Rhoda: Season 4 -- BRAND NEW RELEASE Review

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(More customer reviews)After a melancholy Season Three chronicling Rhoda's separation and eventual divorce from Joe, the show bounces back in its fourth season, originally airing Sunday nights at 8pm on CBS during the 1977-78 TV season with a total of 24 episodes.
First, the bad: The script quality was declining at this point, but the cast gamely did their best with what they were given.
The good news is that Nancy Walker returns after a one-year absence (and two failed sitcom attempts at rival network ABC: "The Nancy Walker Show"; "Blansky's Beauties"). Her scenes with Harper and Kavner are always high points of the show. Kavner even won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work this season, beating out Sally Struthers.
With Joe out of the picture for good, the series can now focus on Rhoda and Brenda as two swinging singles in the Big Apple during the disco era. Even the opening credits reflect this, with location scenes of "Rho and Bren" throughout NYC backed by the absolute best version of the catchy theme song to date. (This version will get stuck in your head for days, with its powerhouse drumming and lovely bells and chimes).
Valerie Harper looks somewhat emaciated when the season begins, and Julie Kavner has grown her hair long, though she goes back to her medium-length hairstyle by mid-season.
Rhoda begins her new job working at a costume shop for gruff boss Jack Doyle. Friend and neighbour Gary (Ron Silver) is still in the picture, and Brenda is dating the rollerskating toll-booth operator Benny. Rhoda occasionally dates the flashy nightclub singer Johnny Venture. Verna, the crazy cat lady appears for a few episodes.
While many viewers have stated the show had clearly Jumped the Shark at this point, I suggest giving it a second chance because it actually plays better now compared to most of the subpar sitcoms of the late-1990s-today currently in syndication.
Some of the more memorable episodes this season include the opener where Ida returns from a one-year travelling vacation; "Who's Shy" in which Brenda joins a help group to become more assertive (watch for her dead-on Ida impression); "So Long, Lucky" (with "Phyllis" star Carmine Caridi) where Rhoda seems to have "cursed" a NYC cop; and "Five For the Road", which has the gang stranded during a road trip.
Shout! Factory has really done right by the fans by continuing to release "Rhoda" on DVD. After the Season One debacle with cut and faded prints, they have redeemed themselves because the episodes on subsequent releases look better than ever! The cover art has been gorgeous and the menus very well-done.
The design and layout of Season 4 seems a little cheaper than previous releases, but this is still a quality product we should be very grateful for. This volume uses the same graphics and layout as previous releases. However, like other Shout! Select titles, they have forgone the outer box/slim cases format and this set comes in a plastic snapcase. Also, the original episode airdates are not listed this time around.
The menus are more static and the closing theme loops as we see an episode selection and the same image of Rhoda that appears on the cover.
As with Seasons 2 and 3, the picture has been remastered and has never looked this good before. I can finally toss my old VHS tapes from WTN and Nick@Nite!
Fans need to support this Shout! select title so that they will soon bring us the fifth and final season on DVD. Here's hoping after that they will bring us a complete series set of "Phyllis"!

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Deconstructing Harry (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)`Deconstructing Harry', written and directed by Woody Allen, may set the record for famous name cameos in Allen's pictures, with the added twist that you have famous actors playing the parts of other famous name actors in the same movie, as when, for example, Kirsty Ally, one of the Allen character wives, is played by Demi Moore in a playing out of one of the pieces of fiction represented in the movie.
I have often touted the virtue of rewatchability in almost all of Allen's movies. After all, why buy a DVD or tape of a movie if there is no value in watching it more than once. With this movie, it is absolutely essential that you watch it at least three times to understand what is going on, as the movie freely, and with relatively little warning, switches back and forth between cinema reality and Harry's (the Allen character) fiction. In some movies, having trouble keeping track of the plot threads means this is simply a bad movie. There are things in this movie that may have been done poorly, but the parallel thread lines between reality and fiction is not one of them.
This is certainly one of Allen's two or three most highly biographical movies, the others being `Stardust Memories' and `Radio Days'. It is not even a big stretch to make the Allen surrogate character a writer rather than a film maker (as in `Stardust Memories') since Allen did a lot of short story writing for the `New Yorker' before film making took all of his time. All of Allen's favorite subjects, primarily love, sex, death, Judaism, parents, and creativity are here. Books have been written about the themes in Allen's movies. `Deconstructing Harry' could easily take a book or at least a long monograph in itself to explicate all the ideas going on in the real and fictional threads.
Allen even brings in parodies of classic fiction in his references to both Dante's `Divine Comedy' and Milton's `Paradise Lost'. For good measure, there is a short riff on Bergman's grim reaper character in a reprise from his appearance in `Love and Death'. I will not give Allen too much credit for such an obscure reference, but his visit to Hell (borrowed from Greek mythology) makes Hell seem almost like a fun place to be, even for the damned, if the damned subjects happen to have a yen for a little sweaty bondage. The reference I speak of is to the etched illustrations of Dante's `Inferno' done, I believe by a 19th century artist which provided a lot of guilty pleasures as an adolescent in the grownup library stacks.
While this movie is a thoroughly Woody Allen piece, I did get some sense that more than a little influence from Kevin Smith seems to have crept into the dialogue, as the frequency of strong four letter words is dramatically higher than in any other Allen movie. This is improbable, as Smith's first movie, `Clerks' I think just came out shortly before the release of `Deconstructing Harry'. But, the cuss a minute dialogue does remind one of Smith's favorite character, Jay of `Jay and Silent Bob' fame.
The quality of the filming and editing in this movie makes one wonder whether some of the sloppy transitions within and between scenes were not intentional. One can easily imagine that the shooting schedule was such that you only had Robin Williams or Richard Benjamin or Demi Moore or Billy Crystal for a day or a half a day, so if you didn't get perfect shots of them on that day, Allen and his editor possibly did the best they could with what they had. There is a kind of choppyness I simply have never seen in any of Allen's movies before or since this one. One thing which makes me think this obviously choppy editing is intentional is the opening scene behind the credits where the Judy Davis character is seen repeatedly leaving her cab at Harry's apartment in order to beat on him for including their marriage in his latest published piece of fiction. The differences in the 5 or 6 times this sequence is shown are almost random, parodying, in a way, the opening to `Manhattan' where the Allen character's voice over is working through various drafts of an opening line to a piece of fiction. So, instead of literally quoting `Manhattan', Allen shows multiple attempts at editing the same scene. Another intentional effect that suggests the choppy editing is intentional is the riff that makes the actor character played by Robin Williams to literally go out of focus.
The story is really not quite as neat as the two other biographical movies, even though `Stardust Memories' does contain a lot of ambiguity between the cinematic and the real. It is also clearly not as polished as most of his other movies, especially the high gloss works such as `Crimes and Misdemeanors' and `Hannah and Her Sisters'. In some ways, it has the same manic quality of his very early movies such as `Take the Money and Run' and `Bananas'.
And yet, it is easily one of the most interesting about which to spin theories on Allen's sources and his messages. I would only recommend this movie to someone who is fond of Allen's movies already. I would certainly not recommend it to anyone who has never seen or never liked a Woody Allen movie. But, for the faithful, this is pure gold, and funny to boot!

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Cyrus (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)Cyrus is a "Romantic" Comedy film from the Duplass brothers starring Jonah Hill, John C Reilly and Marisa Tomei. It's a film I had been looking forward to seeing after enjoying the trailer and being intrigued by what appeared to be a brilliant cast in an original idea. But does it deliver?
Still single seven years after the collapse of his marriage, John (Reilly) has given up on romance. Forced by his ex-wife and now best friend to attend a party, he surprises everyone by meeting Molly (Tomei) and the instant chemistry leads to what seems a perfect partner for the lonesome John. That is until he meets Molly's son, Cyrus (Hill), whose relationship with his mother is a touch unconventional and he is definitely not ready to share her with anyone.
Before seeing Cyrus I was on the back of two rom-com screenings of The Switch and Going the Distance, both slightly different tales of relationships and both films I enjoyed with different levels of appreciation. I was kind of expecting a third rom-com scenario in Cyrus but actually found a film where romance and comedy were never really the dominating genre as character and relationship took centre stage and it took me by surprise. It's positively brilliant.Jonah Hill is so good is this film, it's by far his best performance and he keeps growing as an actor as well as a comedic presence. He comes across as a few notches short of being a serial killer but having a surreal childlike calmness to his evil which works so well and is at times hilarious, especially his performance playing his new song to John when they first meet or his long vacant stares at John which just say "I want to kill you", Creepy is not the word.
Marisa Tomei is wonderful, I've not seen her in anything since My Cousin Vinny and she plays the difficult role of the over caring mother and wanting lover so well, it feels natural and believable and worked perfectly. Her chemistry and wonderfully flowing dialogue with John C Reilly helps the film succeed, feel natural and through almost the entire film, not a single line felt scripted, greatly adding to the appeal of the film. Reilly is also in his element, I can't remember a film where he has been this good, offering genuine laughs and an wonderful emotional rivalry with Jonah Hill which must have been so funny to film.Not only is Cyrus darkly funny and incredibly well made, it has a very strong story at its centre, surrounded by excellent and well rounded characters that you will completely invest in, it's a joy and a complete triumph. Cyrus is a film which feels fresh, filmed using the "Mumblecore" style of low budget, improvised script, digital cameras and a lot of talk about relationships, Cyrus benefits from the style as it feels unpredictable and genuine. The Duplass brothers have created a visually interesting film with creative camera movements and sharp focusing on people's expressions that set it apart from any romantic comedy movie I've seen. I'm now looking through the Duplass back catalogue as a new fan.
Cyrus is not going to be to everyone's taste and I'm sure people are going to find it tedious and not full of "gags" like they expected from that big guy from Superbad and the `Shrek' looking guy from Step Brothers. I hope people can understand this is not a quirky rom-com, this is not full of gross out jokes, this is not a vehicle for a pretty actor and a pretty actress to ride the roller coaster of relationships. This is a film about a messed up young adult in a single parent family who has had a very strange upbringing and how mother and son fail at letting new people into their family. It's a film which favours relationships and character examination over a deluge of gags, and it's all the better for it.
I highly recommend Cyrus, more than many films I've seen this year. Gary Phillips
Marisa Tomei: Core & Curves
My Cousin Vinny
In the Bedroom
Step Brothers (Single-Disc Unrated Edition)
Superbad (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
Happy Accidents
The Perez Family

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John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Oscar® Winner Marisa Tomei star in this quirky, hilarious story about love, family and cutting the cord. Not-so-recently divorced John (Reilly) thinks he’s finally found the perfect woman when he meets the sweet and sexy Molly (Tomei). There’s just one problem – Molly’s son Cyrus (Hill) clings to his mom like lint on a T-shirt, and he’s not about to let another man come between them. It’s one hysterically awkward moment after another as John and Cyrus fight for the right to be Molly’s #1 man.

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Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)1979's Kramer vs. Kramer mirrored a trend that was becoming more and more prevalent in America in the 1970's, the breakup of marriages. Dustin Hoffman & Meryl Streep star as Ted & Joanna Kramer. Ted is the prototypical yuppie. His job in an advertising company is really accelerating and it is taking up most of his time from his family that also includes eight-year old Billy (Justin Henry). Ted is so involved in his career, he knows little of the day-to day routine of his own household. One day, Ted's world is shattered when Joanna leaves him and Billy in order to find herself. Ted must learn how to raise his son, juggle his work and home life and go through a divorce trial. The film is both poignant and touching as Ted & Billy bond and form a loving relationship. Mr. Hoffman is excellent as is Ms. Streep and Jane Alexander gives a strong turn as the Kramer's woman's libber neighbor who Ted feels egged Joanna on and caused the breakup of his marriage. But the true find is young Justin Henry. He gives one of the finest performances by a preteen in movie history. The film was much lauded and praised and come Oscar time, Mr. Hoffman finally took home the Best Actor award after several failed nominations. Ms. Streep won Best Supporting Actress, director Robert Benton took home the Best Director award and the film won Best Picture.

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KRAMER VS. KRAMER - DVD Movie

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Falling Down (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a powerful film, but I personally don't look at it as some type of social commentary or condemnation of modern society, although it certainly touches on some of the problems that will always exist among human beings. Falling Down may well have a potent effect on anyone watching it, though. It always leaves me feeling really, really weird because it touches on so many things we all have to put up with each day, presents a monster whom I can't help but sympathize with in some degree, provides us with a hero whose own life is rife with undeserved problems, and runs its course atop a strong undercurrent of sadness. Michael Douglas gives one of his better performances as Bill Foster, an unremarkable man who finds his world torn apart and finally just snaps. He has lost his wife and little girl (which is his own fault); he's lost his job, the one thing that made him feel important; he just wants things to be like they used to be. He doesn't want to sit in traffic with no air conditioning or pay almost a dollar for a little can of soda or see plastic surgeons living the life of Riley while he can't even support his little girl. His journey "home" is an extraordinary one, and the kinds of awful people he encounters on the way do nothing to help his mentality. It's hard not to cheer him on when he manages to effect an escape from a couple of gangsters trying to rob him, but acts such as holding a burger joint up just because they refuse to serve him breakfast after lunch time is, obviously, way out there. No matter what terrible things he does, though, I can't get completely past the fact that he earnestly wants to see his little girl and give her a present for her birthday; in a clearly psychotic way, I find this movie somewhat touching, and that only makes the whole experience more depressing than it already is.
Robert Duvall is indeed quite good as the good cop, Prendergast, pursuing this vigilante on his last day before retirement. His life is no dream either, but of course he handles his own problems in a way quite unlike our man Foster does. His wife is clearly disturbed, made frighteningly burdensome and vulnerable by the death of their own little girl and an earlier wounding of her husband on the job. For her benefit, he took a desk job and is forced to put up with a lot of jokes and insults from his fellow cops, including his own boss. Except for his partner, all of the cops in this film are as unfeeling and cruel as some of the shady characters Foster meets up with during his journey home, and that is to me one of the more disturbing aspects of this film.
One of the things I liked most about Falling Down was its attempt to portray Foster as one very disturbed man and not a stand-in for any type of stereotypical vigilante; one character in particular makes this point quite clearly when, discovering that Foster doesn't actually agree with him in his own twisted, stereotypically extremist mindset, he asks the man just what kind of vigilante he is supposed to be. My own thinking is that Falling Down is not meant to be a warning about a group of potential Bill Fosters festering in the midst of society; instead, by showing us what happens to one man, it is warning us to walk carefully on our own journeys and to be careful to keep our tempers in check even when the world seems to be out to get us. At the same time, it doesn't imply that we should roll over and play dead whenever a problem comes our way, using the character of Prendergast to show us that we can and should stand up for ourselves but only in constructive ways. I really have a lot of conflicting emotions about this film, but the one thing I am sure of is that Falling Down is an unforgettable motion picture well worth seeing.

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A man who has lost his job and his marriage takes a walk through the troubled urban landscape of Los Angeles on a hot, destructive day, with a retiring police officer trying to anticipate the next stop.Genre: Feature Film-DramaRating: RRelease Date: 8-FEB-2005Media Type: DVD

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Hope Floats (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review refers to the 20th Century Fox DVD edition of "Hope Floats".....
Forest Whitaker gives us a nice taste of his behind the camera talents with his direction of this touching and romantic feel good film. He has assembled a terrific cast including the charming Sandra Bullock,the irresistable Harry Connick Jr.,and the always wonderful Gena Rowlands. Add to that a story that will touch you with it's character's strength, humor and loving bonds of family by Steven Rogers, a soundtrack you'll want to hear over and over and terrific photogrpahy and you've got yourself a great recipe for a delightful movie break.
Birdie Pruitt(Bullock)was the sweetheart of her hometown, Smithville, Texas. She had it all..beauty queen, cheerleader,married to her high school sweetheart,a daughter who is the apple of her eye, and living the good life now in Chicago. But Birdie's perfect life is about to unravel. After appearing on one of those afternoon talk shows for what she thinks will be a make-over, she is hit with the awful truth that her best friend and husband are having an affair.
Devasted, humiliated on national T.V., and feeling all is lost, she packs up herself and her daughter and beats a retreat back to Smithville. The road back to self-esteem is a long one for Birdie, as she shuts herself off from life and love and must deal with readjusting to a new life.
Sandra Bullock will warm your heart as she learns to open hers again. Harry Connick Jr. will keep you smiling, as the childhood friend who has always loved her, and tries to breakdown Birdie's walls. And Gena Rowlands is perfect as the mother who won't let her child give up. Bernice, Birdie's young daughter is played brillantly by the young Mae Whitman and will evoke a lump in your throat as the child of divorce. Lots of great music including songs by Sheryl Crow, Bryan Adams and a beautiful rendition of "Smile" by Charles Chaplin, added to a moving score by Dave Grusin,are all just the right touches to this heartwarming story.
The DVD is an excellent presentation. The picture in widescreen(1.85:1)is very good with nice colors.The Sound in Dolby Dig 5.1 surrounds the room nicely.It may be viewed in French(stereo) and has subtitles in English and Spanish for those needing them. There are no other special features though.
If you're in need of a little pick-me-up, this is the film to do it. A feel good movie that's romantic, poignant and humorous, will leave you appreciating all that you already have, and with a smile as well.
enjoy.....Laurie
also recommended:
Diamonds
Meet Joe Black

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Birdee Pruitt (Bullock) has a life most people would envy.But when her cheating husband reveals infidelity to her on a national TV talk show, her perfect life comes crashing down.Devastated, Birdee and her young daughter head home to the small town she left behind.As mother and daughter struggle to adjust to their new lives, Birdee slowly gains the strength to open her heart and find hope again.

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It's Complicated (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Romatic comedy--usually not my genre. This one's different. Very funny, and it's got just the right mix of elements. Number one -- should I say it again -- truly very funny. Everyone in the theatre I saw it with was laughing out loud and having a great time. Number Two -- intelligently written, no mediocrity here. Number Three -- it's about real people who are grown-ups (well, maybe Alex Baldwin's character has got a ways to go), people with lives, children, and friends. Number Four -- it has a good spirit. So many of what passes as comedy today is nothing but nasty or stupid. That's not what's happening here. It's Complicated manages to be generous and wise about human nature without being mushy. Number Five -- Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Alex Baldwin do a great job, and seem to be enjoying themselves. I give it a 5 for "totally entertaining".

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Two-time Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin star in this hilarious look at marriage, divorce and everything in between. Jane (Streep) has three grown kids, a thriving Santa Barbara bakery and an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, Jake (Baldwin). Now, a decade after their divorce, an innocent dinner between Jane and Jake turns into the unimaginable - an affair. Caught in the middle of their rekindled romance are Jake’s young wife and Adam (Martin), a recently divorced architect who starts to fall for Jane. Could love be sweeter the second time around? It’s… complicated! From writer/director Nancy Meyers comes the comedy that critics call "laugh-out-loud funny" (Rex Reed, The New York Observer).

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