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Harold and Maude, a review by Antares

Harold and Maude





Year: 1971
Film Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Length: 91 Min.

Director
Hal Ashby (1929)

Writing
Colin Higgins (1941)...Written By

Producer
Colin Higgins (1941)
Mildred Lewis
Charles Mulvehill

Cinematographer
John A. Alonzo (1934)

Music
Cat Stevens...Song Writer

StarsReview
       When the term is mentioned in regards to film most people think of The Rocky Horror Picture Show or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but my thoughts turn towards the best of all the , Harold and Maude. Released in 1971 and directed by Hal Ashby, the film introduces us to Harold (Bud Cort), a privileged but neglected young man whose fascination with death has morphed itself into an endless series of staged phony suicides for the benefit of his mother (Vivian Pickles). He hopes that she will show him the attention he craves as she once did when an accident at school had Harold presumed dead. By now his mother is used to these
       The scene then cuts to the two of them in a military cemetery, surrounded by endless rows of white, homogeneous headstones. As the camera pans back away from the couple, director Hal Ashby uses the metaphor of the daisies to point out, that behind every white tombstone is an individual, unique and full of promise, but whose life was squandered for the sake of political or religious ideologies. It is one of the most powerfully visual anti-war statements ever put on film.

       This is not a film I would recommend to everyone, if you are a fan of Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell, it is not a film for you. If This is Spinal Tap or Kind Hearts and CoronetsRatings Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.

(From Harold and Maude (1971) on December 14th, 2009)

Hairspray (2007), a review by James

Title: Hairspray
Year: 2007
Director: Adam Shankman
Rating: PG
Length: 117 Min.
Media Type: Blu-ray
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English: DTS HD, English: DTS HD
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
John Travolta
Michelle Pfeiffer
Christopher Walken
Amanda Bynes
James Marsden

Plot:
It's 1962, and change is in the air in Baltimore. Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion--to dance. She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show" and is transformed overnight from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can the trendsetting Tracy win the heart of teen-dream Link Larkin and stand up for what she believes in, despite the program's scheming stage manager? All she needs is her best friend Penny, a toe- tappin' beat - and a little HAIRSPRAY!

Extras:
Featurettes


I barely remember seeing the John Waters version with Ricki Lake. My daughter saw a touring production of the stage version. She loved it and knowing my love of musicals, she urged me to see it first on stage and then on film. I never did.

Then it played on an airplane I was on but the screens were so terrible. Each mini-screen was affected by a different color saturation. Mine was green. The movie looked fun, but I couldn't appreciate it under those circumstances.

I grabbed the Blu-ray version on my way to the cashier when I purchased my Blu-ray player. Watching it today was one of the best eye and ear candy experiences I've ever had with a musical.

It's so well cast. Each actor is so perfect for their role. I really can't single anyone out since they were all terrific. The music is catchy. I found myself humming "Good Morning Baltimore" afterwards. The story caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting more than just breezy songs in a '60s setting. But it has a great message about tolerance.

The Hi-Def version is eye-popping. Just fabulous. The 2-disc set is packed with extras.

Welcome to the '60s...oh, oh, oh....

10 on the cellophane scale. If only the scale went to 11. 



(From The Viewage of James aka m.cellophane on January 7th, 2008)

My Babysitter's a Vampire: The First Season, a review by addicted2dvd

My Babysitter's a Vampire: The First Season IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer/Intro |

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Stars:
Matthew Knight as Ethan Morgan
Vanessa Morgan as Sarah
Atticus Mitchell as Benny Weir
Cameron Kennedy as Rory
Kate Todd as Erica Jones
Laura DeCarteret as Samantha Morgan

This is a series I never seen before getting the set for my birthday back in May. Oddly to this day I don't know which of my friends sent it to me. Someone seen it on my wishlist and ordered it... sending it to me. With only the message of Happy Birthday. It is obviously someone that knows I like pretty much anything with vampires in it. This is a series that is geared more towards pre-teens/lower-teens. But that don't bother me a bit. I can still enjoy such shows. And I enjoyed this one. Not the best I ever seen... but it is worth the time needed to watch it. The series isn't quite as good as the TV Movie that came out before the series... as the TV Movie had slightly more graphic violence. My favorite episode of the set is the last one... it was pretty much a sequel to the TV Movie. And left the series in a spot where I wanted to see more. So yes this is a series I would continue to collect. But unfortunately the second season was never released on DVD. Hopefully one day.



(From My Babysitter's a Vampire: The First Season on September 18th, 2013)