The Man Who Came to Dinner (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)Very enjoyable staging of Kaufman and Hart play. Nathan Lane and Jean Smart, as you would expect, squeeze every possible laugh from their lines. They're wonderful.
One caveat: The play is filled with quick references to personalities of the period (the 1930s), and most of that might go right over some people's heads. But much of the comedy is timeless, so everyone is bound to enjoy it in the end.
There is more to this DVD than a previous reviewer would have you believe, but only a bit more. In the intermissions, there are some descriptions of the characters and whom they are based on. And there is an enjoyable segment with Kaufman's daughter and Hart's wife (the eternally graceful and charming Kitty Carlisle). The banter between Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson in these segments is weak, however. Essentially you're getting exactly the same thing you would have seen when this was broadcast.
We're fortunate to have had this performance captured on film, and I hope there will be more of the same.

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One of the most beloved American comedies comes to sparkling life in this fast-paced, stylish production starring Tony Award-winning Broadway favorite Nathan Lane (The Producers) and Jean Smart ("Designing Women")! While dining at the midwestern home of the prominent Stanley family, noted critic and social celebrity Sheridan Whiteside slips on their doorstep and injures his hip, leaving the city slicker confined to the house for an outrageous six week recovery period which leads to cockroach farms, an octopus in the cellar, a dinner party with ex-convicts, "The Penguin" and more madcap mayhem! Written by the classic comedy team of Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, this razor sharp farce remains pointed and side-splitting today. Pull up a few extra chairs and invite some guests for dinner and a show; the fun is about to begin!

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Casino Royale (1967) Review

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(More customer reviews)Finally this comedic take on the James Bond series makes its way onto DVD, and for completists and fans of James Bond this DVD promises not only the 1967 version of Ian Flemings first 007 novel but also an edited down version of the very first James Bond movie, the 1950s CBS TV movie that starred Barry Nelson as James Bond (thats right, Sean Connery was NOT the first actor to portray 007). Made for an American audience, the character of James Bond is a CIA agent in that show and Leiter is the British intelligence agent. That movie, which is listed as a special feature on this DVD, also starred Peter Lorre as the villain Le Chiffre. Made in the days of live television this entertaining oddity is worth watching for the bloopers alone.
Years later, the rights to "Casino Royale" made it into the hands of another movie producer who, convinced that any attempt to make a serious version of "Casino Royale" would be doomed without the talents of Sean Connery, decided to make the remake as a comedy instead. With Peter Sellers playing James Bond and Orson Welles taking on the role of Le Chiffre everything seemed to be going fine until a script dispute caused Sellers to walk out on the project. Left with half a movie the producers were in trouble and they scrambled to save their production. One needs to understand this background to the movie to understand why it turned out the way it did. In it's final version it seems truly confused with several actors portraying the role of James Bond and several directors (including John Huston who also cameos as M) taking a crack at it. There is even an early appearance by Woody Allen and former Bond girl Ursula Andress. For me personally, the Peter Sellers scenes are especially brilliant and very funny and David Niven plays the perfect gentleman spy. The action comes thick and fast and in addition to Andress there are a number of actors familiar to devotees to the rival EON productions. This movie is truly unique among the Bond canon and should be enjoyed as such.
NOTE: This review is NOT for the "Casino Royale (40th Anniversary Edition)" DVD despite the fact that Amazon lists the review on the product page for that 2007 DVD (note the 2002 date of this review).

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Welcome to Casino Royale, the ultimate psychedelic secret agent satire! Packed with girls, guns and gags galore, this "very funny picture" (The New Yorker) delivers "laughs all the way"(Cue)! Starring Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Joanna Pettet, Orson Welles, Daliah Lavi, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden and others, and with an original score from Oscar® winner* Burt Bacharach, this groovy spy movie is "even farther out" (LA Herald-Examiner) than all other spoofs combined!British Intelligence is waning in every possible way! When the diabolical SMERSH begins killing off Her Majesty's Secret Service, super-agent James Bond (Niven) recruits six more "James Bonds" to confuse and conquer their enemies. But it won't be easy. They'll have to face an army of irresistibly sexy female operatives, exploding robotic fowl, parachuting Indians and a germ that makes all women beautiful but kills all men over 4'6"!*1981: Original Song (with Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross, Peter Allen), Arthur; 1969: Original Song (Lyrics by Hal David), Score, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

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RiffTrax: Plan 9 From Outer Space - from the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you like MST3K, then you'll love this. Having rediscovered these over the past year, I've filled my library with these and other MST3K alumni material (new and old). The kids like 'em, too.
This is the first Rifftrax I've watched. I think they're dead on with the commentary. Looking forward to getting more.

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Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) Review

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(More customer reviews)Ah... there's nothing quite like sitting back and spending an afternoon watching a series of sophomoric jokes, uproarious site gags, and ample naked breasts to make just make the time fly by. The team of Zucker/Abrahms(sp?), that wacky team that done brung (poor grammar is intentional here) you great films like "Airplane" first cut their teeth on a sketch comedy forum they called "The Kentucky Fried Theater". By having the audacity to go places that Saturday Night Live and their censors could only dream about, the Brothers Zucker and Jim Abrahms were able to create raunchy, racy, and hilarious sketchy comedy. In the late 1970's they finally made the big leap and took their `talents' the big screen with the cult hit "The Kentucky Fried Movie".
"...Movie" is a somewhat uneven compilation of sketch comedy that is crafted in the Monty Python mold. Don't let the uneven aspect deter you, though. When "Kentucky Fried Movie" hits its targets, it makes for some of the funniest and most titillating comedy on film. One of the raunchiest skits is a `promo' for an upcoming movie called "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble". The shameless display of naked females, graphic (but, humorous) sex, and crude humor make this sketch one of the all-time classics. Even people who have never seen "The Kentucky Fried Movie" know about this famous sketch. There are some other fairly inspired bits in this film, including another extremely raunchy skit called "Eyewitness News (Nudes?)" where a young couple gets quite amorous while watching the evening news. "Cleopatra Schwartz" which pairs a Hassidic rabbi with a Pam Grier-type as a crime fighting couple seems just plain wrong, but is just plain funny. Other skits like the `Feel-O-Rama' movie theater and `Big Jim Slade's love record' are quite funny.
However, the true crown jewel of this movie is an inspired spoof of the old Bruce Lee movies called "Fistful of Yen". By far the longest sketch, it also packs the most comedic punch per square inch. The Bruce Lee type character must break into an evil criminal mastermind's palace and rescue a damsel in distress. This mastermind has a secret weapon, a prosthetic arm that looks like it was made by Snap-On Tools. Nothing is spared in this set. Shots are taken ridiculously sexual names that are given to Asian characters in these movies; the easy duping of an `expert' bodyguard is spoofed; and, even Detroit is spared no punches. For me, the most hilarious aspect is the criminal mastermind's palace `alarm system'. When you see it, you will know what I mean. This one sketch, alone, makes the movie worthwhile. The shameless amount of raunchiness doesn't hurt, either. If you're curious about how the deranged minds that created "Airplane" got their start, or just enjoy a good film that seems to have been the inspiration for every sex comedy to come along since, then "The Kentucky Fried Movie" will be time well spent.

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From the director of Animal House and the creators ofAirplane and The Naked Gun comes the original madcap,most out-of-control spoof of all time. The one thatstarted it all!!The Kentucky Fried Movie!Featuring a cast of more than a few but less than alot, this insane collection of comedy skits includessuch now famous sketches as the Kung-Fu parody, "AFistful of Yen", and the legendary "Catholic SchoolGirls in Trouble."Enjoy the future of moviegoingwiththe "Feel-A-Round" theater experience.See notableandhighly respected actor Donald Sutherland as theclumsiest waiter in motion picutre history.Watchsuchcharacters as Cleopatra Schwartz and Big Jim Sladetickle your funny bone until it has to be removedsurgically!Directed by John Landis and written by Jim Abrahams,David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, and featuringappearances by ex-James Bond George Lazenby and TheIncredible Hulk star Bill Bixby, The Kentucky FriedMovie is the cult classic you've been waiting for! It's a virtual guarantee (not an actual guarantee)thatyou will not find another film iwth as many side- splitting moments of pure unadulterated hilarity asTheKentucky Fried Movie.

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