DVD Review:JAG 10TH SEASON(2004-2005) *** out of ****

JAG-10TH SEASON(2004-2005) *** out of **** Created,Written and Produced by Don Bellisario. Starring David James Elliot, Catherine Bell, Patrick Labyorteaux, Karri Turner, Scott Laurence, John M.Jackson, Zoe McLellan and David Andrews.Unrated, Released by CBS/Paramount TV Home Video
     Here is a real irony, regarding my tastes in TV shows. Normally I don't watch military or war TV series, although as a child I watched vintage 60's shows like COMBAT,12 O'CLOCK HIGH and GARRISON'S GUERILLAS because they were the kind of shows my father liked to watch on TV since he was a Korean War veteran. But as I grew up, I avoided other TV military shows like BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP, TOUR OF DUTY, CHINA BEACH and even MASH like the plague. But as I said before, I never expected to be real fan of a show like JAG, but besides being well written, acted and directed by producer Donald Bellisario who also created and produced such TV hit shows such as MAGNUM P.I. and QUANTUM LEAP,I found myself attracted to this show because in real life when I graduated from Law School in 1979 and passed the Law Exam Bar, I applied to the Judge Advocate Corps (JAG) to become a military lawyer but I was turned down because of my medical condition(high blood pressure) and I also liked how that JAG TV series was at the beginning, a nice combination of TOP GUN, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER & A FEW GOOD MEN. I watched this series for it's whole entire run and thanks to JAG,it introduced me to what is currently my favorite TV show, it's spinoff NCIS.
                 For those of you unfamiliar with this TV series, JAG is about the adventures and military exploits of Lt. Commander (and later Captain) Harmon (Harm) Rabb Jr., a young hot shot Navy military attorney assigned to the main offices of JAG in Washington, DC,who is also a top notch Navy fighter pilot just like his famous father,cracker jack Navy pilot who went MIA in the Vietnam War.Other characters in the series are Major(and later Coronel) Sarah (Mac) Mackenzie,a Marine JAG attorney who is Rabb's equal in military court as well as his best friend and later romantic interest; Lt Commander Bud Roberts, originally Rabb's paralegal and later a very good JAG attorney himself; Ensign Harriet Sims, JAG's Public Affairs Officer and Bud's wife; Commander Sturgis Turner, JAG attorney and Harm's best friend; Petty Officer Jennifer Coates who is also the Yeoman to the JAG and Rear Admiral A.J.Chegwidden, the Judge Advocate General of the main JAG office who later retired in the show's last season and was replaced by Marine Major General Gordon Criswell in the post .
           JAG was originally at NBC in it's first season in 1995 with decent ratings but was cancelled at the end of the season to be  immediatelly picked up by CBS in early 1997 where the show did much better and lasted nine more seasons.The main reason the JAG TV show prospered better on CBS than on NBC was mere coincidence and very good timing since the episodes in the show that dealt with international terrorism (Al Queda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Taliban) and the Iraqui/Afganistan Wars after the September 9/11 terrorist attacks were very popular with American TV viewers.The JAG TV series was also very well balanced in it's portrayal as well as it's treatment of the US Military (Army,Navy,Marines & Air Force) on the show and therefore gained complete cooperation by the US Armed Forces in the production of this TV show which was the first time this ever happened for an American TV show.
          This DVD release of JAG's tenth and final season covers the last 22 episodes of the show,which for the most part are well written, acted and directed just like in the show's previous seasons but by the 10th season, the show was definitely running on fumes especially regarding the on and off romantic relationship between Harm & Mac which in the show's final episode is definitely resolved. Also the show's lead actors, David James Elliot and Catherine Bell had decided to leave the show after it's 10th season even if it would be possibly renewed for another season.Bellisario had introduced  in the 10th season, three new characters in the show: Lt.Gregory "Greg "Vickovic,a very young hotshot JAG attorney( a younger more reckless version of Harm); Lt.Catherine Graves,a very eager Navy paralegal & partner to Lt.Vickovic and JAG's new commanding officer, Major General Gordon Criswell to replace the character of  Harm, Mac and Admiral A.J.Chegwidden if the show would have been picked up by CBS for an 11th season which in the end didn't happen.
              Besides the show's final 22 episodes which are contained on five discs on this DVD Box Set, there are almost no special features or extras on this DVD set, except for a Show's Farewell by all the show's actors and producers which was shot during the show's last episode, "Fair Winds And Following Seas" that is rather short,taking into consideration the long ten year run of this popular TV  series and it's history and there is also no Gag Reel, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes with the Cast & Crew and Audio Commentaries with the Show's cast which previously appeared in the other DVD Box Sets of JAG.But still with the lack of DVD extras, this tenth season DVD box set of JAG is recommendable to all fans of the JAG TV series and fans of great action adventure TV series.

The Twelve Most Annoying Non Celebrities Ever

One of the things I really can't stand as a TV and movie viewer are those non celebrities that have become famous or infamous in this past decade of being in the public spotlight or "harrassed"by the papparazzi for practically doing nothing really worthwhile or having any talent whatsoever that would merit their so-called popularity. These 12 so-called celebrities in their own mind give Andy Warhol's famous quote of "everyone having their own 15 minutes of fame" a real bad taste. I also want to note that I am not the least bit envious of the celebrity these people have but it's just my reaction that in order to be a celebrity in the public's eye,it has to be because of that person's natural gifts or talent(singing,acting,writing,sports or public service career) rather than an unnatural  narcisistic selfcentered pursuit of fame and fortune just for the sake of merely being famous.

1 & 2-HEIDI MONTAG & SPENCER PRATTS -This duo from Hell that originally obtained their 15 minutes of fame from appearing in MTV's "reality" series THE HILLS, have really overstayed their welcome in the public eye.It is really pathetic to see these two young people force themselves on a public that doesn't really want them and that are tired of their antics to continue being famous even though they have no talents whatsoever. It's so sad to see a young natural beauty like Heidi Montag go thru more than 15 unwarranted plastic surgeries in one day to change her physical appearance in her early 20's that wasn't bad looking in the first place! I'm so glad that the TODAY SHOW co-host Al Roker really treated this couple that way they should be treated when he interviewed them last year.Al least someone really sees these attention getters and publicity seekers for what they are.
3 & 4-MICHAEL "THE SITUATION" SORRENTINO & NICOLE "SNOOKI" POLLIZZI from MTV's JERSEY SHORE- These two sorry examples of today's young Italian Americans from Jersey Shore really give Heidi Montage & Spencer Pratt a run for the money in being narcisistic attention getters and publicity seekers. Ms .Pollizi's more famous for the sucker punch or bitch slap she received from a patron of a Jersey neighborhood bar in the third episode of the series and Mr.Sorrentino's main fame  is for his "six pack"abs that he constantly  shows on the program even time he gets an opportunity in doing so. Those are real pathetic reasons to achieve fame on TV.
5.THE KARDASHIAN SISTERS-This infamous trio of no talent sisters(Kim, Kourtney and Khloe) who are guided by their fame hungry mother Kris Jenner,are only famous because they are part of the same jetset party hardy group that Paris& Nicole Hilton, Tila Tequila and Nicole Ritchie are part of and because of their non eventful "rea;ity"show on the E! Channel as well as Kim's XXX porn video.
6.THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR-These former girlfriends(Holly Madison, Bridget Marquand, Kendra Wilkenson, Crystal Harris & Kristina and Karissa Shannon) of PLAYBOY Magazine founder and publisher Hugh M. Hefner were just only celebrities because they were dating ,living with and having sex with Hefner during the time they were living in the Playboy Mansion.Neither of them have any discernable natural talents whatsoever before,during and after they were living with Hefner. Their girlfriend status with Hefner and their appearance on the E! Channel "reality" show depicting their lives in the Playboy Mansion are the only reason these ladies were famous or well known.
7.PARIS HILTON- The original scourage of self centered instant celebrity during the first decade of the 21st Century.Ms.Hilton is most remembered for her DUI arrests and her stints in jail as well as her XXX porn tape than her horrendous appearances in films & TV as well as her failed stints as an author and pop singing star. At least her younger sister,Nikki had the good sense to leave the limelight & celebrity spotlight at the right time and found her real true  calling as a fashion designer.
8.CARMEN ELECTRA- The one time girlfriend/discovery of Prince and former wife to weird NBA basketball star  Denis Rodman and punk rock star Dave Navarro,has so far subsisted because of her sexy ooks and her scandalous marriages as well as her stints in jail than for her non existant musical and acting career,
9.TILA TEQUILA- The first so-called celebrity that came straight from the Internet or more specifically, MySpace since her My Space website was the most downloaded site in the past decade. She is also known more for her scandalous public bisexual lifestyle than for her so-called musical talents and her MTV "reality"show. Her obssession to be constantly in the public limelight has brought her to such scandalous relationships with former linebacker Shawne Merriman who she accused of choking her and her "marriage" to ill fated Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson who died on Jan 4,2010 of diabetes as well as now going thru a "surrogate pregnancy" for her brother while publicizing it on her MySpace blog.
10.PAMELA ANDERSON-The one time PLAYBOY centerfold sex symbol and BAYWATCH TV star is more known for her scandalous marriages/divorces with Kid Rock,Tommy Lee and Rick Solomon and her sex tape with former hubby Lee, than for her so called TV and movie career as well as for her insane campaigning efforts for PETA.
11.PEREZ HILTON(Mario Armando Lavandiera Jr.)-Known merely for his backstabbing nasty gossipy blogs on celebrities that he himself doesn't really know or even like, also for outing celebrities for being gay even if they weren't and for ass kissing those celebrities that he does like and doesn't gossip on. I can't really respect anyone whose name is taken from one of the worst so-called "celebrities of the past decade(see number 7 on my list) and I really applauded when in June 2009, Hilton was punched in the face (and deservedly so!) by BLACK EYE PEAS operation manager Polo Medina for bad mouthing and harassing Fergie,Will I Am and other members of the band.
12.HARVEY LEVIN- The infamous celebrity reporter and managing editor of the much hated TMZ.com a paparazzi/celebrity stalking news and gossip site that prides itself in riduculizing all celebrities they report on.Levin who studied law and graduated from law school, but never practiced  his profession  although he briefly taught law.His only fame before TMZ, was being  a legal analyst for THE PEOPLE'S COURT and CELEBRITY JUSTICE and he was brought to task in 1995 when Levin was reporting about the O.J.Simpson murder trial when he illegally presented on TV, a video showing prosecuting attorney Marcia Clark searching Simpson's home without a search warrant that almost caused the LA Courts to throw out the murder charges against Simpson.

Celebrity Death And Other Movie News

Here are my thoughts about recent celebrity news,especially the deaths of some famous movie and TV celebrities as well as other more recent movie and TV news.
          The verdict is finally in regarding the recent mysterious deaths of young film actress Brittany Murphy (CLUELESS, SIN CITY)  and young socialite Casey Johnson (heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune) that occurred last month. Both of them died in rather mysterious circumstances last month and all the entertainment media and the papparazzi have been speculating on what the real direct cause of their deaths were. But the coroner's official report has finally come in this weekend and the results of that report has been somewhat of a disappointment  to all the media outlets and papparazzi reporters who thought that both actresses died in the similar fashion (drug overdose) that other celebrities like Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and Ann Nicole Smith. According to the final autopsy reports, both actresses's deaths were determined to be of natural causes with no foul play involved.Ms Murphy's death was determined to be  a severe case of  pneumonia caused by Ms. Murphy's anemic condition and abuse of medical prescription drugs.Ms Johnson's cause of death was cardiac arrest cause by a diabetic attack due to Ms.Johnson not following thru with her regular daily dosage of insulin to attend her severe diabetic condition. Of course, neither actress needed to die so young if they would have duly attended to their health needs. In the case of Ms.Murphy, she weakened her health so severely by fasting herself to attain a shapely thin figure that her weakened biological immunity made her subject to a lot of illnesses including pneumonia that a person in good health would have soon reasonably recovered. As for Ms.Johnson, if she would have taken her daily dosis of insulin as she was supposed to instead of parting around with her "girlfriend" Tila Tequila, she might have been still alive today. But unfortunately that's what happens to today's young generation of celebrities who only cares to party hard and then leave a beautiful corpse.

          Another bit of news that happened this weekend is that famed British TV, film and Jazz Composer/ conductor Sir John Dankworth died at the age of 82 in London England of a prolonged natural illness. Dankworth who was married for more than 50 years to Jazz legend/singer Cleo Laine.was reknowned for composing and conducting jazz and pop orchestras for more than fifty years and in 2006, he was given the title of Sir by the Queen for his contributions to popular music, especially Jazz and Pop music. But Dankworth was more famous for his contributions to TV and Film music in the 1960's such as the original theme music for THE AVENGERS (the first three Black and white shot on video TV seasons with Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman) as well as the film scores for MODESTY BLAISE (1966), FATHOM (1967), THE SERVANT(1965), DARLING(1965), SALT & PEPPER(1968), ACCIDENT(1967), KISS KISS BANG BANG(2000)and GANGSTER NO.1 (2005).He discovered his wife, famed Jazz singer Cleo Laine in 1958 when she auditioned to be the singer for Dankworth's band. They later married that same year and became a very popular  Jazz duo in cabarets and clubs all over the world and they also recorded scores of popular Jazz LPs in the 60's & 70's. Ironically on the day of Danksworth's death yesterday, his widow Laine and his orchestra was performing a concert based on Dankworth's music at Convert Garden in London,England and at the end of the concert, Laine finally announced to the audience present at the concert about Dankworth's death,That concert was a fitting tribute to Dankworth's musical genius and longtime successful musical career.
               Finally the biggest news to happen this weekend at the US movie box office, is that AVALON has been finally dethroned from the number one position at the box office after seven consecutive weeks at that top spot by surprisingly and unexpectedly the romantic drama film DEAR JOHN starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seygfried as starcrossed lovers.The romantic film did more than 32 million dollars this weekend at theaters over AVATAR's small 23 million dollars revenue that puts it in second place position,because DEAR JOHN pulled in large significant number of female moviegoers.Many so-called movie experts were counting on the new John Travolta action film,FROM PARIS WITH LOVE to eclipse AVATAR at the number 1 box office spot this weekend, but that film ended up in just third place this weekend with only a measly $8 million box office take. Ironically  Both DEAR JOHN and FROM PARIS WITH LOVE  received  from film critics,but at least DEAR JOHN proved to be "critic proof" for it's respected target female audience. Even though AVATAR reached this weekend the number one spot as the most financially successful film ever in box office history by dethroning TITANIC from it's longtime 12 year reign in the number one spot, AVATAR did not break TITANIC's record of staying more than 12 consecutive weeks in the number one box office slot. But DEAR JOHN's reign in the number one spot will be limited since this weekend the long awaited THE WOLFMAN comes in theaters this weekend and in next weekend, Martin Scorseses's supernatural thriller SHUTTER ISLAND with Leonardo Di Caprio also makes it's debut in theaters the week after and either one of them  or both of them will possibly end up in the number one box office slot in the following weeks to come.

DVD Review:LONGSTREET(BRUCE LEE 1970 Episodes)***out of ****

LONGSTREET(Bruce Lee Episodes)(1970)***out of**** Consists of  4 Bruce Lee episodes,plus Bruce Lee appearances in IRONSIDE and HERE COMES THE BRIDES and Bruce Lee's appearance in MARLOWE(1970) Starring Bruce Lee, James Franciscus, Marilyn Mason, Peter Mark Richmond,Raymond Burr, Bobby Sherman, David Soul, James Garner.3 hours Unrated Released by Bonzai Media Home Video
Bruce Lee appeared in very little television and motion pictures in his brief acting career before his very untimely young death at 32 on July 27,1973, besides appearing as Kato in the brief one season TV series THE GREEN HORNET,(1966-67) and the five Hong Kong martial arts films he starred in the early 1970's(FIST OF FURY aka THE BIG BOSS-1971, THE CHINESE CONNECTION aka FIST OF FURY-1972, RETURN OF THE DRAGON aka THE WAY OF THE DRAGON-1972, ENTER THE DRAGON-1973 &; THE GAME OF DEATH shot in 1973 but released in 1978 after Lee's death).
      But what is little known is that Bruce Lee did appear in some television episodes and movies in the late 1960's before he left for Hong Kong to find fame and fortune in Chinese Kung Fu Films. After the Green Hornet was canceled  in 1967, Lee appeared on US TV in shows like BATMAN, BLONDIE, IRONSIDE and HERE COMES THE BRIDES. He also had bit parts in films like the last Matt Helm spy film THE WRECKING CREW(1968) in which Lee also did the martial arts choreography,A WALK IN THE SPRING RAIN(1969) and especially, MARLOWE(1970) in which he played a short but memorable role as a bad guy threatening James Garner who plays private detective Phillip Marlowe.But Lee co-starred briefly in the TV series LONGSTREET in 1970, in which he played antiques dealer & martial arts instructor Li Chung who taught martial arts to blind investigator, Mike Longstreet played by the series star, James Franciscus.
                 A small Taiwanese martial arts home video company called Bonzai Media Home Video has just released on DVD all the four LONGSTREET TV episodes that Bruce Lee appeared in, plus Bruce's other  US TV appearances in IRONSIDE & HERE COMES THE BRIDES as well as Bruce's 10 minute action scene with James Garner in the 1970 film, MARLOWE. The four LONGSTREET episodes that Bruce Lee appeared  in are the following:"The Way Of The Intercepting Fist", "Spell Legacy Like Death", Wednesday's Child"and "I See,Said The Blind Man". Bruce was to appear in more LONGSTREET TV episodes besides these four, but he was offered an exclusive movie contract by Raymond Chow of Golden Harvest Studios in Hong Kong to star in the Kung Fu films that would make him an international movie star.
                The four LONGSTREET episodes appear in 2 DVD with two episodes each plus a Bruce Lee episode in another US TV series( the IRONSIDE episode in Disc 1 and the HERE COMES THE BRIDES episode in Disc 2, plus the Bruce Lee scene in MARLOWE).The episodes are all very well digitally remastered despite having been filmed more than forty years ago and recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo Sound with no commercial interruptions complete and uncut. The best of the four LONGSTREET episodes that Lee appeared in is the first one which is the show's pilot episode,"The Way Of The Intercepting Fist" which is in reality the English translation of Jeet Kune Do which is Bruce Lee's unique and personal martial arts fighting style. The episode was written by Oscar winning screenwriter Sterling Silliphant who created the TV series and was himself a martial arts pupil of Bruce Lee as well was the show's star.James Franciscus and Bruce's role in that particular episode was written especially to make notice of Bruce's amazing prowess in the martial arts as well as his fine talents as an actor. Unfortunately in the other three LONGSTREET episodes that Lee appears in, he doesn't really get the chance to shine either as an actor or martial artist that he does in this pilot episode. Therefore it's understandable why Bruce opted to go to Hong Kong shortly after filming these four LONGSTREET episodes to film those martial arts epics,even though the LONGSTREET producers wanted  Bruce to appear in more episodes.
           Bruce also appeared as a Chinese martial arts instructor in both the IRONSIDE and BLONDIE TV episodes and as a Immigrant Chinese worker in the 19th Century American West  that is waiting for his mail order bride in the HERE COMES THE BRIDES TV episode he appeared in,which by the way was the only US TV episode in which Bruce didn't use his martial arts prowess and only acted. Bruce's small 10 minute appearance in the 1970 film, MARLOWE shows his only screen appearance as a villain in which he portrays a thug who wants to intimidate private eye Marlowe by demolishing Marlowe's office with only his fists and feet and then later on, by taunting Marlowe into a very amusing fight on a penthouse balcony in a high rise building.
    These episodes on this 2 DVD set demonstrated that Bruce Lee was not only the greatest martial artist who ever lived, but he was also a very good actor himself. It's a real shame that the producers of the classic 70's TV series KUNG FU turned down down Bruce Lee for the lead role of  Kwai Chang Caine and picked instead American actor David Carridine for the role, because despite such a good actor Carridine was in the role, Bruce would have been absolutely marvelous and convincing as Caine. But at least Bruce Lee's many fans and enthusiasts will be able to complete their Bruce Lee video collection with these two DVD disc collections of all of Bruce Lee's American  TV appearances, especially the LONGSTREET episodes.
        

Marisol's Birthday

Yesterday was Marisol aka Josefa(Pepa) Flores Gonzalez's 62nd birthday and I want to have the opportunity to celebrate her birthday by giving a recognition of whom I consider the best  and most popular  female Spanish pop singer/child star of the 1960's and 70's,who also became the first Internationally known Spanish movie star and celebrity.
                         Maria Josefa Flores Gonzalez was born in Malaga, Spain in February 4, 1948 and was known to her family and friends under her nickname of "Pepa". She sang flamenco songs  with her great soprano-mezzo voice at the early age of 5 in her hometown in Malaga with a Spanish musical folklorical group and she later appeared on Spanish TV in musical variety shows, where she was discovered by Spanish film producer Manuel Goyanes who then signed her to a long term film and recording contract, dyed her hair from her natural brunette to a blonde to fit her beautiful blue eyes and changed her real name to the more popular "Marisol".Goyanes then proceeded to put his new star Marisol in two musical films every year as well as appearing in concerts all over Spain, Europe,South America,Asia and the US (Marisol appeared two times on the very popular Ed Sullivan TV show in the early 60's) and recording at least two records a year. Her first starring film,UN RAYO DE LUZ(A RAY OF SUNLIGHT) made in 1959 became a worldwide box office hit and earned Marisol the Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival at 1959 when she was barely 11 years old. Both her movie  and recording career skyrocketed during the 1960's and made Marisol the best known and most popular child star since Hailey Mills and Shirley Temple.
                          But her career and fame caused a severe toll on Marisol's voice and health since in 1962,she suffered from duodenal  ulcers because of her hard strenuous career schedule that Goyanes had for her in the 60's and finally in 1965, Marisol suffered severe hermoraging in her vocal cords that forced her to have an emergency operation to save her voice and forced her to rest for a full year to be able to regain her voice. By the time Marisol returned to resume her film and singing career in 1966, her physical appearance and especially her singing voice had changed. By that year, Marisol was nearly 20 years old and no longer a child, but her singing voice had significantly changed from a mezzo/soprano to a much lower octave bass singing voice in which she couldn't sing in those high notes that she used to when she was a child. Unfortunately because of that, Marisol's career started to downfall when her films and records didn't have the same success she had at the beginning of the 60's and other  female Spanish singer/actresses such as Rocio Durcal and the Hispanic twins Pili & Mili were now more popular than Marisol at that time.
               Also Marisol then started to rebel against her manager and mentor Goyanes for the way he had handled her career and separated her from her parents and family thruout her career (Goyanes had legal custody over Marisol when she was a minor that was given with full consent by her parents for the benefit of Goyanes managing her career) She even married Goyanes' son,Carlos without his consent or blessing in 1969 but the marriage failed in less than a year. Marisol then posed nude in magazines in a then very scandalous career move at the time to break up her child star image and become more adult to her audience and fans. She stopped doing musical films and doing dramatic films,starting in 1970 with the film THE CORRUPTION OF CHRIS MILLER co-starring with Jean Seberg, in which Marisol appeared nude and did naked love scenes for the first time. Finally she broke all ties with Goyanes in 1972 when she bought out her contract with him by doing two consecutive films without salary.
   Then in the 1970's, Marisol changed her singing style in accordance to the changes in her singing voice and had some success singing romantic ballads and folk songs.  She continued doing films only in dramas and she continued her rebellious streak by now being called professionally as Pepa Flores and refusing to be called under her famous stage name of Marisol. She then fell in love with famous Flamenco dancer and actor Antonio Gades, appeared with him in three Flamenco musicals directed by famed Spanish film director Carlos Saura which are BODAS DE SANGRE, CARMEN  and EL AMOR BRUJO, then married him and had three daughters.She even converted to Communism in rebellion to being raised in Franco's Spanish fascist regimen in the 60's and even had Fidel Castro as her best man at her wedding with Gades in Havana, Cuba. She also had much acclaim portraying the famous 19th Century Spanish patriot and martyr, Manuela Pineda in a Spanish TV miniseries in 1985, But in 1986,she divorced Gades  because of his many infidelities and decided to give up her career and retire to her native Malaga to raise her three daughters.
                         Ironically in the last twenty years even in her retirement, Marisol is as popular as ever since all her popular films are now released and available on DVD and all her popular recordings and songs from the 60's & 70's are now on CD collections. There has been two books wriiten on Marisol's life and career: the first one released in 1998 called  DE MARISOL A PEPA FLORES (FROM MARISOL TO PEPA FLORES) which was an unauthorized biography that became sold out immediately and the most recent one released last year called MARISOL which has been the only biography duly authorized by Pepa Flores who even wrote the prologue for the book and gave her personal photos for it. Last year, Antena-3 one of Spain's major Cable TV networks did a four hour miniseries based on Marisol's life and career, that was based on the first biographical book on her life. There  is currently talk this year that  the Spanish GOYA Awards (which is Spain's equivalent of the Oscars) will give Marisol/Pepa Flores a Special Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Spanish Cinema which if she does appear to accept this award, will  mark her first public appearance in more than 20 years since she retired.
  Anyway I sincerely wish Marisol aka Pepa Flores a very sincere 62nd birthday in the company of her loving family and friends and especially from us, her many fans who really enjoyed her songs and her films.

DVD Review:HOUSE OF THE DEVIL(2009)*** out of ****

HOUSE OF THE DEVIL(2009)*** out of **** Written & Directed by Ti West, Starring Jocelyn Donahue, Mary Woronov, Tom Noonan, Dee Wallace Greta Gerwig, A.J.Bowen. Rated R 95 minutes Released by Dark Sky Home Video.
I missed seeing this film in it's original theatrical release in theaters,first at the Tribeca Film Festival last Spring and then in it's regular shortlived theatrical release last October,where audiences neglected to see it in favor of seeing either the latest SAW film installment ,the zombie comedy ZOMBIE LAND and most especially the very popular low budget independent horror film, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY,which all were released in movie theaters at the same time in October 2009. Another reason  I didn't see this film in theaters was because I was guided by the opinions of a good friend of mine Richard who loves horror films,who saw the film at last year's Tribeca Film Festival and didn't like it at all. But after finally seeing this film on DVD,I'm so glad that my friend was wrong for once, regarding this very good little horror film.
            The film, which takes place in the early 1980'sis about a young college girl played by Ms.Donahue that takes a babysitter job at a mysterious faraway house in order to pay her rent deposit for an apartment she wants to rent from her lodger played by Dee Wallace(THE HOWLING, CUJO, CRITTERS & ET). When she arrives at the house with the help of her best girlfriend, the heroine meet with the strange and rather spooky couple played by cult actors Tom Noonan (MANHUNTER, ROBOCOP 2 & THE MONSTER SQUAD) and Mary Woronov (EATING RAOUL, NIGHT OF THE COMET) who then inform her that she is going to babysit their invalid mother instead of a child.At first the heroine refuses,but then the couple offer her $400 for the babysitting job and against her better judgement and common sense, she accepts. But then immediately  weird things start to happen in the house while the girl is there supposedly alone with the person she is babysitting. It also doesn't help that the night the girl is babysitting is also the very same night that a rare totallunar eclipse is happening at midnight which is a significant special occasion for strange cults. By the time the night is over, the heroine finds herself involved in a very horrific situation within the house.
             One of the best things of this film is that the director Ti West decided to make this film exactly in the same way and style the 1980's horror films were made, instead of going the usual route today's horror film directors do with their film homages to classic horror films of the 1970's & 80's  by satirizing them with hip cynical humor, fast rapid editing and over emphazing the gore scenes with CGI over the films' atmosphere and characterization. West really brings the early 1980's atmosphere to the film thru his direction and script in both the film's production values as well as giving this film the rightly needed suspenseful and tense filled style to the movie and letting the film take it's time in setting up it's scares and shocks appropiately in the film's last half hour, instead of going the usual manner that today's horror films show their scare scenes at the very beginning of their movies. The acting as well is top notch especially  Jocelyn Donahue as the film's heroine and Noonan and Woronov as the spooky couple,There is also a great use of 1980's period music that is used adecuately in the film,such as songs by the Ramones, Thomas Dolby and especially The Fixx's great 80's hit "One Things Leads To Another" that is well used in a sequence in which the heroine dances to it in the creepy house.
          Ironically HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is maybe in my opinion, the best horror film written and directed by Ti West so far, since I wasn't at all impressed by his previous horror films like THE ROOST, THE TRIGGER MAN, THE WICKED and most especially & recently CABIN FEVER 2:SPRING FEVER.But in all honesty,West has publically disowned doing the CABIN FEVER sequel since Lionsgate the film's producers had taken the film away from West in post production and changed it's ending as well as reshooting much of the film and that's the reason that film is so wretched. Also  HOUSE OF THE DEVIL only liability is that the plot although  it's very suspenseful for the most part,it also very predictable in it's plotting, especially in the film's reveal of what finally happens to the film's heroine in the film's last 30 minutes.Also it doesn't help the film much that it reveals it's cards too soon in the opening credits by having that quotation of satanic cults scaring people back in the early 1980's and that the film is based on real facts,which is a very cheesy and cliched approach by horror film directors today trying to imitate what great horror filmmakers like Wes Craven and Tobe Hooper did in their classic original LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and  THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE respectively. Another thing is that when a film is called HOUSE OF THE DEVIL,horror fans know that the film has with something satanic,instead of being a haunted house film or a slasher movie.
   But for the most part, this film is a very well made horror film that will entertain those horror fans who really love traditional classic horror films of the 70's & 80's and  also like horror films full of spooky atmosphere and suspenseful moments unlike those horror films made in these day today full of gore, CGI effects and MTV type editing.The DVD has two audio commentaries with the director and the lead actress and the other is by the director and the producers of the film. The DVD also has deleted scenes, the film's trailer, a behind the scenes featurette as well as interviews with the film's cast and crew.

Movie Review:TEMPLE GRANDIN(2009)****out of****

TEMPLE GRANDIN(2009) **** out of **** Written by  Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson. Based on the Autobiographical Book by Temple Grandin, Directed by Mick Jackson, Starring Claire Danes, Julia Ormond, Catherine O'Hara, David Strathairn, 105 minutes, Released by HBO Films.

                    I got to see this amazing film in a special free preview screening sponsored by HBO Films and Entertainment Weekly last night at the Empire 25 Multiplex Theaters in Manhattan,New York City since this film will have it's premiere on HBO Cable TV this Saturday,February 6th,2010 at 8 PM EST and all thruout the month of February. This film is based on the life, career and especially books written by Temple Grandin who was famous for her career as a doctor of Animal Sciences, best selling author, consultant in animal behavior to the livestock industry and most importantly, as a person who has lived all her life with high functioning autism, she is world famous and most known for her work in autism advocacy and is the inventor of the Hug machine designed to call hypersensitive persons and people afflicted with the autism condition.

                                     The film deals mostly with the childhood, teenage years and college life of Grendin, when her mother struggled to give her daughter a normal life despite being afflicted with autism since childbirth and going against medical opinions to have her put into an institution. It also deals with Grendin's talent with animals, in making inventions to humanely treat animals especially cattle when they are being readied for slaughter to be processed for food. She created an inventive process of machinery for cattle to be peacefully brought to slaughter without torture or pain to the cattle involved that has well benefited the livestock industry in America. The film also shows the many personal trials and tribulations of Temple Grandin thruout her school and college years because of her being misunderstood by family, friends, schoolmates and even strangers because of her autism condition. But it also shows her courage to be independent and self sufficient despite her condition and also shows her initiative and brilliant intelligence in making reliable inventions for autistic people including her hug machine that calls down autistic and hypersensitive people that Grandin  was inspired to create from a similar contraption that her aunt had in her farm to tranquilize her cattle.

                         The best thing in the film, besides the very faithful script based on Grandin's autobiography and the excellent direction by Mick Jackson is the great and superb main performance by actress Claire Danes as Temple Grandin. Ms.Danes completely immerses herself into the role of Grandin both physically and emotionally in the film that at first I didn't recognize Ms.Danes.Because she so efficiently becomes Temple Grandin in the film, that she manages to convey the frustration and anxiety of anyone who lives with autism as well as the special genius that these people have over the so called "normal people". Also great are the secondary roles played by Julia Ormond as Grandin's  long suffering and self sacrificing mother,Catherine O'Hara  as the loving aunt and David Straithairn as Grandin's inspirational science teacher who inspires Grandin to use her autistic gifts and talents to create the marvelous inventions that she makes for animals.

                                The direction by Mick Jackson is also topnotch in his handling of the actors and the script as well as the great screenplay by writers Christopher Monger and William Merritt Johnson perfectly convey the way Grandin sees the world as an autistic  and her unique vision of seeing everything  in pictures with an amazing  photographic memory.The audience that I saw this film at the screening was a really eclectic one of various age groups and they all reacted very well with the film with many of them both cheering and being emotionally affected by this film and it's characters.This Cable TV movie is so very good  and well made that I think that it does really merit a theatrical release of some sorts, even a limited release in art house theaters in the US, since it certainly conveys more of an independent movie feel than the usual TV movie.

                                But I do believe that coming this autumn both the film as well as especially Claire Dane's performance as Temple Grandin.in it, will be recognized with nominations  for the Cable ACE Awards as well as the EMMY Awards.So far Ms Dane's portrayal  of Ms. Grandin  is the best female acting performance that I have seen on a movie  screen this year so far and I heartfully recommend everyone to see this film when it screens on HBO on Cable TV this February.