Reviews (5)

EXCELLENT!!
This is WOW...Good Job Alan Alda!! I recommend this to anyone wanting to have an understanding of prison...and yes this is realistic!!

Uncompromising, Brutal Film is Powerful and Shocking
Man, after 30 years, this film still retains the power to shock and unsettle viewers. It's amazing to think that this was even televised back in the early 1970's, when most of t.v. was variety shows and comedy. This is a powerful film, telling the story of a college professor (Alan Alda) who is sent to a maximum security prison for accidentally killing a man in self defense. The horrors that await Alda are numbing, from gang attacks, rapes and stabbings, to indifferent guards and physcotic inmates. This is one of the fineset performances Alda has ever given, and the gritty, on-location shots and use of real prisoners gives it an all-too real atmosphere. If you enjoy terrific character studies, coupled with grim reality and a shocking, unpredictable story, this is the film for you.

'Glass House' is also probably one of the best 'prison' movies ever made, and certainly an intelligent indictment on the human condition. I saw this on it's original 1970's airing when I was a kid. Maybe it 'scared me straight' and help me stay on the straight and narrow. If so, I commend it's power. And after all these years, it still entertains and is as good as any contemporary drama.

Disturbing and depressing!
This movie is by far the one of the most disturbing movies that I have ever seen. The protagonist, Jonathan Paige (masterfully played by Alan Alda) suffers both mental and physical pain to save the least. He is innocent and yet he pays dearly for his bad timing and luck. Vic Morrow also does an excellent job as the evil Hugo Slucum. The rape and suicide scenes are among the most realistic and disturbing ever filmed. I would give this movie 5 stars for its sheer realism, but that would assume then that I would recommend it, which I don't. It is too disturbing. I did not help that I first saw it when I was 11.

no captions!
If you like or need or want subtitles or closed captions, do NOT get this DVD! No subtitles. No closed captions for the deaf. Too bad the producers of the DVD did not see fit to add the captions.

One of Alan Alda's best!
A must for any Alan Alda fan! This all-star cast depicts prison life as it is, unglamorous and violent. Great acting by Alan Alda who plays his ever-present role as a nice, softspoken, chronic do-gooder who is much too fragile for the tough, testosterone rich environment in which he is wrongly made to live. Alda faces threats to his physical as well as his mental health as he tries to addapt to his new and intimidating surroundings. (Destiny steps in to cast Billy Dee Williams as the inmate/pharmacist he was born to play) I love this movie for it's brutal honesty and it's uncommon unpredictability. It's not the movie you'll walk away from with a warm and fuzzy little feeling in your heart, but it'll definately grab your attention and force you to completely enjoy every minute of it. Alda is unquestionably the greatest actor who has ever lived! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This nearly two-hour Granada Television production of the most popular Sherlock Holmes tale--adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel--stars series regular Jeremy Brett as the Baker Street detective and Edward Hardwicke as his close ally, Dr. John Watson. A thrilling blend of detective yarn and Gothic horror, The Hound concerns the apparent return of an old curse upon the Baskerville family in the terrifying form of a gigantic killer hound. Fans of Hardwicke get an opportunity to see his Watson on a solo mission for part of this story, though Brett--easily the best of all screen actors to play the sleuth--is never far from the narrative. The supporting cast is very good, and the beast itself, revealed in a famously terrifying finale, is indeed a spooky revelation. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Great expectations, but...
This one should have been the jewel in the crown of the Granada television series, since "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is the best of the Conan Doyle novels. Unfortunately though, this movie is not:

Suspense Q-marks are dutyfully ignored, the pace is to slow, the ghost isn't frightening and Jeremy Brett appears old, tired and fat.

By the way, where's the deerstalker? I know Holmes didn't always wear one -however erroneously portrayed that way in every Sherlock Holmes movie you've seen, as if he were hunting ducks in the middle of London (the series' eye-for-detail rightly avoids this mistake)- but in THIS adventure in particular, it was THE attire to wear! Instead, Holmes wanders through the moors in a fedora. What a letdown!

Nevertheless, I'm a big fan of the series and I think Brett was the best Holmes ever!

Jeremy Brett Rules!
The Hound of the Baskervilles might just be my favorite Sherlock Holmes story. Jeremy Brett is the best Sherlock Holmes ever. Screw Basil Rathbone. In all the books Sherlock Holmes never used the phrase, "Elementary my dear Watson." He never fought any Nazis either. That's just plain dumb. I don't like it when people change stories when they adapt it to film. They just screw it all up. The Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett, is the most accurate that I've ever seen. That's why I give this dvd five stars.

This Hound Isn't Housebroken...
In all honesty, I think this is easily the saddest installment of the Brett Holmes films, with the possible exception of "The Master Blackmailer."

Obviously in poor health, Brett apparently had no energy or enthusiasm to devote to this, arguably the most famous Holmes story in the canon. Fortunately, Holmes is not present throughout the bulk of the story, giving Brett some measure of rest before he makes his presence known at Baskerville Hall.

While not quite an embarrassment, the balance of the film seems strangely lifeless. I think a good deal of this is from a poor use of soundtracking, with minimal music throughout, in combination with the obviously struggling Brett. Working through the initial scenes with none of the energy alvailable to him in the 1984-5 series, Brett tries and can therefore be forgiven, but it sets the tone for the lethargic production and magnifies the poorer elements.

There are also many truncated, condensed, or missing scenes (such as the famous assassination attempt, or the cab driver identifying the fare who had the black beard).

We are very lucky to have Edward Hardwicke following the example of David Burke, dispelling the comical versions of the Watson character we've all seen in the past. With the possible exception of Neil Duncan, who seems a bit young for the role of Dr. Mortimer, the supporting cast is top-notch.

Devotees of the series will certainly be a bit disappointed, as we are all used to the frenetic energy Brett displayed as Holmes in the earlier efforts. But for those not yet accquainted with the earlier work, this feature may serve as a good introduction to the Brett/Hardwicke interpretation of Homes/Watson.

Average adaptation
It's a shame that Jeremy Brett's poor health worked against making this television adaptation of perhaps the most famous Sherlock Holmes story such a disappointingly average production. Brett is obviously lethargic here as Holmes and it's hard to imagine that this is the same Sherlock Holmes we saw in the first series and the majority of the second. Compare his appearance and performance here with his Sherlock Holmes in 'The Sign Of Four', for example. Gone is the quick wit and hawk-like persona that made Brett so notable as Holmes. Here, Brett is bloated and distant. It may have been best in hindsight if the production was postponed until Brett was in better health, but that didn't happen and as a result the film suffers.

The supporting cast are all fine, and Edward Hardwicke is excellent as Watson which is important as the character features heavily in the story. Check out Donald Churchill's terrible performance as Watson in the Ian Richardson version to see how a poor performance as Holmes' companion can sink a film adapation of this story.

Unfortunately the direction and pace is as lethargic as the star. In comparison to other Granada tv movies like The Sign Of Four and The Master Blackmailer, it's hard to believe that this one was made by the same production team. I believe a lot of the blame can be attributed to reported budgetary constraints but lack of money is no excuse for pacing problems. It's a very faithful adaptation of the novel, but some scenes go on longer than necessary giving the production a very theatrical feel which works against the film.

There are some great scenes though...the mysterious figure collecting Watson's letters from the post office, Watson and Dr Mortimer laying in wait for someone who has set up camp in the hills near the Baskerville house, etc.

It's certainly a watchable and sometimes entertaining production, but the production team really dropped the ball with this one especially when you are aware of the excellent productions that have come before. Unfortunately this effort was a sign of things to come as the series steadily declined with only The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes series and The Master Blackmailer as saving graces. The sad decline in Jeremy Brett's health and the increasingly poor scripting makes the final two tv movies (The Last Vampyre and The Eligible Bachelor) and the final series (The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes) almost unwatchable. Stories in the last series like The Mazarin Stone are not only an embarrassment to the Holmes tv canon but are also extremely poor television.

A delightful two hours of Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke was the first Sherlock Holmes film I've ever seen, and also one of the best. It's an entertaining and faithful adaption of the original Conan Doyle novella. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

This is a film for theatre people!!!
In the same way that Waiting for Guffman is truly appreciated by theatre people by the simple fact that we've known and worked with people in our lives like the characters in the movie.

This film also exemplifies how the love that is spurned from creating art with people is strong enough to withstand life's trials. A truly inspiring film. This film is also very similar to "Peter's Friends" starring a cast of amazing British acotrs including Kenneth Branaugh (sp?) and Emma Thompson.

This is a movie for theatre people!!!
I understand that most people wouldn't understand or like this movie becuase you have to be a true theatre person to be able to relate to this dysfuntional family dynamic. The love that is spurned from creating art together is something that can cause a lot of the dysfuntion explored in this film, but that love is also strong enough to withstand the hardships. I think theatre people relate to this movie the same way they relate and understand Waiting for Guffman.

but it is a great movie!
I rarely take the time to sit and write movie or book reviews, but having seen all these negative reviews for "Last Summer in the Hamptons" I feel compelled to speak my piece.

What is so powerful here is not the dysfunctionality of the family portrayed within, but what is at the core of this dysfunctionality: it is the inability of its members to walk away from its greatness, its fame within the highest circles of the artistic world. This movie is, in a way, a modern "Buddenbrooks", but it delves much more deeply into the reasons for the family's implosion. From the teenager who is pathologically rebellious because, as she explains to her cousins, it is the only way she can find to establish her independence from this great theatrical institution which is her family; to the brilliant director who, in order to create, has renounced, monk-like fashion, all sexual contact; to the most deeply studied pair of characters: the brother and sister pair who are so caught up in the web of their family, that their own sexual passions are trapped within the family, self-directed in an incestuous relationship.

This is the saga of a family which is admired, coveted, and idolized from outside, yet whose members are suffocating under the weight and tremendous magnet of its fame. It is a family which is the embodiment of Blake's sick rose.

This is a great movie, or a great play; it is a very powerful piece which will stay with you for a long time.

This movie is just plain bad.
Thinking it was an updated Big Chill-type flick with a spectacular cast, I looked hi and low for this movie so my wife & I could enjoy it. All I can say is what a complete waste of time and money - and nothing like the Big Chill! If this movie was one of the year's 10 best (LA Times), a recipient of 4 stars (NY Post, LA Times), brilliant, enchanting & exquisite (60 Second Preview), & finally Two Thumbs Up, than I must have no idea what a good movie is. This was one of most ridiculous films we've ever seen.

I don't live in a big market city and I do realize that some think I lead a sheltered life, but give me a break! What kind of characters are in this flop? Well, there was a gay guy that somehow was able to seduce a guy who wasn't gay. If fact, this confused guy had just slept with the gay guy's sister and she revealed how jealous she was of him because he always winds up taking her boyfriends. HUH? Then come to find out the sister of the gay guy had sexual feelings for him and even acted on those feelings.

There was an actress that had to 'act' as a baby seal at one point and a perform as a leopard to 'deal' with issues in her life.

The only thing the reviewers and I could agree upon is this sentence: 'Perhaps the world's most dysfunctional family.' And how.

If Henry Jaglom is 'the definitive Hollywood filmmaker,' and this film was 'his best yet,' I think we'll heed that advice and never watch another of his films. I'd rather be locked in a room and be subjected to 'Dumb & Dumber' for 108 straight hours than watch this 108 minutes again.

Blah!
I like to read movie reviews in the newspaper, in magazines, and on the internet to find out about movies that I otherwise might never find out about. Over the years, this has led to many wonderful films that I otherwise never would have known about. So, when this movie was releaed, I read several reviews from critics, and I noticed that this movie had gotten quite a few very positive reviews. So I went to the theater and I saw it. Boy was I ever disappointed! This movie is nothing more than a bunch of people siting around talking. Now, if the characters and their conversations are interesting, then that can make for a fine movie. For example, I loved the movie "Smoke" with Harvey Keitel. That movie had lots of interesting characters with plenty of interesting things to say. But "Last Summer in the Hamptons" lacks those good things. The characters in this movie are boring, their conversations are boring, and their lives are boring. And what makes it even worse is that the characters are not aware of the fact that they are boring. Instead, they all think that they are just oh so important. Simply put, this movie is the very definiton of the phrase "artsy fartsy." I think that there must be some kind of a clause in movie critics' employment contracts that requires them to give this movie a positive review and a high rating. Or, perhaps the critics are just trying to pretend that they can see something that the ordinary "common man" cannot see. Well, whatever the reason, the critics are wrong about this one. This movie is boring and dull and the characters are pretentious and boring and dull. And the movie is bad and I didn't like it. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

An English class surprise . . .
I had to watch this movie in my American Lit. class. Everyone I'd ever heard talk about it did not have nice things to say. I truly enjoyed this film. Besides the teacher, I was the only person in my class who did! It was mysterious and symbolic and tragic. It was great! I really loved everything about it, basically. I think they should do a remake sometime with well-known actors, but it should stay very true to the story (even though I've never read it; I plan to). Every English teacher should show this movie, but I think the story should be read as well.

Very true to the story
After seeing this movie, I had to read the story as well. The movie follows the story, and was very nicely done. The acting was superb, in my opinion, and the story grows on you the more you watch it. Overall, I give it 5 stars, for a beautiful love story set against a wonderful background.

Disappointing
The acting in this movie is truly lame. I was very disappointed when I saw it. Hawthorne's story is so interesting, but don't expect the movie to convey that interest. The accents are goofy (to say the least) and there are a few gaps in the story. I do NOT recommend this movie.

This is a must-have for English teachers!
I fell in love with this story in college, so I was thrilled to find out there was a movie version. It follows the story perfectly, and the setting and costumes are terrific! The acting is the only reason this one gets four stars instead of five (it's a little on the cheesey side). I was able to hook many of my high schoolers -- despite the difficult language and complex story-line. I highly recommend this video. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Wildly Available (see the unrated version if you can)
Caught this title at a film festival. Very under-rated film I thought it a mini classic. Well made and thought provoking. Should be seen.

An unsually well done sexually explicit movie
Even the love-making scenes in this movie are nuanced and very real, as between men and women who have complex feelings and yearnings and find it shocking when they are able to give expression to them. The story is strange and at times morally disturbing because there is betrayal but mainly from genuine bafflement with one's responses to the world. I would buy this except for its very high price.

...
If my title, while true, attracted you to this rotten film, turn off the TV, go outside, and play. Kaczmarek really slums here as a suffering wife whose husband gets involved in a hot little blonde number who is into S&M. The blonde, played by Sommerfield, is too pretty to have the humiliation heaped on her here in the name of sexual obsession. I really wish actors and actresses would stop making junk like this and work on their craft. There is no redeeming qualities here except for some good performances amid the dulling sex and nudity. I think "Wildly Available" tries to pass itself off as an independent film when, in fact, it is just desperate and sad.

Great film
I saw the film and i was deeply attracted by It.The detailed motion and it's close to life made me like it immediately.I don't know how to express my feeling well, but i guess every person when saw it will think it worth their time to thinking and have good feeling.

Wildly Available
A very erotic movie for those interested in exploring the S&M scene. Not overtly strong in content, but a very good example of "play". It's well worth a look. ... Read more

Description

Emmy Award-winner Melanie Mayron ("thirtysomething") gives what Leonard Malting calls "a warm, winning performance" as a young photographer attempting to make her way in big city Manhattan.Along the way she juggles relationships with her best girlfriend, and with three quite different men, played by Eli Wallach ("The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly"), Bob Balaban ("Absence of Malice") and Christopher Guest ("Best in Show").Claudia Weill ("It's My Turn") directs this touching and intimate look at how today's young women cope with their lives. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Melanie Mayron-Best Actress-Locarno Film Festival
Wonderful character study of a young woman alone for the first time, after her roomate gets married. Miss Mayron is a fabulous actress with alot of heart....I tried to rent this movie for over a year, but could never find it ....so finally bought it. I was not disapointed.....Melanie Mayron's performance stays with you...A simple story of a woman in New York and her journey through life.....making choices for the first time on her own...a beauitful story, a wonderful and honest actress...I love it....a bit dated....but Melanie shines all the way.....

ATTENTION ALL FANS OF THIRTYSOMETHING!
The main character, played by Melanie Mayron, is a photographer sharing a large funky appartment on the Upper West Side of New York with her best friend.
The best friend suddenly decides to get married & this seems to throw our main character into a period of soul searching. Who is she without her best friend? Can she handle the lonliness? The jealousy?
This film reminds me a lot of the Eric Rohmer films of the 'eighties...it's quite stark in it's style. Nothing much happens, but it is the ordinariness of the characters that draws us in.Though, in some ways, it is too stark...so plain are the cast, so grey is the scenery & sometimes, so mundane is the dialogue.
But 'Girlfriends' has a warmth & a charm that has always made me remember it & I think you will too if you like simple films about real people just going about their everyday lives.
Fans of 'Thirtysomething', who enjoyed Melanie Mayron's performance in that show will particularly like this film. There are a number of parallels between the two characters. She alone brings enormous humanity to this picture. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Wildly Available (see the unrated version if you can)
Caught this title at a film festival. Very under-rated film I thought it a mini classic. Well made and thought provoking. Should be seen.

An unsually well done sexually explicit movie
Even the love-making scenes in this movie are nuanced and very real, as between men and women who have complex feelings and yearnings and find it shocking when they are able to give expression to them. The story is strange and at times morally disturbing because there is betrayal but mainly from genuine bafflement with one's responses to the world. I would buy this except for its very high price.

...
If my title, while true, attracted you to this rotten film, turn off the TV, go outside, and play. Kaczmarek really slums here as a suffering wife whose husband gets involved in a hot little blonde number who is into S&M. The blonde, played by Sommerfield, is too pretty to have the humiliation heaped on her here in the name of sexual obsession. I really wish actors and actresses would stop making junk like this and work on their craft. There is no redeeming qualities here except for some good performances amid the dulling sex and nudity. I think "Wildly Available" tries to pass itself off as an independent film when, in fact, it is just desperate and sad.

Great film
I saw the film and i was deeply attracted by It.The detailed motion and it's close to life made me like it immediately.I don't know how to express my feeling well, but i guess every person when saw it will think it worth their time to thinking and have good feeling.

Wildly Available
A very erotic movie for those interested in exploring the S&M scene. Not overtly strong in content, but a very good example of "play". It's well worth a look. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Wildly Available (see the unrated version if you can)
Caught this title at a film festival. Very under-rated film I thought it a mini classic. Well made and thought provoking. Should be seen.

An unsually well done sexually explicit movie
Even the love-making scenes in this movie are nuanced and very real, as between men and women who have complex feelings and yearnings and find it shocking when they are able to give expression to them. The story is strange and at times morally disturbing because there is betrayal but mainly from genuine bafflement with one's responses to the world. I would buy this except for its very high price.

...
If my title, while true, attracted you to this rotten film, turn off the TV, go outside, and play. Kaczmarek really slums here as a suffering wife whose husband gets involved in a hot little blonde number who is into S&M. The blonde, played by Sommerfield, is too pretty to have the humiliation heaped on her here in the name of sexual obsession. I really wish actors and actresses would stop making junk like this and work on their craft. There is no redeeming qualities here except for some good performances amid the dulling sex and nudity. I think "Wildly Available" tries to pass itself off as an independent film when, in fact, it is just desperate and sad.

Great film
I saw the film and i was deeply attracted by It.The detailed motion and it's close to life made me like it immediately.I don't know how to express my feeling well, but i guess every person when saw it will think it worth their time to thinking and have good feeling.

Wildly Available
A very erotic movie for those interested in exploring the S&M scene. Not overtly strong in content, but a very good example of "play". It's well worth a look. ... Read more

Description

Dramatizing a compacted group of memories passing over several years, Arthur Miller's vivid comedy-drama portrays the nature of life during America's Great Depression. The emphasis is on mood and characterization as Miller draws on his own personal experience to evoke what the 1930s were like for workers to whom a job--any job--was everything. "...a beautiful play superbly performed." --The New York Daily News. With Jack Warden, Harvey Keitel, Dick Van Patten, Estelle Parsons, and Jerry Stiller. ... Read more