Reviews (32)

Amazingly suspenseful psychological thriller
This story of a psychotic ventriloquist is truly frightening, especially as portrayed through the gifted Anthony Hopkins. Ann-Margret gives her best performance as his high-school sweetheart stuck in a bad marriage. Based on the novel, the plot is powerful and well-developed. One caution: This video is edited; with the abundant vulgar language of the movie removed. This hurts the impact of the film, but the story is strong enough to overcome this sad bit of editing.

Good Ingredients Not Blended Well, Plus A Flaw
Anthony Hopkins plays a reclusive ventriloquist who tries to hide his mental illness. For him, his dummies come alive, and are not nice. He struggles to be the one in control, but often gets overwhelmed by the dummies (alter-egos).

Hopkins is, as usual, brilliant. Is he hallucinating, or are the dummies really coming to life? His internal good-versus-evil struggle gets externalized into the dummies, and the viewer clearly sees Hopkins barely holding onto control, and sometimes slipping. This is a great piece of acting. I also liked the fun-turned-creepy musical score, and the setting was very nonstandard for a horror film.

Despite all those positives, this film seems disjointed; it keeps losing its flow. I was also put off by a blatant Hollywood tactic done here to the extreme: the insertion of gratuitous profanity to insure a more adult rating. This movie should have earned its PG rating because of violence and the portrayal of a disturbed individual, but added the profanity to make sure it got the PG rating. It actually pushes toward an R rating because of one brief scene of intense profanity. The story would have been undiminished without that scene. "Eddy" starring Whoopi Goldberg used this same tactic.

Sad and disturbing ending
I loved this video so much that I watched it on the edge of my chair.The only part that was sad was the ending were Fats and Corky die. [I practially cried at the end of this movie.]The funny parts was when Fats was on stage and said something about his sex life and when he told Corky to look at some girls chest.Fats is one funny dummy when it comes to the girls.When Peg places her hand in him he actually talks as she moves his ears and eyes and lips...........That's about all for know........later much..........................

Wooden It Be Loverly?
Yes, there have been better films written by William Goldman, and yes there are better performances by Anthony Hopkins out there as well. But it you have a real desire to see a scarry movie with fine production values (including Jerry Goldsmith's haunting score) then check this film out. Watch it with the lights on and with someone you won't be embarrassed to see you jump when the knife drops or Fats goes into a rant. Hope it comes out on DVD sometime soon. It deserves to be seen by a whole new generation of Hopkins fans.

One Of The Best Movies I Have Ever Seen With Anthony!!!!!
At first, I thought I had gotten the PG version, but soon found that it was the R-rated version that I had hoped for. It was a bit more fast paced and compacted than the book, which I read less than a week before purchasing and viewing the movie. I have to admit, I am a little biased because I think that Anthony Hopkins is the best actor that ever has been or ever will be. But I truly think that this is one of his best works. Ann-Margaret is cool too, and I enjoyed the lovey parts between them. People on this site seem to want to describe this movie as scary when the only part that I jumped on was when Corky drops the knife at the end, and that was only because the thump it made was so sudden. Otherwise, 'Magic' was a nice, refreshing romance with a twinge of schisophrenic weirdness. But all in all, this rare find was one of the best movies, both that I have seen and that Anthony Hopkins has been in. Great job!!!! I hope to see this movie make it to DVD some time soon! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Fantastic movie, one of Ms. Stapleton finest roles
I just saw this movie last night for the first time and I absolutely loved it. I bought the DVD because it seemed like a very good movie with a terrific cast and I couldn't agree more. Maureen Stapleton is excellent in this film and she plays Bea Asher, the recently widowed wife with great warmth and sincerity. She even sings in this movie and she does it very well I think. She is also a wonderful dancer who makes ballroom dancing very interesting to watch and learn. Charles Durning is also great in this fantastic movie and they both have great chemistry together. QUEEN OF THE STARDUST BALLROOM, is a magical film and the acting of both Stapleton and Durning is superb. I couldn't help feeling a little sad in the end (I won't tell you so I won't spoil the movie for you). However this is a wonderful movie and it shows that you're never too old to fall in love and follow your heart. They certainly don't make movies like this anymore.

wonderful love story
I loved this movie. I was able to relate to Bea and what she was going through and dancing is so much fun. She is a very strong woman even though her children think she isn't able to run her own life. Children have a lot to learn when it comes to their widow mother. And it is a wonderful movie. Jean Stapleton is wonderful in it. After her husband has been gone for over a year
she desided to stop being a plain looking woman & colors her gray hair and starts to wear makeup which she never did before.
And Charles During was wonderful as her dance partner & friend. Very enjoyable movie.

Al teaches Bea to dance at the Stardust Ballroom
A lovely story about rediscovering love. Bea Asher (Maureen Stapleton) is suddenly widowed and finds her comfortablelife shattered. She thinks that the only thing that lies ahead of her is a future of living alone. Then she Al Green (Charles Durning), a mailman, who introduces her to the Stardust Ballroom. It is a marvelous understatement to say that Al teaches Bea how to dance. "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom" offers an exceptional script by John Kass while Stapleton and Durning have never been finer in this 1975 film directed by Sam O'Steen. Even if the songs are too old for your taste and you could never seen yourself ballroom dancing, you will certainly respond to the emotions at play in this sentimental tear-jerker.

Queen of the stardust ballroom
Underated sleeper. For the middleaged and family. Charming and heartwarming.

Nice film to see in family
I bought this film thinking it would be a concert of the rock band queen, of course it wasn't. When I saw it I got very into the story. It is a very intriguing film to enjoy with all the family, buy it you wont regret it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

From Beach Bum To President
Having just graduated from college, uptight Michael David Wright is planning to marry his rich, spoiled girlfriend and go to work for her father. He gets a telegram informing him that he just inherited his Aunt Ida's bikini shop in Malibu. The bikini shop is drowning in debt, so he plans to sell the shop to the first willing buyer and return home to get married. Arriving in Malibu, he discovers that his estranged brother, played by Bruce Greenwood, is the co-owner of the shop. Bruce is a beach bum who would love nothing more than to party and chase babes in bikinis. Bruce schemes to help the bikini shop turn a profit, by installing two-way mirrors in the dressing rooms and holding an illegal bikini contest. Michael sells the bikini shop to a religious cult leader without his irresponsible brother's consent. Will Michael break off his engagement and take up with a beautiful beach girl who works in the bikini shop? Will the brothers reunite and devise a way to buy back the bikini shop? Will the tide come in tomorrow?

I don't know what other movies Michael David Wright appeared in. Among many other roles, Bruce Greenwood went on to play President John F. Kennedy in the film "Thirteen Days." That movie also starred Kevin Costner as presidential advisor Kenny O'Donnell. Kevin Costner made his film debut in "Sizzle Beach USA." Apparently, the road to the White House starts at Malibu!

The best drinking movie ever
This is the kind of movie you need when you're hanging around with the guys and already had some drinks. I swear it's getting really funny when we start watching this flick. Pure 80s in fashion, haircuts, music and everything else. Actually the acting and the humor of this movie are so bad, that it is already good again. It shouldn't be too difficult to find it. Try it at your next party; you won't regret it! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Cut Above What You'd Expect
This film, made in 1986, is an enjoying flick. I don't agree that the musical score is overbearing or way out of date. It fits the time period well.

Moore and the rest of the cast do a fine job. I especially enjoyed Moore, as she channels the personality of Laura Petrie from the classic Dick Van Dyke show. Christine Lahti plays Sandy, a woman who has a bit more in common with Moore and her husband, played by Ted Danson, than she thinks. The dinner party where they all meet (together with a very young-looking Sam Waterson) is quite amusing. It's also fun to see Waterson play a character very much different from his very somber, deliberate role in 'Law & Order'.

Then tragedy strikes, and the two women confront each other in a new way.

(I also want to mention how attractive and fit Ms. Moore looked in this role. She was 50 when she made this film, and in her stint as an aerobics instructor, she looked 20 years younger.)

Overall, an enjoyable film.

Recommended.

Sudsy but ultimately satisfying.....
Sudsy soap opera is saved by the touching performances of the leads, Mary Tyler Moore and Christine Lahti. Produced my Moore's production company MTM, this modern tale reminiscent of best of 1930s and 1940 melodrama actually transcends the gimmicky premise. Implausible as most soaps of this genre, JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS has a feminist edge not often seen in classic Hollywood. These kinds of "dramedies" rely less on writing skill and more on acting chops and manipulative tear dropping. While the performances are top notch, unforunately the sob elements are less effective. Moore, coming off of her ORDINARY PEOPLE Oscar nomination 5 years before plays the role with conviction...rather like her Mary Richards persona thrown into this maudlin predicament. Her foil is wise cracking, but ultimately lonely Christine Lahti, who was fresh from her nomination for SWING SHIFT. Writer/Director Allan Burns (The Mary Tyler Moore Show) attempts to infuse the proceedings with a humor that works some of the time. The tear jerking elements simply did not work for this reviewer. Too little time was spent leading up to the denoument that it comes across more as an afterthought than an entirely effective plot device. Another weight on the proceedings is the awkward and sometimes obtrusive score by Patrick Williams. In 2004 it comes across as terribly dated and a little obnoxious. Several dramatic moments are eclipsed by this overbearing score. Whats odd about JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS is its ability to rise above its faults and become an entertaining little film. Perhaps one could call this a "guilty pleasure". Its not a classic by any means, but at least an interesting time capsule of 1980s feminism and family.

MGM has presented this film in both Widescreen and Full Screen formats on opposite sides of the DVD. MGM presents these with beautiful transfers. Film grain is not a big problem and the color correction comes off a little orange with the skin tones...but overall a nice presentation. The soundtrack comes off beautifully, with dialogue easy to understand and no noticeable distortion. For a mono mix, this actually has some range and depth which was a surprise. The only supplement is the original theatrical trailer...which is actually a delight to watch. For once a trailer that doesn't give everything away!

For the price, this is a great deal. MGM has built quite a reputation for releasing their catalog to DVD. JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS, a minor 1980s film has been given a careful treatment by MGM.

Good chick flick
I enjoyed it.Explores the issue of loyalty and infidelity and the impact on a friendship.

Finally, an accurate portrayal of grief . . .
A wonderful study in the dynamics of grief, love, friendship, and betrayal. (Keep a tissue handy.) At times, predictable, yet rings very true. ... Read more

Description

From the director of ...AND GOD SPOKE comes a comedic look at one man's attempt to rewind his life.

What happens to a man when the woman he loves leaves him for seemingly no reason at all?In the case of David Hitchcock (Matt Winston, The Fight Club), he literally rewinds his life.At the height of their New Year's Eve Party, Lily (Amy Smallman) tells David she's leaving him.David is in shock and begs her to explain "Why!?"Her only response is for him to "watch the videotapes," as she walks out the door. As David watches their relationship from the video camera's eye, he learns that what he lived and what he filmed are two different things.

Featuring Cameo appearances by Richard Kind (Spin City, A Bug's Life), Deborah Theaker (Waiting for Guffman), Michael Hitchcock (Waiting for Guffman, Happy Texas), and Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live). ... Read more

Reviews (10)

I can't stop watching it!
Wow! I bought "Shooting Lily" just over two weeks ago and I've already watched it six times! As a matter a fact, I've already reviewed it on this very site. I just can't get the darn thing out of my mind. I see more and more little things everytime I watch it. My wife thinks I'm crazy, she tells me, "Willy, how can you keep watching the same movie over and over?" I just can't explain it. It's just so funny! Well, the bad news is, I'm not going to watch "Shooting Lily" tonight because my wife has threatened to make me sleep on the couch. The good news is, she's leaving for her mothers' this weekend! I figure I can watch it at least three times before she returns. :)

Obnoxious, Funny and Very REAL.
Parts of this movie hit really close to home...but I loved it anyway! Very funny, totally obnoxious, and almost too real.

Brilliantly done!
I loved this movie. I thought that it had an interesting perspective of life and how relationships are. I do recommend everyone buy this. Matt Winston and Amy Smallman (who actually are married in real life) are really great. Matt Winston is very funny, but also is serious in that he wants to change his life in the film. This is a wonderful comedy. If you want something new, watch this movie! Matt Winston rocks!

I really liked it
I was up late one night, saw it on TV and really liked it. I would definatly recommend it to anyone looking for something other than a very predictable "Big Budget" Hollywood movie.

Shooting Lilly Hits Close To The Heart
I am a big fan of the indie film "...And God Spoke". Andbased on that had a look see at director Arthur Borman's follow-up effort SHOOTING LILLY.

Mr. Borman has, for the second time, delivered a film that manages easy laughs, good acting, and a solid story. Not a simple feat at any budget level, much less on the one this film must have been working with (note: tech credits are solid).

Told for the mostpart in home-video flashbacks, LILLY is the story of a young couple's break-up and how the husband (Matt Winston - keep an eye out for him in the future!) must seek out the relationships faults through old home movies in order to save it.

Without sounding overly complimentary...it's riviting. The home video devise is off-putting at first, but soon draws you in as the characters cease to be characters and start to become friends. A mark of brilliant and mature writing, as well as talented actors, (the couple who play the couple it turns out are married in the real world). The film is fairly unflinching and honest, and only in the final moments does it compromise in a mildly "Hollywood" manor.

A film festival must see is finally available to the general public via the internet - don't miss it. ... Read more