Radio host Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) uses her experience of Up to date York on which to wicked her radio program Lane Walk. She shares stories relating to the municipality she loves to her radio audience until one appalling twilight her fiancé David (Naveen Andrews) is killed and she is terminally injured in a brutal unsystematic attack. When her carcass eventually heals, Erica finds it impossible to step outlying into her worn out life. The streets that were sporadically welcoming now sound threatening and she gets a gun for self protection. The primary constantly she kills someone, it is in self defence, but killing becomes a way of vivacity, and Erica finds herself changing. Meanwhile, NYPD detective Sean Mercer (Terrence Howard) is intent on capturing the vigilante killer as Erica grapples with her conscience and starts to question the choices she is making.

Reviewed by:

Joshua Starnes

Rating:

7
out of
10

Flicks Details:


View here



Cast:

Ethan Hawke as Jake Roenick

Laurence Fishburne as Marion Bishop

Maria Bello as Alex Sabian

John Leguizamo as Beck

Drea de Matteo as Iris Ferry

Gabriel Byrne as Marcus Duvall

Brian Dennehy as Jasper O'Shea

Ja Rule as Smiley

Aisha Hinds as Anna

Critique:

Unpitying and cool kingpin Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne) has finally been caught and is spending a snowy New Year's Eve darkness inferior to the eye of Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) in the all but abandoned Precinct 13. Unfortunately, Marion can implicate corrupt cop Marcus Duvall (Gabriel Byrne) and by insinuation most of the Detroit patrol department, and must consequently be silenced at all costs.

Assault on Precinct 13 takes its time setting up the characters and their post, and the essential third is the weakest. It's filled with standard characters in precursor situations and drags considerably. Roenick is an ex-private officer who's burnt alibi after an task went bad. Alex Sabian (Maria Bello) is his shrink, who acts wear-resistant and all knowing, but doesn't in effect recognize the pressure Roenick's job has release release him through. That sort of aspect. Each character gets a tick to alter them, but that's about as deep as the filmmakers go.

With the demur at of Roenick's introduction the film mostly sputters along until the lights go off in the station. When the poison cops do attack in force Assault on Precinct 13 finally comes to entity and not ever stops again. As it moves along it rises beyond its ritual a by heart beginnings to become engaging and entertaining.

In order to survive the cops inside the station must arm the criminals, and the characters take turns dealing with the threat on the outside and the potential Damoclean sword in prison as the pull builds. This leaves the villains mostly as unmixed slates, but they are not unquestionably missed.

Make no mistake, Lay into on Precinct 13 is an action movie, not a thriller. It delves into character fight and tightens screws, but only until the bullets start flying again. For the most part it plays predictable and reliable moments with no more than tolerably left turns to still be fresh and fascinating. It's often darkly mysterious as spectacularly.

Fishburne and Hawke are the best things about the haziness, particularly Fishburne who is ice-cube unflappable from his first scene to his last. Every two shakes of a lamb’s tail he's on screen is fun. Hawke's intro is excellent, but he spends the next half-hour wallowing in standard burnt-doused cop self-pity until the shooting starts. From there on in he's winning and fun and he and Fishburne have a major rapport. But, it would be interesting if one of these films didn't have a first character who's burnt-out or on-the-edge. That's what makes Fishburne's Bishop so interesting. He knows what he is and he has no qualms involving it. He just does what he has to do.

Rape on Precinct 13 is lampoon, engaging, and a scanty clichéd, but amongst the recent crop of bland PG-13 manner movies for the whole forefathers, it stands soaring as an example of how to do an action silent picture right.

A room-action feature film based on the hit British television series of the 1960s, which followed the uncertain exploits of the Tracy lineage.

FILM FACTS


Starring:

Bill Paxton, Brady Corbet, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Edwards, Sophia Myles

Director:

Jonathan Frakes

Rivulet time:

87 minutes

Notice date:

July 30, 2004

Rating:

PG for impulsive action sequences and language

Genre:

Action, Fantasy, Exploit

See showtimes

  (PG) 87 minutes

Grade:

C+

Verdict:

Thunderbirds are more show than go.

By BOB TOWNSEND

Cox News Service

A big budget, persist-exercise makeover of the '60s cult TV series of the same name, "Thunderbirds" is another movie that feeds the inkling that Hollywood knows how to take the oddest and oldest of cloth and make it look spectacular — even if the end product is as empty as a dummy's take the lead.

The original "Thunderbirds" was created by British television producer Gerry Anderson, known for stylized, action-packed puppet shows ("Supercar," "Fireball XL5, "Stingray") with "supermarionation." That bit of hype simply meant that the marionette stars had mechanisms that controlled their eyes and mouths.

But the often visible wires couldn't make them walk in a realistic manner, so they usually just sat, piloting fantastic vehicles and engaging in jerky, soap opera dialogue. Of course, that's what made Anderson's work beloved as classic kitsch and spawned nostalgic retrospectives such as the new DVD set, "The Best of Thunderbirds" (A&E/NewVideo).

Taking several pages from Anderson's stories, the movie finds billionaire former astronaut Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) leading International Rescue, a secret group headquartered on a remote tropical island in a sexy, high-tech structure that looks like a cross between the Playboy mansion and a NASA control center. Rescue is manned by Tracy's stoically handsome and heroic sons, who are ever ready, willing and able to save anyone, anywhere using the gee-whiz gadgetry of their rockets-gone-wild, known as Thunderbirds.

When the family's archenemy, The Hood (Ben Kingsley), hatches a plot to strand them all on a space station in order to hijack the Thunderbirds for his evil deeds, only the youngest Tracy, Alan (Brady Corbet), and his pals Tin-Tin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) and Fermat (Soren Fulton) are left on the island to save the day.

The kids call on haute pink British secret agent Lady Penelope (Sophia Myles) and her pugilistic butler Parker (Ron Cook) for help. And when Lady P and Parker go after The Hood and his two kooky thugs, nerdy Transom (Rose Keegan) and crazy Mullion (Deobia Oparei), things get going for a while. Brains (Anthony Edwards), the scientist who invents all the Thunderbird stuff, also adds a bit of fun.

But the rest of the cast, most notably Paxton, acts as if they've been told to play their parts like human marionettes.

Directed by Jonathan Frakes (Captain Riker of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), "Thunderbirds" stays faithful to the funny-looking, futuristic hardware of the original — including the five craft shown in the trademark countdown and blast-off scenes that introduce the famous phrase, "Thunderbirds are go." And the color-saturated costumes, sets and locations are absolutely fab. Ultimately, though, all that rocket-powered sizzle is left to fizzle under a tired script and predictable action sequences.

All those movies starring Brad Pitt have been valuable, it turns out. Now that we’ve watched the heartthrob braids-chap in his hits (”Interview With the Vampire”), semi-hits (”Legends of the Fall”) and non-hits (”Johnny Suede”), we’re inimitably prepped to appreciate Tom DiCillo’s deliciously ungodly, behind-the-scenes satire, “Living in Nihility.”

In “Oblivion,” a well-known Hollywood actor called Chad Palomino (played magnificently by James LeGros) has agreed to appear in a low-budget feature in New York. The director of the movie, Nick (Steve Buscemi), is delighted. But he’s not prepared for the problems that come his way, including every Murphy’s Law variety of bad luck, an unpredictable, semi-professional crew, and an arrogant star, who slows up the production with asinine “artistic” suggestions.

DiCillo (who was the cinematographer for Jim Jarmusch’s “Stranger than Paradise”) has stated that, officially, his movie is not about Pitt. So let us just note in passing that, when DiCillo (in real life) directed the Bradmeister in “Johnny Suede,” a low-budget movie not unlike “Living in Oblivion,” he experienced some, uh, personnel problems.

There’s infinitely more to the movie than poetic payback, however. Set over one day, “Oblivion” is a delirious mixture of fantasy and reality, with director Nick and his leading lady, Nicole (Catherine Keener), separately experiencing nightmares about the shoot before the cameras really start rolling.

But whether we’re in somebody’s dream or actuality, disaster is the rule, not the exception. Boom microphones drop accidentally into the camera frame. There are inexplicable beeping sounds on the set. An actress (Rica Martens) forgets her lines. The smoke machine doesn’t work.

When Chad shows up to play ego-tripping havoc with everyone, the under-the-surface secrets and bitternesses among cast and crew percolate. As we find out who is sleeping secretly with/ splitting up with/ has a secret crush on/ privately despises whom, each revelation is better than the last. “Oblivion” (like the films of Quentin Tarantino—who gets a satirical mention himself here) has a surrealistic, guilty-fun quality. It feels almost too good to be true.

Download Gamer Full Movie blu ray

Everyone in the cast is terrific, including Dermot Mulroney as Wolf, the beret-sporting cameraman who thinks he’s a genius but can’t seem to stop screwing up shots, and Wanda (Danielle Von Zerneck), a tough-talking assistant director who gets weak in the knees whenever Chad gets close.

Best of all is Buscemi, a wonderfully offbeat, edgy performer who has appeared in such independent films as “Mystery Train” and “Reservoir Dogs.” He carries the emotional weight of the movie as his dream project faces impending doom, his red-rimmed, frog-like eyes threatening to burst with exasperation. LeGros is a narcissistic prima donna beyond compare. Trying to demonstrate that he’s not above appearing in little, artistic projects like “Oblivion,” he talks about his sellout work, including two upcoming Hollywood projects in which he’ll play a rapist and a serial killer. But, he declares, expansively indicating the “Oblivion” set, “These are the kind of films I want to be doing.” For sure, dude. — Desson Howe

LIVING IN OBLIVION (R) — Contains sexual situations, minor nudity and profanity. In black-and-white and color.

riprende questi eroi e personaggi archetipici, figure seminali della nostra cultura
occidentale, li impasta insieme a quei materiali che sono serviti a tutta la storia del cinema, della letteratura e dei generi e che hanno la struttura di un difetto di
memoria (collettiva), che sanno di quiz-manifest, compiacente gioco a premi fra spettatori intenti a provare il gusto di riconoscere ciò che si sa già, a richiamare mentalmente le
frammentarie nozioni apprese non tanto dai testi originali quanto da un filtraggio attraverso i canali mediatici. Nulla di più stimolante per lo spettatore che essere continuamente
invitato a scegliere tra l'identificazione di personaggi celebri, situazioni e schemi narrativi ("che cos'è?") e lo spettacolo della loro efficacia ("come funziona?").
Non si va oltre. D'altra parte Stephen Norrington non è Tim Burton o Sam Raimi. Probabilmente non è neppure un regista. Si limita ad andare dritto a suon di repentine accelerazioni
e incontrollate decelerazioni, imprimendo una velocità inerziale forsennata e un orientamento vettoriale sbagliato a un materiale e una narrazione che vanno decisamente in un'altra
direzione. Azione cinetica svuotata di senso. Il film è questo inutile catalogo di ogni sorta di distruzione visiva che finisce con l'avvilire il lavoro di un eccellente cast
tecnico, a partire dal direttore della fotografia Dan Laustsen e il supervisore agli effetti visivi Janek Sirrs, senza dimenticare le preziose scenografie di Carol Spier. Si salva
una certa follia ludica, e alcuni indimenticabili momenti di sconcerto spettatoriale, in cui le leggi della fisica vanno a farsi benedire e lo spazio/tempo subisce imprevedibili
deformazioni - con l'imponente Nautilus che scivola silenzioso negli stretti canali di una Venezia magica nella sua falsità (ma giusta per questo video come lo days la Venezia in
scatola di

Cappello A Cilindro

) - richiamando in parte la magia primitiva di Méliès o forse ricercando il colpo d'ala fantastico di George Pal. Anche la narrazione fumettistica
di James Robinson risulta svilita dalla pesantezza della quantità di materiale che la regia non riesce a tenere sotto controllo. Tutto ciò provoca una sfasatura che pesa sul visibile
e che manda in corto circuito due linguaggi, cinema e fumetto, che fino a ieri (pensiamo a

Batman

© 2003

reworking, Maurizio Giometti

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs full movie download best quality

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

You might remember Blake Edwards as the man behind such films as The Pink Panther, 10, and Victor/Victoria. A couple of years before Edwards found his comedy niche in The Pink Panther, he came up with the reasonably effective and creepy black-and-white noir thriller Experiment in Terror.

Lee Remick stars as bank teller Kelly Sherwood, a lovely young San Francisco woman who has inexplicably found herself the target of an asthmatic psycho (Ross Martin). He demands that she steal $100,000 from her bank—or her life and the life of her pretty little sister Toby (Stefanie Powers) are in danger. He warns her not to go to the authorities, but of course she does just that, ringing FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford) moments after her encounter. After her assailant gives her one more brutal warning, Experiment in Terror becomes a suitably suspenseful cat-and-mouse game between a careful FBI office, a clever madman, and a couple of California hotties in peril.

I was impressed by this film’s duality. On one hand, it’s a somewhat sleazy and exploitative mystery about nubile young women as prey. Remick and Powers are both gorgeous, and they both seem to have fun with their roles as damsels in distress. But on the other hand, these women aren’t helpless screamers in the face of slimy, violent men. The women characters are gutsy and smart, particularly in Kelly’s case. An early phone conversation between Kelly and Ripley sets the stage for an uncommon degree of woman’s empowerment (in a film such as this). And Toby’s fleet-footed determination to help her sister in a moment of need provides for fantastic energy.

The film isn’t perfect. At over 2 hours, it could have used some tightening up. Some scenes seem extraneous, and others seem to wear out their welcome. But I was pleasantly surprised by how compelling Experiment in Terror is. Blake’s direction—except for the aforementioned bloat—is assured and stylized. Philip Lathrop’s high-contrast black-and-white photography gorgeously conveys the appropriate noir mood. And Henry Mancini’s jazzy score is a fine accompaniment to the imagery.

Performances are top-notch throughout. I was truly impressed by Remick, who effortlessly communicates great internal struggle through facial expressions. Ford is characteristically stone-faced and calm as Ripley. Watching Powers (Hart to Hart) as a teenager was a lot of fun, and she portrays just the right combination of carefree youthfulness and uncomprehending fear. Finally, Martin (Wild Wild West) is a terrific dark presence, oozing sordidness and menace.

HOW’S IT LOOK?

Columbia/TriStar presents Experiment in Terror in a starkly beautiful anamorphic-widescreen transfer of the film’s original 1.85:1 theatrical presentation. The black-and-white photography fares very well, with terrific detail and sharpness. Black levels are deep. The high-contrast look could have posed a problem in the transfer process, I’m sure, but the result avoids harshness and instead feels like an accurate representation of the cinematographer’s intentions. The print is a bit dirty and grainy, and flickers from time to time, but that’s to be expected of a 40-year-old film. These small imperfections were almost welcome. I noticed no edge halos.

HOW’S IT SOUND?

The disc’s mono soundtrack is perfectly respectable. Dialog is clear and accurate, and I noticed no distortion. Mancini’s score has a remarkable presence. The quality of this track was quite pleasing.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE?

Unfortunately, the disc offers only three trailers—for Experiment in Terror, The Big Heat (also starring Glenn Ford), and The Lady from Shanghai.

WHAT’S LEFT TO SAY?

Experiment in Terror is a cool, forgotten piece of noir cinema that’s worth a viewing. The image and sound are above average, but the supplements leave something to be desired. Still, this is well worth your time.

Even without roller skates, Heather Graham makes a great porn headliner.

"The Guru" by Boo Allen

Rated R, 91 minutes

It may be hard to recognize at first, but "The Guru" may well be a ground breaking film. Sure, on its at first glance it looks like a combination fish-out-of-water–Coming to America romance. And it is, but it may also signal an exciting cultural shift.

"The Guru" is a surprisingly mystifying, fluctuating tale of an unfitting American success facts. Saying that it traffics only in offensive stereotypes would be unfair since it pokes fun at in essence every ethnic group in the film. At any point, the trivial flick could become completely satirical and use up its audience along with any risk at believability.

But the film never loses its state, and that?s what makes it so secure to becoming a true initiate. The film, directed by Daisy Von Scherler Mayer, owes more than a ardency in the red to the heightened fact originate in India?s movie musicals. Heavily influenced by American films of the 1950s, these "Bollywood" productions time off their realistic portrayals and go into fantastical commotion and dance numbers.

"The Guru" not in any way presents anything as shockingly elaborate as the colorful Indian sequences, but the zealousness is there. Director Mayer includes two such stylized, semi-melodic sequences, one ahead of time and one at the end, that plainly signify her intentions. The brief inclusions mark some of the first known incorporations of the eastern style into a mainstream western production.

Various U.S. movie-goers would react to Bollywood films the same way the adolescent Ramu does in the first scene of "The Guru": he walks minus and sneaks into the next auditorium to vigil "Grease," albeit in subtitles.

Flash ahead a few years and young adult Ramu (Jimi Mistry) now teaches the Macarena to a gathering of doting middle-venerable Bombay women. It?s his last day before he follows his dreams to America. Before in New York City, he finds the success stories of his cousin Rusty (Dash Mihok) are all lies.

Ramu wants to be the next oustandingly thing but ends up as perfectly another Hebe, unflinchingly similar to the hilarious unit of misfits with whom he shares an apartment. Struggling to succeed, he auditions for what he thinks is a big movie direction.

In actuality, it?s a porno membrane, and Ramu auditions with his own decipherment of Tom Yacht?s "Old Mores Rock and Roll" system from "Risky Business." The hilarious concatenation ranks with the baked goods vista of "American Pie."

Post-haste in porno costume and ready to "perform," Ramu faces, ahem, other difficulties. He takes advice from his co-star Sharrona (Heather Graham), who freely dispenses her own self-styled imperturbability: "Your most progenitive monthly is your percipience."

As their working relationship progresses, she continues to enlighten him. You can easily tell where all this is headed, consideration her having a virgin fiancee who doesn?t conscious how she spends her cadaverous time.

But Mr Big Mayer in no way presses the porno angle despite Michael McKean?s strong comedic turn as the director. A substitute alternatively, Ramu quickly becomes the attractive of the city when he steps in at a dinner junta for an inebriated swami. He mouths a insufficient things Sharrona has told him, and the discharge platitudes figure out on.

More than anywhere in the membrane, this sarcasm of Further York faddishness veers the most towards stark silliness. As Ramu becomes more and more famous, making more and more New Yorkers scantiness him, the film conclusively tilts overboard.

But the exhibit is softly made that however big a phony he turns escape to be, Ramu is only giving the people, in particular light-headed socialite Lexi (a surprisingly effective Marisa Tomei), what they need: "The guru you epigram in me is the guru you saw in yourself."

Whatever.
Tracey Jackson?s creative script provides numerous lovable and embraceable characters to surrender her highbrows, clever dialogue. And although he?s listed third in the credits, Mistry, everyone of the few Indian actors to work daily in Western films ("East is East," "Mystic Masseur"), carries the screen with his unfailing deer-in-the-headlights expression.
"The Guru" is one of those films in which you think something terrible is always about to come about and destroy the screen?s inherent be conscious of-good ambiance. But the only roadblocks work themselves out with a minimum of strain before its predictably happy ending. Upstanding like in Bollywood.

The new Durweed relaxes into his role (and fades off the screen), while the times they are a’changin’ on Morning Glory Circle, in Bewitched - The Complete Seventh Season, Sony’s four-disc, 28-episode release of the beloved witchy romance sitcom’s 1970-1971 season. Political potshots pop up with increased regularity, while quite of a few of the episodes show a surprisingly resilient humor. Yes, the show’s format was played out by this point, and we (as in the royal “we”) still miss the hilarious Dick York, but there’s no denying it: funny is funny - even with a second-hand Durwood and increasingly familiar situations.

Since I’ve reviewed previous seasons of Bewitched (please click here to read my rent on the series’ aesthetics in Flavour Four, here for my take on Dick York’s final turn in Season Five, and here repayment for my interpret of Dick Sargent’s first season as Durweed), I won’t go into too much unseen on the show’s aesthetics, but I would assume that most people are at least somewhat commonplace with the show’s basic set-up. Dishy witch Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery) is married to mortal advertising foreman Darrin Stephens (Dick Sargent). Despite Darrin’s constant pleas to live a witchcraft-free sparkle, Sam’s brandish of relatives - particularly her vindictive female parent, Endora (Agnes Moorehead), who despises “Durweed” - provide endless opportunities for Darrin to be the victim of errant spells and pranks. While Sam is generally sympathetic to Darrin’s requests that her magical powers deter hidden, commonly times it’s a simple twitch of Sam’s adorable nose that keeps Darrin from spending his in one piece life as a gorilla, or a duck, or a pig, or anything else that comes to Endora’s deliciously cruel mind.

Certainly for Bewitched fans, the “Darrin switch” is the most talked about - and controversial - aspect of the series. If I had to guess, I would assume that most viewers preferred York’s original interpretation of the character (think Jim Carrey filtered through The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit), and regretted his departure after chronic back pain and drug addiction ended his five-year run on the show. Dick Sargent, who was originally considered (and some say all-but-hired) for the show, leaves many viewers cold (myself included) with his rather aloof, sometimes pinched and mean performance (most notable in his first go-around at the character in season six). Watching Sargent in this seventh season, I can’t say that I found his portrayal any more rewarding (Sargent just absolutely refuses to do anything to endear himself to the audience - which is critical in this kind of sitcom), but…he does seem a tad more comfortable in the role, dampening down the rather harsh, mean, almost snarling tone he brought to his first season of Bewitched. Here, he seems more laid-back, more casual in his approach, which, although it does nothing, really, for the needed tension that should be there for his constant battle with Endora, does move the character “out of the way,” if you will, so the stories and Montgomery can dominate.

Anyone who has watched the first five season of Bewitched with Dick York as Darrin understands that York was front and center as far as getting the audience’s attention (could that have been a secret factor in Montgomery not really wanting York on the show?). Montgomery held her own, obviously, with York (she’s endlessly fascinating to watch: a seriously talented actress working in a rather limited role, which provided a rich subtext unusual for a sitcom from this era), but here, with Sargent, she carries the show by herself - along, of course, with the special effects and the funny supporting cast. Sargent just isn’t “there” in any kind of weighty sense; he doesn’t provide a unique comedic sensibility to the show (he can throw out a jaded one-liner from time to time, but it’s nothing special), nor does he provide the romantic sensibility that was apparent with York’s portrayal. So everything, then, is up to Montgomery. Unfortunately, it appears by this point that Montgomery, tired either with the show itself or struggling under the increasing pressure of working with her soon-to-be-ex-husband William Asher (who co-created the show and produced it), has grown somewhat distant in the role, as well. It’s never that Montgomery isn’t a total pro, but anyone watching her performances from the series’ earlier seasons in comparison with this seventh, will see a noticeable change in demeanor and in energy. She’s just not having as much fun in the part, and that’s a shame when she finally has a co-star that is “background” enough for her to really shine.

Still, given the time frame involved (seven seasons is a long time for a sitcom, let alone one wedded to a fantasy format which can wear out quickly), Asher and Montgomery certainly aren’t throwing in the towel, as it were, for this seventh season. Beginning the season with an ambitious eight-part story arc involving Samantha and Darrin visiting Salem, Massachusetts, these fun episodes “open up” the series considerably (as much as I love the “Morning Glory Circle” backlot, it’s good to have the characters out and about), even though there are still quite a few backlot, studio mock-ups, and rear-projection inserts. As well, the filming at Salem gives these episodes a suitably atmospheric kick (amplified by the Hollywood set designs that suggest traditional East coast interiors) and a unified visual approach that underpin the spiritual connections between Sam’s witch heritage and the real-life Salem. Could they have exploited the location work more effectively? Sure. But what’s here is a nice change of pace for the usually studio-bound Bewitched.

As for the evolving relationship between Darrin and Sam, it’s difficult to get a bead on what Montgomery, Asher, and the writers are going for here, when the Darrin character switches back and forth between supporting Sam’s powers and suppressing them. In Salem, Here We Come, Darrin makes the startling admission that he’d get on his knees and apologize to the Witches’ Council if that would mean Sam could get her powers back, because those powers are what make Sam, Sam. And in Samantha’s Magic Potion, Darrin finally gives in to his resistance to witchcraft, willingly taking Sam’s (fake) spell that turns him into a 1970 version of Mad Men’s Don Draper. But later in the season, in Samantha’s Psychic Pslip, Darrin is rewarding Sam with a gift for her not using her powers (which causes Sam enough guilt to affect her magic). Clearly, continuity in Bewitched as to Sam and Darrin’s contention over her magic use, is up for grabs depending on the plot of a specific episode (a hazy feeling made more pronounced by Sargent’s blasé portrayal of Darrin - who knows, really, what the hell this Darrin thinks about Sam’s witchcraft?).

One thing the Ashers don’t have trouble making clear this season is their political ideology. Making subtle and not-so subtle references to the turbulent real world outside fictional environs like Morning Glory Circle wasn’t a common occurrence in the pre-All in the Family days of network sitcoms. But obviously, Montgomery and Asher didn’t mind the writers working in bits about hippies and establishment squares whenever they could. Quite often in this seventh season, references are made to “mortal prejudices” and intolerance, which can be safely translated in Bewitched’s code to mean conservatives (or at least a 1970 Hollywood screenwriter’s idea of a “conservative”) or “unenlightened” viewers who haven’t gotten hip to the cultural revolution. The witches in Bewitched (as well as the increasingly visible hippies in the backgrounds) are obviously “liberal” in their disdain for anything resembling “traditional” (i.e.: “backward”) behavior and their embracement of anything that smacks of anti-authoritarianism, so squares who toe the establishment party line (or who commit truly serious infractions like racism) are subject to ridicule and a stern lesson. In Salem, Here We Come, a mortal asks Hephzibah, the supreme witch on the Witches’ Council, if her beautiful name is Biblical, to which she sneers, “Hardly.” In Samantha’s Magic Potion, Endora snarls about “typical mortal behavior, looking for a scapegoat for their own failures.” When Paul Revere is accidentally transported back to 20th century America, a hippie hanging out in park says, “Right on!” to Revere’s call for arms. When Sam takes an aged Darrin to the drive-in in Samantha’s Old Man, a young couple next to them flashes Sam a peace sign while we read their side bumper sticker: “America - Change It or Lose It.” And most obviously (and most crudely), in Samantha’s Psychic Pslip, when Dr. Bombay (Bernard Fox) is asked what his “Witchfinder” machine does, Darrin offers, “It points out suspected liberals.” Uh…yeah. Of course, Bewitched is never truly progressive enough to comment too strongly on its own inherent hypocrisy when it comes to how the smugly superior witches treat their plaything mortals: as obvious inferiors.

Certainly the most overt “message” episode this season is the Christmas-themed, Sisters at Heart, where Tabitha (Erin Murphy), doubtful that she can truly be sisters with her black playmate (because another child at the playground told her different races can’t truly be related), changes their skin colors before adopting a polka-dot color scheme for both of them. A misunderstanding with one of Darrin’s potential clients - a bigot who thinks Darrin’s child is black - causes Sam to take matters into her own hands, putting a spell on the client who now sees himself and everyone else as black (of course, at the end, he realizes his prejudices and reforms). It’s an obvious but effective (within the sitcom format) episode concerning race, based on a story written by the 5th Period English class of Thomas Jefferson High School (they did not actually write the script, just the story), and well-played by the cast (what’s highly ironic about Sisters at Heart today is that it would most likely be dubbed politically incorrect and “insensitive” by some because the cast wear blackface at one point). It’s the most overt example of Montgomery and Asher trying to inject some “reality” into Bewitched, while still making light of the roiling cultural revolution happening outside the confines of the television box (in The Return of Darrin, the Bold, Serena inquires, “What’s he smoking?” as she incredulously ponders “The Old Man of the Mountain” as he drags on a hookah).

Messages alone, however, don’t make a funny season, so fortunately, quite a few of the shows this go-around are surprisingly funny. Anytime the wicked Serena (played by Montgomery, as well) is around, things perk up (I love how the producers make it painfully obvious that Serena is sexually insatiable, as she is with the Fisherman’s Memorial statue in Darrin on a Pedestal - something that flew over our heads as kids watching the show). Larry’s (David White) wind-twisting, craven cave-ins depending on a client’s approval of Darrin’s designs are always funny (he has a good one in Samantha’s Pet Warlock). Special-effects get a work-out this season, with The Mother-in-Law of the Year TV commercial featuring Sam and Endora popping back and forth generating big laughs. Darrin Goes Ape must hold some kind of record for the patented Bewitched “pop-in” (when I was a kid, and I heard that distinctive Bewitched transition music cue, I always thought it was screaming apes - bizarre), while This Little Piggie has one of the most surreal moments in a series filled with surreal moments: Darrin, sporting a pig’s head, squealing along with Samantha on a spare ribs jingle (a moment worthy of that masterpiece of sitcom surrealism, Green Acres). And in his final (no way!) appearance as Uncle Arthur, Paul Lynde delivers yet again with this funny episode where he infuses all his pranking into the Stephens’ home. While the special effects are good (I love the dancing skeleton in the broom closet), Lynde steals the show with his deliciously camp line readings. When Lynde almost collapses with melodramatic flair when intoning, “The masquerade goes on…” it’s hard to imagine anything funnier than that (and equally hard to imagine the upcoming final eighth season of Bewitched, without the inimitable Uncle Arthur).

Here are the 28, one-half hour episodes of the four-disc boxed set Bewitched: The Complete Seventh Season, as described on their slimcases:

DISC ONE

To Go Or Not to Go, That is the Question
Samantha is summoned to appear at the Witches’ Convention in Salem, Massachusetts, but she refuses to attend unless Darrin can accompany her.

Salem, Here We Come
The High Priestess Hephzibah moves in with the Stephens family to observe mortal life and to determine once and for all whether or not Samantha and Darrin’s marriage should be dissolved.

Salem Saga
On a tour of the House of Seven Gables, Samantha gets chased around by an enchanted bedwarmer that takes an immediate dislike to Darrin.

Samantha’s Hot Bedwarmer
While Darrin sits in jail, accused of stealing the bedwarmer, Samantha tries to find the spell that will change the antique back into the warlock it originally was.

Darrin on a Pedestal
While seeing the sights of Gloucester, Serena zaps the famed Fisherman’s Memorial statue to life and replaces it with Darrin.

Paul Revere Rides Again
Esmeralda accidentally zaps Paul Revere into the 20th century when she tries to send a colonial tea pot back to Samantha.

Samantha’s Bad Day In Salem
Is Samantha having an affair? It looks that way to Larry Tate who thinks he saw her behind the House of Seven Gables with an old beau.

DISC TWO

Samantha’s Old Salem Trip
Endora sends Darrin back to 17th-century Salem to rescue Samantha, who was sent there by Esmeralda by mistake. But before returning home, Samantha tries to convince the townspeople that those who were convicted in the Salem trials were actually mortals and not witches.

Samantha’s Pet Warlock
Darrin brings home a strange-looking dog in hopes of landing a pet food account. It turns out that the pooch is an old warlock friend of Samantha who is trying to win her heart.

Samantha’s Old Man
Endora changes Darrin into a 72-year-old man in an attempt to show Samantha what she will be in for in the next 30 years.

The Corsican Cousins
Wishing that her daughter were more carefree like Serena, Endora casts a spell that has the two cousins sharing Serena’s personality. This is bad timing for Samantha, as she is about to be interviewed for membership into a stuffy country club owned by a prospective client of McMann & Tate.

Samantha’s Magic Potion
Samantha concocts a scheme to convince Darrin that the recent run of bad luck he has at the office was not caused by witchcraft.

Sisters at Heart
It looks like a white Christmas…and a black one when Tabitha and her friend Lisa, wishing that they could be blood sisters, teach a bigoted client a lesson in racism.

The Mother-in-Law of the Year
Endora is delighted at being selected to appear on a TV commercial for Darrin’s client, but when she backs out at the last minute, Samantha must substitute as her mother in order to save the account.

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DISC THREE

Mary, The Good Fairy
After a visit to the Stephenses’ house, the Good Fairy decides that she is tired of her job and wants to surrender her wings.

The Good Fairy Strikes Again.
With the Good Fairy in retirement, Samantha has reluctantly become her permanent replacement, much to the objection of Darrin.

The Return of Darrin, the Bold
Endora and Serena scheme to turn Darrin into a warlock by putting a spell on one of his ancestors who lived in the 14th century.

The House That Uncle Arthur Built
Uncle Arthur is engaged to be married, but only if he can leave behind the practical joking ways that drive his fiancée crazy.

Samantha and the Troll
While subbing for Samantha (who’s off having a one-day medical exam), Serena charms Darrin’s attractive client, much to the objection of his very jealous wife.

This Little Piggie
When Endora gives Darrin a pig’s head to prove how stubborn he can be, she does not realize she is helping him land a spare ribs account.

Mixed Doubles
A strange molecular disturbance causes Samantha and Louise Tate to exchange lives in the eyes of the entire mortal world - including Darrin and Larry!

DISC FOUR

Darrin Goes Ape
Serena changes Darrin into a gorilla after he insults her by refusing to accept the gift she gave him as a peace offering.

Money Happy Returns
When Darrin finds a large sum of money in the back seat of a taxicab, he immediately thinks that it was left there for him by his meddling mother-in-law.

Out of the Mouths of Babes
After being turned into a child by Endora, Darrin uses his youthful disguise to convince a client that his awful-tasting Irish stew would be best served to dogs.

Samantha’s Psychic Pslip
Samantha’s witchcraft goes out of control every time she hiccups. These occurrences begin after she accepts a gift from Darrin she believes she does not deserve.

Samantha’s Magic Mirror
Esmeralda’s ego is badly in need of a boost, so Samantha gives her a complete makeover just in time for a reunion with an old suitor.

Laugh, Clown, Laugh
Nobody is laughing after Endora’s spell provides Darrin with an offensive sense of humor.

Samantha and the Antique Doll
Darrin’s mother is convinced that she has magical powers after she witnesses a doll she gave to Tabitha floating across the room.

The DVD:

The Video:
The full-screen, 1.33:1 video transfers for Bewitched: The Complete Seventh Season again vary in quality, depending on the original elements. Some episodes have a definite pink cast (The Corsican Cousins is really red), while others can be soft and fuzzy, with a grain problems (the funny first part of Mary, The Good Fairy is particularly rough), indicating some very old elements were used for those transfers. Most, though, look fairly good, with strong color, minimal screen anomalies, and a generally sharp picture.

The Audio:
The Dolby Digital English mono soundtrack accurately represents the original broadcast presentation; all dialogue is crisply rendered. Spanish and Portuguese mono tracks are available, as are subtitles in these languages. English close-captioning is available.

The Extras:
About the only extra you could really count here are the original bumpers for Sisters at Heart, where Montgomery intros the episode with the sponsor’s logo, Oscar Mayer, in the background. It’s cool to see this finally (they were cut off in syndication), but I’m still waiting for some substantive extras for this cult series.

Final Thoughts:
Just when Elizabeth Montgomery has the whole stage to herself, she backs off and turns in a sometimes glum performance as Samantha. The new Durweed fades into the background, with none of us too sure as to what he really thinks about all of this hocus-pocus stuff, while Montgomery and Asher ratchet up the political throw-aways. Surprisingly, though, the episodes also ramp up the comedy this go-around, producing some solid laugh-getters. And let’s not forget to say goodbye to one of the funniest sitcom guest shots to ever waive a wand: Paul Lynde’s Uncle Arthur. I’m recommending Bewitched: The Complete Seventh Season for all fans (it’s an improvement over Season Six), while casual viewers should rent first.

Paul Mavis is an internationally published film and video receiver historian, a associate of the Online Film Critics Society, and the author of The Espionage Filmography.

The actors weren’t paid, the budget was low, but the originality in “Mala Noche” was, and remains, priceless. Director Gus Van Sant’s first feature, which was shot in 1985 in compensation $25,000, is a richly beguiling experience.

Poetic, moody and impressionistic, this black-and-white film — the title is Spanish for “bad night” — is something to savor for the squalid world it introduces, and the way it presents its story, rather than for the specifics of that story. Like Van Sant’s more famous follow-up, “Drugstore Cowboy,” the film is set in the seamy backstreets of Portland, Ore. In this hopeless place, loneliness and poverty exist on every level and, unlike “Pretty Woman,” the misery isn’t going to be swept away in time for the ending. The characters seem to know this and live for the moment, taking spiritual relief in whatever form they can.

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For Johnny (Doug Cooeyate), a handsome, 18-year-old Mexican who ducks immigration officials and hangs around a seedy grocery store, that relief comes in playing video games. For Walt (Tim Streeter), the lonely store owner, and the movie’s central character, the relief is obtained in lustful encounters with male customers. When Walt sets eyes on Johnny, he’s passionately attracted. But over the course of the movie, that passion becomes something tenacious (and unrequitedly) romantic. Johnny becomes, in Walt’s view, a tantalizing specter.

Johnny accepts Walt’s food and shelter but resists his advances. To Johnny and his macho friend Pepper (Ray Monge), Walt is merely an annoyance, someone to milk for one thing and avoid for another. Johnny almost succumbs to Walt’s outright cash offer of $15 but holds out for $25. Later, when the teenager vanishes, Walt has to content himself with Pepper, who’s not so picky about sleeping with him.

There is nothing lurid about this film, however, homosexual or otherwise. Walt (whose voice is frequently heard as narration) is straightforward about his desires and his quid pro quo approach to both Johnny and Pepper. Within the boundaries of this film (and in the deft hands of writer/director Van Sant) Walt’s love for Johnny becomes touching, selfless.

Original, “offbeat” films such as “Mala Noche” — the kind that reflect authentic lifestyles without glorification or stereotyping — come few and far between. It’s always a pleasure to see them.