Best movie of this year hands down!

The Worst Film Ever

Sorry, this movie sucks

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

After a little more than 30 years, I watched That's Entertainment, Part II again on HD DVD. This time, Gene Kelly directed himself and Fred Astaire in new dance sequences with new lyrics to the title number that originally was in Astaire's The Band Wagon. They help introduce many segments that prove these numbers-despite some corniness of some lyrics-a little more entertaining than the written-if partially stilted-intros of the previous TE. Also appearing in a new segment was songwriter Sammy Cahn who segues to many scenes of characters in the process of writing a song of which one of the most entertaining was one depicting composing "Tales from the Vienna Woods". Oh, and it was interesting seeing Jack Benny just before they mention a couple of songwriters a few feet from him: Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, later producer of many of the great musicals showcased in both these compilations. Oh, and while there was still some overwhelmingness on the part of many musical clips coming one after another, they were at least partly broken by some comedy clips-represented by Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, and The Marx Brothers-and some dramatic ones, whether by a series of Tracy and Hepburn scenes or by many famous lines from either Clark Gable or Greta Garbo. Oh, and unlike many reviewers here, I highly enjoyed the Bobby Van jumping number. If there was one sequence I could have done without, it was all those "goodbye" scenes from the James Fitzpatrick travelogue shorts series which I would have been confused about had I not already known about them. Also have to compliment former M-G-M animators Hanna-Barbera for providing some new animation during one of the new linking segments. So on that note, That's Entertainment, Part II comes highly recommended.

This compilation isn't as good as the original, but it's still fantastic.One of my favorite things about this movie is the hosts: Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. I'm a fan of both of them and seeing them together is so rare that I had a huge smile on my face every time they shared the screen. Throw in some short dances by them together and that alone makes this worth watching.This movie corrected two oversights from the first movie: we get to see Cyd Charisse's Singin' In The Rain dance (in the green dress) and Kelly's dance on roller skates from It's Always Fair Weather.I did enjoy the non-musical clips in this movie, although I thought there were some omissions. The most glaring was the absence of a clip from Woman of the Year (the movie that brought Tracy and Hepburn together both on screen and off).I was also disappointed that when musical clips were shown, the movie they were from was not always identified. I knew most of them, but there are one or two that I didn't know and wish that I did.Bobby Van's bunny hop dance was odd and at first I didn't like it. But, as it went on, I was amazed at how long and intricate that dance was. Yes, it looked simple, but I suspect it was actually very difficult.This movie stands on its own, but I think it's best watched along with the original.

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire introduce more wonderful numbers from MGM musicals. This time drama and comedy clips have been added.OK--there was no way this could be as good as Part 1. Most of the good material had been used there already. Also Astaire and Kelly were given some dreadful new lyrics to classic songs to sing and their introductions to segments were just terrible. It was NOT a good idea to have them dancing either. And I could have lived without the travelogue of Paris. Still, there's plenty of incredible material here.Among the highlights: Wonderful opening credits (done by Saul Bass); Eleanor Powell tap-dancing; Greta Grabo dancing (!!); Robert Taylor singing (!!!); the Marx Brothers stateroom sequence from "A Night at the Opera" (unfortunately edited); From This Moments On from "Kiss Me Kate"; early Bing Crosby; Abbott & Costello; Tales from the Vienna Woods (which is actually pretty funny); Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"; clips of dramatic and comedic stars; the I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise number; Bobby Van from "Small Town Girl"; etc etc.The clips are put together without rhyme or reason--but that helps. You never know what's coming next. Worth catching but try to see the first one too.

Like its predecessor, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT II offers two hours of film clips from memorable MGM movies featuring the likes of Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, and Doris Day. Unlike its predecessor, which organized the film clips into thematic sequences introduced by different MGM stars, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT just throws the clips out willynilly without much rhyme or reason--and saddles narrators Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly with some of the clunkiest, corniest material imaginable. In consequence, it lacks the cohesion and the excitement of the original.But it still has its charms. Many of the individual clips are knock-outs: Ethel Waters performing "Taking a Chance on Love" from CABIN IN THE SKY, Bobby Van doing the famous "hop dance" from SMALL TOWN GIRL, Judy Garland belting out "I Got Rhythm" from GIRL CRAZY. In addition to such musical treats, the film also offers a look at the Marx Brothers with the famous "State Room Scene" from A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, a sequence of famous lines from famous films (such as Garbo's "I want to be alone"), and an extended tribute to Spenser Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Most viewers will probably feel the film drags due to the uneven way in which the scenes are introduced and edited together, but just about every one will find plenty to enjoy. Recommended with reservations.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer