BillK-5 Reviews

Cash McCall (1960)

Great fun film, why the heck isn't it on a widescreen DVD?

[8/10 · 6 February 2008]

This is a great, fun film with the feel of similar films of the era such as 1962's "That Touch of Mink," whose plot bears more than a passing resemblance to this film's.

James Garner is great as usual, as is the radiant Natalie Wood. Dean Jagger's performance as the plastic company patriarch strikes just the right note and Henry Jones does his usual excellent job as the somewhat smarmy assistant.

But one of the real stars of the film is its 1960 decor. It really sets the period but also has a very distinctive look that is now considered retro-"atomic chic" with more than a little "Googie" thrown in.

I've no idea why this film hasn't been released on DVD (it's perfect for anamorphic DVD at a 1.85:1 aspect ratio). If you don't want to rent or purchase the VHS tape, your only recourse is to await its very infrequent showings on cable (most recently on Encore's "Love" channel some six or so years ago.)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Only moderately entertaining

[6/10 · 31 December 2006]

For the life of me, I can't figure out why this movie made the kind of money it did except for the fact that it didn't have much decent competition.

I won't rehash much of the movie here, save to say that it really, really would have benefited from judicious editing; 20-30 minutes could have easily been cut, making a faster, tighter, and much more entertaining film.

Did the fans of this film really not find themselves rolling their eyes when the large wheel broke loose and started rolling through the forest? How about when Jack magically appears back on board the Black Pearl despite having just been shown halfway to shore in his rowboat? For that matter when the rifle got knocked out of Keira's hands?

This film suffered from the main problems that Back to the Future 2 did, namely it didn't resolve anything and simply served as a 2.5 hour trailer for the third film. The filmmakers forgot that a sequel needs to serve as a complete, entertaining film on its OWN. IMHO, that is the biggest hazard of the "make parts two and three back to back" philosophy of modern film-making; all involved are SO aware of what happens in part three, part two loses its own identity.

Frankly I found myself expecting that THIS would be where part two ended every five minutes for the last 45 minutes of the film, and clock watching isn't what should happen when viewing a truly good film.

The Family Stone (2005)

Fantastic film, poor ad campaign

[8/10 · 28 August 2006]

The ad campaign for The Family Stone made it appear as if this would be a light comedy in the vein of the Meet The Parents films; instead it is an incredibly affecting bittersweet drama.

While many critics' remarks that the family seems overly mean do ring true in a few sequences, in reality this is a good tale of a family dealing with what they initially see as a stuck-up newcomer completely wrong for a member of their family.

But though the story of Everett and Meredith, and further on the dual love stories of Ben and Meredith and Everett and Julie are a central focus of the film, to me it isn't quite as strong a plot line as that of the last Christmas the family will be able to celebrate with family matriarch Sybil, who is dying and will not live to see another.

Most of the story does indeed flow along like a light comedic romp with moments of drama thrown in (including what should have been an award-winning scene between Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson set to Judy Garland's rendition of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"), but the epilogue that takes place in the last five minutes of the film completely redeems it as a serious piece.

Anyone who has lost a parent, especially a mother that loved Christmas, will have a VERY difficult time watching the end of this film. Yet it doesn't bog down into sappy emotion but instead reflects the fact that life continues on. The early cues of Amy as, essentially a young Sybil come full circle at the end as Amy, wearing one of her mother's beloved rings, places her mother's favorite ornament on the family Christmas tree, and shares the film's most heartfelt kiss reflected in a photo taken of Sybil when pregnant with her.

Pearl Harbor (2001)

An excellent film if you're looking for a 1940's style WWII film

[10/10 · 14 August 2005]

It's fashionable to bash Pearl Harbor, but in reality it's an amazing piece of film-making and tells a story that sorely needs to be told.

So many people come to this film apparently expecting a modern, cynical take on the story - Quentin Tarentino's "Pulp Harbor," if you will. This is NOT and is not MEANT to be that type of film.

Instead, the film reflects a 1940s sensibility, in which we see America attacked without warning, and what it takes to go from the nearly complete destruction of the Pacific Fleet to the first, largely symbolic attack on the Japanese mainland, the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.

Many people find the dialogue and story corny, yet watch most any World War II film made during that era and you'll find the same. Talk to many who were soldiers then and you'll find that people often did speak using the same speech patterns many people find to be trite and sappy today. That's what Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer were trying to achieve with this film, and they succeeded admirably.

Watching this film gives you, if you hadn't already had one, the deepest possible empathy for those who survived the events of that day, the most horrific attack America had ever suffered prior to September 11, 2001.

If what you're looking for is a modern, cynical take on the events of December 7, 1941, this is NOT the movie for you. But if you'd like some understanding of just what happened that Sunday morning, and a feel for how America rose to the challenge that faced her, you will enjoy Pearl Harbor.

Or, watch the trailer. If you can't watch the Japanese Zeroes fly by the kids without getting a lump in your throat, if you are filled with dread at the knowledge of what is about to happen to the Arizona, this movie is for you.

Fantasy Island (1998–1999)

I too loved the new Fantasy Island...

[9/10 · 10 August 2005]

From the first few episodes, I knew that the Fantasy Island (1998) was going to be another short-lived, "too good for TV" series; I just didn't know ABC would kill it so early.

Unlike the original, which was little more than "The Love Boat" (1977) on an island, the new Fantasy Island was a "reimagining" of the original, not unlike the way "Battlestar Galactica" (2004) owes its existence to "Battlestar Galactica" (1978) but is in no way the same show.

The show's writers gave Roarke an incredibly detailed and mysterious back story, doing an excellent job of giving us information in the few episodes that were actually shown. Malcolm McDowells Roarke was both threatening and compassionate in the way only McDowell can be. Mädchen Amick was excellent as Roarke's companion, sidekick and possible love interest, Ariel, and Edward Hibbert and Louis Lombardi were excellent as Roarke's bumbling assistants, Harry and Cal.

Alas, the new series was just beginning to completely gel when ABC pulled the plug.

While it may be too much to hope that the thirteen episodes will someday be released on DVD, be sure to catch the episodes when they are occasionally rerun on the SciFi channel in the US; you won't regret it.

High Time (1960)

I can't believe this wonderful film isn't available on Home Video

[10/10 · 16 July 2005]

I discovered this delightful film in the late 1980s when I saw it on TV and enjoyed it immensely. Bing Crosby gives a wonderful performance in this film and exudes a warmth much like that in "White Christmas" (1954) and Nicole Maurey does an excellent job as his French teacher/love interest. The duo of Tuesday Weld and Fabian add 1960 star power, and this is a great opportunity to see a young Gavin MacLeod and Yvonne Craig before they became even more famous as TV stars. Patrick Adiarte is also wonderful as Indian student T.J. Padmanabham. The story is well crafted and involving and of course family friendly, perhaps the most family friendly of Blake Edwards' work. The Henry Mancini soundtrack is IMHO one of his best and will stick with you for a long time. (It was available on CD but is currently out of print.) Of course any time you hear a Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn song it's a treat, and "The Second Time Around" is one of their best.

As far as highlights, the scene when the gang visits one of Harvey's own Smokehouses will have you both laughing and pining for a time when such restaurants existed. You could see the movie's end stunt coming a mile away, given Harvey's fondness for the key phrase involved, but it's still wonderful.

However, being shot in 2.35:1 CinemaScope, the presentation does suffer from horrific pan and scan when shown on TV; I've no idea why, given the success of the virtual remake Back To School, this film hasn't been released on a widescreen DVD as it deserves; I suspect some type of conflict with the film or music rights that hopefully will be resolved soon.

Ed (2000–2004)

Best new series of the season

[10/10 · 13 October 2000]

Ed is simply charming and amazing, I've rarely fallen for a series so quickly. I just hope the writers can keep the quality up and not fall into a Northern Exposure-esque trap.

(Let's also hope they don't drag Ed and Carol out for years and get them together soon. It's generally a rule where if they get together fairly early, it works, but if they drag it out it becomes a whole Sam/Diane thing where getting them together kills the show...)