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dotjames
Reviews
High School (1940)
Correction from a native San Antonian
Another comment states that the movie was made at "San Antonio High School."
This is incorrect; the setting was Thomas Jefferson High School. I know; I attended Jefferson (tho I was only 2 years old at the time that the movie was made). One of the big deals of the movie was the pep squad called the Lassos. At the time that was the only pep squad composed of girls who could actually twirl ropes when they marched on football fields during the half-time or in parades. That was still true when I attended Jeff from 1953-56 -- and twirled a rope as a Lasso.
As far as I know, there has never been a San Antonio High School; there was a San Antonio Vocational Tech H.S. -- my mother went there.
Tipping the Velvet (2002)
A skilled adaptation of an extraordinary novel
I think Andrew Davies did an admirable job of taking a magnificent book which emulated the pace and styling of a Victorian novel and turning it into a moving and entertaining film. I'm glad I read (twice) the book first which is usually the case for me. I know that one must view a novel and a film as different media and judge them accordingly. But, still, it's often hard to read the original material after a film gives away the best parts.
I realize that Davies is a very good adapter, but I wish the producers had chosen a woman to write the screenplay. Davies, as he admits in the commentary that accompanies the film on DVD, wanted particularly to emphasis the more scatological bits in the book. I certainly enjoyed those, on film as in the book. But Davies missed a half-dozen moments that are so excruciatingly, painfully tender which he could have incorporated if his sensibility were more feminine.
I also would take issue with his use of the book's primary symbol, the rose.
As the screenplay was plotted by Davies, the denouement was inevitable and appropriate. But I really think that author Waters' final nod to the rose symbol was much more interesting. And I preferred way the novel let Nan "come of age" than the way Davies chose.
One quick comment about the four actors who essay the primary roles. They are all wonderfully talented -- well, except for the singing and dancing, perhaps -- and, moreover, their physical presences are so much what the mind's eye sees when reading the novel before seeing the film. I thought they were all terrific.
I recommend that any lesbian and anyone who loves good fiction, add BOTH the book and the DVD of TIPPING THE VELVET to their bookshelves.
Visions: The War Widow (1976)
An exquisite story that needs to be on DVD
Almost 30 years later I recall this original PBS film as almost unbearably tender. Periodically, I check here at IMDb hoping that someone has had the good sense to purchase the rights and put it on a DVD. It's September of 2004, and I keep hoping -- deep sigh.
One of the two lead actors went on to a small career primarily in a prime-time evening soap; the other, Frances Lee McCain, was seen in small roles here and there for a few years. But nothing they did before or after ever matched this little movie which was produced, as I recall it, on a short-lived PBS series which showcased original screenplays by new and up-and-coming playwrights.
I watched it every time it was shown on PBS, maybe 2 or 3 times. That was before the era of VCRs, so I have no record of it, except in my mind's eye.
12/31/2006 addition to above: Happy New Year, ladies! This wonderful film is finally available on DVD at ladyslipper.org. My understanding is that the DVDs are burned from the writer's own personal copy.
The First Wives Club (1996)
Better than the book!
This is a terrific film about three terrific women -- middle-aged women, no less -- who refuse to be treated like doormats by their conniving husbands. If you read a review of this film and the reviewer HATED it, you can be sure that the critic is male. I know of no woman who has seen this film who has not been thoroughly entertained and energized. The concluding scene where the trio march off arm-in-arm while singing Leslie Gore's "You Don't Know Me" is worth the admission price.
Stark Raving Mad (1999)
I LOVED this sitcom!
I'm not a big fan of sitcoms, but "Stark Raving Mad" was a must-see each week for me -- as long as it lasted. It is the ONLY vehicle in which Tony Shalaub has been bearable, and he was brilliant in this sitcom. But the big draw for me was the character of Jake. I hope that actor will be back soon in something else.
The Shining (1997)
Slowest movie EVER
I'm betting Stephen King will never again have his way with TV execs. This version of "The Shining" was tedious, boring, and way too long. Six hours for a story that should have been told in 2 max. The casting was terrible, too. Whoever told Steven Webber he could act? And where did they get the kid who played Doc? His haircut was unbelievable, and he was incapable of closing his mouth over his buck-teeth. Or was that supposed to be his idea of showing great emotion at times of stress?
As Time Goes By (1992)
Best sitcom ever!
Charming, soft, slow-paced, believable, delightful. This is one sitcom which never jumps the shark. Dench and Palmer are excellent, of course, but so are the supporting players. (What a shock it must have been to each to have his/her agent call with good news/bad news: "You've got a continuing role in a sitcom, BUT you have to chew scenery with Dame Judi and Geoffrey Palmer.")