Harold & Maude -------------- by Sue Blair, 1998 danno was right; this is an excellent film. Ruth Gordon is charming in her role as Maude, a Nazi Holocaust survivor going on her 85th birthday. Harold is a rich boy coming of age whose mother is desperately trying to marry off. Harold is exploring thoughts about death since nobody seems to really want him around. Maude is also exploring thoughts about death since she is getting up in years. Needless to say, their mutual interests coincide, they meet, and fall in love. Harold is taken by Maude's free and positive attitude toward life. Every day is a gift and we must find and appreciate the beauty therein. She "communes with nature", enjoying and preserving it. Of course, the reaction to their wedding announcement by various authority figures is amusing- the priest, the mother, the uncle. The happy couple is not shown "in the act", as was rumored, but they do kiss and are featured in the "standard" afterglow pillow scene. The Cat Stevens soundtrack complements the fabulous polyester fashions in this film. Harold sports a furry collar and a woman is featured in a striking leather and crochet patch collar ensemble. Even though Cat Stevens is a little mellow and instrospective in general, the soundtrack works for this film. It receives the highest possible ratings on the bone-a-rama scale ('4' on the rating scale and '4' on the viewing scale). Definitely rent this on video if you've not yet seen it. Video pick of the week ---------------------- Black Mama, White Mama. Pam Grier and a foxy white chick with long blonde hair star in this 70's film about two women who escape from a prison van handcuffed together. They each have mutually exclusive goals but must stick together until they can nix the bond. The prison inmates, including the guards (except for one), are all foxy babes and are featured in a standard shower scene. Lesbianism is toyed with. This film is generally amusing but suffers from some lame and confused camera action at the end during the "climax". Overall, a '3' on the bone-a-rama rating scale and a '1' on the viewing scale. Bone-a-rama movie scale ----------------------- Bone-a-rama movie rating scale ------------------------------ 4- raging woody 3- moderate stiffy 2- the organ in repose 1- swimmers' dick 0 vestigial reflexive hiding of the scrotum within the abdomen movie viewing scale ------------------- 4- see on the big screen multiple times 3- worth seeing on the big screen 2- view at the dollar show 1- get wasted with friends and rent on video 0- avoid this film