Monday, December 27, 2010

CALL OF THE WILD, By Jack London & BEAUTIFUL JOE, By Marshall Saunders

It was unintentional, but I ended up reading two stories, back to back, which just happened to be told by dogs!

Call Of The Wild is about a domestic dog named Buck, who - up to the point where the story begins - has led a pretty nice life with a family on a large estate.  However, a series of events lead him to be stolen and sold to serve as a sled dog in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush.  It's interesting to see Buck transform from a leisurely dog, into a dog whose wild instincts begin to emerge as he adjusts to the cruel and harsh environment of the snow and mountains.  He says he "remembers" things, but we realize that he is merely feeling his ancestor's animal instincts rise up in him.  In other words, he is feeling the "call of the wild". We see the "pecking" order of the pack, as well as how the pack relates to man.  To me, the ending was somewhat sad as I saw Buck finally commit fully to being a wild dog...but my husband saw it as the natural order of things.  Hubby is right, but it still felt kinda sad to me.


I'd never heard of Beautiful Joe, but I found it as I was browsing Amazon.com on my Kindle app on my Droid phone.  The book was free, and I really just wanted to try the app out to see how it would be to read a book on my phone.  I loved the app, but sorry to say, I didn't really love the book. The story is told by "Joe", a dog, who starts off by saying that he's going to tell his life story.  Joe's story is true - he is an actual dog that endured abuse by his owner before he was rescued by a family.  The author was so taken with Joe's story, that she decided to write this book told by the dog's perspective. It starts out interestingly enough, but at a certain point, it begins to be overly preachy about cruelty to animals.  Let me just say, I dont think animals should be treated cruelly, but the characters in the book talked about the subject soooooooo much, that the conversations seemed very unnatural.  It's hard to imagine that people could spend days and days and days talking about the topic with each other!  At first, its ok, but it begins to drag on and on, and it almost feels as if Joe's story is lost in all the preachy-ness.  I discovered that the author had submitted the story in a writing contest being run by the Humane Society - which puts the preachy-ness in perspective! 


These arent the first books I've read that were told by dogs - last summer my son and I read a book called A Dog's Life:  The Autobiography of a Stray, By Ann M. Martin.  That was a good book! 

So I have been accidentally gravitating to stories told by dogs...hmmm...maybe I should switch it up and read a story told by a horse or something.  Hey, I've never read Black Beauty...

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Book of Eli

The description of "post apocalyptic" usually steers me far, far away from a movie. Blade Runner? Ick. I Am Legend? No thanks. Mad Max? The PostMan? Omega Man? No, No, NO!!

But one of my Facebook friends (Hi Julio!) posted that he had gone to see The Book Eli, and that it was good. "And by the way," he said, "The Book of Eli is the Bible, and its the last one on earth".

OK, then. I'm in.

This..ahem.."post apocalyptic" tale stars Denzel, as Eli, a lone stranger, traveling westward, protecting a sacred book. He's survived for 30 years by hunting small animals and finding supplies and water wherever he can. When he reaches a small town run by powerful mobster, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), he is offered a job to stay and work for the mob boss. And when Carnegie sends Solara, (Mila Kunis) a young girl, to spend the night with Eli to "convince" him to stay, she sees the book. This happens to be THE book that Carnegie has desperately been looking for. But he wants it in order to gain control of people. Eli, on the other hand, has been "told", by a voice in his head, to take the book and go west. So he leaves, and the pursuit of The Book begins.

The Book of Eli was filmed in a dark, ashy, color, which really enhanced the idea of a dismal earth. It was also quite a violent. Unfortunately, telling you any more will only spoil the story. But if you can hang on through the darkness and violence...it is a beautiful story with a beautiful end. You could say the journey will be worth it for the destination. This movie is a must see.

Friday, June 25, 2010

TOOTH FAIRY

For about the first half hour, I was thinking this was the corniest movie I'd ever seen, and that it was geared for very young kids. I also thought that Dwayne Johnson and Ashley Judd didn't have a lot of chemistry as a couple.

But then I found myself laughing out loud and really enjoying it! Which is good, because I wanted to like it. I think Dwayne Johnson has been good in these kinds of movies - such as Race To Witch Mountain or The Game Plan. (Kinda reminds me of Vin Diesel in The Pacifier...which I loved!)

Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a washed up former pro hockey player that is now playing in the minors. He's been nursing a shoulder injury for years, and hasn't even attempted a goal in 6 years. He's come to the point where he thinks dreaming is pointless. The only way to happiness and satisfaction, in his opinion, is to lower your expectations. He's been dating "Carly" (played by Judd), a single mom with two kids. But he's afraid of commitment - he's afraid of trying and failing. And so his relationship with Carly is suffering.

One night, he tries to tell Carly's daughter, Tess, that there is no tooth fairy - because he doesn't see the point in a childish fantasy. Carly stops him, but later that night, he gets a surprise. He is transported to...hmmm, well, I guess you can call it "Tooth Fairy Land". He is informed by the Tooth Fairy in Command (Julie Andrews), that he has to work as a tooth fairy, in order to pay off his debt for the offense of trying to destroy a child's belief in fantasies/dreams.

This is kinda where the movie starts to get good. Derek isn't allowed to tell anyone he's a tooth fairy, so when he gets a call to pick up a tooth, he starts to sprout wings, and he's got to go - in a hurry! Since he has to leave at a moments notice - without being able to explain - this adds even more tension in his relationship with Carly.

But its fun to see how he scrambles to do the job - especially since he's gotta do it right, or else he gets more time added to his "sentence". And the "tools" he receives to do the job, are pretty funny - especially when he uses them.

By the way, Billy Crystal makes an appearance. He looks different, but his voice and style are unmistakable.

It was rated PG, and it really was a clean movie. I loved that Derek never spent the night at Carly's house. While Tooth Fairy was a predictable movie, it was cute and funny. It was a little corny, and I was definitely glad that I didn't pay to see it at the theaters. AND..I still think that Ashley Judd and Dwayne Johnson had NO chemistry! BUT..it was a nice, clean movie to settle down and watch on a Thursday night at home.

Sunday, June 06, 2010

LITTLE BILLY'S LETTERS, By Bill Geerhart

This was a fascinating read. And really, an original idea, as far as I'm aware. Little Billy's Letters is a compilation of letters and responses to those letters, by some of the most famous people in the world.

But here's why its so entertaining..."Little" Billy is actually an adult, pretending to be a child in the letters he writes. He sends letters to everyone from Donald Rumsfeld, to Charles Manson, to Tori Spelling, to the Lucky Charms Leprechaun.

He asks Charles Manson for his advice on dropping out of school, and receives a very chilling, strange reply.

He asks Robert Shapiro for advice on how to clear his name for destroying his sister's doll (Billy claims he's innocent and that the dog ate it). Mr. Shapiro replies with a long letter outlining various tactics Billy could employ, such as using DNA from the dog's mouth.

Yep...I said it was fascinating, didn't I?

Each page includes a photo of Billy's letter, some brief information about the person or organization he's written to, and a copy of their response. It's amazing to think that he actually got responses from all these people!

Its a quick read, something you can pick up, read a few pages, and then put down. My son gave it to me for Mother's Day along with the receipt, just in case I wasn't interested. But I read one of Billy's letters and was hooked til the end.

*One last note...Little Billy obviously grew up to be a liberal democrat, judging from some of the comments he writes about certain politicians and religious figures. But dont let that deter you from giving this book a try! Its fun and...did I already say...fascinating?

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Vertigo (1958)

The plot was quite intriguing, but the main character's vertigo seemed to be a very inconsequential part of the story! In that regard, it sort of threw me off. I was waiting for it to be a major factor, and it never was.

James Stewart plays John "Scotty" Ferguson, a police officer who's had to retire because a traumatic event has triggered a severe fear of heights in him. An old friend of his, Gavin, wants his wife, Madeline, investigated. She's been acting odd lately. Shes goes places, and can't remember where she's been; or she drifts off in the middle of conversations. Scotty reluctantly agrees, and he begins to follow her. She goes to a museum, and sits and stares at a painting of a woman. Then she goes to a grave and stares at the headstone of that woman. Then she goes to a hotel room and sits. After some investigating, Scotty discovers that the woman in the painting, the woman who's grave Madeline visits, has also lived in the hotel room to which she goes. Finally, Gavin tells Scotty that unbeknownst to Madeline, the woman in the painting is actually Madeline's great grandmother, who went "mad" and committed suicide at 26. Madeline is now 26 years old. Oh, and there's another complication: Scotty and Madeline met and have fallen in love.

I read that Hitchcock blamed James Stewart for the commercial failure of this movie. He felt that Stewart looked "too old to attract audiences". But I felt the complete opposite. I thought James Stewart was very appealing. I've only seen him in this film, and in Rear Window. He has a good chemistry with his leading ladies, and he's also charming and charismatic!

This is a story of doomed love. There are twists and turns in the story, but alas, they would just be spoilers. Vertigo was good - there were even a few times that I gasped aloud while watching it! I'd recommend it if you like the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Way We Were (1973)


I was really expecting this one to more romantic that it actually was.

Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford play Katie and Hubbel. They attend the same college and she's got a crush on him. But she's a political activist and he's a writer and they have very different views on life and politics.

The movie begins 10years or so after college, as she runs into him at a restaurant. As she looks at him, we go back in time to their college days. Once their past is established, we go back to them at the restaurant. He's quite intoxicated and goes home with her, where he passes out on her bed.

They sort of start up a romance after this evening. But their relationship never quite seems comfortable for either of them. Their rocky romance spans years. They almost give up a few times. Eventually, they give up for the last time. They are just too different.

That's it in a nutshell, and I think it's ok to write the spoiler since its a very old movie.

Here's what I didn't like about Katie and Hubbel's story. To begin with, Katie was just too desperate. She was begging him to be with her, while he just looked aloof. This is really evident the first night they were together. In that scene, they are in bed, he's drunk and passed out, so she takes off her clothes and slips into bed. He comes over to her and eventually passes out again. She taps him and says something like, "Hubbel? Its Katie. Did you know it was Katie?". For such an educated and outspoken woman, Katie was just the desperate school girl in love with the jock. Their love AND their conflict lacked any passion at all, which made me not really care what happened in their relationship.

In the last scene they run into each other after years of not having seen on another. He's with his wife, and as they exchange pleasantries, he asks Katie if she's still married. They hug...for a long time. It's obvious they still love each other. But again, I just didn't really care because their story did not touch me. The got together and they broke up. That's about the extent of the romance. Not very memorable.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Extraordinary Measures


This touching movie is based on the lives of John & Aileen Crowley, played by Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell. They have three children, and two of them have a rare genetic and fatal disorder called Pompe Disease. Children with the disease are generally expected to live no more than 9 years, and the Crowley's daughter has just turned 8.

Enter Dr. Robert Stonehill, played by Harrison Ford. He does research at a Nebraska University, with much of his research pertaining to a treatment for Pompe Disease. John hunts the good doctor down and together they embark on a a journey to try to get funded by a major drug company for their research. Together - the cranky, anti-establishment scientist, and the business man, who is also a desperate father, fight against the politics of drug companies and the bottom line of "making a profit".

The movie is rated PG, and I did take my 9 year old son to see it. While it was a bit long for him, he did follow the story and it was pretty clean, with the exception of a few words.

Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford are outstanding actors and, as expected, did a great job in these roles. Since we are dealing with a story about terminally ill children, there were a few gut wrenching moments. But mostly, it was a triumphant story, filled with hope and the love that drives a mother and father to do anything they can for their children.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

The Princess Bride (1987)


The movie begins in the present day, with a grandfather, (Peter Falk), visiting his sick grandson at home. He's come to read his grandson (Fred Savage) a story. He says, "In my day, television was called books!" As he begins to read, we see the story take place, with occasional flashes back to present to see the discussion the grandson/grandfather are having about it. One of the cutest parts is in a scene where one of the book's character is in the sea, surrounded by killer eels, and just as the drama climaxes, it flashes back to to Grandpa, who assures Grandson that the character won't get eaten. He says, "I just wanted to let you know, because you looked a little nervous...".


This is one of Robin Wright Penn's earlier works, and actually, she was "Robin Wright" at the time of this movie. She plays the lovely "Buttercup", who lives on a farm and finds herself in love with the farmhand, Westley, played by Cary Elwes. After they profess their love for one another, Westley leaves the farm to seek his fortune so that he can come back and provide a life for himself and his beloved Buttercup. Unfortunately, Buttercup soon receives news that Westley has been killed.

Not long after, the Prince Humberdink chooses Buttercup to be his queen (against her will, of course, since she is still in love with Westley). She ends up being kidnapped, and thus begins the adventure of the Princess Bride. There is swordplay, pirate ships, magic spells, dungeons and everything you'd expect from this move.



On a side note, I was SURE Prince Humperdink was
Mark Ruffalo, but actually turned out to be Chris Sarandon (Susan Sarandon's first husband). See the resemblance on the right? (Ruffalo on left, Sarandon on right)





My son was not sure he wanted to watch a movie with "princess" in the title, but the minute the story began with the grandfather and grandson, he seemed to be drawn into it. He was having a lot of the same reactions that the grandson was having! But all in all, The Princess Bride was a movie we both enjoyed. It was funny, witty and pretty clean!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Rear Window


I was biting my nails the whole time I was watching this movie!!

Rear Window is an Alfred Hitchcock thriller starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Stewart plays Jeff, a photographer who is temporarily wheelchair-bound after breaking his leg. Not being able to do much else, he spends his time looking out his window, at his neighbors who live in apartments surrounding a small courtyard. He looks into the windows of their apartments, and in essence, into their lives. His nurse Stella, played by Thelma Ritter, comes in every day to check in on him and take care of him. His girlfriend, Lisa (Kelly), also visits him regularly.

I knew the premise of the movie was that he witnesses a murder as he looks out his window. So the whole time I was watching, I was waiting for it to take place. But, wow - Hitchcock really strung out the suspense. Jeff looked from window to window, and the whole time I was watching wide -eyed, not wanting to miss a thing. Who would it be? Would it be "Miss Torso", the beautiful dancer with no shortage of gentlemen callers? Or the couple that is always fighting? Or perhaps the frustrated musician at the piano? The lonely woman? Or wait, how shocking it would be if it turned out to be the newlyweds? Or what about the sculptor? Jeff just watches to pass the time, and out of curiosity, but WE are waiting to see who will be the ill-fated neighbor! I was on the edge of my seat. And even when I found out who it was....there was a point where I began to wonder...did he really see it? Or has he made a mistake?


Grace Kelly plays his girlfriend Lisa, and they are a beautifully matched pair in this. I watched Grace Kelly in High Noon, and mentioned in my review that there was absolutely no chemistry between her and Gary Cooper. In this film, there was chemistry abounding between her and James Stewart!


Hitchcock usually makes a cameo in his movies, and this one is no exception. I recognized him instantly when I saw him - casually winding a clock in one of the apartments!

If you love suspense thrillers - this movie is a definite must-see!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Up In The Air

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man who spends most days of the year on the road. He's single, alone, and he's pretty convinced he likes it that way. He loves his job - he fires people for a living. Employers hire the company he works for to go in and do the dirty work of letting their employees go. He's a "termination facilitator".

Natalie Keener, played by Anna Kendrick, is Ryan's 23 year old co worker. She's a recent grad, young and optimistic, and is ready to climb that corporate ladder. She's got a new idea, which she presents to their boss, Craig(Jason Bateman). She believes that they could save a lot of money if instead of traveling to terminate employees, they could do it via video conference. Not only does this sound like a cold, impersonal, and ridiculous idea to Ryan, but it also threatens the very lifestyle he loves.

So the boss insists that Ryan take Natalie with him on his assignments so she can learn what he does and see if this new idea of hers is gonna fly. Ryan is good at what he does - he "knows" people and their reactions, and he understands that this is one of the worst days of their lives. He believes that he does what he does in a humane way - something that can't be replaced with a web chat. (It's almost like being dumped via text message!). This is evident when Natalie fires someone via the computer, using all the canned lines that she's learned, but doesn't really know what to say when the 56 year old man begins to cry on the screen, after being fired from a Detroit factory that he's worked at for decades.

There are plenty of side stories here as well. There's Natalie and her boyfriend. And there's Ryan and his two sisters, one of whom is getting married soon. Another major character here is Alex, which seems to be the female version of Ryan. They are both always traveling and meet up every so often for a "casual relationship".

When the video conference terminations seem to be a certain future of the company, Ryan has to face the fact that he may not be able to distract himself from his lonely existence once he's home for good. Suddenly, the single life...actually, not really even the single life, but rather the emotionally isolated life...doesnt seem quite so attractive to him anymore. And even though he tries to tell himself he's not alone - since there are people all around him at the airport, at the restaurant, at the hotels - he's starting to realize that he is actually lonely. He even decides to take a chance on Alex. you'll have to watch it to see if the risk is worth it for him.

Clooney does a great job, which isn't surprising. Kendrick is great as the arrogant young person climbing the corporate ladder without much regard to anything else but her own advancement. While Jason Bateman's role isn't very big, he is a fine actor.

I really liked this movie - it grabbed you right from the beginning. Surprisingly, it put a high value on marriage. This makes perfect sense, since director Jason Reitman was married and had a child in the six years that he was working on the script.

And by the way, some of the people you see in the movie that are reacting to being fired, are actual people who have just been fired in real life. Reitman asked them to say what they had said when they were fired. I wondered that when I watched the movie.

Up in the Air has a few nominations for a Golden Globes as well as the Screen Actors Guild, which will probably lead to some Oscar nominations. Good movie - recommended.

Monday, January 11, 2010

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Set in England at the turn of the century, this movie stars Gene Tierny as Lucy Muir, and Rex Harrison (whom we also know as Dr. Dolittle and "Henry Higgins") as the brash Captain Daniel Gregg.

Lucy, a young beautiful widow, is tired of living under the thumb of her mother in law and her sister in law, so she decides to go off on her own. She takes Martha, her housekeeper, and her young daughter Anna (played by a 9-year-old Natalie Wood).

Counting on income from one of her late husband's investments, Lucy rents a cottage by the seaside. The realtor warns her that it's haunted, but Lucy finds this delightful - a haunted cottage by the sea! However, she soon encounters the ghost of the former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg. He wants her to leave - after all, its his home! But she stubbornly refuses! Amazed at her fearlessness, he decides to lets her stay. Unfortunately, she soon discovers that the source of income she was counting on has dried up. Captain Daniel tells her to write a book, the story of his life. It becomes a best seller and she is able to support herself. Needless to say, Lucy and Captain Daniel form a bond as they spend time together.

Along the way, she meets a charming Miles Fairley (George Sanders) who she plans to marry. Sadly, Captain Daniel decides to let her live her life without him, among the living. As she sleeps, he tells her that her conversations iwth him have all been a dream, and that she wrote the book on her own. But Mr. Fairly, it turns out, is not as charming as he appears. He has a secret that Lucy soon discovers. She is left alone again.

The story continues through the years. We see Anna grown, and Lucy aging. The ending...very romantic and sweet.

This movie was funny, sweet and romantic. I was drawn into the characters immediately, and there was never a slow moment. I truly enjoyed it and recommend that you see it if you get the chance!

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)


Loved this movie!!

23-year-old Joanna (Katharine Houghton) comes home from her trip to Hawaii, busting with news - She's in love with someone she met on her trip: Dr. John Wade Prentice (Sidney Poitier).


So what's the problem?

1) she's white

2) he's black

3) its 1967

Joanna is happy as can be, but John is a little nervous about how her family will react. And...they are very surprised.

He's also worried about HIS family will react.

Joanna's parents (Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn) have brought her up to not look at race, and to be independent and open minded. One of the best lines is when Hepburn is telling her husband that they raised Joanna to not judge people by the color of their skin she says (paraphrased), "when we raised her to know that whites weren't better than anyone else, we never once added 'but don't marry a colored man'...".

Surprisingly, the housekeeper, Tillie (played by Isabel Sanford) is pretty upset. She's a black woman, and she tells Joanna that she does not like this one bit. She says she does not like him because she does not like someone of her own race trying to get "above his place".

When John calls his parents to tell them he's in love, they are overjoyed. (he is a widower). However, he does not tell them all about Joanna. But she ends up grabbing the phone and invites them to dinner.

The entirely of the movie takes place on this one day. The news is shared, the couple wants their parents' blessings, but everyone is reeling from the surprise of it all. But the couple tells their parents that they have only this night to decide how they feel about it, because their flight to Belguim leaves at 10:45pm, and then they'll be leaving to get married.

There were so many great lines in this movie, I almost grabbed a notebook to write them all down. This movie would be a GREAT conversation starter about how society has changed, or appeared to have changed, or not changed at all.

I totally recommend this movie!

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Avatar


Sci-Fi is not my favorite genre. I wouldn't have seen this movie if there was anything else on. But the people I was with wanted to see it, and so I agreed to go with an open mind. I was kinda dreading that it was a looong movie - Two and a half hours long!

Avatar is about a young marine paraplegic, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who has gone to the moon "Pandora" to finish a mission his deceased brother had begun.

While humans cannot breath the air in Pandora, they can link to a genetically bred "body" that is created to look like the natives on Pandora. As Jake sleeps, he wakes in his "avatar" body. While in his avatar, he meets the elusive People of Pandora and eventually becomes one of them. They don't know he is actually human.

When he begins his fact-finding mission, he is supposed to report back to his superiors about the best way to move the natives away from their home, so that a valuable mineral can be mined. But Jake begins to love the natives, especially his lovely female guide. This is where his internal struggle begins, and he begins to be at odds with his human superiors. Once he decides which side he wants to be on, the war begins.

Having said that I don't really like this genre, I have to say that it was a very good movie. While sci-fi buffs might drool over the special effects (which were good), I prefer a good story at the heart of a movie. And Avatar had it. We find ourselves cheering Jake on - his human form as well as his avatar form. We also see, that it doesn't really matter what the outer appearance is - the true person is inside.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

A humanoid alien and his mighty robot land their flying saucer in Washington DC.

How's that for a first line?

That's how The Day the Earth Stood Still begins. Unfortunately, the alien, Klatuu, is greeted by the earthlings with fear and then violence. He is taken to a hospital, but he escapes and lives among the humans for awhile. He has a purpose for his visit to earth. He has come to warn us about our ways. Earth is on its way to self destruction unless it learns to live in peace. He also tells what his people have done to ensure peace on their planet.

There was a remake of this movie in 2008, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. I haven't seen it, but now that I've seen the original, I just might make it a point to.

Sadly, Klatuu's message is still as true today as it was back then. A classic must see.

The Odd Couple (1968)


I've watched most of the Odd Couple TV series episodes with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. But I've never watched the original movie with Walter Mathau and Jack Lemmon.

The movie begins with Felix Unger (Lemmon) wandering around and almost committing suicide after his wife has kicked him out. He finally finds himself at Oscar Madison's (Mathau) apartment. Oscar offers Felix a place to stay temporarily. As Felix begins to talk about his marriage, we can kinda see how he might have driven his wife crazy after all these years. (He, however, does not have a clue). He is a very neurotic, anal retentive, nit-picky neat freak. On the other end of the spectrum is Oscar. He is the ultimate slob. The opening scene finds him having a poker game at his place, and offering his guests rotten food and warm beer from the fridge that's been broken for weeks.

Needless to say, they begin to drive each other crazy.

It had funny and slow parts. While I enjoyed it, I wouldn't necessarily label it as a "must see" movie. Based on a play by Neil Simon, it really is a perfect starting place for a TV series. Both sets of actors (movie and TV) did a great job with their characters.

The Pink Panther (1963)


This is the original Pink Panther movie, starring Peter Sellers as the clumsy Inspector Clouseau. Also starring is David Niven and a very young (and scrawny!) Robert Wagner.

We find Inspector Clouseau at a snowy Swiss resort, on the heels of a jewel thief. As you might guess, the thief is right under his nose, and is also aided by Simone, Clouseau's lovely wife! David Niven is the smooth talking thief, and Robert Wagner plays his nephew, with his own shady history. They all seem to work together, yet none trusts the other. The movie is full of physical comedy, close calls and mistaken identities! The scene where Simone juggles Sellers, Niven, and Wagner in the hotel room and none of them ever know that the other two are also hidden in the room is pretty funny!

Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale) is the princess who owns the target jewel that Clouseau is trying to protect. I thought she really looked a lot like Catherine Zeta Jones! (see photos to the left)


This review is short and sweet: The Pink Panther is a funny, enjoyable movie, and Peter Sellers did a great job! Might be worth it to watch the rest of this series of movies!