12 mini-reviews for the short attention span, taken from dark corners of stevenl's video vault:

Farewell to the 4th!: Link to the Past-- Gateway to the Future / directed by Mike Williams, Susan Willis (2001, VHS). Deb Vinsel (narrator), Rhonda Foster, Derek Valley, Stan Biles, David Goodyear, Sara Gore, Pat Greenup. You know, I have a random system for selecting what titles to review. They choose themselves. During the height of the OlyBlog gun debate I found Bowling for Columbine was next in line. Now that the Oly isthmus is becoming an issue, this timely TCTV video pops up. A warning, I have friends and a relative associated with this production, so I am biased. This 20 minute video is a fond goodbye to the old 4th Ave. Bridge (1921-2001) which we all knew and loved and was taken away from us by the Feb. 2001 quake. This documentary was produced the following October. It is well researched (by Shanna Stevenson), starting with the importance of the area to Native Americans and covering all the attempts by early Olympia residents to connect the Westside with downtown through a series of short-lived spans. The story is told in a coherent narrative with excellent historical graphics. Lots of very interesting photos and maps of the isthmus as it built up over time and of the estuary before it became the FLOD. I'm not sure Lana Tremblay's poem, "Farewell Old Friend," really belonged in this, but that's my only reservation in this excellent local work. I particularly enjoyed hearing Sara Gore's story about being born on the old bridge as her family didn't quite make it to the old St. Pete's Hospital (where my brother was born) when it used to sit on the top of the steep West 4th Ave. hill. I know this would take staff and money, but I think it would be great if TCTV could release a lot of their fine local documentaries like this one on DVD to local libraries. Hmmm. I smell a grant writing opportunity here.

The Green Mile / directed by Frank Darabont (1999). Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clark Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Harry Dean Stanton, Dabbs Greer, Gary Sinise. "We each walk a green mile." This beautiful movie is one of the best of the Stephen King-based screen efforts. The Shining (with Nicholson) remains my favorite, but this is a close runner up. Told in a modern day flashback, a nursing home resident describes his experiences of miracles that took place when he was a guard in a Deep South prison death row cellblock. The story is broad and rambling (3 hours), wrapped around some big issues: racism, capital punishment, treatment of elderly, abuse and corruption of authority. Darabont, who also did a great job directing the other King-based prison story Shawshank Redemption (1994), must have a gift for timing in keeping us hooked in a movie of this length. The casting for this film was excellent. Although Tom Hanks as the central character still played Tom Hanks (but how can you not like this guy? He was still perfect for the role) there is a wonderful collection of supporting characters in the tale. I didn't recognize Sam Rockwell or Graham Greene until the credits rolled. In this King story, the supernatural force might be a mixed blessing but it isn't evil. The evil here is very human, and chillingly displayed by the petulant and sadistic prison guard Percy Wetmore (Hutchison). Dabbs Greer, making his final feature film appearance here, was a very familiar face to those of us raised on 1950s and 1960s television. There is a fun little side story concerning a mouse, giving us a diversion in this place where keeping one's humanity is difficult in inhumane conditions. I knew a guy who worked with King in Maine in the 1970s. He claimed that at night they'd go to a bar and he described in great detail how King, in his size-too-small polyester shirt, would have his face lit from below by the lights of the old pre-computer pinball as he obsessed on the game. True or not, that's the image I always have when King's name comes up-- even in connection with an incredible movie like this one.

Isn't She Great / directed by Andrew Bergman (2000, VHS). Bette Midler, Nathan Lane, Stockard Channing, David Hyde Pierce, John Cleese, John Larroquette, Paul Benedict, John Cunningham. The biopic on the life of Jacqueline Susann, the best-selling author who took literature another notch closer to the LCD. This film was unfairly panned by the critics when it was released. Midler even gained a Razzie nomination for worst actress of 2000 for her role in this (Madonna won that year for The Next Best Thing). I think if you approach this story as if the characters have been distilled into living cartoons, it is actually very funny even with the serious themes. Susann (Midler) and her husband/promoter (Lane) are entirely blind to their own absurdity, and come across as noble champions of all that is vulgar, coarse and crass. Lane is perfect as the tireless cheerleader for Midler, even when the chips are down: "Sweetheart, things are going to turn around. Any day now. Any second. It's just the business. Peaks and valleys"-- but it is a valley that brings her the "mass love" Susann requires, Valley of the Dolls. When Susann was alive I recall that in addition to the subject matter of novels, it was rather shocking to have a woman writing this kind of stuff. In her own way she was a feminist, although that was not really addressed in this story. There is a very touching thread through the film where Susann talks to God while looking up at a hugh tree in Central Park, revealing her ambitions. Burt Bacharach, who I have grown to respect as I get older (I can't believe I'm saying that), composed the title theme. A very fitting and excellent choice. I believe the sort of critics who panned this movie come from the same place as the many publishers (who later kicked themselves, I'm sure) who initially rejected Susann's manuscripts.

"The Speckled Band" (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) / directed by John Bruce (1984, DVD). Jeremy Brett, David Burke, Jeremy Kemp, Rosalyn Lander, John Gill. This is a dark and morose episode, unusual in that Jeremy Brett has toned down his normal ham and gives us more subdued and human Holmes. We actually see him shake with fear and admit this case is more of a test of courage than his average fare. Also, director Bruce, one of the best in this series, appears to be more comfortable setting up shots in urban areas than in rural ones. I didn't get the visual impact from this one that his other efforts gave me. On the other hand, Bruce tooks pains to duplicate some key scenes with the classic original illustrations from the printed stories. Here's the deal with the story: A paranoid control freak runs a dilapidated country estate. He lives in such fear that he has the grounds patrolled by mankilling big cats at night (oddly, no penguins appear here) (nor caimans) (both of them = animals of eeevil). He is also a physician and portrayed by British character actor Jeremy Kemp, an over-the-top thespian who is a delight to watch and perfect for this role. Living with him in this crumbling mansion are two step daughters. One of them dies horribly yet mysteriously uttering ... last ... words ... "Speckled ... Band ..." Nnngh. Click. Die. So the surviving daughter employs Holmes to figure out what the heck is going on. Holmes, clearly enjoying and relishing the challenge, immediately deduces the step-father is guilty, and in the course of his investigation utters two quotes I have always enjoyed. Quote 1: "Ah Watson, it's a wicked world. But when a clever man turns his brain to crime, it's the worst of all." Quote 2: "When a doctor goes wrong, he's the first of criminals. He has nerve. He has knowledge." Here's a hint for the viewer. Do not watch this if you have a problem with reptiles.

Who Buried Paul McCartney? / directed by Wouter van Opdorp (2005, DVD5). Alex Bennett, Russ Gibb, Tim Harper, Fred LaBour, Les Marshak, Barry Stoller, Tom Zarski. When I was in high school and college the Beatles were still considered hot. And party conversation would occasionally turn to the rumor that Paul McCartney had died in a car crash and had been replaced by a substitute. Clues had been left on album covers, in the lyrics, and in the backwards messages if you rotated the album in reverse. Originally made for Dutch television, this excellent 25 minute documentary lets the American participants reveal the story. Like the secret messages on the albums, the film walks in reverse, starting with the Columbus Day 1969 phone call to a Michigan radio station that sparked an international pressquake. As if tracing a virus, the rumor is tracked back to Terry Knight's Saint Paul 45 single in May 1969. Commenters covering the time period before Knight's single make only cryptic statements, suggesting the whole thing was invented as a marketing device by the Fabs themselves. I especially enjoyed music entertainer Fred LaBour's moments onscreen, including his outrageous cowboy getup-- in Michigan?!? But he was candid and funny. Now to reveal my bias. I'm in the credits in this one. And believe me, my role leading to contributing to this documentary has a history that is much, much stranger than the McCartney death hoax. I'm not kidding. Most of you wouldn't believe me if I told you, it was a long and winding road. It'll make a fine book someday. In the meantime, see if you can catch this DVD as a fine example on how to study the anatomy of a rumor. The late Lynn Hansen's hard to find book, Number 9 is a great resource (I say with prejudice) for picking up where this video leaves off. SPSCC has a copy.

Lost in Translation / directed by Sofia Coppola (2003, VHS). Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris. A couple, no, a few, well "several" years ago I was reclined in my dentists' chair getting my teeth cleaned by a substitute teeth cleaner. Somehow she figured out we were in the same age bracket and she asked, "Been to your 30th high school reunion yet?" I replied I would within the year. There was a pause. "So," she lifted the metal tools in the air, holding them aloft over her shoulders, tilted her head, and asked pointedly, "How do you like midlife?" And then we both broke into a genuine spontaneous bittersweet laugh. The laugh of relief, of survivors after a horrible accident. Another pause, then she said, "I prefer to call it a 'Midlife Awakening.'" This movie is a case study in Midlife Awakening meeting 20-Something Angst. Boomer meets GenX. Murray and Johansson literally wake up in Tokyo, and then find each other as strangers in a strange land where the social expectations of Western culture do not apply. They can reset their own boundaries and be who they really are with each other, i.e., essentially decent people in a place where a man and woman can be friends and knowing they have to live in the moment. Some man/woman relationships are more complicated and harder to explain than others. Alongside the theme of sleeping and waking up, we see Murray go into monotone when talking to his wife on the phone, or into sleepwalking mode in the course of his occupation. This is billed as a comedy, but as Murray sings, "What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?" I'd have to classify this as something else. But I'm not sure what. Lots of culture clash material and none of the Japanese is subtitled, so we are as lost as the American characters. Coppola appears to have filmed this with a hand-held most of the time, giving the story a quasi-documentary feel, as if we are on a field trip observing these two people. Apparently the beautiful ending was an ad-lib, and it feels very authentic. One of Bill Murray's best movies, maybe even the very best. In many ways this could be considered a prequel to the other most excellent Murray film, Broken Flowers.

"The Money Programme" (Monty Python's Flying Circus ; v. 14, episode 29) / directed by Ian MacNaughton (1972, VHS). Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Fred Tomlinson Singers. Money Programme, Elizabeth I Episode Thlee, Dead Unjugged Rabbit Fish, Church Police, Meanwhile in a jungle restaurant next door, Ken Russell's Gardening Club (1958), British Explorers' Club, Argument Clinic, Flying Fox of the Yard, This Show is Under Arrest. Lots of law enforcement humor here and having the show turn back into itself with actors asking about the script. Employs a Beatles-type false ending. Argument Clinic is one of the better Python skits, John Cleese's fingerprints are all over it. For some reason the argument piece really caught the attention of my cat, Buster. Idle anticipates his future career in musical comedy with the opening number about money. Terry Jones continues to be disturbingly effective in drag.

Patterns / directed by Fielder Cook (1956, VHS). Van Heflin, Ed Begley, Everett Sloane, Beatrice Straight, Elizabeth Wilson, Andrew Duggan, Lauren Bacall (uncredited). This is another hard-hitting social gritty black and white film (made grittier by the awful "Goodtimes" 1985 VHS copy I have) from the 1950s. This time the target is the Darwinism within the corporate world. Rod Serling wrote this precursor to Swimming With Sharks, and I wonder why I never heard of it before-- it is an excellent motion picture given the limitations of the time in which it was made. Set in NYC, it depicts the Eisenhower-era corporate generation. Everett Sloane seems a little like a white collar Lee Van Cleef in his role as the brutal CEO. Ed Begley is terrific as the representative of the old days, as the soul of a bygone era when a handshake was good enough. And Heflin really is at his best as the honest country bumpkin being used as a tool by upper management. The characters might be a little too flat and good/evil, but Serling's unexpected conclusion saves the picture. And yes, Lady Macbeth can look and talk like June Cleaver. A couple detail notes. Although Lauren Bacall supposedly has an uncredited walk-on in this film, I couldn't spot it. Also, a local connection: Character actor Andrew Duggan, making an early film appearance here, once acted with Oly's own Malcolm Stilson, back in WWII I think.

Recording 'The Producers': a Musical Romp with Mel Brooks / directed by Susan Frömke, Kathy Dougherty (2001, VHS). Mel Brooks, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Gary Beach, Cady Huffman. "It ain't no mystery it if it's politics or history, the thing you've got to know is everything is show biz." This documentary covers a studio recording session for Mel Brooks' muscial version of The Producers. I have always considered the original 1968 Zero Mostel/Gene Wilder piece as one of the best movies of the 1960s. And although I really enjoy Nathan Lane's work and admire Mel Brooks' energy (I hope I have that much spark when I'm in my 70s) I could not sit through the film version of the musical. I understand it was great onstage, however. Mel is one of the last of his era, and it is fun to watch Mr. Showbiz preside over his creation. Amazing vocals by Lane, Beach, and Huffman. Matthew Broderick does a pretty good Brando imitation at an informal moment, no doubt gleaned from his co-starring role in The Freshman. (Hey, another brush with fame: my brother once played a game of pool with Broderick. I wonder who won?) Brooks reveals some of the background to the original Mostel movie in the course of telling us about the new musical. In making the absurdity of Adolf Elizabeth Hitler the centerpiece of his joke, Brooks joins the Three Stooges, Chaplin, Spike Jones, and the Olympia clowns in using humor as the most devastating weapon. Although "Springtime for Hitler" remains in the show ("The biggest best thing I ever did," says Brooks) there are many new songs, the best being "Heil Myself!" I like this documentary better than the later feature film.

Rush Hour / directed by Brett Ratner (1998, VHS). Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Tom Wilkinson, Chris Penn, Philip Baker Hall. Go Jackie! A big budget action comedy and an early American showcase for the incredible Jackie Chan. I found myself missing the low budget effects and bad dubbing of his previous films, but this is still very entertaining for Chan fans. Action: Lots of explosions, gunplay, suspense, car chases, and martial arts (Chan never kills anyone here with a gun). Comedy: funny moments in law enforcement intra-politics, Hall as the cranky police captain, Chan's great physical Keatonesque sense of timing, Tucker's big mouth, and the "War" music sequence. A good, basic cop buddy film with a culture clash twist. There is no mushy love stuff here. One of the things I admire about Jackie Chan is that he always seems cognizant of his standing as an international star, particularly with his influence on children. His values are such that I would consider him the Hopalong Cassidy of this generation. Good mindless fun for those of us who still have the 9-year old boy within. Go Jackie!

SCTV (1976-1984?, VHS off-air). Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, Catherine O'Hara, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, Martin Short, Robin Duke, Tony Rosato. SCTV, when it was originally aired, had a magic that is somehow washed out in the new DVD compilations. Hard to explain why. Maybe the re-release is too slickly packaged and presented. At any rate, this VHS cassette I was hoping to review, all of it off-air, has finally croaked and is not playable. The VHS player pukes it back. It is perhaps only a couple decades old. Such is the fleeting nature of archiving pixels. Who knows? Perhaps all the passion and deep thought that has been invested in OlyBlog will soon be blown away like dust in the wind as well. Print it all off on acid-free paper, folks.

"The Musgrave Ritual" (The Return of Sherlock Holmes) / directed by David Carson (1986, VHS off-air). Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, James Hazeldine, Michael Culver, Johanna Kirby. The butler did it. This is a more macabre than usual episode, even though Holmes is on vacation! Some interesting bits of trivia here. In one scene we see Holmes enjoy a long hearty laugh. We also hear about some of his pre-Watson early cases. There is a history lesson concerning the big mistake the UK made in bringing back the monarchy with Charles II. And there are two messages in this one: First, never cross a crazy Welsh woman. Second, "The answer lies in trigonometry!" This is a mere sideshow in the body of Holmes' work. There are some beautiful outdoor shots in this episode.