Rating: 
Summary: Once more, for Ringo
Review: When I first saw this poke at traditional values in the theaters (twice) back in 1970, I loved it, and my Dad hated it. Now, on DVD, although the picture is beautiful -- even if the sound is still a rather muddy mono -- I find it quaint and, if I may, a bit boring at times. But it has a tilted climax which is fun, and the Badfinger music is still good. And even though it hasn't aged well, I'm willing to bet I'll enjoy this again some time: A money driven world still rots as much as it ever did and this is more than a bit bent in favor of showing it to be what it is, without doing, or saying, anything to suggest an end to it, or feeling like a message flick . . . and that's got to be worth at least one extra star right there. Plus, I still love Ringo, and seeing him in what might have been his best role is worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally on DVD!
Review: Yes, this is a dated piece of psychadelic fluffery. The question is, though, is it worth the 90 minutes it takes to get through? I think the answer is yes. The first time I saw this film (repeatedly) was in college, where it was a film that I believed the University Film Series owned. They had a tendancy to show this with Yellow Submarine and the Monkee's tres psychadelic film Head, so I associate it with those two films. It is extremely eposodic, but I do think that's the point. If you want to watch it now in drips and drabs, it's entirely possible. As a curio of the psychadelic era, one can do much worse than this film, and the point (and it does have one) is made very clearly. Some of the sketches have turned up in other, later films--it's something you can find for yourself.A note--one of the other reviews mentioned "2 Beatles appearing in the film and one singing." This is not correct (although Pete Ham of Badfinger does sound remarkably like McCartney). The songs are mostly by Badfinger, with the exception during the last scene of "Something in the Air" by Thunderclap Newman (whose guitarist eventually went on to play with Wings). The shot of Lennon is either from a film clip (like that of Onassis & Jackie) or a stand-in (it goes by VERY quickly) This is definitely Ringo's film!
|
