Moment by Moment (1978)

[BijouMan]

Kino Lorber have revealed that they are preparing a Blu-ray release of Jane Wagner's Moment by Moment (1978), starring Lily Tomlin, John Travolta, Bert Kramer, Debra Feuer, and James Luisi. The release will be available for purchase on August 24.

[OneWayFilms]

I love both of these people.....but I could NEVER imagine them involved together romantically. I saw clips of this film and I can appreciate that some people might really like it and be happy this is coming out, but by the clips I saw, these two had no chemistry together. Yet....I have such a curiosity about it. Weird.

[dkelly26666]

I'm just nostalgic for anything 70s, I suppose. I'm definitely getting this.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by dkelly26666

I'm just nostalgic for anything 70s, I suppose. I'm definitely getting this.

There is nothing wrong being nostalgic for the 70s movies that's if they're good. Moment by Moment is a terrible movie. Everything about this film was awful. The only reason why this movie was even greenlit to be made is because, the filmmakers were trying to cash in on John Travolta's popularity and fame from Saturday Night Fever. John Travolta and Lily Tomlin??? King Kong and Fay Raye had better chemistry! Well If you've got money like that to throw away, give it to me.

[dkelly26666]

Originally Posted by slimdude

There is nothing wrong being nostalgic for the 70s movies that's if they're good. Moment by Moment is a terrible movie. Everything about this film was awful. The only reason why this movie was even greenlit to be made is because, the filmmakers were trying to cash in on John Travolta's popularity and fame from Saturday Night Fever. John Travolta and Lily Tomlin??? King Kong and Fay Raye had better chemistry! Well If you've got money like that to throw away, give it to me.

LOL, I even like bad 70s films. Just remember and love the era. Today, I'm hard pressed to sit through even what is considered good movies of today, with a few exceptions. I can sit through almost anything made in the 70s, LOL. Just a grouchy old codger, I guess...

[jordan-r]

Oh how I laughed when I saw this announcement -- and then I went right to Kino's site to preorder it so that I can get my copy ASAP.

[MiracleandWonder]

I've never seen it, but nobody does a bad movie quite as good as Travolta. Is it "fun campy entertaining bad" JT like The Fanatic and Battlefield Earth or is it just boring bland Travolta like Gotti?

What does impress me more than anything is that this movie is one that essentially has been "lost" over the years, rarely if ever showing up on television and never getting a US release on any home video format, not even the early days of VHS, so I'm impressed it's getting a release in any shot.

[beamish13]

Originally Posted by MiracleandWonder

I've never seen it, but nobody does a bad movie quite as good as Travolta. Is it "fun campy entertaining bad" JT like The Fanatic and Battlefield Earth or is it just boring bland Travolta like Gotti?

What does impress me more than anything is that this movie is one that essentially has been "lost" over the years, rarely if ever showing up on television and never getting a US release on any home video format, not even the early days of VHS, so I'm impressed it's getting a release in any shot.

You can preview it for free right now if you have a library card with a system that uses the app Hoopla. It’s a howler like Gotti and The Fanatic

[MiracleandWonder]

Originally Posted by beamish13

You can preview it for free right now if you have a library card with a system that uses the app Hoopla. It’s a howler like Gotti and The Fanatic

I found Gotti to be snooze inducing, but The Fanatic was so unintentionally hilarious I recommended to pretty much everyone I knew.

[Jaros]

On December 22, 1978, one of the most under-rated films ever made was released. It came and went without notice. The film starred John Travolta and Lily Tomlin. Both had careers that were very hot at the time. The reason for the failure of the film can only be attributed to a poor ad campaign and the fact that the film was not the kind of Blockbuster film for which Travolta had been know just several months before in both "Grease" and "Saturday Night Fever". As you well know by now the box office of a film is often determined by the marketing a film receives. If a star appears in two huge hits, then makes a smaller film, that smaller film tends to be looked at as a flop. It actually made a small profit at the time of its release. I think the visual similarities between Tomlin and Travolta-are what really turned viewers away. It doesn’t matter though-look beyond that. It’s about two people needing each other at a specific point in their lives. Today’s critics seem to be looking back at the film more fondly than they did upon its release.

This film tells the story of a drifter nicknamed "Strip" (Travolta) who pursues a rich older Beverly Hills woman Trisha Rawlings(Tomlin) who has just separated from her husband due to his infidelity. Two opposites with nothing in common except for two things: sexual attraction and the need for someone to care about them. "Strip" never had anyone who loved him and Trisha has just recently faced her husband's betrayal. The two share a brief romance that leads to issues of age difference, trust,denial, and the film resolves in "you decide what happens" fashion.

The soundtrack is wonderful and features a beautiful theme song sung by Yvonne Elliman of "If I Can't Have You" fame. Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch" is also featured. The acting especially by Travolta is terrific. He conveys the emotions of someone who has never had love in his life so well. He is charismatic, yet vulnerable. There are a few lines in the film that are considered laughable by some, but these "so called" laughable lines come from two characters who are desperate to make a connection to each other (or to anyone for that matter. They have nothing in common except for a need for each other. The film was written and directed by Tomlin's longtime "partner" and manager Jane Wagner.

For those of you who have never seen the film you should. For those of you (and there are many) that did not like the film, you need to re-watch it, do not dismiss it because of the casting, look beyond that, there really is something there. There is something about the movie that makes it undeniably watchable-the musical score (by composer Lee Holdridge), alone makes the film worth seeing. Technically, It may not be the best film ever made, but it certainly is and has been, my favorite film of all time. I can’t believe it’s finally being released on Blu Ray after all of these years. It’s a really interesting take on a romantic relationship. Don't miss it!

[OneWayFilms]

If some company took a chance on releasing THIS on bluray, I'm still holding onto my hope for THE PIRATE MOVIE!

[JohnForbes]

I received my copy from Kino last week. Looks amazing. I wasn't crazy about the cover so I made a custom image for my database (from the original soundtrack).

[IMG]Moment-by-Moment.jpg[/IMG]

[OneWayFilms]

I hope this is a good movie, but I just can't shake the awkward vibes I get from seeing these two being romantic with each other. I just looks.....wrong.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

I hope this is a good movie, but I just can't shake the awkward vibes I get from seeing these two being romantic with each other. I just looks.....wrong.

No one ever accused this of being a good movie.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

I hope this is a good movie, but I just can't shake the awkward vibes I get from seeing these two being romantic with each other. I just looks.....wrong.

You're not thinking about buying this are you? Does John Travolta and Lily Tomlin as lovers raise a red flag?

[uncledougie]

Back in the day when I was happy to see just about every legitimate (studio or indie) film released, I didn’t let this film get away from me, despite the widespread ridicule it was subject to in both national and local press reviews. It was obvious the sincerity behind the screenplay, clear what emotions it was aiming to explore (loneliness, disillusionment, the different but distinct neediness of both main characters, how people can unexpectedly connect and bond at a specific point in their lives however unconventional the pairing). That it failed by most any artistic measure certainly was the reason for its box office failure, not lack of support from the studio or poor marketing. And at the time, you really had to move quickly because due to the near empty theaters (as was my experience), it was gone in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t too long before this became another almost “forgotten” film, even though I recall snarky speculation that both stars would have a hard time living this one down. Having only seen it that once 43 years ago, I can only relate impressions it left in that Tomlin got through it with her dignity intact and gave a poignant performance that belied the weak material; Travolta strove for sensitivity and angst, but never came close to becoming a believable character and found no chemistry between himself and his co-star, so came across as badly miscast. That said, the fact it’s finally getting a Blu-ray release is heartening. As with the recently rediscovered Buster & Billie, every film may one day find an audience or be worthy of reexamination decades after its release, and become more interesting in retrospect with the hindsight that takes into account the actors’ and filmmakers’ subsequent careers. Lily Tomlin has never been anything less than interesting in any project or role she’s ever undertaken. She is a national treasure even if this effort is closer to dross than gold.

[Jaros]

Originally Posted by JohnForbes

I received my copy from Kino last week. Looks amazing. I wasn't crazy about the cover so I made a custom image for my database (from the original soundtrack). I tried to imbed the image in the post, but can't figure out how.

Much better picture for sure—my favorite film-thanks for the upload

[OneWayFilms]

Originally Posted by slimdude

You're not thinking about buying this are you? Does John Travolta and Lily Tomlin as lovers raise a red flag?

I have always thought Lilly Tomlin looks too much like John Travolta that they could easily pass as brother and sister.

Seeing them together romantically has the same impact as Harold and Maude...no chemistry whatsoever, perhaps the two most unlikely people to hook up together.

I know I'm not the only one who felt this, this odd pairing has been the subject of many conversations for years.

Then again, this is only MY personal opinion and I respect that others will feel differently. So for any fans of this film.....I'm glad they get the opportunity to have it available for them on blu ray.

I know I have some guilty pleasures that many people would never purchase, so I must respect their personal taste.

[UnionJackMix]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

I have always thought Lilly Tomlin looks too much like John Travolta that they could easily pass as brother and sister.

Seeing them together romantically has the same impact as Harold and Maude...no chemistry whatsoever, perhaps the two most unlikely people to hook up together.

I know I'm not the only one who felt this, this odd pairing has been the subject of many conversations for years.

Then again, this is only MY personal opinion and I respect that others will feel differently. So for any fans of this film.....I'm glad they get the opportunity to have it available for them on blu ray.

I know I have some guilty pleasures that many people would never purchase, so I must respect their personal taste.

Do you know if this was the case at the time? Maybe some people feel this way because of what characters both of them turned out to be and have been for decades, but not back then?

[MiracleandWonder]

Originally Posted by OneWayFilms

I have always thought Lilly Tomlin looks too much like John Travolta that they could easily pass as brother and sister.

This is a picture of Ellen Travolta, John's sister. She and Lily pretty much looked like twins



Part of me is dying to see this because Travolta is like Nic Cage in the sense that he makes the most terrible movies entertaining, even though this was when he was in his heyday and when he was legitimately playing in good movies and yet this happens