As Good As It Gets (1997)

What should I do with my 1997 Camaro Z28 that works fine, but gets poor (16mpg) mileage?

Considering the environmental and financial costs involved in junking or selling an old car and the environmental and financial costs involved in manufacturing a new one, is it better from an environmental perspective for me to keep the car as long for as it runs or to trade it in and get an environmentally-friendly car?

Assuming that your car is passing all state emissions tests, I’d keep it. Sadly, your 1997 “gas guzzler” isn’t getting much different mileage than most the cars on the road. I’ve been doing tons of research on what car to purchase: I want something that can carry 4 adults comfortably, has a decent size trunk, has a good safety rating, looks halfway decent (bye bye Honda Element) and gets better mileage than the 18 mpg I’m getting on my 1999 Chevy. So far, no luck.

So, from an environmental standpoint, you’re not helping the environment with your Camaro, but you’ll never be able to replace it with anything similar to it, either, unless you’re willing to drive a compact car (I’m certainly not). Hopefully, technology will catch up to consumer needs sometime soon.

AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997) MOVIE REVIEW – The Movie Messenger

Miss Saigon (Original 1989 London Cast) $20.01 It's probably best known for raising the stakes for 1980s blockbuster shows by landing a helicopter on stage, but Miss Saigon is also a good show with good music. As a follow-up to their international smash Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (with an assist from Richard Maltby Jr.) adapted the tale of Madame Butterfly to the Vietnam War, realized here by the original 1989 ...

VH1 Divas Live $6.89 Once an appellation reserved for high-flying operatic stars, the diva has gone mainstream in recent decades, mirroring pop music's post-rock recovery of glitz, glamour, and theatrical hyperbole. Where once there was but a handful of pop divas, fans can now find a growing legion of contenders, a trend underscored by this 1998 cable special originally produced for VH1. The show's producers start w...

In a Metal Mood: No More Mr Nice Guy $13.98 Monty Python have got nothing on Pat Boone. You want absurd, this is the pinnacle. No comedy writer in his/her dreams could have dreamt up anything even half as stupid. The mere idea of Pat Boone, Mr. Squeaky Clean himself, (ahem) crooning heavy metal tunes is bad enough, but it gets so much worse. Big name arrangers were brought in to take crunchy power chords and squealing guitar solos and turn ...

As Good As It Gets [VHS] $0.52 For all of its conventional plotting about an obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon (Jack Nicholson) who improves his personality at the urging of his gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear) and a waitress (Helen Hunt) who inspires his best behavior, this is one of the sharpest Hollywood comedies of the 1990s. Nicholson could play his role in his sleep (the Oscar he won should have gone to Robert Duvall for The Apo...

The Fifth Element (Remastered) [Blu-ray] $9.67 Ancient curses, all-powerful monsters, shape-changing assassins, scantily-clad stewardesses, laser battles, huge explosions, a perfect woman, a malcontent hero--what more can you ask of a big-budget science fiction movie? Luc Besson's high-octane film incorporates presidents, rock stars, and cab drivers into its peculiar plot, traversing worlds and encountering some pretty wild aliens. Bruce Willi...