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Reviews
Charlie's Angels (1976)
Chorus Line Angels
This is a toughie, but this episode is the most ridiculous of the entire series.
The songs are awful, horribly written,
("Dancing lady in the night
Turning.
To the left, to the right,
Turning.")
And the last dance number in the show is literally shown twice. They dance and sing, the auditor says "Let's see that again." So, the director, here none other than Bosley, David Doyle himself, decides to use the exact same footage we JUST WATCHED!
The killer is the only character who seems like he knows how silly this script is.
And I wish someone had given Julie a lozenge. Wow. And director Doyle indulges in a bit of nepotism by casting his sister Mary in the role of Mrs. Traina. She has the same raspy voice that must be a trait among the Doyles.
This is right up there in annoying as the Dancing Angels episode with Zalman King and his screaming, stuttering, nonsensical DJ Harry who is the only club DJ who gives monologues during the music over the PA. Watch Zalman chew the scenery while fuming "I'm gonna k-k-k-kill you again!" Or "They are nothing! They are no-thing. They are no--THING!"
Amazing. Camp? No! Not this show!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
She Was Correct! (This time.)
This is my favorite sci-fi/horror hybrid movie.
I agree with Pauline Kael who said it is "The best science fiction movie ever made." It's flawless. Donald Sutherland has never been better. Jeff Goldblum was allowed to be as unhinged as possible. Brooke Adams is absolutely lovely. Cute as a button, and those eyes! How she does that 'trick" with rolling her eyes is a mystery to me. And Veronica Cartwright was as loony as she was in "Alien." She's terrific. It's creepy, which is much more effective than "scary." Yet when it wants to, it can scare the pants off you. (Think of the banjo player and his dog.) There's little things that require repeat viewings; such as all the garbage trucks, or people behind translucent glass doors simply watching as Sutherland and Adams talk in a hallway. The weird floor polisher, who just happens to be Michael Chapman, the film's cinematographer. Its cameos are so clever, they're brilliant. Kevin McCarthy screaming "You're next!" obviously recalls the later-added bumpers from the original. And Don Seigel even plays an odd cab driver! I love it. I like Philip Kaufman's other movies, but he never made another film as perfect as this. To paraphrase Ms. Kael, it's as close to perfect as a movie can get.
Liv and Maddie (2013)
The Worst of the Worse
This show is Disney at its lowest. We all know not to expect too much from a Disney Channel series, but where "Good Luck, Charlie" was saved by better-than-usual writing, and an extremely likable cast led by Leigh-Allyn Baker, and Jason Dolley; "Liv and Maddie" has neither. And for some inexplicable reason, the youngest son is Tibetan, with skin five shades darker than his parents and siblings.
It's an awful show, filled with writers who are sleepwalking through their jobs, built-in ain't-gonna-catch-on phrases (like the "Bam! What?" spouted by the sports-loving Maddie), terribly cast parents, and the conceit of having the characters have a few moments of alone time talking directly to the camera ala Woody Allen films. It's just plain horrible. The best part (and that's saying A LOT) of the show is the elder brother who doesn't totally stink. His nerdy role is a dime a dozen, of course, but he could grow into the role and turn out to be the only reason to tune in.
For a bar that's pretty low to begin with, how Disney couldn't pass over it without stumbling awfully is pretty darn remarkable. Remarkably horrid.
Gas (1981)
AN Under-appreciated MASTERPIECE ALA CITIZEN CAINE
Actually, Orson Welles probably sits back nowadays and WISHES he had made this film. To call this film a "movie" is to denigrate what a piece of art it is. It's so sublime and subtle, and the humor comes as much from its pathos as its slapstick. Yes, you'll laugh when you view it. But, you just almost may shed a tear. Some of us shed tears for different reasons. As a failed film maker, I shed tears whenever I see a film that is so rich and satisfying that I wish I had the artistic vision to have made it first. THIS is that film, for me. (Just as an aside, this has only happened ONCE with television; I cried like a baby after the premier of that classic sit-com "Small Wonder." Jerry Supiran, you are a master comedian.) There is absolutely nothing wrong with this film. GAS is as flawless as cinema gets.
Green Wing (2004)
The funniest TV show EVER (since "The Office" BBC )
This show is without a doubt, the most laugh-out-loud comedy I have seen in YEARS. It's much different than "The Office," in that is standard sitcom format; a sitcom in a hospital, ala "Scrubs." But where "Scrubs" can be mushy and repetitive, GW is fresh and unsentimental. Basically, it works. All the time. It's too bad that Americans won't be able to view it anymore. Most of the US wouldn't get it anyway. And a lot of Americans would probably find it offensive. Which is too bad, because as I said, it is the funniest hour of TV I have ever seen. It has replaced "Spaced" in my heart as the best comedy. I still DO love "Spaced." The character of Sue White is the most surreal funny woman EVER on TV. And Dr. Statham deserves all the comparisons to John Cleese. He is a brilliant comedic actor, with physicality to be jealous of. In short, seek this out. Find it. Get a multi-region DVD payer. Hack yours. Do whatever you can to watch this show. With American shows like "Friends" having hundreds of episodes, it's sad that GW only has 17. But trust me, it's the best 15 hours of comedy you're likely to see in a long long time.