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mythical_meadow
Reviews
The Music of Man (1979)
Fond memories of this mini-series
Contrary to the information displayed in IMDb, this mini-series dates from the late 1970's (I think it was released in 1978 or 1979). Like so many outstanding programs produced by CBC from that era, it seems to have vanished without a trace. These days, of course, every piece of worthless dreck put out by CBC (and others) is available either on DVD or on their website. They seem to have no interest in either re-broadcasting or releasing this great, high-quality material (assuming they haven't disposed of it already). Anyway, this was one of the most thoughtful and stimulating programs about music history I've ever seen. I'm glad at least I still have memories of it. I would love to see it again. However, considering the low-brow, anti-archival mentality of CBC executives, I doubt it will ever see the light of day again. Hope I'm wrong!
California Split (1974)
Maybe this is splitting hairs a bit....
I couldn't believe it when this came out on DVD. This film, to my knowledge, was never even released commercially on VHS. So, a couple of years ago, wanting to view the movie again (which I hadn't seen since the mid 1970s), I bought a bootleg VHS copy off of e-bay. It was a crappy copy (the movie is sort of grainy looking anyway, like a lot of early 70s movies) but I was grateful to re-live the experience, and it pretty well lived up to my expectations (especially the "one-armed piccolo player" scene, which must be one of the most hilarious things I've ever seen). Anyway, when it came out on DVD, needless to say I nabbed it pretty quickly. However, upon watching it on DVD, I noticed at least one discrepancy from the original version - the absence of Phyllis Shotwell's rendition of "Kansas City". Does anybody know why this was left out? I personally have no idea. I have not listened to the audio commentary yet, but perhaps they might mention it. Anyway, this minor criticism aside, this is a great, funny movie with possibly the most naturalistic-feeling acting and dialogue ever achieved; and personally I find it better than M.A.S.H. in terms of humour and character depth. I don't know why this movie is so under-rated. I admit, I would have preferred a more upbeat ending, but you can't have everything.
Walking Tall (1973)
This must set a record
I don't know if anyone else has commented on this, but this film must set the record for misplaced "boom" or microphone intrusions into the visible frame. What kind of drugs were the crew on while making this movie? Didn't they notice these howlers during the daily rushes and editing of the movie? It happens so much throughout the film its really laughable, and certainly gives it a B movie feeling. However, there were A list actors in the movie.
Thats why this negligence seems so out of place. Anyway, I still enjoyed the movie, even though it seemed a little hokey, far fetched and simplistic.
Good, straightforward, violent entertainment.