Reviews (14)

Great music!
What a cast of actors--Justine Bateman, Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts. The music is perfect and the story is pure fun. This movie was an unexpected pleasure and well worth watching more than once!

Justine Bateman saves this movie...
Let's face it, "Satisfaction" is a pretty crummy script. Silly and predictable. And the acting by Julia Roberts is awful. Liam is no great shakes either. What makes this movie so sweet and memorable is lead actress Justine Bateman. The beautiful star was nearing the end of her run on NBC's "Family Ties" and knew it, and this was a bold and extremely daring feature film debut for her. She could always act, there was never any doubt about that. But who knew that Justine could also sing? And she sings well, why in the world she didn't follow up the superb soundtrack with a series of her own albums is beyond me. Maybe she just wasn't interested, or more likely, confident enough following the stinging reviews some critics unfairly slung at her. So this is a good purchase if you are a Justine Bateman fan. If she wasn't in this film it would receive one star. But her talents, charisma, beauty and sex appeal more than carry the day. She hopefully will return to acting one day; she is sorely missed.

Rocking fun film
I believe this is one of Julia Robert's first films, it was before Mystic Pizza etc.... I am a Eddie Cochran fan, when the band performed C'mon Everybody I really enjoyed it. When the band opened at the club and they messed up the intro, then they performed the song. I think this was one of Liams first films. Justine acted and sang great. Enjoy the film.

If you're in a band, you WILL like this movie!!
Satisfaction... is it goofy? Yes. Dated? Definitely 80's. Light/Fluffy? Yes. Bad acting? I bet Julia Roberts would pay to have her scenes erased forever. All of these questions miss the point however!! The appropriate question about this movie should be, "Is it FUN?", and the answer is "Oh yeah!".

Like day time talk shows, comic books, and that old Poison album hiding in the back of your closet, this movie is a guilty pleasure to be enjoyed, but never admitted to! If you are in, or just really like rock bands, this movie is even better (almost inspirational). It's a fun romp with a young (mosly girl) band who land the ultimate gig at a summer beach resort. Music, mayhem, and rock band movie cliches ensue. The humor is funny.... the "drama" is even funnier (the lead guitarist breaks her drug addiction in one day, because the band tells her to!)! Be sure to look for Debbie Harry (Blondie), who turns in the movie's best acting performance in a five minute cameo. The soundtrack is strangely good (retro 80's), and the "band" in the movie actually performs on it! See the movie, and you will have no doubt that Justine Bateman sang her own vocals... which may or may not be a good thing!

If you've ever strummed an electric guitar, or dreamed of rocking out and hitting the road with your friends, you must see this movie!! Tell 'em Tower sent ya!

Justine as Jenny Lee--my hero
This movie is epic!
How can a girl watch this & NOT want to join a band. This is an inspiring classic, a must-see! ... Read more

Reviews (151)

"It will remind us...after all...that we are not God..."
"It will remind us...after all...that we are not God..."

--Leslie Nielsen as Commander J.J. Adams in the final scene of FORBIDDEN PLANET.

SENSATIONAL SCREENPLAY!!! FANTASTIC MUSIC!!!
EXCELLENT ACTING!!! The producers of FORBIDDEN PLANET took Shakepeare's "The Tempest," teleported the play on the flying saucer C 57-D in the year 2200 AD past the speed of light to the planet Altair 4, threw in a mad scientist, Dr. Edward Morbius--veteran of 100 movies, Canadian Walter Pidgeon--played him opposite a young, rugged handsome space commander--another Canadian, Leslie Nielsen as J.J. Adams, an unusual blend of leading man, space captain, military man, and detective--gave the mad scientist a beautiful daughter named Altaira--21 year old beautiful blonde with a mole Anne Francis, the rumored model for the Barbie Doll--surrounded the leads with terrific character actors like Jack Kelly, Warren Stevens, Earl Holliman, and Richard Anderson (best known as THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN's Oscar Goldman), and then created the GREATEST ROBOT EVER, Robby, master of "187 languages and a variety of subtongues" who serves Morbius and his daughter as security guard, chauffeur, chef, butler, and even occasional dressmaker!--lines by Marvin Miller, the classic voice for the 1950s tv show, "The Millionaire"--mixed in Freudian Psychology, a murder mystery, ray guns, THE HOUSE OF THE FUTURE, an invisible Monster From the Id, OUT OF THIS WORLD BACKGROUNDS, and the result is FORBIDDEN PLANET is a boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl science fiction story with a white hot finish!

Or as Leslie Nielsen says in the final scene,
"It will remind us...after all...that we are not God..."

Chari Krishnan
RESEARCHKING

A "hand-crafted" masterpiece of science fiction.
Forbidden Planet is easily one of the finest science fiction movies ever made. Although released in 1956, it still compares favorably with much flashier movies from more recent years. The film is not a "blast-fest" in the Star Wars style, but blends modest action and beautiful hand painted special effects with a fascinating study of basic human nature. Those expecting 1950's B-movie special effects will be pleasantly surprised, as top quality hand rendered artwork abounds, as well as a flying saucer with no strings attached! Also, one of the more memorable big-screen automatons, Robby the Robot, appears in much of the film. The movie also contains some of the best sci-fi film music ever recorded, as it rises and falls to the mood of the scenes. To complement the attractive visuals and sounds is excellent casting, with Walter Pidgeon perfectly suited to the imperious Dr. Morbius. Fine performances by Leslie Nielsen and Anne Francis, among others, help create a dramatic tension you can feel as the film nears its climax. Monsters, mystery and a little humor make Forbidden Planet a genuine classic, which any sci-fi fan should take time to enjoy!

Great Sci-Fi
Like all good film science fiction, "Forbidden Planet" keeps its concepts simple but their ramifications grand, which is just one of the reasons it is a timeless classic. Made at a time when sci-fi was the junk that kept restless kids in theater seats on Saturday afternoons, this ambitious take on Shakespeare's "The Tempest" nonetheless also aims for adults that grew up on the pulp fiction of the 1920s and 30s. (Its delightful production design is a seamless mix of colors, forms, and shapes familiar from those imaginative magazine covers.) The premise is Star Trek a decade before Star Trek, as a military cruiser commanded by the hard-nosed but humane J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen doing an effective melodramatic turn) visits a world populated by a secretive scholar (a wonderful Walter Pidgeon), his curious daughter (a sometimes grating Ann Francis), their robot butler (the epitome of mechanical men) and a mostly unseen terror (illustrated by topnotch Disney animators). Beyond great special effects and an innovative musical score, the film also engages a firm--if now familiar--science fiction plot, unlike so many of the noisy and expensive but ultimately overwrought and empty-headed sci-fi movies of today.

The best of science fiction
This has to be my favorite movie about space travel and alien life. The landing of an exploration spaceship is believable and the technology is also reasonable. When they encounter invisible forces they are frightened and cautious.
They encounter a former explorer who has taken up residence and is a great scientist. Tremendous computer knowledge and Krell metal are just samples of the far out technology. Robbie the robot makes entertaining fun for young folks and there's not much violence - a real plus, I think.

"Civilization without instrumentalities?"
There are a handful of 1950's sci-fi movies that have a big reputation - "When Worlds Collide", "The Thing From Another World", "Forbidden Planet", and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Unfortunately, only "The Day The Earth Stood Still" really stands up (except the robot).

This movie has big concepts, and none of them work anymore, if they ever did. Part thriller, part drama, part mad-scientist melodrama. There are just too many things going on, and all of them "supposedly" explained in long-winded speeches that answer nothing.

"Forbidden Planet" starts off looking much like Star Trek TOS, including the transporter. In reality, ST:TOS creator Gene Roddenberry admits this movie formed part of the basis for Star Trek. In a nutshell, a United Planets space cruiser captained by Leslie Nielsen lands on Altair, against the wishes of its inhabitant, Dr. Morbius, a remnant from a previous expedition. He and his 25 year old daughter (Anne Francis) are the only humans on the planet. There is also a robot called "Robbie" that goes on to stardom in the "Lost in Space" series. The doctor reluctantly shows the others his discovery about an ancient extinct race called the Krell. The "big" ending is too weird and funny to be described.

The entire robot aspect and the tasks he performs is just silly (in the "Lost In Space" vein). Earl Holliman's character of "Cookie" was put in for comedic effect - unfortunately most has to do with his dealings with the robot - including getting the robot to make bourbon - which only adds to the silliness.

The actors are quite serious and for the most part are OK. Leslie Nielsen plays it straight. Anne Francis is entertaining as the daughter. Though initially somewhat innocent and ignorant of sex, as might be guessed, the captain ends up with her.

The sets are incredibly hokey. The all-electronic score does not help. Ambitious, atrociously fake special effects that probably were OK in 1956. Possibly the goofiest sci-fi movie ever. Don't get me wrong - this is a well-made and well-intentioned movie, but as with "When Worlds Collide" and "The Thing...", it is recommended only for a laugh.

A further insult is that the robot is not accurately depicted (wrong "face" and hands) on the DVD cover, and he never holds anyone in his arms. ... Read more

Reviews (333)

65 Million Years is Well Worth the Wait!
Intense, supersonic-paced science fiction adventure finds paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and company invited to a remote tropical island theme park inhabited by genetically engineered dinosaurs! The awe and wonder is abruptly replaced by terror and a fight for survival after the park's security system is sabotaged, granting the resurrected behemoths free run of the island!

Director Spielberg is at his creative best in this tour de force of suspense, acutely blending action, thrills, awe and humor. Equal to the challenge is composer John Williams with an appropriately rousing and kinetic score that sounds something like Stravinsky on melodic steroids!

Expert direction, superb performances (Richard Attenborough is particularly effective as the eccentric billionaire entrepreneur, John Hammond) and breathtaking, unprecedented visual effects (the ILM computer generated dinosaurs are completely convincing!) more than compensate for less than dimensional characters and rudimentary plot. Along with the action and fun, "Jurassic Park" also raises some serious questions about the ethics of advanced science and cloning.

Perhaps Steven Spielberg's best adventure film, "Jurassic Park" truly is a cinematic masterpiece and one of my five favorite films of all time!

Unbelievable
Jurassic Park has got to be one of the greatest movies of all time. The directing, animatronics, acting, graphics, and casting were perfect in this movie. The beginning was perfect, no sitting around waiting for action. It opens with a worker being attacked by a velociraptor and Muldoon(Bob Peck) trying to help him.

You meat a character named Nedry(Wayne Knight) who is working for a company that will pay him 1.5 million dollars if he steals the dinosaur embryos.

Then some other stuff happens, yaddah yaddah, anyway, Grant(Sam Neill), Ellie(Laura Dern), Gennaro(Martin Ferraro), Malcolm(Jeff Goldblum), and Hammond(Richard Attenborough), reach the island. The island is owned by Hammond the billionaire. It is a theme park with real dinosaurs. The main four go on a tour with Hammond's grandkids.

Needless to say, the tour goes bad. Nedry steals the embryos, pulls the power and runs off. The five remaining characters are stranded out by the tyrannosaur paddock. Ellie has already gone back to the visitor's center where she, Hammond, Muldoon, and Mr. Arnold(Samuel L. Jackson) try to figure out what Nedry has done.

The tyrannosaurus escapes, eats Gennaro and nearly kills everyone else. Moments later Ellie and Muldoon come to try and find everybody, but they have left. They find Malcolm lying in a pile of hay, and the two cars destroyed.

Now Grant, and the two grandchildren, Lex and Tim, must find their way back to the visitor's center while Ellie, Malcolm, Muldoon, Hammond, and Mr. Arnold try to get the power back.

This was THE movie of my generation
As a college student now, I was 9 years old when Jurassic Park hit theaters and it couldn't have come at a better time. Watching it again, Jurassic Park holds up as great entertainment, even if the characters and storylines seem a bit flimsy at times. It's probably more worthy of 4 stars than 5, but hey, this is the movie of MY generation and I'm not going to apologize for its rating. Jurassic Park continually reminds its viewers that Steven Spielberg is the greatest entertainer since Walt Disney. Constantly filling the screen with visual treats, keeping the plot moving at a brisk pace (once the obligatory exposition is filled in), and allowing us to enjoy ourselves without stooping too low, nobody does blockbusters like this man. Since he was to direct Schindler's List that same year, this was more or less his kiss-off to the popcorn genre he helped invent (consisting of classics like Jaws, Raiders, and E.T.--some with more dramatic substance than others, but all damn entertaining). Like I said, I was nine when this movie premiered and I still remember watching in the dark theater as the whole show unfolded--perhaps taking it for granted that movies should be so thrilling and fun, and that every filmmaker was capable of such wonders. Wrong on both accounts, but it did spur me on to shoot my first movie on video camera that summer (admittedly, it was highly derivative). Now I'm a film student...thanks Steve
5/6

"This is a UNIX system. I know this"... And black leather?
Jurassic Park is good entertainment, but take most of the "science" it presents with a grain of salt.

All the characters seem to think the idea of cloning dinosaurs is a good idea except chaos theorist Goldblum who wonders if we should do what we apparently can do.

Innovative in its presentation of realistic looking dinosaurs, Jurassic Park is the name of a new dinosaur-based theme park that is sabotaged while a few scientists and kids are on a pre-opening tour. It becomes an adventure to see who will escape alive.

The movie is best when there are dinosaurs on screen.

Mostly good acting by Laura Dern and Sam Neill as dino experts, Jeff Goldblum as the chaos theory mathematician, and Richard Attenborough as the park designer. The kids, played competently by Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello had some of the best lines.

An entertaining adventure, but no big concept. Not quite the same level as Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Jaws.

The only nit-picks include wondering why Jeff Goldblum wears black leather to the tropics, and why a pre-teen girl can save the day on a complex computer (again - see S1m0ne) with her knowledge of UNIX.

DVD has wide-screen movie, a behind the scenes documentary, and a few other minimal goodies.

More Than Just A Movie...
Jurassic Park was more than just a movie. More than an event. It was a full blown phenomenon! Steven Spielberg is the unrivalled king of such films. Every few years he puts out another spectacular that sweeps the world and sets a new standard (like Jaws, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, E.T., Raiders Of The Lost Ark, etc.). This time out, we've got resurrected dinosaurs running amok! The basic plot has stranded people on dino-island trying to keep from becoming dino-chow. You've got your scientists (Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum), your crazy zillionaire (Richard Attenborough), a greedy, lecherous computer geek (Wayne Knight), a sleazy lawyer, and two cute kids to round out the cast. You even get Samuel L. Jackson as a chain-smoking computer tech guy! Throw in an approaching hurricane, and you've got the perfect monster movie! It's usually not the "deep" storyline (except in the cases of Spielberg epics like Schindler's List, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan, The Color Purple, etc.) that causes the phenomenon. It's his way of thrilling us and breaking new cinematic ground that we love. I knew when I first saw JP that I was in for a blast. At the same time, I also knew that I wasn't going to see Hamlet or Macbeth! Jurassic Park blew my mind with it's realistic T-rex, Raptors, Triceratops, and the rest. We saw dinosaurs that were not rubber, clay, or robots (well, at least not robots that looked like robots)! We got CGI that put flesh on 65 million year old bones! The team that made this movie are legendary, and have pushed special effects to stratospheric heights. JP is a true milestone that stands the test of time. Belongs in every DVD collection... ... Read more

Description

A man accepts a plum job at a law firm if he stops seeing the bosschr(39)s daughter. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Trials and tribulations in the Philadelphia social order
Soap opera is about high society and social position in Philadelphia, with lawyer Tony Lawrence overcoming many obstacles to finish law school, make a name for himself as a tax attorney, and marry his erstwhile sweetheart, Joan Dickinson. Young Lawrence has enough character to overcome a scheming preceptor who disapproves of his daughter marrying a cub lawyer, a stinging rebuke to his marriage proposal to a frustrated wife and the calm acceptance of learning who his father really is. Lawrence must also defend an old friend against murder charges in a tense courtroom face-off with a tough district attorney. The polished, urbane John Williams brings just the right touch to his role as a stern, cantankerous senior law partner. The film also has several good performances from a solid supporting cast, including Brian Keith, Alexis Smith and Barbara Rush.

The Irish make it again!
I read this book years ago. Movies tend to fall short of good novels because they are too limited in what they can cover. But this movie does quite well. In the book there were three generations of Irish. The hero's grandmother is the immigrant who got the family to America. Next Tony (the hero) gets a key block in the getting ahead game when his second generation mother finds a crack in society's door but doesn't quite get in herself. But she keeps her foot in the door in that commitment to the future that our immigrant ancesters had that has done many of us a lot of good. Her commitment put Tony in a position to belong IF he can graduate from the right school and prove himself in a Society level law firm.

Tony and his mother get behind the scenes help from Tony's real father a successful and politically connected Phila contractor who sounds an awful lot like the famous John Kelly (Grace Kelly's Grandfather). Once again the Irish immigrant class are working with a commitment to the future of their people and their family. The real father sees to it that Tony can afford Princeton and law school. And Dad keeps Tony's mother's secret. They even keep it from Tony himself.

Tony does some bad things. He gets suckered by his sweetheart's father when the lovers decide to marry before Tony has his law degree. So he loses the girl. Next he steals a a plum summer job out from under one of his college buddies to advance his own career.

Next Tony does some good things. His super influential summer employer's young wife thinks she is in love with Tony. Tony actually turns her down while making her feel good about the whole thing. He's learning to think on his back as well as his feet. And he uses his inherited Irish blarney to great effect.

Next he saves his old Princeton Buddy from a murder rap, earning the undying gratitude of a socially very important main line family. His original girl friend, good looking and also well connected, marries Tony after her husband is killed in Korea. She wanted him even though she thought he was a sell out. But when she watches him battle his way through a tough criminal rap, in a high risk situation, out of loyalty to his old pal, she stands with a look of admiration and says something like "you are the man. I'm yours for ever"

At that point I was wishing that I was Tony.

What I Want for Christmas...
...is a copy of this movie.

A fifties black and white classic, this movie is everything movies used to be, but, sadly, are not today.

Who's Paul Newman? Sure, he's devastatingly handsome and burns up the screen as Tony, but it's Robert Vaughn who steals the show. His character, Chester, is riveting and achingly fleshed. 1959 Vaughn in a white dinner jacket...and the jail cell scene takes my breath away every time.

The soul of the movie is good triumping over evil, even if it takes good a while to get there. The meandering path the two heroes take on their journey to personal salvation makes us examine our own life choices.

You'll feel better about the human condition (not to mention lawyers) after watching this movie.

Cynical and sexy
A steamy "Peyton Place" style sex story, featuring Paul Newman as Tony Lawrence, an ambitous young man whose soul is twisted by his aristocratic family's unwillingness to let him marry for love. Forced to play the power game, he plays it to the hilt, cynically using his sex appeal and ruthlessness to bring ruin to anyone standing in his path. I'm sure they must have toned the film script down quite a bit from what the book was like, but it's still pretty raw. Plus, Newman was one sexy monkey when he was young... if you wanna see him at his shirtless, hunky best, then this is the film for you.

Paul Newman cuts the mustard in Philadelphia's cream
"The Young Philadelphians" is pure 1950s Hollywood gloss, replete with well-coiffed, young social aspirants (Paul Newman, Barbara Rush), fringe-dwelling wannabes (Robert Vaughn, uncharacteristically unkempt) and rough diamonds (Brian Keith), blended together under Vincent Sherman's by-the- book direction. Hollywood in 1958-9 was gingerly trying to avoid the whiff of McCarthyist hysteria by leading with its heart rather than its head; hence, "The Young Philadelphians". In its favour this film unearthed some genuine acting talent (Robert Vaughn) while reminding us of the great character actors of older times in Billie Burke's marvellously potty characterisation.

The major theme of this picture is personal redemption, as Newman's character Tony Lawrence ("one of THE Philadelphia Lawrences" as we are continually reminded) seeks to recapture self-respect and lost love, victims to a voracious value system which divides the haves and have nots into neat stereotypes. Tony loses his girl (Barbara Rush) to the wiles of the old order law elites, who suck him into the vortex of old money, and older prejudices. But Tony is also young, and has his own values - as displayed when the wife of his boss makes a play for him, only to be rebuffed by Tony's insistence on commitment, not casualness; an irony lost on the precocious legal eagle!

Later, this resolve is tested when Barabara Rush comes back into his life after her husband's death. Tony must tread warily, as his inconsistencies are now well known. Finally, Tony's own value system is put to the sword by family revelations of bastardry, discovering he is not in fact a Lawrence, but the son of an Irish businessman (Brian Keith), a friend and mentor throughout Tony's life, but who is outside the inner Philadelphia circle.

Thus, Tony must now earn his stripes, not rely on the club. He does this as only a lawyer can, through the stage of the courtroom. Robert Vaughn's Chester, Tony's lifelong friend but a social (and physical) outcast, provides the medium for Tony's final resolve: he must defend Chester against a murder charge. The acquittal provides the end point for the power plays which have constructed "Tony Lawrence". Chester is admitted into the "Philadelphia set", while Tony is reunited with both his moral self (and can genuinely regard himself as a "Lawrence", but on his terms), and his ethical self, realising the complex threads that bind the personal ties of his emotional life.

While there are moments of sincerity in this film, its failure to resolve its own moral dilemma undermines its inherent value as an expose of the consequences of personal indulgence. If Tony had been truly redeemed would he have returned to the Phildalephia fold, or would he have denied its apparent claims to authority and carved his niche outside of its strictures, say by rejecting the old firms for his own practice, or starting afresh in an area of HIS choosing? This has been resolved unsatisfactorily in light of the stance taken by Tony toward the controlling elites towards the film's end.

Postscript: Robert Vaughn's performance is a revelation. His impassioned plea to Tony to defend him on the murder charge is one of the most powerful scenes in this, or any other, film. Anyone only vaguely familiar with Vaughn through "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", should see this film to encounter an actor of great depth and believability. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Critics largely dismissed this 1978 movie despite the fact that it was directed by a serious filmmaker, Bryan Forbes (The L-Shaped Room, King Rat). A sequel to National Velvet, the film stars Nanette Newman as the grown-up Velvet (played by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1944 film), and Tatum O'Neal as her niece. O'Neal's character decides to become an Olympic-caliber horsewoman herself, and the prestardom Anthony Hopkins plays the no-nonsense trainer who helps her get there. No dull shadow of its famous predecessor, International Velvet is an exciting film in its own right, with a distinct tone and personality (Hopkins has a lot to do with this), and some very nimble work by Forbes behind the camera. This is more than just a movie for the kids. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Still one of my Top Five Favorite movies!
I've never understood why this movie has been so largely ignored by viewers and critics since its release in 1978.

I saw "National Velvet" when I was young, and truthfully, I hated it. I was able to get my mother to take me to see "International Velvet" because of her love of Elizabeth Taylor (her peer) and the original. I loved this movie for many reasons, but it was wonderful to see Tatum O'Neal (a slightly-older peer of mine) in such a wonderful, heart-warming role.

Ms. O'Neal moved so gracefully in this movie from age 8 to 18 without question. She portrays Sarah Velvet Brown, niece of the "original" Velvet Brown - winner of the Grand National. At the beginning of the film, Sarah arrives in England to live with her Aunt Velvet and "Uncle" John after the car-accident deaths of her parents in their home town of Cave Creek, Arizona.

She soon develops a keen interest in horses, and raises Velvet's horse, "Pi"'s son, "Arizona Pi" to adulthood and eventually rides him to to the Olympics.

This is a true "coming-of-age" story with SUPERB cinematography (a stunningly-beautiful sea-side English locale), haunting score and stellar acting by a first-class cast, including two of my all-time favorite actors, Christopher Plummer and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

A year or so ago, I happened to catch the tail-end of a short featurette on this film, on the Independent Film Channel. It featured clips and details about how Tatum O'Neal learned to ride entirely for, and during the production of this movie. The race-footage clearly shows Tatum doing most, if not all, of the actual riding, even in the most difficult steeplechase sequences.

Even if you're not a horse-lover, you'll adore this movie.

NOW, LET'S GET IT RELEASED ON DVD!!!

Where's the DVD & soundtrack??
This is a superb movie that I still love & remember from childhood. It also has one of the most gorgeous & moving soundtracks of any film I can remember. So, where is the DVD edition and the soundtrack CD?? I am still looking and refuse to give up!!

Great Parts, Could Have Been Better
This movie had a lot going for it--Anthony Hopkins, a beautiful score and scenery, wonderful cross-country eventing scenes--but on other terms it falls quite flat. At some points Tatum O'Neal is acting very well; at other times she's not quite up to the material. Christopher Plummer and Nanette Newman are charming as John and Velvet--I particularly like John--but many of the other characters are just two-dimensional, like the student with the crush on Sarah, her riding partners, etc. Plus the romance late in the film just appears; she marries this guy after knowing him two weeks???? The quality of the film is uneven as well; sometimes it looks as if it were videotaped rather than filmed. Plus there's a big anachronism in the film: NATIONAL VELVET takes place in the 1920s! In the 1970s Velvet would have been an elderly woman and the Pi would have been dead!

Loved it
I saw this movie before National Velvet, and I feel it was just as good as National Velvet! I think the ambition Sarah had was great :)

good story bad quality tape
sweet story for pre-teen and teenage girls, but the sound quality was awful. popping, hissing and static throughout the video. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

More timely now, perhaps, than when it was first released in 1957, Elia Kazan's overheated political melodrama explores the dangerous manipulative power of pop culture. It exposes the underside of Capra-corn populism, as exemplified in the optimistic fable of grassroots punditry Meet John Doe. In Kazan's account, scripted by Budd Schulberg, the common-man pontificator (Andy Griffith) is no Gary Cooper-style aw-shucks paragon. Promoted to national fame as a folksy TV idol by radio producer Patricia Neal, Griffith's Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes turns out to be a megalomaniacal rat bastard. The film turns apocalyptic as Rhodes exploits his power to sway the masses, helping to elect a reactionary presidential candidate. The parodies of television commercials and opinion polling were cutting edge in their day (Face in the Crowd was the Network of the Eisenhower era), and there are some startling, near-documentary sequences shot on location in Arkansas. An extraordinary supporting cast (led by Walter Matthau and Lee Remick) helps keep the energy level high, even when the satire turns shrill and unpersuasive in the final reel. There's an interesting parallel in Tim Robbins's snide pseudodocumentary Bob Roberts: both these pictures have almost as much contempt for the lemmings in the audience as for the manipulative monsters who herd them over the cliff. --David Chute ... Read more

Reviews (36)

The Dark Side of Mayberry
A Face in the Crowd, director Elia Kazan's criminally underrated 1956 political melodrama, tells the all-too plausible story of Lonsome Rhodes. Discovered by a local reporter (Patricia Neal) while spending time in a jail cell for vagrancy, Rhodes (Andy Griffith) is a drifter whose folsky charisma quickly makes him an instant celebrity. Soon, Rhodes has taken Neal as his lover and has his own television show where he gives out his home-spun opinions to a charmed nation. However, Rhodes is hardly the benevelolent country bumpkin that he presents himself to be. Instead, he is a power hungry meglomaniac who uses his fame to promote a fascist political organization. Much as he seduces a niave nation, he seduces a teenage cheerleader (Lee Remick) into being his bride. By the time that Neal and cynical television writer Walter Matthau come to realize the monster they've helped unleash on the world, it may indeed be too late.

If this film was too easily dismissed when released, it has become all the more plausible and relavent in recent years. Certainly, the current popularity of talk radio can be seen as a fulfilment of the film's prophecy. However, a more disturbing parallel can be made between Rhodes and the recent emergence of several political leaders whose popularity has been based less on their abilities and more on the "straight-talking" personalities that they skillfully display to a public disillusioned with "politics-as-usual." (Ross Perot and Jesse Ventura being just two of the more obvious examples.)

Best known for working with certifiably great actors like Marlon Brando and James Dean, Elia Kazan assembled a cast for A Face in the Crowd that may appear unlikely at first. Who could ever imagine a dark political drama starring Walter Matthau and Andy Griffith -- two seemingly polar opposites best known for their comedic efforts? However, it is a risk that plays off beautifully. Matthau's urban glumness stands in perfect contrast to Griffith's country-corn routine and both are such relaxing presences that even the most sophisticated of viewers will find it hard not to be drawn into a false sense of security that makes the film's ultimate revelations all the more disturbing.

A Face in the Crowd was Andy Griffith's first film and he gives an amazing performance that will surprise anyone who knows Griffith only as the sheriff of Mayberry. While still displaying his own unique charisma, Griffith also doesn't shy away from revealing -- subtly but surely -- that Lonesome Rhodes is a truly evil man. What's now forgotten is that even as Sherif Andy Taylor, Griffith's performance had a certain edge. If the people surrounding him were funny, Taylor was always a no-nonsense authoritarian who luckily had a good sense of humor. In his performance as Rhodes, Griffith gives us a portrait of Andy Taylor without the sense of humor or the grounding-influence of family. Its an amazing, all-too realistic performance that makes one wonder what Griffith could have accomplished if he'd continued to explore that edge.

Though Griffith dominates the film, the supporting cast is also strong. Along with the aforementioned Matthau, Patricia Neal gives a strong performance and brings both a subtle class snobbery and a repressed sensuality to her role. Her scenes later in the film, when she is forced to confront what she has set loose on the world, are devastating. Though her role is tiny, Lee Remick is both sexy and sympathetic as Griffith's child bride. Interestingly, Kazan doesn't present her character as a total innocent. Perhaps much like the film's America, if Remick is seduced and abused Rhodes, it is a seduction and degregation that she, at least partially, seems to desire.

After naming names during the red scare, Kazan often seemed to be drifting. Shunned by Hollywood, Kazan's films soon became obsessed with justifying his own actions. His last two great films -- On the Waterfront and a Face in the Crowd -- both deal with the McCarthyism of the 1950s. If Waterfront was Kazan's justification for informing, A Face in the Crowd is Kazan's attack on the men who perpatrated the Red Scare. Rhodes becomes Kazan's horrific imagining of Joseph McCarthy. It as if after justifying his own choice to name names, Kazan now wanted to make sure it was understood that he was still opposed to the excesses of the times. All-in-all, its a self-centered way to view the power of cinema. However, personal motivations aside, Kazan's need to justify himself produced at least two great films. On the Waterfront is an acknowledged classic. A Face in the Crowd deserves to be.

Timeless Message
Seeing this film once was enough for me. Andy Griffith is completely obnoxious. He laughed, screamed and hollered so much it got on my nerves. Maybe a character like that could become a huge success with the public in the 1950s, but I don't believe he could now.

Aside from that, this movie has a message that may seem old to us now, but is timeless nonetheless. Lonesome Rhodes is discovered in a local jail. His hokey, aw-shucks, down home manner of speaking turns him into a national icon. He has tremendous influence. He brings a lady onto his television show whose house has just burned down, and the money starts pouring in. Haven't we all heard this type of situation before?

The later part of the movie Rhodes was advising a politician on how to get votes. I couldn't help but think of Bill Clinton. In fact, Lonesome Rhodes reminded me of Bill Clinton during this part of the movie. Mr. Manipulation.

I haven't given away the ending. See it for yourself.

Everyone should see this.
There are so many truths--hidden and not hidden in this extraordinary film about a guy who is truly a "nothing" becoming powerful enough to influence a presidential election.

The way he manipulates the public will remind you of Bill Clinton. The fact that he's a complete zero will remind you of George W. Bush.

This is really trivia in a movie this important but what a revelation that Andy Griffith started his career as a brilliant actor! What a shame he spent the rest of his career at the level of a Don Knotts or a Jerry VanDyke. The next time I see an actor who is truly awful I'll consider that maybe the right part just hasn't come along.

A Great Movie, But It's Not Just About Him
This is a great movie with incredible performances by Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, Tony Franciosa, and Lee Remick. It's over the top at times but that's okay because it makes it all the more frightening. Don't be fooled, however. This isn't just about Lonesome Rhodes. This about Beany, the Patricia Neal character (hope that's the right name). It's about a priviledged young woman who is mersmerized by a man who she perceives to be "his own man," and how seductive that perception is. When she's forced to see who he has become, she realizes she made this monster, she created him, she imbued him with qualities he never really possessed, and she nurtured him. He had no real definition when they met, beyond her fantasy of him. And at the end of the movie he still has no definition beyond his power to persuade. He has no idea what the senators and politicians are even talking about. But he knows he's powerful, and that power has been intoxicating to HER for a long time. And that power becomes very, very dangerous. But she gave him that power and she is devastated when she realizes she's the only one with the power to take it all away. This movie is about sex, desire, warped perception, delusions of all kinds, and the danger of manipulation. Don't be too sexist or you'll miss what's happening with the female lead in this classic story.

Griffith proves to be a true actor
The movie, A Face in the Crowd, was one of the best movies I've ever seen. I cannot believe that Andy Griffith did not get nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. ... Read more

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TV's Saturday Night Live has been like the evil twin of the legendary alchemist's stone, which supposedly could turn lead into gold. SNL usually does the opposite, taking rich comic premises from short skits and extrapolating them into overblown and unfunny full-length films. ("The Coneheads"? Puh-leeze!) But this film proved to be the exception, thanks to Mike Myers's wonderfully rude lowbrow humor and his full-bodied understanding of who his character is. Wayne Campbell (Myers) and his nerdy pal Garth (Dana Carvey) are teens who live at home and have their own low-rent cable-access show in Aurora, Illinios, in which they celebrate their favorite female movie stars and heavy-metal bands. When a Chicago TV station smells a potential youth-audience ratings hit, the station's weasely executive (Rob Lowe) tries to coopt the show--and steal Wayne's new rock & roll girlfriend (Tia Carrere) at the same time. It's filled with all kinds of knowing spoofs of movie conventions, from Wayne talking to the camera (and forbidding other characters to do so) to hilariously self-conscious product placements and labeling a moment a "Gratuitous Sex Scene." Dumb--and very funny. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (73)

Awful... Not
Based on the popular "Saturday Night Live" sketch, 1991's "Wayne's World" is the funniest movie I've ever seen. I don't remember going longer than 20 seconds without even smirking. The "Bohemian Rhapsody" sequence is worth the price of the film alone, but it's an altogether hilarious effort.

Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers in his breakthrough film role) and Garth (Dana Carvey) host their own cabel access show in Aurora, Illinois. One night, a sleazy tv exec Benjamin (Rob Lowe) catches their show and gets video arcade honcho Noah Vanderhoff (Brian Doyle Murray) to sponsor it. Wayne and Garth agree to sign the contracts and broadcast the show nationally. They indeed reap the pleasures of fame - baxkstage passes to meet Alice Cooper, $5, 000, 000 plus Wayne winning the affections of robobabe Cassandra (Tia Carrerre). But soon, things go awry. Wayne loses Garth and Cassandra, and his show's cancelled. What could possibly make it worse? Find out in this hilarious comedy romp.

This has proved to be the only good movie based on an "SNL" sketch. It's sad to se that so much of Dana Carvey's talent is in this film, because it's a shame that all of his subsequent efforts tanked ("Master Of Disguise", anyone?). The extras included trailer and a nice documnetary.

Schawing
"Wayne's World" is a movie that shouldn't be funny but is. It shouldn't be funny because its plot is so ridiculous and pointless as to render the story almost meaningless. The basis of the plot is that two guys named Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) have a cable-access show in Wayne's basement in Aurora, Illinois. The show, which is just Wayne and Garth goofing on stuff, catches the eye of Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe), a smarmy television producer who wants to buy and remake it into a cash cow. Meanwhile, Wayne falls in love with a local musician named Cassandra Wong (Tia Carrere). After Benjamin comes into the picture, Wayne is afraid of losing Cassandra to him because of his music industry connections, good looks, money, and fancy car.

What saves "Wayne's World" from the purgatory of its plot is Wayne or, more specifically, Mike Myers. Myers was still an unknown in 1992. For those of us who had seen him on "Saturday Night Live" we already knew he could be stomach-hurting funny. However, until "Wayne's World" you just didn't know if he coud keep it going for a whole movie. As everyone knows now, he can.

Myers comic timing created gold out of lead. "Wayne's World" is a movie more memorable for its lines than its story. That can be a dangerous way to make a good movie as the lines can grow tired with age (see "Spaceballs"). That's not the case with "Wayne's World" though. It's still as good today as it was ten years ago.

It makes me feel kinda funny
Long before the world ever heard of Austin Powers, Mike Myers was infusing pop culture with the catch phrases and wild doings of Wayne Campbell and hastening the move of multiple Saturday Night Live characters to the big screen over the course of succeeding years. Wayne and his trusty sidekick Garth raked up at the box office and left us with a classic comedy that will be making people laugh for years to come. Aside from all the Wayne-isms and Garth-isms, this movie changed forever the way we listen to a number of classic rock songs.

Okay - let's review. Wayne lives in his parents' basement, but it's okay because he and his buddy Garth have their very own public access show on their local cable station in Aurora, Illinois. Wayne thinks his dream of doing Wayne's World for a living (and thus escaping from the world of name tags and hair nets) has come true when he gets an offer to do the show on a Chicago TV station, but there's a certain matter with the fine print. Will Wayne sell out? Yeah. And monkeys might fly out of my butt.

Myers and Carvey take their SNL trademark routines as far as they can, going a little too far once or twice (as with the Scooby Doo and Mega-happy endings - although they did make possible the much-appreciated Tia Carrere bikini scene), and it's not hard to see why: Wayne's World was the most popular SNL skit for a good two to three years running. The film has a surprising number of familiar faces: besides the aforementioned Tia Carrere, you get Rob Lowe (fresh off a certain little infamous home movie), Brian Doyle-Murray, Ed O'Neill, Lara Flynn Boyle, Donna Dixon, and - making cameo appearances - Chris Farley, Meatloaf, and Alice Cooper. Of course, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey take center stage at all times. They satirize everything, from Grey Poupon commercials to the entertainment industry, to themselves.

There are a number of memorable scenes: the Bohemian Rhapsody bit as the guys cruise town in the Mirth-mobile, Garth's Foxy Lady dance number (many of us will never be able to listen to that classic Jimi Hendrix tune the same way again), all of the Dreamweaver moments, the Laverne & Shirley take-off trip to Milwaukee, Wayne's Marilyn Monroe impersonation, and others. Whether you knew it or not, you were exposed to Wayne's World lingo throughout the 90s, so if you haven't seen the movie, isn't it time you learn why you should have laughed at all those jokes you didn't understand way back then?

Mike's Best
Wayne's World takes you through the world of Rock'n Roll, through the lives of two friends, Wayne and Garth, who own their own television sitcom. Wayne and Garth's friendship, along witht he show, is threatened when a bigtime producer, Benjamin, tries to takeover the show.

Good movie
This movie is very funny. If you liked Dumb and Dumber you would like this movie. Mike Myers is hilarious. And also the chinese man is hilarious. Anyway you should definately buy this movie. Its worth spending the money. ... Read more

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Part of the late-'70s wave of films about strong women (as if none had existed before that), Julia starred Jane Fonda as writer Lillian Hellman in a story based on some of Hellman's own writings. The stronger woman here is the title character (Vanessa Redgrave), a socially active young woman who teaches Hellman the importance of sticking to her beliefs--even in the face of Nazi terror. The subplot focuses on Hellman's growth as a writer, under the supportive wing of lover Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards). Lushly photographed by Fred Zinnemann, it's one of the few films that projects a sense of how a writer writes; it also was unafraid to explore the dark consequences of conscience, when Resistance-fighter Julia is captured by the Germans. Robards and Redgrave both won Oscars (leading to Redgrave's Zionist hoodlums acceptance speech). Watch for Meryl Streep in a tiny role in her film debut. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great Movie
Its a great movie.The actors are great.
The best performance came from Maximilian Schell
as "Johann",he gave a stunning portrayal of a man
with ideals in the Naziregime.Strong Turns also
by Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave.For me as a german
are this kind of films very important.

PS.
A nice debut from Meryl Streep

Jane Fonda Comes of Age
Too bad this one's out of stock, but worse was that the poltical backlash Vanessa Redgrave's Best Supporting Actress acceptance speech detracted from the film's importance. Despite that, "Julia" may well be the best work in Redgrave's and Jane Fonda's impressive bodies of work. For the latter, the film launched the socially-themed works that followed, and Fonda may well have come of age in this one. She plays writer Lillian Hellman to Redgrave's title character, an upper-class rich kid who grows into social activist and lays her life on the line to smuggle condemned Jews from the death camps of Hitler's Third Reich. Redgrave is superlative, and Fonda is rivting as Julia's childhood friend who gradually comes to recognize the evil unleashed by man on man at the time. As Julia's long-time lover, Dashell Hammitt, the late Jason Robards nailed down one of his back-to-back Supporting Actor Oscars ("All the President's Men" was the other), and the raw talent of the Fonda-Redgrave-Robards package helps make "Julia" one of Fonda's best works. The importance of the film's subject matter is so overwhelming that it easily displaces the Vietnam-related controvery that dogged (and may still) Fonda through the '70s and the unpopular words Redgrave used in her Oscar acceptance speech (she was literally booed off the stage). Far from a "chick flic," "Julia" is an important film that delves into but one relam in the darkest of human history, and it's earned a lofty spot among films of its genre.

A Story of Two Friends
This story traces the friendship of writer Lillian Hellmann and her friend Julia, from their times together as adolescents to their very different lives as adults. Jane Fonda is somewhat one-note as Hellmann, struggling to get her first play finished, feeling overshadowed by her lover, the great Dashiell Hammett, well played by Jason Robards. She also tries to keep contact with Julia, played by a glowing Vanessa Redgrave, as Julia becomes more and more mired in the tumultuous politics of 1930's Europe. Eventually, Fonda herself gets pulled into the political upheaval as she tries to help her friend out. There are a number of reasons why I liked the film. The production team does an excellent job of recreating the time period, giving the viewer a real sense of what it would have been like. I enjoyed the insight it gives to the writer's process and the frustrations that go with it. The "adventure" that Fonda goes on to get money to her friend is well played out dramatically, and their meeting is filled with unspoken words, a credit to the screenplay, the actresses, and the fine direction by veteran Fred Zinneman. I don't know how much of the story would prove to be true, but I think there are many truths in it.

Classic Movie-making
It's a shame that questions about the veracity of Lillian Hellman's memoirs may have cast a negative light on this beautifully made film. Whether the story is fact or fiction is inconsequential to the outstanding quality of this beautiful movie. 'Julia' stands on its own merits as classic movie-making at its best. Jane Fonda and Jason Robards are at their best portraying the complex relationship between Hellman in her first flush of success as a playwright and Dashiell Hammett, the father of detective fiction whose career as a writer is nearing its end. The two drink, fight and support each other as Lillian writes her first play 'The Children's Hour' and becomes a Broadway sensation. But the heart of the story is Hellman's relationship with her childhood friend, a girl from a wealthy family with an over-riding social conscience named Julia. Vanessa Redgrave brings her trademark understated strength, grace and beauty to this pivotal role. As Lillian struggles with writing 'The Children's Hour' during the early 1930s, she corresponds with Julia who is living in a socialist community in Vienna. The film incorporates flashbacks of the two friends from childhood with actresses Susan Jones & Lisa Pelikan, who are amazing look-alikes for Fonda and Redgrave, playing the young Lillian & Julia. Julia becomes involved with the Resistance movement as the Nazi menace threatens to engulf Europe. Ultimately she calls on Lillian to help the cause. The strong ties of friendship between the two women compel Lillian to overcome her fears and journey into the heart of Nazi Germany. Her reunion with Julia in a Berlin cafe is the emotional climax of the film and Fonda & Redgrave are superb, portraying every nuance of feeling in this poignant, heart-wrenching scene. The production values of the movie are first-rate with nicely detailed settings and costumes evoking 1930s America and pre-WWII Europe. With veteran director Fred Zinnemann at the helm, 'Julia' is a fine example of Hollywood film-making at it's very best. Tastefully produced, brilliantly written and acted, the film tells a compelling story that remains fascinating and enthralling throughout. Forget about the whole did Hellman lie or didn't she controversy and enjoy this movie for the great story that it tells so beautifully.

MESMERIZING
Fact or fiction, or a combination of both, taken on its own terms as a movie, Julia is astonishing and effective. The attention to detail in costumes, set decorations, props, locations dazzle you and place you squarely in another time and place. The performances, particularly the intimate friendship between Fonda as Hellman and Redgrave as Julia, blow you away. Redgrave embodies this brilliant character with knowing subtlety; you get the feeling she is Julia to some degree, and probably is. The exploration of adult friendship in a time of peril finds its center in a well-crafted suspense story that only ever hints at real danger, yet it is the slow and deliberate revelations regarding Julia's fate that provide tension and heartbreak. This is a purposely artful film, with its share of indulgence, but each one works as a part of a lovely whole. And the world Helman created in her story -- with its rich characters, both real and imagined -- is created here with an evocative freshness. Like a memory you love to call upon, this movie works best in total silence, except perhaps rain falling outside. Let it take you away. ... Read more

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When it comes down to naming the best Western of all time, the list usually narrows to three completely different pictures: John Ford's The Searchers, Howard Hawks's Red River, and Hawks's Rio Bravo. About the only thing they all have in common is that they all star John Wayne. But while The Searchers is an epic quest for revenge and Red River is a sweeping cattle-drive drama ("Take 'em to Missouri! Yeeee-hah!"), Rio Bravo is on a much more modest scale. Basically, it comes down to Sheriff John T. Chance (Wayne), his sobering-up alcoholic friend Dude (Dean Martin), the hotshot new kid Colorado (Ricky Nelson), and deputy-sidekick Stumpy (Walter Brennan), sittin' around in the town jail, drinkin' black cofee, shootin' the breeze, and occasionally, singin' a song. Hawks--who, like his pal Ernest Hemingway, lived by the code of "grace under pressure"--said he made Rio Bravo as a rebuke to High Noon, in which sheriff Gary Cooper begged for townspeople to help him. So, Hawks made Wayne's Sheriff Chance a consummate professional--he may be getting old and fat, but he knows how to do his job, and he doesn't want amateurs getting mixed up in his business; they could get hurt. This most entertaining of movies also achieved some notoriety in the '90s when Quentin Tarantino (director of Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Jackie Brown) revealed that he uses it as a litmus test for prospective girlfriends. Oh, and if the configuration of characters sounds familiar, it should: Hawks remade Rio Bravo two more times--as El Dorado in 1967, with Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and James Caan; and as Rio Lobo in 1970, with Wayne, Jack Elam, and Christopher Mitchum. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (70)

What a bunch of characters
Characters make the movie. Boring character can ruin a good story and interersting characters can make a dull movie fly. Rio Bravo enjoys both a good story, and good characters, with a bunch of fine performances thrown in.

John Wayne gives his usual fine western performance as the Sherif Chance, but it is the people around him that make this movie great. Walter Bermnan as Stumpy does a great job, A very young Angie Dickerson is frankly hotter than she ever was yet she also remains a strong character who stands up for herself and plays off Wayne well. Ricky Nelson is believeable as a young man with more sense than any that has come before him. All of them round the movie well.

Dean Martin as Dude however steals the show. In my opinion this is the movie that makes him a serious player. Dude is clearly the most interesting character of the lot, his own battles with Chance, Stumpy, Burdette and most of all himself makes the movie much more than other westerns. It is clearly superior to El Dorado which takes some doing, and superior to Rio Lobo which doesn't.

Other than his early pairings with Maureen O'Hara I would recommend this picture as the best example of John Wayne in a pure western.

Hawks and the Duke come up with their own "High Noon"
Director Howard Hawks made 1959's "Rio Bravo" because he refused to believe the citizens of a Western town would refuse to help their sheriff protect the town as happened in 1952's "High Noon." So when John Wayne's character of Sheriff John T. Chance needs help in Tucson, Arizona to keep the brother of the local bad guy in jail, he is able to whip up support in the form of his former deputy Dude (Dean Martin), just coming off a two-year bender, Stumpy (Walter Brennan), an ornery old cripple, and Colorado Ryan (Ricky Nelson), a young gunslinger. To add a touch of elegance to the proceedings is Feathers (Angie Dickinson), who knows how to wield a razor and provides the Duke with a little bit of romance. Even though the bad guys capture Dude so they can exchange him for the jailed man, Chance and his comrades are able to save the day, with a little help from some dynamite.

"Rio Bravo" is a significant western in movie history for two reasons. First, this classic film marks the end of the psychological westerns such as "High Noon" and "Shane" which had dominated the 1950s. The point of "Rio Bravo" was to provide entertainment and that it certainly does. Second, it added elements of humor to John Wayne's on-screen persona for the first time. For the rest of his career, most movies with the Duke will find his character having a humorous side (e.g., "McClintlock"). As you can well imagine, there is some singing to be done in "Rio Bravo." Martin does the title tune, sings "My Rifle, My Pony, and Me" with Nelson, who in turn gets to sing Cindy with Brennan. Wayne does not do any singing. In 1967 Hawks and Wayne essentially remade "Rio Bravo" with their film "Eldorado," with Robert Mitchum, Arthur Hunnicutt and James Caan providing the support. While I consider it an enjoyable film, in does suffer in comparison to the original.

Bravo, Rio Bravo
One of the best westerns made at the time. Others have been made more recently that use modern technical skill, but for the time and place, Rio Bravo was the epitome of the western genre and still holds up today. Period!

A Western for everybody.
It seems like I meet a lot of people who don't like John Wayne, and just about as many who don't care for Westerns.

Well, whether you love John Wayne and Westerns, or are lukewarm on both counts, this movie might appeal to you anyway.

A lot of it has to do with Howard Hawks' direction. This classic came from the same guy who gave us "Bringing Up Baby," "The Big Sleep," and "His Girl Friday."

That means quick, witty dialogue, fun characters, and an overall stylishness in the proceedings (the cinematography is alarmingly crisp and colorful).

A cowboy, a crooner and a rockin' teen idol-- these three, Wayne, Dean Martin (in one of his earliest roles after leaving Jerry Lewis), and Ricky Nelson, come together in a way that feels symbolic. To fight off the imminent danger-- and in this film one senses it is hopelessly imminent-- the good guys need to stick close. Dean Martin plays the underdog, a drunk, with just the right touch-- humorous like so many Vegas shows, but with a bit of sadness too. Ricky Nelson looks a little uncomfortable in the saddle, and his lines are a little shaky, but the contrast of his usual persona with this fast-shooting kid makes him fun to watch.

Angie Dickinson is more beautiful than ever in this film and has very good chemistry with John Wayne.

Of course, what really adds the frosting to the cake is the incomparable Walter Brennan, just about the grumpiest old buzzard you'll ever lay eyes on. The spontaneity of Hawks' direction makes him even funnier, and I think Brennan alone moves "Rio Bravo" a notch higher than the successful remake-of-sorts "El Dorado."

I happen to like John Wayne, and a lot of Westerns in general, but I prefer The Duke's persona in this setting rather than those of John Ford. At any rate, it doesn't matter if your favorite film is "The Searchers" or "High Society" (that's mine, actually), "Rio Bravo" is sure to win you over.

Ole Stumpy, The Fellow I Left Behind!
This is, without a doubt, one of John Wayne's best.....the character development just builds and builds throughout the movie until a thrilling climax.
The all-time show stopper in this movie has to be Stumpy (Walter Brennan)...every scene in which he is involved, the scene is essentially stolen from the other players (re-watch and you will see). He is at his best when whining about being stuck in the jail yet always is cowed eventually into doing exactly what Chance (Wayne) wants him to do....except at the end of the movie when he unexpectedly shows up and helps the good guys (hence, the title of this review)!

This is just a fun and feel-good movie pitting good vs. evil and along the way throws in a little humor for relief. This is the first of the trilogy by this director and is the best of the three...but El Dorado is not far behind and Rio Lobo is not anywhere near as bad as it has been depicted. I have all three and when I am needing a John Wayne fix, I can't go wrong with one of these. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Marcello at his best!
This is a heart-wrenching but beautiful film about a lonely but hopeful Sicilian pensioner who happily chats to his long-deceased wife and thinks his five adult children, who have moved to live separate lives in the mainland, are all huge successes. When his children disappoint him by not agreeing to a family reunion beach-side holiday in Sicily, he packs his bag and boards a train to go visit each of them, for the very first time. As he travels to Naples, Rome, and Milan, trying to surprise each child with his visit, he is the one surprised to find that as the film's ironic title suggest "Everybody is not Fine". Despite the bittersweet realities Matteo Scuro is faced with, the film has much humour and the character of Matteo, charmingly played by the legendary Marcello Mastroianni, is totally enchanting. Entertaining film that will make you think about life, about our expectations of those we love, and about what's really important.

wonderful movie
Very good movie! Quite moving, done with good humour. Highly recommended.

Wonderful, moving, intelligent!
This English-subtitled Italian film is the perfect film to entertain the whole family, except for perhaps younger children. In this film, you will feel pain, joy, wonder, and a feeling somewhere in-between as you travel with an elderly and charming Sicilian man from Sicily to the mainland. You will understand a bit more clearly the Sicilian family system and how it plays out- the importance placed upon extraordinarily close family relationships and honour within the family unit. This film will remind you of your Sicilian grandparents and refresh your appreciation for a simpler, more beautiful life.

another Mastroianni hit
A touching story of an elderly man who goes on an excursion to visit his five grown children. It is a touching story of a man slowly losing touch with reality and slipping back into the past. The more he finds that his children are not quite telling him the truth about their lives, the more his memories darken and become more sinister. It is a touching yet disturbing tale that keeps you guessing about not only the true lives of the children, but whether or not the father can handle that truth. ... Read more

Description

Based on a true-life story, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is a loving memoir to a man whose lessons on life have much to teach us about ourselves. Academy Award(R)-winner Jack Lemmon (Best Actor, 1974, SAVE THE TIGER) delivers an outstanding performance as Morrie Schwartz, the Brandeis University professor upon whom the best-selling book is based. Hank Azaria (GODZILLA) plays Mitch, an accomplished journalist so driven by his job, he has little time or energy left for anything else. One night, Mitch happens to catch Morrie's appearance on a national news program and learns his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig's disease. After the telecast, Mitch contacts Morrie, and what starts as a visit turns into a pilgrimage as Mitch opens his heart to the lessons Morrie has to teach him. As the bond grows between these two men, Mitch learns that professional commitments don't mean anything without the love of family and friends. Sure to inspire, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE may just change your views on the meaning of life ... forever. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Great Movie
In the movie Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch (Hank Azaria) is a successful sportswriter who suddenly learns that one of his old professors, Morrie (Jack Lemmon) is ill. Mitch visits Morrie and the two form an emotional bond, allowing Mitch to see what is really important in life. Tuesdays With Morrie is categorized as a drama but it does contain some funny parts and some sports. Some things that Morrie said made me laugh. They show Mitch at sporting events and press conferences. Mitch ends up flying 700 miles to Boston from Detroit every Tuesday to visit his dying professor. Mitch feels bad the first time he goes to visit Morrie because he had not talked to Morrie for 16 years after he said that he would keep in touch at his graduation at Brandeis University. At the end of the movie, Morrie finally got Mitch to open up and cry. He also got Mitch to talk about what he was afraid of in life. He taught Mitch a lot about living and about dying. Tuesdays With Morrie is an easy flowing movie and it is very simple to understand. It is a movie for people of all ages. The actors, especially Jack Lemmon, do an exceptional job playing their roles in the movie. The book and the movie are almost identical. There are not really any major differences between the book and the movie. One of the differences is that in the book Janine is Mitch's wife and in the movie Janine is Mitch's girlfriend. I think that Tuesdays With Morrie was a very good movie. It made me think of what is important in life, including friends and family. This movie changed my outlook on life. It made me realize what is most important in life and how I need to treat people, especially my elders. I think the theme of this movie was to get people to treat people better, with dignity and respect. I think that anybody that watches this movie will leave happier and with a better understanding about life and how to treat others.

Genuine.
A genuinely touching movie is a rare thing. Attempting to pull at our heart-strings often results in a lot of sap and drama, without much substance.

However, Tuesdays with Morrie is heartfelt, somber, funny, and sad.

The movie details a relationship (The film is adapted from a best selling nonfiction book) between a sports columnist, and his beloved professor which he learns is dying of Lou Gehrigs disease. What follows is a look at the short, poingant relationship they shared. You see, Morrie was a man of the world. He often showed a keen insight into the nature of man. He did much to teach his former student about life, often quoting W.H. Auden's poem "September 1st, 1939"

The movie, as the book, is filled with philisophical, as well as practical insights. Deeply moving, even while not being cinematically brilliant.

Excellent movie ---really worth your time and tears!!!!
This movie has touched my heart and enriched my mind so much! (I cried the entire 2 hours.) Yes, we already know a lot of the things that it tries to convey, but this movie has encouraged me to act now and address many of my own personal issues---family, career, friendships, health, etc. and what's really important in life. Jack Lemmon is so good here, and made me think about the importance of caring for my own sick parents. I love him in this movie and God bless his soul for his contribution to humanity--good acting!!!. --of course, kudos to the author Mitch Albom for sharing Morries' wisdom . I will make sure that my daughter gets to watch this movie and read the book and so as all my siblings and dear friends. The book and the DVD are great 40th b-day gifts that I will also make sure I get.=:) AAAAAAA++++++++++++++

The Best Farewell
Wasn't this Jack Lemmon's last film before his death?? Anyway, I found it deeply stirring and enjoyable to watch. The first time I saw it I vowed that anyone whose life I care about should have this... I truly loved it. If this was Jack's last, what a gift to be able to make this movie while making his own transition... Wow!

Some get it & some don't
I've read the book & watched the movie. I've read the reviews on this movie as well. Most get it & a few wasted their precious time watching it, then wasted my time with their childish & foolish comments. They probably loved Lost In Translation .. now that was a major yawn for me!

Jack Lemmon was at his best in my opinion.

Unless you've confronted death up close & personal and who hasn't by now or truly have a sensitive side, this movie will likley only distract you. Probably because you're too busy not being in the NOW! Slow down, watch it again, without phones or kids or talking .. just take it in and if it still doesn't touch you in some way then you're probably already dead! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Inside the third reich - Great movie to experiment
This is the type of movie I love. I recently bought the whole collection of Winds of War and War and Remembrance and this movie fits right in this line of drama. What's special in this movie for me is I saw it on TV years ago. I just completed my engineering degree at University and this moview woke me up. I could understand where Speer offered his technical knowledges for the 3rd reich. Conflicting for an intellectual but probably brought him a lot of satisfaction in terms of achievement and exceptional designs. Everytime I see a movie with the Nazi banners, I think about Speer who brought that to the NSDAP. It's just amazing to see him when they walk in the new chancellerie. The music, the scenes and Speer's fase expressions, are just touching deeply any technical designer. I recommend this movie for anyone that is ready to put himself (herself) into the character and accept what he's doing in the movie. Yes, he was part of the nazi movement, but we are talking about exceptional design productions. It's sad to see pictures at the end that shows the buildings destroyed. These were built to last 1000 years. Imagine which building today will last 1000 years!!!

Inside The Third Reich
This has got to be the worst movie on the Third Reich. Dates were wrong, the screenplay was horrible. It was funny that in almost every scene in the movies from the 30's until 45 Himmler,Goering were always there, when in real life they were off doing there own things. Randy Quaid playing Ernst Hanfstaengl that was real bad. The uniforms had the wrong insignia and rank and everything was just a mess. Also you can tell that the whole movie was filmed in th fall and mostly winter. There are many scenes that add to this, such as when Hess flew to Scotland in the movie it was snowing in real life it was May and hot. Also when the attempt on Hitlers life on July 20th everyone is wearing winter clothing and there is snow outside. If Speer wouldn't died before 81 this movie sure would of done the job.

Best of its genre
I watched all the WWII and nazi-related movies and miniseries from the 1980s and I must say this one has stuck with me ever since. Derek Jakobi's performance of Hitler is spellbinding. The scene of him practicing his gestures before a mirror is compelling. Hauer gives a competant though understated performance as Speer. But I must tell you if you watch this movies for no other reason it is the lengthy scene, without dialogue, of Hitler walking through the rooms of the new reich chancellory. The haunting soundtrack music and Jakobi's eyes as he takes in Speer's handiwork are memorable and at the end of the scene, with tears he looks at Speer and say "Well done." When I watch that scene, ever 20 years later, it still gives me goosebumps. This two-part movie is definitely a cut above others from the era. Well worth it to watch.

Nazi purists may disagree, but...
...this TV movie isn't as bad as some reviewers claim. At moments it gets quite interesting and it features a once-in-a-lifetime-never-to-be-seen-again cast that includes John Gielgud, Trevor Howard, Ian Holm, Elke Sommer, Blythe Danner, Robert Vaughn, Rugter Hauer (Albert Speer) and the great Derek Jacobi as Hitler.
Tends to be somehow an apology for Speer (couldn't be otherwise, it's based on his memoirs) and, true, it fails to inspire much emotion (except for the rage of a few reviewers, it seems). It's also rather long (a miniseries, actually) and may not be as accurate as some would like it to be. Personally ...who cares? If you're that obsessed with facts and dates read the book instead!
So, not a life-changing movie experience for sure (I hope), but interesting if you're into WWII within reason.

Good, and reasonably faithful to the book.
This movie is fairly faithful to "Inside the Third Reich" authored by Albert Speer while in prison. While it has gotten a barrage of criticism here on Amazon, I liked it. Rutger Hauer puts in a fine performance as Speer. The actors who play Hitler and the other major characters also do good jobs. This movie does a creditable job explaining who Speer was, and what he did, at least according to Speer as based upon his book.

This is very watchable historical drama. I hope it is soon available on DVD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Danny Glover plays the mysterious Harry Mention, a charming trickster who invades the life of a family and who claims to have (and may very well have) a connection to dark powers. In any case, his presence sows dissent among a patriarch (Paul Butler) and his offspring, the latter more interested in the legacy of mystical wisdom Harry may represent. Based on stories of superstition he heard in youth, writer-director Charles Burnett's film is a fine and funny accomplishment that intersects dream time and linear time, and it has the heart of a folk tale. Glover and Butler are very good, their characters locked in knowing rivalry. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (7)