Widespread Panic: Choice Cuts (The Capricorn Years 1991 – 1999)

Written by Fumo Verde

Unlike other compilation discs you have heard me whine about, Choice Cuts, which covers Widespread Panic’s time on Capricorn from 1991–1999, takes a different view on what to put on such discs. Listing to the evolution of a band who has kept their dream alive by playing the way they want can have interesting twists and turns and WSP is no different. Choice Cuts chronicles the small drop of history that has helped shape a band’s ever-expanding following.

The first two tracks are from a time just before they signed on with Capricorn. “Travelin’ Light” (written by J. J. Cale) and “Chilly Water” off their debut Space Wrangler introduce you to their blend of Southern Jam Rock. Picking up where the Dead left off and adding a hard Lynyrd Skynyrd edge to the instrumental jamming is how WSP carved its niche into the music biz. Though these two tracks were recorded around the same time in 1988, they have distinctly different sounds.

Switching up the vocals between guitarist John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, and keyboardist John “JoJo” Hermann, who joined the band in 1992, gives the band a different texture to each song. The Jimmy Pagesque guitar playing by Michael Houser and Bell brings a deeper and more complex musical drive. This can be heard in “Rebirtha” off of Bombs and Butterflies. It has a ragtime swing along with some powerful guitar work. This tune, which last a good seven minutes and twenty seconds, has become my favorite one so far. The instrumental section is full of passion and soul; this draws you into the lyrics that become as complex as the melodies.

Each track on Choice Cuts is like a snowflake in the sense that each song has a different vibe to it, though the root of Southern Jam holds it all together. “Blue Indian” which keeps the ragtime beat along with piano, adds the western swing sound of the slide guitar. This track is totally different than the one that follows, “Climb To Saftey”. There we feel more of the Southern Rock as the guitars scream and fly through the melody the bass and drums are pounding out. “Weight of the World” is a funky dance number driven by Memphis horns and “Papa's Home” starts as wonderful slow blues before taking off for parts unknown. The disc closes with two tracks from their first live album Light Fuse Get Away, including “Pickin' Up The Pieces” when they were joined by saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

WSP is one of the few rock bands out there that can take you on a heavy trip and still bring you back in one piece. If you are new to WSP like me, this is a great CD to have, because it gives you a window into the sound of a band and it reflects the feelings they have expressed over the past decade or so. A very enjoyable disc, one I would suggest for those who appreciate fine rock that opens itself to other attributes of different musical genres. This compilation is a must-have. This time I have to thank the record companies. Ugh, I think I just threw up in my mouth.

See you in the parking lot.

DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGENES)

Written by Fantasma el Rey & Fumo Verde

Days Of Glory adds a new chapter for many of us to the tale of World War II. It is centered on Arabs and French soldiers fighting for different reasons.

The basic plot of Days Of Glory is one we have seen before during many Sunday afternoons. Volunteers of an occupied territory (in this case North Africa) join the army to liberate their mother country (France) and fight against a greater evil (Nazi Germany). Our core group of heroes goes through the trials of being the new recruits and low men on the totem pole. They get their first taste of combat and face some sort of major battle or tragic loss (losing all but four men in a mine field) before the grand finale where they fight to the death to hold the position, down to the last man. All the while, the sergeant is a jerk who shows moments of feelings and heart for his troops.

What sets this film apart is its twist to this tale. Our heroes are Arabs, one of whom only has one hand, from Algeria and they fight with other “African Troops.” The prejudices they face are greater than merely being new recruits. They are seen as cannon fodder, for the most part, in the eyes of the regular French military leaders and soldiers. We are shown this in the first battle scene and can sense it throughout the film. The Arabs have to fight for respect and personnel liberties, proving that they can perform and lead just like anyone else. Fumo points out that its much like the American Civil War film Glory with its story of African-Americans former slaves and freemen seen as lesser soldiers because of who they are and the color of their skin.

At times the story of Days Of Glory comes across as too layered. Multiple layers are fine in most cases when there is three hours to fully explore certain elements, but here some elements are shown in a single scene and appear simply thrown in. We understand them, but agree that they add more questions. One example is a church scene with two of our main characters. Why they stumble into the church is unknown; perhaps to secure it? They resist looting the collection box while gazing at a mural of the crusades; they even make the comment of how much the Christian god has suffered. The point being that our boys have respect for other people’s myths like every other descent person of the world.

Example two: after the first battle, there is a scene where a German soldier is attaching our one-armed wonder. We see the sergeant save him but have no idea why or how he was there in the first place. The scene shows why the one-armed fellow loves the sergeant so much and becomes his lackey.

Bringing us to another question, why in the hell is a one-armed man in the army to begin with? He joined that way and it’s not like the army would overlook such a thing. He doesn’t get much crap for being a might handicapped, either. I think his fellow soldiers would have given him hell for it since it’s not like it adds to his ability as a warrior.

Then there are the unexplored origins of the sergeant. His past is reveled as his lackey finds a photo with “Mother” written on the back. Sarge’s mom is an Arab, making him a half-breed. He hides his past to gain rank in the French army, shades of Hitler himself, and when called on his past, Sarge gets violent and abusive towards his lackey.

No war film is complete without a story of lovers torn apart. One of the boys is with a French woman for one, yes one, night. They fall madly in love yet are kept apart by the war. The terrible army even goes as far as refusing to allow letters to pass between the two lamenting lovers, revealing that they are and capable of love.

Strong points of the film include the fine shots of the countryside. The director has a beautiful and creative way of opening some sequences by moving from black and white to color. As the Germans are beaten back and as the army advances the cloud of doom is being lifted from the land. The tale itself is a strong point and the acting is fine, but it’s the over all plot that could have been done better. The message is a simple one: in the end these soldiers fought and died for the greater good of mankind and wound up with nothing. The African soldiers even had their pensions stalled, and to most of the world they were forgotten as fighters in that war.

Included on the DVD is a short film titled “The Colonial Friend,” whose plot would have made a more memorable full-length film while telling the story of these unsung heroes. The way it stands now we have a good story rolled into an average WWII plot.

TRANSFORMERS (2007)

Written by Hombre Divertido

Transformers – More than meets the eye, and substantially less than meets the brain.

If you are looking for a movie that will bring the toys and cartoons to life, this is the film for you. The special effects are amazing. If you are looking for any kind of story, stick with the cartoons. This film makes no sense at all.

It is a good hour into the film before we get any kind of explanation as to what is going on, but said information becomes useless as the story…wait, that’s too generous, as the film progresses. By then we have seen our forces in the Middle East get slaughtered, which was far more disturbing than entertaining, and we are still waiting to be introduced to characters we came to see.

Though the plot is missing, the performances are not bad, the characters are likable, and the dialog actually contains some pleasant humor, but eventually you will find yourself asking questions and counting the GM logos. Questions like how are people able to run away from something that big? How are robots not seen when they appear to be in plain sight? What exactly happened at the end with that cube? In a movie called Transformers, shouldn’t we have gotten to know the robots a little more and some of the humans a little less?

It’s a little unclear as to who the target audience is here. It is far too violent for young children, older kids may not know who the Transformers are, and it makes far too little sense for adults. The ending certainly set up a sequel and certainly left the audience wanting more, which is normally good, except in this case the more is a plot. Perhaps they could include that in the next one.

For a movie over two hours, one might expect a longer review, but since a review would normally give some insight into the story, and there was none, I can’t transform this into anything bigger.

Recommendation: The special effects won’t be as good on a DVD, so if that’s what you’re looking for, go see this. For a better action movie with a hint of a story; go see Live Free or Die Hard.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD

Written by Hombre Divertido

Live Free or Die Hard; either way it’s fun.

Keep your spider-men, pirates, green ogres, and silver dudes. You can let Evan build the Ark, as long as you let John McClane (Bruce Willis) crash it, cuz he is what summer is all about. No awards to be given here; this film knows its purpose and serves it well. Like visiting a friend you have not seen in far too long, and as simple as heating up a piece of pizza the next morning; this movie satisfies.

Maybe not moving as fast physically, but still able to banter with the best of them, our hero is thrust into the middle of a techno-terrorist conspiracy in which a former government employee (Timothy Olyphant) is taking control of all that is run by computers, from the back of his big rig, in order to steal all of the money in the United States. Oh, and make the point that he is smarter than everyone else of course. Luckily grizzled NYPD Senior Detective John McClane is once again surrounded by bad guys, and one hot martial artist bad girl (Maggie Q.), who couldn’t hit the ground with their guns if they dropped them.

Apparently McClane missed all the computer-training classes offered by the city, because he was too busy playing Pong and waiting for Betamax to come back, thus is reliant on his sidekick in this outing; computer hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) who just happened to be an unwitting pawn in the whole evil scheme, and is subsequently being hunted by our bad guys who are trying to tie up loose ends.

Long appears to be channeling a young Keanu Reeves in appearance and performance which serves him well here. Especially when we watch officer McClane escape the aforementioned big rig, as it careens down a collapsing freeway, by jumping on to the tail of an earthbound stalled jet and surfing it to safety in a stunt so ridiculous you’ll believe Sandra Bullock could jump a bus over a gap in the same freeway.

Yes, some of the stunts are way over the top, and the simplicity of escaping peril by crossing a floor covered with broken glass when you’re not wearing shoes has given way to CGI flying cars, but at least there is commitment to giving the audience what it wants. Far more commitment than in the scene where McClane attempts to convey the dark side of heroism to Farrell in a show of emotion by an action hero that will rival Rambo’s monologue at the end of First Blood for worst of all time. At least the powers that be in Stallone's outing made the effort. The audience here was treated to a scene so awkward that it appeared that someone walked in and said: “What are you guys doing? Cut this out and just blow something up!”

If you are hoping for an appearance by Bonnie Bedilia as Mclane’s ex-ex-wife, or Reginald VelJohnson as John's old pal Sgt. Al Powell, no such luck. You will get to meet Lucy McClane, played quite efficiently by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who is not only her mother's daughter, but more importantly daddy’s little girl, as she manages to not only infuriate her dad, but the head bad guy as well. She shows sequel potential herself as she manages to rumble with and shoot a henchman along the way.

So maybe we are missing a few friends from the past, and some of the scenes and stunts may not always work, but this is popcorn faire at its best and is certainly worthy of its predecessors. Please Bruce; don’t make us wait so long to see John McClane again. He’s a relatable character that works in the right and wrong place all the time.

Recommendation: It’s been far too long since we’ve had this kind, and this much fun at the movies. Stop reading and go now.

1408

Written by Jámon Y. Huevos

Mikael Hafstrom’s 1408 gets to take a seat of honor next to The Shining as the second of two truly great haunted hotel movies to spark from the mind of Stephen King. John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, the author of two books of haunted hotel reviews. Having separated from his wife after the untimely death of their daughter, Enslin would like nothing more than to believe in the afterlife; unfortunately, he’s never seen any proof. That all changes when he spends the night in room 1408 at New York City’s Dolphin Hotel.

John Cusack cannot receive enough accolades for his taut performance of the heart-broken Enslin. Eighty percent of the film is Cusack in a room by himself and he pulls it off in amazing style. It’s Cusack’s own genuine humanity that shines through so many of the characters he portrays, and Enslin comes off as witty, smart, funny, and sad in a rich and multi-dimensional performance. You just want to hang out with this guy; however, you do not want to hang out in room 1408.

Room 1408 is spectacularly haunted. The screenwriters and director refuse to cut the audience apart with cheap thrills. Even when they have something jump out of the shadows, you feel like those moments were earned because of the more subtle terrors filling the screen for most of the movie. The horror starts slow and then builds and builds. Every possibility is loaded into that room, from ghosts and gruesome murders to fire and ice. This is one roller coaster that is ninety percent slow movement up a long hill, ripe with tension and fear, and ten percent gut-wrenching drop. It’s all about timing and special effects, and the editors and artists work some great magic.

There is one sour note in 1408, and it is very sour. Samuel L. Jackson is an empty hole of acting nothingness in the center of this film. 1408 finally proves that unless Jackson is being shot at, he should stay home in bed. Virtually everybody else in the cast is able to hold their own against Cusack’s magnetism. Of special note are Mary McCormack as Enslin’s wife and Jasmine Jessica Anthony as Enslin’s daughter. Jackson, on the other hand, tries to act entirely with his eyebrows and a straight-edge speaking cadence. This makes his performance look like two caffeinated inch worms frolicking atop a single piano note. It’s an interesting visual, but there ain’t nothing there.

1408 does exactly what it sets out to do, send shivers down your spine with an intelligent story. I’m not sure it could have worked without John Cusack in the lead; he is the perfect everyman. That aside, 1408 is a smart psychological drama with some great bumps in the dark.

North Mississippi AllStars: Keep On Marchin'

Written by Fantasma el Rey

I first heard the North Mississippi AllStars when I bought their first album Shake Hands With Shorty out of curiosity. I had seen the CD before and wondered at the band's name and song titles, such as "Po Black Maddie" and "Shake 'Em On Down." I picked up the disc and it's been in my rotation ever since, and deservedly so, because these Southern Kats lay down a mean country/blues boogie that's infectious and new.

The AllStars line-up has not changed from that first album released in 2000. The trio, brothers Luther (guitar/vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums) and Chris Chew (bass), love what they do, which shows every time they take the stage, from small clubs to large open-air festivals. These gents are house rockers and always leave you wanting more. From the opening chord pick on the cigar-box guitar (Luther plays an actual homemade cigar-box guitar) to the last bass pluck the North Mississippi AllStars give us their all.

The concert DVD, Keep On Marchin', recorded live in Burlington, VT, on 11/11/05, captures the magic that the AllStars posses as a unit, providing two hours of jammin' blues-based rock 'n' roll. Luther plays a stinging, wicked guitar as brother Cody keeps time and beyond, kicking and banging out solid beats that keeps the feets moving. All the while Chew's bass thumps in and around, fattening the sound and adding to the vibe of fun and brotherhood this three-piece band projects.

It doesn't mater how these kats play because it's their passion that gets to you. No matter if they're stompin' out low-down, "mean as hell" blues like "Shake 'Em On Down," "Going Down South" with its hip hop/ blues back beat or slowing the pace down with "Hurry Up Sunshine." They can even play that real rock drive on "Bang Bang Lulu" with the same sounds that delivered early rock 'n' roll to the masses.

And these good ol' boys haven't forgotten their Southern rock heritage either, taking every opportunity to extend a song and jam. "Ship" opens with five minutes of instrumental work before the vocals begin. "Psychedelic Sex Machine" is Cody's chance to shine on the electric washboard (that's right, electric washboard) cutting loose and transforming this old-time jug band instrument into one of the future by bending and extending notes on the Wa-Wa pedal. Chew's bass work comes to the fore here as well, thumping and pulsating fat, "funkdafied" rhythms while Luther moves behind the skins keeping the beat.

What makes the N.M. Allstars stand apart from the rest of the current blues/Southern rockers is their blending of old and new. Their songs are based in the roots and traditions of the South from blues, country, and rockabilly. One can even see traces of Chew's gospel upbringing, and it's easy to see that they've learned well from their father, legendary producer Jim Dickinson. At times adding elements of hip-hop, or as Luther puts it "Dirty Southern Gangsta' Rap," by looping certain voices and instruments to sound like it's being scratched by a DJ gives the music its own spin. The mixing of all these Southern sounds blend very well together and is a testament to the inventiveness and solidarity of this band of brothers.

All in all the North Mississippi AllStars should not be missed whenever they're in your town or near your town. These guys work hard, love what they do, and it show on stage night after night, no matter if it's a club, beer joint, honky tonk, or hole-in-the-wall pub. Go out and support one of the best young solid blues-rocker acts around, and pick up Keep On Marchin' and every CD that they have released.

ABOVE THE LAW

Written by Jámon Y. Huevos

The mid-80s Hong Kong action film, Above the Law, directed by Cory Yuen, begins with a bang – a whole bunch of bangs. Bullets fly, cars crash, feet hit noses. It’s everything one would expect from the genre. However, it’s pretty tough to get into this film, but you’ve got to stick with it if you’re a fan of high-octane action on a dime budget.

Nobody is going to accuse Above the Law of having a deep plot or great acting. In fact, the first twenty minutes are nearly bad enough to knock you out of the film for good. Then four cars attempt to simultaneously hit our star (Yuen Biao) in a parking garage. It’s a great scene with amazing stunts and extremely well placed ramps leading up the backs of the ubiquitous Mitsubishis. These are real stunts, too; the old-fashioned, non-CGI kind that blow your mind. Sure, you sometimes see the ropes and pulleys, but you also see the very real sweat, pained contortions, and smatterings of genuine human blood.

Cynthia Rothrock and Peter Cunningham have great moments in Above the Law. Brought in to help sell the film overseas, both martial arts experts are truly incredible on screen. They have lame dialogue, stupid entrances and exits, bad hairdo’s, but, holy cow, they kick a ton of ass. Cunningham is especially devious as an assassin with the world’s tiniest heart. After killing all the adults in the room, he blows up the leftover children from a distance. Dang, that’s a tough-hearted dude.

Halfway through you will realize there is not going to be a happy ending. In fact, this is the double-downer version of the film. Even the alternate endings don’t add much hope. One alternate ending is even more brutal, and that’s with somebody surviving. Those alternate endings are fun to watch; in fact, the special features are what sold me on Above the Law. It was the long interviews with Yuen Biao, Cynthia Rothrock, and Peter Cunningham that ended up giving the film a bit of much needed depth and placing it squarely in its moment in history.

Above the Law is for Hong Kong cinema fans. Nobody else is going to be won over by this over-the-top presentation. For fans, though, it is a very special treat.

638 WAYS TO KILL CASTRO

Written by Fumo Verde

If you think the "Bay of Pigs" incident was the only attempt to remove Fidel Castro from power, you need to see this documentary. It's a story of how one sovereign nation has tried to take out the leader of another. You may laugh at the title, but it is a sad truth. Since his rise to power in 1959, Castro's enemies have been plotting his demise. They want to free Cuba from his grip, have tried almost everything, and aren't about to stop.

Director Dollan Cannell opens up this world of shadow agents and assassinations, giving us an in-depth look at the many attempts to bring down one of the world’s most loved and hated men of the twentieth century. He presents the stories of the people who schemed and attempted, how and why they tried, and those that foiled the plot.

This has been one of the most informative and clever documentaries I have seen in a while. Conspiracy-mongers, time to freak out because it is all here. Did the C.I.A. take part? Why yes they did, but so did a lot of Cuban Nationals and even friends of Castro. The first culprit was a man who knew Castro when they went to the university together. Enrique Avarez was a close friend of Castro, but he soon realized that the cigar smoke clouded Castor’s true intentions. He says, "Fidel is for Fidel. People say Fidel was a communist; he was nothing. Fidel is a Fidelista, full stop. For him, that's it."

After the revolution, Castro was still walking around unprotected. Avarez bumped into him at a restaurant and thought that his assassination would be an easy thing to do, but couldn't bring himself to do it. That was attempt number one, and it's not even counted in the number of the title.

Cannell takes us on a trip that includes snipers, a poison milkshake, and exploding baseballs. The C.I.A. didn't try to kill Castro at first. They had better ideas, like cutting off Samson’s hair to sap his strength, and putting powder in his boots that would make his beard fall out. I still don't see how that would work, but those were our tax dollars and well, the government knows best, right?

Fabian Escalante has now retired, but in the early '60s he was the head of Cuban Intelligence. He had so many spies throughout Cuba, it was said you could not light up a cigar in Havana without him knowing. He was so good at stopping the plots to kill Castro, Cuban TV made a show out of his escapades.

Other stories come from the Cubans hired by the C.I.A.; these include Antino Veciana, Felix Rodriguez (the man who gave the order to kill Che Guevara in 1967), and Luis Posada Carriles. They tell of attempts they planned and tried to execute (pun intended). Veciana was recruited by the C.I.A. back in the early '60s. He now owns a boating supply store in Miami, but tells of one attempt he put together where he had four men in an apartment room across the way from the Presidential flat where Castro was living. Veciana had gotten the men a bazooka and aimed it right into Castro's room. What happened? The leader of the group told Veciana that they couldn't fire the bazooka without it being seen, so they abandoned the operation. "No one is suicidal," Veciana said. "You need at least a small chance of getting away."

Every plot worth trying was tried, from blowing up his car with a hand grenade to using remote-controlled model planes that would blow up once inside the window of the library where Castro was speaking. My favorite is the one where the C.I.A. gets his ex-girlfriend to try and hide poison pills in a jar of cold cream. When she went to get them out, they had melted. Castro had asked her if she had come back to kill him. She said yes, and she started to cry. He handed her his pistol and told her to do it. She pointed the gun at him and after a minute she put it down. When he asked her why, she said she couldn’t do it. Castro replied, "Nobody can.”

It was right after that failed attempt that D.C. went balls-out to get rid of Castro once and for all. Ike started it, and in the depths of the Miami Zoo, exiles were being trained to land on Cuban shores and take back the island nation from its evil dictator. Thus the "Bay of Pigs" operation was born and executed under Kennedy. Cannell states that Kennedy was one of the Presidents who pushed the C.I.A. the hardest to kill Castro, and as irony would have it, an assassin’s bullet found Kennedy instead.

As plot after plot failed, the hardliners in Miami started going after other targets, members of their own community who wanted to make peace with Castro. One of these hardliners gone awry is Dr. Orlando Bosch, a man who admitted firing a bazooka at a Polish ship headed for Cuba. He was also implicated in the bombing of a Cuban airliner, which killed 73 passengers and crew. C.I.A. documents reveal that days before the bombing an associate of Bosch's was overheard saying, "We're going to hit a Cuban Airplane. Orlando has the details." Bosch was considered to be one of the most dangerous terrorists in the Western hemisphere and was in and out of U.S. and Venezuelan jails. Thirty-one countries refused to take him because of the acts he has committed, yet Pres. George H.W. Bush granted him residency.

Cannell has given a great history lesson with facts and views from both sides of the equation. The war against Castro will never stop. Even at the end of the documentary, we learn of a man who was arrested for owning a stinger missile he was planning on launching at Castro, and the list keeps getting longer. 638 Ways to Kill Castro is entertaining and educational; it also provokes the question concerning who we call terrorists.

The extras include an interview with Ex-President Jimmy Carter, an interview with Ricardo Alarcon, President of the Cuban National Assembly, a look at the 1976 Cubana airline atrocity and Luis Posada Carriles, another terrorist who lives among us, and more.

Rufus Wainwright: Release the Stars

Written by Jámon Y. Huevos

When I first heard Rufus Wainwright’s “Oh What a World” from his amazing Want One, I had to keep playing it over and over again because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That song is immediately funny, smart, witty, and, dare I say it, jaunty. All of Want One had me at the edge of my seat. Wainwright has a couple more albums under his belt now, and his latest, the self-produced Release the Stars, is a worthy addition to his work.

There is the immediate fear that Rufus Wainwright producing Rufus Wainwright will be over the top, sentimental, self-conscious, and self-amused. Luckily, each and every song in Release the Stars is able to cavort with the edge without tumbling over. That said, it is easy to hate this CD for the first few rotations. One feels as though there is a single twelve-part song being reeled out here; however, over time, the songs break away from each other to show their own dimensions and sensibilities.

Of special note is the haunting “Leaving for Paris No. 2.” Just piano, bass, and Wainwright’s vocals delivering a letter, no, a sticky note, explaining the title. Simple without being simplistic, the song resonates with deep emotion and thoughtfulness. Every line is a compact gem: “And when I get there, I will lose the ring you gave me.” See? Compact, gemlike. Also, the final track, “Release the Stars,” is a finale in every sense of the word. It sounds as though Wainwright is beginning to gather his Broadway show. I’ll bet he wore high heels and a diamond-studded tiara in the studio while belting out, “Didn’t you know that old Hollywood is over? So why not just release the gates and let them all come out. Remember that without them there would be no Paramount.” It ain’t Sinatra, but it sure is Minnelli, and Wainwright makes it work.

If you are a Rufus Wainwright fan, then you will neither be surprised nor disappointed by Release the Stars. If this is your first contact with the son of the equally fascinating Loudon Wainwright III, you’ll want to quickly get back to the basics with Poses and Want One and Want Two; those CDs are the primers for this new polished work.

Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete First Season

Written by Hombre Divertido

Long before Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano were sought after by the networks to build sitcoms around their material, a stand-up comedian by the name of Gabe Kaplan had great success with a little show called Welcome Back, Kotter (ABC 1975-79).

Based on Kaplan’s material and the characters from his time in high school, Welcome Back, Kotter follows the exploits of Gabe Kotter (Kaplan) a teacher who returns to his alma mater to teach a group underachievers known as the “sweathogs,” of which he was once a member.

Kaplan was surrounded by a group of talented young actors including: Ron Palillo as the class oddball Arnold Horshack, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs as the class smooth talker Freddie “Boom Boom” Washington, Robert Hegyes as the class tough guy Juan Epstein, and of course, John Travolta as the super-cool leader of the group Vinnie Barbarino. This ensemble had great chemistry and created some quality comedy for its time.

As was common in the seventies the shows have a very theatrical feel due to the way they were filmed and the limited sets consisting of the Kotter's one-room apartment shared by Gabe and his wife Julie (Marcia Strassman), and the classroom at the school. One cannot help but get the feel of watching a play as we are introduced into the world of Buchanan High School. The reoccurring bit of Kaplan closing each show with old school jokes only reinforces that theatrical feel, as his bits are reminiscent of vaudeville.

Though the writing is typical seventies sitcom set-up punch, and the far-fetched scripts establish the characters as a comedy team rather than a teacher and students, it works, especially in season one. In these first twenty-two episodes we get to watch our characters develop and grow, and it makes for very enjoyable viewing. Eventually Travolta’s Barbarino will be the breakout star before we even knew who Fonzie was, and the stories will begin to focus far too much on him. That is not the case in season one, as each character gets the spotlight.

This set is packaged in memory-inducing fashion, but only contains two extras. The first being what has become standard when bringing back shows from the seventies: a short documentary of the show hosted by someone from the cast, in this case Strassman, which often appears thrown together. This effort is not completely worthless as it does contain some interesting facts, but certainly could have been longer and gone into more detail. The second is the original screen tests of the four sweathogs and Strassman. It sounds far more intriguing than it turned out to be, and will most likely be boring to the non-thespian viewers. The unadvertised extra of seeing award winning actor James Woods as a geeky teacher in the first episode makes up for the others.

Recommendation: It’s a must-have for the fans of the show as it remains as much fun to watch now as it was then. For those not familiar with the show, it’s got a young John Travolta, and is a quality sitcom that makes for good watching 30 years later.