Reviews (1)

Spencer film mainly for family-oriented interest.
Bud Spencer would seem a natural to play the genie, and the film is pleasant enough, with one or two of the signature fight scenes Spencer is famous for, but fans will find the film quite lacking in Bud's usual style of humor and toughness. Instead, he spends too much time on the sidelines, nodding approval to his son (playing the Aladdin character). For the real classics from Bud Spencer, check out "Crime Busters," "Go For It," and "Odds and Evens!" ... Read more

Amazon.com

The complete obscurity of Avanti! is a cinematic injustice that needs to be rectified. Jack Lemmon and director Billy Wilder made their share of hits together (Some Like It Hot and The Apartment, for starters), but this wry, melancholy comedy was completely out of touch with its time (which recalls a Wilder one-liner from the '70s: "Who the hell would want to be in touch with these times?"). It may have flopped badly in 1972, but it wears well in retrospect. Lemmon plays a jerk American businessman called to Italy to pick up the body of his father, who died while enjoying a secret (and, it turns out, annual) liaison with a mistress. With the help of a delightful Englishwoman (Juliet Mills) who happens to be the daughter of the "other woman," Lemmon finds himself stepping in a few of Dad's footsteps, and falling under the sway of the beguiling Italian atmosphere. A very leisurely movie, but that's part of its effect. Clive Revill delivers a gem of a performance as a heroic hotel manager, and Juliet Mills (sister of Hayley, daughter of Oscar-winner John) had her finest screen hour here. As a director, Wilder spent much of his early career camouflaging his romantic streak under a cynical front; here, despite many acerbic touches and the presence of death as the central plot device, the romance is in full flower under the rich Italian sun. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Looking for love in all the right places...
Accidently caught this late night movie while channel surfing in a hotel room on a freezing London night far from home and nursing a cold.I was enchanted as I'd never heard of it.Jack Lemmon as Wendell Armbruster and Juliet Mills as Pamela Pigott give convincing portrayals of a millionaire american and a working class englishwoman come to Italy to retrieve the bodies of his father and her mother,who unknown to their families had been lovers for years and had died tragically together in a car accident.Jack Lemmon displays his acumen for comedy without even trying and miss Mills gives an understated performance.But kudos must go to the person who cast Clive Reville in the part of Carlucci the indispensible hotel manager.When he blurts out 'idiota' to an incompetent underling in absolute frustration its an absolute delight.It was a while before I realized he wasnt neapolitan.What a pity his talents have not been more recognized.I would also commend the melodic theme music arranged by Mr Rustichelli.The ending was not a complete surprise but fitting all the same. Please rent this one out all you romance lovers,you will not be disappointed, ...as for my cold,lo and behold the next morning it was gone!,funny that...

Billy Wilder's brilliant switch from laughs to enchantment!
Fans of the legendary director (Wilder) or star (Lemmon) will be surprised by an unexpected departure from their usual big-laughs comedy to an enchanting love story. Fans of the masters will be pleasantly surprised by this delightful romantic comedy, which captivates the viewer from the very start. Mezmerizing backdrop music plays as though secretly staged by Cupid standing by to assure that lovebirds will find one another.

Lemmon plays the son of a mega-wealthy American business man who had to drop everything to fly to Italy in order to claim the father's remains after a car accident. En route to his late father's "final stop", Lemmon runs in to a persistant young woman, who turns out to be the daughter of the woman with whom the father had had a lengthy affair, and who was found lovingly slung around his neck as they both died in said accident.

The situation seems rather awkward at first, but eventually Lemmon and the young woman begin following into the exact same steps their departed parents had done years earlier. The picture is completed by a brilliant supporting cast of hotel personnel and colorful locals. The performance of the multi-talented and ever-present-minded hotel manager was Oscar worthy.

Listening to the testimony of all people asked, Lemmon learns that his late father and his "friend" were viewed as Royalty, nothing less than figures from a fairy tale. The concluding scenes are the final touches to a most enchanting romantic comedy, one that has few rivals in its category. Billy Wilder has done it again. What he missed in big laughs, he made up in many magic moments and gentle pressures to your tear glands. One of the very best out there!*****

Leisurely Romantic Comedy
This one was not thoughfully picked , but caught my eye in one of those channel surfing routines.. where just after few seconds , didn't think of any other channels or anything else..

The English translation of Italian word 'Avanti!' is 'Go Ahead' and is usually used in response to 'Permesso?' asked by any of the hotel staff while knocking at the door of your room.

Released in 1972, this is Billy Wilder's yet another light comic offering where an American businessman Wendell Armbruster(Jack Lemmon) comes to Italy to pick his father's dead body. Once there he comes to know about the long kept secret of his father of having a relationship with some woman. This woman's daughter Pamela Piggott (Juliet Mills) a delightful Brit also comes to Italy to pick her mother's dead body. Wendell, a hyperactive & uptight fellow and Pamela, a loving & carefree person happen to share the same hotel and share the same reason for their Italy visit. After not-so many instances, both of them find themselves in their parent's shoes. As if their assets of love have been passed on to their offspring. At the end, the bodies of the dead are not taken back to their respective country, but buried where their love once bloomed!

Amidst all the tough & good times there is one character that is distinctly noticeable is of Carlo Carlucci(Clive Revill) an efficient,clever and very helpful hotel manager. He is shown to be know-it-all and handle-it-all kinda guy.

One gets a sneak peek at the Italian culture of long lunch hours, mafia ruling,a general laid back attitude of people,etc..Although the movie could have done without the nude scenes and the vineyard brothers & their unreasonable demands from Wendell.

The true meaning of 'Avanti' is revealed when Piggot says it in response to Wendell's asking 'Permesso?' to kiss her. This truly is a magical moment!! The lilting music, the wit of the characters played and the locales add to the magic of this enchanting experience.

I'm glad that a film picked by chance turned out to be such a pleasure and it belongs to my favourite genre of movies!

The Closest You'll Get to Seeing Kristen Dunst's Breasts
Kevin Kline admitted that his inspiration to become an actor had to do with his infactuation over Hayley Mills and figured the only way he'd ever meet her was to become a movie star. Well I had no idea that her sister would make me feel the same way. Unfortunately, this movie was made before I was even born so I'm sure she's far from looking the way she looked back then. Fortunately, there's the spitting image of her in today's 'it' girl Kirsten Dunst. Anyway, the movie itself is good. Just about anything with Jack Lemmon as a chief role is always good. I recommend this to anyone who likes romantic comedies.

AVANTI
If your depressed, need a holiday, think that everything is against you, then you need to see Avanti! This is a true Jack Lemon comedy and Billy Wilder at his directorial best. As you watch the film you will be taken to the real Italy where lunch is more important than making money, where making love is to be savored and marriage is what you do at the end of the day.
I write this not as film review but as a strong recommendation to your soul - buy Avanti on DVD becasue if you get on VHS, your and your family wear it out! As they say in the film, "you bet your sweet buttouti!" ... Read more

Amazon.com

Brigitte Nielsen, as Conan creator Robert E. Howard's female warrior Red Sonja, gets an assist from Arnold Schwarzenegger in this enjoyably campy, Italian-lensed sword & sorcery adventure. Nielsen's thespian skills may be a bit stiff, but she certainly fills out the physical demands of the role, which asks her to look impressive with a sword as she avenges the death of her priestess sister and the theft of a sacred orb by an evil queen (Sandahl Bergman, also from the '82 theatrical Conan and a match for Nielsen's acting ability). Schwarzenegger (not playing Howard's barbarian king) lends some star power in a supporting role as a warrior assisting Sonja, and if the film stumbles in the acting, scripting, and special-effects departments, Richard Fleischer's direction and cinematography Giuseppe Rotunno are appropriately action-heavy and comic-book colorful (Fleischer also directed Conan the Destroyer and The Vikings); Ennio Morricone's bombastic score is another plus. --Paul Gaita ... Read more

Reviews (33)

So bad it is good
I just got finished watching this movie on the high definition HBO channel. I'd seen it before when I was much younger and like it then. Essentially part three of the Conan movies and directed by the same guy who did the second Conan movie. The Schwarzenegger character in this one isn't Conan though, he's some other barbarian who tells Red Sonja early in the movie "Danger is my business." This movie is so campy, so woodenly acted, and so fantasy movie cliche ridden it's hilarious. I'm a little torn. As an example of the art form, this is a dreadfully bad movie and worth one star. As Saturday morning entertainment, along the lines of watching cartoons, the movie is brilliant and worth five stars. The scenery in some of the outdoor shots can be pretty spectacular, especially in the scene where the gang was staring across a chasm to the place where the sun doesn't shine (I think that was the name of the evil queen's land). The special effects are cheesy. The dialog is...uh, well Arnold and Brigitte were the lead characters. The annoying brat should have fallen into the boiling mud early on. The queen's pet spider was a cute touch. If this ever does come out on DVD I'm getting it. It's both one of the funniest and worst movies ever made. Take some pain medication before watching though because this one can be painful to sit through.

Old but but better than Scorpion King
If you like swords fights, Muscles,and warriors at it's best then you'll like to watch this film.<br /> <br /> If you're looking for more "acting kind of stuff" you can watch Bridget Jones Diary.<br /> <br /> Arnold can look like a robot or a Kindergarde teacher or a man from 2000 years if he wanted to, we all know that. this movie is from 1985 so it may not have the same effects that we see these days but It was meant to be an old flick anyway, IN the dvd version the sound It's terrific, a must have specially if you have kids or If you're an Arnold fan!!!<br /> the story is plain and simple but everyhting looks real and Arnold is in his own surroundigns unlike the Rock who was more like an showing off in Scorpion King.<br /> Everything looks real(from that era) if you get in to the story.<br /> Again you got to love those swords man they are real Briggitte did a good work also!!!<br />

Red Sonja on DVD
Red Sonja was Directed by Richard Fleischer(who also directed Conan the Destroyer). Admittedly, this was the worst film of the Conan style fantasy series, but it still has something to offer to loyal 80's fans. Excellent casting with the top action stars of the moment. This film has Arnold fresh off his Terminator hit, Brigitte Nielsen fresh off Rocky 4, and 80s karate star Ernie Reyes JR(star of the 80s TV series Sidekicks).

Red Sonja is fun, but it doesn't offer anything original. Just the same old save the world, good versus evil stuff.

If you couldn't get enough of the first 2 Conan movies and you need more, then pick up red Sonja. She isn't as pretty as Xena, but she and Arnold swing one hell of a sword! really excellent barbarian style sword fighting.

casting=4.5 stars
ending=4 stars
Directing and Editing=3.75 stars
plot & storyline=2.5 stars
replay value=3.5 stars

OVERALL= 3.65 TOTAL STARS

DVD FEATURES: Red Sonja has a very nice wide screen transfer, chapter selection and movie trailer.

Sadly after a long wait for this DVD, we didn't get any commentary from the director or Brigitte. That's pretty sad that they don't try to give a little more quality to the fans after a long wait. Brigitte Nielsen hasn't done a good film since Beverly Hills cop 2 in 1987, so it's not like she is too occupied. The DVD special features are pathetic. At least give us some filmographies or something...

Cheesey campy 80's classic
Arnold.
He is the reason this is watchable and without him this would be one of the worst movies ever.

Nielson has the acting talent of a cherry tree but plays the role well physically. The biggest joke of a scene was Bridgette mourning her dead sister. A true Oscar worthy performance!

And young Prince Tarn... ugh!!!
He is the reason this movie is 3 stars and not 5.
He is easily one of the most annoying characters to ever grace the silver screen and his servant, who has an IQ of a turnip, is almost as bad. His sidekick is not funny, overweight, and uses a giant bone for a weapon. Wow what a great mix!

This movie is enjoyable, but only if you were a young male growing up in the 80's and for nostalgic purposes. Without Arnold this would be unwatchable.

An Eighties Classic
I was raised on Conan and Red Sonja, so I can't help but highly recommend these movies. No, the acting isn't great, and there are homosexual connotations that I just didn't catch when I was six, but these movies have stood the test of time-- at least in my estimation. Wonderful adventures with unforgetable characters, and the swords are just darn cool. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

So bad it is good
I just got finished watching this movie on the high definition HBO channel. I'd seen it before when I was much younger and like it then. Essentially part three of the Conan movies and directed by the same guy who did the second Conan movie. The Schwarzenegger character in this one isn't Conan though, he's some other barbarian who tells Red Sonja early in the movie "Danger is my business." This movie is so campy, so woodenly acted, and so fantasy movie cliche ridden it's hilarious. I'm a little torn. As an example of the art form, this is a dreadfully bad movie and worth one star. As Saturday morning entertainment, along the lines of watching cartoons, the movie is brilliant and worth five stars. The scenery in some of the outdoor shots can be pretty spectacular, especially in the scene where the gang was staring across a chasm to the place where the sun doesn't shine (I think that was the name of the evil queen's land). The special effects are cheesy. The dialog is...uh, well Arnold and Brigitte were the lead characters. The annoying brat should have fallen into the boiling mud early on. The queen's pet spider was a cute touch. If this ever does come out on DVD I'm getting it. It's both one of the funniest and worst movies ever made. Take some pain medication before watching though because this one can be painful to sit through.

Old but but better than Scorpion King
If you like swords fights, Muscles,and warriors at it's best then you'll like to watch this film.<br /> <br /> If you're looking for more "acting kind of stuff" you can watch Bridget Jones Diary.<br /> <br /> Arnold can look like a robot or a Kindergarde teacher or a man from 2000 years if he wanted to, we all know that. this movie is from 1985 so it may not have the same effects that we see these days but It was meant to be an old flick anyway, IN the dvd version the sound It's terrific, a must have specially if you have kids or If you're an Arnold fan!!!<br /> the story is plain and simple but everyhting looks real and Arnold is in his own surroundigns unlike the Rock who was more like an showing off in Scorpion King.<br /> Everything looks real(from that era) if you get in to the story.<br /> Again you got to love those swords man they are real Briggitte did a good work also!!!<br />

Red Sonja on DVD
Red Sonja was Directed by Richard Fleischer(who also directed Conan the Destroyer). Admittedly, this was the worst film of the Conan style fantasy series, but it still has something to offer to loyal 80's fans. Excellent casting with the top action stars of the moment. This film has Arnold fresh off his Terminator hit, Brigitte Nielsen fresh off Rocky 4, and 80s karate star Ernie Reyes JR(star of the 80s TV series Sidekicks).

Red Sonja is fun, but it doesn't offer anything original. Just the same old save the world, good versus evil stuff.

If you couldn't get enough of the first 2 Conan movies and you need more, then pick up red Sonja. She isn't as pretty as Xena, but she and Arnold swing one hell of a sword! really excellent barbarian style sword fighting.

casting=4.5 stars
ending=4 stars
Directing and Editing=3.75 stars
plot & storyline=2.5 stars
replay value=3.5 stars

OVERALL= 3.65 TOTAL STARS

DVD FEATURES: Red Sonja has a very nice wide screen transfer, chapter selection and movie trailer.

Sadly after a long wait for this DVD, we didn't get any commentary from the director or Brigitte. That's pretty sad that they don't try to give a little more quality to the fans after a long wait. Brigitte Nielsen hasn't done a good film since Beverly Hills cop 2 in 1987, so it's not like she is too occupied. The DVD special features are pathetic. At least give us some filmographies or something...

Cheesey campy 80's classic
Arnold.
He is the reason this is watchable and without him this would be one of the worst movies ever.

Nielson has the acting talent of a cherry tree but plays the role well physically. The biggest joke of a scene was Bridgette mourning her dead sister. A true Oscar worthy performance!

And young Prince Tarn... ugh!!!
He is the reason this movie is 3 stars and not 5.
He is easily one of the most annoying characters to ever grace the silver screen and his servant, who has an IQ of a turnip, is almost as bad. His sidekick is not funny, overweight, and uses a giant bone for a weapon. Wow what a great mix!

This movie is enjoyable, but only if you were a young male growing up in the 80's and for nostalgic purposes. Without Arnold this would be unwatchable.

An Eighties Classic
I was raised on Conan and Red Sonja, so I can't help but highly recommend these movies. No, the acting isn't great, and there are homosexual connotations that I just didn't catch when I was six, but these movies have stood the test of time-- at least in my estimation. Wonderful adventures with unforgetable characters, and the swords are just darn cool. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Italian scifi
Hands of Steel is an often overlooked Italian scifi movie, from director Sergio Martino, the director of the best Italian post-apocaplyse movie, "After the Fall of New York". It stars Daniel Greene (the truck driver who died from "Falcon Crest"), as a cyborg named Paco Querack. He is ordered by his superiors to kill revolutionary environmentalist Arthur Mosely, but at the last second his conscience kicks in, and Paco lets him live. Paco is now on the run from the men who created him.

With great music from Claudio Simonetti (of Goblin) and featuring the last performance of Claudio Cassinelli (who died in a helicopter crash during the making of this movie), Hands of Steel is an excellent scifi film (although not quite post-apocalypse). ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Poor amount of gore
Being a big fan of this genre of films, and Lucio Fulci. I expected much more from this film and was sadly dissapointed. It is very slow to get started, and there is actually very small amounts of gore. Although the head drilling scene is horrific, and one of the worst scenes that i have evr seen in a movie, very little else happens. The film struggles, and for a Zombie film there is a distinct lack of zombie action. I am a massive fan Zombie, and have just purchased the beyond and New York Ripper, and of all the Fulci films, City of the Living Dead is a poor effort

Very Slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
This movie was EXTRMELY slow but not to the point where it got boring but at times it really did. I was very upset about the gore scenes. The Gut spewing was good but the brain sqeeze and the ehad drill well wasnt very appeling. Everyone says "his brains are getting drilled out" when it is clearly through the top of his cheek. But there was some scenes that didnt make this bad. The movie gives you a dreadful feeling, which is very effective because movies arent like that these days.

Rated X for some repulsve gore and general creepyness

3 stars at best
Absolutely no sense can be made from this, but that is like so many other horror movies. The end makes you say "huh?" Their are much better Italian horror/zombie movies out there.

Good, could be better
Fulci's work is often misunderstood. I for one, love this movie, but this one is not fulcis best. None of it made sense, but if youre a fan of his films and campy eurohorror flicks, you'll love it regardless. I love the "intestine vomiting" and "drill" scenes. Those are classic. Also, I liked the "coffin rescue" scene. The plot... oh I forgot, there really isnt one. But, thats really dosent matter with a Fulci film. You have to have an open mind to understand his work. Its not just about endless violence and gore, theres much more to it. The lighting in this movie got annoying...The soundtrack sounded like Zombie's, but it still had the same haunting qualities. Especially the acoustic guitar, that added to it. These movies dont scare me really, but Im just a big fan of the genre. Put down "Scream" or "Haloween" and go pick up a copy of this.

Don't be fooled by fans of this garbage
Lucio Fulci might have made great films (that I haven't seen), but this sure as hell isn't one of them.

Not much of a story. Priest hangs himself and somehow opens up the gates of Hell and zombies slowly begin to squirm out and kill innocent townsfolk. The police nor the victim's families can understand the crime scenes but are sure that Bob, a rumored sex offender, must be the perpetrator of these bizarre deaths. Then a young woman and a reporter set out to find the city where the dead are awakening before All Saints Day, when a whole bunch of zombies will walk.

This movie is a major bore. The music score drags tediously through the death scenes, eliminating the possibility of a legitimate scare. Then the gore is so sloppy, that what many fanatics regard as intensely shocking, is just laughable and ineffective in enducing real nausea. Though, the same can't be said for the performances in the film. I did remember feeling queasy during nearly all dialogue-driven sequences (save some mild inconsequentials with Mary and the washed-up journalist).

To put it bluntly, there is a part of you (all those of you who are sane) who will wish you were being drilled yourself then endure the torture of having to watch this film. The only visceral quality in any way related to it is the contempt you'll feel for it, and especially for it's creator. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Romance meets Religion
This is a beautiful movie. Don't believe the review on the back of the box. Nastassja Kinski's character is not really a femme fetale. She is a heroine victimised by a society filled with greed and hypocrisy. This movie was not as violent as I expected; it is really a romance which challenges religious ideas, especially the celebacy of the priesthood ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Italian scifi
Hands of Steel is an often overlooked Italian scifi movie, from director Sergio Martino, the director of the best Italian post-apocaplyse movie, "After the Fall of New York". It stars Daniel Greene (the truck driver who died from "Falcon Crest"), as a cyborg named Paco Querack. He is ordered by his superiors to kill revolutionary environmentalist Arthur Mosely, but at the last second his conscience kicks in, and Paco lets him live. Paco is now on the run from the men who created him.

With great music from Claudio Simonetti (of Goblin) and featuring the last performance of Claudio Cassinelli (who died in a helicopter crash during the making of this movie), Hands of Steel is an excellent scifi film (although not quite post-apocalypse). ... Read more