Amazon.com video review:
Grease
Riding the strange '50s nostalgia wave that swept through America during
the late 1970s (caused by TV shows like Happy Days and films like
American Graffiti), the film adaptation of the Broadway musical
Grease became not only the word in 1978, but also a box-office smash
and a cultural phenomenon. Without the fabulously choreographed musical
numbers, vibrant colors, and unforgettably campy and catchy
tunes (like "Greased Lightning," "Summer Nights," and "You're the One
That I Want"), the film would have to rely on a silly, cliché-filled plot
that we've seen hundreds of times. But as it is, the episodic story about
the romantic dilemmas of a group of graduating high school
seniors remains fresh, fun, and incredibly imaginative. The young, animated
cast also deserves a lot of credit, bringing chemistry and energy to
otherwise bland material. John Travolta, straight from his success in
Saturday Night Fever, knows his sexual star power and struts,
swaggers, sings, and dances appropriately, while Olivia Newton-John's
portrayal of virgin innocence is the only decent acting she's ever done.
And then there's Stockard Channing, spouting sexual double-entendres as
Rizzo, the bitchy, raunchy leader of the Pink Ladies, who steals the film
from both of its stars. Ignore the sequel at all costs. --Dave
McCoy
Grease 2
Too often, sequels to popular films simply rehash the original film; call
it the carbon-copy syndrome. Grease 2 suffers from no such malady,
having almost nothing to do with the original film. Sure, it focuses on
teens at Rydell High, the imaginary school from the first film, which
starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. But other than a few of the
teachers, all of the characters are new and so are the songs--and more's
the pity. By the time Grease hit the big screen, it already had had
almost a decade as a theatrical musical, more than enough time to hone its
mock-rock & roll score. But this sequel, which stars among others a
then-unknown Michelle Pfeiffer, Maxwell Caulfield, and Lorna Luft (Judy
Garland's daughter), has music
that's neither fish nor fowl, neither rock nor Broadway. Meanwhile, the
plot is a reversal of the first film, in which a cool guy fell for a square
girl. In this one, the square is newcomer Caulfield, who catches the eye of
tough girl Pfeiffer and her Pink Lady gang. The appearance of such
pseudo-stars of the '50s, like Tab Hunter, is supposed to lend a nostalgic
kick, but let's just say that Grease 2 slides almost instantly into
obscurity. --Marshall Fine
Amazon.com Essentials:
Riding the strange '50s nostalgia wave that swept through
America during the late 1970s (caused by TV shows like Happy
Days and films like American
Graffiti), Grease became not only the word in 1978, but
also a box-office smash and a cultural phenomenon. Twenty years later,
this entertaining film adaptation of the Broadway musical received
another successful theatrical release, which included visual
remastering and a shiny new Dolby soundtrack. For its video and laser
disc re-release, Grease lovers can also now see it in the
correct 2:35 to 1 Panavision aspect ratio, and see retrospective
interviews with cast members and director Randal Kleiser. All these
stylistic touches are essential to the film's success. Without the
fabulously choreographed, widescreen musical numbers; vibrant colors;
and unforgettably campy and catchy tunes (like "Greased Lightning,"
"Summer Nights," and "You're the One That I Want"), the film would
have to rely on a silly, cliché-filled plot that we've seen
hundreds of times. As it is, the episodic story about the romantic
dilemmas experienced by a group of graduating high school seniors
remains fresh, fun, and incredibly imaginative. The young, animated
cast also deserves a lot of credit, bringing chemistry and energy to
otherwise bland material. John Travolta, straight from his success in
Saturday Night
Fever, knows his sexual star power and struts, swaggers,
sings, and dances appropriately; while Olivia Newton-John's portrayal
of virgin innocence is the only decent acting she's ever done. And
then there's Stockard Channing, spouting sexual double-entendres as
Rizzo, the bitchy, raunchy leader of the Pink Ladies, who steals the
film from both of its stars. Ignore the sequel at all costs.
--Dave McCoy
Amazon.com Essentials:
Riding the strange '50s nostalgia wave that swept through
America during the late 1970s (caused by TV shows like Happy
Days and films like American
Graffiti), Grease became not only the word in 1978, but
also a box-office smash and a cultural phenomenon. Twenty years later,
this entertaining film adaptation of the Broadway musical received
another successful theatrical release, which included visual
remastering and a shiny new Dolby soundtrack. All of these stylistic
touches are essential to the film's success. Without the fabulously
choreographed, widescreen musical numbers; vibrant colors; and
unforgettably campy and catchy tunes (like "Greased Lightening,"
"Summer Nights," and "You're the One That I Want"), the film would
have to rely on a silly, cliché-filled plot that we've seen
hundreds of times. As it is, the episodic story about the romantic
dilemmas experienced by a group of graduating high school seniors
remains fresh, fun, and incredibly imaginative. The young, animated
cast also deserves a lot of credit, bringing chemistry and energy to
otherwise bland material. John Travolta, straight from his success in
Saturday Night
Fever, knows his sexual star power and struts, swaggers,
sings, and dances appropriately; while Olivia Newton-John's portrayal
of virgin innocence is the only decent acting she's ever done. And
then there's Stockard Channing, spouting sexual double-entendres as
Rizzo, the bitchy, raunchy leader of the Pink Ladies, who steals the
film from both of its stars. While this version contains retrospective
interviews with the cast and director Randal Kleiser, it's
unfortunately not letterboxed. As a result, the widescreen dance
numbers are instead panned and scanned, destroying the symmetrical,
lively choreography. A widescreen version is
also available and is highly recommended. Ignore the sequel at all
costs. --Dave McCoy
Amazon.com video review:
Jumping on to the end-of-the-century bandwagon a little early,
Paramount Pictures released 10 of their top films in one 10-pack, the
Millennium Collection, in 1998. All the films are presented in their
widescreen editions; one, Breakfast at
Tiffany's, is offered in this format for the first time. The
set includes 5 Best Picture Oscar winners and films that took home an
additional 33 Academy Awards. All the tapes are available to buy
individually. The pack, with a handsome mosaic of faces from the
movies, also features collector gift cards (a movie version of
baseball cards) and a commemorative booklet detailing the productions
of all 10 films. The collection is oddly weighted toward the last 25
years, offering only one film from the 1950s and one from the
1960s. Your taste in current cinema will define the value of the
set. Besides Tiffany's, one of Audrey Hepburn's finest films,
the collection contains: The Ten Commandments
with Charlton Heston, Grease with John
Travolta, Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now and
The Godfather,
the funny, whale-saving Star Trek IV--The Voyage
Home, Tom Cruise's hit Top Gun, the smash
hit Ghost with
Demi Moore, Mel Gibson's Celt fest Braveheart, and Forrest Gump with
Tom Hanks. --Doug Thomas
