Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Angie Dickinson, and Cesar Romero—what a cast! Unfortunately the entertainment value pales in comparison to the 2001 Steven Soderbergh remake. Sure, it's fun to see the rat pack strut around and witnessing the state of the Las Vegas strip 50 years ago, but the pacing is a tad slow (like most 1960s films) and the acting is laughable from some of the stars.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/olddogs.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Dan (Robin Williams) and his best friend and business partner Charlie (John Travolta) are on the verge of a big sports marketing deal when their lives are turned upside down by a surprise visit from a former one night stand of Dan's. Their brief liaison seven years earlier produced twins and his ex-fling (Kelly Preston) needs him to watch the kids for a couple of weeks while she spends some time in the pokey.

Perfection&mdash;is it possible? Some look for it in a significant other, others in the newest sports car to hit the market. I look for it in A/V equipment, be it my display, speakers, or source components.

Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing the Onkyo TX-NR609 AVR (Home Theater, August 2011), which offered a boatload of features, including seven channels of amplification, firstrate video processing, THX-Select certification, and many of the goodies found on the flagship products for the attractive price of $599. When I was done with my audition, I gladly gave the product Top Pick status and recommended it for anyone looking for near-flagship performance on a tight budget.