jersey nostalgia

I was driving behind this truck the other day and it reminded me of summertimes in the New Jersey shore when I was a kid. Did we buy fresh corn off the back of a truck? Probably.

they really love each other - really

Brothers Dash (tabby) and Harry (black Siamese) like to wrestle. Sometimes on my bed, with me in it, naturally. So no sleep for me when this goes on, but at least I get a ringside seat.

film favorite: down and out in beverly hills

The comedy Down and Out in Beverly Hills came out in 1986. That was 27 years ago, and it is just as fresh and funny to watch today as it ever was (echoing David Byrne's lyrics that open the film, "Same as it ever was, same as it ever was..." Directed by Paul Mazursky (Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, An Unmarried Woman, Tempest), Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a modern adaptation of the French play Boudu sauvé des eaux, which was also made into a film in 1932 by Jean Renoir. Note to self — must track that movie down.

Dave wants to help Jerry get back on his feet

Mazursky sets his version in 1980s affluent California, with a pastel pink palette, oversized linen garments with wide shoulders, and lots and lots of exaggerated behaviors for its wacky cast of characters (including Little Richard as neighbor Orvis Goodnight). But Down and Out in Beverly Hills isn't all high ceilings and New-Age trends. The movie opens with the Talking Heads's "Once in a Lifetime" blasting over a montage of the homeless on the streets of Beverly Hills. The camera and story then zero-in on Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte), a homeless man who becomes despondent after his dog Kerouac takes off for greener pastures while he was sleeping on a park bench. Jerry wanders all over Beverly Hills, trying to find his dog, to no avail. He eventually finds himself in the back yard of a huge mansion, standing at the edge of a pool. He fills his coat's pockets with heavy stones, and throws himself into the water, hoping to drown. But the pool's owner, Dave Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss), sees the whole thing happen from inside his manse as he's yakking on his cordless phone and rushes out to rescue the homeless man, screaming, "Call 911! Call 911! Call 911!"

Jerry's dive into the pool changes everything. For Jerry, for Dave, and for everyone Jerry meets. Dave's wife Barbara (Bette Midler) is at first repulsed and suspicious of Jerry,

"He's going to give that dog fleas."

Jerry may have a cure for Barbara's headaches

But she and their maid Carmen (Elizabeth Peña), son Max (Evan Richards), and daughter Jenny (Tracy Nelson) are soon touched and transformed by his presence. As Jerry stays with the family he becomes all things to all people. He even manages to enchant the Whitman's dog Matisse (Mike the Dog), whose behavior has been so out of control that Barbara had resorted to consulting a dog psychiatrist to modify his behavior. Mazursky has a blast poking fun at Barbara's various New Age fads, showing her chanting and running on hot coals. He also turns up in a cameo as Dave's partner in the wire hangar business.

Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a comedy of manners, a sex farce, and also a cultural critique. But most importantly it is full of funny moments, like Jerry teaching the finicky Matisse how to eat dog food out of his bowl.

Barbara looks doubtful as Jerry teaches Matisse how to eat dog food

Jerry cleans up real good

Down and Out in Beverly Hills is not only funny, but it is a reminder of how wonderful Richard Dreyfuss's manic energy can be when channeled into the right role, as exhibited in a scene where Dave, not paying attention to his driving while listening to the car radio, runs into a police car:

Police Officer, "Sir, may I see your driver’s license?"
Dave, "Um  … yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, huh, huh, huh, huh, who … who hit who?"
Police Officer, "May I see your driver’s license please?"
Dave, "Nuh huh, uh huh, I’m just, I’m just trying to figure out who, who I’m mad at."

Dreyfuss's Dave Whiteman is at first thrilled with doing good — he has a real opportunity to help some one. When Jerry is reluctant to change, Dave is happy to take a walk on the wild side with his new friend. But when Jerry starts to not only be his friend, but to get cozy with all the women in his life, Dave's love quickly turns to hate. Nick Nolte cleans up real good, as Dave performs an Eliza Doolittle transformation-of-sorts on him (or more accurately a Pretty Woman), but his initial appearance is a bit of a harbinger of roles real and fictional to come. Bette Midler does more with her waving manicured hands and a running technique that involves wearing very high heels while taking very tiny steps than many other actors can do with a Shakespearian monologue. In short, Down and Out in Beverly Hills is a lot of fun to watch. One of the funniest films of the 1980s or any era.

detective murdoch is back on the case, in murdoch mysteries, series 5

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Murdoch Mysteries, Series 5 on Blogcritics

Acorn Media has recently released the fifth season of the Canadian mystery procedural, Murdoch Mysteries, for the first time for U.S. audiences. Murdoch Mysteries is a CSI-style drama with a twist - set in Victorian-era Toronto, it follows follows Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) as he solves crimes and helps initiate "new" crime-solving procedures, like blood analysis and fingerprint analysis.

The series unfortunately hasn't been televised in the U.S., but thankfully mystery lovers in this country can now enjoy the series via the DVDs and Blu-rays released by Acorn. And if one wants to enjoy Murdoch Mysteries from the very beginning, Acorn TV is also currently running a Murdoch Mysteries Marathon, so viewers can check in on Murdoch and his crime-solving companions from the very beginning of the series.

Detective Murdoch is innovative in his techniques, and his constantly questing mind also brings him into contact with some of the leading thinkers and personalities of his day. In Season 5 Murdoch meets inventors Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell, and writer Jack London. He encounters such otherworldly ideas as time travel and ancient Egyptian curses as he attempts to solve the various mysteries in this 13-episode season.

Murdoch and his crew, CW: Jonny Harris, Yannick Bisson, Thomas Craig, Hélène Joy, and Georgina Reilly.

As the season opens, Murdoch is still conflicted after the love of his life, Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) has married another man and left Toronto. Murdoch has also left (temporarily), to take up gold prospecting, but after he solves a local murder there he finds that he needs to return to Toronto and once again take up crime-solving with his old friends Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris), and his superior, Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig). Julia's replacement, another female coroner, Dr. Emily Grace (Georgina Reilly), proves a feisty new colleague, as well as a potential love interest for Crabtree. Fans of the Murdoch/Julia romance will be pleased to know that Julia is not completely gone from the detective's life - she does return for six of the season's episodes.

Murdoch Mysteries is based on series of Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings. The Season 5 Blu-ray includes 13 episodes on three discs:

1 - "Murdoch of the Klondike"
2 - "Back and to the Left"
3 - "Evil Eye of Egypt"
4 - "War on Terror" (historical figure Emma Goldman figures in the plot which centers around a potential anarchist plot).
5 - "Murdoch at the Opera" (Opera star Measha Brueggergosman guest stars in an episode directed by Yannick Bisson).
6 - "Who Killed the Electric Carriage?" (This episode features American inventor and mogul Henry Ford.)
7 & 8 - "Stroll on the Wild Side (Parts 1 & 2)"
9 - "Invention Convention" (Murdoch gets some assistance from his idol, Alexander Graham Bell, played by John Tench).
10 - "Staircase to Heaven" (The episode was co-written by author Maureen Jennings)
11- "Murdoch in Toyland"
12- "Murdoch Night in Canada"
13 - "Twentieth Century Murdoch"

Murdoch contemplates "The Pendrick Bullet" in the episode, "Who Killed the Electric Carriage?"

Murdoch Mysteries looks great on Blu-ray, especially on a large-scale, high-definition television screen. The period details of sets, costumes, and surfaces are all sharp and well-defined, with the screen resolution of 1080p and an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is sharp and clear. Subtitles are available in English, SDH. The Blu-ray also includes a host of extras for fans of the series, including:
- "Season Five Overview" - Features clips from seasons 4 and 5, and cast interviews.
- "Murdoch Travels to the Yukon" - A "making of" featurette for the first episode of the season, "Murdoch of the Klondike".
- "Murdoch at the Opera" - An interview with opera diva Measha Brueggergosman who appears in the fifth episode of the season.
- "Who Killed the Electric Carriage?" - A featurette about the vehicle "The Pendrick Bullet," which races Henry Ford's gasoline-powered car in the sixth episode of the season, "Who Killed the Electric Carriage?"
- "The Costumes" - An interview with costume designer Alex Reda.
- Unedited Sound Bites and Photo Gallery - Cast members answer questions; a gallery of behind-the-scenes photos.

Murdoch discusses a case with Dr. Julia Ogden.

 Season 5 of Murdoch Mysteries ends with a look to the new century as Murdoch and his compatriots have an eye on the future. Luckily, so do the show runners of this entertaining mystery series. Murdoch Mysteries is currently airing its sixth season on Canadian and British television and will soon be in production for its seventh season. It's reassuring to know that we haven't seen the last of Murdoch.