Turning the corner to the holiday, Savant now has a real tree but would like to just leave it there undecorated and enjoy its beauty, you know, without digging through the garage for all the lights and geegaws. But will they let me? Nooo. I've got a couple of reviews of worthy films to slip in tonight:

Paramount's lavish War and Peace will help rescue the reputation of this much-maligned picture, which in this fine widescreen restoration plays like a great and grand soap opera of romance and conflict. Audrey Hepburn is irresistable, Mel Ferrer unusually good, and Henry Fonda rather awkwardly miscast.

John Huston's earthy Fat City shows the down and out life of low-level boxers, with Stacy Keach hanging in for one more go-round while newcomer Jeff Bridges learns what getting a broken nose is like. Candy Clark and Susan Tyrell make impressive debuts as their very different women.

With Christmas upon us, Savant is narrowing down his 'best of list' for the year, which I hope to have up tomorrow night - the Earthlink DSL has suddenly become incredibly slow. I could shoot myself - I mishandled some mail and just discovered a pass to a press premiere of GANGS OF NEW YORK that I missed last Wednesday ... with Martin Scorsese in attendance! Glad I'm not the kind who agonizes over mistakes like that. But the DVD screeners are still coming in. We watched DIE ANOTHER DAY last night, and I'm sorry to say I could not believe how bad it was ... the Danjaq people really need to reinvent themselves a new James Bond approach, one that isn't a meaningless action movie with ridiculous repetitive situations no self-respecting cartoon would present. And enough with the CGI, already, 50% of the show was the worst kind of unconvincing animation! Enough, already, Savant, relax. Thanks! Glenn Erickson