Amazon.com

More than a few critics hailed Spider-Man 2 as "the best superhero movie ever," and there's no compelling reason to argue--thanks to a bigger budget, better special effects, and a dynamic, character-driven plot, it's a notch above Spider-Man in terms of emotional depth and rich comic-book sensibility. Ordinary People Oscar®-winner Alvin Sargent received screenplay credit, and celebrated author and comic-book expert Michael Chabon worked on the story, but it's director Sam Raimi's affinity for the material that brings Spidey 2 to vivid life. When a fusion experiment goes terribly wrong, a brilliant physicist (Alfred Molina) is turned into Spidey's newest nemesis, the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus," obsessed with completing his experiment and killing Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) in the process. Even more compelling is Peter Parker's urgent dilemma: continue his burdensome, lonely life of crime-fighting as Spider-Man, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst)? Molina's outstanding as a tragic villain controlled by his own invention, and the action sequences are nothing less than breathtaking, but the real success of Spider-Man 2 is its sense of priorities. With all of Hollywood's biggest and best toys at his disposal, Raimi and his writers stay true to the Marvel mythology, honoring Spider-Man creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and setting the bar impressively high for the challenge of Spider-Man 3. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (251)

Setting the Bar Even Higher
This couldn't possibly have been a better movie than it is. The original Spider-man was an astounding achievement in adapting a comic book super-hero to the screen in a way that could reach both fans and non-fans alike. Spider-man 2 continues that tradition.

Two years after the events of the first movie, Peter Parker is still saving the day as Spider-man, while at the same time shirking his other responsibilities and trying to maintain and ordinary life. As he tries harder and harder, he comes to realize that for Spider-man, there is no ordinary life. He's failing college classes, losing his job, and not keeping up with his friends and family.

Things get rougher when Harry Osborn's new ticket to progress has an accident. Professor Otto Octavius demonstrates the ability of his fusion device that will generate new, reusable power when something goes wrong. His additional limbs that were used to manipulate the fusion environment have been fused to his own spine.

While the ads focus heavily on Doc Oc, the real plot here is Peter Parker's dilemna. Doc Oc might have seemed like an after-thought had not the writers kept Harry closely involved with Peter, reminding him again and again how he wants to kill Spider-man for what he did to his father.

I don't blame the critics who dislike the movie. For most of it, Peter is in misery, as his life spirals down the toilet due to the conflicting sides of Spider-man and Peter Parker. There's humor dispersed evenly throughout to make the experience a little lighter. It's a hard movie to watch because of this, as Peter has to decide between what he wants and the responsibility he has, and even I was a little uncomfortable as his suffering continued.

But Sam Raimi's never been one to leave the audience without a pay-off, either. His love for the material continues to show as it did in the first movie, making Spider-man 2 even more visually dynamic and dramatically endearing than its predecessor. Bruce Campbell also makes a cameo, but people probably guessed that months before it was announced, and that was still months before the movie was released.

The musical score is as spectacular as before, and Danny Elfman wisely maintains the theme he composed for the first movie. Rather than simply supporting the movie or carrying it, the music works with it, something rarely accomplished in film.

I honestly can't think of something negative to say about this movie. I don't think I could have been more pleased. The goal set after Spider-man was a hit was to make the second one even better, and the film-makers succeeded. I can only wonder if they will be able to do the same for the third after such an excellent film as this.

"Isn't it about time someone saved your life?"
I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea it was going to be THIS good. "Spider-Man 2" is everything a sequel of it's caliber should add up too: better special effects, breath-taking action sequences and a deeper story-line. "Spider-Man 2" succeeds at respecting and building off of the story established in the first movie. Two years later, and Peter Parker is struggling to keep his head above water. His obligations to his alter-ego, Spider-Man, keep him from holding a steady job, making ends meet, keeping in touch with family and friends, and most importantly: being with the love of his life, Mary Jane Watson. As Peter starts to doubt himself, his abilities start waning away, and he finds himself conflicted and forced to make the choice of saving the world, or living a happy life. To make matters worse, a new super-villian is on a the loose by the name of Dr. Octopus, a respected scientist controlled by his own invention. The stakes in this movie are raised really high and the result is a more powerful and gripping film than the first one. So, yes, "Spider-Man 2" is better than the original, which is quite an accomplishment considering the standards it set. Sam Raimi's vision and passion for the material oozes through with each scene. Raimi is easily the most underrated director of the moment. Each scene is played to perfection, and all of the actors have grown into their characters a bit more, especially Rosemary Harris (Aunt May) and James Franco (Harry), both of whom give much more dimension to seemingly peripherral characters. Tobey Maguire shines through in this one, with an improved performance (looking and acting less and less like Keanu Reeves kid-brother) and Kirsten Dunst is fantastic as always. Considering this is a monstrous Hollywood block-buster of the grandest sorts and will no doubt break records throughout the summer, "Spider-Man 2" is intelligent and fun at the same time. Everyone who has interest in it will walk away happy, fully satisfied -- and most importantly -- salivating for what the inevitable "Spider-Man 3" will bring us.

a 13-year-old review
I love this movie i will buy it and i hope you buy it too Tobey Maguire Returns in this awsome action movie. All the same stars return with a new star who is Alfred Molina a great person to do the part in this movie a great action movie that all generations most likely will love i saw it in theaters 2 times and a third time tommarrow so i again this is a great movie just like the first one even better. I think this is an awsome experiance for you i recomened it to anyone!

Spider-Man 2 Pretty Cool Sequel despite it's flaws
Tobey McGuire returns in this special effects loaded sequel however, I unlike some fans was disappointed with this sequel.

Toby McGuire once again stars as Peter Parker/Spiderman, now confronting a new enemy Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina).

The special effects were awesome, no doubt about that, however unlike the first one, the second half is pure nonsense and I was left unsatisfied.

Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus is tremendous, just like Willem Dafoe's characters as "Green Goblin" we see his rise to power.

(Spoilers) Yet Raimi's dumb writers in the second half of the film have him playing as a patsy.

Spiderman clashes with Dr. Octopus several times and actually the fights are fair, however Dr. Octopus eventually gets Mary Jane (Dunst, who really doesn't do much as far as acting) and uses that to his advantage while creating a new weapon.

Tobey as Spiderman again like the first film is not a strong presence, yet I know some nerds are trying to hype him up to be like Christopher Reeve but please give me a break. He will never have the same charisma as him.

Alfred Molina is great as Dr. Octopus, but the story seems to go nowhere and we get the same crap from the same movie, like Parker, still being the nerd recluse who is unable to go after what he wants, though this is hilarious in retrospect, but then becomes tiring.

The special effects and action are what saves "Spiderman2" from being a disappointment as far acting and plot go, and that wasn't a surprise was it.

Still though I was left wanting more, and the cheap ending and the way Dr. Octopus out of the thin blue sky has a change of hear for not killing "Spiderman" was pathetic though, that wouldn't have happened really, still I know there will be many nerds seeing the movie 10 times and saying it was the greatest movie ever, but they aint kidding anybody.

"Spiderman 2" is what it is a great special effects bonanza with some great action scenes, but not great character development and predictable plot lines.

Caught in a web of indecision...
It's really hard to say that I did or didn't like this movie; I mean, on the one hand, it surpasses the original in effects, storyline, character development, everything. But as they say, too much of a good thing is bad, and that's part of my feeling about this film.

The story, unlike the original, instead focuses on the negatives of being Spider-Man; Peter Parker is struggling to balance a life of his own, but Spidey always gets in the way. He even forgets his own birthday! And it also shows the effects it has on his family and friends, especially Mary Jane. And to top it all off, Doctor Otto Octavius, a brilliant scientist, is turned into Doctor Octopus, complete with four mechanical arms attached to his body, thanks to a failed fusion experiment.

The battles between Spidey and his foe were terrific, unsurpassed by most action films to date. But I found myself wanting more of these scenes...in the end, you really sympathize with Peter, but I just wish we could've seen our favorite webslinger in action more. But at least the ending was good (left WIDE open for Spider-Man 3.) ... Read more

Reviews (1047)

Spider-man spins a complex web of humanity in characters
An excursion to Columbia University science lab transforms the bespectacled Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) with miraculous vision, sculpted body after a genetically-altered spider bits him. He possesses agility in leaping from skyscrapers and can spin webs from his wrist. Henceforth he assumes the identity Spider-man to combat evil manifested in the form of the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), a Species-look-alike perpetrator that terrrorizes the city with a glider that drops bombs.

Spider-Man embodies the heroics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko who had graced the popular Marvel Comics to become an comic icon as a crime-buster - and now the film further increases the fanaticism. It is a US 140 million blockbuster and gaudy with sleek costumes and galvanizing stunts. It is digitally-enhanced F/X to capture panoramic swings in its most realistic and The Times Square action-sequence is one of the most dazzling in cinematic history.

Yet the superhero adventure fails to surprise because of its conventional storyline of good-vs-evil. The self-discovery and mutation renders so much punch that the second-half falls relatively lack-lustre. Fortunately Spider-Man spins a complex web of humanity and empathy for the characters - and Tobey Maguire as the lead is the emotional core who captivates with his vulnerability in handling his growth traumas, doubts and fears. No less sterling is Willem Dafoe who is all hysterics and maniacal in his split personality inherited from the aftermath of a blundered experiment. Kirsten Dunst as his love-interest Mary Jane, James Franco as his buddy and even his uncle Ben played by Cliff Robertson show surprising dimensions.

Spider-Man is thus an evocative tale of a hero struggling with his adolescence, betrayal and murder. And Sam Raimi displays the same sensitivity here with his eariler works like Darkman with his flawed avenger. He directs it with eye-popping visuals like Army of Darkness and the comic hero resonates in its true-self. Its brooding hero is what makes Spider-Man a nifty web - and Maguire has definitely triumphed the cynics with his soulful spin.

Spinning A Worthy Web
Spider-Man is an entertaining film that is a great summertime, popcorn movie. The film explores the origins of the transformation of Peter Parker from nerdy high school student to the web slinging superhero Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire is quite good in the title role. He plays the character with the right amount of torment as an outcast who has been put down all his life, but injects pride, joy and happiness into the Peter from his newly bestowed powers. Kirtsen Dunst is Peter's next door neighbor, Mary Jane Watson. Ms. Dunst is not given much to work worth in the character, she is the requisite love interest, damsel in distress but she is appealing in the role. Willem Dafoe is plays the Green Goblin who is the villain in the film. The Goblin's alter ego is Norman Osborne who is the rich father of Harry (James Franco), Peter's best friend and roommate. Mr. Dafoe is perfectly cast as the Goblin and he handles the character's schizophrenic outbursts with creepy aplomb. Mr. Franco plays Harry sullenly and he appears as if he is moping through the picture. J.K. Simmons plays Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson as a pushy, demanding blowhard who listens only to himself with hilarious results. People have criticized the fighting and action scenes, but they are really no better or worse than most current action films. There are some Matrix like sequences with the slow motion, but these scenes actually help show Spider-Man's spider senses that allow him to anticipate and react quickly to danger. The film was a box office smash and we should expect to see numerous sequels that will hopefully be as appealing as the first installment.

ETMR - Spiderman
1. Humanity: What events in the film drove Peter Parker to adopting his vigilante attitude toward crime?

2. Implications: How is Spiderman's understanding of "with great power comes great responsibility" an example of contemporary American thought? Think specifically about the nature of evil and the propensity toward intense individual classification when one's existence becomes threatened.

3. Evolution: Spiderman was a hero born out of the 60s, springing from both the dangers of genetic manipulation and the problems of substance abuse (in the form of Oscorp Chemicals). Raimi makes little mention of the chemical abuse in the story, and paints it in a much simpler picture of the probable evil in man's soul and the strange world of pseudoscience. Therefore, it is obvious that in many ways, the film departs from its traditional conditioning while remaining loyal to the original personalities of the characters. In which ways is Spiderman the hero shown to be a creation of the contemporary age, versus a creation of the 60s, in the film?

4. Realism: America has a long history, not only in comics but in legendary history, of people who take the law into their own hands. If a being like Spiderman existed, could he survive in our real world, or is he only a dream?

5. Stageplay: Spiderman is classicly a cynic, an individual thinker, an avid contemporarian (someone "in" the times), a man of passions (versus someone who could care less), an irreligious jokester and a man who is not sure of his destiny, but lives to succeed. Do you feel Maguire fulfills this role? Some critics say he is too much of a "boy" to fill Spiderman's shoes, while others claim it is his boyishness that charms us into belief. What do you think?

Spiderman
This was a good movie with lots of great special effects and action sequences. If you like superhero-type movies you'll really enjoy this family oriented movie. I would recommend this movie.

Spiderman, Spiderman, watch this movie when you can
This movie has exceeded my expectataions of it far beyond my belief. Probably because I went in thinking that it would suck. I'm just not into this kind of stuff. Of course, I'm a closet "Batman" fan so I guess it does say something. Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie. The cinematography was awesome! From all the camera dynamics following Spidey's twists and flips, you really felt that you were flying through the air with him. The cinematography also had a warm, upbeat feeling to it. It was one of the main reasons the movie kept my eyes glued to the screen.

The second reason is, of course, the actors. From Tobey Maguire's clumsy but lovable Peter Parker to Kirstin Dunst's beautiful Mary Jane Watson to Willem Dafoe's deliciously evil Green Goblin, the actors most definitely made the movie. The producers certainly picked the right people to handle the characters.

The only downside to this movie was that the opening credits were too long and too boring. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Amazing!
Let me clarify...amzingly CHEESE! This is a movie I saw NUMEROUS times in 89 I think. That was back in the day of the digital video stabiliser, two VCR's and an RCA cable. Get the picture? ANYWAY, I must have seen this film 200 times! Koeing is putting forth the best dead-pan performance of his career! It really showed just how good of an actor he is. His inadvertant (or In your FACE) caracture of his friend Bill Shatner is CLASSIC! No he dosen't do a direct imitation of a certian famous (or infamous) starship captain, but I caught a LOT of the Shatneresque overacting!

Bruce Campbell is in his prime form in this film. His role is just HILARIOUS! He really shows that our favorite grocery clerk is better as an astronaut. Hey, I'd fly in space with him!

This film has it all! Classic Sci-Fi feel, a unique story( Virus was a ripoff of this film), plastic UZI's, inflatible tents, 14,000 year old corpses, and the like. This is a perfect movie to just hit the floor laughing while you wizz in your pants! Definetly worth the time it will take to find this vid.

Unless the release it on DVD. THAT IS A BIG HINT YOU GOOBERS!

Good if you can suspend disbelief
Let me say one thing first: I actually like this movie. I think it's kind of fun and parts of the premise are fresh and interesting. However.....

I saw this when I was a kid and I was able to buy into it a lot more then. Then I read Isaac Asimov. And Heinlein. And then Arthur C. Clarke. That killed it.

Part of the premise is interesting and nice and creepy (the idea of robots using humans for parts) but the execution sucks. This film is so filled with scientific absurdities you don't know whether to laugh or cry. From the beginning (not noticing a 1/4 mile long ship until it's right on top of them) of the movie to the end (the lunar lander providing the propulsion for a ship about 2,000 its size) this movie breaks not only the laws of physics but also of reality. If you can completely suspend disbelief you will enjoy this flick as the special effects and the female co-star both look good. But if you have even the most rudimentary understanding of celestical mechanics or astronomy, you'll crine.

Still, you get to hear Bruce Campbell swear.

Way ahead of its time.
The movie for real SiFi fans was way ahead of its time. The acting, writing, and special effects were great.

Strong cast lift this mediocre sci-fi flick
"Same-old, same-old" plot of aliens seeking to take over Earth and the heroes of the film who must stop the invasion make this low-budget sci-fi hard to swallow. But a strong cast (Star Trek's Walter Koenig and everyone's "B" movie favorite, Bruce Campbell) help lift the movie above its ho-hum existence and is, at least, worth a peek. Koenig and Campbell are astronauts who land on the moon to check out the possibility of alien life. What they find are self-thinking machines bent on hitching a ride in their spacecraft back to Earth to take over the planet, and they must do everything they can to stop them. Some plot holes and unnecessary sequences in the film are chalked up to a weak script, but Koenig has a strong presence in the film and Campbell shines as his partner, stretching his successful acting versatility that much further.

EXCELLENT PREMISE AND STORY!!!
The special effects range from excellent to cheezy. (Fortunately the good effects tend to outweigh the worse ones) The dialogue could have been a little better and more natural but it was still pretty good anyway. This movie is still a gem though. It was well thought out overall.This is one of the few movies that deals with a self replicating probe (A Von Neuman device) run amok. The female actor is exoticly beautiful and plays the part well. If you like this movie you will also like: Star Trek II; Wrath of Khan, Saturn 3, Hangar 18, The Blob (new), The Thing (new) and especially the new movie 'Virus' Moontrap is a nice addition to any sci-fi video library! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The box office success of Disney's 1969 classic The Love Bug inspired a slew of Herbie sequels, and, ultimately, this 1997 remake. Though remakes occasionally best the original (consider Disney's The Parent Trap), this one does not. It is difficult to match the talents of the original cast--namely Dean Jones, Buddy Hackett, and David Tomlinson. At least the car hasn't diminished during its 30-year absence. Herbie is still the smart, quirky Volkswagen Beetle with the same affinity for fast driving and rescuing arrogant-but-charming, washed-up racecar drivers to give them a new life and a new love. In this case, Herbie's progeny is Hank Cooper (played by hunky Bruce Campbell of the Evil Dead trilogy), who acquires Herbie by lottery from the junkyard. Herbie comes to life and begins his usual shenanigans, from popping wheelies to slamming his trunk on the fingers of evildoers, primarily one Simon Moore III (John Hannah). This wealthy, wicked numbskull sold Herbie before realizing his powers and now seeks revenge by creating Herbie's evil twin--a menacing black Beetle. The rest of the story repeats history, yet does so with passionless drudgery. Thankfully, there are two notable highlights: one, a brief cameo appearance by Jones (Herbie's owner, Jim Douglas, from the original film) who lends his larger-than-life persona for an all-too-brief moment; the other, Kevin J. O'Connor, who plays Herbie's eccentric and faithful mechanic, and does so with earnest zeal. The film's slapstick humor and happy ending make for solid family entertainment, but the original reigns supreme. --Lynn Gibson ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not one of Disney's better films.
A friend and I rented this movie to get up to speed on Bruce Campbell's work (of Evil Dead fame, among countless other movies and TV shows), and did all we could to keep from turning the thing off. It's an entertaining family film and it's simple storyline, humorous scenes and "gee whiz" happy ending will please the youngsters. But if you are looking for a good plot and solid acting, forget it. A highpoint of the film comes with the cameo appearance of Dean Jones, and it was interesting to see John Hannah and Kevin J. O'Connor before they were in The Mummy. As for Campbell, it was probably one of his worst lead performances I've ever seen. But in the end, it's Herbie...and everyone love Herbie.

Herbies Back in A Brand New Adventure!
I watched the original "The Love Bug" growing up and loved it! I was so thrilled when Disney made this new movie for T.V. In the begining of this movie, things are looking very bad for Herbie. After losing another race, he is sent to the scrap pile. Luckily, he is recued by Hank, a mechanic, who fixes him up. From there, Herbie is back up to his old tricks, including geting Hank and his ex-girlfriend Alex back together. But when an evil Love Bug, Harold, is created, Hank and Harold's owner must race for their cars. Can Herbie defeat this enemy? This price is wonderful and The video is in a clamshell case so you can preserve it for years to come!

Welcome back Herbie! I think you need a new agent.
First off, let me say I'm glad that this film exists, it being our first Herbie fix in fifteen years, the abortive 1982 television series being the last one. It's great to see good old Herb again, even if it's only a TV movie.

Having said that, let me continue by saying they screwed up pretty bad. There were many major mistakes in this film (which had a good idea and was set up to be a nice nostalgia fest) that really drug the whole thing down. Here's a list, in no particular order. WARNING: The following contains info that could be seen as spoilers.

1. Herbie. Call me a perfectionist, but Herbie just looks wrong here. He should have a gray interior and sunroof, not white. The racing stripes are supposed to be painted on the sunroof, too. The '53' is up way too high on the hood and it's the wrong font as well. They managed to get these things right all through four feature films and a TV series, why not here?

2. Kevin J. O'Connor. I know he's supposed to be an artist, but this guy is just waaaaay too creepy for my taste. It was a good thing in `The Mummy', but here it's out of place.

3. The origin story. I'm sorry, but this just does not jive with what we've been told before. The impression given in `Herbie Rides Again' was that some machines just develop personalities. And did Dr. Stumpfel also build the Lancia in `Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo'? Plus, I'd like to think my government is not THAT stupid. I found their portrayal of our military in here fairly insulting. Plus, in the eighteen years it took to build Herbie, you'd think they'd figure out it was just a translation error.

4. The final race. It was SLOW. In the other films you got a sense of speed. Here it seems like both cars are going thirty-five, a situation which one shot shown at high speed just doesn't fix. Plus, unlike the previous films there is absolutely no suspense about Herbie winning. The character of Simon Moore seems to almost go out of his way to make it easy for them. (Also, Chuck's car troubles were barely worth the first scene with them, we definitely didn't need to cut back to him two more times.)

5. CGI effects. Back in the sixties and seventies, Disney, using only some creative editing and some mechanical know-how, made Herbie appear to do amazing things. It was cheap and you knew it was an effect, but the end result always seemed to look pretty good. Now it's the days of digital effects and we have a digital Herbie. It screams `FAKE!' Unlike the old effects, it's impossible to suspend your disbelief watching this thing. Come on Disney, you sometimes need a guy with a wrench, not a computer, to make things look good.

6. Title. Thanks to lack of creativity in thinking up a title, most people think this film's a remake. It's not. Although it shares a bit of story arc with the original, this is a new film.

7. Horace. The idea of an evil Herbie is seriously creepy, but the filmmakers didn't do much with it. Horace seems to be only a fraction of the menace he could have been.

8. Writing. The dialogue is terrible. It sometimes seems like they wrote the children's novelation first, then the script.

9. Bruce Campbell. Bruce, I really like you as an actor, but could at some point in this film, try acting a just a bit? Just a suggestion.

Well, having said what was wrong, I want to mention something they got very right. The scene where Jim Douglas gets behind the wheel of Herbie for first time in years is a great piece of acting. You can practically see the memories running through his head. It was so perfect, it bought a tear to my eye. Good work, Dean.

A few flaws, but a real treat!
Sometimes I think the professional reviewers don't even watch these movies before mouthing off about them! This IS NOT A REMAKE! IT is another sequel! Sure, the title is misleading, and probably should have been "Herbie Wins Again" or something, but that's what leads me to believe that the reviewer simply read the box. Anyway, as for the movie, from someone who has seen it...I rented this movie when it came out, and was thrilled to see not only a new Herbie movie, but one starring Ash himself, Bruce Campbell! It was obviously low budget, and the music always gives that away. That was probably the biggest flaw of this movie, they ditched the awesome old Herbie theme! I loved that and was really missing it. It was replaced with some totally inapropriate cowboy showdown music, that might have fit in one or two scenes tops. The plot and cast was great though, and the Dean Jones cameo was the icing on the cake. When the price comes down, I recommend getting a copy!

Great... yet not...
I LOVE the original! This one was sort of what you might call... a cheap remake or something. But the bad guy(John Hannah) was AWESOME! So was the fact that Dean Jones was in it again. I'd definitely wait until the price goes down, because no matter how much I love John Hannah's Scottish accent, I'm NOT paying over 100 dollars for it. The insight into Herbie's making was kinda neat too. I'd suggest seeing the movie, like on Disney or something, before making up your mind to buy it. However, if you want the good stuff, get the original ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The Coen brothers (RaisingArizona, Fargo) have become the most consistently originalfilmmakers in the land. In a salute/reworking of the fast-talkingcomedies of the '40s, we follow Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins) and hisamazing rise to the top. But he's only a puppet for the evil Sidney J.Mussburger (Paul Newman), who wants the company for himself. The Coens' design is the real star, and their first big-budget film will stimulatemovie fans. The story weakens in the middle, but you will find very few films that move with this much imagination. As a KateHepburn hybrid, Jennifer Jason Leigh is wonderful in an almost unplayable role. The lessyou know about the film, the better it plays, so just think of it as How toSucceed in Business Without Really Trying mixed with Brazil and every journalistic drama madebefore 1960. Cowritten by Sam Raimi. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (81)

You know . . . for movie lovers!
Massively undervalued thematic sequel to *Barton Fink*. I say that because *The Hudsucker Proxy* (a bad title that guaranteed box-office oblivion, btw) treads a lot of the same water as the earlier film: hucksterism, commericalism, the notion that one person can singlehandedly come up with One Great Idea -- in short, the American Dream. This time, it's the world of business instead of Hollywood, but the corporate fatcats at Hudsucker Industries are relevant enough "proxies" for movie-studio fatcats; i.e., the point is well-taken. Indeed, the movie is -- as most Coen Brothers movies are -- about movies themselves, and you're not giving the Coens enough credit if you think *The Hudsucker Proxy* is merely a send-up of some Frank Capra movie. It's a send-up of the entire film industry, which is pretty cheeky, considering that this was their first "big-budget, major-studio" production. If you must have it: the plot concerns a doe-eyed graduate of Muncie Business College who winds up in the basement mailroom at Hudsucker Industries in New Yawk City. The President of the company has just taken a swan-dive from the 45th floor (not counting the mezzanine). Meanwhile, the fatcats on the Board of Directors, of which Paul Newman is the cattiest, come up with the brilliant idea of promoting a moron to the President's chair in order to devalue Hudsucker stock -- that way, they can buy up the remaining shares of the company, after which the moron can be comfortably dispensed with. But Tim Robbins, the putative moron, has one killer idea up his sleeve that throws a monkeywrench in the gears. But don't take all this too seriously. The fun's in the details . . . and, let's face it, you probably have to be in on the joke to really appreciate what the Coens are doing here. Meaning? They assume you have a knowledge of old-movie conventions, and that you appreciate the homage this movie pays to them. Basically, they insist that you bring something to the party. They insist you get off your Lazy-Boy and meet them halfway. Oh, by the way: the movie's hilarious, too.

You know, for kids!
When Waring Hudsucker (Charles Durning) of Hudsucker's Industry commits suicide by plunging out the window of his building, the board of directors lead by Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman) comes up with a brilliant scheme. They will appoint a 'proxy' president for the company, someone so stupid that their stocks will drop. And when they do, the board of directors will buy up all the stocks, then restore their fortunes. So who do they appoint as their proxy? Who else but idealistic and naive Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins)? But things don't exactly work out perfectly for the greedy board of directors as Pulitzer winner report, Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh), starts digging around. And suprisingly, Norville just might not have been the perfect 'dummy'...

The key word to describing this movie would probably be 'bizarre'. And bizarre it is. The plot is admittabley very original, and the directors (and writers) Joel and Ethan Coen put a certain style into this movie which we don't see very often. Most of the humor is incredibly dry while there is some slapstick involved.

The characters in the film are not your average characters in that they are so obviously two-dimensional but the actors give such a flair into their acting that you can't help but love 'em. Take Tim Robbins as Norville for example, he's totally lovable though he's not actually very birhg or incredibly smart. But I must say that Jennifer Jason Leigh's character Amy Archer is one of the most fascinating characters I've seen. She's a replica of the sassy Katherine Hepburn and as fast-talking as Rosalind Russel in "His Girl Friday". She just talk soooooo fast that I recommend you see the movie at least twice to enjoy her dialogue all the more so.

My recommendation for "The Hudsuckers Proxy"? I'd say that a rental first is a good idea. I'm really not sure if everyone will love this movie since I feel that only certain people could appreciate the humor and the whole 'bizarreness' of the film.

Boring beyond belief
This is one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. I wish I could give the movie a rating of zero stars, but that isn't an option. I just got through watching "The Sword of the Valiant", it was so bad it made me smile. "The Hudsucker Proxy" is so bad it made me groan. I couldn't wait for it to end. It was pure torture, I expected a lot better from Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. I would just burn the DVD, but maybe I can find someone who will be as taken by this movie as all the other people who gave it glowing reviews, maybe one of them would be willing to give me the $15 I paid for this turkey.

a thingamajig that would bring everyone together
A film by the Coen Brothers

"The Hudsucker Proxy" is the fantastic story of Noville Barnes (Tim Robbins). Norville is just some poor shmoe looking for work, but he isn't qualified for anything and he has no work experience. He takes a job as a mailroom clerk at Hudsucker Industries. We're not sure what they do or what they make, but at a board meeting, we find out the company is posting record profits. When a man is done with his litany of the company's successes, the chairman, Mr Hudsucker himself, stands up on the long table, starts running, and commits suicide by jumping out the window and falling to his death.

What to do? The rest of the board needs to be able to purchase a controlling interest in Hudsucker stock, but the stock price is too high. The formulate a plan to temporarily drive down the stock prices by hiring as president of the company someone so incompetent that shareholders will be so scared that stock prices will plummet. The dimwit president: Norville Barnes. It is Sidney Mussburger (Paul Newman) who is pulling the strings behind the scenes to make all this happen; it is his master plan that sets all this in motion.

Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is the fast talking reporter who goes undercover to investigate Norville and find out why Hudsucker would have hired him as the president. "The Hudsucker Proxy" is funny in a smart, clever way, and is highly entertaining. The Coen Brothers do not make ordinary or conventional movies ("Intolerable Cruelty" aside), but they definitely make some of the top movies of any given year.

-Joe Sherry

Not the Coens greatest, but.............
This is a great movie from the Coen brothers. It is not a violent or gory as some of their other films, but there are certainly some very devious characters. The movie includes a heavily character driven story, it is very well paced and fun all the way through. The visual style is brilliant, showcasing the Coen brother's ability to make film footage of ordinary settings seem surreal and slightly comic bookish, and they keep it up consistently for the length of a movie. This inevitably aids their storytelling by making the movie's world distinct and vivid as a setting for the characters who are equally ordinary yet unmistakeably unusual. ... Read more

Reviews (473)

The Ultimate Cult Horror Film!
The first of the Evil Dead Trilogy this cult horror classic is the most fun you'll have watching a horror movie. This Special Edition DVD from Elite is top-notch. Evil Dead has been released on DVD in 800 or so different versions but if you're looking for a great one, look no further.

This disc presents the film in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with an extremely sharp transfer with strong color definition. Audio is presented in a great 5.1 surround mix or 2.0 original mix.

The disc includes an impressive list of bonus features including:
- commentary from director Sam Raimi & producer Bruce Tappert
- commentary from start Bruce Campbell (which, incidentally is one of the best and funniest DVD commentaries you'll ever come across!
- alternate takes/outtakes
- still gallery
- theatrical trailer

For the price, this is a great version of the flick. Pick it up!

An excellent film for it's day.
The film, "Evil Dead" is one notch above the usual horror-slasher-zombie films. Set in a desolate cabin in the dark woods, this movie sets out with a typical premise; a group of four young people are being stalked by an ancient evil force in the woods. This evil was awakened by a scientist in the cabin who was reading from an ancient Sumerian text of the dead, the "Necronomicon ex Mortis". A book written in blood, and bound in human flesh. The evil returns and slowly traps the frightened people there in the woods, takes over their bodies, turns them into Zombies, and kills them. The lone survivor, Ash, is forced to do battle with the forces of evil. Overall a good time, and for a film made on a shoestring budget, (less than 50,000 dollars I hear), it was a fun time. Director Sam Raimi did a fantaboulous job of making this film one of the New American Cult Classics. I would definitely see it, and would highly recommend the follow-ups, "Evil Dead II: Dead Before Dawn", and "Army of Darkness". Horror purists may groan at these, as they incorporate more humor, but overall, a worthwhile few hours. Buy the ticket, take the ride!

the ultimate horror movie!
This film is the ultimate horror movie. Great sneaky gore with a good storyline (unlike most horror movies) and not-so-bad acting or directing to be such a low budget film.

Very gruesome and gory, but it's really great !
Evil dead it's a very entertaining movie to watch, but it really impacts to you how bloody and how too much gore does it has, anyway you can't miss this frightening movie which makes you jump out of your sit and forces you to don't sleepp.

Okay, but soooooo over-rated...
I watched this movie tonight not expecting to like it. Why did I watch it in the first place then? Becasue I thought maybe I would end up liking it. Well, I did and I didn't. I love slasher flicks, but im not really into zombie movies. The two other zombie movies I have seen were "Dawn of the Dead" and "Day of the Dead", which I didn't like, and thought were WAY over-rated. This one was to, and certainly is NOT worth all the hye, but is still okay. The thing I liked about was that is was simple, sort of in the way "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" was, but it's hard to explain HOW it was simple. It mostly takes place in the living room and cellar of a cabin, not in a big gothic mansion, so it's some-what realistic, and, like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", it's hard to explain HOW it's realistic. There were also a few cool scenes worth the rental alone. What I didn't like about it was it was some-what boring. It was also just felt a *bit* too short. So I wouldi't reccomend fully, unless you really like zombie flicks, or you just feel like you have to see every popular horror flick as I do... ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Interesting alternative to Twister
This TV movie was obviously a direct ripoff of Twister and aired on the Fox network mere days before Twister came to theaters. However, it was mildly entertaining, considering the tornadoes didn't make many appearances. Bruce Campbell and Ernie Hudson were decent in their roles. Personally, I would've preferred to have Campbell in Bill Paxton's role in Twister. Special effects (what you see of them) are okay.

It was better than Twister. IMHO.
I seen Twister first in the threatres and then Tornado on TV. I must state that Twister had some romance(not enough), the characters seemed to me to be just reading a script to you. No feelings or emotion they seem flat and lifeless, the special effects were great but there was some scenes where the truck's windshield wasn't even BROKEN when the next scene it was. D'OH! Tornado has alot more romance than Twister did, the people seemed more realistic, and the threat of the Tornado was there and yet unpredictable to know when they show up which they are. The special effects were really kool and not too many scenes where there was anything wrong like a broken windshield of the stormchaser's red pickup truck in Twister. There was only about three to four tornados showing up in this movie and there was six or more tornados showing up in Twister. Twister you knew when they were going to show up even watching it the first time you knew when it was going to show up. In Tornado you never knew it was coming and that is how a real one acts. I recommend buying this movie first and then watching Twister second. You won't be sorry.

HOT AIR
Amazing how Noel Hesseck's direction could make a tornado seem so insignificant. With little special effects of any note, this Twister wannabe suffers from flat, laconic performances, most notably Bruce Campbell and Ernie Hudson. Even L.Q. Jones seems winded and lifeless. An obvious made for TV soapie, that never shows the tornado at its worst.
Rent don't buy.

I just had to comment...
I haven't seen the movie, but Bruce Campbell's the sh*t, so it has to be interesting. Anyhow, I couldn't help but laugh for ten minutes on Azien's "I love tornado movies" line. I love tornado movies? I LOVE TORNADO MOVIES!? I have to put that on a shirt.

Ok, go ahead and check "This review is not helpful"

Wow..lol
Azien...where in the world did you see an F100? That meso must have been at least twenty miles wide...hehe=)
<>A<> ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The best horror film of it's kind.
New York city is being terrorized by a series of murders and the public breaks into panic when the killer is a cop. Yes indeed, this is a film with a story that has not bee used befor, something new, and director William Lustig (MANIAC) and writter Larry Cohen (IT'S ALIVE) make this a good B-movie if youare looking for action, a few scares, and good acting. MANIAC COP 2 and 3 are good (but not as good as this) movies if you can find them.

1987. TWE. 92 MINS.

Rated R for Language and Some Strong Horror/Action Violence.

You have the right to remain silent, FOREVER
I found Maniac Cop to be a great action/horror film. Director William Lustig continues his crusade to make good flicks(like Relentless,Uncle Sam,and the classic Maniac). This film is among his best. Robert Z'Dar(a truely underrated actor)plays the psycho cop who stalks the streets of NY. Tom Atkins(Halloween III)is on his trail. Maniac Cop's sequels were not on par with the original, but all three films are worth a look, especially the well done original.

out of print?
This is a great cult flick! I can't believe it's out of print! What the heck is wrong with these people? Don't they like to make money? Re-master this puppy and get it on the shelves!

At least Bruce Campbell's in it...
And believe me, that's about all this movie has going for it. It's your typical low-budget freak/monster B-movie. There is little to nothing in the way of originality in this film and should be avoided by anyone who doesn't love B-movies. It lacks the humor and imagination of many other movies of this genre.

Having said that, though, it does star Bruce Campbell (star of the Evil Dead trilogy) as the hero and just about any movie starring BC is worth watching at least once. There's nothing terribly exciting about his performance here, but... it's Bruce Campbell.

It should also be said that this DVD comes with some excellent extras, considering that it's such a low-budget, relatively unknown, cult film. With many DVDs of this genre, you're lucky if you have any special features at all. Deleted scenes, trailers, commentary, etc. A very nice surprise.

DVD review
If you loved EVIL DEAD you will like this movie.
The DVD has a better quality than the old VHS, but it still could have been better.
The film is shown widescreen (1.85:1) and is not enhanced for 16x9. The quality is ok, but for Elite standards. A lot of the colors seem faded but this could be due to the age and budget of the film. A lot of the night scenes are too way too dark and grain can be spotted in several scenes. The laser had a much better brighter transfer. The sound is Dolby Digital Surround and sounds nice, but it seems to be Stereo and not Surround. The spoken word and music score is crystal clear with no pops but your speakers don't get much work.
You get the films original theatrical trailer, which is shown widescreen. The picture quality on the trailer hasn't been cleaned up. There is a lot of grain and most of the picture is very dark. You also get two television spots, which are shown full frame and both look like the trailer. Each is dark with grain running through them. You also get a trailer from France that is spoken in French with no subtitles. The picture looks a looks a lot worse than the previous trailer. There is also a Spanish radio spot, which is spoken is Spanish with no subtitles. There are also six extra scenes that were filmed for Japan television. These scenes are nice but don't add anything special to the film. Finally, there is an audio commentary with director Lustig, producer Cohen, Bruce Campbell and Jay Chattaway. The commentary is one of the best out there. Everyone is constantly talking and a lot of great stories are told about the making of the film.

Overall A fun movie if you don't expect too much out of it. The video is somewhat disappointing but the audio is nice. The extras are definitely the best thing about this DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (477)

A great modern adventure!
This is the last entry in the "Evil Dead" series, but folks, this is NOT a horror flick, it is a fantasy comedy adventure. This deals with "Ash" ( Bruce Campbell) who was sucked into another time, in the medieval times. Now he must get a unholy book called " The Necronomicon" so he can get back home but when his idiocy gets in the way, he unleashes a army of the dead and now Ash with the rest of King Arthur's men must fight back.

A brilliant, entertaining and hilarious final in the awesome Evil Dead series with wit, humor, skill, good special effects and great battle scenes. Sam Raimi is a genius of a filmmaker, Bruce Campbell is definitely a great actor portraying a lovable moronic hero. Like i said, this movie isn't a horror flick, it's really a Fantasy comedy adventure and doesn't have gore like the last two flicks but this movie is also enjoyable for the whole family. I own this movie on DVD in 2-versions such as the Cut U.S. version with happy ending and the Director's cut with alternate ending, this is a must see movie.

Also recommended: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, Conan The Barbarian, The Crow, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, In The Army Now ( Pauly Shore), The Flight of Dragons, Return of the King, The Last Unicorn, Gladiator, The Wizard of Oz, Excalibur and Mulan.

Great, Fun Film.
ARMY OF DARKNESS is the third film in the EVIL DEAD series. The first movie in the series, EVIL DEAD, was a strictly horror film containing a humorous moment every now and again. EVIL DEAD 2 was basically a dark comedy interlaced with a few moments of horror. ARMY OF DARKNESS is neither; it's an action/adventure flick filled with comedy and just a touch of gore.

The movie begins where EVIL DEAD 2 ended: Ash has been transported to the 13th century and is surrounded by the Army of King Arthur. He is assumed to be a member of a rival army and is taken prisoner. After defeating a couple of Deadites in the pit, he is declared to be the prophecized hero who will rid the kingdom of the evil that has befallen it. However, Ash, being the befuddled hero he is, makes things worse and almost destroys any chance he has of returning home.

ARMY OF DARKNESS is hilarious. It's filled with comedy and all sorts of literary and pop culture references from The Three Stooges to Gulliver's Travels to JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS to Frankenstein. I found myself laughing about every three minutes and some of the one-liners just rock: "Give me some sugar, baby" and "I'm going to cut your gizzard." Of course, this movie isn't for everyone. There are some people who would be offended and some who would see this movie as garbage. However, I see the movie as pure genius and great fun. Whatever.

A Bad and Tasteless Film
This by far is the worst film I have ever seen. Sure, I've had my fair share of bad films, but this one tops them off. The acting stunk in a very big way. I expected this film to scare the socks off of me, but, instead I was shaking my head in full on disgust at the Comedy Relief Film instead of being a true horror flick. Don't waste a second of your time on this film and don't waste your money on it either.

Great cheesy cult horror film - choose the edition wisely
I've seen the U.S. theatrical cut of this film a number of times, so I bought the Director's cut (ASIN B00005QW4K) when it first came out. I finally got around to watching it recently, and I've got to say, I'm pretty disappointed with this particular edition. If you want to see the director's cut, I'd recommend you go with the "Boomstick Edition", which also includes the U.S. theatrical release.

There were a number of flaws in this particular DVD. The first thing I noticed was really bad pixellation in many scenes. They did a great job in many cases of cleaning up any scratches or flaws in the source film, but then they did a really bad job of DVD compression. I'm sure the other editions aren't any worse on that score, and hope that they're better.

Also, this cut is actually missing some of my favorite scened and lines. The worst offense is that the line "Good, bad - I'm the guy with the gun" (which for me has always epitomized Ash) was replaced by "I'm not that good". In the commentary, Campbell and Raimi actually note that they prefer the "Good, bad" line... So why not include it in the "director's cut"?

They also deleted an early fight scene, just after Campbell's arrival, and went back to what was apparently the original ending. I really liked the ending in S-Mart, though. I also found the editing on the windmill scene in this edition less cohesive than the theatrical release.

The commentary by Campbell and Raimi was very good, since those two have a long history together, and really seem to have loved making this movie. Still, though, it was clear that they could see some of the same issues I mentioned above, leaving me baffled as to why they didn't work together to make this edition a true reflection of what they think the "best" version of "Army of Darkness" would be.

Good bad im the Ash with the gun.
Army of Darkness is such a fun movie to watch, What more could you want from a movie. I first became a fan of this movie because of Evil Dead 1&2, they where pretty good movies but when Army of Darkness came out it was five times better than the first two movies put together. The real reasson this movie did so well is because Bruce Campbell a.k.a Ash played his part damn well, and because of that we the fans of his movies where happy to see him come back to the big screen. If you don't like slap-stick comedy or horror movies you will not like this film, but if you do your in luck because Army of Darkness is the cult classic movie you've been waiting for. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Writer-director Sam Raimi's extremely stylized, blood-soaked follow-up to his creepy Evil Dead isn't really a sequel; rather, it's a remake on a better budget. It also isn't really a horror film (though there are plenty of decapitations, zombies, supernatural demons, and gore) as much as it is a hilarious, sophisticated slapstick send-up of the terror genre. Raimi takes every horror convention that exists and exaggerates it with mind-blowing special effects, crossed with mocking Three Stooges humor. The plot alone is a genre clich&eacute; right out of any number of horror films. Several teens (including our hero, Ash, played by Bruce Campbell in a manic tour-de-force of physical comedy) visit a broken-down cottage in the woods--miles from civilization--find a copy of the Book of the Dead, and unleash supernatural powers that gut every character in sight. All, that is, except Ash, who takes this very personally and spends much of the of the film getting his head smashed while battling the unseen forces. Raimi uses this bare-bones story as a stage to showcase dazzling special effects and eye-popping visuals, including some of the most spectacular point-of-view Steadicam work ever (done by Peter Deming). Although it went unnoticed in the theaters, the film has since become an influential cult-video favorite, paving the way for over-the-top comic gross-out films like Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. The DVD version presents the film in its original 1:85 to 1 aspect ratio, and includes the theatrical trailer. --Dave McCoy ... Read more

Reviews (344)

...Let's go carve ourselves a witch.
Evil Dead 2, while technically a sequel, holds very little in common with "Evil Dead." Evil Dead was one of the scariest, creepiest, and grossest films I've ever seen. Evil Dead 2 is one of the funniest!

The gore in Evil Dead II is WAY over the top. (If you've seen Arthur's battle with the Black Knight in "Monty Python's Holy Grail"... THAT'S the sort of gore I'm talking about.) Campy lines are thrown around in here the like you've not heard since the Batman TV series.

The Premise: Ash (Ashley Williams for those who saw the first one) and his girlfriend drive up to a secluded cabin in the woods for a weekend of fun. They come across a tape recording of ancient incantations...that, when played, release an unseen evil that stalks them. When the cabin owner's daughter and team show up, the evil comes for them all!

If you don't try to take this movie seriously, you won't be dissapointed. One of the film's scenes was once rated in the top ten fight scenes of all time: Ash versus... his hand.

Now, for the DVD goodies!
First, the DVD and "booklet" come in a tin! I was impressed by the tin and the arwork on it, but the booklet is a bit of a let-down. The pictures in it are simply screen grabs (and not very good ones) from the movie.
THX and Widescreen add back what's been missing all these years. It's nice to see (clearer!) all of the bits we've been missing and the 5.1 audio tracks make those chase scenes sound like you're right there!
The featurette 'The Gore the Merrier' is fantastic and left me wanting more! It would be great to see more of the behind the scenes antics of this crew, as it's plain to see (hear in the commentary) that they had fun making the film.
And, the teaser for the video game "Evil Dead: Hail to the King" has me chomping at the bit! I can't wait to play a game as Ash! "You want a little??"

If you're an Evil Dead fan, this Limited Edition MUST be in your collection. If you just like slapstick/comedy/horror, you can't lose with this one.

When it comes down to it, if legions of undead started roaming the Earth, I'd want Ash nearby! Not just for protection, but also for comic relief!

Demon Madness
Evil runs wild in the exciting comedy-horror favorite "Evil Dead: Dead by Dawn". In the deep woods, an unspeakable evil force has been unleashed and torments a traveler (Bruce Campbell) and those around him. Director Sam Raimi's horror spectacle is an amazing combination of creepy stylish horror and hilarious slapstick comedy. The movie contains some terrific camerawork, effective visuals effects and memorable gross-out scenes. Bruce Campbell's vivid performance as unlikely hero Ash is another good highlight of the film. The cult favorite is presented in both standard full screen and 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen formats. Its picture quality is reasonably sharp with good contrast. The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is enjoyable with lively surround effects. This DVD contains audio commentaries with filmmaker Sam Raimi and cast member Bruce Campbell, an amusing behind-the-scenes featurette and original theatrical trailer. The animated menus are excellent. Overall, "Evil Dead II" scores a "B+".

Back To The Cabin...
Bruce Campbell returns as Ash, the sole survivor of the first EVIL DEAD demon fest. This time out, he must battle the evil spirit in himself! Sam Raimi pulls out all the bloody stops to unleash a tale of possession gone mad! Campbell's solo performance during the first part of the film is a total trip! He is chased, flattened, thrown, carried through the air, and indwelt by that accursed horror from the blood-inked pages of the Book Of The Dead! This movie is either hilariously scary, or Terrifyingly hysterical. A perfect follow up to it's more serious predecessor. Would make an excellent triple feature with DEAD ALIVE and RE-ANIMATOR. Highly recommended...

fun x2
The thrills have increased, and so have the chills. This is by far the scariest movie out of the triology. In a way, i dont fully understand it, because why would Bruce Campbell venture with his new girl friend all the way back up to the cabin where the original massacre happened? I mean its not like you would forget something like that so easily, i mean come on! But besides some incredibly stupid moves, this movie is still pretty good.

Much Better Than The First
Gorier, better, and over all a much better movie than the First. Bloody stabbings, chainsaw action, rotting corpses, removal of body parts, decapitations and lots of blood and green goo. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Enjoyable
When Sara (Elizabeth Hurley) is served divorce papers while she is in New York, she is stunned. Not about to lose the fortune she amassed with her self-serving Texas husband, she makes an offer to her process server, Joe (Matthew Perry) that sets them off on a wild trip across the country. Honestly, this movie was actually better than I thought it would be. This movie is very similar to another movie starring Matthew Perry titled "Fools Rush In", 1996, also starring Selma Hayek. The movie is about a man whose struggles to be successful at any cost and slowly learns what is important to him. He struggles to reach his true goals, as Matthew does in "Serving Sara". Like "Fools Rush In", "Serving Sara" is light humor with little or no real point to the movie. In both movies Matthew Perry plays a funny guy who works along side of beautiful women, and in the end is able to accomplish his goals.

I enjoyed it a lot
Matthew Perry is a really funny guy. A lot of people have said his Hollywood moives don't reflect his abilities. Those people are wrong and they need to stop comparing his movie characters to his most famous role as Chandler on "Friends." It's not a fair comparison and they won't enjoy his movies until they stop.

Serving Sara has a funny plot. Joe Tyler(Perry) is a process server. He's pretty good at his job, but has been on the slump as of late. His boss Ray(Cedric) is mad at him and is ready to dump him for Tony(Pastore) if he doesn't stop screwing up. His next assignmrnt is big and simple.

He must serve Sara Moore(Hurley) because her husband Gordon(Campbell) doesn't want to be married to her and he certainly doesn't want to give her any money. Sara is tipped though of Joe's plans and it doesn't work. She gives him a proposition though. If he can serve Gordon, she will give him half of the assests that she gets out of the divorce. Joe sees his chance for millions and decides to take it. Now the race is on in Texas to see if Joe can do it, before Tony catches up and tries to serve Sara.

Matthew Perry is great in this movie. There isn't a better guy in Hollywood that uses sarcasm as well as he does. His timing is perfect in the movie and he takes the character Joe and runs with it. He's serious during the serious parts and he's funny as anything during the funny parts. I love Perry when he's working with the bull on the farm.

Elizabeth Hurley is great as well. She plays her charcter Sara well. It is kind of a miscast for her, but she still works. She is as hot as ever in the movie, and is really there just for eye candy.

Bruce Campbell is awesome. This guy is the man and so few people have ever heard of him. This isn't as funny as his role as Ash in the evil dead series, but it's certainly a change for him. He's funny doing the typical Texas stero tpye baron. His fans should be pleased with his performance.

The rest of the cast is great as well. You have to like Cedric the Entertainer. This guy is funny and I love all his anger management toys he has.

This is a funny movie. Is it one of the greatest comedies of all time? Certainly not. Is it a funny movie that is worth a cheap buy or Rental? Absolutely. If you are willing to look past a few flaws, this movie can really be enjoyed, and like I said earlier. Matthew Perry is Joe Tyler in this movie, not Chandler..don't let the comparisons ruin the movie for you.

A Fun Romp Around the US
This movie will take you from NY, to Florida, to Texas and back and you will be on a whirlwind attempting to keep up with Matthew Perry as he attempts to 'serve' Sara. Millions are at stake and Perry has to decide between his job and Sara.

This movie has some very funny scenes with Perry competing with another from his firm in serving the papers that will end the suspense.

This is a fast paced movie, Perry is very much in Character with Hurley playing the 'straight man.' With Perry everything continues to go wrong. That is what makes it so funny, what will think up next??

Matthew Perry has better movies
So far I was surprised with Matthew Perry's movies. They were better than the newspapers wrote. This movie isn't that great unfortunately. It's a romantic comedy but you don't really recognize anything going on between the two main protagonists. Also the storyline is not particularly funny either. You can see as well that Matthew Perry had a hard time while this was shot

A small "serving" of humor
The local video emporium was having a "two-fer" deal, so I picked this up as my "bonus" movie when renting "Bruce Almighty." And while I have to say that "Serving Sara" is nothing special, my wife and I both thought it was every bit as good as "Bruce." Of course, that's not much of a compliment; "Sara" is really pretty lightweight.

The plot, such as it is, is just a contrivance to send the various characters ricocheting around the country in search of ... well, opportunities to fall down, get punched, and endure embarrassing encounters with livestock.

The acting is adequate, but no more than that. Best in show goes to Cedric the Entertainer, who is on-screen perhaps 10% of the time. Elizabeth Hurley is quite the hottie, especially at age 37, but her acting skills are minimal. Matthew Perry is his usual slightly-snide self. And Bruce Campbell gives HIS usual deadpan performance.

Overall I'd give "Serving Sara" a LOW three stars --- more like 2.5, actually. Worth renting if there's nothing better on the shelf. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Fifteen years after John Carpenter squandered a great idea on a mediocre movie (Escape from New York), he does it again--this time on the Left Coast. Kurt Russell is back as the terminally cynical one-eyed action hero Snake Plissken who, this time, has been coerced into saving the world in Los Angeles. It's 2013 and L.A. is now an island maximum security prison off the coast of California. Snake has 10 hours to find a doomsday weapon that's fallen into the hands of revolutionaries before he dies of a virus with which he's been injected. But the action is clumsy and unimaginative: lots of shootouts and very little suspense. Even the bad guys aren't particularly inventive; only Pam Grier, as a transsexual gang leader, strikes any sparks. Russell growls his way through the role but can only blame himself: He cowrote the script with Carpenter. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (75)

A good B-movie ride while it lasts
15 years after crafting the low budget comic cult classic Escape From New York, director John Carpenter finally got the budget he needed in this sequel/reworking of the original film. Kurt Russell reprises his role as one eyed badass Snake Plisskin as he is dropped into the island of Los Angeles to seek out the president's daughter. Parts of the film seem more aimed to make a social satire of our dwindling freedom, but sometimes the action gets too incoherent and parts of the film seem uneven. Not to mention that there are times when the film feels rushed, like Carpenter just wanted to get the film over with. Either way though, Escape From L.A. is still a fun B-movie ride with a great comic flair, and the great supporting cast which includes Steve Buscemi, Pam Grier, Peter Fonda, Stacy Keach, Cliff Robertson, and B-movie icon Bruce "Evil Dead" Campbell make this one of Carpenter's more decent films of late.

Rebirth of a classic
Kurt Russell collaborates with John Carpenter to bring snake back in our homes, and I know far too many people that feel that it never should of happened, but I disagree. Accept this movie for what it is, the Escape from New York "Special Edition" with a totally reworked yet incredibly similar plot line. And not just incredibly similar. To this day, I still laugh at Snake sitting in the lawn chair out front of Eddie's place just like he did when he was next to the plane crash in New York. Every single subtle plot point of New York is somehow included into the L.A. storyline. But, if you let your mind enjoy it, and let yourself be captivated by the gritty, downright scary conception of our future and one man dealing with it, it's the same successful movie that New York was, but with 90's movie technology. Steve Buscemi shines in this as "Map to the stars" Eddie, and Bruce Campbell is extremely entertaining for all of the five minutes he's in the film.

As far as the DVD is concerned, this is just one more in my collection of DVD's that frustrates me everytime I look at it. No commentary, no making of featurette (which I saw on HBO, and was interesting), and the transfer is actually not the greatest.

The movie's worth it. Just a dissapointing DVD. Give it a shot and enjoy.

"Escape From L.A." is more of the same!
This sequel to Carpenter's 1980 cult classic "Escape From New York" is more or less a bigger budget retelling of the same story. Russell is back as Snake Plitsken, the one-eyed outlaw hero who once again will be offered a full pardon if he goes into a criminal-infested prison that used to be a major American city. This time, he has to confiscate a "doomsday device" from a sadistic terrorist who is using it to blackmail the United States. Despite the more than fifteen years that seperate the two films, this one really doesn't offer much on "New York" aside from a cool underwater sequence involving a certain Universal Studios attraction and a couple of cool special effects scenes. Russell is still great as the over-the-top anti-hero and the addition of some cool character actors keeps it from being a total waste of time but this script is seriously lacking. This one has "retread" written all over it. There is about as much of a difference in the stories as there is in the titles.

A Joke?
When I first saw this film in the theaters, I really didn't like it. In fact, I was pretty let down! I had grown up with Escape From New York, and to my horror, John Carpenter remade his own film! I'm not kidding, REMADE it. Right down to Snake getting shot in the leg and limping for the last half of the film. Years later I revaluated my opinion. You can't make a film as corny as this on accident, especially if you're a veteran director like John Carpenter; It had to be done on purpose. I've read numerous interviews over the years and have found out two things, and I think these two things are the reason this film ended up the way it did. First, John Carpenter hates sequels. He never wanted to make sequels to his films. He never wanted a sequel to Halloween(let alone six! That's why he produced Halloween 3 which people hated so much, coz he was trying to take this series in a different direction and not retread the whole Michael Myers thing). I also understand that both Carpenter and Kurt Russell were under alot of studio pressure to make this film. I don't know what kind of favor Carpenter owed the studio, but he made this film. And my theory is that he made this film intentionally bad to say to the studio, "There, I made the stinking sequel you wanted, don't ask me to do it again!" I mean really, if he had wanted to make a sequel to Escape From New York, don't you think he would have struck while the iron was hot and made it at the height of the first film's success instead of waiting 15 years? Think about it. When I consider this scenario, I can watch Escape From L.A and have a good laugh thinking that John Carpenter may have played a big joke on the Hollywood studios. Really, there's no way Carpenter included that surfing scene with the intention of it being taken seriously. The film is just way too overblown, way too cheesy and obviously a carbon copy of the original to be anything other than a joke. Kurt may be older now, but he's actually still able to play Snake Plissken like it's 1980. The performance is great, it's just the film surrounding Kurt that's silly. Try watching it again and see what you think.

escape from new york on acid
Escape from new york is a classic.It is a dark and moody action adventure with an 1980s feel,with a modest budget.Escape from l.a. is a big budget pumped up roller coaster ride that goes for broke and explodes with a wave of energy and the coolness of snake plissken.This follow up does tell the same story as the first,but guess what! thats what they had in mind.I hope they make a third. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A True Classic
If you like silly "sick" comedies, movies like "8 Heads In A Duffel Bag" or "Dumb & Dumber," this is the movie for you! I remembered this movie from several years ago, and just had to track it down online! FYI, this is one of the earlier movies by the director of last year's blockbuster, Spider-Man.

Dark Comedy Tweeked by Hollywood.
Sam Raimi is the man. SPIDER-MAN surpassed just about everyone's predictions and is the biggest hit of the year (2002) so far (HARRY POTTER and THE TWO TOWERS may knock Spidey off, though). However, Raimi always was the man. He, Rob Tapert, and Bruce Campbell parlayed their little independent film (EVIL DEAD) into a great franchise and used it to start their careers.

CRIMEWAVE was the first major feature for all involved after EVIL DEAD. The film was written by Raimi and two other quirky directors, the Coen Brothers. The movie was largely filmed in Detroit and the lead character was originally written specifically for Bruce Campbell (you can just picture how much better the movie would have been with Campbell in the lead role instead of the no name they cast instead). However, that was before Tinsletown took over. Campbell was scrapped as the lead, but Raimi kept him on in a supporting role. A new beginning and ending was filmed because "audiences just won't get it otherwise" and Raimi and company lost some editing control over the final product. The film was also plagued by all sorts of conflicts and from what I've gathered wasn't the most pleasant of shoots.

The end result is CRIMEWAVE, a quirky little dark comedy that if left alone would have been much better. The movie itself is full of humor on a variety of levels. The direction is intriguing and the acting is campy. The film would probably be PG by todays standards and only contains a handful of "foul" language and largely "cartoon" violence.

If you are a fan of Raimi, the Coens, or Campbell, this film is a must see. Also, if you like dark comedies full of slapstick humor you will probably enjoy it.

Now That's Comedy!
This is one of my all-time favorite comedies. Louise Lasser and Sam Raimi have gone out of their way to make this film look as much like a cardboard box-propped B movie as you could get. So it's cheap! Hurray for this kind of cheap! What is the era? It has the feel of a mid-60's film, but with a splash of early 80's and mid-40's hair styles, huge clunky 70's tuna boat cars in close up scenes and 50's style automobiles packed in a few outside scenes, with big band swing music from the early 20th century. This movie capitalizes on sheer stupidity and pulls it off rather well. Don't expect an "Airplane" or "Naked Gun" brand of foolishness. This is in a class all it's own. I wish there were other films like this. My heart was broken to find that the only DVD it is available on is a region 2 coded European disc with no English option. Watch this film only if you enjoy lame comedy and don't mind laughing at things that make other people think you're not playing with a full deck.

crime wave someone stop me now i can't stop seeing this
This is the black comedy to end all black comedy Evil Dead directer's twisted crime comedy has some funny bits that's just as messed up as the evil dead flims...

After watching this movie, I must say, I'm depressed.
I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. I'm sorry for two things. First of all, for insulting Joel Coen, Ethan Coen and Sam Raimi for making a review about how [poor] their movie is(I am only saying this because they are excellent film makers). Second, I'm sorry for having seen this movie. All the Coen brother films are great (Such as "Fargo", "Raizing Arizona", or "O Brother Where Art Thou") except for this one. Sam Raimi also has done films just as good like "Evil Dead" and "The Gift". That's what made this mo