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Now You See Him, Now You Don't

Now You See Him, Now You Don't

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $17.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good news, it IS in widescreen
Review: To those reviewers who have given this DVD a * rating because it isn't advertised as being in widescreen, rest assured. I have this DVD and I must assure everyone that it IS IN WIDESCREEN, and the DVD transfer print is crisp and technically superior. Believe me, I'm with all of you about Disney blowing it with most new releases, but "Now You See Him, Now You Don't," "Herbie Rides Again," and "Those Calloways" are all available in widescreen, so please buy these up and send a message to the Disney dolts.

As for the film, "Now You See Him..." is the second and best in Disney's college "formula" series starring Kurt Russell as science student Dexter Reilly, the late, great Joe Flynn as hapless Medfield College's hilariously uptight Dean Higgins and the late Cesar Romero (the Joker in the "Batman" TV series) as crooked banker A.J. Arno. In this version, Dexter stumbles (again) into an invisibility formula that Higgins enters into wealthy philanthrophist Forsythe's (the late, great Jim Backus) science contest, whose award money will pay off Medfield's mortgage for another year. Unfortunately, Arno wants the college land to open up a casino, so when he finds out about the formula, he decides to steal it in order to assure the college will go into foreclosure. So, essentially, it's the same plot as the other two films in the series, but the silliness just seems fresher and better paced this time. And the invisibility effects are impressive for the time, although next to "Hollow Man" they're pretty weak (although "Now You See Him..." is ten times better than that horrible Paul Verhoeven botch). Especially engaging is a madcap chase sequence involving an invisible car.

The cast is terrific: Flynn, Romero and Backus give their all to enliven paper-thin characters and Michael McGreevey is memorable as Dexter's dim-witted friend Richard Schuyler. But this is Russell's film the whole way and it's easy to see why he is one of the few former child actors to have a vital and important adult film career: he's charismatic and wonderful in his best-known Disney role, and gives his all to assure a good time is had by all. Special credit also to director Robert Butler and composer Robert F. Brunner, who contributes another of his bouncy '70's Disney scores, which are much more entertaining than a lot of the heavily orchestrated, pretentious (and forgettable) Oscar-winning scores of the era.

"Now You See Him, Now You Don't" isn't representative of the best Disney films, but it is funny and fast-paced and refreshingly free of offensive racial stereotyping, which marred many a Disney film of the time, including the sequel "The Strongest Man in the World." And, finally, one of these films gets a decent DVD treatment, although the other two films in the series, "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" and "Strongest" are only available in tired fullscreen prints.

But at least they got this one right.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disney = Bozos
Review: Typical of Disney not to release this in wide screen format. Screw the corporate bozos who don't even appreciate the great things they have created in the past.

I'll buy it once it's released in wide screen format.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disney = Bozos
Review: Typical of Disney not to release this in wide screen format. Screw the corporate bozos who don't even appreciate the great things they have created in the past.

I'll buy it once it's released in wide screen format.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: When Disney Was Great - More Extras Please!
Review: With Kurt Russell, Michael McGreevey, Joe Flynn, Cesar Romero and Dick Bakaylan you can't go wrong with these incredible character actors. This is when Disney was great! As far as i'm concerned Disney died after The Rescuers (1978,1979).
Golfers will love this film with greats like Billy Casper
making an appearance.
Have fun and watch the masters at work. I also recommend "The Strongest Man in the World." The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes was the first in the series and it is not worth the watch.


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