Okay, I just watched "The Cotton Club" again on Netflix's streaming viewer thingy.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087089/

I remember first seeing this in the theater during its original release and being blown away.

It's not deep or profound, but damn if it isn't entertaining and beautiful, and just packed with incredible music and dance, with probably more talent per square inch of cast than any movie ever made.

I put it on my view list just to catch the closing number, which to me is just absolute magic, and then I caught on the credits that Tom Waits was in the cast, so of course I had to watch the whole damn thing just to see what part he played (it's a bit part as the emcee/manager of the club, perfect of course, unfortunately we never see him at a piano, but it's not his film to be a musician).

I was amazed at how good this was and remembered how much I enjoyed it on the big screen. Diane Lane and Gere are a bit hammy in their femme fatale/George Raft roles but they are just the glue holding the stories together, they're fine in my opinion.

Why, oh why, did this not get better notices and do better when it came out? :shrug:

It's easily one of Coppolla's best.

[applegrove]

1. I saw it too when it first came out..with a whole bunch of friends. Don't remember much and I'm sure

the story went over my head at the time. I wasn't on the ball then. I think it was 1985.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

2. Well check it out again if you get the chance. It's a wonderful period piece, and the use of music

and dance is just incredible.

[applegrove]

3. I will see if I can find it at the video store.