Book Description

An outspoken thinker, a celebrated actress, a truly independent woman, Shirley MacLaine takes us on an intimate yet powerful journey into her personal life and inner self.

An intense, clandestine love affair with a prominent politician sparks Shirley MacLaine's quest of self-discovery. From Stockholm to Hawaii to the mountainous vastness of Peru, from disbelief to radiant affirmation, she at last discovers the roots of her very existence...and the infinite possibilities of life.

Shirley MacLaine opens her heart to explore the meaning of a great and enduring passion with her lover Gerry and the mystery of her soul's connection with her best friend David. And through it all, Shirley MacLaine's courage and candor opens new doors, new insights, new revelations -- and a luminous new world she invites us all to share. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Surprising on many levels
This might sound condescending, but this compelling account of the actress' spiritual journey is surprisingly well written. Shirley MacLaine is not just a Hollywood dancer turned New Age guru; she's a bestselling author who knows the craft of writing. What comes across immediately is the earnestness of her message. She's not out to fool her readers. She's also done her research. Each chapter has apt quotations from great thinkers about the nature of life as they saw it. There are a lot of sentences that begin with the word "Maybe," as in "Maybe the ancient thinkers had it right." Nevertheless she rightly states that what we call history is a leap of faith. Readers will have to make their own judgments about the credulity of the author, but MacLaine's testament shows us that everyone has to draw their own lines about personal beliefs based on experience, reading, and reasoning. But above all, experience. And she documents this process spendidly. She does not come off as an unreasonable "kook." On the contrary, she herself is skeptical at first and admits that the very ideas she later accepts seem "preposterous." It is this intelligence and skepticism which makes this book hard to dismiss as simply New Age pap. The chapter about Peter Sellers is genuinely moving.

LOVE, LIGHT, & QUESTIONS.......ANSWERED !
With all my heart and soul, Shirley MacLaine, I love what you have done to help those of us who are searching for our spirituality! If you have questions, look out. You will have more and many answers will come your way while watching "Out On A Limb". Everyone that I have recommended this movie to loves it.
I lost my 3-tape set to a house fire. Would like to find same. I have to say, the one tape version just isn't enough. Shirley MacLaine was there during my early search for spirit through her books. Her movie was a big help. It has opened many eyes to the truth...even my husband's. I loaned my set to a friend who thought six hours was too much. The following day he told me that he couldn't stop watching. He didn't get much sleep that night. Was so excited about the movie and had more questions.
We love "Out On A Limb". Don't be afraid to climb out there on that limb...so enlightening! Shirley MacLaine at her best and most of all...being herself! Thankyou Shirley for all you have done to help this soul find her way home. Chi Megwetch!

More Answers Than You Would Expect!
I read Out on a Limb when I was fourteen-years-old, and the book acknowledged every doubt and every idea that I had thought of growing up with Christian ideals: fate, the afterlife, the soul, etc. Shirley MacLaine introduces her personal faith from the beginning and systematically details her progression into the spiritual teacher that she is to this day. MacLaine also seems to possess a sixth sense as to the questions that her readers will encounter as they read her novel and answers them in a very clear and concise manner (if you're not careful, the material can be quite daunting).

My only outstanding complaint about this novel is that MacLaine had to account for every facet of her and Jerry's relationship. It proved to be quite distracting and I did not feel that Jerry's extra-marital affair with Shirley was necessary for a book of this nature.

this book changed my life!!!
First of all before I started reading out on a limb I regarded
Shirley Maclaine as an actress. That opinion was rapidly changed once I started reading out on a limb. I could not put the book down.

The book prompted me to ask questions of who I am and who I was in past lives. This book opened my eyes to the fact that we are all in charge of our own realities, that we choose whatever happens in our daily lives.

Upon completion of this book I went out and bought every single book by shirley maclaine which I read with rapid speed. When I finished out on a limb I felt more positive about myself and the world around me. I realized that happiness and change begin with me. Thank you shirley for the life changeing information that you chose to share. It has certainly changed my life for the better.

Entertaining, fun and enlightening.
I watched the four hour version and felt it was time well spent.Good acting and a very good story. One of my better movie investments and a keeper for my collection. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

My most unforgettable film
This tale of British decadence continues to resonate after many years and many other films. There seems to be no more impactful and arresting vehicle for viewing the nature of the end of the 'Age of Kings' and the planting of the sordid into the fresh earth of the twentieth century. Yet it is sufficient to view the film for the vision of Scacchi, as she bares herself and lures us into the African theater of the grotesque. There we meet the European supremacy practicing their many-pronged acts of desecration of the land and the social contract. There where civilization was 'cradled,' drugs, the most unredeemable cruelty in sex and human attachments is viscerally illuminated. Those bluebloods and bloody-handed occupiers; still regarded as archetypal standards for class and wealth make the Beats, the variety of 60's renegades look like the stereotypical pilgrims in a school play. Oh boy, there is every reason to sink into this film, because it doesn't leave you- and it continues to provoke. We haven't changed folks, though Gretta's beauty in this steamy, sordid African mystery is daringly one of a kind.

by the way, its a true story
this movie is based on a history of the same title. the events were, more or less, as presented in the film. of course, the real people weren't quite as beautiful, and the sordidness wasn't quite as photogenic.

africa, like australia and new zealand, was where the 'remittance' men were sent by their families, to remove the scandals from the homefront. these sometimes extremely black sheep were sent, by the families who could afford it, 'remittances' (money) to keep them in the colonies. in those days of difficult communication, they could get up to whatever mischief they wanted without embarrassing the home folks. the group in happy valley made the most of this.

the acting is superb. the sets are marvelous. the scenery is magnificent. charles dance is gorgeous. the story is gripping. what more could you ask for?

A decadent slice of colonial Africa
This is the decadent counterpoint to Out of Africa (both are good films). It's the story of British ex-pats drifting through their days in colonial Kenya. With all their money and boredom, the only thing that entertains them are parties, sex and drugs, sometimes all done together. This is the mischief these white folk get up to, while their black servants look on dispassionately but with certain disdain.
Charles Dance is wonderfully smarmy as the playboy who wins Greta Scacchi's affections. She is the young beauty who married an older man for title and money, but has no love for him. It's shameful to see how brazen Dance and Scacchi are in their affair. The old husband does what any man with pride left would do. You can almost feel the British Empire crumbling around you as you are absorbed by this movie, in much the same way as A Passage to India (another great film).
Great supporting performances by Sarah Miles and Geraldine Chaplin as part of the high society swingers.
I was fortunate to find this video on sale second hand at my local video store.

White Mischief
I loved this film~ Very excellent. I'm wondering why Charles Dance always manages to be killed off (our hero) just midway (see China Moon) into his films. He is truly a "Star" as is Greta Scachi.

I have 5 copies of this film, (not for sale). It took 5 purchases to find one in good condition. And the Sound Track is "Excellent"~

I loved the story and you will too~ A very true account. Beautifully done and well worth the $ for the film~

one of the best films I have seen in 30 years
This film has style,intelligence,panache,a passable story line and incredable filming,costuming and terrific acting -why Amazon does not offer it is beyond my 67 year old comprehension --unless of course your computers tell you the entire world is between 18 and 45.For your information we older guys have all the dough and love to spend it.Please make it available on -yes-DVD-Thank you very much. ... Read more

Reviews (343)

Not for 14 year old boys?
While taking all those guided tours through cavernous estate houses in England and Ireland (and even a few on the north shore of Long Island), I always wondered what it was like to live that lifestyle. But of course, walking around those still houses doesn't really tell you about the people who lived there anymore than a stage tells you about its actors. However, Gosford Park was a great way to fill in those blanks. The way it pulls you into the world of 1930's English high society and all its pretense and hypocrisy is great. This movie definitely enlivened my understanding of class in old European societies.

The reason Gosford Park has such great insight is the film's screenwriter, Julian Fellows who himself grew up as part of the English aristocracy. Much of what makes this film fun is the idiosyncrasies of its characters and their world that Fellows has personal experience with. A maid and driver stand in the pouring rain until their mistress gets in the car. Servants only refer to each other by their master's name, and they maintain the same hierarchy as their masters so that a duke's servant is treated better by other servants than a baron's. Only married women are allowed to have breakfast in bed; unmarried women must go to the dining room. What a strange world they lived in, especially to someone like me who grew up in a middle class New York neighborhood.

The spine of Gosford Park is, without question, NOT the murder mystery. In fact, the murder mystery plot is about 5% of the movie-if that. It's what's known in film lingo as a McGuffin, a device that helps propel the plot in a story but is of little importance in itself. If a viewer turns to the murder mystery plot for what this movie is all about, they will most likely be sorely disappointed, seemingly like many of the negative reviewers here were.

The key to enjoying this movie is to think about what it's like to live in a society that is extremely oriented by class. What must it take to keep it going? As I alluded earlier, pretense and hypocrisy grease the gears of high society. From scene to scene, we peep around corners and into bedrooms to see characters trying to hide one secret or another. And in the end, we see the unpleasant consequences of this duplicity.

This is definitely not a film that lays out its purpose before the audience. Since the almost 60 characters (for a chuckle, look under product details above for the colossal cast list) each add something unique to the larger picture, and since the audience is usually only told something once, you definitely have to be your own detective. However, Julian Fellows does a brilliant job interweaving these characters into a solid whole, and he definitely deserves the Oscar he received for the screenplay.

Since this is a complex and subtle film, multiple viewings are helpful, but unlike some other reviewers, this is something I really enjoyed. Like a good album, each time with it reveals another layer and increases your appreciation. Robert Altman, the director, says in his DVD commentary (which was boring except for a few insights, but Julian Fellow's commentary was excellent) that the film is "like looking in through the windows of a house, you only get part of the picture at a time." I think this analogy fits nicely, especially since the film is set in a house. Altman also acknowledges what some of the negative reviewers complain about, saying he meant the audience to be left wondering after the first viewing. He didn't intend this movie for the "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" set. In fact, Altman went out of his way to insert curse words, guaranteeing an R rating so that "14 year old boys couldn't walk off the street and watch it."

And of course, last but not least, the acting was great. Gosford Park has an excellent ensemble cast with not a single weak link. Maggie Smith as the snobbish Aunt makes you smile; Kelly MacDonald as the Aunt's young, innocent maid makes you want to give her a big wet kiss (maybe that's just me); and Clive Owen's cool restraint as a mysterious footman keeps you following him around the screen.

All through, Gosford Park is a movie very well done.

Buy this DVD and watch it again and again....
because you miss most of the film the first time around!

On the surface this appears to be a very formulistic murder mystery. It has the classic setting, 1930's period, an isolated English manor house filled with guests for a weekend shooting party, and all of the servants both resident and visiting. Everybody has secrets, the tension is so thick it could be cut with a knife and there is conveniently one missing from the kitchen. For more than half the film we see motives offered and wait for the murder and yet after it occurs it becomes evident that this is NOT a murder mystery at all!

The film has been compared to Upstairs Downstairs and it does involve the lives of those both above and below stairs, but it is much more than that. The various stories are added layer by layer some, such as the imposter in the servants' hall are obvious while others like the secret abortion are only alluded in a couple of lines. The various stories are, while interesting, not really the point of the film either. This is a beautifully drawn portrait of a way of life that is long gone and will probably never return. Almost everyone has read about or seen depictions of English Country Life in the '20's and '30's. It is a setting that has been used in drama, comedy, romance and of course mystery genres for years but Gosford Park makes it clear that we have only the faintest ideas of what that life was really like. The genius of this film is that it takes all the information that could have been spread out in a PBS documentary series and used fiction to illustrate the same points in a much more effective and enjoyable way.

The cast is huge and filled with actors, both well known and soon to be well known. No one is given such a large role that it becomes their film and yet each performer manages to turn their scenes into a polished little gem.

The extras included in the DVD are wonderful. They include deleted scenes (with commentary), features on the making of, and authenticity of the movies as well as Q & A with cast and filmakers. The best of the extras by far are the commentaries with the director, Robert Altman and screenwriter, Julian Oscar.

I highly recommend the purchase (as opposed to the renting) of this film. It is so packed with detail that it would be impossible to absorb it all in just one or two viewings.

"Nothing's more exhausting than breaking in a lady's maid."
The upperclass friends and relations of Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) arrive at his country house for a weekend of shooting, accompanied by maids, footmen, and valets, all of whom will be staying under one roof. Sir William is a mean-spirited and self-centered old man, married to a much younger, emotionally distant wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), with many family members dependent upon his continuing largesse. The hilariously waspish Countess of Trentham (Maggie Smith), who believes she has a lifetime stipend, arrives with young Mary Maceachran (Kelly MacDonald), who is trying valiantly to become a good lady's maid. Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam), a Hollywood star, and Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban), a producer of Charlie Chan movies, are the only guests without aristocratic backgrounds and inherited privilege. The atmosphere of the house, filled with venomous "friends" and relations, soon becomes even more poisonous.

The "below stairs" lives of the servants are also fully revealed, as they share living quarters, eat meals together, tend to the laundry and cooking, and gossip about their employers. The butler Jennings (Alan Bates) and the head housekeeper (Helen Mirren) run the household and try to guarantee that no real-world cares will intrude upon the lives of their employers. Since "upstairs" and "downstairs" occasionally meet very privately at night, secrets abound, many of them secrets of long standing. When Sir William is poisoned and stabbed ("Trust Sir William to be murdered twice"), nearly everyone has a motive for wanting him dead.

For director Robert Altman, the primary focus of the film is on the characters, their way of life, and their values, with the murder mystery secondary. Set in late November, the end of the year 1932, the action takes place when this secure aristocratic lifestyle is also nearing its end, something that the arrival of the newly rich Hollywood characters, Novello and Weissman, illustrates. Dramatic cinematography (by Andrew Dunn) emphasizes the cold and rainy dreariness of the weekend, and suggests parallels with the coldness of the dying aristocracy.

Interior shots reveal the contrasts between the elegant and mannered lives of the "upstairs" characters and the hardworking daily lives of the "downstairs" characters, who adhere to their own rigid social codes. Every detail rings true, and as the characters' lives and interrelationships are revealed obliquely in brief snippets of seemingly unrelated conversations, a broad picture of the upstairs and downstairs lifestyles gradually emerges. Fully developed, many-leveled, wonderfully acted, often funny, and impeccably directed and filmed, this is a film one can watch again and again with delight. Mary Whipple

The Triumph of the Tried and True... a la Robert Altman!
GOSFORD PARK is an enchanting movie on every level and should please even the most discerning audience. Quite unexpectedly, Robert Altman has thoroughly researched the Agatha Christie murder mystery-type stories, the archetypical British mystery/drawing room genre, and (more important) the stuffy and unbelievable class disparities of olde England and has produced a stylish, smart, lushly beautiful recreation of England in the 1930s. The settings are elegant - a mansion/castle where the 'haves' and their lowly servants carry on their lives as though 'to the manner born'. Blessed with a dream cast that includes nearly all of the greats of the British acting school, Altman has given plumb roles to Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins, Emily Watson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Jeremy Northam, James Wilby, Alan Bates, and Derek Jacobi. The story is an interesting murder mystery but it merely serves as the matrix upon which these fine actors, writer, cinematographer and director capably flaunt their skills. This movie is Delicious! It is so fine that it bears repeated viewings just to make sure you catch all the innuendoes and rapid, superb double entendres encased in this bit of magic. Altman devotees will not be disappointed and those who are not fond of the eccentric director's previous films are bound to be won over to the genius of Robert Altman.

Upstairs, downstairs, cold stares
No matter how many actors, including bankable stars, appear in a Robert Altman movie, it seems to be about Altman. He has an individual, if by now familiar, style of filmmaking that is always calling attention to itself. That style includes very fluid camera movement, quick-cut editing, and a good deal of dialogue that is covered by other dialogue or sounds distant. We are meant to be awed by the spontaneity and naturalism of it all.

Apparently many people are impressed by this mannerism and consider it a sign of artistry. On the whole, I find it pretentious and irritating. In one of the supplementary features on the DVD, Altman, his screenwriter and a handful of the actors from Gosford Park are interviewed in front of a studio audience. Altman and the writer rattle on about how every scene is shot by two cameras that are always in motion, so that the actors are never sure whether they are going to be foreground or atmosphere, or what angle they'll be seen from. Does Altman really think he invented the idea of shooting a scene from multiple angles, and choosing one during editing? And why is a camera that's gliding and panning constantly somehow more "truthful" than one that's framing the character or group that the director believes is most essential to telling the story at that moment?

It can be said in Altman's favor, though, that he never makes a merely conventional or routine film; they are all a bit eccentric (a compliment in my book) and, despite my reservations about the camera and sound-recording style, usually offer a fresh view of the theme or its environment. Gosford Park is your standard Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set among a dinner-jacketed, evening-gowned crowd in an English manor house in 1932 -- except, in this case, the doings of the upper crust are set against the army of servants below stairs who work their tails off to make everything straight, gleaming and smooth for their social betters.

Altman and his screenwriter Julian Fellows do a very creditable and humane job of conveying the personalities and individuality of the servants; they aren't just symbols of The Oppressed. The characters of the gentry, though, while ably portrayed (the acting talent makes sure of that), are almost universally so sour, rude and calculating that it's hard not to feel that there's a touch of old-fashioned, left-wing agit-prop involved. (The one exception is Jeremy Northam, who plays Ivor Novello -- a real singer and film star of the period -- with considerable charm.) I can believe that an assembly of English bluebloods in that era might have carried within themselves much wickedness, but they would have been far too polished to display it as openly and crudely as they do in Gosford Park.

Altman recruited a clutch of A-list British stage and film actors, and they don't fail him. Altman's casual attitude toward the basics of craftsmanship (as opposed to displaying his self-assumed creative genius) ensures that you will be lucky to figure out who half the characters are and their relationships with one another by the time of the denouement, but their cultivated swinishness holds the attention anyway. I think actors love playing obnoxious and unlikeable characters; these seem to be enjoying their roles, and you will, too.

The English have a term, "curate's egg." The meaning is, "parts of it are very good." ... Read more

Reviews (128)

For More Than Just Your eyes
It's nice to know that Roger Moore can act. I personally think that Dalton would have done a better job at this part, but Moore is adequate. The plot is more engaging than the previous ones. A ship with ATAC unit sinks off the coast of Greece and a smuggler plots to sell it to the Russians for a price. Bond is sent to Greece to recover the ATAC. He then works with the two-faced Kristatos, who plans to use 007 to eliminate his competition, his brother Columbo. Columbo makes a fine good guy. The Bond girl is Melina, whose parents were working for the British Government and trying to find the ATAC and were killed by Kristatos. She tries to avenge them throughout the film and finally does. Admiral Gogol makes a nice appearance towards the end. For comic relief we have Bibi Dahl, the skating protege who wants to sleep with Bond. The score by Bill Conti is fantastic. The action is thrilling. A Great Bond.

Roger Moore's best Bond
An intelligent and suspenseful follow-up to the daffy Moonraker. Refreshingly light on gadgets and silly jokes, FYEO is a Bond movie in the grand tradition. More like Goldfinger and FRWL; the only two Bond movies that are better. Its hard to believe John Glen directed his best Bond movie first but there it is. He directed five in all; the last three Moores and both Timothy Daltons. FYEO and The Living Daylights are the only two that should have seen daylight. 007, played excellently by Roger Moore in his 5th Bond movie, finds himself playing cat and mouse with Kristatos, an unsavory Greek smuggler, as they wrestle over a piece of Cold War hardware called the ATAK. Julian Glover does a fine job as the manipulative and sophisticated villian. Carole Bouquet is stunning as well as a competent actress. She is the Bond Girl but, unlike many Bond movies, she is more than window dressing. Her character, Melina Havelock, as her own beef with Kristatos. Beautifully set in Northern Italy and Greece, FYEO features several extremely well-done action scenes everywhere from the ski slopes to a sunken ship to a mountaintop fortress. The interplay between Bond and the young, amorous ice skater (Lynn-Holly Johnson) is clever and humorous in a tongue-in-cheek way that goes over much better than the obvious sight gags and obnoxious comments in Moore's most recent efforts. Alas, Moore's Bond movies never found a consistent happy medium between the silly and the serious. LALD and TMWTGG were both serious and silly in turns. They are both good but uneven 007 movies. TSWLM is pretty silly (but excellent). Moonraker is pretty silly and downright dreadful in parts, especially the ending. Moore's weakest. FYEO is Moore's most serious and best. Octopussy and AVTAK, Moore's last two efforts after FYEO, were both pretty silly and stale. Quite a mixed bag. His two best performances sandwich his worst. Go figure.

Roger Moore's Best Turn as 007
James Bond films can be divided into two camps. Some have over-the-top villains and larger-than-life plots, while others are down to earth, gritty spy adventures. "For Your Eyes Only" falls squarely in the latter camp. This characteristic has earned it praise from those who enjoy Bond movies with a more realistic air, while those who prefer the more fantastic deride it as boring.

For my own part, I find "For Your Eyes Only" to be the best Roger Moore film and indeed better than most of the Connery and Brosnan films as well. That is not to say the movie is without flaws. The "heavy" and the "henchman" are a somewhat underwhelming, the score is a little too pop, and Bond's flirtation with a young skater strains credulity. However, these minor complaints are overcome with thrilling chases, superb action, tight storytelling, beautiful locations, and intense suspense that is sorely lacking in most Bond films.

On the whole, "For Your Eyes Only" may not be what you expect, but it is one of the best of the series.

DVD: Thankfully, MGM gave this one the full 5.1 sound treatment. Unfortunately, the soundtrack has its jarring moments, especially in the rear channels during the pre-title sequence and when Bond gets caught at Gonzales' lair. The extra features are informative and fun, as has been the case with the other Bond films.

A leaner, meaner, Moore, Roger Moore.
In 1979, the James Bond series had officially "jumped the shark (i.e. reached a turning point which signaled a downward spiral.)" with the campy, over-the-top, sci-fi MOONRAKER. Although he had a blockbuster on his hands, producer Cubby Broccoli had the forsight to see that the Bond series would crash under the weight of huge sets and bad puns. Thus, a back- to-basic approach was in order for the harder-edged 1980's with FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, from the title of Ian Fleming's collection of Bond short stories, is noted by Bond fans as the first from the "Michael G. Wilson Era" of the series. Wilson, a writer, co-producer, and Broccoli's son-in-law had sighted the darker, more realistic espinage thriller FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE as his personal favorite. Along with first time director John Glen (an editor from the series), FOR YOUR EYES ONLY's recipe of grittier action sequences, amid exotic locations would be a template for the series that would extend into Pierce Brosnan's epics.

Although I don't consider FOR YOUR EYES ONLY in the panthanon of, say, GOLDFINGER, (and despite what you read here, the high adventure plot line is closer to the botboilers of Alistair McClain then it is to Ian Fleming's), the movie is a fun ride. It is also, perhaps the first time many began to stop worrying and like Roger Moore as 007. I don't know if it was Moore's advancing age or his fuller hair style, but here he's clearly not the same twit who waltzed through MOONRAKER. His Bond, for once, has to huff and puff is way out of a situation instead of a raised eyebrow. He still a charmer who rather use his wits than his fists, but when the going gets tough he'll use a full clip of his Walter PPK without hesitation. That's James Bond!

Years ago I was floored by the old CBS-FOX laserdisc version of this movie. Although panned and scanned, the disc's stereo sound mix was thunderous. This new DVD is sharper despite some flaws due to the film stock's age, but retains the surround sound theatrics that keeps 007's 12th outing state of the art in a constantly improving digital landscape.

This could be an opportunity...or a trap!
The 12th James Bond movie. After a science-fiction epic with MOONRAKER, producer Albert R. Broccoli brings 007 back to Earth in a well crafted thriller closely echoing the vein of earlier Bond films as FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. Yet FOR YOUR EYES ONLY would appropriately emphasize such fantasy elements in a more grittier and realistic adventure filled with the usual beautiful women and non-stop action. This time a greater emphasis began with the idea of 007 as a more polished Super Agent who survives off his physical wits and prowess rather than the aide of gadgets. This would be a trademark well established in John Glen's debut as director for this film. Glen would continue to direct from this film all the way to LICENCE TO KILL. Equally credible is a tough, determind Bond girl in Carole Bouquet as revenge obsessed Melina Havelock, and a collection of the usual nasty villains out to silence her. As Bernard Lee who had played M passed away during production, Broccoli in refusal to replace him filled in with the Bill Tanner character. For the next film, OCTOPUSSY, Robert Brown would take over the role.

THE ASSIGNMENT: The ST. GEORGES, a British electronic submarine disguised as a fishing boat, has been blown up in the Ionian Sea. On board is the valuable ATAC machine, which is a coded transmittor using ultra-low frequencies to order British submarines to launch ballistic missiles. If fallen into the wrong hands, submarines could be ordered to attack British cities leaving no chance of being manually countermanded. Bond's only lead: marine biologist Sir Timothy Havelock and his wife Iona were murdered while searching for the ATAC on behalf of the British. His killer, a Cuban hitman Hector Gonzales lives in Madrid. Bond pays his villa a visit, but before he can interrogate, Gonzales himself is killed by a crossbow bolt - from the Havelocks' daughter Milena who is on a revenge vendetta for their deaths. Bond and Milena quickly join forces, but not before Bond noticed Gonzales being paid for the job by a bespectacled man. If Bond can identify the man, he may still have a glimmer of hope.

THE VILLAINS: Julian Glover as Aristotle Kristatos, Michael Gothard as Emile Leopold Locque, John Wyman as muscular Eric Kriegler, (a very young) Charles Dance as Claus, Jack Klaff as Apostis, and Stefan Kalipha as Hector Gonzales.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! BUY IT! ... Read more

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The least successful film in this series was directed by stylemaster (and content-underachiever) David Fincher. Ripley, the only survivor of her past mission, awakens on a prison planet in the far corners of the solar system. As she tries to recover, she realizes that not only has an alien gotten loose on the planet, the alien has implanted one of its own within her. As she battles the prison authorities (and is aided by the prisoners) in trying to kill the alien, she must also cope with a distinctly shortened lifespan that awaits her. But the striking imagery makes for muddled action and the script confuses it further. The ending looks startling but it takes a long time--and a not particularly satisfying journey--to get there. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (254)

It isn't as bad as everybody would have you believe. Really.
There isn't many people who like this film. Honestly, when I first saw it: I was like, "What the eff?!" But upon subsequent viewings, I became somewhat enamored with director David Fincher's style; he has since gone to notable films, SEVEN and THE GAME.

In a nutshell, ALIEN3 more or less negates everything Jim Cameron had established in ALIENS, and if you view this movie as a sequel you're gearing yourself up for disappointment. However, if you view this film as a science fiction piece with none-too-subtle religious undertones then you might be surprised to find yourself in for quite a ride.

The look of the film, the trademarked beautiful Aliens grunge, in pulled off quite well. The characters (mostly bald White guys with Brit accents) are a little hard to decipher to the passive viewer, but are quite earnest in their acting. Charles Dance and Charles S. Dutton provide some pretty cool roles (if a little heavy-handed in the latter case).

The religious undertones are there; and they may offend some ardent Bible-thumpers (I'm talking about the Christ-like death sequence)--but it's a nice change of pace for the ALIEN films. The first was horror. Second, war. Why not have the third be 'bout religion?

I think it works; but, hey, different squids for different kids (thanks, Steve, for that phrase). All in all: great cinematography, passable performances with a few gems, laughable story, 'bout two hours of late night or Sunday afternoon stoner entertainment.

Vastly underappreciated masterpiece.
After reading the enormous amount of negativity at this third entry in the Alien series, I feel highly compelled to step in here and defend this marvelous 1992 sequel to the 1986 predecessor "Aliens" entitled simply "Alien 3" and as I write this, I have to say that while this movie definitely has some troubling flaws, this is a very strong and amazing movie and one of my favorite science-fiction movies of all time.

Ellen Ripley, who is now in cryogenic suspension on board the spaceship that she got on to escape the colonized planet after saving Newt from the alien that hitched a ride on board. Unaware of it though, the alien that she defeated was in fact a queen and laid a small egg in a hidden compartment onboard the ship. The alien on board causes an acid spill which causes an electrical fire and the resulting fire causes the escape pod where the survivors of the previous movie to be separated from the mother ship. After crashing into the ocean on a desolate planet, Ripley finds herself once again the only survivor on a totally unknown world. After being revived in a high-security prison called Fury 161, Ripley finds herself being the only woman in a prison with a religious cult comprised of convicted criminals. Now being imprisoned on the planet, she learns her greatest nightmare of all and how much of a big sacrifice must be made in order to destroy the aliens once and for all. However, Ripley has no idea that the alien isn't her only enemy anymore.

While this is a great movie, this tends to suffer from some problems which likely has caused a lot of fans of the previous two to really shun this movie. While I can't blame them for killing off two important characters from the previous movie, my biggest problems are different. The greatest flaw with this movie is not it's storyline but it's excessive used of dropping F-Bombs right and left. Swearing doesn't bother me necessarily but the F-Bomb is WAY overused here and it really tends to detract from the films enjoyability. I also wasn't too thrilled at the whole prospect of the prisoners being nothing more than just 'live bait' for the alien to kill off one by one.

The "Collector's Edition" is fantastic in many ways. The deeply flawed theatrical release is much better in its remastered form but the "Special Edition" is light years ahead of it's old counterpart. With the film being extended to two hours and thirty-five minutes, with some old footage replaced with previously unreleased footage, along with extended and previously unreleased scenes, "The Special Edition" of "Alien 3" really helps to mend a lot of the problems that plagued the original version and the result is a movie that is almost as great as the first two movies. The only problem I had was the ending which where the ending of the climax scene looked a lot more fake than it did in the original version. Despite this minor quibble, the "Special Edition" of this movie is light years better than the original and the result is a flawed movie that really is lifted much higher in rankings to rank up there with the 1979 original. It'll never top "Aliens" for me but "Alien 3" really benefits from it's revamping. To all of the people who strongly detested this movie to begin with, I would strongly recommend that if you have the time, watch the "Special Edition" because it really helps to correct a lot of the mistakes of the original and it makes the characters a lot more three-dimensional. I have come to appreciate this movie a lot more since seeing it on it's newest form.

The second disc is a real treat. The extras on disc two are really good and along with the first disc, warrant purchasing "Alien 3". I at first found that this was a movie that was not easy to digest especially due to its troubling loss of two of the main characters from the previous movie "Aliens" from 1986. However I have since over time have come to really enjoy this movie and have felt more sorry for the crew after seeing a deep insight into how troubled the movies making really was. You can also see the mixed reactions towards the finished film from the crew members who were involved in it's production. Perhaps the most memorable thing I learned even if it's not from the DVD itself was how much agony David Fincher went through when directing this movie. He was pushed into this movie's directing late into it's production and the result was enormous tension between him and other producers which resulted in agonizing almost non-stop work in directing this movie. Perhaps it's why he hasn't embraced it since it's release but I have to credit him that his work on this is fantastic and the result was worth it to me.

To me while it isn't the best of the series by any means, "Alien 3" is a really excellent and satisfying conclusion to the storyline of Ellen Ripley and her war against the predatory alien creatures. Like someone else said about it, I strongly agree that "Alien Resurrection" felt more like some wacky spin-off that had almost nothing to do with the previous three movies and I agree. While I'm not saying that it was terrible, it wouldn't have been a bad idea of they had simply closed the series on the third one.

THE BEST OF THEM ALL!!!!
I absolutely adore this third Alien movie!! It's my favorite of the bunch and was a brilliant follow-up to the "Aliens" movie and brings the story to a glorious end which I wish was true but was completely ruined by the stupidity of "Alien Resurrection" which should never have been made or at least in the way it did. Ripley's character is heartbreaking and the action sequences are awesome. The ending is really depressing but really good!! Forget the negative reviews and get this DVD TODAY!! Peace out!!

Horrible
Horrible film... where it may turn on the Goths, it disgusts me. Here, we have two very awesome character - who, despite what some cynics say, people cared about; Newt, and Hicks...and look what they do with them. They could've expanded those characters into some real cool character, but NOOooo. Don't watch this movie, if you're a fan Aliens and Alien. It's a BIG let down.

Even David Fincher hates this movie...
It's funny to look at this movie now and see how almost everyone who worked on it, don't really like it at all. Fincher in written interviews, has said he wanted to do a different movie then this, but the film was really destroyed by both terrible script writing, very tight budget problems, and shooting an ending where you think it can work, but it doesn't. Once, I had a change to talk to the movie's composer, Elliot Goldenthall, and he puts as much distance between this movie and the other films he's scored, as much as possible. Even Sigourney has now admitted that the decison to kill her charecter did not work. There is talk about another Alien movie in the works. One which would close the series out, with the final destruction of these monsters as well as reveal where they come from. But this has yet to happen. ... Read more

Reviews (191)

A Puzzle for You to Solve.
Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) is a middle-aged British mystery novelist. Burned out on writing and tired of the climate in London, she accepts an invitation from her publisher, John (Charles Dance), to spend some time relaxing at his villa in Southern France. The change of scenery gets her creative juices flowing, but shortly after Sarah has settled in, John's daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) turns up with plans to stay. At first Sarah is annoyed by Julie's daring and promiscuous lifestyle. But gradually Sarah takes an interest in the young woman and allows herself to be sucked into Sarah's emotional intrigues.

There is a lot that I would love to say about this film, but the nature of "Swimming Pool" is such that I can say very little that will not spoil the film for those who have not yet seen it. "Swimming Pool" is an unusual and ingenious variety of mystery. I will say this much: Pay close attention. Things are not as the seem.

François Ozon's screenplay may be the best of 2003. It's certainly the most sinuous. I'm sure that some will say -not without some justification- that it's too clever for its own good. My one reservation about "Swimming Pool" is that it may be too subtle. Too much of the audience is left thinking that the events of the film are to be taken at face value. And the film doesn't begin to make sense if taken at face value. The audience is given enough information to figure out what has transpired. -But just enough. We do have to figure it out for ourselves. Normally, a film of this kind would explain itself a few scenes before the end. But François Ozon has chosen not to spell anything out for his audience. I enjoyed the puzzle. It's gratifying once it clicks and everything makes sense. But I fear "Swimming Pool" is too esoteric for wide audience appeal. I give it an enthusiastic recommendation, though. "Swimming Pool" is one of the most original, clever, and intriguing movies that I've seen.

The DVD: Previews are unfortunately unavoidable. Bonus features include one theatrical trailer and deleted scenes. Most of the deleted scenes are entirely inconsequential, but one actually confuses matters, so I don't recommend them. Dubbing is available in French. Subtitles are available in French, Spanish, and English. I sure wish there were an interview with writer/director François Ozon, but no such luck. There are more bonus features, including a commentary by Ozon (presumably in French), on the French Region 2 DVD 2-disc set for anyone who is interested.

understated psychological thriller
I had seen 8 WOMEN, the previous film by Francois Ozon, but that did not prepare me for SWIMMING POOL. Sarah (Charlotte Rampling) is a mystery writer vacationing at her publishers home in France. She's enjoying the peace and quiet, until the arrival of Julie (Ludivine Sagnier), the publisher's sexy teenage daughter. Where Sarah is repressed, Julie is a free spirit. The personalities of the two women clash at first, but Sarah is subtly inspired by Julie's impulsiveness. Things come to a head when both women develop an attraction to the same man.
The tone of the film is very cool and quiet throughout, and the casual viewer may miss the signs of Sarah's awakening. (Note how what Sarah eats changes throughout the film.) Both central performances are impeccable, and Charles Dance (GOSFORD PARK) lends able support as Sarah's slippery publisher.
The DVD package is disappointingly slim, I would have enjoyed a commentary or two, but the final deleted scene does help explain the film's surprise ending. Recommended for world cinema lovers.

Nudity, yes; get over it!
Wow! Swimming Pool is an intelligent, and fantastic film. Don't expect to be a passive viewer, and wait for everything to be explained to you. There is nudity. Enjoy it. Get over it. This is a film about a writer, who's become locked into a series of books she's sick of. At her publisher's house in France, she spends several days with writer's block. She creates a character, and writes the best book of her career. I recommend Secret Window starring Johnny Depp, to be seen with this movie!

I recommend this film
This film gets your attention from A to Z . Charlotte Rampling's
play is excellent and sustains perfectly an interesting scenario.
Ludivine Sagnier is not masterful but plays well her part.
Although this film has it's nude and erotic moments
you should buy another film if this is only what you are looking for.
The film is not a 'nail biter ' but, always intelligent and
sensitive, it will not let you down. The conclusion of the
film is not perfect, but certainly interesting.

Good,,but,,,what just happened?
This movie was good but what just happened? Why is Julie two different people? One in braces and the one we saw all through the movie. Are they one in the same? Why is she waving at both of them ? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Eddie Murphy does keep testing our patience by trying to expand his cinematic horizons. For some reason, he is the only person on the entire planet who can rescue a magically gifted child from the clutches of evil kidnappers. A detective who specializes in locating lost children, he is chosen by a Tibetan princess to lead a rescue mission that will save the world from the clutches of Old Nick.

Murphy was at the height of his career, having enjoyed his first box-office crest when he attempted this more dramatic role. If his career survived the gamble, it certainly was not because of the lackluster script, mediocre production values, or leaden performance of costar Charlotte Lewis. Not that Murphy does much with his role, either. He mugs for the camera and his timing is off in both dramatic and comedic moments. Stick with his earlier triumphs, or explore his subsequent return to confident comedy turns in The Nutty Professor.-- Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (27)

The Bald Magical Child
Perhaps the success of GHOSTBUSTERS was the inspiration for THE GOLDEN CHILD to mix comedy and horror fantasy. GHOSTBUSTERS had all the elements in perfect sync and THE GOLDEN CHILD is very uneven. Many of reviewers and moviegoers reaction to the movie was basically, to paraphrase many quotes, "Eddie Murphy was great and funny...but the story and plot was stupid!" It was reported that Eddie Murphy hated the out-of-country location shoots and it shows. His character, Chandler Jarrell is the reluctant hero who is a social worker and part time finder of missing children. Chandler is chosen (by divine providence) to find and save a magical child from kidnappers who are in the league with evil. There is an uncomfortable fantasy-supernatural, dream sequence that makes no sense in the context of the story. Also, in the final leg of the film, the stop-motion animated effects of a bat-winged demon and an actual "dragon lady" seems to be out of place and unexpected. The film takes its subject too seriously with Eddie Murphy winking at the audience. With his character's disbelief of the whole absurdity of the situation, maybe it was a tough sell for the audiences. Overall, a movie that showcases the early brilliance of Eddie Murphy but his comedy does not gel wit the rest of the film.

Hmmm
What an odd movie. Its a fantasy children's movie that thinks its a fantasy comedy. Murphy is completely lost at sea in this flick. As if he isn't entirely aware of what's going on or is trying to push the movie in a direction it just won't go in. His character and the movie seem to exist separately of each other. He plays his usual silly harmless likable guy and the rest of the movie is earnest kiddie sci-fi action.

Eddie Murphy shines
When this movie first came out, from what the critics had to say, and the trailors for it, I was not that impressed with the idea of spending money to see it. I was truly surprised when I finally did see it. It is not a visually enhanced movie, but you see a side of Eddie Murphy that is surprising and refreshing, his character is fairly polite, not too much on the 4 letter word band wagon, and actually shows compassion. I would say that he shows these same qualities in the Dr. Dolittle movies, but really... talking animals??? It is a heart warming story, protection of a childs life... see it and judge for yourself. I think you will be surprised and want to add this one to your collection!

for its time
for its time it was a great movie but it was just so cheesy compared to now it sucked.. lol so idk if u can watch the movie realizing they didnt have all the stuff then they do now it was a okay movie

Golden Balls
This film made a lot of money on its release, and i was not surprised: there was action comedy, and Charles Dance not pronouncing his "j"'s coupled with some special effects circa 1978. what more could it need?

And yet...for some reason, after watching this film, i felt somehow unfulfilled. Perhaps it was not explaining who the real bad guy was(i'm sorry, Forces Of Evil is not enough for me). Maybe it was the low low grade action. Maybe it was just the Forces of Evil surrounding me, but the truth is, i just couldn't bring myself to be able to like this film.

It is however not all bad, This is Eddie Murphy on vintage "Trading Places" style form, which is always worth the laugh, and there is one dream sequence which is so surreal its...well, surreal.

Despite this however, my suggestion would be to watch it on TV rather than buy it. it just aint worth the nuggets. ... Read more

Amazon.com

John McTiernan (The Hunt for Red October) imaginatively directs this action comedy, which is an interesting failure with some fascinating ironies that make it well worth seeing. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays both a character named Jack Slater--a fictional cop hero who exists only in the movies (i.e., the movies seen by the characters in this movie) and the actor who plays Jack Slater in the real world (i.e., in the movie we're actually watching). McTiernan's hall-of-mirrors effect is fun, though Last Action Hero never quite identifies itself as a pure action movie, science fiction, a kid's movie, or anything else. (The expensive film suffered at the box office as a result and was roundly criticized for this ambivalence.) What lingers in the memory, however, is Schwarzenegger, playing himself, being confronted by Slater for having created an alter ego for film in the first place. It's a provocative moment: how often have we seen a major star blatantly wrestle with his actor's legacy in this way? The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, optional French and Spanish soundtracks, and optional Spanish and Korean subtitles. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (81)

Super fun action/fantasy...
If there was ever any movie that celebrated Arnold Schwarzenegger movies it's "Last Action Hero." Actually, this film celebrates action movies in general. Directed by action legend John McTiernan (Hunt for Red October, Die Hard), this fantasy film about a kid named Danny who goes inside a Schwarzenegger film is loaded with nonstop action, some good laughs, and tons of cameo appearences, including: Ian McKellan, Robert Patrick, Tina Turner, Chevy Chase, Jim Belushi, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Little Richard, and Danny DeVito as an animated cat! This film brings in loads of fun, and the casting of Charles Dance as the villain is genius. Sure, this film isn't perfect, but if you're an Arnold fan it's plenty fun. Sometimes, the movie even works as a spoof of action, like in the car chase scene where literally every single car explodes. This film really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. It's actually one of my favorite Arnold films. I'd recommend this film to the child-at-heart; to the people who never really grew up. It's fun for the kid in all of us.

Underrated Schwarzenegger romp
After his monumental success with Terminator 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger re-united with his Predator director John McTiernan for this action/fantasy farce. The storyline concerns a young boy (Austin O'Brien) who comes across a magic movie ticket which allows Jack Slater (Schwarzenegger), a movie character who is played by Arnie, to leave his film world and come to the real world. Get all that? Good. Schwarzenegger (who also served as executive producer) is great as he pokes fun at his action roles, his career, and himself. The cast is sharp (including Charles Dance, Mercedes Ruehl, Tom Noonan, Bridgette Wilson, and Ian McKellan) with plenty of cameos (including Jean Claude Van Damme, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Robert Patrick, and Arnie's wife Maria Shriver) and the action is nicely directed, but Last Action Hero comes close to wearing out it's welcome thanks to it's overly long running time and anti-climatic ending. Last Action Hero wasn't too well received by critics upon it's release, but it still stands as a fun Arnie romp.

Great under-appreciated movie, but gets a little too absurd.
You've probably read this film's plot description already, but let me sumerize it briefly just to comment on it: Austin O'Brian is a huge Swartzenagger fan. Arnie's latest films (acording to this film,) are the Jack Slater movies, which (presumably) came out right after Terminator 2. Danny idolizes the character Jack Slater, a fictional L.A. cop, in the same way that so many of us idolized Han Solo. Then one day Danny's personal friend Mick, an elderly theater projectionist, gives him a magic ticket that was given to him by Houdini, just before Danny gets to watch the latest Slater film all by himself, before anyone eles does. (Jack Slater 4). Danny watches as the film introduces the two bad guys, who've kidnapped Slaters cousin Frank. The scene shifts to two nameless cops (who of course are sure-fire dead meat) who come to Frank's house after getting a false call about a drug deal. Slater arrives and wonders why they're here, he goes in and finds Frank tied to a chair, Frank gives Slater one last message before dying, Slater sees a note that turns out to be a count down and gets out just before the house blows up, the two red shirt cops...well, need I even say? A car full of dynomite-weilding bad guys drive up, Slater gets in his car and the chase is on! Then something strange happens. A stick of dynomite comes out of the screen and lands in the theater! It blows up, and Danny finds himself in Slater's car, now a character in the film!

I couldn't understand why so many critics and audiences hated this. Naturally I was upset when it bombed in the theatre. It was the most origonal film to come along in quite some time. I mean, really, who hasn't fantasized about being able to actually go into the world of their favorite movie or T.V. show and interact with the characters? Thankfully I see most people on Amazon have given this between four and five stars, so I'm not alone. I loved the action, the humor, (which is basically making fun of typical action films and just how absurd they are, even the ones that are meant to be taken seriously) and the one-liners.

O.K., here's one thing I _didn't_ like: the animated cat. I mean, what the @#&%?! The film works when it spoofs typical action films and ridiculous they are, but not when it goes all the way into the realm of farce and becomes something like Airplane! or Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Everything eles was fine, but the cartoon cat...well, when's the last time you saw a conventional action film with living cartoon characters? Really, what were they thinking?

Also, there was the bit where (POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING) we learn about half way through the film that Slater's son Andy was killed. This presumably happened at the end of Jack Slater 3. So Jack Slater 3, it would seem, ends with Slater shooting the Ripper (the bad guy from the last moive), and then the Ripper pulls Andy over with him. Would a typical Hollywood light-hearted action escapest film really have such a dark ending? Well, then again, I guess Lethal Weapon 2 had a simular ending.

Anyway, don't listen to anyone who's told you not to see this. This is not another dumb action movie, this is a film pokeing fun at dumb action films (including some of the ones Swartzenagger's made). Check it out for yourself.

"I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger."
After MUCH deliberation, this was deemed an appropriate DVD to watch - after turning down all my other suggestions. And it turned out to be quite good!

This was filmed before Austin O'Brien became truly cringeworthy, with a god-awful haircut in My Girl 2. He's exactly the same here, and there were times I wanted to take a pair of scissors to his hair! (I've just seen a more recent photo, and he looks totally different!)

Last Action Hero has an almost Willy Wonka quality to it. There was a golden ticket that Charlie Bucket had to find and Danny Mannigan also had to find one - or actually got handed it. I was so waiting for Oompa Loompa's to come out! Now that would have been cool.

The whole story climaxes in Arnie being brought out of the movie, and getting to see the 'real' world, which is a very interesting concept, as it could be seen as we're not the ones in control. (I totally believe that) So his whole life was one big lie, and controlled by someone else - not the big man upstairs, but a film director. Arnie basically takes the p*ss out of his whole on screen persona in this, including lots of his trademark sayings, including: "I'll be back!", "Trust me" and "Do it". There's also a very funny scene where Jack Slater meets Arnold Schwarzeneggar - make sense of that!

Also look out for a whole host of cameos in this movie - ones which are easy, to spot, some which aren't! Some of these include: Chevy Chase, MC Hammer, Sharon Stone, Little Richard, Maria Shriver, Robert Patrick, and Jean-Claude Van Damme!

There are some great lines in this. Some of these are:
Danny Madigan: You think you are funny, don't you?
Jack Slater: I know I am. I'm the famous comedian Arnold Braunschweiger.
Danny Madigan: Schwarzenegger!
Jack Slater: Gesundheit.

Jack Slater: Kid! Who does the doctor treat?
Danny Madigan: Patients?
Jack Slater: Look at the elbow of my jacket. What is it doing?
Danny Madigan: Wearing thin?
Jack Slater: Bingo!

Benedict: Gentlemen. Since you are about to die anyway, I may as well tell you the entire plot. Think of villains Jack. You want Dracula? Dra-cool-la? Hang on
[takes out the ticket]
Benedict: , I'll fetch him. Dracula? Huh. I can get King Kong! We'll have a nightmare with Freddy Krueger, have a surprize party for Adolf Hitler, Hannibal Lecter can do the catering, and then we'll have christening for Rosemary's Baby! All I have to do is snap my fingers and they'll be here. They're lining up to get here, and do you know why Jack? Should I tell you why? Hmm? Because here, in this world, the bad guys can win!

So if you're not keen on Austin O'Brien, see how many celebrities you can spot, and how much Arnie acts up in this movie! It's so funny!

The governator slams congress in this one!
Overall, this movie should've been about 30 minutes shorter. Other than that, in my opinion, it's probably the best Arnold flick made. Two moments in this movie are absolutely hilarious. One being his very burning remark about congress being crooks, and the other is when the 'movie' Arnold meets the 'real-life' Arnold and tells him " I don't really like you, you've caused me too much pain." That is the ultimate in comedic irony. Of course, my delivery is too dry. Arnold carries that one off beautifully. This movie was everything it was meant to be. Fast, fun, and full of dry and dark humor. Very good movie..... ... Read more

Reviews (4)

excellent portrait of a time and place
The year is 1908, the place is a small island in the Aegean sea. Ben Kingsley shines in "Pascali's Island", a subtle tale of fear and betrayal in uncertain, changing times. The violent ending, although hinted at throughout the film, will jar you since the tone till then has been guardedly genteel.

A fine performance is turned in by Helen Mirren, playing the Austrian painter Lydia, a woman in her 30s whom Pascali has loved from a distance for years. He is tormented by her love affair with an English archeologist as events spin toward an inevitable disastrous conclusion.

The clear, bright Aegean ocean reflecting the brilliant blue sky above makes a gorgeous scenic backdrop for the film. The ocean is seen from many interesting camera angles through windows and doorways of buildings, down from stone steps, and straight on as a large sailboat glides across it. The elemental sunshine and the open, calm sea serve as a counterpoint to the scheming people and their sinister secrets.

Highly recommended!

Riveting!
I just chanced to see this film recently at a friend's house and what a riveting film it is indeed!
The story takes place on a Turkish-controlled sun-kissed Greek island during the declining days of the Ottoman Empire. Ben Kingsley's character is a conniving but rather melancholy yet sympathetic figure, a minor functionary whose job it is to be eyes and ears for the Sultan. He feels a failure and unappreciated by his superiors even though his pay packet from Constantinople never fails to arrive.
Charles Dance arrives as a putative English archaeologist searching for land to lease so that he might excavate for antiquities of the Greek classical period. Helen Mirren stars as a wealthy American free spirit whose reason for living on the island is suspected by the local pasha but doesn't become clear until the end.
Against the backdrop of gorgeous scenery, simmering Greek-Turkish ethnic tension, and the sideshow of the developing romance between Dance and Mirren, an avoidable tragedy unfolds.
Conniving, greed, duplicity, the interference of the German charge d'affaires, and multiple misunderstandings leave the viewer wondering how its all going to turn out for the hapless Pascali (Kingsley).
I won't give away the game, you have to see it for yourself. The well thought out story line and the command performances of the three main characters demand that you do.

I loved this movie!
I love movies where the location is like another character (characters even) within the story.

This is a wonderful insight into another time and another place. With the preludes of war setting a benignly precarious backdrop intriguing characters deploy their motives in an enchanting dance of ulteriors and schemes.

The psychologies at work in this story are delightful to behold, the viewer is captivated and enthralled from the beginning!

This is the story of a man whose "god" forgot him.
In a finely-crafted and beautifully filmed story, three people meet who are engaged in deceptions of differents sorts. Each one is acting in secret, yet all three find themselves thrust into the very center of their deceptions by ironic twists. Each fences with the other romantically, yet the most cynical actually fall in love. Excellent performances by Kingsley, Charles Dance and Helen Mirren, three of England's most talented and versatile actors. Exotic scenery sets the stage for a variety of passions, schemes and deceits. Mirren and Dance are spectacular in the love scenes especially, but Ben Kingsley steals the movie, his dark eyes mirroring his dwindling hope in his sultan's dying world and his hopeless love for an untouchable, unreachable foreigner. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

he's got a killer beside manner
This Canadian horror film from director Carl Schenkel uses elements of the Frankenstein story, even featuring a Dr Stein, with experimental procedures that remain unapproved because of their side effects and a pioneering doctor who has "genius beneath the madness". We also get a touch of The Phantom of the Opera with the doctor now haunting the morgue of the hospital he had practiced at, and of course continuing his work. Schenkel has some skill in creating suspense, also injecting some comic shocks, but by the time we are chasing the killer in the unused basement of the hospital (why do horror movie hospitals always have unused basements?) the mad/genius doctor's efforts to rejuvinate himself alas does not help to rejuvinate the audience. I am not educated enough to know how scientifically valid the doctor's theories are (that pituitary extract culture can be used for muscle fibre and bone regeneration), though I am morally aware enough to question his rationale of using terminal patients in the same way the Nazi's used death camp inmates. Schenkel opens with a lightning benefited Whatever Happened to Baby Jane black an white camp sequence, which introduces his taste for gore and sadism, and the camera's style of overview prefigures the killer's fondness for jumping onto his victims. But it also sets up false expectations - the use of a lollipop becomes a red herring, though perhaps this in itself allows us to accept Schenkel abandoning the plot of another doctor's experimental procedures, with a baboon, no less. The only time the opening campy tone is repeated is in the over-the-top touches of the performance of Sean Haberle as the doctor. The superhuman qualities of the cliched serial killer/slasher are reinforced by Haberle's use of the stolen pituitary gland extract, yet his continual need for rejuvination because of sustained injuries is a running gag, and his look to the camera at one point is hard to read. Otherwise we get the standard heavy-breathing on the soundtrack and schlock music score. There is a restaurant sequence with a walltank of upstaging whales, a grotesque sewing up of the mouth of an actor using an alien accent, a full frontal nude shot of James Remar in a pool, and a nifty strategy for overcoming the obstacle for finger print security. We also get a laugh line in a police interview with "You'll have to speak up. The tape doesn't record gestures". As the heroine, one's assessment of the performance of Isabel Glasser may be influenced by how one views doctors. Are they ordinary people who can act like clutzes or gifted heroes with a right to be arrogant? Glasser's big moment comes with a memory speech where her mascara tears ruin her perfect glazed makeup, but her deliverance remains stoic, as if the tears do not belong to her. Perhaps she obtains our empathy because the only other character with equal screen time is the killer, though she looks awfully silly when she runs, and I don't think I'd choose her as a consultant.

Not much as far as horror
Of course "the Surgeon" is a low budget film but what is a horror movie without suspense? This film had it's share of gore and murder but it all came with a yawn. The main characters were underdeveloped so when they meet their end the veiwer could hardly care less. The story had possibilities but just didn't follow through. Some low budget films turn out to be some of the best in the horror genre but this is not one of them. The DVD has scene selection and that is all. That could be a blessing. I dont think anyone would care to hear a commentary track on how this 'gem' got made.

A good film
I have bought this film in german, because im a german. it is a good film, but in germany it has not the name "the surgeon", it has the name "exquisite tenderness". The Director Carl Shenkel is a good director. when you like horror films, see this film.

An exceptionally good direct-to-video Horror film
I saw this film a couple of years ago on HBO and loved it. I very much enjoy direct-to-video horror films and The Surgeon did not disappoint. I definitely would want this film in my horror collection. An interesting double feature would be the horrifyingly good The Dentist. Both are among the best in direct-to-video horror.

It was a good movie
it wasn't as good as some of the other horror movies i have seen but still good ... Read more

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David Hare's Broadway play--about political idealism and the way some people always need to be fighting for a cause--was credibly transferred to the screen by director Fred Schepisi from Hare's screenplay. Meryl Streep (in the midst of a streak of movies that required accents) plays a British woman who fought for the French Resistance during World War II. When she returns to normal life in post-war England and marries a diplomat, she becomes something of a terror--speaking her mind when, of course, diplomacy dictates otherwise. Did she leave the best part of herself in France, where life was more meaningful and immediate? Hare's comment on Great Britain's post-war slide into Thatcherism, this film features a tough-minded (and not particularly likable) performance by Streep, who is actually quite good. It's a hard movie to embrace, but a well-made one nonetheless. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Dark Troubling Movie About the Disillusion of Life
This is an extraordinary movie. It is impossible to not deeply sympathize with, and yet also come to strongly dislike the character of Susan Traherne played by Meryl Streep. All of David Hare's plays (e.g., Racing Demons, Skylight, the recent Amy's View) and movies (e.g., Strapless, Wetherby) are concerned with the idealist who runs up against a not particularly sympathetic world as he, or more commonly she, ages and struggles against a self-doubt induced by the people and society around her. The character of Susan Traherne is the least openly "likeable" of these characters, yet in Streep's amazing performance is heartbreakingly sympathetic. It is so easy to weep when one sees the final flashback scene in which one is reminded of her certainties and hopes 15 years at the end of a World War. She just could not find a way to make herself or others happy, and in the gloom of the effort trashes the lives and surroundings around her. A very memorable movie.

Most underrated Meryl Streep film
This movie is a forgotten treasure and deserves to be revived since it shows magic Meryl at her best in the prime of her craft.
The movie is based on a David Hare play and has been recently restaged in London with Cate Blanchett( arguably the most convincing aspirant to Streep's throne) in the lead.
Susan Traherne works in the French resistance during the war and although her life is fraught with danger, deprivation and chance encounters it gives her an edginess and zest for life she can never find in her later life. In post war Britain she stumbles through a string of uninspired careers, a bittersweet stab at motherhood, a friendship with a sassy Bohemian( a role Tracy Ullman was born to play) and eventually a marriage to a safe and starched politician that comes across as a personal suicide note while remaining among the living. The film nicely balances the quests of how much excitement people can handle and how much boredom can discombobulate a once inquiring mind. It's nothing less than a somber ode to the idealism of youth, its sour awakening and the understanding that success is in the eye of the beholder and no cotton can shield us from our drive to be individuals regardless of the cost to comfort and convention.

"There will be days and days and days like this"
"Plenty" is a film destined to arouse a lot of controversy -- not over its quality, but over its heroine: Susan Traherne (Meryl Streep), an Englishwoman who worked with the French Resistance in World War II and, much to the consternation of those around her, longs for the thrills and passion she felt during those days. Restless, dissatisfied and determined to challenge and change society, Traherne rubs employers, acquaintances, and even her husband the wrong way in her quest for satisfaction.

Yet screenwriter David Hare, adapting his successful stage play, asks us to accept and identify with Traherne, a steadfast individualist whose striving and scheming cost her everything, including, finally, her sanity.

Much of the attraction -- not to mention the challenge -- of "Plenty" lies in trying to rationalize Traherne and her motives and motivations. When first seen, she is a young woman who has arrived in France to aid the Resistance movement. Although only 19 years old, she is in a position of power and a situation fraught with danger, and she loves it. After the war, she returns to England, full of high ideals about building a better world where everyone can flourish. But what she finds in her homeland instead is a nation of men and women who are far more concerned with getting back to normal, and satiating themselves in material goods after years of wartime shortages.

For Susan, the postwar world of plenty is distressingly devoid of thrills, goals and open minds. Her feelings of emptiness lead her to seek out bohemian and beatnik friends, a foxy lower-class lover and a husband whose career in the diplomatic services is on the rise. But flirting with danger and accumulating wealth are not the answer for Susan either, and she languishes in luxury.

The role of Susan is custom-made for Streep and she turns in yet another tour de force. Classy and vivacious one moment, scathing and bitter the next, Susan is genuinely a puzzlement, and certainly an addictive one. You may not like her, but you will not forget her.

There is no shortage of fascinating characters in the supporting cast either, nor of fine actors to play them. Singer-comedian Tracey Ullman is enchanting as Alice Parke, Susan's roommate and confidante. Alice wears men's clothes, smokes marijuana and aspires to be a writer and artist, but little things like bad pot keep getting in her way: "How am I supposed to find artistic inspiration if I can't even get any good drugs?" she complains. Sting, who too often relies on his looks to carry his performances, turns in his best screen work to date as Mick, a black-marketeer whom Susan hires to get her pregnant (the love scenes between Sting and Streep are both funny and sexy). But finally, Susan dismisses him after 18 months of trying. "There comes a point at which the experiment should be stopped in the name of common courtesy," she notes.

As Susan's weary husband, Charles Dance brings life to what could easily have been a one-dimensional part, effectively conveying the toll a marriage built on pity can take on a man. Sir John Gielgud also sparkles as the duty-minded Leonard Darwin, whose run-in with the defiant Susan at a dinner party is the nastiest and most uproarious scene in the film.

"Plenty" is not an easy movie to categorize, and interpretations of its central character and its message are sure to be numerous. But there is no denying its power or the allure of the people in it. There are lighter, more charming films around, but there are few as ultimately rewarding.

Odd
Usually I love Meryl Streep, but for some reason--call me stupid if you want to--I had trouble watching this DVD because Streep wasn't very likeable, I couldn't sympathize with her character, and I REALLY HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING. Perhaps the movie was a little too well-made. Or perhaps I wasn't paying it the attention it deserved. Anyway, it's one of the few DVDs I've actually gotten rid of. But Streep is just gorgeous as usual!

Don't Waste Your Time
Uneven, choppy direction and convoluted plot marr the otherwise superb story and excellent performance of the uncomparable Meryl Streep. Unfortunately, not even the fabulous Ms. Streep can save this -- recommended for devoted fans only, bent on completing their Streep collection. ... Read more