MovieHoliks I saw this movie the year after it was released (2002), and I can't believe I've never gotten around to reviewing this. I got out my DVD and watched again last night. "Auto Focus" is writer/director Paul Schrader's ("Taxi Driver", "American Gigolo") biopic about "Hogans' Heroes" television star, Bob Crane (Greg Kinnear), and his descent into sexual mayhem and addiction, plus his relationship with electronics expert, John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe), who is the prime suspect in his murder to this day (although was never found guilty in a court of law).The producers of this movie also were responsible for some other not-so- likely biopics of Andy Kaufman and Larry Flynt, among others. I was surprised to see this movie had gotten overall good reviews from critics, but only mediocre reviews from general movie-goers. I see that Crane's son was not too pleased about some misinformation (which is pretty normal in any given Hollywood biopic) about his dad. He points out that his father was a sex addict long before he met Carpenter, and really got heavily involved in Hollywood's seedy underbelly. He also said his dad rarely went to church- like maybe three times in his whole lifetime- including the funeral!Well, anyway, facts aside, I really enjoyed this film- thought Kinnear and Dafoe were both brilliant in a couple of the best roles of their very versatile careers. I liked also how the film displayed a sorta electronics history lesson down through the decades- going from the VTR (video tape recorder) proto-type, to that big huge first video-tape proto-type, eventually making it's way to the VHS/Beta-max tape we remember in the '80s! Rita Wilson, Maria Bello, Ed Begley, Jr. and Kurt Fuller round out the cast.

Wuchak "Auto Focus" (2002) covers the last fifteen years of Bob Crane's bizarre life. Crane (Greg Kinnear) was best known for the role of Hogan in Hogan's Heroes, which ran from 1965-1971. The story details how he meets and befriends a video expert named John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe) around the time he gets the gig for Hogan's Heroes. Bob is soon seduced by the temptations of being a big star; "free sex" is the sin du jour of the era and Crane can't resist the scores of beautiful women who want him. Unlike Crane, Carpenter isn't a star and isn't very good-looking, but he's able to continually pick up women simply due to his friendship with Bob. During and, especially, after his popular TV show, Crane experiences a downward spiral as he becomes entangled in the web of loose sex. By June, 1978, he was dead at 49.The movie's based on Robert Graysmith's book "The Murder of Bob Crane: Who Killed the Star of Hogan's Heroes?," which – believe it or not – depicts Crane's plunge into sexual immorality even worse than seen in the movie.Director Paul Schrader is a writer and/or director of quite a few critically acclaimed films, like "Taxi Driver" (writer), "The Mosquito Coast" (writer) and "Hardcore" (writer & director). Speaking of "Hardcore," that film also addresses the subject of sexual hedonism and, in my opinion, is the superior film, mainly because of the fascinating father/daughter relationship that develops between a staunch Calvinist conservative (George C. Scott) and a young lost prostitute (Season Hubley). This isn't to say, however, that "Auto Focus" isn't good, just that it's not as good in my opinion as "Hardcore." If you can handle the sleazy aspects, "Auto Focus" maintains your attention and the actors do a quality job.If you have the DVD, be sure to watch the corresponding documentary on Crane's death and the most obvious culprit, John Carpenter (although there's still the slight possibility that someone else did it).Rita Wilson and Maria Bello are also on hand as Crane's wife and mistress/new-wife respectively. Michael E. Rodgers plays Bob's somewhat nemesis, Richard Dawson.PS: I know someone who worked as a waitress at an A&W in my area during the mid-70s when Crane was forced to do traveling theater work to earn a living, as shown in the movie. She waited on him and another guy and Bob was his typically amiable self, but with a decidedly smart-alecky edge. He didn't leave her a tip! The film runs 105 minutes and was shot in California and Arizona.GRADE: B

gsm1usn Grew up watching reruns of "Hogan's Heroes" with my family, and always enjoyed Bob Crane. Very talented and underrated man, in many ways. Unfortunately, sometimes a descent is concomitant with a rise. This film does a good job presenting Crane's descent into the underground sex scene of the '60s and '70s, which may have led to his untimely and still officially unsolved murder in Scottsdale, AZ. The details have been disputed by many, but the broad strokes are all present. A tragic end to a wonderful entertainer. Great job by Greg Kinnear as Crane, with a fine supporting cast, fitting soundtrack, and some memorable dialogue.

Neil Welch This film brings us some interesting material on the birth of home video or, more correctly, the point at which professional video started to cross over into home use.We get to see a number of generations of early video equipment being set up and brought into use, most of which operate in monochrome (most colour TV at the time was film-based and colour videotaped material was not the norm).Editing equipment is touched on, but there is relatively little about it: the film concentrates on cameras and recorders.A fascinating glimpse into the technical side of TV/video in the not-too-distant past! Highly recommended for all video technophiles!Oh, and there's some stuff about Bob Crane, too.