Amazon.com essential video

Molly Ringwald established herself as the teen queen of the '80s in this fresh comedy. The movie is a day in the life of Samantha, whose 16th birthday is turning out to be anything but sweet. All the traumas of teendom come down on one long day, which sees Samantha surrounded by dithery relatives, mooning over a high school hunk, and pursued by a sawed-off Lothario. Sixteen Candles marked the directing debut of John Hughes, and its goofy energy displayed a promising talent with a great ear for high school lingo ... a promise neglected since Hughes became, after Home Alone, a one-man entertainment industry. There are some pretty crass moments (Why the stereotype of the foreign-exchange student from Asia?), but Ringwald's steady appeal smoothes over the rough spots. As the pubescent, self-styled lady-killer, Anthony Michael Hall turns in a hilarious portrait of a young swinger; he and Ringwald would reteam with Hughes for The Breakfast Club, another key teen picture of the decade. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (129)

Classic 80's Teen movie on a very poor DVD
If you want to own this movie on DVD then you'll have to be prepared to pay an arm and a leg. It's only out on region 1, and has long since been deleted, so commands a very high price for no apparant reason other than the film itself - its certainly not for the extras - there aren't any.

The film stars 80's starlet Molly Ringwald (Breakfast Club) and Anthony John Hall (Weird Science, Breakfast Club) and also reunites them with director John Hughes, also from "The Breakfast Club". Comparisions between the two cannot be helped. Personally I prefered "The Breakfast Club" but there must be many who disagree - both are good, assuming that you like that sort of thing. High School coming-of-age movies are after all pretty much of a muchness, as the recent spoof movie "Not Another Teen Movie" so aptly illustrates.

Where both Hughes movies fall down on DVD is with the lack of extra features. "Sixteen Candles" is at least in widescreen, but that's all - there's no remastered 5.1 audio mix, no subtitles, no trailer, no cast biographies, no featurettes, no commentaries, no nothing. And if the other reviewers are to be believed then the music on the DVD isn't even the original soundtrack, supposedly due to rights issues. I say this because I'd never seen the film before I brought the DVD so don't know any different. If true, it'll certainly be interesting to see the proper soundtrack if and when it ever comes to DVD again. 2004 will mark the 20th anniversary of the film, so prehaps the time is right to ask Universal to consider a re-release with decent extras.

Long Duck Dong
Sixteen Candles is another classic 80's teen/high school film. It's one of the rare ones that is actually great and memorable. The film starts teen queen Molly Ringwald as Sam, your normal, every day kid. Her family has forgotten her sixteenth birthday amid all the uproar of her older sister's upcoming wedding. That's not all. An annoying geek(hilariously played by Anthony Michael Hall)is hound-dogging her, she has a huge crush on a popular jock, her grandparents have invaded her home, and, worst of all, a foreign kid named Long Duck Dong(Gedde Watannabe)is staying in her room. It's a comedy of chaos as a young teenager tries to grow up. As expected, happiness shines through for all in the end. Sixteen Candles is a sweet,hilarious look at the life of an ordinary teen. Molly Ringwald is so real and believeable in this that she could be somebody you know, or, just maybe, could be you. The always reliable Paul Dooley plays her father. Watch out for John Cusack, Joan Cusack, and Jami Gertz in small roles. Sixteen Candles is a candle you'll never want to blow out.

Definitive 80's. A must!
Sixteen Candles is a must-see classic. Truly unique, original, and memorable. The cast is fantastic and the story has been duplicated countless times. It took me so long to finally see this, and I regret not seeing it earlier. Everyone talks about it, it's not worth being left out and you're just gonna thank yourself later anyway, so SEE IT NOW if you haven't already. If you have, see it again, memorize the lines, and have a Sixteen Candles drinking party!!!!

Great movie - BAD DVD
This was a fun movie. It does not take itself seriously and pokes fun at its characters. Some of the pokig fun is not politically correct (to wit - Long Duk Dong, and some of the BoHunk comments)) but that was a bit of the 80's.

This DVD has the original soundtrack, previously unavailable on VHS or the old DVD, and it still holds up.

THE BAD PART
Where to start - the packaging is cheap cheap CHEAP! They did not even put in a little card to tell you the chapter names. There is no commentary, no extras, NOTHING!

PLUS when you put it in, it goes through ads for other movies and DISABLES THE MENU BUTTON!

Again, this is a fun, 80's movie, but the DVD is so cheap and so obnoxious to the fans/owners that I hate to recommend it becuse the people who put it together were such jerks.

But I do recommend it. Enjoy.

A Rememberable Teen Flick.
This is definately the rebound film. It is hard to live up to a movie like The Breakfast Club. This film is your average, average, teen movie. It does boost some new things to the screen, but it is mostly predictable, however, it is enjoyable. It has enough great moments to outweigh the cheesy parts, which makes it good in my book. If you are in the mood for a "no surprise" movie, this is the film for you. I reccomend it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Set in a time when a buildup of toxic chemicals has made most people sterile, Volker Schlondorff's film offers a disturbing view of a society under martial law in which fertile women are captured and made into handmaids to bear children for rich and infertile matrons. The film unfolds from the eyes of newly converted handmaid Kate (Natasha Richardson). She is trapped in this mysogynistic society which both deifies these fertile women as prized possessions and condemns them as whores. Throughout the story Kate has to cope with the jealousy of the woman she serves (Faye Dunaway), the advances of her sleazy military husband (the Commander, played by Robert Duvall), and the loss of her daughter, who has been shuttled off to a similarly aristocratic setting. She also falls in love with one of the Commander's security guards (Aidan Quinn), who sympathizes with her plight and potentially offers her a way out. Throughout The Handmaid's Tale, issues of feminism, abortion rights, male dominance, and conservative religious politics all come under fire. Some may view the film itself as antifemale considering its concepts, but it is quite the opposite.Instead it shows how only through solidarity can women bring down an overriding patriarchical mindset.The film, which works from Harold Pinter's screenplay adaption of Margaret Atwood's novel, features strong performances from those mentioned as well as Elizabeth McGovern and Victoria Tennant. --Bryan Reesman ... Read more

Reviews (38)

thought provoking reading and viewing
I taught this particular novel and showed the movie in my AP senior lit and comp class several years ago. After I made the decision to teach the book, I read a review in The English Journal by another teacher who had taught it. She raved about it. My students said the same things hers did..."Why did you save the best until last?" I lent my video to a student who lent it to a friend. I never got it back. The book and the movie force us all to examine how we view women...how we view women in the church...how we view women in society. They force us to examine the separation of church and state. The book is not the product of a bored, sick mind, but rather the product of a contemporary feminist author whose work routinely asks us to reexamine ourselves. The video is a good representation of the book, bringing to life events portrayed. The book is better, but the video is certainly worth watching. And for the love of God, let's not let the USA become Gilead.

a decent film of a better book
the environment--these are the facets of a bleak existence and the movie holds true to that. There are flashes of joy, mostly in the well-played interaction of the main character and her best friend, but these are few and far-between. This isn't a complaint, but fair warning.
A worse flaw, for me, were the changes made to the main character, who moves from a more honest passive character in the novel to an active, at times brave/heroic character in the film. Perhaps they thought it would have been too dark, perhaps they thought the audience wouldn't react well to a passive main character. But it robs the story of much of its truth. As does the ending, which without giving any details, is much less ambiguous than in the story.
If you've read the book it's worth seeing but be prepared for some disappointment. If you haven't read it, it's even more worth seeing, especially today when aspects of our lives like the Taliban and the Patriot Act make the story reverberate more, but don't expect to have a bunch of friends over for a laugh-fest.

An absolute insult to such a thorough and compelling book
I have recently studied this book in my AS year at college and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have so much admiration for Margaret Atwood in writing such an imaginative, yet horrifying, book. The film version does the novel no justice at all, even my lecturer said it was 'absolute bobbins.' We gain no insight into the atrocities of the Republic of Gilead and the mental/physical effects it has on the women. I would admire anyone who successfully films a version of the novel!

An Insult to Margaret Atwood.
A cheesy, thoughtless rendition of one of my favorite books. The book contains some of the most beautiful narrative told in Atwood's unmistakable prose... the movie replaces ALL of her work with this with some talentless hollywood hack's shallow after-school-special dialog... and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'd recommend "Volcano" before I'd recommend this trash.

Very poor adaptation of an excellent novel...
I first read Margaret Atwood's book The Handmaid's Tale for a women's studies course at my local community college and I enjoyed it very much. It is a very important work, much in the same vein as Orwell's "1984," but more hopeful, and told from the perspective of a woman. However, the movie was a huge disappointment and loses much of Atwood's message.

A quick overview of the story: Offred is a Handmaid in a futuristic, dystopian society known as Gilead. The birthrate in Gilead is very low due to severe toxic pollution, and so the remaining fertile women are selected to be Handmaids whose sole purpose is to become pregnant by the upper class men (called Commanders). As soon as they provide their Commander with a child, they are packed off to another household to do it all again. If they are ever unable to bear more children, they will more than likely be labeled "Unwomen" and shipped away to a work colony to die. Handmaids are not allowed to read, and can only leave the house with permission. The book consists mostly of Offred's thoughts about her former life and her current position. There are hints of a resistance movement, but no one in this world can ever be sure that anyone else is trustworthy. Offred does not know what is real, or what is safe, and lives in constant fear. The regime has made it illegal for a man to be termed infertile, so if a Handmaid has no children, it is blamed on her without question. Offred's Commander is obviously incapable of fathering children, and she faces relocation to the colonies if she does not conceive. As her time runs out, the suspense builds to a crescendo of urgency and terror.

The film does not capture the full horror of the world Offred, the story's main character, lives in. In the movie she appears to have almost unrestricted freedom of movement, able to wander about the house and even leave it without permission (for example, she just trots off to the Red Center one day and spends the night - this never happened in the original story), whereas in the book she was monitored constantly. There is also absolutely no reference to the Handmaids not being allowed to read, so a viewer that has not read the book would likely wonder at the significance of the scene where the Commander presents Offred with a magazine as a gift. Offred also smiles quite often in the movie, and there are no allusions to her frequent thoughts of suicide, which are readily apparent in the novel.

My biggest disappointment with the movie, however, was the altered ending. Atwood's book leaves us wondering, and actually gives the reader the task of creating the end of the story themself through the way they choose to live their life. The movie, however, provides us with a very neat, tidy, pretty little ending that allows the viewer to forget all about the characters without a twinge of conscience - they're obviously ok, right? So what's that got to do with my life? The movie ending does nothing to make the viewer think or realize that if we aren't careful right here and now in our own lives, everything might not turn out so prettily. There is no lesson, or moral to the story, when Atwood very plainly intended for her work to pack a real punch.

I really don't think the novel is even a good candidate for adaptation into a movie, because the book is very slow, centering mostly around Offred's thoughts. She cannot do much, so most of the time she just sits in her room, and it is her contemplations during this time that make up the bulk of the writing. It would be very hard to accurately represent the novel in film without making the movie boring. The director of this film obviously realized this and so he spiced it up and tried to make it into an action movie. It just doesn't work.

To make matters worse, the acting in the film is very wooden. Natasha Richardson, who plays the main character, is particularly unconvincing. It is hard to feel for the characters because they just don't seem real. The whole atmosphere of the film is stiff and unnatural.

Nevertheless, before I close, I would like to point out the few things I actually did like about the movie (and hence why I'm giving it two stars rather than just one):

The scene depicting the monthly "ceremony" is particularly moving. It is rather hard to watch, but I believe it really captures the event as described in the novel. I particularly liked the fact that the camera focuses for a moment on Serena Joy at the end of the scene, showing her emotions as the Wife - something we don't get so much of in the novel.

The movie also does a good job of showing the relationship between Offred and the Commander. The viewer can easily see that the Commander sees Offred as a pet - something fun to play with and indulge, but nothing he really cares about. She is like a toy for him, and one that can easily be replaced, just as Offred has replaced the Handmaid before her.

Overall, though, I would not recommend this movie to anyone. It just doesn't convey the message that Atwood intended, and it's not even very entertaining in and of itself. Read the book instead. You'll get so much more out of it. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Best Political Film Ever
This is the best political film ever made. Other films distort, simplify or just plain get wrong what federal politics is like at the highest levels. As one who used to work in the White House, I can tell you that this is the only film that understands and reveals what the game is really like.

This is the best film Alan Alda ever made, and Meryl Streep and Rip Torn are both very strong as well. This film MUST be reissued in DVD! Criterion Collection--are you listening? Please!

Okay political film
If you're into politics, you might enjoy this film. Supposedly, its a very realistic view of the U.S. Senate and as such, it'll be interesting for those of us who consider Allen Drury to be light reading. As a film, though, its somewhat draggy and very much a product of the late, self-righteous 1970s. Alan Alda is a young Senator named Joe Tynan, an ambitious liberal who has an affair with Meryl Streep that leads to his perfect world starting to collapse around him. There's not really much of a plot to the film -- its mostly a collection of scenes of Tynan campaigning, cheating, and legislating. Some films work without a clearly defined plot but this film just seems to be sort of a mess. Alan Alda was brave to play a character who is, occasionally, rather unsympathetic but at the same time, Tynan still carries a lot of the smug, self-righteousness that Alda brought to the final seasons of M*A*S*H so if you disliked Alda on that show, this movie probably isn't for you. That said, this film also contains one of Meryl Streep's few truly genuine, human performances (she doesn't fall back on the obvious "actorly" technique that's marred recent performances) and she's actually quite sexy in a role that I'm sure screenwriter Alda thought would come across as "liberated" but actually smacks of a certain unacknowledged sexism (for she may be a smart, accomplished, independent activist but she's still basically there to have sex with and sing the praises of Joe Tynan). Two of Alda's fellow Senators are played brilliantly by Melvyn Douglas and Rip Torn (who at times seemes to be playing Pennsylvania's own Snarlin' Arlen Specter though the film actually predates Specter's election). Highly praised at the time, the film is mostly forgotten today but it has its occasional moments.

Super-great
This overlooked gem may be both Streep and Alda's greatest film. As one to whom politics is both life and life's work, I can counsel you that this is one of the most realistic political films ever, not to mention one of the most enjoyable. See it and be convinced. Also, don't miss Rip Torn--I once worked for a Senator just like the character he plays!

It sucks
This is a boring type-cast story that leaves you feeling like "so, why did I have to watch that ?" Depressing, with no entertainment value, not to mention it's very dated. When Alan Alda was a movie star, the world was a much different place than it is now. Maybe, that's why the movie doesn't ring true. Anyway, I don't recommend it.

The greatest political satire/drama of all time
There is no doubt that this is a great movie. It engages its audience and provides them with an experience that will surely stand as a film that will inspire you to pull through the Doldrums of a hard day or if you're going through a difficult time in life, this will give you hope at the other end of the tunnel. It concerns a young liberal senator by the name of Joe Tynan (Alan Alda in his hreatest performance ever besides Hawkeye on M*A*S*H ) who has everything. A beautiful wife (Barbara Harris), children, and happiness. But he has a fling with his attractive female partner (Meryl Streep) and his life is literally going to fall apart. Eventually, his wife finds out and she learns to understand her husband's troubles and I feel, that at the resolution, she forgives him and gives him another chance. But there is fireworks between Joe and another senator friend because he testified against him in a case in which he lead just to earn him some publicity. ... Read more

Description

Mary & Joseph: A Story of Faith is an engaging, devout and fresh look at the beloved religious figures. The Bible reveals little about them. But using what is known about the social and political issues of the era, an involving yet speculative story can be told. In it, the betrothed pair confront the iron rule of the Roman Empire, the condemnation of religious leaders, the revolutionary fervor of the zealots and more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A love story first and foremost
I first saw this movie on television when I was a child. The story of the birth of Christ having always been my favorite in the Bible, I was thrilled to see it acted out. This movie gives you a 'what might have been' view of the lives of Mary and Joseph, something that the bible failed to give. Mary and Joseph where a young couple deeply in love, but the discovery of Mary's pregnency, plus Joseph's involvment with the Zelot's, almost drove them apart. We also get a look into the lives of Elizabeth and Zacarias, the parents of St. John. This movie give a completely human view of all characters in what is the most famous story in history. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

French Postcards - a little night music...
This is a romantic comedy with a heart, with the right outlandish comedy element, mixed with top notch romance. Look for Debra Winger and Mandy Patinkin in this little known work of theirs.

If you ever wondered about your friend's junior year abroad
I first saw this film six months after I returned from my junior year in the south of France. I laughed so often and shook my head in embarrassment so much at myself and when it was only part way done, I wondered how any writer could possibly have seen all those quirks in so many different people and hit them all so exactly dead on the money. I recognized my friends over and over and well, it was such a pleasantly-acted film and a completely lovely story that even after twenty years I remembered it very fondly and longed to see it again. I finally found it and you know, it still brings a misty eye and an out loud laugh and a warm smile to look back over the years and remember how young we were, how curious and serious and silly all at once, and how, when we weren't looking, someone out there was, and knew us better even than we knew ourselves. Même si all you'll ever know of French is 'Bonjour', you simply must have this charming film.

fun movie
i saw this movie on cable a long time ago and wanted to be in paris too. the characters are each interesting and was happy to see a young and talented debra winger (i remember seeing her as wonder girl on t.v.) besides the humorous story i like the nice scenery of the french coountryside and its culture and music. I hope see this as a dvd with special features in the near future with no deletions.

Great memories only one thing though
This movie brought back memories, of when I was a teenager Its just as I remember it..Only one thing, and it did upset me. I dont know if people will notice. There is a scene almost at the end when Joel and Toni are leaving and there parents run into each other, its here where I noticed something was missing?? The music..in the original movie it had Nicolette Larson's Lotta Love.. In this video its been deleted, and that really pained me, because that was part of the reason I bought this movie. I did not notice until later that it mentioned this on the cover of the video, I wonder why this was done.However overall the movie is safe clean AMERICAN fun from the 70's.. Great comedy.

Great Miles Chapin Vehicle
Fans of Miles Chapin (star of "Bless the Beasts and Children", "Hair" and "Howard the Duck" as well as at least one star-turn on "Murder She Wrote") won't want to miss this forgotten gem. This is probably the only known documentation in film or literature of the practice of making FREE international phone calls from pay phones in Paris, an important phenomenon in the 70's. The movie is also notable for a brief appearance by Debra Winger in what may well be her first speaking role in a movie. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Dead yes, Funny sometimes
I bought this for a strange reason, and while I enjoyed the movie, I can't really recommend it. The parts without the male lead were okay, and Pena was really good. There were funny parts, but I honestly can't say this was a funny movie. The whole plot is predictable, though Allison Janey's apperance is good enough for anyone who likes her ;)

Overall? I own it, I've watched it twice.

Great fun, in a dark sort of way...
Loved the movie. Just the thought of coming home to find your boyfriend dead in the kitchen, and - just as you're about to call the police - realize that you can't remember anything from the night before or that same day. I could surely sympatize, having recently had a bit of a black-out due to too much wine. Elizabeth Pena's paranoia is truly convincing, and everybody else does great jobs. It ain't perfect, but then what is?

I loved this film!
Having your main squeeze stab ya in the gut, and being too blind to see what she's done, is something I can relate to!

dull and silly bad acting
unfortunately elliot gould is making poor films and it seems there is a pattern ... Read more

Reviews (38)

thought provoking reading and viewing
I taught this particular novel and showed the movie in my AP senior lit and comp class several years ago. After I made the decision to teach the book, I read a review in The English Journal by another teacher who had taught it. She raved about it. My students said the same things hers did..."Why did you save the best until last?" I lent my video to a student who lent it to a friend. I never got it back. The book and the movie force us all to examine how we view women...how we view women in the church...how we view women in society. They force us to examine the separation of church and state. The book is not the product of a bored, sick mind, but rather the product of a contemporary feminist author whose work routinely asks us to reexamine ourselves. The video is a good representation of the book, bringing to life events portrayed. The book is better, but the video is certainly worth watching. And for the love of God, let's not let the USA become Gilead.

a decent film of a better book
the environment--these are the facets of a bleak existence and the movie holds true to that. There are flashes of joy, mostly in the well-played interaction of the main character and her best friend, but these are few and far-between. This isn't a complaint, but fair warning.
A worse flaw, for me, were the changes made to the main character, who moves from a more honest passive character in the novel to an active, at times brave/heroic character in the film. Perhaps they thought it would have been too dark, perhaps they thought the audience wouldn't react well to a passive main character. But it robs the story of much of its truth. As does the ending, which without giving any details, is much less ambiguous than in the story.
If you've read the book it's worth seeing but be prepared for some disappointment. If you haven't read it, it's even more worth seeing, especially today when aspects of our lives like the Taliban and the Patriot Act make the story reverberate more, but don't expect to have a bunch of friends over for a laugh-fest.

An absolute insult to such a thorough and compelling book
I have recently studied this book in my AS year at college and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have so much admiration for Margaret Atwood in writing such an imaginative, yet horrifying, book. The film version does the novel no justice at all, even my lecturer said it was 'absolute bobbins.' We gain no insight into the atrocities of the Republic of Gilead and the mental/physical effects it has on the women. I would admire anyone who successfully films a version of the novel!

An Insult to Margaret Atwood.
A cheesy, thoughtless rendition of one of my favorite books. The book contains some of the most beautiful narrative told in Atwood's unmistakable prose... the movie replaces ALL of her work with this with some talentless hollywood hack's shallow after-school-special dialog... and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'd recommend "Volcano" before I'd recommend this trash.

Very poor adaptation of an excellent novel...
I first read Margaret Atwood's book The Handmaid's Tale for a women's studies course at my local community college and I enjoyed it very much. It is a very important work, much in the same vein as Orwell's "1984," but more hopeful, and told from the perspective of a woman. However, the movie was a huge disappointment and loses much of Atwood's message.

A quick overview of the story: Offred is a Handmaid in a futuristic, dystopian society known as Gilead. The birthrate in Gilead is very low due to severe toxic pollution, and so the remaining fertile women are selected to be Handmaids whose sole purpose is to become pregnant by the upper class men (called Commanders). As soon as they provide their Commander with a child, they are packed off to another household to do it all again. If they are ever unable to bear more children, they will more than likely be labeled "Unwomen" and shipped away to a work colony to die. Handmaids are not allowed to read, and can only leave the house with permission. The book consists mostly of Offred's thoughts about her former life and her current position. There are hints of a resistance movement, but no one in this world can ever be sure that anyone else is trustworthy. Offred does not know what is real, or what is safe, and lives in constant fear. The regime has made it illegal for a man to be termed infertile, so if a Handmaid has no children, it is blamed on her without question. Offred's Commander is obviously incapable of fathering children, and she faces relocation to the colonies if she does not conceive. As her time runs out, the suspense builds to a crescendo of urgency and terror.

The film does not capture the full horror of the world Offred, the story's main character, lives in. In the movie she appears to have almost unrestricted freedom of movement, able to wander about the house and even leave it without permission (for example, she just trots off to the Red Center one day and spends the night - this never happened in the original story), whereas in the book she was monitored constantly. There is also absolutely no reference to the Handmaids not being allowed to read, so a viewer that has not read the book would likely wonder at the significance of the scene where the Commander presents Offred with a magazine as a gift. Offred also smiles quite often in the movie, and there are no allusions to her frequent thoughts of suicide, which are readily apparent in the novel.

My biggest disappointment with the movie, however, was the altered ending. Atwood's book leaves us wondering, and actually gives the reader the task of creating the end of the story themself through the way they choose to live their life. The movie, however, provides us with a very neat, tidy, pretty little ending that allows the viewer to forget all about the characters without a twinge of conscience - they're obviously ok, right? So what's that got to do with my life? The movie ending does nothing to make the viewer think or realize that if we aren't careful right here and now in our own lives, everything might not turn out so prettily. There is no lesson, or moral to the story, when Atwood very plainly intended for her work to pack a real punch.

I really don't think the novel is even a good candidate for adaptation into a movie, because the book is very slow, centering mostly around Offred's thoughts. She cannot do much, so most of the time she just sits in her room, and it is her contemplations during this time that make up the bulk of the writing. It would be very hard to accurately represent the novel in film without making the movie boring. The director of this film obviously realized this and so he spiced it up and tried to make it into an action movie. It just doesn't work.

To make matters worse, the acting in the film is very wooden. Natasha Richardson, who plays the main character, is particularly unconvincing. It is hard to feel for the characters because they just don't seem real. The whole atmosphere of the film is stiff and unnatural.

Nevertheless, before I close, I would like to point out the few things I actually did like about the movie (and hence why I'm giving it two stars rather than just one):

The scene depicting the monthly "ceremony" is particularly moving. It is rather hard to watch, but I believe it really captures the event as described in the novel. I particularly liked the fact that the camera focuses for a moment on Serena Joy at the end of the scene, showing her emotions as the Wife - something we don't get so much of in the novel.

The movie also does a good job of showing the relationship between Offred and the Commander. The viewer can easily see that the Commander sees Offred as a pet - something fun to play with and indulge, but nothing he really cares about. She is like a toy for him, and one that can easily be replaced, just as Offred has replaced the Handmaid before her.

Overall, though, I would not recommend this movie to anyone. It just doesn't convey the message that Atwood intended, and it's not even very entertaining in and of itself. Read the book instead. You'll get so much more out of it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A by-the-numbers action flick featuring a stern Arnold Schwarzenegger, Raw Deal has all the traditional traits of the genre. Schwarzenegger is a disgraced former FBI agent who winds up as sheriff of a backwater Southern town. He is given a chance to reclaim his job when the head of the Bureau offers him reinstatement if he'll go undercover to capture the mob boss responsible for killing his son. Schwarzenegger must get close enough to gain the trust of the gangster without being discovered as a mole, while gathering enough evidence to take him down. One of Schwarzenegger's early films, in which he honed his persona, Raw Deal offers up the usual quotient of gun battles and tough talk, with a trace of self-deprecating humor from its star, making it reasonably worthwhile entertainment. --Robert Lane ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Pure Immortal!
Arnold Schwarzenegger scores again with this under-rated action movie. Although, there are no other famous names in this film, Arnold carries it from start to finish. Intellect! Arnold is an F.B.I. agent that goes undercover as a mafia individual. This picture shows Arnold's true acting ability and he goes into the hideout at the end and obliterates his enemies. Annihilation! From the opening credits where Arnold Schwarzenegger is driving in the jeep chasing some clown. Splendid! Then Arnold combs his hair back and doesn't take any garbage from the mafia. How valiant! Arnold Schwarzenegger is truly my hero after I watched this bold action picture. The director was really thinking hard on this one and later on, made the epic "City of Industry".

The movie is a Raw Deal until the end!
RAW DEAL is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earlier performances, where he plays a 'cop', Kaminski. And basically, when Arnold plays a 'cop' in movies- and its an older action film, you can already tell the plot.

MY REVIEW:

"This elderly Arnold flick never really picks up until the end. I don't want to spoil it for you, but most of the film is boring until the action packed end! That's where the three stars come in! So fast forward those VCR/DVD players to the last fifteen minutes, and you'll be guaranteed an action packed, explosive ending sequence!"- MJV & the Movies.

"Resign or be prosecuted...".
In a time when the man with the biggest machine gun ruled the box office, Arnold Schwarzenegger was an unquestionable heavyweight amongst action stars. Following his success with the Conan films and "The Terminator", Ah-nuld signed on to do this crime thriller with director John Irvin. This one isn't one of his more well-known titles but is still "too cool for school". Not exactly one of the smartest action films ever released, what "Deal" lacks in brains, it makes up for in bullets.

Schwarzenegger is Mark Kaminsky, a former FBI big shot who is exiled to the role of local sheriff in a quiet Southern town. When an old friend's son is murdered by Mafia goons, Mark is called in to take down the bad guys in typical Schwarzenegger fashion. Faking his own death and re-emerging in Chicago under the assumed identity of an ex-con, Kaminsky infiltrates the mob organization and takes them down with an arsenal of awesome firepower. From taking down a mob foe in a car chase to driving a confiscated cement truck through an underground casino, Arnold gets to have plenty of fun while kicking his usual butt.

"Raw Deal" is a little bit longer than it should be and is overly talky at times but there are some solid moments to be had here. Any movie that has Arnold blasting his way through a gravel pit to the sounds of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" can't be all bad. The musical score was one of my favorites at the time that I saw it and the supporting cast including Darren McGavin, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, and Ed Lauter are all exceptionally talented and equally underrated. While far from a box office hit or even one of his most noteworthy flicks, "Raw Deal" is a bad-ass little movie that is actually very underrated in my opinion. It's never gonna get the kind of love as Arnie blockbusters like "The Terminator" and "Predator" but it's still worth the price of admission for any true action fan looking for some bullet-riddled fun on a Saturday night. Anyone looking to buy on VHS, may want to avoid the full-screen Video Treasures release as some copies contain the TV edit.

This Movie is BAD
Raw Deal is the perfect example of a action packed dud. I am a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but i have to say he is halarious when hes trying to be serious. This film is the weakest link out of Schwarzenegger's long list of films. Raw Deal is a really bad movie.

Not one of Arnold's better Efforts
Raw Deal was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earliest movies and it shows. He was particularly stiff and didn't seem entire comfortable or believable in his role as an Ex-FBI agent brought back in by his old boss (Darren McGavin) to take down a mob boss in Chicago.

Built from the same cookie cutter formula as Commando, Raw Deal is unapologetic brain-in-neutral action cheese. The acting is irrelevant; the dialogue is irrelevant... all that matters is the action, translated as the fact of a fistfight, chase sequence, and/or gun battle every few minutes. It doesn't even really matter why everyone's fighting, just as long as they do in fact fight and the audience is able to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Robert Davi plays the mob boss' second in command and as usual, brings a strong villianous edge to his role. He doesn't trust Arnold who is undercover as an up and coming Mob hood.

Schwarzenegger is truly in his element here, falling easily into the generic stereotype role that can best be described as "another muscular hero played by Arnold". He wears the part like a glove, and he's smart enough to know that the movie he's making is "B" grade cheese, a fact that he runs with when delivering his dialogue with an implied wink. One scene in particular comes to mind where he's about to drive a tow truck into a restaurant window, and he politely asks the people standing near the truck "Excuse me, but could you move to the side a little bit?" His method of delivery is dead on; it's plain to see that Arnold has a full grasp on the comedic elements afforded by the script and that he's having a good time. "You should not drink and bake" is another wonderfully delivered side-splitter, though nothing tops the tip o' the hat query of "Who do you think I look like? Dirty Harry?"

All in all, pretty mindless, but harmless popcorn fun. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Get the NEW DVD release!
The new version of the DVD is a ton better then the horrid Goodtimes release. The disc is in Anamorphic Widescreen and the sound quality is really decent. No real extras except a trailer. Not a Blockbuster film but still decent. Hope this helps.

Great movie released by wrong company
I have the VHS tape of this movie & will continue to own it while this Goodtimes version of this great movie is on the shelf. I have not watched this movie for the fact that Goodtimes will screw up a good movie with bad quality picture, sound, & all around basics. The movie itself is great to watch with Weller & Elliott in the action scenes & the story is just all in your face. The only problem is this movie was not released by MCA Home Video, if it had been you would have a great movie on DVD instead of this blurred & muffled sound version.

Cuts???
I swear when I saw this in the cinema there was areally hot sex scene between Weller and Charbonneau, but it's been completely cut in the DVD. ...

"You cops. You're the best that money can buy."
In a year when Die Hard, Midnight Run, and Action Jackson ruled the screens lies an overlooked, underrated film called Shakedown directed by James Glickenhaus. A shining example of what a true star Peter Weller is. And here's something for you movie buffs. When Weller and Elliot are walking out of the movie theater, the two movies that are being shown (The Exterminator and The Soldier) were also directed by Glickenhaus. Great stuntwork and a nice chase scene.

Stunt-filled 80's action film!
Another winner from underrated action director James Glickenhaus. Peter Weller and Sam Elliott star as a public defender and undercover cop who team up to take down a ring of dirty cops and a drug kingpin played by Antonio Fargas. Very well written, but the dialogue comes second to the action sequences, which are great. The best are a footchase through Coney Island that leads to a fistfight on a moving rollercoaster and a motorcycle/police car chase through Times Square. The stuntmen really have their work cut out for them in this one. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Get the NEW DVD release!
The new version of the DVD is a ton better then the horrid Goodtimes release. The disc is in Anamorphic Widescreen and the sound quality is really decent. No real extras except a trailer. Not a Blockbuster film but still decent. Hope this helps.

Great movie released by wrong company
I have the VHS tape of this movie & will continue to own it while this Goodtimes version of this great movie is on the shelf. I have not watched this movie for the fact that Goodtimes will screw up a good movie with bad quality picture, sound, & all around basics. The movie itself is great to watch with Weller & Elliott in the action scenes & the story is just all in your face. The only problem is this movie was not released by MCA Home Video, if it had been you would have a great movie on DVD instead of this blurred & muffled sound version.

Cuts???
I swear when I saw this in the cinema there was areally hot sex scene between Weller and Charbonneau, but it's been completely cut in the DVD. ...

"You cops. You're the best that money can buy."
In a year when Die Hard, Midnight Run, and Action Jackson ruled the screens lies an overlooked, underrated film called Shakedown directed by James Glickenhaus. A shining example of what a true star Peter Weller is. And here's something for you movie buffs. When Weller and Elliot are walking out of the movie theater, the two movies that are being shown (The Exterminator and The Soldier) were also directed by Glickenhaus. Great stuntwork and a nice chase scene.

Stunt-filled 80's action film!
Another winner from underrated action director James Glickenhaus. Peter Weller and Sam Elliott star as a public defender and undercover cop who team up to take down a ring of dirty cops and a drug kingpin played by Antonio Fargas. Very well written, but the dialogue comes second to the action sequences, which are great. The best are a footchase through Coney Island that leads to a fistfight on a moving rollercoaster and a motorcycle/police car chase through Times Square. The stuntmen really have their work cut out for them in this one. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

horrid
this movie is horrid--i wonder if the acting was supposed to be this bad on purpose. and the message--that "success" somehow makes you white--the charicatures may have been there to make a point, and yeah it's playing like a period piece (early 90's) -- but why did baby bam (jungle brothers) have to be in this? as the narrator, "sidekick", he was the best thing about the flick.

Decent...
I thought this was a pretty cool movie for the time period it came out in. It even had a message in it, which is : never forget who you are, where you have come from and gone through when you reach the success you set out to reach in life.

it's garbage
This movie is apparently a comedy that turns out not to be funny when it tries to be and when it doesn't. I'm trying to think of one redeeming quality this movie contains, but there is none. Don't buy it.

Oh, but no . . .
Don't waste your time with this one. It could have been a good movie, but the script got in the way. The only good thing about this flick is future "Living Single" star T.C. Carson (whom, you'll notice, NEVER mentions this movie). ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Dead yes, Funny sometimes
I bought this for a strange reason, and while I enjoyed the movie, I can't really recommend it. The parts without the male lead were okay, and Pena was really good. There were funny parts, but I honestly can't say this was a funny movie. The whole plot is predictable, though Allison Janey's apperance is good enough for anyone who likes her ;)

Overall? I own it, I've watched it twice.

Great fun, in a dark sort of way...
Loved the movie. Just the thought of coming home to find your boyfriend dead in the kitchen, and - just as you're about to call the police - realize that you can't remember anything from the night before or that same day. I could surely sympatize, having recently had a bit of a black-out due to too much wine. Elizabeth Pena's paranoia is truly convincing, and everybody else does great jobs. It ain't perfect, but then what is?

I loved this film!
Having your main squeeze stab ya in the gut, and being too blind to see what she's done, is something I can relate to!

dull and silly bad acting
unfortunately elliot gould is making poor films and it seems there is a pattern ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Pure Immortal!
Arnold Schwarzenegger scores again with this under-rated action movie. Although, there are no other famous names in this film, Arnold carries it from start to finish. Intellect! Arnold is an F.B.I. agent that goes undercover as a mafia individual. This picture shows Arnold's true acting ability and he goes into the hideout at the end and obliterates his enemies. Annihilation! From the opening credits where Arnold Schwarzenegger is driving in the jeep chasing some clown. Splendid! Then Arnold combs his hair back and doesn't take any garbage from the mafia. How valiant! Arnold Schwarzenegger is truly my hero after I watched this bold action picture. The director was really thinking hard on this one and later on, made the epic "City of Industry".

The movie is a Raw Deal until the end!
RAW DEAL is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earlier performances, where he plays a 'cop', Kaminski. And basically, when Arnold plays a 'cop' in movies- and its an older action film, you can already tell the plot.

MY REVIEW:

"This elderly Arnold flick never really picks up until the end. I don't want to spoil it for you, but most of the film is boring until the action packed end! That's where the three stars come in! So fast forward those VCR/DVD players to the last fifteen minutes, and you'll be guaranteed an action packed, explosive ending sequence!"- MJV & the Movies.

"Resign or be prosecuted...".
In a time when the man with the biggest machine gun ruled the box office, Arnold Schwarzenegger was an unquestionable heavyweight amongst action stars. Following his success with the Conan films and "The Terminator", Ah-nuld signed on to do this crime thriller with director John Irvin. This one isn't one of his more well-known titles but is still "too cool for school". Not exactly one of the smartest action films ever released, what "Deal" lacks in brains, it makes up for in bullets.

Schwarzenegger is Mark Kaminsky, a former FBI big shot who is exiled to the role of local sheriff in a quiet Southern town. When an old friend's son is murdered by Mafia goons, Mark is called in to take down the bad guys in typical Schwarzenegger fashion. Faking his own death and re-emerging in Chicago under the assumed identity of an ex-con, Kaminsky infiltrates the mob organization and takes them down with an arsenal of awesome firepower. From taking down a mob foe in a car chase to driving a confiscated cement truck through an underground casino, Arnold gets to have plenty of fun while kicking his usual butt.

"Raw Deal" is a little bit longer than it should be and is overly talky at times but there are some solid moments to be had here. Any movie that has Arnold blasting his way through a gravel pit to the sounds of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" can't be all bad. The musical score was one of my favorites at the time that I saw it and the supporting cast including Darren McGavin, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, and Ed Lauter are all exceptionally talented and equally underrated. While far from a box office hit or even one of his most noteworthy flicks, "Raw Deal" is a bad-ass little movie that is actually very underrated in my opinion. It's never gonna get the kind of love as Arnie blockbusters like "The Terminator" and "Predator" but it's still worth the price of admission for any true action fan looking for some bullet-riddled fun on a Saturday night. Anyone looking to buy on VHS, may want to avoid the full-screen Video Treasures release as some copies contain the TV edit.

This Movie is BAD
Raw Deal is the perfect example of a action packed dud. I am a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, but i have to say he is halarious when hes trying to be serious. This film is the weakest link out of Schwarzenegger's long list of films. Raw Deal is a really bad movie.

Not one of Arnold's better Efforts
Raw Deal was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's earliest movies and it shows. He was particularly stiff and didn't seem entire comfortable or believable in his role as an Ex-FBI agent brought back in by his old boss (Darren McGavin) to take down a mob boss in Chicago.

Built from the same cookie cutter formula as Commando, Raw Deal is unapologetic brain-in-neutral action cheese. The acting is irrelevant; the dialogue is irrelevant... all that matters is the action, translated as the fact of a fistfight, chase sequence, and/or gun battle every few minutes. It doesn't even really matter why everyone's fighting, just as long as they do in fact fight and the audience is able to tell the good guys from the bad guys.

Robert Davi plays the mob boss' second in command and as usual, brings a strong villianous edge to his role. He doesn't trust Arnold who is undercover as an up and coming Mob hood.

Schwarzenegger is truly in his element here, falling easily into the generic stereotype role that can best be described as "another muscular hero played by Arnold". He wears the part like a glove, and he's smart enough to know that the movie he's making is "B" grade cheese, a fact that he runs with when delivering his dialogue with an implied wink. One scene in particular comes to mind where he's about to drive a tow truck into a restaurant window, and he politely asks the people standing near the truck "Excuse me, but could you move to the side a little bit?" His method of delivery is dead on; it's plain to see that Arnold has a full grasp on the comedic elements afforded by the script and that he's having a good time. "You should not drink and bake" is another wonderfully delivered side-splitter, though nothing tops the tip o' the hat query of "Who do you think I look like? Dirty Harry?"

All in all, pretty mindless, but harmless popcorn fun. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

horrid
this movie is horrid--i wonder if the acting was supposed to be this bad on purpose. and the message--that "success" somehow makes you white--the charicatures may have been there to make a point, and yeah it's playing like a period piece (early 90's) -- but why did baby bam (jungle brothers) have to be in this? as the narrator, "sidekick", he was the best thing about the flick.

Decent...
I thought this was a pretty cool movie for the time period it came out in. It even had a message in it, which is : never forget who you are, where you have come from and gone through when you reach the success you set out to reach in life.

it's garbage
This movie is apparently a comedy that turns out not to be funny when it tries to be and when it doesn't. I'm trying to think of one redeeming quality this movie contains, but there is none. Don't buy it.

Oh, but no . . .
Don't waste your time with this one. It could have been a good movie, but the script got in the way. The only good thing about this flick is future "Living Single" star T.C. Carson (whom, you'll notice, NEVER mentions this movie). ... Read more