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| 161. First Kid Director: David M. Evans | |
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Reviews (14)
Sinbad plays Agent Sam Simms, the secret service agent assigned to the first kid. He is great throughout and easily the best part of the movie. Brock Pierce is also good as Luke Davenport, the First Kid who struggles to lead a normal life in the spotlight. The movie also stars Blake Boyd, Timothy Busfield, Robert Gillaume, Art LaFleur, and Zachary Ty Bryan. The DVD offers no extras, but the movie is worth a watch even with the lousy DVD. For a funny movie with a great performance by Sinbad, check out First Kid!
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| 162. Gormenghast Director: Andy Wilson (IV) | |
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Amazon.com It is always tricky to film a book dear to the hearts of its admirers.Wilson and his design team achieve a look rather more pre-Raphaelitethan Peake's own illustrations--shabby velvets, garish sunlight, anddank, stone passages. The score by Richard Rodney Bennett is full ofattractive surprises--fanfares and waltzes and apotheoses--and JohnTavener's choral additions are plausibly parts of the immemorial ritualof Gormenghast. --Roz Kaveney Reviews (79)
Such a grand story cannot ever be done justice in a TV version, but the BBC surpassed my expectations. Jonathon Rhys Meyers was eminently hatable, and Christopher Lee dominated his scenes. Old hands such as Warren Mitchell, Stephen Fry, Ian McKellen and Zoe Wannamaker brought their characters to life very much as I expected. The production design was breathtaking, and I particularly appreciated the way the producers played with time and place to leave you unsure in the end exactly when Gormenghast was set. Some reviewers appear to have objected to the film as presented in this version. I recommend buying the full anamorphic widescreen version available direct from the BBC. This DVD won an award for best use of DVD technology, and is fabulous. Great sound, proper structure of the story, and interesting special features. The BBC version is worth 5 stars.
The cast did an excellent job and I was thrilled by the performance of the actors. Steerpike, the Countess and Prunesqualler all shine in their depiction of the characters. The immensity of Gormenghast is wonderfully portrayed through the use of special effects. Read the books first, and this movie will compliment them well.
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| 163. If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium Director: Mel Stuart | |
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Reviews (18)
The tour group is made up of some great character actors (especially Norman Fell and Reva Rose) who take too many pictures, talk too much, steal everything from the hotels, and generally make Americans look sily. The scenery is great as the bus speeds from England to Italy in just a few days. The film is quick-paced, with lots of sight gags and a little romance, too. A great popcorn movie.
The viginettes of each couple and their adventures while traveling from place to place are light hearted and laughable. I enjoyed the tet a tet between the two main characters, but expected a different ending. The movie moved along with a deliberate pace, and I anxiously awaited each new adventure before it came along. If looking for a light hearted, funny movie, with laughs galore, then you will enjoy this one!
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| 164. Heartbreak Ridge Director: Clint Eastwood | |
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Amazon.com essential video Reviews (52)
Eastwood is Gunnery Sergeant Highway, a Korea and Vietnam veteran who won the Medal of Honor and survived a horrific battle in Korea referred to as "Heartbreak Ridge" in the film. He's a warrior on the battlefield, but his aggressive, hard-drinking and "tell-it-like-it-is" personality has cost him promotion and his marriage. Nearing retirement, he receives orders to return to his elite specialty of Force Reconnaissance. Upon arrival, the battalion's operations officer treats Gunny as a washed-up old prima donna and he finds his new platoon comprised of misfits. On the personal side, Gunny's ex-wife still resides locally earning a living as a cocktail waitress. Tackling his main problem, he commences to breathing fire into his young Marines, turning them into "heart-breakers and life-takers." During his off-time, he tangles with his ex-wife in an attempt to repair their failed marriage. All during this time, he's one step away from being under-mined and kicked out by his nemesis. The film culminates with their deployment to intervene the crisis on the Island of Grenada (actual operation in 1983), leading the way into combat for the Marine battalion. It is here where the plot unfolds to reveal if Gunny's old-school training methods have worked, if his wife decides to return, and if he'll survive. Overall, the movie has Eastwood's brand of humor and it's a likeable feature not to be taken too seriously. There are some technical flaws, such as an absence of other officers in the battalion, but this doesn't spoil the movie too much unless you're a proud member of the Marine Corps. Another item about this movie is the use of profanity; it's colorful and there's plenty of it. By rumor, this story was originally written for an Army Ranger battalion, but apparently the Army denied permission to portray their Rangers in this fashion. Whatever the case, it's enjoyable to watch and does touch upon some actual leadership values.
Eastwood's lines are memorable, if only for their raunchy hilarity. "I eat canstantino wire and piss napalm". Ooh Rah!
"Heartbreak Ridge" from 1986 is Eastwood's tough guy image personified. He is Gunnery Sgt. Tom "Gunny" Highway. Gunny has seen it all, and done it all. He's a decorated war hero who has survived battle in both Korea and Vietnam.He's tough and gruff and will soon face mandatory retirement.With no war to fight his last assignment is to whip the members of a raw but feisty recon platoon into shape. He's up against an unwilling group,a "follow orders or else"(not exactly his style)type commanding officer, and an ex-wife who's as feisty as the recruits.Both he and his men(and his ex-wife) are put to the test when war breaks out on the Island of Grenada.It was directed by Eastwood, Marsha Mason co-stars and the cast is nicely rounded out by Mario VanPeebles, Moses Gunn, Bo Svenson and the wonderful Eileen Heckart. This 1986 film looks great on this DVD. Warner has done a nice job with the clarity and colors. The widescreen format lets us in on all the action and the Dolby Dig 5.1 surrounds wonderfully. Lennie Niehaus' fabulous score completes the package.Don't look for much in the way of special features.There are theatrical trailers, some cast film highlights,and subtitles in English, French, Spanish,Portugese and Japanese.It may be viewed in French as well. If you're a big Eastwood fan, you may want to purchase this in the Eastwood "Hero" 3-pack instead. It also includes "Absolute Power" and "A Perfect World"...You know you'll buy them all anyway and this way will save you some money...check it out!
Thanx...and enjoy.....Laurie ... Read more | |
| 165. The Day of the Jackal Director: Fred Zinnemann | |
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Amazon.com essential video Reviews (72)
It's hard to put a finger on what exactly makes this film great: excellent performances by relatively unknown actors, a wonderful plot, fantastic location shooting or a complete desire to avoid the bells and whistles, special effects laden movies that are all that makes up the "suspense" genre of films these days. Like other reviewers have said, be this the first or the fiftieth time that you watch this film, you will be left on the edge of your seat with its "cat and mouse" plot of the search for a lone assassin hired to murder President De Gaulle. The young Edward Fox is brilliant in the title role and the supporting cast excellent. If anything, this film proves that you do not need big named stars, explosions around every corner or computer generated effects to make a fantastic film. The only downside to watching this film is that you realise that the movie industry just does not make films like this any more. Highly, highly recommended.
DAY OF THE JACKAL made me think of these cold war spy movies of the seventies. Do you remember ? We had the impression they were filmed only in green and blue, the characters didn't speak much leaving to the audience the task to understand the plot by itself. You will feel this kind of atmosphere in this film with the difference that Zinnemann worked with a solid gold screenplay. The final scene, the day of the jackal, is about 30 minutes long and is already part of Motion picture History. A few problems with the images ; white spots, images standing still during 1 or 2 seconds. The sound is, in my opinion, the best we can expect from a 1973 movie. A DVD worthy of multiple viewings.
The killer goes through many personalities, disguises, and changes, and manages to kill a few innocents on the way to his final conquest. He is unknown to the gendarme, who are on his trail early, with the help of an informer on the inside, but eventually his appearance becomes known to them--and even then, in spite of an alert commissioner of police in Paris who is every bit his match, Inspector Lebel (Michel Lonsdale)--he almost makes his kill. Had he done so, of course history would have had to be re-written because of a movie, an unlikely event--so we knew that he would fail, but still the plot was so well played that the suspense was never lost. Written by Frederick Forsyth and directed by Fred Zinneman, perhaps this film was predestined for greatness, but in any case it is one of the great ones. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
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| 166. Hello Again Director: Frank Perry | |
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| 167. Nijinsky Director: Herbert Ross | |
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The film focuses on the period 1912-1913, when Vaslav Nijinsky was both at his height as a choreographer, and at his lowest point personally. He was under the guidance and domination of impresario Sergei Diaghilev in his work and his love life, and he was also being pursued by ballet groupie Romola de Pulzsky, who eventually met and indeed married him. The film is based on actual events, but viewers should be aware that the script takes minor liberties with historical time frames, character motivations, and events to advance its story. The production is mounted most handsomely, with the London Festival Ballet helping to recreate Nijinsky's most famous works. The ballet sequences are beautifully filmed, but many suffer from being cut very short. However, "L'Apres-midi d'un Faune" is presented at decent length, and there is an amazing, if too-brief, re-creation of the lost Nijinsky ballet "Jeux", done entirely from old photos and Valentine Gross's drawings of the original production. The major performances are beautifully detailled; George de la Pena's Nijinsky is as winning and as troubled as we believe the actual man to have been. Alan Bates' Sergei Diaghilev is charming, ruthless, and ultimately defeated. Italian ballerina Carla Fracci plays Nijinsky's dancing partner Tamara Karsavina as tender, elegant, and nobody's fool- which is, according to Fracci enthusiasts, type-casting at its best. The one performance that is somewhat vague and unformed is Leslie Browne's as Romola; it may be that she or director Herbert Ross was trying to suggest that Romola was too immature to manage the torrents of emotion she unleashed between herself, Nijinsky, and Diaghilev. Alan Badel gives his final screen performance as Diaghilev's financial backer Baron de Guinzbourg; his plummy portrayal is one of the film's chief delights. I've heard this movie described as disappointing by others, but I think the trouble stems from the history it portrays. The love triangle ends badly, with Nijinsky leaving lover Diaghilev to marry Romola, and subsequently descending into madness. This obviously is not satisfactory dramatic structure, but that's the way it happened, folks, and the movie begs, as it must, the unanswerable question of whether Nijinsky's marriage had anything to do with his illness. For those who want to know what happened after this film's story ends, Romola stood by Nijinsky for the three decades of his schizophrenia, making certain that he had the funds and the care he needed. Shepherding someone through such an illness in Central Europe over the course of two world wars was certainly an act of the most extreme devotion. As Alan Bates' Diaghilev says to Romola at the end of the movie, "I suspect you are the best thing that could have happened to him." Whether you agree or not, you won't regret the time spent watching this one.
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| 168. Cafe Romeo Director: Rex Bromfield | |
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Reviews (1)
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| 169. The Assisi Underground Director: Alexander Ramati | |
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Reviews (3)
Slashed by almost an hour from its original release, Cross plays a young priest asked by Bishop James Mason to hide some Jews in the monastery and cloister at Assisi. He does, while making friends with thoughtful Nazi Maximilian Schell, as the town commandant. Jews are almost discovered, the war ends, everyone gets a little mention about what happened to them at the end of the film. The film's pace here is dull. The film is nothing more than Nazi extras asking for identification papers and Cross looking like the cat that ate the canary. I half expected him to wink at the camera everytime a Nazi goose stepped into frame. Cross also often forgets his Italian accent. Mason's idea of an Italian accent is to add an "uh" syllable at the end of every word, such as "We-uh must-uh help-uh the-uh Jews-uh." Most of his speeches are completely devoid of understanding, I thought I was listening to pig latin. The Jews here are not shown as victims so much as that they have been inconvenienced by World War II. They do not come across as stoic and bold, but spoiled and complaining. In one embarassing scene, Cross, loved by all Jews who meet him, does a magic trick, compliments a painting, and comforts Jews like he is the activities director at an adult day care facility. Maximilian Schell comes off best as the Nazi officer torn between his obligation to the Third Reich and his upbringing as a Catholic. Not enough of his inner turmoil was explored. The film also features a horrendous soundtrack that sounds like bits and pieces of other war films just thrown into the sound mix. There are a couple of battle scenes, one with obvious stock footage, but this is not good. "The Assisi Underground" was made by the guys at the old Cannon Group studio, and that was the first mistake if you are familiar with their product. I cannot recommend this film. This is rated (PG) for gun violence and mild profanity.
I thought it noteworthy that the movie points out that the Italian Resistance helped save all but 2 percent of Italy's Jews - just the opposite of what happened in all the other Nazi occupied countries. Since I have heard my people called cowards and turncoats all my life, this was especially welcomed.
Ben Cross plays a young catholic priest who shows us through his eyes the struggle to keep Italian Jews at bay from the clutches of the Nazi regime that has infiltrated Italy. His ease and care of his charges is charming and thoughtfully played. The young priest finds a godsend through a colonel in the German army who is also a humanitarian, and in seeming unknowing ways helps the priest execute his mission. Slow at times, this film integrates real WWII film and newspaper clippings to keep time with the events of WWII. Ben Cross's performance speaks multitudes of the anxiety and anticipation of the Third Reich's actions during its occupation of Italy. History enthusiasts should find it intriguing. Although not filled with hi-tech footages and action packed scenarios, The Assissi Underground is based on a small group of Catholic monastaries and convents in Italy that forms an underground railroad that only rivals Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad of the 19th Century. Ben Cross plays a young catholic priest who shows us through his eyes the struggle to keep Italian Jews at bay from the clutches of the Nazi regime that has infiltrated Italy. His ease and care of his charges is charming and thoughtfully played. The young priest finds a god-send through a colonel in the German army who is also a humanitarian, and in unseemingly ways helps the priest excecute his mission. Slow at times, this film integrates real WWII film and newspaper clippings to keep time with the events of WWII. Ben Cross's performance speaks multitudes of the anxiety and anticipation of the Third Reicht's actions during its occupation of Italy. History enthusiasts should find it intriguing. ... Read more | |
| 170. Jonny Quest vs. the Cyber Insects Director: Mario Piluso | |
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| 171. Montana Director: Raoul Walsh, Ray Enright | |
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| 172. The Last Supper Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea | |
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| 173. Inspiration Director: Clarence Brown | |
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Inspiration was adapted by Gene Markey from the short novel Sappho by Alphonse Daudet--uncredited--written in 1884, which has more than passing similarities to Camille by Dumas fils. But Markey updated the story to the present time, with the unintended effect of making these bohemian antics seem wildly anachronistic--after all, this was the Paris of James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and the surrealists, not to mention Getrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway, and not the playground of superannuated roues posing as bohemians. But if the film would have seemed ludicrous to anyone familiar with the contemporary European art scene, it is even harder to fathom what audiences here would have made out of it at a moment when most American males were more worried about where their next meal was coming from rather than about where they could latch onto a poule de luxe. Inspiration is emphatically a pre-Code production, and anyone still suffering from the false impression that MGM was a goody-goody studio in the early 1930s may find the picture an eye-opener. (In an early scene a cab driver brags about one of his lady fares granting him her favors after he takes her to her house.) But the main reason for watching Inspiration today is not to peek at a salacious curiosity but to worship at the shrine of the most unique leading lady in American cinema history. Garbo did not so much transcend a movie like this as she transformed it altogether, and the emotional intensity she brought to a role like this rivaled the fabled skill of any alchemist in changing dreck into gold. At the end, after she has penned her farewell letter to Andre, she silently pauses for a moment before parting, and the gamut of emotions that plays over her face has the electric force of a revelation. A vehicle for a great star was as much of a genre as the western or the musical, and Metro lavished its resources on Garbo with the same abandon that Yvonne's admirers lavish their bank accounts on her. William Daniels photographed the picture, Cedric Gibbons designed the sets, and Gilbert Adrian contributed the costumes. Sadly, Garbo did not get as much of an assist from her fellow performers, especially the men. Although Lewis Stone is appropriately villainous as the cruel Delval--whose discarded mistress commits suicide by jumpimg out a window and falling at his feet--but the indefatigably stuffy Robert Montgomery takes a rather unsympathetic character and succeeds in making him even more obnoxious. Although the video is not a digital transfer, MGM/UA has done a reasonable job of manufacturing. Nevertheless, the materials used for the video do not seem to have been very well preserved, and the optical quality is often disappointing--scratches and cinch marks show up throughout the picture, which often has quite a washed-out look in comparison to Mata Hari or Grand Hotel, both from the same period as Inspiration. ... Read more | |
| 174. Eight Men Out Director: John Sayles | |
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Amazon.com Reviews (39)
Here's what I loved about the film. The portrayal of Charlie Comisky, the White Sox owner is outstanding. I found myself quickly siding with the players from the outset and bristling at his obviously unethical and cheap approach. The time period depicted has a great "feel" to it. The baseball scenes are excellent and have a realistic feel as well. John Cusak and DB Sweeney are excellent as Buck Weaver and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. The portrayal of the newly appointed commisioner Kennisaw Mountain Landis is also excellent. After watching this film you will better understand the current situation with Pete Rose, and where his expulsion from baseball originates. If you are at all a baseball fan you will enjoy the film. My only criticism is that too much film time is spent of the gangsters and the announcers. That was a little tedious, and limited the further character development of the players, the depiction of the game, the owners, and the era. I recommend this film though easily to any baseball fan.
John Cusak is wonderful as Shoeless Joe, one of the White Sox who does not want to go along with the scheme. This movie is very detailed: we get an inside point-of-view from the audience, mob, player and player's wife's perspective. It is a look at the conscience of the White Sox players who must either "sell out" and throw the World Series to make the extra buck and keep the sports sharks off their backs, or keep the integrity of the game intact by giving their all on the field and denying the prospects of more money. I recommend this movie not only for baseball fans, but all movie junkies. It examines many of the sports issues that we deal with today, such as corruption, integrity of the sport, and gambling.
In his analysis of the rigging of the World Series of 1919, Sayles targets White Sox owner Comiskey as the true villain. And I believe this is accurate, if not justifiable, at the very least. The Black Sox scandal, as it came to be known, was undoubtedly the lowest point in baseball history, but it could have been avoided. Had Comiskey treated his players as they merited, it is doubtful any of it would have come about. This is not to say that these athletes were angelic: Sayles goes to great lengths to show that several of them would be easily corruptible, such as Chick Gandil (played by the underrated Michael Rooker). Other players seem to want to do the right thing, but are pushed too far by Comiskey--specifically, Eddie Cicotte, as portrayed by Sayles' favorite, David Strathairn. The enigmatic Shoeless Joe Jackson (subtly played by D.B. Sweeney) is just plain too dumb to understand the implications of his involvement. As others have noted, Jackson wound up the series' batting leader. The real moral compass of EIGHT MEN OUT is Buck Weaver, played by John Cusack in what may have been the performance of his career. Sayles' Weaver is portrayed as the victim of the ultimate betrayal for not participating in the scheme. His teammates don't back him up. The courts do not defend him. The press lumps him together with the guilty. His only crime was not being a snitch. And for that, Weaver has basically been relegated to baseball history's limbo, in spite of an above-par career. Sayles does an admirable job in evoking a justified sympathy for Buck Weaver, and Cusack captures it beautifully. EIGHT MEN OUT is not a mere baseball movie. Like much of Sayles' work, it's a film about greed, and the desire of American owners to extract as much from labor as possible, without giving anything in return. P.S. -- Sayles does a great job of portraying writer Ring Lardner. I just wish he didn't sing!
If you want a baseball movie with heart, get Field of Dreams. ... Read more | |
| 175. I Want My MTV | |
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| 176. The Shadow Director: James W. Horne | |
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| 177. Absolutely Fit | |
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| 178. South Park - Bigger, Longer & Uncut Director: Trey Parker | |
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Amazon.com To give away any more of the plot would destroy the fun, but this feature-length version of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Comedy Central hit is a dead-on and hilarious send-up of pop culture. And did we mention it's a musical? From the opening production number "Mountain Town" to the cheerful antiprofanity sing-along "It's Easy, MMMKay" to Satan's faux-Disney ballad "Up There," Parker (who wrote or cowrote all the songs) brilliantly shoots down every earnest musical from Beauty and the Beast to Les Misérables. And in advocating free speech and satirizing well-meaning but misguided parental censorship groups (with a special nod to the MPAA), Bigger, Longer & Uncut hits home against adult paranoia and hypocrisy with a vengeance. And the jokes, while indeed vulgar and gross, are hysterical; we can't repeat them here, especially the lyrics to Terrance and Philip's hit song, but you'll be rolling on the floor. Don't worry, though--to paraphrase Cartman, this movie won't warp your fragile little mind. Unless you have something against the First Amendment. --Mark Englehart Reviews (500)
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is, in a word, brilliant. From the Disney-esque musical numbers (skewered by the biting wit of the lyrics) to the I-can't-believe-they-just-said-that vulgar hilarity of Terrance and Phillip to the "Saddam is from Mars, Satan is from Venus" moments sprinkled throughout, South Park is the best piece of satire written in years, and is guaranteed to keep you in stitches. The movie is set in, of course, South Park, home of our heroes Cartman, Kenny, Stan, and Kyle. The boys manage to worm their way in to a theater to see Canadian duo Phillip and Terrence's new R-rated movie, which is brimming with jaw-dropping language. It proves "educational" to the boys, and they're swearing with flair and gusto quicker than you can say... well... you'll have to imagine. From there, it's a short leap to horrified teachers, mortified parents, and then Mothers Against Canadians. And it would be criminal to give away any more of the plot. Yes, the language is positively filthy.... Yes, the film ridicules networks willing to do anything for ratings, Hollywood families of fame, overbearing and misguided parents, and everyone in between.... Yes, there are many moments of plain grossness.... So if you're easily offended, generally uptight, or a member of any morally outraged group, this film is not for you. This film is ABOUT you. Find something else to watch. But for everyone else: buy this movie. You'll laugh; you'll cry (well, maybe not cry...); it will become a part of you. Last note: The only reason I rated this DVD 4 stars instead of 5 is the complete lack of extra features. The movie is certainly worthy of a 5 star rating, but the complete lack of extras for the DVD format, especially given this material that's just screaming for extras, is inexcusable. But I highly recommend purchasing the movie, anyway.
On the surface this is not much more than a long episode on South Park with slightly better effects. But under the hood they developed a lot of technology to create the film, and it has definitly smoothed the process for the show's production. As for the plot, I'm sure it's been discussed to death, but I will say that the quality of the movie is at it's best! Terrance and Phillip (my favorite characters) play a starrng role, and the show wastes absolutely no time trying to explain to the audience who such-and-such is (except for a small blurb about Ike being Canadian). All of our favorite characters are in it, without it being a showcase. And of course, since it's a feature film, it's much more irreverent than what's on the public airwaves. But again, it's not a giant excuse to offend you. It's all done consistently and it remains hilarious. Finally, as usual, Trey Parker is given full writing credits since he's usually the one that ends up physically typing the script. But like always the show is a full collaborative process between Parker and Stone. At least, this is what they publicly admit :).
A special edition of this is being worked on right now. So hold off on this and wait for the better edition, which is bound to have tons of features like commentary, making-of and maybe a deleted scene or two (I can't imagine what could've been deleted from this). There isn't any release date set for it as of yet, but I'm guessing it'll come out in November or December.
So if you like it fast and raunchy, get a big bag of popcorn, a nice cold soda, and take a few deep breaths cause you will LAUGH!!! ... Read more | |
| 179. Death on the Nile Director: John Guillermin | |
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Reviews (36)
The performances of the many actors are great. Simon MacCorkindale's portrayal of Simon Doyle is wonderful, and Angela Lansbury as Salome Otterbourne is very entertaining. Maggie Smith and Bette Davis as Miss Bowers and Miss Van Schuyler, respectively, have some wonderful scenes together and have great chemistry. David Niven as Colonel Johnny Race is great and makes for a good Watson to Poirot. Jack Warden as Dr. Bessner and Jon Finch as Jim Ferguson, while don't have a ton of screentime, still portray their characters perfectly, and of course Peter Ustinov as the great Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is great. The scenery is beautiful. The scene where Simon and Linnet Doyle are climbing the pyramid is simply breathtaking. The extras on the DVD are pretty good. The 24-minute featurette "The Making of Death On The Nile" is interesting, and the interviews (both in French with subtitles) with Peter Ustinov and Jane Birkin (who plays Louise Bourget), while not extremely interesting, are still a nice addition. There are a few flaws in the movie. The largest one is the fact that they cut out Tim and Mrs. Allerton. For those of you who have read the book, you'll know that cutting out Tim Allerton changes a few important things. Cornelia Robson is also cut out, as well as James Fanthorp and Signor Richetti (which again changes a few things). While I did like these characters a lot in the book, during the movie, these characters were hardly missed. The movie runs approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes, and despite the PG rating, has some slightly graphic violence in it. I would highly reccomend buying this DVD, however, I would suggest reading the book first.
I watched this 1978 movie of 140 minutes without first reading the 1937 Dame Agatha Christie novel (of the same name) that it was based on. I'm glad I did this! Why? Because it forced me to really watch the movie in order to try and deduce who the murderer was. As a brief synopsis, the movie begins with "Jacquline ('Jackie') De Bellafort" (Mia Farrow) telling her very wealthy friend "Linnet Ridgeway" (Lois Chiles) about the man "Simon Doyle" (Simon MacCorkindale) she has fallen in love with. Linnet falls for Simon and they eventually marry. Their honeymoon is on a riverboat (technically called a 'paddle steamer') called the "S.S. Karnak" that takes then down the Nile River in Egypt. Aboard the boat, besides the three mentioned above, are "Hercule Poirot" (Sir Peter Ustinov) and his good friend "Colonel Johnny Race" (David Niven). There are other passengers on board who all dislike Linnet. Linnet is murdered. Eventually two other passengers are also murdered. Poirot has to solve who the killer is. For both Poirot and the viewer, it's obvious that the killer is either male or female or, as Poirot might say, either a "beau" or a "belle." It's also obvious that the killer is no "Simple Simon." Who are these passengers? Besides the five mentioned above, they are as follows: (1) Louise Bourget, Linnet's Maid (Jane Birkin) Of the fourteen actors mentioned above, Ustinov's performance stands out. This was his debut performance as Poirot and I feel he does a stellar job being both serious and comical at the same time. Other performances to look for are Mia Farrow as the ex-fiance and Angela Lansbury as the perpetually drunk novelist. The cinematography of this movie is visually stunning. We especially get to see the Sphinx, the Pyramids, and the ancient ruins of Egypt. The costume design is elegant. The main background music adds to this movie as well. Listen for gags that run throughout this movie. For example, Poirot is Belgian but is always confused as being French. One of my favorite pieces of dialogue is where a passenger gets angry at the great sleuth: Van Schayler: You perfectly foul French upstart! As Poirot attempts to solve the crime, we are shown what might have happened. Unfortunately, there is some unintended humor as Linnet continually gets shot (in the head) as Poirot goes through each possible scenario. I found this somewhat distracting. Finally, the DVD (which has the movie in widescreen format) has five extras. I found that the only one that was interesting was about the making of this movie. It lasts about 25 minutes. In conclusion, this is a fun movie, even if you have read the book. For those who haven't read the novel, I have left clues in the above review as to the possible identity of the killer. If you think you know who it is, then watch this movie to find out if you're right! <=====>
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| 180. Dead Ringers Director: David Cronenberg | |
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our price: $9.99 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6301269780 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 15467 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (55)
I remember seeing this film a while back on television and loving it. Jeremy Irons is one of the world's finest actors, and he sure shows it in this film. As usual, Criterion- the creme de la creme of DVDs presents an amazing DVD. And with a combination of Irons and Cronenberg, how can you go wrong? I must warn, that people may find this film disturbing, to say the least- especially women. If you can get past that factor, this is a must-see film Jeremy Irons plays both Elliot- the playboy- and Beverly- the more work obsessed of the two- identical twin gynecologists, and things start to fall apart when a soap star(played brilliantly by Geneviève Bujold) enters the boys' lives- in particular, Beverly(For Elliot, It's just another fling) As usual, Criterion spare nothing when it comes to extras. DEAD RINGERS has to have one of the best commentary tracks I have ever heard. I don't think there is ever a moment where no one is not talking! There's Director-David Cronenberg; Actor-Jeremy Irons; Editor-Ron Sanders; Production Designer-Carol Spier; and Director of Photography-Peter Suschitzky Other cool features include "Mathematics in Metal" and "Instruments for Operating on Mutant Women"- a gallery of photos and designs that were made for the film; The designs for the opening sequence(I just adore that music!!!!) A good featurette that is quite lengthy compared to others, and a trailer. And one of my favorite features- how the twinning effects were done. A brilliant, but at the same time, disturbing film!
David Cronenberg takes us deep into the ever-festering and drug-distorted world of Identical Twin Insanity - this time based on fact! JEREMY IRONS provides the disturbing double-trouble with appropriate brilliance as Doctors Beverly and Elliot Mantle - the dead-ringer gynecologists. [You know the story - # 1 would start the exam, leave - # 2 would enter, continue the exam - and the patient? Totally oblivious of the switch! Nasty, very nasty ...] GENEVIEVE BUJOLD as the Caustic Star, provides the catalist. A superb performance as the woman who eventually unhinges the twins. It's a cool, disturbing movie, especially considering the trust one has to place in physicians, as They say "We practise medicine". "Practise???" Nasty moment? Those 'specially designed' instruments - for 'the mutated'. It's close to Kafka - leaving metamorphosis to the imagination. A superlative performance by Mr. Irons - who went on to "Reversal Of Fortune" [Award Winnner], another chill! More 'punishment'? Try "Requiem for a Dream"
Viewers should be warned beforehand that 'Dead Ringers' is not a horror movie, it's more of a psychological character study. The twin brothers have an unusual gendered relationship. Elliot as the suave unfeeling male who's "no good with the serious ones" and Beverly, with the girl's name, as the the sensitive, caring female. Soon they come to realize that they are one physical entity, forever separated as two physical beings. In talking about the film Cronenberg has said that men have proven to be much more squeamish about this film than women as lying on the gynecological chair is an experience that many women have gone through. Yet many men have no idea what it's like. Cronenberg was fascinated by these doctors who knew more abaout their patients than their husbands did. The only drawback about this whole project is that the marvellous soundtrack is not available anywhere! ... Read more | |
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