Reviews (5)

Heart Rending and Triumphant...
...for anyone who grew up during the sixties and seventies this is a poignant look back that you won't want to miss. Don't look for flashes of pop idols, teenage fads, or media darlings... rather than the then world under the spotlight, "Family Album" is about you and me and all the other everyday people who were playing out the search for the typical "American Dream" during the years when it finally began to grow up. And while your mom may not have been a movie star or your dad a business tycoon you'll see them in Faye and Ward Thayer, and you'll see yourself as well... struggling to be one with yourself and one with your family...

Don't miss out on Danielle Steele's "Family Album"... it's a great flick! Great performances were delivered by Jackyln Smith, Michael Ontkean and then newcomer Joe Flanigan.

An Excellent Movie
I have to say that at of all the danielle steel movies this is my most favorite. No matter how many times I watch I still end up crying at the ending. I thought jaclyn smith and michael ontkean portrayed their characters greatly and with much passion for the roles. I am just happy that I finally was able to find this movie and own it now I could watch it over and over without getting tired, this is definetly one of the best danielle steel movies you have to own or watch. You won't be sorry.

One of the best of the Danielles
Of the 20 or so made-for-TV Danielle Steel films, "Family Album" is one of the best - great acting - especially from Joe Flanigan (in his first film role) as the gay son who is totally appealing.

Lots of production values makes this one look like a regular theatrical release rather than a TV film. Well worth seeing.

A touching movie that is full of love and heartbreak!
This movie although alot different than the book is very good. It documents the heartache, losses, and triumphs of one remarkable woman... Fay Price Thayer. In this movie she will learn many lessons including the power to forgive a cheating husband, helping a pregnant daughter make decisions, love her gay son, and rise to the top as an oscar winning director. This movie is so realistic and makes you feel as if you are watching a real family live there lives. There are times when you have to assure yourself that this is just a movie. Don't pass up the chance to see and feel the emotions of one remarkable family and share the moments that were remembered in there Family Album.

Entertaining !
This three hours movie is full of entertainment. It's very touching and you can't stop the movie for just even a second. You can see several years of a woman who tries to be a female director in a time where woman liked more to be seen at home cooking for a man. But she managed everything, but has to fight in private against all the family troubles that appear. The most touching thing is when her gay son was denied by his father and she has to deal with it. The ending is very sad but watch for yourself and enjoy "Family Album" ! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Things you never knew......
The lagoon could not sustain life. Bob and Alan put a fish in it and it instantly died.

Tina Louise was tricked onto the show by her manager. She was under the impression that it was her show.

Mrs. Howell had no breasts.

At 94 years old, Mary Ann is still hot.

Bob Denver sold his soul to the devil for eternal life, but looks like a mummy.

Russel Johnson, the professor can invent anything except for a diet pill. The guy weighs 450 pounds.

Just sit right back and you'll here a tale...
Although this comedy was not well received at first, to this day it is still shown all over the world and in many different languages. This DVD tells the story of seven castaways from beginning to end. Reinactments give you a visualization of how the show came about and why it was such a success. Picture quality is superior. A must see for Gilligan's Isle fans!

A TRIP BACK IN TIME.
What a wonderful, wonderful film this is! "Gilligan's Island" was my favorite television show when I was a child, and since then I have read several books on the trials and tribulations of getting it on the air. This film was new to me - it has not been shown on T.V. in England. I am so impressed with the production standards, and the actors and actresses portraying the various people involved with the original series, while not being carbon copies of them, suggest them very well. It's also great to see Dawn Wells, Russell Johnson and Bob Denver helping with the narration. As well as this excellent film, which is very moving in parts, the dvd also comes with some great extras, including home movies and a very challenging trivia quiz! I would recommend this dvd to anybody who loves "Gilligan's Island". It is, quite simply, fabulous!

Could not have been better - A Must for Gilligan Fans
This show was perfection. Anyone who enjoys the classic show Gilligan's Island MUST see this Documentary. The re-enactments were great. Much better then just showing pictures and old clips. It shows how the show was created having look alike characters play the parts of the original cast. These actors were very entertaining. Especially when I wasn't too excited about seeing new actors filling the roles. But it turned out to be perfect. The DVD menus and extras are themed very closely to the show and make for some fun amusement. This just makes me want all 3 seasons from the original series on DVD even more. I cannot wait for that day to come. All Gilligan Island lovers must own this DVD.

Gilligan
This was a TV Special that was on last year in November I think. I taped it off the TV, but it would be nice to get it on DVD without commercials (there were a lot i believe).

Very Nice. Hosted By Dawn Wells (Mary Ann Summers), Bob Denver (Willy Gilligan), & Russell Johnson (Proffesor Roy Hinkley "The Proffesor"). It includes re-enactments of things that happend behind the scenes.

I have a Gilligan website. I had known about their real names like Willy Gilligan and Roy Hinkley, and Mrs. Howell's name (Eunice Wentworth (Lovey) Howell), and the Skipper Jonas Grumby's name. Now they announced the whole Willy thing on this and now everyone thinks that's the only way I knew.

It was a great special. I'm really glad they're releasing it on DVD. I hope they'll release all the episodes, and the other two movies, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligans Island on DVD. They're not even on VHS. Hopefully the quality on those will be better than the rescue from gilligans island dvd. I heard that wasn't very good. I have that on VHS.

GREAT MOVIE. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Offers variety after T2
Don't just settle for T2 ,experience this equal ,yet lower budget Sci-Fi action outing,with martial arts giant Matthias Hues in the lead. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

So sad about us.
Nicole Holofcener's Lovely And Amazing has alot of terrific moments, but overall pales in comparison to her earlier Walking And Talking. The comedic tone this time is a lot darker as we observe a few days in the life of a mother and her three "screwed-up" daughters (two biological adults and an adopted African-American child).

Holofcener again uses the acerbic Indie staple Catherine Keener, who plays the lazy, bored and arrogant eldest daughter. Keener is without doubt the best thing here, she's played this character many times before but does it so well the repitition hardly matters. If only the other characters were as engaging (or as painfully true to life).

Lovely And Amazing suffers from the presence of a few flat (male) characters and one too many unresolved subplots.
It's a more ambitious film than Walking And Talking and that's probably why it's not as satisfying.

In an age of expensive, overpraised, CGI smothered, Tinseltown atrocities, the very existence of a small budgeted delight like Lovely And Amazing is quite revolutionary.

the title describes the film!!!
The four females in "Lovely & Amazing" look at themselves through a self-cracked mirror. Jane (Brenda Blethyn) is a well-off woman in her 50s who cares enough about others to adopt Annie (Raven Goodwin), an 8-year-old African-American girl whose birth mother is a crack addict. Jane also cares enough about herself to sign up for cosmetic surgery ($10,000 a pop and no insurance) to remove 10 pounds from her midriff.

Along with Annie, Jane has two adult daughters. The older one, Michelle (Catherine Keener), is a former homecoming queen who has turned into a childish, self-centered neurotic. Though Michelle's husband constantly prods her to get a job, she fancies herself an artist. She makes miniature chairs to sell to knickknack shops, but no one's buying.

Michelle's younger sister, Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), is a beautiful aspiring actress who's already landing some small movie roles. But she has such a distorted self-image that she thinks of herself as unattractive -- even as she's posing for a photo spread in Vogue. Asked to do a "chemistry" audition with a big star named Kevin McCabe (Dermot Mulroney), she's forced to listen while casting agents casually appraise her sexuality -- or lack thereof.

Both sisters are stuck in unfulfilling relationships. Elizabeth's overcritical live-in boyfriend is tired of hearing her obsess about her auditions, her resume photos, her agent, etc. Meanwhile, Michelle's sullen self-absorption and testy attitude have worn down her husband to the point that he's not especially interested in sleeping with her. To spite him, she takes a menial job at a one-hour photo shop, where her teenage boss (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a Mrs. Robinson-like interest in her.

As she proved in her fine 1996 film, "Walking and Talking," director Holofcener has an uncanny understanding of people as well as a gift for sharp, funny dialogue. Yes, "Lovely & Amazing" will probably spawn noxiously shallow lifestyle pieces on why women have poor self-esteem. But the film is much subtler and more complex than that.

The entire cast is terrific, from Goodwin to Mulroney. But you have to focus on Keener, perhaps best known for her role as the merciless co-worker of John Cusack in "Being John Malkovich," who's become the Queen of Late Summer. She's creating her own type -- the acerbic smarts and ironic world-view of wisecracking dames like Rosalind Russell or "Frasier's" Peri Gilpin, with a twist of simmering anger and a drop of self-loathing. As vulnerable as she is venomous, she doesn't want to be the way she is, but she can't quite give it up, either.

Deftly directed, winningly acted and shrewdly written, "Lovely & Amazing" is as softhearted as it is ruthless, as amusing as it is poignant, but it does have its faults. Mostly, it doesn't offer a lovely and amazing final resolution, one reason why I wish it went on longer. It's an engrossing and emotional film that every woman (and gay man) should see.

Film that's full of humor, but no resolution
There are good performances in this film and interesting subjects that are brought up, but there is a serious flaw here and that's the fact that it doesn't face up to the issues much and just presents them. The ultimate presentation of this is the mother who gets lyposuction, there are certain things in her life which she simply doesn't remedy and movie seems OK to let her not deal with them. In a way this is true to life, but if you wanted to broach certain subjects in film about people's crossroads in life than the film should have a definitive view on them. This film's view on the characters was that it liked them and so it was non-judgmental. It just doesn't seem to have a point for existing even though that existence is funny, sad,and presented with a very matter of fact, frankness, that is rare nowadays. One thing that wasn't dealt with that I liked was Dermot Mulroney's character in relationship to Emily Mortimer's character. He's completely using her and he's completely honest about that, but we don't know if she'll have another liason with him in the future, or not. I liked that particular open end.

Insightful
Lovely & Amazing surprised me at the sheer content of sociological examination. Nearly every scene exposes a glimpse at unspoken, or rather rarely-spoken, idiosyncracies in everyday interaction.

For example, the adopted girl, Annie, shows white viewers that even at her young age she must confront such topics as: straightening her hair, being told her "mother" (older black woman who is a mentor) must wear a swimming cap in the pool while the white swimmers do not; being told she doesn't need sunscreen because her "skin is already brown"; understanding why her adopted mother needs liposuction to look better (Annie must wonder if she needs to look better also).

These are but a breach in the bundle of issues this movie examines. Each character raises a multitude of motifs that could serve as meaningful topics for lengthy essays. If I were a sociology professor, this movie would be required viewing in my classes.

Lacked coherence.
Lovely and Amazing (Nicole Holofcener, 2001)

Nicole Holofcener (Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, Six Feet Under) delivers her second feature film in which a lot of people do a lot of talking and no one actually does much of anything. This one centers around a mother (Brenda Blethyn, recently seen in Little Voice) who's about to go into the hospital for liposuction, and her three daughters, Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer of The Ghost and the Darkness fame), Michelle (Catherine Keener from being John Malkovich), and adopted daughter Annie (Raven Goodwin, last seen in The Station Agent). The mother and the three daughters are all variously dysfunctional. Elizabeth, an actress, has a minor part in a movie that's about to open and no other forthcoming prospects. Michelle is an artists trying to consign her handicrafts to various art stores and failing repeatedly, while her husband is off knocking boots with her best friend. Annie, transracially adopted, is just trying to fit in however she can. Let's face it, it's an Oprah Movie Club pick waiting to happen, if Oprah ever starts a movie club.

Still, it's got its good points. I rented it solely for the Jake Gyllenhaal factor, truth be told. While Gyllenhaal's entrance into the movie comes late, the boy is never less than a pleasure to watch onscreen, and he does a great deal to redeem the movie (his character is the catalyst that drives many of the few events that actually occur in the film). Dermot Mulroney, as a possible new relationship for Elizabeth, does some of his best work here since Young Guns (one wonders if, between this and The Safety of Objects, Mr. Mulroney isn't beginning to vault himself up onto the A list). The four main actresses are all very good in their roles, if not actually given much to do. Even the normally loathsome Brenda Blethyn is watchable (i.e., a bit less loathsome than usual), though she just doesn't sound right with an American accent.

The strength of the movie, however, lies in Raven Goodwin. Annie's search for some way to fit in to the mess that is this family provides most of the movie's truly absorbing moments (the relationship between Keener and Gyllenhaal providing the rest of them). The rest of the movie seems to be made with an eye towards exciting a kind of embarrassed, nervous laughter from the viewer (and it succeeds well), but most of the scenes containing Annie aim for the heart, and without the usual emotional manipulation one is apt to find in most Hollywood fare. It's a refreshing change.

If you want movies where lots of things happen, you can probably dismiss this. If you don't mind a slow pace and a lot of dysfunction, give it a look. ** ½ ... Read more

Reviews (2)

No Illusions
The screenplay by Pablo Kenjves for this Stuart Cooper directed thriller is more interested in the bitter vengeance of Bruce Greenwood as a cop who has been discharged from the service and now works as a security guard for a bank, than Virginia Madsen as his wife who is framed for multiple crimes. This focus has us observe the mechanics of Greenwood's scheme for revenge, which de-thrills things, even giving the narrative a witness to Greenwood thinking he is getting away with it. Ultimately this treatment gets too complicated, with multiple pursuers including the police and an insurance agent. That Madsen is a better detective than the police isn't surprising in this scenario, but it's a shame that her character only becomes active late in the proceedings. This is not to say that Greenwood is a bad actor, or that Kristen Dalton as a woman he has an affair with is either. They just pale in comparison to Madsen. She may be lumbered with a line like "You're so full of rage and hate that you're poisoning both our lives", but she handles a silent response to rejection by Greenwood with subtlety and emotion. That she is playing a non-femme fatale part is evidence of her range, since as a cuckolded wife she retains empathy and has a solid presence. We even accept her faith when otherwise we might consider her a fool, particularly as the boat Greenwood romances her on is called No Illusions. Madsen is arrested under the flimsiest evidence, then on bail is given free reign to pursue Greenwood without any suggestion of police surveillance, and the bank's security for incoming cash is laughable, but Greenwood's affair with Dalton has some eroticism because of his hunky beauty.

Bitter Vengeance : The Forgoten Thriller
Bitter Vengeance is a good thriller. It is not a classic by any means, but it is a good friday night thriller. The plot is simple, a security guard bored with his job and life decides to take advantage of his position. What I really liked about the robbery is that the director chose to include it at the very beginning of the movie, as to keep the viewer's attention. From here, the plot twists and turns as the guard (Greenwood) trys to escape to Mexico. All the actors do a decent job of acting, except the wife, who is played too hysterically. Overall, a good action/suspense movie. Enjoy! P.S. Not worth spending $74 on :) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

every breath
liked the movie very much, but give the soundtrack 5*+ would like to get the soundtrack but can't find it any where.?? could you help??

ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING!
To say the absolute least this movie was by far the most suspense filled, chilling and exciting movie I have ever seen. And believe me, I have seen my share!!! I was searching the web to find the soundtrack because it is awesome too if you enjoy sensual jazz!!! I first saw this movie in 1994 while living at home in Chicago. It is now 1999 and I still get chills up and down my spine just thinking about it!!! It's deep and it truly keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!!! If I'm not mistaken, I believe I cancelled a date to finish watching this movie. Yes, it was that good and well worth it...even though he was gorgeous! By the way, did the actors receive any recognition at all for this movie? And please tell me how I can get the soundtrack, PRETTY PLEEEEEASE! I gotta' have it!

Sincerely Submitted,

Mavis L. Collins ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another movie looking at Hollywood.
"Hollywood Confidential" is a TV movie and it certainly looks like it. It actually resembles a version of "VIP" with some men working alongside the women. The only difference is that the main purpose of the agency in the film is to spy on people (although they also provide protection when the situation calls for it). The actors are never really given any chance to express emotion. They are all just there for the purpose of speaking lines to present the extremely dull plot. The plot mostly centers around a big time Hollywood director who is trying to cut off his relationship with a teenage girl. The usual plot developments occur and nothing truly interesting ever really happens. Charlize Theron and Amanda Pays (who is criminally underused here) try to provide some spark but it is hopeless in this case. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another movie looking at Hollywood.
"Hollywood Confidential" is a TV movie and it certainly looks like it. It actually resembles a version of "VIP" with some men working alongside the women. The only difference is that the main purpose of the agency in the film is to spy on people (although they also provide protection when the situation calls for it). The actors are never really given any chance to express emotion. They are all just there for the purpose of speaking lines to present the extremely dull plot. The plot mostly centers around a big time Hollywood director who is trying to cut off his relationship with a teenage girl. The usual plot developments occur and nothing truly interesting ever really happens. Charlize Theron and Amanda Pays (who is criminally underused here) try to provide some spark but it is hopeless in this case. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

THIS WILL REALLY BUG YOU!!!
CREEPY CRAWLERS is the first movie in some time that made my squirm and my skin crawl; with an effective use of silence and eerily atmospheric music and some nifty camerawork, this movie really gets under your skin.
It opens with some shipmates duct taping a fellow matey, and then dumping him overboard; the body comes to rest on a sleepy little island in Maine. A surgeon (Thomas Calabro, in a marvelously controlled and humorus performance) has recently purchased a house on this island. It needs fixing up, and the only one who can help out electically is a nasty feller named Jack Wald (played with venomous relish by John Savage). Seems like Wald and his brother should have inherited the house, but since their pappy didnt pay his taxes, the house went up for sale and Calabro bought it. Meanwhile, the cockroaches are swarming and just dying to breed in their human hosts.
There are some incredibly creepy scenes, and when the bugs sprout wings, look out.
This is a great "little" movie, full of dark humor and nasty, nasty bugs!
Buy you some Raid afore you watch it, ye heah?

Ain't that bad!
My expectations for this movie were any thing but high - after all, I watched this right after the Oscar-winning "Bugs," and the rattle-snake riddened "Rattled," a movie right on par with "Citizen Kane" and "Lawrence of Arabia." And yet...I was pleasantly surprised.

For one, the characters are pretty well fleshed out. Our hero is a former surgeon who's hands are a little shaky (unless he has a drink) and so retires to a small fishing island. The locals don't really like him, and he has to put up with constant black-outs at his isolated mansion. The sudden emergence of cockroaches doesn't make things that much happier.

Gradually, the cockroaches go from lovable little squishies to killer parasites. There a few good scenes of the little buggers popping out of people's mouths, chests, and stomachs. They also learn to fly near the end There are some well done surprises here. Granted, I didn't feel particularly frightened at any part of this movie, but it will make you a bit queezy. The scene at the dinner table where our hero lifts up his fork to reveal a bug on it made me jump.

There are other plusses for this movie. For once...I actually CARED if the main character lived! And the romantic interest not only can support herself and helps out, but the relationship with our hero isn't rushed and you actually do feel some chemistry between them.

The only real downfall of the movie is the ending. It's one of those typical "one [insert type of animal]is still alive" endings. It's just corny and cliche.

Overall, a decent horror movie. It's not a great movie, and I'm not gonna buy it for my collection any time soon, but considering what other horrors I've seen it was definately worth my time.

Creepy Crawlers
This movie is a great movie to watch if you are in the mood to see thousands of cockroaches crawl through peoples' bodies and nest in them. Swarms of roaches try to take over an island and everybody on it. This movie is definitely a movie to check out. According to the DVD.... IT WILL MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL!

Creepy Puts The Word In Creepy Crawlers!
I never knew what to expect when I bought the movie "Creepy Crawlers" starring Thomas Calabro, Dean Stockwell, Kristen Dalton, and John Savage. I figured it was just another campy B-movie or something. The cover itself looks gross-out nasty. Most people who have fears of insects or bugs probably won't even think to look at the cover twice. But I'm a horror buff, so I can handle most films with the creepy crawly things anyhow. So, I took a deep breathe and started watching Creepy Crawlers. And to my surprise, that this picture is actually a good time fun. I was also surprise, the acting was much better than I anticipated that it would be.

The Story: (***1/2 stars) "When Dr. Ben Cahill takes a leave of absence from his medical practice and moves to Orrs Island off the coast of Maine, all he expects is some quiet time away. But the solace of the tiny isle is hattered when bizarre and frightening deaths begin to occur. The victims appear to have died by natural causes, yet each body has red insect bits on its flesh. When an autopsy reveals one dead man's chest cavity filled with insect cocoons, Cahill is horrified to discover that a rare breed of African cockroaches has invaded the island and they are using the inside of human beings as breeding grounds! Now, it's a race against time as the islanders try everything they can to escape the deadly insects before they are eaten alive!"
~VHS box set

The FX: (**** stars) Good enough to be totally grossed out!

The Score: (**** stars) Keeps you on the edge of your seat, pumping more anticipation than you would rarely expect in a horror picture.

The Picture Itself: (**** stars) The actors did a great job in protraying these characters to be enough believable to make you feel for them, (and yes, even the damned creepy crawlers that make your skin crawl, literally). It's good enough to watch it again.

So the next time yo uare looking for a really good horror flick, you might wanna check out "Creepy Crawlers," a well done movie that should get more than it deserves. Don't judge the cover by its looks: you might be surprised to have yourself a really good time.

Also, to Amazon.com: You rated this film [R] on the flm ratings when it is actually a [PG-13] rating according to the VHS box set. [PG-13] for creature violence and peril. Now, when I watched the film myself, I didn't really see any sexual nudity or a sex scene, which I was greatful. There was very little mild language in it as well. So it would be appreciated if you could change the rating back to [PG-13]. I would be apprecitaed.

All in all, Creepy Crawlers is a creepin' good time! "Veiwers beware, you're in for a scare!" ~R.L. Stine's Goosebumps

Creepy Crawlers= They Nest!
Tracheotomy with a pen! Can a movie go wrong with something like that? The answer is yes. For some reason they changed the title of the movie after it premired on the USA network. It's really bad. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

THE WOLVES movie
It was good but it falsly portrayed the wolves as vicious killers. But, it also had people helping the wolves and the wolves saving the people in return.I give it 3 stars. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Cute... But unfortunately I was not swept away.

Starring C. Thomas Howell who had his first hit with Francis Coppola's The Outsiders.

Unfortunately, this movie does not even seem to have the umph of even a TV show like Cops or NYPD let alone a feature movie - even if it was a "straight to video" release. First of all, the movie itself is very lacking in how it's plot unfolds, climaxes and ultimately concludes.

In the beginning Howell's character Mark Goodard sees his entire family wiped out (rather, he is there when it takes place...hiding in a bathroom). One of the perpetrators confronts him and shoots him but failed to kill him...or something like that. Flash 15 years later, we find Howell as a cop who is divorced from his wife and doing his shoot 'em up thing. He received an offer to join an elite group of warriors for justice called JI or Justice Incorporated, reluctantly he joins hoping they can tell him about who killed his family -- so they promised. He carries out his assignments in administrating justice with ease...too much ease that is. Everything falls into his proverbial lap. I figured this was just filler unto he came to the ultimate fight, taking out the killers of his family.

Ok so he find out that JI is actually the culprit when one of the people he is sent out to knockoff is a cop who was his father's partner. It seems that something is missing in how Howell becomes convinced that the JI people had a hand in his family's death. Anyway, he simply and I mean simply knocks the entire group off without so much as a fight...However the boss gets away. There is a car chase(oh really?) and then an airplane getaway. Goodard actually manages to get on the plane as it is taking off by jumping from his car. A rather lame and tame fight takes place once Goddard is on the wing. There is no erratic flying in order to try to knock the cop off as he hangs on the landing gear and climbs up, no gun fire, no nothing. It's almost as if the plane's occupant's are oblivious to what's going on. Ok the boss falls to his death and well that's it! No real dramatic climax, no getting wounded shot etc. Sort of like James Bond but even though he comes out unscathed it ain't without a fight.

The movie ends rather abruptly leaving no real resolution. One question I have was why Mark Goodard was recruited by a people who knew he was the one whose family they killed. I guess one could conclude it was hopefully to knock him off but that did not seem to be the case. What about after the boss was knocked of the plane? Goodard yells to the pilot "put us down of your next! On the ground. He then sits back exhausted. I guess the pilot landed without any resistance. OH PULLLLEASE!
Here is some resolution: Goodard and his wife get back together.

As for Howell's character, Howell does not make a convincing tough guy any more than Britney Spears makes a convincing version of "I Love Rock n Roll". His voice even seems to give him away here as well as all of his oohs and uhhs and yelps as he chases his enemies.

Tommy if you read this please don't be mad.

A good action film
Story: After a little boy witnesses his family getting murdered, he manages to survive the attack from brutal people. Now as he is an adult, he is a good cop who sometimes his rage dominates him. He is asked to join a secret police organization where he is given the chance to kill criminals as well as get payed for it.
Review: This film has a very simple formula to it which consists of a storyline that is very simple and straight. The movie is well paced with the action sequences. Rated R for violence and some sexual content this movie is intended for mature audiences. Overall this movie is worth buying. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

So sad about us.
Nicole Holofcener's Lovely And Amazing has alot of terrific moments, but overall pales in comparison to her earlier Walking And Talking. The comedic tone this time is a lot darker as we observe a few days in the life of a mother and her three "screwed-up" daughters (two biological adults and an adopted African-American child).

Holofcener again uses the acerbic Indie staple Catherine Keener, who plays the lazy, bored and arrogant eldest daughter. Keener is without doubt the best thing here, she's played this character many times before but does it so well the repitition hardly matters. If only the other characters were as engaging (or as painfully true to life).

Lovely And Amazing suffers from the presence of a few flat (male) characters and one too many unresolved subplots.
It's a more ambitious film than Walking And Talking and that's probably why it's not as satisfying.

In an age of expensive, overpraised, CGI smothered, Tinseltown atrocities, the very existence of a small budgeted delight like Lovely And Amazing is quite revolutionary.

the title describes the film!!!
The four females in "Lovely & Amazing" look at themselves through a self-cracked mirror. Jane (Brenda Blethyn) is a well-off woman in her 50s who cares enough about others to adopt Annie (Raven Goodwin), an 8-year-old African-American girl whose birth mother is a crack addict. Jane also cares enough about herself to sign up for cosmetic surgery ($10,000 a pop and no insurance) to remove 10 pounds from her midriff.

Along with Annie, Jane has two adult daughters. The older one, Michelle (Catherine Keener), is a former homecoming queen who has turned into a childish, self-centered neurotic. Though Michelle's husband constantly prods her to get a job, she fancies herself an artist. She makes miniature chairs to sell to knickknack shops, but no one's buying.

Michelle's younger sister, Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), is a beautiful aspiring actress who's already landing some small movie roles. But she has such a distorted self-image that she thinks of herself as unattractive -- even as she's posing for a photo spread in Vogue. Asked to do a "chemistry" audition with a big star named Kevin McCabe (Dermot Mulroney), she's forced to listen while casting agents casually appraise her sexuality -- or lack thereof.

Both sisters are stuck in unfulfilling relationships. Elizabeth's overcritical live-in boyfriend is tired of hearing her obsess about her auditions, her resume photos, her agent, etc. Meanwhile, Michelle's sullen self-absorption and testy attitude have worn down her husband to the point that he's not especially interested in sleeping with her. To spite him, she takes a menial job at a one-hour photo shop, where her teenage boss (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a Mrs. Robinson-like interest in her.

As she proved in her fine 1996 film, "Walking and Talking," director Holofcener has an uncanny understanding of people as well as a gift for sharp, funny dialogue. Yes, "Lovely & Amazing" will probably spawn noxiously shallow lifestyle pieces on why women have poor self-esteem. But the film is much subtler and more complex than that.

The entire cast is terrific, from Goodwin to Mulroney. But you have to focus on Keener, perhaps best known for her role as the merciless co-worker of John Cusack in "Being John Malkovich," who's become the Queen of Late Summer. She's creating her own type -- the acerbic smarts and ironic world-view of wisecracking dames like Rosalind Russell or "Frasier's" Peri Gilpin, with a twist of simmering anger and a drop of self-loathing. As vulnerable as she is venomous, she doesn't want to be the way she is, but she can't quite give it up, either.

Deftly directed, winningly acted and shrewdly written, "Lovely & Amazing" is as softhearted as it is ruthless, as amusing as it is poignant, but it does have its faults. Mostly, it doesn't offer a lovely and amazing final resolution, one reason why I wish it went on longer. It's an engrossing and emotional film that every woman (and gay man) should see.

Film that's full of humor, but no resolution
There are good performances in this film and interesting subjects that are brought up, but there is a serious flaw here and that's the fact that it doesn't face up to the issues much and just presents them. The ultimate presentation of this is the mother who gets lyposuction, there are certain things in her life which she simply doesn't remedy and movie seems OK to let her not deal with them. In a way this is true to life, but if you wanted to broach certain subjects in film about people's crossroads in life than the film should have a definitive view on them. This film's view on the characters was that it liked them and so it was non-judgmental. It just doesn't seem to have a point for existing even though that existence is funny, sad,and presented with a very matter of fact, frankness, that is rare nowadays. One thing that wasn't dealt with that I liked was Dermot Mulroney's character in relationship to Emily Mortimer's character. He's completely using her and he's completely honest about that, but we don't know if she'll have another liason with him in the future, or not. I liked that particular open end.

Insightful
Lovely & Amazing surprised me at the sheer content of sociological examination. Nearly every scene exposes a glimpse at unspoken, or rather rarely-spoken, idiosyncracies in everyday interaction.

For example, the adopted girl, Annie, shows white viewers that even at her young age she must confront such topics as: straightening her hair, being told her "mother" (older black woman who is a mentor) must wear a swimming cap in the pool while the white swimmers do not; being told she doesn't need sunscreen because her "skin is already brown"; understanding why her adopted mother needs liposuction to look better (Annie must wonder if she needs to look better also).

These are but a breach in the bundle of issues this movie examines. Each character raises a multitude of motifs that could serve as meaningful topics for lengthy essays. If I were a sociology professor, this movie would be required viewing in my classes.

Lacked coherence.
Lovely and Amazing (Nicole Holofcener, 2001)

Nicole Holofcener (Sex and the City, Gilmore Girls, Six Feet Under) delivers her second feature film in which a lot of people do a lot of talking and no one actually does much of anything. This one centers around a mother (Brenda Blethyn, recently seen in Little Voice) who's about to go into the hospital for liposuction, and her three daughters, Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer of The Ghost and the Darkness fame), Michelle (Catherine Keener from being John Malkovich), and adopted daughter Annie (Raven Goodwin, last seen in The Station Agent). The mother and the three daughters are all variously dysfunctional. Elizabeth, an actress, has a minor part in a movie that's about to open and no other forthcoming prospects. Michelle is an artists trying to consign her handicrafts to various art stores and failing repeatedly, while her husband is off knocking boots with her best friend. Annie, transracially adopted, is just trying to fit in however she can. Let's face it, it's an Oprah Movie Club pick waiting to happen, if Oprah ever starts a movie club.

Still, it's got its good points. I rented it solely for the Jake Gyllenhaal factor, truth be told. While Gyllenhaal's entrance into the movie comes late, the boy is never less than a pleasure to watch onscreen, and he does a great deal to redeem the movie (his character is the catalyst that drives many of the few events that actually occur in the film). Dermot Mulroney, as a possible new relationship for Elizabeth, does some of his best work here since Young Guns (one wonders if, between this and The Safety of Objects, Mr. Mulroney isn't beginning to vault himself up onto the A list). The four main actresses are all very good in their roles, if not actually given much to do. Even the normally loathsome Brenda Blethyn is watchable (i.e., a bit less loathsome than usual), though she just doesn't sound right with an American accent.

The strength of the movie, however, lies in Raven Goodwin. Annie's search for some way to fit in to the mess that is this family provides most of the movie's truly absorbing moments (the relationship between Keener and Gyllenhaal providing the rest of them). The rest of the movie seems to be made with an eye towards exciting a kind of embarrassed, nervous laughter from the viewer (and it succeeds well), but most of the scenes containing Annie aim for the heart, and without the usual emotional manipulation one is apt to find in most Hollywood fare. It's a refreshing change.

If you want movies where lots of things happen, you can probably dismiss this. If you don't mind a slow pace and a lot of dysfunction, give it a look. ** ½ ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Cute... But unfortunately I was not swept away.

Starring C. Thomas Howell who had his first hit with Francis Coppola's The Outsiders.

Unfortunately, this movie does not even seem to have the umph of even a TV show like Cops or NYPD let alone a feature movie - even if it was a "straight to video" release. First of all, the movie itself is very lacking in how it's plot unfolds, climaxes and ultimately concludes.

In the beginning Howell's character Mark Goodard sees his entire family wiped out (rather, he is there when it takes place...hiding in a bathroom). One of the perpetrators confronts him and shoots him but failed to kill him...or something like that. Flash 15 years later, we find Howell as a cop who is divorced from his wife and doing his shoot 'em up thing. He received an offer to join an elite group of warriors for justice called JI or Justice Incorporated, reluctantly he joins hoping they can tell him about who killed his family -- so they promised. He carries out his assignments in administrating justice with ease...too much ease that is. Everything falls into his proverbial lap. I figured this was just filler unto he came to the ultimate fight, taking out the killers of his family.

Ok so he find out that JI is actually the culprit when one of the people he is sent out to knockoff is a cop who was his father's partner. It seems that something is missing in how Howell becomes convinced that the JI people had a hand in his family's death. Anyway, he simply and I mean simply knocks the entire group off without so much as a fight...However the boss gets away. There is a car chase(oh really?) and then an airplane getaway. Goodard actually manages to get on the plane as it is taking off by jumping from his car. A rather lame and tame fight takes place once Goddard is on the wing. There is no erratic flying in order to try to knock the cop off as he hangs on the landing gear and climbs up, no gun fire, no nothing. It's almost as if the plane's occupant's are oblivious to what's going on. Ok the boss falls to his death and well that's it! No real dramatic climax, no getting wounded shot etc. Sort of like James Bond but even though he comes out unscathed it ain't without a fight.

The movie ends rather abruptly leaving no real resolution. One question I have was why Mark Goodard was recruited by a people who knew he was the one whose family they killed. I guess one could conclude it was hopefully to knock him off but that did not seem to be the case. What about after the boss was knocked of the plane? Goodard yells to the pilot "put us down of your next! On the ground. He then sits back exhausted. I guess the pilot landed without any resistance. OH PULLLLEASE!
Here is some resolution: Goodard and his wife get back together.

As for Howell's character, Howell does not make a convincing tough guy any more than Britney Spears makes a convincing version of "I Love Rock n Roll". His voice even seems to give him away here as well as all of his oohs and uhhs and yelps as he chases his enemies.

Tommy if you read this please don't be mad.

A good action film
Story: After a little boy witnesses his family getting murdered, he manages to survive the attack from brutal people. Now as he is an adult, he is a good cop who sometimes his rage dominates him. He is asked to join a secret police organization where he is given the chance to kill criminals as well as get payed for it.
Review: This film has a very simple formula to it which consists of a storyline that is very simple and straight. The movie is well paced with the action sequences. Rated R for violence and some sexual content this movie is intended for mature audiences. Overall this movie is worth buying. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

THIS WILL REALLY BUG YOU!!!
CREEPY CRAWLERS is the first movie in some time that made my squirm and my skin crawl; with an effective use of silence and eerily atmospheric music and some nifty camerawork, this movie really gets under your skin.
It opens with some shipmates duct taping a fellow matey, and then dumping him overboard; the body comes to rest on a sleepy little island in Maine. A surgeon (Thomas Calabro, in a marvelously controlled and humorus performance) has recently purchased a house on this island. It needs fixing up, and the only one who can help out electically is a nasty feller named Jack Wald (played with venomous relish by John Savage). Seems like Wald and his brother should have inherited the house, but since their pappy didnt pay his taxes, the house went up for sale and Calabro bought it. Meanwhile, the cockroaches are swarming and just dying to breed in their human hosts.
There are some incredibly creepy scenes, and when the bugs sprout wings, look out.
This is a great "little" movie, full of dark humor and nasty, nasty bugs!
Buy you some Raid afore you watch it, ye heah?

Ain't that bad!
My expectations for this movie were any thing but high - after all, I watched this right after the Oscar-winning "Bugs," and the rattle-snake riddened "Rattled," a movie right on par with "Citizen Kane" and "Lawrence of Arabia." And yet...I was pleasantly surprised.

For one, the characters are pretty well fleshed out. Our hero is a former surgeon who's hands are a little shaky (unless he has a drink) and so retires to a small fishing island. The locals don't really like him, and he has to put up with constant black-outs at his isolated mansion. The sudden emergence of cockroaches doesn't make things that much happier.

Gradually, the cockroaches go from lovable little squishies to killer parasites. There a few good scenes of the little buggers popping out of people's mouths, chests, and stomachs. They also learn to fly near the end There are some well done surprises here. Granted, I didn't feel particularly frightened at any part of this movie, but it will make you a bit queezy. The scene at the dinner table where our hero lifts up his fork to reveal a bug on it made me jump.

There are other plusses for this movie. For once...I actually CARED if the main character lived! And the romantic interest not only can support herself and helps out, but the relationship with our hero isn't rushed and you actually do feel some chemistry between them.

The only real downfall of the movie is the ending. It's one of those typical "one [insert type of animal]is still alive" endings. It's just corny and cliche.

Overall, a decent horror movie. It's not a great movie, and I'm not gonna buy it for my collection any time soon, but considering what other horrors I've seen it was definately worth my time.

Creepy Crawlers
This movie is a great movie to watch if you are in the mood to see thousands of cockroaches crawl through peoples' bodies and nest in them. Swarms of roaches try to take over an island and everybody on it. This movie is definitely a movie to check out. According to the DVD.... IT WILL MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL!

Creepy Puts The Word In Creepy Crawlers!
I never knew what to expect when I bought the movie "Creepy Crawlers" starring Thomas Calabro, Dean Stockwell, Kristen Dalton, and John Savage. I figured it was just another campy B-movie or something. The cover itself looks gross-out nasty. Most people who have fears of insects or bugs probably won't even think to look at the cover twice. But I'm a horror buff, so I can handle most films with the creepy crawly things anyhow. So, I took a deep breathe and started watching Creepy Crawlers. And to my surprise, that this picture is actually a good time fun. I was also surprise, the acting was much better than I anticipated that it would be.

The Story: (***1/2 stars) "When Dr. Ben Cahill takes a leave of absence from his medical practice and moves to Orrs Island off the coast of Maine, all he expects is some quiet time away. But the solace of the tiny isle is hattered when bizarre and frightening deaths begin to occur. The victims appear to have died by natural causes, yet each body has red insect bits on its flesh. When an autopsy reveals one dead man's chest cavity filled with insect cocoons, Cahill is horrified to discover that a rare breed of African cockroaches has invaded the island and they are using the inside of human beings as breeding grounds! Now, it's a race against time as the islanders try everything they can to escape the deadly insects before they are eaten alive!"
~VHS box set

The FX: (**** stars) Good enough to be totally grossed out!

The Score: (**** stars) Keeps you on the edge of your seat, pumping more anticipation than you would rarely expect in a horror picture.

The Picture Itself: (**** stars) The actors did a great job in protraying these characters to be enough believable to make you feel for them, (and yes, even the damned creepy crawlers that make your skin crawl, literally). It's good enough to watch it again.

So the next time yo uare looking for a really good horror flick, you might wanna check out "Creepy Crawlers," a well done movie that should get more than it deserves. Don't judge the cover by its looks: you might be surprised to have yourself a really good time.

Also, to Amazon.com: You rated this film [R] on the flm ratings when it is actually a [PG-13] rating according to the VHS box set. [PG-13] for creature violence and peril. Now, when I watched the film myself, I didn't really see any sexual nudity or a sex scene, which I was greatful. There was very little mild language in it as well. So it would be appreciated if you could change the rating back to [PG-13]. I would be apprecitaed.

All in all, Creepy Crawlers is a creepin' good time! "Veiwers beware, you're in for a scare!" ~R.L. Stine's Goosebumps

Creepy Crawlers= They Nest!
Tracheotomy with a pen! Can a movie go wrong with something like that? The answer is yes. For some reason they changed the title of the movie after it premired on the USA network. It's really bad. ... Read more