A nice little present from my wife...

So, we are currently in Paris (Montmartre specifically) enjoying a quick weekend away for our wedding anniversary. While strolling through a flea market yesterday, we spotted a store specialising in vintage toys; tin cars, Tonka toys, etc. On a shelf was a selection of these guys. They are nicely reproduced in the style of toys made in the 50's and 60's, and the clockwork mechanism is quite nice! When he gets going, the movement is lovely, with the eyes sparking up and all. I think I've found something new to collect!
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Soundtrack Spotlight: To Live and Die in LA - Wang Chung

"What they recorded has not only enhanced the film - it has given it a deeper, more powerful dimension." - William Friedkin

By the time I had gotten around to watching Friedkin's 'To Live and Die in LA', it was probably some time around the late 90's or early 2000's, at a time when The Exorcist was having a serious dose of re-assessment due to it finally getting a release in the UK on home video. My initial feeling  was one of being less than impressed - it just all seemed a bit 'pedestrian' for Friedkin, the man had, after all, directed one of the best 'rogue cop' movies ever, in the shape of The French Connection - and the film faded from my memory. 

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Club Paradise (1986)

"I could have done that dive if I didn't have the diarrhea."

Club Paradise is proof of that age-old Hollywood saying; "You're only as good as your last movie". The film was such a commercial and critical failure that it effectively killed of Harold Ramis' career as a director for nearly ten years, despite the string of hits he had attached to his belt prior to this. Despite the high profile cast, the film was still garnered with Razzies, and floundered onto VHS - it has still yet to receive a DVD release in the UK. Now that the dust has settled nearly 30 years later, does it still live up to its reputation? or has time healed all wounds?
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