Reviews (2)

not ALAN LADD
I PURCHASED THIS MOVIE THINKING IT WAS A ALAN lADD MOVIE BECAUSE IT WAS GIVING AS A ALAN LADD MOVIE BY AMAZON BUT THE JOKE WAS ON ME IT IS NOT THE ALAN LADD BADLANDERS SO NOW I AM STUCK WITH THIS CRAPPY MOVIE AND HAVE TO STILL BUY BADLANDERS WITH ALAN LADD SO ALL I CAN SAY IS AMAZON SUCKS

the badlanders
good movie but not great movie. Western version of "The Asphalt Jungle" Ladd and Borgnine are stiffed by local villan Kent Smith, in unconnected incidents. when released from klink team up to rob gold mine. Granted it's not Shane, but it's a good flick. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Phenomenal
This movie was absolutely phenomenal! I mean, the potato shooting and orange baseball was awesome. Oh and the pyro with the bombs-That was great! It's a good teenager movie, when you're bored and want a good laugh! I recomend this to anyone with a good sense of humor! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Versatility, thy name is Van Damme! So Arnold cries in End of Days? Hah! In this relentless revenge actioner, Jean-Claude not only cries, but has a drunk scene, suffers suicidal despair, does a little slapstick, and still manages to flash his ubiquitous butt. Which, of course, is what his legion of fans want to see him kick plenty of (other people's butts, that is; not his own). Van Damme may no longer generate any box-office heat (like 1998's Legionnaire, this bypassed theaters to go straight to video), but he at least gives his fans what they want. Originally titled Coyote Moon, Desert Heat recalls that guilty pleasure Road House, as Eddie Lomax (Van Damme) comes to the rescue of a gallery of colorful characters terrorized by slobbering, drug-dealing bikers and rednecks in a dilapidated desert town. And this time, it's personal. As one denizen ominously observes, "There's trouble on the hoof and it's coming this way" for the three ill-fated bullies who beat up and shot Eddie and left him for dead. Despite its desert setting, Heat is an oasis for great character actors who pick up Van Damme's considerable slack. They include Danny Trejo (Con Air) as Eddie's Native American friend Johnny Sixtoes, Pat Morita (The Karate Kid), Larry Drake (Darkman), Vincent Schiavelli (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ghost), Bill Erwin (Candy Stripe Nurses), and luscious Jaime Preslly as Dottie the waitress. The director is credited as Danny Mulroon, a pseudonym for John Avildsen, the Academy Award-winning director of Rocky. His career, too, seems to be on the ropes, but he keeps punching with some welcome eccentric touches. At one point Johnny gives the recuperating Eddie a foot massage (didn't he see Pulp Fiction?). And the script offers such goodies as a lovelorn bus driver (Tom's brother, Jim Hanks) inviting Dottie to see Yojimbo, and one biker's plea for mercy from a local tough: "Jessie, we were in high school together. I signed your yearbook." --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Van Damme Like Never Before
With regular Jean-Claude Van Damme movies I expect a movie with no plot and pointless action, but Desert Heat was a hysterical action packed adventure of suicidal loner Eddie Lomax (Van Damme) on persuit to reclaim his motorcycle from a gang of vicious outbackers. Meeting along the way unforgetable characters and of course killing those who got in his way. Van Damme actually does some good acting in this movie with punch lines that kept me laughing the whole time (ex."can't we all just get along") Those who expect regular Van Damme martial arts to used in this movie will be surprised because Van Damme uses character development and revenge as more of an approch to the key eliment in this movie (except for the end). I loved Desert Heat and recommend it to those who like funny action movies that are very entertaining!

THE WORST MOVIE THAT VAN DAMME HAS EVER STARRED IN
A MAN SEEKS VENGEANCE AGAINST A GANG THAT STOLE HIS MOTORCYCLE. STRAIGHT UP PREDICTABLE AND UNDENIABLY BORING. VAN DAMME LOOKS SO TERRIBLE IN THAT BEARD, I HOPE HE NEVER DOES A MOVIE WITH HIS BEARD LIKE THAT AGAIN. THE MOVIE IS STUPID, THE PLOT IS SO LAME, AND THE ACTION IS SO BORING. I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW A DIE- HARD FAN OF VAN DAMME COULD LIKE THIS! THIS IS A MOVIE THAT DOESN'T EVEN DESERVE TO BE IN STORES. THIS DEFINITELY AIN'T WORTH ONE CENT OF ITS PRICE. IF YOU ARE A VAN DAMME FAN, DO NOT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY ON THIS MOVIE. A WALK IN THE WOODS IS MORE EXCITING THAN THIS. IF THIS MOVIE REALLY DOES APPEAL TO YOU, THEN YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T KNOW YOUR ACTION MOVIES TOO WELL.

This movie rocked!!!
This is one of Van Damnes best.I love his character in theis movie and i love the setting.Great Performance by Van Damne.*****

Good,but still dissapointing...
Jean Claude Van Damme had a great run in the late 80's and early to mid 90's,but sad to say I think his generation of film has passed,now the majority of action fans want high priced special effects and a superstitious plot.Van Damme has been criticized for having little or no acting skills.Even though none of his films have ever gotten"two thumbs up" he has had still to this day very loyal fans like myself who would watch him before stallone or shwarzenegger because he brings incredible charisma to movies and always does his own fight sequences.Now I guess I'll critizise "Desert Heat".The storyline is a dissapointing one but the supporting cast is farely well in my mind with Jamie Presley.The overall action is alright, but typical Van Damme,nothing that you haven't seen from him before.The acting performance which I look at since some say he can't act is alright in this movie.I think the character doesn't fit Van Damme because he usually deals with more dangerous villians,in this movie he deals with a bunch of low life rednecks.The film is good but not something I'd watch over and over again.

A Motorcycle...Van Damme...Alcohol...Does it get any better?
This is one of those Van damme movies where u either hate or u love it...In my case i happen to love it. After riding through the desert....van damme is shot and left to die by some washed up rednecks.. Van damme wakes up and finds his motorcycle stolen!!! Van Damme of course gets a tad angry and goes on a rampage to find his motorcycle....there are motorcycle chases, fighting, rednecks, and whole alot of alcohol...There are also some special apearances like Jamie Presely, and Mr. Miagi from the Karate Kid..Great movie....u might wanna rent it first...unless ur a harcore van damme fan like me....just buy the movie and take my word for it..!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Family Upside Down, The review
This is a story of a aged old parent who has a hard time getting along with a daughter who tries whole heartedly to patch things up from her hurtful childhood memory, her brother tries to comfort her in the time of her needs and urges her and her father to get together and ptach things up before his time goes.

This film is a must see for all families who have struggled to keep it together. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Made for TV western sequel starring Jack Elam, not much else
The technical part of this review refers to the Brentwood Home Video or BCI Eclipse version.

"The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe" is from the Aaron Spelling factory of made for TV movies from the early 1970's. This film is a sequel to "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe" another made for TV movie.

In the first film Buddy Ebsen did an admirable job of turning the script into an amusing outing. The same cannot be said of this film which has John McIntire taking over the role as head of the family Joshua Cabe. The three "daughters" (ladies Joshua has rescued from the seamier side of life) are played by unknowns from the Spelling stable. The only saving grace is casting Jack Elam in the role of Bitterroot, their neighbor.

When an evil land baron makes the Cabes life miserable and Joshua is wrongfully imprisoned, it's up to the daughters and Bitterroot to rescue him. Ho-hum.

While the film is a harmless piece of fluff suitable for the whole family, it's best to avoid it, as it offers nothing new, cheaply filmed and at times, just plain boring.

The transfer was made from a print which had seen better days. The right side of the screen at times was much darker than the left and the middle. Brentwood/BCI does feature their usual extras. Six chapter stops, a DVD dictionary, trivia game and a Hal Roach "Little Rascals" short. This movie is also in a 10 pack of westerns at about triple the price for this one film from Brentwood Home Video called "The Wild West" and is available from Amazon.com. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

not ALAN LADD
I PURCHASED THIS MOVIE THINKING IT WAS A ALAN lADD MOVIE BECAUSE IT WAS GIVING AS A ALAN LADD MOVIE BY AMAZON BUT THE JOKE WAS ON ME IT IS NOT THE ALAN LADD BADLANDERS SO NOW I AM STUCK WITH THIS CRAPPY MOVIE AND HAVE TO STILL BUY BADLANDERS WITH ALAN LADD SO ALL I CAN SAY IS AMAZON SUCKS

the badlanders
good movie but not great movie. Western version of "The Asphalt Jungle" Ladd and Borgnine are stiffed by local villan Kent Smith, in unconnected incidents. when released from klink team up to rob gold mine. Granted it's not Shane, but it's a good flick. ... Read more

Reviews (292)

Enjoyable sequel, no more or less
HALLOWEEN II (USA 1981): Following her terrible ordeal in the original HALLOWEEN (1978), Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is taken to the local hospital where she's pursued by the murderous Michael Myers.

Fraught with production difficulties and critically reviled upon its original theatrical release, Rick Rosenthal's entertaining sequel manages to defy low expectations, despite a ho-hum script by co-producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Taking place immediately after events in the first film, the movie benefits enormously from the work of ace cinematographer Dean Cundey, who transforms the wide Panavision frame into a patchwork of light and shadow. The immortal theme music (slightly reworked from the original by Carpenter and associate Alan Howarth) is beautifully incorporated into the memorable credits sequence, in which a spectral jack o'lantern dissolves into a grinning skull, followed by an episode which establishes Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) as the central character, an obsessive psychologist whose former patient is now the soulless killer running amok in small-town America. The opening fifteen minutes are terrific, an exhilarating combination of atmosphere, suspense and impressive visual technique. But the narrative quickly succumbs to rambling plot developments and a series of routine set-pieces, much of it centered around one of the most understaffed hospitals in movie history! That said, however, the movie recreates the look and feel of the first film in spades and delivers a couple of really good scares along the way. Pleasence gets most of the best lines ("We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves"), and Curtis does her best with an underwritten role, but few of the actors are stretched by their material. The gore quotient has been upped this time around, the result of post-production tampering by Carpenter, who added extra 'kill' footage against Rosenthal's wishes, and there's a plot twist at the halfway mark which probably contributed to the movie's poor reception in 1981. Nice touches abound, however, including a ghostly flashback to Laurie's past as she comes face to face with the boy who will grow to adulthood harboring a supernatural impulse to kill her, and the tears of blood which roll down the killer's face during his final showdown with the main protagonists. For all its flaws, the movie has much to recommend the casual viewer, and was followed by the unrelated (and poorly conceived) HALLOWEEN III SEASON OF THE WITCH (1983).

Universal's region 1 DVD - which runs 92m 15s - letterboxes the wide Panavision frame at 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced). Picture quality is generally OK, though spoiled by faint blemishes which flicker almost constantly across the left side of the image. It's particularly noticeable during dark sequences (check 01:11:16 onwards, for example), and while it may be less of a problem on 4:3 TV's, viewers with widescreen monitors may find it distracting. Sound format is 2.0 stereo, and while the multichannel effects are generally subdued, it makes a real virtue of Carpenter's creepy music score. English captions and subtitles are provided. Extras include a trailer and production notes, along with brief biographies of the movie's key personnel.

The Terror Continues!
First of all, I've never seen the original Halloween (1978). One day a few weeks ago, I was flipping through channels on my TV. I came upon USA and Halloween II was on. I watched it, and I thought it was great. The murder sequences are truly scary, and John Carpenter's music is creepy and chilling. After being shot six times in the heart and falling off a balcony, Michael Myers was left by Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) for dead. But, it turns out he's alive and he's after his sister Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who's being treated at Haddonfield Hospital. Michael gets in and starts killing everyone (the best death was when he dunked a girl's head in a hot tub and she burned) and Dr. Loomis is trying to stop the horror. Will Dr. Loomis defeat Michael before he kills Laurie? To find out, watch the movie. This is a great film, even if you haven't seen any others. Note: I've also seen some of Halloween: H20 (1998).

One Hell of A Follow Up To A Classic
Halloween 2 for me nailed the formula right again..Yes the gore was a lot more evident and it was a bit less scary but there were very subtle things in this movie that made the storyline come together..We find out that Laurie is Michael's sister, Michael breaking into the school and writing "Samhain" on the board or desk, and the scenes in downtown Haddonfield are great where you don't see Michael but you see people walking around Haddonfield on Halloween night thru his eyes, not thinking anything of him because it's Halloween, the news reports are great and the little cut in of Night of Living Dead is cool as well..I highly recommend this as part of any horror movie weekend marathon you might have planned...

Compensates for the lack of gore in 1st film. Great twist!
Halloween was a low budget horror movie and was actually opened in a few select cinemas around the US but when it received rave reviews it was released nationwide and spawned 7 ongoing sequels including this one!

We rejoin Dr Loomis and Laurie right where the original film left off. The police are now fully aware of Michael's capabilities after finding the bodies in the house across the street. Laurie is then taken to the local hospital where sadly again she is hunted by Michael who slowly kills off the staff one by one until only he and Laurie are left in the building! But in the meantime Dr Loomis reveals why Michael is obsessed with making sure Laurie doesn't make it through to see daylight!

This film is good in terms of the fact that it doesn't fall victim to sequel disease! By that I mean it isn't an exact clone of the first film with new characters. It keeps the story going and introduces many new obstacles. Sadly the fact that John Carpenter felt the need to add lots of blood and gore in this film to make up for the lack of it in the original. The shots look cheap and tacky which doesn't make sense considering the millions that the original film took in! Also the Michael that appears in this isn't as eerie as the one before and his mask clearly isn't the same one used in the first film because it looks as if it's about to fall about!

Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence reprise their roles excellently although the character of Laurie has changed in a weird way. In the first film she's a quiet bookworm who adores her friends. You'd think she'd be reeling over their deaths yet in this film she seems fine and spends her time flirting with one of the ambulance drivers! However it's not all gloom. The twist John Carpenter throws in is genious. It also makes you feel a lot more sorry for Laurie as well!

All in all a good sequel but looks tacky at times and doesn't seem to be carrying over the entire spirit of the first film. However compared to the awful 3rd Halloween film this one is a masterpiece.

I'm getting sick of those slasher fans
I'm a dork I love old Sci-fi movies and I love the work of John Carpenter. I'm getting sick of those slasher fans talking trash about every Halloween movie the only bad one to me is Resurection. Those people don't like movies the only reason those people see it because deth scenes and gore and all that the Halloween movies never have been and never wiil be slasher movies they where doing somthing stylish and fresh and unique with it and all those slasher fans don't see that and they don't care They do the same thing on Haloween 5 and Halloween The Curse of Micchael Myers They're not looking at it right. I never liked Friday The 13th because they're not inspiring they're not unique and stylish and they keep repeating the same thing in every sequel. I'll stick to John Carpenter's Escape From New York and The Thing and those amazing movies I'll stick to Halloween as well. I love this picture It's just as amasing as the original just as scary just as stylish and suspenseful there is no better halloween movie they're all incredible except for Resurection that's the one people should be trasing about. I love movies they're my life I wanna be a director someday but in the mean time I'll just sit In my room and do nothig but watch movies. This is a amazing movie never gets old It's a great story and I relate to the Laurie Strode because she's a nerd like me I feel sorry for her becuse her who's whole life is in pain because this crazy guy won't stop trying to kill her. It makes me cry when she screams out help me but nobody hears her and when she screams Michael Stop It's just kills me I don't have a crszy guy following me around but I am a nerd like her. I love this picture and people who hate it I'm not saying you have to but watch it again and look at it right You'll love it and if you haven't seen it or Halloween's 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, maybe H20 see them they're unlike anything else. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I Saw The Final Performance of "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln"
I was fortunate to be in the audience for the final performance of Miss Julie Harris in "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" on Broadway. When the curtain came down and the thuderous applause began, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

What can one say about Julie Harris's incredible performance? The entire cast was wonderful, of course, but we're talking about one of the First Ladies of the American Theatre here. My heart broke (along with everyone in the audience) when Mrs. Lincoln wrote (aloud) a letter to her beloved nephew. I tried desperately NOT to shed tears, but the floodgates were shattered all over the theatre. People were sobbing openly. I had seen nothing else that season, but was convinced that Julie would win the Tony Award for best actress. She did.

Screams of "bravo!" greeted Miss Harris as she took bow after bow. I must put this performance along side Geraldine Page in "The Trip to Bountiful," Uta Hagen in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff," Cecily Tyson in "A Woman Called Moses," Jessica Tandy in "The Gin Game," Bette Davis in "All About Eve," and Gloria Foster in "A Hand is On The Gate."

THE UNFORGETTABLE JULIE HARRIS
I HAVE ALWAYS REGRETTED NOT SEEING MISS HARRIS ON BROADWAY IN THIS PRODUCTION. THE DVD WHICH I RECENTLY PURCHASED REMINDED ME HOW FORTUNATE THE WORLD OF THEATRE IS TO HAVE PRODUCED SUCH AN INCREDIBLE ACTRESS. THE PERORMANCES THROUGHOUT THIS PRODUCTION ARE OUTSTANDING AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ANYONE WHO TRULY APPRECIATES THEATRE AT ITS VERY BEST. AS ALWAYS, MISS HARRIS GIVES A PERFORMANCE WHICH COMPLETELY CAPTIVATES THE VIEWER. THIS IS NOT TO BE MISSED!

"it's not the years that age us, but the loneliness"
This 1976 KCET production directed by George Schaefer is a re-creation of the 1972 Broadway play for which Julie Harris won one of her 5 Tony Awards.
Ms. Harris' performance will keep you riveted to the screen in this astounding portrayal of the ageing, troubled, and misunderstood Mary Todd Lincoln.
Exquisitely written by James Prideaux, it's a compassionate portrait of this first lady who's love for her husband made it so hard for her to live without him, and does give insight into certain things. It was Mary who installed many improvements in the White House (like plumbing !), and was never sufficiently renumerated for them by the government.

The final seventeen years of her life depicted are not all doom and gloom, thanks to the script, which is balanced with wonderful wit. I love the dialogue with Senator Austin (well played by Denver Pyle) in a sparse hotel room in Frankfurt, as well as the repartee with a malicious gossip (deliciously played by Kate Wilkinson) during her 1875 stay in Springfield.

The rest of the cast is excellent: Michael Christopher plays her son Robert, who was the only one of their children to live to full maturity, Robby Benson her beloved Tad (two other children had died previously), Priscilla Morrill and Ford Rainey play her her sister Elizabeth and brother-in-law Ninian, and Patrick Duffy their grandson, Edward Lewis Baker Jr.

The costume design by Noel Taylor is marvelous, and I was especially delighted to see the reproduction of the beautiful gown adorned with flowers with matching flower headress seen in photographs of Mrs. Lincoln, and Ms. Harris wears it with beauty, grace and style.
Mrs. Lincoln died at age sixtythree in her sister's house in Springfield, the same house she was married in, and given the wedding ring with the inscription "Love is Eternal".
This is a remarkable drama for history buffs, and Julie Harris is truly the First Lady of the stage. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

this is Elvis Presley at his best and with the best
i've seen all Elvis's movies, but Flaming Star is the one film whereby his talent as an actor in a dramatic role comes forth highly convincing on the screen. John McIntyre and Delores Del Rio; superbly cast as parents of two brothers who through racial conflict pull apart, then rejoin to save the life of the other. A classic western with Steve Forrest at his best and Barbara Eden in a role you can't easily forget. Too many great actors to mention here. This movie, which I do hope will be on DVD, is not shown enough on t.v. movie networks and i believe has never received the recognition it so deserves. Elvis should have won an academy award for his portrayal as Pacer. to me, there is no other Elvis movie but Flaming Star. Get your hankies out girls; toward the end of the film, when Pacer (Elvis) rides into the hills in search of the "Flaming Star".

How much violence does it take to screw up a movie?
Parents: this film was rated from the parental rating: Objectionable for children.

Elvis Presley stars in this almost gory film. Which takes Elvis into Western movies.

Elvis Preseley plays an indian in Flaming Star. His character name is Pacer Burton.

His mother (Dolores Del Rio) is killed by a white man (Douglas Dick).

And leaves home. This is not one of Elvis best movies. I am a big Elvis Presley fan.

I have seen a lot of better movies that Elvis Presley was in. Like Jailhouse Rock. He tries to prove that he can do a lot more than singing.

And in a lot of movies, he sings. But I don't see how any Elvis Presley fan whould enjoy this movie.

I'm giving this movie 2 stars for one reason. A. He doesn't sing very much in this movie. There are two songs in this movie (and none are sung after the first 10 minutes).

He ties his brother (Steve Forrest) to a horse and joins other indians.

This movie was oringally written for Marlon Brando. And dropped out of the movie and Elvis takes his place.

I might have given this movie more than two stars if more songs was added. If Elvis wasn't suppose to sing in this movie the songs should have been cut.

this is Elvis Presley at his best and with the best
i've seen all Elvis's movies, but Flaming Star is the one film whereby his talent as an actor in a dramatic role comes forth highly convincing on the screen. John McIntyre and Delores Del Rio; superbly cast as parents of two brothers who through racial conflict pull apart, then rejoin to save the life of the other. A classic western with Steve Forrest at his best and Barbara Eden in a role you can't easily forget. Too many great actors to mention here. This movie, which I do hope will be on DVD, is not shown enough on t.v. movie networks and i believe has never received the recognition it so deserves. Elvis should have won an academy award for his portrayal as Pacer. to me, there is no other Elvis movie but Flaming Star. Get your hankies out girls; toward the end of the film, when Pacer (Elvis) rides into the hills in search of the "Flaming Star".

A Good Movie
Barbara Eden is Great in the movie playing Steve Forrest's character's girlfriend.Elvis sings the theme song and in the square dance scene he sings a song though he doesn't sing any other songs after that.The movie is a western drama and a good movie.Dolores Del Rio is in the movie also.Directed by one of the best directors Don Seigel who directed Clint Eastwood.The DVD has the original movie commercial.

A billion, trillion stars!
For the star to end all stars, Elvis, this movie is greatness among a movie career that's, well, not so great. Finally on DVD, with beautiful picture quality, I adore this movie. There is no cheese here.
This is not chock full of songs, this is not a musical, and the few musical numbers here are well-done and in context. You don't get a cheesy 1960's sounding song in this 19th century western, the songs actually sound like they belong. Again I must stress, there are only a few songs and they don't take anything away from, rather they add TO the film. That man could sing, but surprise surprise, he could also act.
He is a halfbreed. Part white, part Native American. Constantly he is torn between loyalties, but moreso from this deep desire to remain fair to all in his life. The scenes of tenderness are of the utmost affection, and the scenes of violence express the real anguish of such a life. I'm not exaggerating when I say that sometimes when I watch this movie I feel as if I'm spying on a 19th century scene, it's that convincing, friends.
There is such a magical quality about this movie. It's so different from anything Elvis had done before or since that it almost seems like he would have done the film for free...he loves what he's doing and puts his soul into it.
Note that Col. Parker scoffed at the idea of "his boy" Elvis doing a "political" film like this. The Colonel was not one who liked to stir the pot too much when he felt the mixture was just right. This is one of few occasions where Elvis went ahead and did what he thought was the right project. If anyone is curious, check into the numerous films that were offered to Elvis and refused by the Colonel. Least of which was the now legendary 1968 'Comeback' Special in which Elvis both re-invents and re-establishes his throne as the King of Rock and Roll. The Colonel wanted the 1968 special to be a cheesy xmas show with Elvis in a tuxedo singing to snowmen and Santa (which would have probably been the colonel in a red suit). What a disaster and a loss that would have been.
Anyway - Elvis shines like the bright star he is in Flaming Star. Absolutely terrific, wonderful movie that I can't say enough good things about. I have not one complaint except that there weren't more cast from this dye. ... Read more

Reviews (292)

Enjoyable sequel, no more or less
HALLOWEEN II (USA 1981): Following her terrible ordeal in the original HALLOWEEN (1978), Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is taken to the local hospital where she's pursued by the murderous Michael Myers.

Fraught with production difficulties and critically reviled upon its original theatrical release, Rick Rosenthal's entertaining sequel manages to defy low expectations, despite a ho-hum script by co-producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Taking place immediately after events in the first film, the movie benefits enormously from the work of ace cinematographer Dean Cundey, who transforms the wide Panavision frame into a patchwork of light and shadow. The immortal theme music (slightly reworked from the original by Carpenter and associate Alan Howarth) is beautifully incorporated into the memorable credits sequence, in which a spectral jack o'lantern dissolves into a grinning skull, followed by an episode which establishes Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) as the central character, an obsessive psychologist whose former patient is now the soulless killer running amok in small-town America. The opening fifteen minutes are terrific, an exhilarating combination of atmosphere, suspense and impressive visual technique. But the narrative quickly succumbs to rambling plot developments and a series of routine set-pieces, much of it centered around one of the most understaffed hospitals in movie history! That said, however, the movie recreates the look and feel of the first film in spades and delivers a couple of really good scares along the way. Pleasence gets most of the best lines ("We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves"), and Curtis does her best with an underwritten role, but few of the actors are stretched by their material. The gore quotient has been upped this time around, the result of post-production tampering by Carpenter, who added extra 'kill' footage against Rosenthal's wishes, and there's a plot twist at the halfway mark which probably contributed to the movie's poor reception in 1981. Nice touches abound, however, including a ghostly flashback to Laurie's past as she comes face to face with the boy who will grow to adulthood harboring a supernatural impulse to kill her, and the tears of blood which roll down the killer's face during his final showdown with the main protagonists. For all its flaws, the movie has much to recommend the casual viewer, and was followed by the unrelated (and poorly conceived) HALLOWEEN III SEASON OF THE WITCH (1983).

Universal's region 1 DVD - which runs 92m 15s - letterboxes the wide Panavision frame at 2.35:1 (anamorphically enhanced). Picture quality is generally OK, though spoiled by faint blemishes which flicker almost constantly across the left side of the image. It's particularly noticeable during dark sequences (check 01:11:16 onwards, for example), and while it may be less of a problem on 4:3 TV's, viewers with widescreen monitors may find it distracting. Sound format is 2.0 stereo, and while the multichannel effects are generally subdued, it makes a real virtue of Carpenter's creepy music score. English captions and subtitles are provided. Extras include a trailer and production notes, along with brief biographies of the movie's key personnel.

The Terror Continues!
First of all, I've never seen the original Halloween (1978). One day a few weeks ago, I was flipping through channels on my TV. I came upon USA and Halloween II was on. I watched it, and I thought it was great. The murder sequences are truly scary, and John Carpenter's music is creepy and chilling. After being shot six times in the heart and falling off a balcony, Michael Myers was left by Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) for dead. But, it turns out he's alive and he's after his sister Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), who's being treated at Haddonfield Hospital. Michael gets in and starts killing everyone (the best death was when he dunked a girl's head in a hot tub and she burned) and Dr. Loomis is trying to stop the horror. Will Dr. Loomis defeat Michael before he kills Laurie? To find out, watch the movie. This is a great film, even if you haven't seen any others. Note: I've also seen some of Halloween: H20 (1998).

One Hell of A Follow Up To A Classic
Halloween 2 for me nailed the formula right again..Yes the gore was a lot more evident and it was a bit less scary but there were very subtle things in this movie that made the storyline come together..We find out that Laurie is Michael's sister, Michael breaking into the school and writing "Samhain" on the board or desk, and the scenes in downtown Haddonfield are great where you don't see Michael but you see people walking around Haddonfield on Halloween night thru his eyes, not thinking anything of him because it's Halloween, the news reports are great and the little cut in of Night of Living Dead is cool as well..I highly recommend this as part of any horror movie weekend marathon you might have planned...

Compensates for the lack of gore in 1st film. Great twist!
Halloween was a low budget horror movie and was actually opened in a few select cinemas around the US but when it received rave reviews it was released nationwide and spawned 7 ongoing sequels including this one!

We rejoin Dr Loomis and Laurie right where the original film left off. The police are now fully aware of Michael's capabilities after finding the bodies in the house across the street. Laurie is then taken to the local hospital where sadly again she is hunted by Michael who slowly kills off the staff one by one until only he and Laurie are left in the building! But in the meantime Dr Loomis reveals why Michael is obsessed with making sure Laurie doesn't make it through to see daylight!

This film is good in terms of the fact that it doesn't fall victim to sequel disease! By that I mean it isn't an exact clone of the first film with new characters. It keeps the story going and introduces many new obstacles. Sadly the fact that John Carpenter felt the need to add lots of blood and gore in this film to make up for the lack of it in the original. The shots look cheap and tacky which doesn't make sense considering the millions that the original film took in! Also the Michael that appears in this isn't as eerie as the one before and his mask clearly isn't the same one used in the first film because it looks as if it's about to fall about!

Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence reprise their roles excellently although the character of Laurie has changed in a weird way. In the first film she's a quiet bookworm who adores her friends. You'd think she'd be reeling over their deaths yet in this film she seems fine and spends her time flirting with one of the ambulance drivers! However it's not all gloom. The twist John Carpenter throws in is genious. It also makes you feel a lot more sorry for Laurie as well!

All in all a good sequel but looks tacky at times and doesn't seem to be carrying over the entire spirit of the first film. However compared to the awful 3rd Halloween film this one is a masterpiece.

I'm getting sick of those slasher fans
I'm a dork I love old Sci-fi movies and I love the work of John Carpenter. I'm getting sick of those slasher fans talking trash about every Halloween movie the only bad one to me is Resurection. Those people don't like movies the only reason those people see it because deth scenes and gore and all that the Halloween movies never have been and never wiil be slasher movies they where doing somthing stylish and fresh and unique with it and all those slasher fans don't see that and they don't care They do the same thing on Haloween 5 and Halloween The Curse of Micchael Myers They're not looking at it right. I never liked Friday The 13th because they're not inspiring they're not unique and stylish and they keep repeating the same thing in every sequel. I'll stick to John Carpenter's Escape From New York and The Thing and those amazing movies I'll stick to Halloween as well. I love this picture It's just as amasing as the original just as scary just as stylish and suspenseful there is no better halloween movie they're all incredible except for Resurection that's the one people should be trasing about. I love movies they're my life I wanna be a director someday but in the mean time I'll just sit In my room and do nothig but watch movies. This is a amazing movie never gets old It's a great story and I relate to the Laurie Strode because she's a nerd like me I feel sorry for her becuse her who's whole life is in pain because this crazy guy won't stop trying to kill her. It makes me cry when she screams out help me but nobody hears her and when she screams Michael Stop It's just kills me I don't have a crszy guy following me around but I am a nerd like her. I love this picture and people who hate it I'm not saying you have to but watch it again and look at it right You'll love it and if you haven't seen it or Halloween's 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, maybe H20 see them they're unlike anything else. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good Solid Flick
After spending five years in prison, Dr. Thomas Reed, played by the incomparable Vincent Ventresca, exiles himself to Purgatory Flats and winds up tending bar. He soon meets the luscious, angel-faced Sunny (Alexandra Holden). "You are wicked." he tells her. "You have no idea." she replies as she sips her Slo Comfortable Screw and languidly drags on her cig. Reed finds himself entwined in the violent troubles of her family and the femme fatale story unfolds set against the desolation and desperation of the oil-drained western town.

Canny direction. Great performances. Superb entourage work. And some lust scenes that sizzle like the sun in Purgatory. ... Read more