, you've got to get both volumes of this, and musically it is enjoyble listening for anyone. ... -
August 31, 2002
Great Concert
This is one of my favorite video concerts, virtually everything on it going without a hitch. Elton is in good voice and good spirits, and his piano accompaniment to himself is lush and elaborate. There's a good balance of ballads and rockers, too. Also, his rapport with the audience is better than I've seen at other times, with Elton frequently smiling and waving to them and so on. The sound is fine on my stereo TV speakers, though I have not run it through my audio system to give it a real workout. My reason for downgrading it to 4 stars is their choice of making it a "greatest hits" concert, rather than having Elton perform whatever he wanted to. But it's still a great video. ... -
Elvis Presley - He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of (2000)
VideoPrice: $10.42 to $13.59 Compare PricesAugust 17, 2002
Interesting on Elvis's Link to Gospel Mu
1 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpful If there's another documentary about the gospel music of Elvis Presley, I haven't seen it. That alone makes this one valuable, and fortunately it's quite well-made. The highlight is the chance to hear those who knew Elvis, mainly members of gospel groups such as the Jordanaires and The Sweet Inspirations who sang with him, talk about his gospel singing and his religious beliefs. I do wish there were more music run here. Video and audio of many of Elvis's gospel recordings are included, but are often not run in their entirety. Admittedly, there were probably few video recordings made of him singing gospel, as most were made for audio-only release, so of the roughly 13 video songs here, why edit some for a 3-hour program? It would have helped too to run at least a few of the best audio ones unedited, but segments of them are nicely interspersed throughout the film. This is a 2-DVD set, with the first being the stronger of the two in focusing on the music itself. Disc two includes many personal stories about Elvis, which are interesting but less pertinent, and are unbalanced in presenting only anecdotes favorable to Elvis. However, it is refreshing to see a program that presents Elvis as the serious and intelligent person he essentially was, since so many people view him as silly and shallow. The many bad films he made probably created this false image. So, after watching this documentary, you'll need the albums HIS HAND IN MINE, ELVIS' CHRISTMAS ALBUM, HOW GREAT THOU ART, and HE TOUCHED ME to get most of his great religious recordings. ... -
March 29, 2002
Great For Its Kind of Film
I have seen a lot of these stupid babe movies, and this is one of the very best of the genre. Forget about the story or acting, but if you want to see absolutely knockout sexy women in and out of bikinis (they seem to slip off easily), and with effective camera-work to show them, get this movie now. The only thing I don't like about getting it on DVD, which I haven't yet, is that it probably has anti-copying built in so I have to wade through the thin story between babe shots instead of copying what I want out of it, which I did from my videotape. I hate to admit it, but all I want with this kind of film is the hot babes, and there's plenty here to keep me up all night. ... -
February 10, 2002
One of Best Alien Contact Films
CONTACT is a very thoughtful film, one of the best on first contact with aliens. Good production values too - acting, direction, music, etc. Ending reminiscent of "2001: A Space Odyssey," i.e., very mysterious and fascinating. Also, plot has twists and turns that help keep the film interesting. ...
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Worthwhile film is Els best
This is widely considered to be the best, or at least one of the 2 or 3 best, of the films that Elvis Presley appeared in. It was his personal favorite of his films. The Harold Robbins play A Stone for Danny Fisher was adapted for this film. In it Elvis portrays a New Orleans night-club singer who has to choose between good and evil as he becomes enmeshed with the criminal underworld there, given a sinister spin by Walter Matthau. The drama is engaging, though slightly uneven, while the production quality is very good and often excellent. The producer, Hal Wallis, and the director, Michael Curtiz, are the same team that made the movie Casablanca. Elvis clearly shows here that he had much acting talent, especially in his memorable scenes with Carolyn Jones. The songs are probably the best of any of his films, are a mix of rock with New Orleans music, and are choreographed with considerable style. I should note that I have not seen the DVD version, so cannot describe it specifically. Certainly, this is an inspiring and enjoyable film worthwhile for all to see. ...