Description

Make way for spells, witches, wizards and adventure! It's Halloween, the scariest, funnest event of Fall. But for Lynn and Kelly farmer (Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen) something scarier could happen. A slump in the family business means the farmers will lose their home--unless the spirited twins find a way to save it! Year: 1993 Director: Stuart Margolin Starring:Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, Cloris Leachman, Meshach Taylor ... Read more

Reviews (21)

fun movie
I remember watching this movie over and over when I was younger. You can't go wrong with the Olsen twins movies from when they were little--I'm sure most of us would agree that they were absolutely adorable and endearing at this age.

DDTT is a fun Halloween movie with lots of magic and supernatural powers that might be too much for younger kids, but it's still a very enjoyable film. Sick and tired of being twins, 7-year-olds Lynn and Kelly often get into fights. After experiencing cold rejection from their witch aunt Agatha and hearing stories from a mysterious "grave-digger," the girls finally learn of their parents' financial problems and set off on their own to rescue their beloved Aunt Sophia, who was the victim of a spell from her sister Agatha 7 years ago and is the only person who will be able the family get out of debt. And of course, lots of friends are made along the way, and the movie has got Mary-Kate and Ashley as the stars--a good formula for a kids' film.If you're a kid, you'll probably enjoy watching this on Halloween--if you're like me or anyone else who remembers the Olsen twins' younger days, you'll also enjoy watching and remembering.

my favorite Olsen movie
This is my favorite Olsen movie that they have made, mainly because unlike so many of their more recent movies, it has a good plot and a very good supporting cast. The plot sends 7-year-olds Lynn and Kelly on a Halloween night mission to get a magical moonstone from their evil aunt who has cast a spell on their other aunt. Fun for little kids, but also enjoyable for older fans. It's a good movie to pull out around Halloweentime (or whenever) and at 17 years old, I am not ashamed to watch it because it is truly one of Mary-Kate and Ashley's better movies. I guess the reason I think that is because of the stronger recognition of the other characters--they really get a more substantial role in the movie than the surrounding characters in some of MKA's other movies. In this film, you'll fall in love with the endearing gravedigger, the money-hungry yet lovable Mr. N, and the supportive, "take charge" Oscar the Clown. And then you've got the girls' parents--who, for once, actually act like parents. Gentle, loving, good people--and yet they have problems of their own that they must get through as a family. Now you start to get the feel of a real movie with a real plot. Too many of Mary-Kate and Ashley's movies either have them with single moms or dads(which there is nothing wrong with at all, but it got a little repetitive with the Olsens) or completely up-in-the-clouds parents who were practically at their feet doting on them and giving them everything, thus showing the viewer exactly what life is NOT like. This movie is one exception where the casting of the girls' parents is very strong and realistic. After seeing enough of their other films, you may grow to appreciate seeing this. I am a long-time fan of these girls' films--have been ever since their memorable Full House days. But if you're looking for a quality Olsen movie, I'd recommend that you go for the ones from their younger years--this one may be your best bet. But that's only my opinion.

Parents Beware
I purchased this video and was appalled when I watched it with my child. The twins go home with a homeless man without a second thought! What kind of message is this for children? Plus, the movie has disturbing imagery, that I found scary even as an adult. This is not wholesome entertainment!

Looking for a good "scary" movie for five+? Try The Ghost and Mr. Chicken with Don Knots. I loved it, and now all the many children in my life love it, too.

Don't get this video
This is a scary show, not due to the Halloween content, but because two little girls run away from home, talk to a stranger (a homeless man, or "hobo", go into another stranger's house (who is a midget male clown), need I say more? Although these fellows turn out to be nice guys, we all know that doesn't always happen in the real world. Bad message for kids who are supposed to be learning not to talk to strangers!

Double Double tiol and trouble
I loved the movie. I am a big fan of the olsen twins. I have liked them since they were in Full House as babies. They are so cute and I am going to keep bying their movies until they stop making them. They are such a joy to watch on tv considering all of the bad junk that is on tv these days. I have a 3 year old child who loves the olsen twins as well. she gets me ot go out and buy them when she
sees them advertised on the tv.Elizabeth ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Honestly? Yeah, It's Good.
I've been a fan of this movie ever since it came out. It is hopelessly tacky and cheesy -- but that HAS to be it's intended charm... otherwise I could never explain Kristy Swanson's acting in here which appears to be cardboard on purpose. Basic premise is similar to the inferior original... Bavarian peasant girl is frozen by a sorcerer for 1000 years after attempting to marry a prince. She winds up in a Pennsylvania department store while "on tour" (she is her country's only source of international interest). While at this store, she is left in the care of an employee (William Ragsdale) who falls in love with her. Her home country of Hauptmann-Koenig sends an evil count (Terry Kiser) to watch after her to make sure nothing happens to the country's treasure because he intends to marry her someday. But, lo and behold... it seems that 1000 years has just passed! And it is discovered that if her necklace is removed, she can come to life! BUT WHO WILL THE MANNEQUIN FALL IN LOVE WITH? Tacky? Of course. It's fantastic fun. Of course, Meshach Taylor shows up to reprise his role of the flamboyantly gay, over-the-top Hollywood Montrose. If he hadn't signed on to do this role, they could never have done this movie.

The movie is not technically brilliant. This could never be deemed a critic's film. It's not a film, it's a movie. Considering that the fictional country of Hauptmann-Koenig spoke perfect American English in the 10th century proves that. It's an hour and a half of lighthearted, outrageous stupid fun that has held up pretty well over the course of a decade plus. Kristy Swanson's portrayal of the statue that looks like a mannequin, Jessie, is really quite brilliant and underrated as she adjusts to life in the 1990s, in which she cannot understand the concept of fashion circa 1991, stoplights and fire extinguishers. It includes the theme from the original, Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", which oddly, won the original "Mannequin" an Oscar. Go figure.

This one's got it ALL!- action, comedy and romance!
This is a great film for all ages. It's the timeless tale of two star-crossed lovers destined to be together. Meshach Taylor returns as the hilariously sassy Hollywood Montrose. He brings an energy to every scene he is in. William Ragsdale and Kristy Swanson are great as the two star-crossed lovers. The movie has it all, comedy, action-adventure, and romance. It's a sassy, funny comedy; the perfect Friday night rental.

A different live mannequin
This sequel to 1987's MANNEQUIN was a flop. Nobody from the first film appears in this one. This film stars William Ragsdale who starred in 1985's FRIGHT NIGHT. Kristy Swanson is the mannequin. This film is somewhat memorable for me because Meshach Taylor of TV's Designing Women was part of the cast. The only recycling is Starship's recording NOTHING'S GONNA STOP US NOW which was played during the end credits like the first film. Swanson would later star in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer",that film later inspiring the TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

GET THE DIRT
I ALWAYS THINK THAT KRISTY SWANSON IS A BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS AND IN THIS MOVIE HER LOVER BOY FRIEND WANTS TO TREAT HER LIKE-A-QUEEN AND ALSO TO FIGHT FOR HER HONER SO THAT IS MORE LIKE GOING AFTER
A MAN WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE TO BE A HIT-MAN TO MAKE THINGS LOOK LIKE TAKING KRISTY HOSTAGE IN HIS HOT AIR BALLOON AND I THINK HE IS THREATING THE COUPLE OF LOVE AND FACING A FEAR IN TURNING INTO STONE IN A MAGIC SPELL SO HE'S TAKING A BIG DOSE OF HIS MEDICINE BY KINNAPPING THE PRINCESS.

A Great Movie--Please release on DVD!
I watched this movie when I was about nine or ten and I really liked it. It's a romantic comedy that's fun for the whole family. I hope it will come out on DVD sometime soon so I can cherish this gem forever. This sequel rocks! Granted, I haven't seen the first Mannequin but I'm sure it's good too. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This terrible 1987 film stars Kim Cattrall as an ancient spirit from Egypt who occupies the form of a department-store mannequin. A store employee (Andrew McCarthy) is the only one who sees the woman within, and they fall for one another. A great idea that might have made a nifty romantic comedy in the late 1930s--when Hollywood knew how to make these things--is bungled here. Meshach Taylor (of TV's Designing Women) is embarrassing as a flamboyant follower of fashion. You want comedies about spirits mingling with mortals? Try Topper or The Bishop's Wife. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Great Movie for Date Night!!!
I don't know if I'll lose my membership card in the "He-Man Tough Guy" club for reviewing "Mannequin" but, hey, I'm a risk-taker ... 8)

This is a fun movie. Kim Cattrall is a lot of fun as the Egyptian princess-turned-mannequin that comes to life. Andrew McCarthy is pretty good as the mannequin designer shocked to see his creation come to life. Estelle Getty (Golden Girls) steals every scene she's in, as the struggling department store owner.

Some of the especially fun scenes are the mannequin taking a hang-glider for a flight *inside* the multistoried department store. The mannequin and McCarthy's characters created fresh, animated mannequin displays which create a buzz among passersby. And they do a few take-offs, from "Ike and Tina Turner" and "Phantom of the Opera", among others. A young James Spader is almost unrecognizable as the mean store supervisor. I think they had a lot of fun making this movie.

Of course, Starship's ubiquitious "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is all over the credits. But it's still a good song. In one memorable scene, a bulldog suffers a nervous breakdown after seeing the mannequin come to life. There's a bit of innuendo and mild language, so you'll have to decide if it's OK for your kids to watch.

Ladies, this is your kinda flick. Men, don't admit you enjoy it, just tell people your girlfriend or wife "made" you watch the film. Then, nobody need ever know! LOL!

Truly romantic, and the perfect modern day fairy-tale
This movie was one I had seen sometime when I was a kid, and now that I'm older, it's pretty interesting! I'm a kid born in the 80's who wished it would never end, and this has the perfect chemistry. The fact of Johnathan making a Mannequin who assumes the form of Emmy, an Egyptian Princess when he's alone is awesome. The story takes something that I've loved and found in japanese animation and stories: an unlucky in love guy through some form of magic or surreal circumstances finds the girl of his dreams. Of course, we have our bad guys who try to break them up. In this one, Emmy is kidnapped and as if she were the damsel in distress, Jonathan comes to her rescue with the aid of Hollywood, probably the coolest homosexual actor on screen: the major comic relief. The soundtrack is awesome, and now I'm trying to find it. As well, Kim Cattrell is great, and her acting with Andrew McCArthy is believable, that you don't think of them as actors. The crew they must have found to make mannequins resembling Cattrell is great, and makes good use of low-tech effects. If you go to a store or need something to rent that is pretty good, here's your answer. P.S. Do not see Mannequin 2. As far as I'm concerned, that one doesn't exist.

i love the 80's
Yes its a horrible plot, but I enjoyed this movie as a kid. I watched it so many times its ridiculous.

mannequin
The 1987 movie "Mannequin" was a great movie to see over agian after not seeing it for a long time. Andrew McCarthy is a very funny actor. It would also be nice if added to the "Product information" was the music info played in the movie.

Boring
I have seen this movie way too many times and am very sick of it. It plays on television way too many times and I am forced to watch it or hear it cause somebody else in the house likes it. So, if you enjoy the movies from back in the 80's, then you will like this one. Of course, some "older" movies are classics and you can never get sick of watching them, but this one just isn't one of them.
I just don't like the acting and the story line in this movie. I don't think it is funny and they could have done better. ... Read more

Description

Two high school seniors - one a shy polite straight-A nerd and the other a street smart punk with a record - have their records accidentally switched and assume each other's identities. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Hey Dimita, I thoughtchu's gonna play with my frog...
I felt the need to write a review for Class Act after reading the ones that tore it apart. This movie is not only FULL of brilliant one liners, it also holds a pretty funny story that's easy to follow and laugh at about 2 students (obviously kid and play) who's transcripts get switched on the first day of highschool making the bad kid and the smart kid reverse rolls. I guess its for the type of person that has a good sense of humor and can see that it was meant to be "stupid" funny and not aiming for a movie award. Kid and Play may have vanished years ago, but anytime i see this movie on TBS, it cracks me up and i actually came to amazon today to see if you can buy it on DVD because i definitely would.

THE LAST GOOD KID N PLAY MOVIE
IN THIS ONE, KID N PLAY PLAY TWO TEENAGERS WHO SWITCH IDENTITIES WITH EACH OTHER AND THEY TRY TO ADAPT TO THEIR NEW LIFESTYLES. THIS WAS THE LAST GOOD KID N PLAY MOVIE. SUPRISINGLY, IT WAS NOWHERE NEAR AS FOUL MOUTHED AS THE HOUSE PARTY MOVIES WERE. FOR ANY FAN OF KID N PLAY, I WOULD RECCOMEND THIS.

where's the dvd version
This movie is not on dvd yet please bring this movie out for dvd this year cause I'll been waiting for this movie to come out for dvd in the last couple years so can warner bros create a dvd format for this movie this year 2003 cause this is my all time favorite comedy movie.

Wounded the film career of Kid and Play
This horrible, incredibly stupid and unfunny film was the next-to last nail on the coffin of Kid and Play's film career. Has all the ingredients of cinematic defecation 1) Unlikeable characters 2) A stale "story" (scholarly geek mistaken for a streetwise thug) 3) Outrageously corny dialogue 4) Horrendus "acting." I could go on and on, but you get the idea. "House Party" it ain't. Tom Joyner correctly referred to this film as "Kid and Played-out!"

This was just the stupidest movie
I can't believe you people are actually *TRYING* to sell this s**t ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Honestly? Yeah, It's Good.
I've been a fan of this movie ever since it came out. It is hopelessly tacky and cheesy -- but that HAS to be it's intended charm... otherwise I could never explain Kristy Swanson's acting in here which appears to be cardboard on purpose. Basic premise is similar to the inferior original... Bavarian peasant girl is frozen by a sorcerer for 1000 years after attempting to marry a prince. She winds up in a Pennsylvania department store while "on tour" (she is her country's only source of international interest). While at this store, she is left in the care of an employee (William Ragsdale) who falls in love with her. Her home country of Hauptmann-Koenig sends an evil count (Terry Kiser) to watch after her to make sure nothing happens to the country's treasure because he intends to marry her someday. But, lo and behold... it seems that 1000 years has just passed! And it is discovered that if her necklace is removed, she can come to life! BUT WHO WILL THE MANNEQUIN FALL IN LOVE WITH? Tacky? Of course. It's fantastic fun. Of course, Meshach Taylor shows up to reprise his role of the flamboyantly gay, over-the-top Hollywood Montrose. If he hadn't signed on to do this role, they could never have done this movie.

The movie is not technically brilliant. This could never be deemed a critic's film. It's not a film, it's a movie. Considering that the fictional country of Hauptmann-Koenig spoke perfect American English in the 10th century proves that. It's an hour and a half of lighthearted, outrageous stupid fun that has held up pretty well over the course of a decade plus. Kristy Swanson's portrayal of the statue that looks like a mannequin, Jessie, is really quite brilliant and underrated as she adjusts to life in the 1990s, in which she cannot understand the concept of fashion circa 1991, stoplights and fire extinguishers. It includes the theme from the original, Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", which oddly, won the original "Mannequin" an Oscar. Go figure.

This one's got it ALL!- action, comedy and romance!
This is a great film for all ages. It's the timeless tale of two star-crossed lovers destined to be together. Meshach Taylor returns as the hilariously sassy Hollywood Montrose. He brings an energy to every scene he is in. William Ragsdale and Kristy Swanson are great as the two star-crossed lovers. The movie has it all, comedy, action-adventure, and romance. It's a sassy, funny comedy; the perfect Friday night rental.

A different live mannequin
This sequel to 1987's MANNEQUIN was a flop. Nobody from the first film appears in this one. This film stars William Ragsdale who starred in 1985's FRIGHT NIGHT. Kristy Swanson is the mannequin. This film is somewhat memorable for me because Meshach Taylor of TV's Designing Women was part of the cast. The only recycling is Starship's recording NOTHING'S GONNA STOP US NOW which was played during the end credits like the first film. Swanson would later star in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer",that film later inspiring the TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

GET THE DIRT
I ALWAYS THINK THAT KRISTY SWANSON IS A BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS AND IN THIS MOVIE HER LOVER BOY FRIEND WANTS TO TREAT HER LIKE-A-QUEEN AND ALSO TO FIGHT FOR HER HONER SO THAT IS MORE LIKE GOING AFTER
A MAN WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE TO BE A HIT-MAN TO MAKE THINGS LOOK LIKE TAKING KRISTY HOSTAGE IN HIS HOT AIR BALLOON AND I THINK HE IS THREATING THE COUPLE OF LOVE AND FACING A FEAR IN TURNING INTO STONE IN A MAGIC SPELL SO HE'S TAKING A BIG DOSE OF HIS MEDICINE BY KINNAPPING THE PRINCESS.

A Great Movie--Please release on DVD!
I watched this movie when I was about nine or ten and I really liked it. It's a romantic comedy that's fun for the whole family. I hope it will come out on DVD sometime soon so I can cherish this gem forever. This sequel rocks! Granted, I haven't seen the first Mannequin but I'm sure it's good too. ... Read more

Amazon.com

David Mamet's 1987 directorial debut was this mesmerizing study ofcontrol and seduction between two kinds of detached observers: a gambler who is also a con artist, and a psychotherapist who is also an emerging pop-psych guru in the book market. The latter (played by Lindsay Crouse) meets the former (Joe Mantegna) when one of her clients is driven to despair from his debts to the card shark. Mantegna's character agrees to drop the IOUs in exchange for Crouse's attention at the seedy House of Games in Seattle, a mecca for con men to talk shop and hustle unsuspecting customers. The shrink gets so caught up in the arcane rules and world view of her guide over subsequent days that she observes--with no false rapture--various stings in progress inside and outside the club. Mamet's story finally becomes a fascinating study of two people protecting and extending their respective cosmologies the way rival predators fight for the same piece of turf. The psychological challenge is compelling; so is the stylized dialogue, with its pattern of pauses and hiccups and humming meter. Mostly shooting at night, Mamet also gave Seattle a different look from previous filmmakers, turning its familiar puddles into concentrations of liquid neon and poisonous noir. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (48)

A classic yes, but Crouse's acting is miserable...
As one other reviewer here very accurately put it: "we've become smarter since this movie was made". Especially when we've since seen mega-stunners like the "Usual suspects" or "Sixth Sense", movies that took the "film with a twist"-genre to a whole new plataeu.
A hotshot psychologist finds out the hard way that her trade doesn't cut it much down at the streets when she becomes emotionally (and otherwise) involved with a con-man and his circuit. As she's awed by all the "rules" and even more so the tricks that make the con-world spin, she asks to be "shown more", only to see that being shown more includes being caught in an invisible and catastrophic spider web. I don't want to give the plot away since this is obviously the strength of the film, but "House of Games" was one of the premier twist films for the time it was made, even if it might seem dated today.

Some of the twists might (emphasis on the "might") be somewhat predictable but that would be the case only for the very initiated viewer.

Mamet has got some great scripts under his belt, but if there's one thing that seriously undermines his film hee (he also directed it) is the acting of J.Crouse. While Joe Mantegna (the other lead in the movie) is in my opinion absolutely great, Crouse gives a half-dead performance, wooden and surreally uninspired, especially when one considers that she was acting (?) a part in a solid story. Were it not for her terrible performance this movie would be elevated into whole new heights.

Some people thought that the dialogue was problematic, but in my view it's exactly the bizzarity of the dialogue that makes the "House of Games" all the more special. The dialogues are unique in the way things are being said and not in what is being said.

But otherwise, this is a great film, also in a historical way, since it provided a cue for many scriptwriters since, with maybe better results but this doesn't diminish this film's importance.

Well worth its reputation and the time you'll invest in watching it.

Love It Every Time We See It
This is a very intricate movie written and directed by David Mamet. Unlike lesser talents, he can make a convoluted story totally understandable to the viewers yet surprise you every step of the way. Lindsay Crouse, his then real life wife, played the woman psychiatrist who has just written a bestselling book and become the toast of the intelligentsia in New York. She's also had quite a bit of money roll in from her book. One of her young male patients exhibits great distress and she discovers he is in mortal danger because he owes some big guys in crime a lot of money that he can't pay. Although she's not supposed to become personally involved with patient's lives, this time she decides to talk to the head man in question and see if she can reason with him for her patient's welfare. That crime man is played by Joe Matagna who does a tour de force acting job showing every facet of this con man, trickster character. The psychiatrist is attracted to him and Mantagna can make this guy attractive. But there is no doubt that he can be a very bad guy and an expert con man. You find yourself drawn further and further into the con games going on until they seem like one of those Russian nesting dolls which keep breaking down into yet more dolls. Hubby and I have seen this film about 4 or 5 times and we always enjoy it. I can't tell you anymore though without giving too much away. Let the film work its own mesmerizing magic on you.

"Trust no one"
David Mamet's "House of Games," is another of that director's giant flip jobs. I've been working my way through the Mamet catalogue, and one can't help but feel the director sees the world itself as a giant con. Well, that's perhaps a bit simplistic, but Mamet does cling, in movie after movie, to some core principles. One of these is that you must trust no one. In "Spartan," "The Spanish Prisoner," and "House of Games," this very line is uttered, usually by a villain to an innocent. This sounds like a negative credo, but it really isn't. First, consider who's issuing the warning: the villain. Will the innocent learn from experience? And will the learning result in corruption? (Important questions for Mamet.) Second, trusting yourself and knowing yourself (weaknesses included) in a dangerous world is advisable, necessary, in order to survive . I have to believe Mamet is a big reader of Joseph Conrad.

The story behind "House of Games," involves Lindsay Crouse as Margaret Ford, a doctor and popular author. Her "big book" is titled "Driven," about compulsive and addictive personalities. It doesn't take long to figure out the book is about herself. So driven is Margaret that she is beginning to make Freudian slips in her conversations, slips that reveal dark corners of her own personality. She may be heading for a breakdown - and a teaching colleague warns her, tells her she must slow down. But "slowing down" comes as another writing project presents itself, seemingly accidently due to the dilemma of a patient , when Margaret is introduced to the world of the Con at a local bar and pool hall called "House of Games." This introduction comes at the hands of Mike (Joe Mantegna), a handsome and slick con man who is willing to provide a tour - though he does warn her: "Trust no one."

To reveal any more would be telling. Like all Mamet films, the dialogue is essential. I don't think I've ever seen a director make such interesting use of dialogue. On one level the dialogue in all of Mamet's films (that I've seen so far) is seemingly stilted. But it works! Why? I can only attribute this to Mamet's precision as a director. What seems stilted, comes across instead as elevated speech - as in Shakespeare. Mamet is a dramatic poet who no doubt has Shakespeare's great maxim engraved upon his mind, and present in the framing of each scene: "Suit the action to the word, and the word to the action." (Good actors must love working with this guy.) So pay attention, there's no fat in a Mamet film, and always plenty to ponder. "House of Games" is no different. See it.

Don't believe these reviews!
It may be due to the fact that I was only 7 when this film premiered, but I found House of Games to be atrocious! The acting was laughable (Lindsay Crouse was dull and wooden, while Montagna's lines came across comically though not usually intended to be so), the plot was entirely transparent (just imagine - getting conned by con men), and the character development left much to be desired.
An interesting side-note, however, is that this movie reminds viewers just how much influence tobacco companies had on movie houses back in the '80s. The whole film is one long drag off a Camel, and even Granny happily lights Crouse's cigarettes with her vintage lighter.
Do not purchase this movie without first watching it!

"Look Out for The Tell...."
....or, "The Large Con consists of a series of Small Cons put in an 'attractive' order".

....or, "Everybody's got a little bit of small con in them. Well, some folks have larger cons..."

I saw this movie again and, despite my distaste for certain aspects of the Mamet approach (He wishes actors to read the dialog as written, without emoting too much. The emoting is somehow brought across in the words. In my opinion sometimes the dialog comes off as more staccato than true life, but who am I? Mamet is the world renown author/director, here. I am simply a hack reviewer--but I digress)...this, I think, is a very cool movie with a lot going for it. The chemistry with Crouse and Mantegna is subtly packaged...the cool psychologist becomes child like to the swaggering, but one step from being oily, con-man. She wanted so much to believe that she was being allowed in a world of secrets, privy to only a few, so she trusted this guy to Father her thru this mesh of crosses and double-crossings.

Those moments with the con-artist to her were romantic, exciting, hell, downright sexy and she was feeling more alive than the sterile clinical environment offered to her as a psychologist. Until, that is, The Big Tell gave her a kick in her nether regions.

What makes the movie a surreal experience is that on one level anyone who is in movie making and story telling (or sometimes health services like psychiatry/psychology) is some what of a con artist that we all surrender to one way or another. And we in the audience usually have to remind ourselves to Look Out for The Tell...do you see where I'm going with this? Good. Remember then. And see this movie. It's a good one. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fahey sharpens skills in "Virtual"
Jeff Fahey (Darkman III, Lawn Mower Man) has been making movies since 1985. He has put time and effort in his characters, starring in 42 films since 2000. He can be a vicious gunslinger (Silverado) then turn around and be a totally polished gentelman (Outback, later released as Wrangler). This ability to put himself in his character's skin makes him an interesting study. That's why he works so well in "Virtual Seduction". He portrays a ruderless man lost in fantasy. He's fueled by love, regrets and heartbreak over the death of his lover. But living in fantasy has it's price. Though not a big-budget film, it's entertaining and Fahey makes us empathize with his character's need to have another chance. Worth a look both to see this actor's skills and view a good sci-fi thriller.

Virtual Seduction - Reality Is Not An Option
Paris Is The Ideal Lover: Kind, Passionate, And Beautiful, But She Is Dead..Paris Is The Victim Of A Brutal Murder Wittnessed By Her Boyfriend...This Film Illustrates The Dangerous Addiction Of Too Much Virtual Reality...Test Subject Liam (Jeff Fahey) Finds Himself Prefering The Simulation Of His Deceased Girlfriend To His Flesh And Blood Love Laura (Ami Dolenz)...Fortunately, Laura Is Not Willing To Give Up To A Computer Generated Reality Quite That Easily...She Must Stop Him Before He, Himself Chooses To Join Paris In The Simulated World Permantly... ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Honestly? Yeah, It's Good.
I've been a fan of this movie ever since it came out. It is hopelessly tacky and cheesy -- but that HAS to be it's intended charm... otherwise I could never explain Kristy Swanson's acting in here which appears to be cardboard on purpose. Basic premise is similar to the inferior original... Bavarian peasant girl is frozen by a sorcerer for 1000 years after attempting to marry a prince. She winds up in a Pennsylvania department store while "on tour" (she is her country's only source of international interest). While at this store, she is left in the care of an employee (William Ragsdale) who falls in love with her. Her home country of Hauptmann-Koenig sends an evil count (Terry Kiser) to watch after her to make sure nothing happens to the country's treasure because he intends to marry her someday. But, lo and behold... it seems that 1000 years has just passed! And it is discovered that if her necklace is removed, she can come to life! BUT WHO WILL THE MANNEQUIN FALL IN LOVE WITH? Tacky? Of course. It's fantastic fun. Of course, Meshach Taylor shows up to reprise his role of the flamboyantly gay, over-the-top Hollywood Montrose. If he hadn't signed on to do this role, they could never have done this movie.

The movie is not technically brilliant. This could never be deemed a critic's film. It's not a film, it's a movie. Considering that the fictional country of Hauptmann-Koenig spoke perfect American English in the 10th century proves that. It's an hour and a half of lighthearted, outrageous stupid fun that has held up pretty well over the course of a decade plus. Kristy Swanson's portrayal of the statue that looks like a mannequin, Jessie, is really quite brilliant and underrated as she adjusts to life in the 1990s, in which she cannot understand the concept of fashion circa 1991, stoplights and fire extinguishers. It includes the theme from the original, Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now", which oddly, won the original "Mannequin" an Oscar. Go figure.

This one's got it ALL!- action, comedy and romance!
This is a great film for all ages. It's the timeless tale of two star-crossed lovers destined to be together. Meshach Taylor returns as the hilariously sassy Hollywood Montrose. He brings an energy to every scene he is in. William Ragsdale and Kristy Swanson are great as the two star-crossed lovers. The movie has it all, comedy, action-adventure, and romance. It's a sassy, funny comedy; the perfect Friday night rental.

A different live mannequin
This sequel to 1987's MANNEQUIN was a flop. Nobody from the first film appears in this one. This film stars William Ragsdale who starred in 1985's FRIGHT NIGHT. Kristy Swanson is the mannequin. This film is somewhat memorable for me because Meshach Taylor of TV's Designing Women was part of the cast. The only recycling is Starship's recording NOTHING'S GONNA STOP US NOW which was played during the end credits like the first film. Swanson would later star in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer",that film later inspiring the TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.

GET THE DIRT
I ALWAYS THINK THAT KRISTY SWANSON IS A BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS AND IN THIS MOVIE HER LOVER BOY FRIEND WANTS TO TREAT HER LIKE-A-QUEEN AND ALSO TO FIGHT FOR HER HONER SO THAT IS MORE LIKE GOING AFTER
A MAN WHO HAS NO KNOWLEDGE TO BE A HIT-MAN TO MAKE THINGS LOOK LIKE TAKING KRISTY HOSTAGE IN HIS HOT AIR BALLOON AND I THINK HE IS THREATING THE COUPLE OF LOVE AND FACING A FEAR IN TURNING INTO STONE IN A MAGIC SPELL SO HE'S TAKING A BIG DOSE OF HIS MEDICINE BY KINNAPPING THE PRINCESS.

A Great Movie--Please release on DVD!
I watched this movie when I was about nine or ten and I really liked it. It's a romantic comedy that's fun for the whole family. I hope it will come out on DVD sometime soon so I can cherish this gem forever. This sequel rocks! Granted, I haven't seen the first Mannequin but I'm sure it's good too. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Brilliantly funny and clever, well worth seeing
My single line summary pretty much says it all, "Brilliantly funny and clever, well worth seeing"
I've watched the movie a couple of times now, and I really enjoy it. It's one of a few things that's made me laugh really hard.
I got this video, because I'm a huge fan of Melissa, and it was great to see her acting with the rest of her family. They're all really talented.
I love knowing the fact I own this video, so I can watch it whenever..

the most hilarious comedy i've seen
THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST HILARIOUS COMEDY I'VE EVER SEEN.IT IS A MUST SEE.MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER IS KAILA BECAUSE SHE'S A CUTE TODDLER EG MELLANIE SAYS:DO U HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE RIFF-TOWN IS AND KAILA IN A CHILDISH VOICE SAYS IS IT IN DISNEY WORLD.ITS A GREAT LAUGH FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY AND ANYONE WHO DOESN'T SEE IT IS A FOOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Hart Family
This movie is really cool.It has Melissa along with her siblings.Melissa plays a cab driver and her sibs are the kids of a mom who trys to raise her family with little money.The kids decide to enter a talent show to win 1,000 dollars to help their mom.So they go to a rapper to help them get their act together.Will they win the contest?Get it for yourself and find out! ... Read more

Amazon.com

A huge letdown after the grandeur of Don Bluth's 1982 adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's book (this was the first feature Bluth made after leaving Disney to protest the studio's allegedly lowered animation standards), this straight-to-video sequel offers far poorer art and thinner characterizations. The story finds Timmy (voiced by Ralph Macchio), son of the Jonathan Brisby character from The Secret of NIMH, leaving the family farm and heading to Thorn Valley, where the rats of NIMH live. There, Timmy seeks a path in his father's footprints to become a hero and meets a girl mouse who tells him her parents are among some NIMH mice wrongly presumed dead for years. A rescue ensues, of course, in which Timmy and the refugee rats risk getting caught themselves. The film is about an hour in length, and genuine entertainment is at a premium in this production, making it even harder to ignore point-by-point comparisons between NIMH 2 and its predecessor--especially when those comparisons, time and again, find the sequel wanting. The very best element here is the vocal and singing performance by Eric Idle as the villain, Martin, who resorts to electric shock to "improve" his intelligence and whose song, "Just Say Yes," is a real highlight. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Very Good for Kids!
This movie is very entertaining, my dear son loves it. The 1st movie is a classic, but this one does its job entertaining nad a good story.

An Okey sequel
This the squel to the Original secret of Nim. Timmy goes of to forn valley to fullfil hte prosey fortold by Nicodemus before his unfortunate death. Timmy must journey to the lab where the doctor that experiment on the rats is perform mad experiments.

Part of this reminds of redwall. There is a battle near the end against Timmoy and his brother Martin who has gone mad due to experience due to be alter after he was captured by the scientist.

He plans to conquer thorn Valley but timmoy stops him returns him to good. Some cheesy parts it is a musical. That there is a cheesy scence where Jermy pretends to be the great owl. Cons the wodland creatures of there of golden coins.

Some new characters are sela a capterilar and a real pretty female.

Recomend for children 5 and older. Not as intense as the original but still has some scary part. Like at the end when Nimth catch on fire and two cats chase timmoy.

Unfortunatley Jon Debluso who played the voice of the crow Jermy in this a and the original died shorrtly after the Second secret of Nimh was complete.

Timmy is the main character and you barley see his mother in this one. Pluse some of the characters have changed. Brutus the rat in the first one who almost squabobds Miss Frissby is a softy in this one. Justin and Mr.Ages return. I find the song good. I rented this a couple of years ago from blockbuster.

I plan on Buy this and the original after I move out of my house. For my sister are very picky about what I watch. Okey would have been better if It had been more intense like the first one. This was the last movie made in the series. All the people who reviewed it but gave it only star. I think some of these people are to picky. Coome on Eight Leged Freaks was on of the best monster movies I have ever seen the stink critic only gave it 2.

My advice people ligten up there has never been a movie bad enough to be only one star. Except for made Red zone Cuba and the Original Little shop of Horrors.

This degrades the name Secret of nimh
words cannot describe how much i loathe this film. its a major dissapointment compared to the first one.
i really think the writers of this thought the origianl was 'too dark and scary' for the kids today. excuse me! how old were
biggest part of you Nimh 1 lovers when you first watched the first film, i was atleast 5!
the characters break out into song every 5 minutes into the film *hiss*
this is not a sequal, its more of a 'what if' story.
the rats are stealing! the reason they went to thorn valley was so they could stop that. evil martins song was majorly dissapointing, when i first watched it and realised martin was the baddy not to mention there was song's in it, i was thinking 'ho maybe it wont be all that bad, the villains songs are mostly really great' i certainly got that wrong, it is so pathetic compared to Rasputins song from Anastasia, now i know theres some out there that may dislike that (i dunno how Don Bluth was part of that creation too). but that is one of my favourite songs.
okay sorry but people who think the first one was boring because timothy was sick well 'oh dear what a crying shame, its the end of the world' sure but he was suffering from a real illness but as it was said in the film you can die from it. Jim henson died from it for crying out loud. BUT sickness can be treated and can be recovered from. experimentation is worse. if they were abit more realistic martin could have ended up with an ear on his back, i had that idea and would have loved to see that. XD. and that really happened to a real mouse, so nobody moan at me for saying thats not real.

anyway i was so very dissapointed in this film as you can obviously tell. so.. im going to work on my own sequal.

hey any of you nimh 2 haters contact me, i'd like to converse with fellow dislikers.

Pure-D Crap
The first movie was my favorite as a child. When I saw this sequel, I wanted to throw a shoe at through the television. Whoever decided to make this movie must have never saw the original. Simply terrible.

Horrible!
I'll get strait to the point. This is one of the worst movies I have EVER seen. The plot is stupid, the charactors are annoying, the animation is WAY too cartoon-ish unlike the classic original's great animation, and the songs can cause you're ears to bleed. Don't buy this movie, or rent it. Buy the classic original Secret of NIMH instead. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Great Movie for Date Night!!!
I don't know if I'll lose my membership card in the "He-Man Tough Guy" club for reviewing "Mannequin" but, hey, I'm a risk-taker ... 8)

This is a fun movie. Kim Cattrall is a lot of fun as the Egyptian princess-turned-mannequin that comes to life. Andrew McCarthy is pretty good as the mannequin designer shocked to see his creation come to life. Estelle Getty (Golden Girls) steals every scene she's in, as the struggling department store owner.

Some of the especially fun scenes are the mannequin taking a hang-glider for a flight *inside* the multistoried department store. The mannequin and McCarthy's characters created fresh, animated mannequin displays which create a buzz among passersby. And they do a few take-offs, from "Ike and Tina Turner" and "Phantom of the Opera", among others. A young James Spader is almost unrecognizable as the mean store supervisor. I think they had a lot of fun making this movie.

Of course, Starship's ubiquitious "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" is all over the credits. But it's still a good song. In one memorable scene, a bulldog suffers a nervous breakdown after seeing the mannequin come to life. There's a bit of innuendo and mild language, so you'll have to decide if it's OK for your kids to watch.

Ladies, this is your kinda flick. Men, don't admit you enjoy it, just tell people your girlfriend or wife "made" you watch the film. Then, nobody need ever know! LOL!

Truly romantic, and the perfect modern day fairy-tale
This movie was one I had seen sometime when I was a kid, and now that I'm older, it's pretty interesting! I'm a kid born in the 80's who wished it would never end, and this has the perfect chemistry. The fact of Johnathan making a Mannequin who assumes the form of Emmy, an Egyptian Princess when he's alone is awesome. The story takes something that I've loved and found in japanese animation and stories: an unlucky in love guy through some form of magic or surreal circumstances finds the girl of his dreams. Of course, we have our bad guys who try to break them up. In this one, Emmy is kidnapped and as if she were the damsel in distress, Jonathan comes to her rescue with the aid of Hollywood, probably the coolest homosexual actor on screen: the major comic relief. The soundtrack is awesome, and now I'm trying to find it. As well, Kim Cattrell is great, and her acting with Andrew McCArthy is believable, that you don't think of them as actors. The crew they must have found to make mannequins resembling Cattrell is great, and makes good use of low-tech effects. If you go to a store or need something to rent that is pretty good, here's your answer. P.S. Do not see Mannequin 2. As far as I'm concerned, that one doesn't exist.

i love the 80's
Yes its a horrible plot, but I enjoyed this movie as a kid. I watched it so many times its ridiculous.

mannequin
The 1987 movie "Mannequin" was a great movie to see over agian after not seeing it for a long time. Andrew McCarthy is a very funny actor. It would also be nice if added to the "Product information" was the music info played in the movie.

Boring
I have seen this movie way too many times and am very sick of it. It plays on television way too many times and I am forced to watch it or hear it cause somebody else in the house likes it. So, if you enjoy the movies from back in the 80's, then you will like this one. Of course, some "older" movies are classics and you can never get sick of watching them, but this one just isn't one of them.
I just don't like the acting and the story line in this movie. I don't think it is funny and they could have done better. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Well, It Has Susanna Hoffs.....
The Allnighter is a cheesy, weak-plotted typical teen/20's film about 3 girls having lots of fun before graduation. The movie, however, is not very fun and I found it somewhat boring. However, Susanna Hoffs makes the movie! If you like Sue as much as I, then you will like this movie. What really makes the DVD version great is the commentary with Susanna and her mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs, who directed the movie. The commentary is worth the buy alone. Now as for Shakesphere's Sister above, I have had no problems with my DVD version and I have a cheapie player. Then again, some DVD's just don't work well with certain players. Overall, if you like Sue and like to get to know about her and her mother (the commentary) buy this DVD.

Proof the 80's sucked.
It's no wonder that neither Tamar Hoffs who wrote, directed and produced this junk NOR her daughter Susanna Hoffs ever made another film again. Sue is now married to film director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) and wisely, unlike Madonna, isn't letting her hubbie direct her in anything else. Why? Because the girl can't act to save her life and she knows it. Sue is a great video poser (like Madonna) but is she ever wooden -- even in a silly, no-serious - acting-required romp like this. This film isn't even for Bangles fans since the other three Bangles themselves wanted nothing to do with it and even Vicki Peterson wondered how this atrocity was "even being made." But it does goes to show what happens when you get a hit record. For some reason pop stars believe that hitting the Top Ten automatically qualifies them for starring roles in films. In this case Sue's mom wanted to be the Orson Welles of her generation. Only because she had a famous daughter and a forgettable short flick to her name did she get the chance to do it.You would think the film had a better soundtrack, being that Sue and bandmates did make some good music. But this ultra lame film lacks plot, wit and purpose. It's not even unintentionally funny, it's just stupefyingly dumb! "Molly's" valedictory speech is moronic (and she was first in her class!). But then again, she would be #1 at "Pacifica College" where teachers "recreate Woodstock" as part of the curriculum. Any brains, out there? And how do 3 penniless college students afford such a gorgeous beachfront house as their pad?There's no irony here, except for Joan Cusak's character Gina, who displays some occasional caustic wit and seems to be very aware of the idiots she's surrounded with. But this flick is too long, too boring and one wonders if these 5 brainless twits will ever make it in the real world.And this mess certainly didn't help Sue's standing in the Bangles who at the time were trying hard to fight the "sex kitten" image the record company wanted them to have. This film also brought even more media attention to Sue - something the band resented. Looking at yourself in the mirror with close-ups of your panties, while moving to and fro to Aretha's "Respect" (talk about irony!) was hardly going to help the Bangles to be taken as a serious female musicians.

A Movie to cry about... The time was the 80's...
It's a great movie, great actors, now we have seen them become legends, and Susanna Hoffs, a voice, a Star, in a time that fasion and music were everything, if you ever read this Sue... I just want to tell you, I'm proud of you!!!! keep on rocking!!!

Oh Well
Yeah, she's cute, but the movie is a real stinker. You're not sure what's going on and then you realize it............Nothing's going on. The only good thing about the movie was Joan Cusack who, as usual, is the real star of any movie she's in. If you're having trouble getting to sleep, this is a real tranc.

A nice surprise from the day-glo era...
I found this one in the bargain section. As others have mentioned, this film is not exactly "Citizen Kane". What we have here is a tame teen-sex comedy from the mid-80's that is almost instantly forgettable... almost.

The big draw is of course Susanna Hoffs, of Bangles fame. While Hoffs dances a bit, she doesn't sing anything except on the soundtrack. Still, if you're a fan of the Bangles or just Hoffs, then this film was made for you.

Hoffs doesn't really embarrass herself acting-wise. She does pretty good for what a film like this one demands (not too much), and the same can be said for the other cast members. Actually, the whole cast is likable. And at heart, "The Allnighter" is an indie film more than it is a throwaway Hollywood teen flick. Both factors make the film more tolerable.

The story is pretty weak, lending more to caricature than characterization. Five co-eds are about to graduate after four long years at Pacifica University. Gina is documenting her friends' last day as college students on a videocamera, so that "twenty years from now... [you'll] remember us as were were on this day." While not quite twenty years later, the line is still ironic.

Val is about to be married to some rich but overbearing and fey business dude, and she must go spend time with him rather than attend the last big fiesta with her pals. Bummer! The strangely pale Gina (the only character without a suntan), is fixated on her documentary. Molly (Hoffs) is just down on herself. After four years, she's still not met the perfect guy (or any guy). The girls' two male friends are surfer dudes. Killer is a philosophying hippie soul-of-an-artist type, and king of the waves. CJ is his best pal, and the object of Molly's affections, 80's hair wings and all. If only CJ could open up and be real, and see more than the waves, he and Molly could be making their own waves!

Complications follow throughout the rest of the evening in this "Animal House Lite" chick-flick, including a run in with the police, the big fiesta, an old romance between one of Molly's teachers and a former rock star, etc.

Actually, there are some interesting moments, since as I said, at heart this is an indie film. Credit newly minted director (and Hoffs' Mom), Tamar Simon Hoffs for making the attempt to go beyond the average teen comedy flick.

Familliar faces include Pam Grier as (of all things!), Sergeant McLeesh, matron of the female section of the local jail. Pam Grier fans will like her in the movie (and acting-wise, she overpowers the entire cast despite her small supporting role). Michael Ontkean of "Twin Peaks" fame is also on hand, as a washed up rock singer that Molly idolizes. Meshach Taylor plays a hotel detective. Dedee Pfeiffer (Michelle's sister), plays the struggling Val, and Joan Cusack plays the camera-toting Gina.

The device of Joan Cusak's character documenting the last day of their college time works for the most part, but somewhere along the way the film gets lost and takes bizzare sidetrips that stall the story. This is too bad, because there was some real potential for a memorable film here, which could have gone further than just Bangles fans or day-glo-philes.

On the plus side, the disc includes "The Haircut", a short 1982 indie film by Tamar Simon Hoffs. This is the real prize, believe it or not.

The cast is impressive for what Tamar readily admits was practically a student film. John Cassavetes stars. Three Bangles are on hand. Joyce Bulifant (best known as Murray's wife on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", among many other roles in the 70's & 80's), plays a manicurist. Remember Nicholas Colasanto, Coach from "Cheers"? He's the barber! Again, Meshach Taylor plays a role, this time as a shoeshiner/waiter.

This is a real treat, as we see a man getting the best haircut ever, which seems to change his outlook on life in the span of fifteen minutes.

Audio commentary is available for both films, plus a short behind the scenes interview with Tamar about "The Haircut". This was subtitled in French. I suspect the interview was probably made for a Canadaian audience, since Canada was where the short was filmed.

If you like the 80's, the Bangles, Hoffs, or just want a harmless teen flick from the day-glo era to watch, then this disc is for you. I give it three stars for "The Allnighter", plus one for the addition of "The Haircut". ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Where's the DVD?
Why isn't this movie available on DVD yet? In a world where you can buy Ed Wood's entire film career on DVD, isn't there room for a decent sci-fi movie like "Warning Sign"? All of the principal actors are still alive, so they could even do a commentary for the disc. BRING THIS MOVIE TO DVD!!!

Ah! A hero; a heroine; a good thriller; nice ending! Yes!
I liked this movie! It held my interest by being a neat, constantly fast paced thriller, built around a mishap in a large bio laboratory that causes all exits to be sealed. The special hybrid corn is a coverup? There's a subplot afoot!

Joanie Morse (Kathleen Quinlan) is the amazing petite security guard, also locked inside the lab, withstands the pleas of her superior to "open the doors"! She also survives the scares by some infected workers with the right evasions and potions. Her husband, Sheriff Cal Morse (Sam Waterston) who is on the outside, is the well composed hero who keeps the panicking town folk at bay, and ultimately saves his wife. They head home for a well deserved breakfast. What a night's work! (This movie is 99 minutes long and was made in 1985.)

As usual, we anticipated a pleasant evening's viewing of another Sam Waterston character, and we weren't disappointed. I guess that's what loyal fans expect. There's a good chance we'll watch this movie again. Hope you enjoy it too!

Andromeda Strain- Made in USA
What if the "Andromeda Strain" had been manufactured by the United States government? That is the basic premise of this film. The film does a good job showing how the main charaters are affected by the accidental release of a biotoxin, from the female security guard (played by Kathleen Quinlan) POV and those outside the lab, led by Sam Waterston, Jeffrey DeMunn and Yaphet Kotto. Excellent film all around.

Great suspense Thriller
when this was released it was the hottest government cover-up video out there. If you liked Outbreak and sphere, this is a combination of the two. A great flick for keeping you on the edge of your seat or if you want to be scared.

exciting and believable
first saw this movie on shelf at video store have rented it twice and find both the idea and reaction of people involved very scary could this be really happening today .most of us would not want to know what is really happening outside our little area of realality ... Read more

Amazon.com

Several years after the mysterious events that claimed the life of the U.S. Ambassador and his wife, the now teenaged and militarily enrolled Damien Thorne is slowly being made aware of his unholy heritage and horrific destiny.Woe is he (including anyone in Damien's adoptive family and his classmates) who suspects the truth or gets in his way.While not as unrelentingly frightening as its blockbuster predecessor, this more-than-competent sequel to The Omen raises some interesting questions about the nature of free will (can the antichrist deny his birthright?) before falling into a gory series of increasingly outlandish deaths, the best of which is a terrifyingly protracted scene beneath the ice of a frozen lake. Jerry Goldsmith (who won an Oscar for his work on the first film in the series) contributes another marvelously foreboding score. --Andrew Wright ... Read more

Reviews (52)

The O-Man Book II
As I get older I realize how right the great Mad Magazine
was to skewer The Omen and its even more preposterous
sequel, Damien: Omen II, in its hilarious pages. These
films might have scared an old horror buff like me
when I was 10 years old but the more I watch the two
films now, the creakier and more totally ridiculous they
seem. I will grant that the first film is a horror classic
despite the absurdities once must swallow in suspending
disbelief witnessing the accelerated catastrophes and
mysterious murders that befall all who stand in Damien's
way to power. This sequel is well-made but more of the same,
Bill Holden is great as usual but yes he does seem out of
sorts in the "Gregory Peck" role, and Lee Grant is near-comatose as his unbelieving (but secretly Damien-worshipping) wife.
One thing I will say about these films is anyone that knows the final biblical Book of Revelations (which Damien quotes out loud in this sequel) knows the passage: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads." Well, this
might be quibbling but Damien's "mark of the beast" is square on
the back of his head (or the top, looking like it was done with
a produce ink marker! Aisle 5, antichrist price-check please) and NOT anywhere near his forehead or his hand. And if this is the case then shouldn't there eventually be thousands if not millions of fellow anti-Christs roaming the
earth with the mark on them? I'm pretty sure the 7 Daggers
of Meggido are totally fictitious as well, and nobody ever gets
near enough to Damien to actually use them anyway, so we'll
never know if they really are effective, like Raid, of
finally offing the Antichrist.
But hey aren't we supposed to take Revelations that literally/seriously? I think not, and neither should we take this film, fascinating trash though it might be. And Lance
Henriksen was destined for much better films (ALIENS), God bless him!

THE SCARIEST OMEN OF THEM ALL!
OMEN II TELLS THE STORY OF DAMIEN AFTER THE HORRIFIC TRAGEDY OF HIS PARENTS' DEATH. DAMIEN NOW 12 AND LIVING WITH HIS RICH UNCLE AND AUNT. THIS FILM HAS THE MOST SHOCKING MOMENTS AND MOST CREATIVE DEATH SCENES IN MY OPINION. THE DROWNING BENEATH AN ICY LAKE, DEATH FROM AN ELEVATOR, BURIED ALIVE BY SANDS IN A CAVE, ETC. THE FIRST OMEN HAS A DOG AS THE HELPER OF THE ANTICHRIST, THIS ONE HAS A BLACK RAVEN. THE RAVEN IS A LOT MORE TERRIFYING THEN THE DOG IN THE FIRST FILM AND IT ADDS TO THE HORROR OF THIS FILM. THE MOVIE HOWEVER IS SORT OF RETELLING THE SAME THING AS THE FIRST OMEN, PEOPLE WARNING DAMIEN'S GUARDIAN OF HIS SECRET, THEY REFUSE TO BELIEVE, PEOPLE GETTING KILLED FOR TELLING THE SECRET, THE FAMILY REALIZED THE TRUTH AFTER MANY DEATHS AND DECIDE TO KILL DAMIEN... THIS MOVIE HAS A SURPRISE ENDING (AT LEAST IT SURPRISED ME). ANYWAY OMEN II IS A MUST SEE FOR HORROR FANS AND PEOPLE WHO LOVED THE FIRST OMEN. THE MUSIC ALONE MAKES THE FILM PRETTY SCARY, PLUS THE DEATHS SCENES. BUT ONE THING THAT MIGHT DISAPPOINT THE MODERN HORROR FANS IS THAT THERE ARE NO SEX AND NUDITY IN THIS FILM. BUT IT'S STILL A CLASSIC HORROR AND HORROR FANS SHOULD LIKE THIS MOVIE.

Worth a look for fans, but first OMEN is still the best
In William Holden's biography, GOLDEN BOY, he was just coming off the classic film NETWORK when he was offered the lead in the first THE OMEN. He threw the script aside and said it was ridiculous: no one would believe a story where a kid is born from a dog!
THE OMEN would end up being the biggest hit in Gregory Peck's career, not William Holden's.
But he did end up in the watchable sequel.

Jerry Goldsmith delivers another great score but the crow is a poor substitute for a demonic creature like the Rotweiler in the original (in OMEN's original script, it was a German Sheperd).
I wish there were more moments of self-discovery for Damien but the kids end up sounding phony spouting lines like, "You're the son of the devil!"
I liked the idea of the excavated wall.
The sequential deaths kept things moving but chopping that guy from DESIGNING WOMEN in half in the elevator was too over-the-top to revive the creepiness of David Warner's demise in the first film.
And William Holden's character's abrupt realization of how things have gone wrong isn't nearly as developed as Gregory Peck's superb dread and grief from the original.
The ending feels rushed no matter how you look at it.

I know, I know, it's a sequel. But it's the sequel to a very powerful story and, considering the leads in this film, I ended up wanting much more.
Worth watching though.

"THE FIRST TIME WAS ONLY A WARNING..."
WOW! This movie far surpasses the 1976 blockbuster, with better characters, music, & a plot that's much, MUCH easier to understand compared to that of the original. Damien Thorne is now one of my favorite horror icons of all time next to Leatherface and Pinhead! Continuing from where the first left off, Damine is 13-years-old living at his uncle's mansion in Chicago where he attends a Military Academy. This time, Damien shall discover the truth about himself as the supernatural terror continues for anyone who stands in his way! Very chilling and graphic horror film that will appeal to almost any horror fan! Followed by "The Final Conflict", the last chapter in the 'Omen' trilogy.

Not scary at all....but I don't like crows anymore!
Don't believe the hype, this movie is not scary at all, it may be abit freaky but it isn't something to scare the living daylights out of you. DO NOT WATCH THIS FILM IF YOU DON'T INTENT ON WATCHING THE REST OF THE SERIES!!! There is absolutely no point in doing that because the ending isn't really an ending, it's more of a break for the next movie in the series. The movie is about a boy named Damien who is 13 years old, learning that he is the antichrist, and the people that threaten him and his secret must die in mysterious ways. The death scenes were very well done and creative and the history in the movie is also very accurate. But don't believe the hype, this movie isn't scary, I honestly thought it would be when I started watching it, but I didn't find it to be scary, maybe more shocking than scary. It's more interesting I would say, the movie keeps you wanting more and you just want to know what happens next, it does a great job of keeping the viewer entertained and curious. But if you want a scare, watch something else like The Exorcist. This movie is alot like Final Destination, in the sense that you can't escape from death, whether you expect it or not, this was of course made before Final Destination but just to give you an example of what you can expect. The soundtrack for this film is very, very good and sounds very morbid, which was really good because it sets that mood for the movie. But remember, only watch this if you plan on watching part 3 which is called The Final Conflict. ... Read more

Description

Suspense drama about a burned-out criminal defense attorney who has a love affair with the woman whose estranged husband he's defending for murder. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

a lawyer who needs to know the truth
This HBO TVM is simply directed by Roger Spottiswoode, and the twists of the narrative that finally exhaust one's patience are probably more due to the source material - a novel by real-life defense attorney/author Phillip M. Margolin - where Margolin or his teleplay adapter have gone for suspense drama overdrive. The fact that the initial set-up subverts expectations of cliches is enough to make the initial hook. As the attorney who takes on the case of defending the husband of his lover, Ed Harris is his usual stoic sense. It helps that the wife he is having an affair with is played by Roxanne Hart, since Hart comes across as so ordinary. This is not meant as a criticism of her acting, since it makes the character more than just a femme fatale. Hart has the kind of face that resembles, at times, Jane Fonda, Vera Miles and Kathleen Turner, and it's because she is so ordinary that we wait for her to reveal her duplicity. Her husband is also suspect, mostly because he is played by Darrell Larson, whose career dived from The Paper Chase TV series to playing Louella Parson's errand boy in Frances, who tricked Jessica Lange's Frances Farmer. Two subplots featuring David Suchet as an English writer Harris has recently had found not guilty of murdering his wife, and Bruce McGill as a cop who testified against Suchet and is now a witness against Larson, come together for the climax. Regrettable neither actor impress with Suchet being particularly arch - one look at him telegraphs how guilty he actually is. However I did like the salty Rose Gregorio being the prosecuting attorney against Harris, and Mod Squad's Clarence Williams III as a pimp. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Well, It Has Susanna Hoffs.....
The Allnighter is a cheesy, weak-plotted typical teen/20's film about 3 girls having lots of fun before graduation. The movie, however, is not very fun and I found it somewhat boring. However, Susanna Hoffs makes the movie! If you like Sue as much as I, then you will like this movie. What really makes the DVD version great is the commentary with Susanna and her mother, Tamar Simon Hoffs, who directed the movie. The commentary is worth the buy alone. Now as for Shakesphere's Sister above, I have had no problems with my DVD version and I have a cheapie player. Then again, some DVD's just don't work well with certain players. Overall, if you like Sue and like to get to know about her and her mother (the commentary) buy this DVD.

Proof the 80's sucked.
It's no wonder that neither Tamar Hoffs who wrote, directed and produced this junk NOR her daughter Susanna Hoffs ever made another film again. Sue is now married to film director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) and wisely, unlike Madonna, isn't letting her hubbie direct her in anything else. Why? Because the girl can't act to save her life and she knows it. Sue is a great video poser (like Madonna) but is she ever wooden -- even in a silly, no-serious - acting-required romp like this. This film isn't even for Bangles f