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Reviews
Lost Horizon (1973)
I Love This Train Wreck of a Movie
Spoiler Alert The first half of this movie will fool you. You have been warned. It starts out with the attempts of a peace ambassador to evacuate refugees from an airport, which is actually fairly interesting. The attempt fails, and the only people to escape are the ambassador, two journalists, a contractor, and a freakin' stand up comic. The plane is hijacked, and they crash in the mountains. A fur-clad rescue party shows up and escorts the survivors back to Shangri-La, and that's when the movie slips you a hit of acid. Everyone there sings and breaks into pathetically choreographed dance numbers at the drop of a hat. The music is (how should I put this?) instantly forgettable -- except "The World Is a Circle", the chorus of which may stick in your brain like a tumor if you aren't careful.
Poor Sally Kellerman. She looked miserable whenever she had to sing, and terrified when she had to dance. The Twist she did while singing to George Kennedy was truly cringe-worthy. (I told you the songs were forgettable-- I've seen this 50 times and still can't remember what she was singing.) George Kennedy was spared the indignity of singing or dancing. Lucky him. Liv Ullman seemed just as uncomfortable trying to dance, so they let her off the hook by allowing her to sway around awkwardly while trying to keep a serene smile plastered to her face. I think they should have made her dance like Sally -- it's no fair for the director to play favorites in a film like this. And Bobby Van! Words cannot describe the prancing about this man does; you have to see it to believe it. Maybe I'm giving away too much here (no I'm not), but I was glad when Michael York died at the end. I was tired of his incessant whining about wanting to go home. Why the fuss? I'd be willing to put up with the singing and the goofy clothes to spend the rest of my life in a place with no traffic, pesky jobs or the IRS. Thoroughly misguided and miscast, it is a wonderful example of how not to make a musical, which is why I love it so. So take some prescription painkillers (they'll help!), grab a pillow to prevent a laughter hernia, and watch this disaster unfold.
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
I positively adore this movie
Sometimes when you watch a movie you get the feeling that the cast and crew had a fantastic time making it, which makes the movie even better. I got that feeling during Muppet Treasure Island, and as a result it is one of my favorite movies.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kevin Bishop's (Jim Hawkins) performance: since I usually find young/child actors to be very grating, that's saying something. The Muppets were, as usual, all very funny. The jokes and asides were too, too funny (like Gonzo finding Henry Kissinger's book Diplomacy' in Captain Billy Bones' trunk), the songs were fun and catchy, and the pace was brisk and exciting. Tim Curry looked like he was having the time of his life playing Long John Silver amidst a sea of Muppets. I had great fun watching his performance.
Go watch this movie if there's even a spark of kid in you. You won't regret it.