All That Jazz (1979)

So, you think you know dance? If for no other reason, watch this movie to see how many dance moves you can spot that are now referred to a Michael Jackson signature moves. MJ didn't moon walk until 1983, for an example.

This autobiographical movie was written and directed by Bob Fosse. If you don't know who Bob Fosse was, you don't know jack about dance. Fosse won an Oscar for directing Cabaret, in which he was also choreographer and dancer. He followed that project up with a stage-shot bio-pic of legendary comic Lenny Bruce. For this he also was nominated for Best Director. Both these projects are referred to in the movie and are central to the storyline.

This movie was nominated for 9 Oscar's but won only 4. Not too shabby. Roy Scheider was nominated for his central role here, and does a monumental job. The honor that year went to somebody named DiNiro in some boxing movie. Oh - good competition.

This movie documents the self-destruction of one of entertainment's brightest stars. And it's all told from his point of view with Broadway flair.

Watch this movie but remember, it is now 30 years old and production standards are different today.

The Punisher

One of you recently suggested to me that I check out this series given my taste for graphic comics made into movies. I had never heard of The Punisher comic so I had no interest in the movie. Thank you for the tip however. This movie has all the features of a classic comic gone action movie.

You have over-acting. You have comic relief. You have a central hero who is likable. You have a wealth of events Mythbusters can prove impossible. So if that is not your thing, don't watch this movie. On the other hand...

Thomas Jane, who was great as Mickey Mantle in 61*, is enjoyable in this role as the tragically heroic central character. He is just human enough, just vulnerable enough, and certainly buff enough to pull the role off.

There are some great names in the supporting cast too: John Travolta as the uber bad guy target of this episode's punishments, Roy Scheider as the gunsmitthing father of our hero, Rebecca Romijn as the sexy neighbor angel, Will Patton as the main bad guy's doer-of-dirty-deeds, with Ben Foster and John Pinette as the goofy but loyal neighbors.

This movie is admittedly not for everyone, but for those who like a good graphic comic brought to life this is a worthy effort. Thank you again for the suggestion.

Watch this with plenty of popcorn and a friend to enjoy the ride.