Reviews (15)

utc
This version of Uncle Tom's Cabin was unique and articulate although it had its misrepresentations and differences from the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It overall was a good movie in my opinion including some famous actors and not straying to far from the novel made this version entertaining. One specific detail which vexes me was the fact that when Eliza was crossing the river there was no ice according to the novel there was ice and I feel it added plenty of suspenseful goodness. Uncle tom was and still is my favorite character how this film depicted his life and death was a sure tear jerker. I am also glad that they kept the last words with Mr. Shelby's son who loved tom. In closing I would like to say that I actually enjoyed this version and rate it higher than others.

disapointment
When you make a movie based on a novel, especially when the novel is good, the movie usually falls tragically short of capturing the book's emotion and suspense. Such is the case with the movie version of Uncle Tom's Cabin . The book itself by Harriet Beecher Stowe was very heartfelt and I, for one, loved it, but the movie could not capture the emotions that the book brings to light.
The movie opens in Kentucky, where The Shelby's live. Mr. Shelby has to sell two of his slaves, Tom and young Harry, to pay off a debt to a slave trader, Mr. Haley. Harry's mother, Eliza, decides to run away to save her child(Harry) and hopefully reunite with her husband who fled to Canada. Tom will not go with her for fear that the rest of his family will be sold. Eliza successfully escapes across the river and is taken in by some Quakers near the Canadian border. Tom on the other hand, is left to take his chances with Mr. Haley and the promises of his master to bring him back as soon as possible.
Through all this the movie does not establish the characters very well, and does not make you feel any sympathy for any of them. This is because many important scenes of the book were changed or left out. For example, one of the most famous scenes in the story is the scene where Eliza escapes across a river of ice, and in the movie, Eliza escapes across the river in a raft because it is warm. This escape does not capture the same drama as it did in the book, and was a big disappointment to me personally. Even tiny things have been changed which make no sense to me. For example, the Shelby's son is named Christopher in the movie, but in the book his name is George and this seems like a completely pointless change . I also did not agree with the casting choices in the movie. Augustine is an older man in the movie and if you look in the book, St. Clare was continually referred to as Tom's YOUNG master. In retrospect, there is not many good things I can say about this movie. The only characters I thought were fairly true to the writing of the book were Simon Legree, Marie, and maybe Tom. Other than that I think the movie was a complete failure in bringing this classic book to life, and I recommend that you read the book instead.

The silent movie was much better
The book by H.B.S. was not intended to be about heroism or love but about the inhumanity of slavery. The author breathed life into the characters primarily to evoke sympathy for them from the reader or hatred for them in the case of Simon Legree. I saw this black and white silent movie for the first time at the age of 13. Up until that time I had only occasional contact with black people and did not understand why they were so radical about the topic of slavery. My only understanding of slavery was the Shirley Temple version and I thought black people were being overly sensitive about it. Seeing Uncle Tom's Cabin was like an awakening that changed my understand of the whole relationship between black people and slavery. The silent movie was much better at bringing across the true purpose of the novel without the hollywood slant of modern versions.

WOW!
The movie entitled Uncle Tom's Cabin was an excellent film. I am really glad that I got a chance to view it. I could watch this over and over again. I praise Tom for his courage and for him standing up for what was right although he was beaten for it plenty of times. From this particular movie I saw that not all white people were bad, and I also saw how slaves were treated back in the times of slavery. They were just sold like they were a piece of dirt and just like they weren't even human beings. I think that this is a good film to watch for anyone is learning about slavery to see what it was all about.
The movie ,Uncle Tom's Cabin, was about a man named Tom who was a devote Christian. He was free but he wasn't free. I say this because although he wasn't free physically he was free mentally. He knew he that nobody could buy his soul. Through the whole movie he stood up for what was right and spoke his mind. Although aware of the consequences he still pressed on. People like him is what makes our history. People who stood up, and didn't accept less. People who knew that nobody was better then them and that they deserved to be treated equally. He helped those who were in the time of need. The great thing about everything that happened in the movie and everything that Tom accomplished is that it wasn't fiction it was fact. It really happened.
This movie was good! I liked how Tom stood up for himself and everyone else although he got beat for it. He always did the right thing no matter what.
In conclusion I would like to say that Uncle Tom's Cabin was a great film to watch. I would rate this a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10. I would definitely love to see this movie again.

Uncle Tom'S Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin contracts the many different attitudes that southerners as well as northerners shared towards slavery. It shows the evils of slavery and the cruelty and inhumanity of the peculiar institution, in particular how masters treat their slaves and how families are torn apart because of slavery. This movie is great it really shows what happen to African Americans back in the old days how a man like Uncle Tom had so much courage that he got killed because he didn't want the two slaves to get caught by their master when they ran away. This movie really made me think why, how this could have happen in America people where getting sold like they where cars from owner to owner it made me change because it makes me think that I have it good. That I can go out and eat and they cannot tell me white's only. This movie really change my life around. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Interesting concept
Neighbors is a pretty interesting movie cause John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's roles are reversed meaning John Belushi plays the serious role while Dan Aykroyd plays the crazy role.
This movie is about a middle aged man named Earl Keese (Belushi) who is a bored suburbanite and he and wife don't speak to each other often, then a younger couple (Dan Aykroyd and Cathy Morarity) moves in next door and the fun begins.
This movie doesn't have much of a plot but it's a good way to spend an hour and a half by watching this movie, for those who want a great performance by John Belushi may not think much of this movie but I truly think that you should give this movie a try, unfortunately this was John Belushi's last movie cause a year later he died of a heroin overdose and he will always be in my heart cause he has done so much is his short lived career from Animal House, Saturday Night Live, Blues Brothers and the underrated romantic comedy Continental Divide.

I'm glad the NEIGHBORS are here to stay!
I truly love the late-John Belushi's work, seeing as his acting in "Animal House" and "The Blues Bros." were sensational, but "Neighbors" offers a different type of role for Belushi. The film has a bizarre usage of dialogue, lighting, costuming, and an exceptionally uncanny soundtrack, not to mention the twisted storyline and 110% intriguing plot. Belushi works so hard to play his serious-character and comes out looking like an pro in the end. The role was definetly for him! Aykroyd, this time, is the zany, manic "salesmen-type" personality, similar to his SNL sketches, to play Belushi's next-door neighbor. Totally humorous on the part of Aykroyd, the novelty of his character keeps the laughs going. Cathy Moriarty, from "Raging Bull" is sultry and sensual as Aykroyd's "wife.". Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. "Neighbors" is a dark, surreal jaunt as many of the fans make it out to be -- it's simply a fabulous disaster! Don't wait to watch something else -- watch "Neighbors" -- and pray a Ford Ranchero with a Red Baron biplane in back doesn't pull in to the vacant house next door!

I thought I was the only one who loved this movie
I was glad to see other favorable reviews about this movie. I saw Neighbors on cable way back when at something like 2 in the morning. Perfect time to see this movie for the first time. I loved it immediately but until now, I thought I was the only one who did. My VHS copy is long gone and I still want to see the movie again. If it ever comes out on DVD, it's going into my collection.

Another Champion of Hollywood Studio Avant-Garde
A great atmosphere movie for any Friday night, "Neighbors" is still as funny and bizarre now as it was when released. This is a wonderful companion to films such as Scorsese's "After Hours" or Dante's "The 'Burbs." An often over-looked film, "Neighbors" is a brilliant symbiosis of the comedy and thriller genre.

Earl Keese is an unimaginative Walter Mitty stuck in boring suburbia. After Captain Vic and Empress Ramona move next door, Earl begins on a 24-hour journey to save his soul -- to be released from the stagnant swamp of dead-end living -- and 9-5 working. Both Belushi and Aykroyd expand their comedy by switching their normally stereotyped roles. Oscar-Nominated (Raging Bull) Cathy Moriarty also turns in a great performance as the temptress Ramona.

The swamp scene behind Earl's house is a powerful and mythic metaphor of Earl being "sucked down" by outside forces. It's also where he becomes baptized into a "new world" where he will reign. The Gelbart script (heavily rewritten by Belushi and Aykroyd during the Writer's Guild Strike) follows many of the Joseph Campbell tests and trials of the mythic hero. In addition to story, the film also boasts some fast, screwball comedy dialogue. Here's one of the witty exchanges in the post-modern Robert Riskin vein:

Vic: We're waiting, or do I have to pound it out of you?

Earl Keese: Don't ever speak to me like that in my own house!

Vic: Why would I?

Earl Keese: You just did.

Vic: I didn't mean anything -- it's just something a guy says.

Earl Keese: I never say it.

Vic: I don't blame you.

Experience "Neighbors" with some spaghetti from Caesar's Garlic Wars, a small spaghetti and wine dealership at Valley Field Mall on Route 3, next to the Cinema-Cineplex and the Singer Sewing Center.

Oh, and for breakfast the next morning, tell your loved one: "I hope you like blueberry pancakes and little baby sausages --'cause that's what yer getting'!"

Neighbors
This is a really funny dark comedy. The last movie John Belushi made, and maybe his best. Based on the book by Thomas Berger. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

The House without A Christmas Tree
I was 13 when this movie first came out. It touched me deeply and still does. I noticed one reviewer said the filming was terrible. You have to understand that this was filmed inexpensively, in the 70's as a childrens special.It was based on the book by Gail Rock and so it was as though looking at the illustrations in a book. We didn't have all those fancy technical affects they have now. And, even if they did, that's not what the movie was about. It was about family, emotions, the simpler times. That's what touched us.It tugged at our emotions and our heart strings. We didn't need great technical affects to entertain us. And if the feeling isn't there when you view it. It never will be. So, if you're looking for fantastic special effects, this isn't the movie for you. There are plenty out there, devoid the emotions. If your looking for a movie,that will touch your inner self, then this is the movie for you. I also am pleased to have the video sequels "The Holiday Treasure" and "The Easter Promise". I only wish they'd make available on video. "Addie and the King Of Hearts". I'm hoping it can be done as there are many of us that would love to own it on video.

Gifts from the Heart
I'm another one who has waited a very long time for this nostalgic feature to be released to video. This film illustrates the true spirit of Christmas in a multi-act live drama/play form. It's not about the gifts that are bought, wrapped and boxed but rather the gifts of the spirit and the heart. It's a real tear jerker about a family and the power of Christmas gifts of love, compassion and understanding (remember those?) in a time of holiday grief. Excellent performances by Lisa Lucas, Mildred Natwick and Jason Robards as the "Grinchy", sour and emotionally distant father.

In additon to excellent acting and a heart warming story, this movie is also very well presented. There are some very artistic, yet simple visual transitions that separate each act as the narrator recounts her story of a Christmas so memorable. The painted pictures and real life image transitions creatively bring this story to life and also capture the memories for all generations to enjoy during the holiday season and all year round.

You will feel the empathic power of this holiday treasure.... and even more if you have ever lost someone you loved. If you have any Grinches in your family, this is the perfect gift.

A Warm, Televised, Childhood Memory!! I Love Gail Rock!!
This is a WONDERFUL movie...!! I remember this movie from my childhood. The watching of this movie was as much a part of our family traditions as was trimming the tree or waiting in our jammies (anxiously in bed), for Santa.

Ms. Rock has given us a tender (and sometimes bitter), look into a "yester-year" Christmas..one that was real, alive, simple and without all of the high-tech trappings of today.

It was a wish of mine that someday I would be able to watch this wonderful movie again and was THRILLED when I was able to purchase it...by the way, two other movies were released as well 1. The Holiday Treasure (purchased from Critic's Choice Video) 2. The Easter Promise (Look For Used Copies At Auction Sites Or You Can Try Critic's Choice Videos. The Holiday Treasure was originally named The Thanksgiving Treasure when it aired on television..this was Ms. Rock's title for the Thanksgiving offering. Another wonderful addition to the life of Addie (Gail Rock), Mills is a sweet offering titled Addie Mills And The King Of Hearts...This has never been released for consumer purchase....I wish it was!!

These stories are so warm and real....I am collecting the videos, the first-issue hardcovers and paperbacks of as many of the titles as I can find...I suggest that you do the same!!

Wonderful material for the entire family!! THANK YOU GAIL ROCK! WE LOVE YOU...AND ADDIE!!

A Place I love to go to
I have owned "A House Without A Christmas Tree" for several years and I watch it year around.I just watched it again.
I feel like I have gone back to my house, as a child. I was born in 35 and Addie was born in 36. Her home and school look much like mine did.
I liked the post war years and the simple Christmases that we had.
I have watched this with my grandchildren and they compare me with the grandmother and call me a smart old character.
I love everything about the movie. I love the home, the family, the Christmas season, but, my favorite part is the relationship that Addie has with her grandmother.
Who is narrating this movie?

A special place in my heart and on my video shelf
I was thrilled to get a copy of this video. It was filmed at a house across from my grade school. I remember we got to sit outside and watching filming...but our teacher told us we had to be as quiet as mice. We were. My school is also featured in the movie. I'll never forget the experience, or the movie. ... Read more

Reviews (84)

Perhaps the funniest sports comedy of all time
This is simply a hilarious movie about a hockey team fighting for its very survival in Charlestown, West Virginia. The style of hockey portrayed in the movie is Don Cherry-style "Old Time Hockey" - Sweethearts who don't like violence in sports should check out another video.
Although Paul Newman stars, it is the no-name actors (minor league hockey players in real life) who play the Hanson brothers who steal the show.
Life eventually imitated art: A couple of years after this movie came out, the Boston Bruins went into the stands to beat up fans in New York's Madison Square Garden, and, a few years later, the Montreal Canadians and Philadelphia Flyers had a huge brawl before the game even started - just like in this movie.

One of the funniest films ever!
Like USED CARS, this movie is bawdy, rude, over the top, politically incorrect, profane, gratuitous, and loving every minute of it! Newman plays the captain of a bush-league hockey team that's going down the tubes. For most of the players, it's either hockey or an assembly-line job, so Newman decides to bring in the fans with violence. He succeeds, thanks to some brilliant manipulation and a trio of hockey-playing idiot savants (mostly idiot) named the Hanson Brothers. This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The first scene where the Hanson's get off the bench (heck, EVERY scene with the Hansons) is a classic and will make you laugh until you need surgery! The DVD isn't much better than the VHS, unfortunately, as far as picture quality or features go. There are some alternate language tracks (if you're a big fan of Newman in French), but no director's commentary, etc. SEE THIS MOVIE! Every performance is hilarious and perfectly-cast. George Roy Hill (who also directed Newman in the classics BUTCH CASSIDY and THE STING) seems to just bring out Newman's best no matter what the genre. Also Strother Martin (of COOL HAND LUKE, "failure to communicate") fame, is in this and is totally hilarious!

HAT TRICK.
Many were amazed that SLAP SHOT was written by a woman when it was released in 1977. More amazing was that Nancy Dowd's original screenplay was robbed of an Oscar nomination in 1977. Dowd got the feel of the game and the players as perfect as the paint on the blue lines (her brother Ned Dowd plays the infamous Oggie Ogelthorpe in a nano-second cameo that has reverbs throughout the film). George Roy Hill works his A-list players, Newman, Strother Martin and the now heralded Hanson Brothers, into sports (not just sports films) legends. SLAP SHOT is a winner.

Baldwin needs to be a little more observant!
Um, did you perhaps fail to notice that this is an R rated movie? That usually means that there is a fair amount of coarse language, expletives, violence, nudity, etc. Just what made you think that this was a movie for children? Anyway, it's a great movie and being a *huge* Paul Newman fan, I really enjoyed seeing him in this very amusing comedy role.

Baldwin you are clueless
As a hockey player and hockey coach I can tell you one thing, you are not a hockey dad. This movie is definately one of the most hilarious sports movies ever. Don't even bother with any other hockey movie, except maybe Youngblood, because those other movies, especially Mighty Ducks (puke) is not hockey, flying V my behind (did we forget about offsides?).
The Hanson brothers were everyone's heroes. While we all wished to be Gretzky or Orr, we all wanted to be the Hansons. They are some of the best caricatures of hockey players in the 1970s. Hockey was a brutal, lawless game that while some had skating skills, most had fighting skills. It was fun growing up in the 70's and early 80's playing hockey as a kid. While playing high school and college was not quite like this movie, go see a junior game or a USHL game and this is what you'll see, albeit a bit more toned down.
Mighty Ducks - please. Give me Reg Dunlop, Killer Carlson and the Hansons - which being from Minnesota gives me pleasure seeing some hometown skaters. Enjoy the movie, enjoy the hits and the humor. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Clunes --- the family you love to hate
Rarely have I heard so much whining in a PBS series. My god, the Clunes --- everyone I knew who watched this had pretty much the same thing to say about them. Rich, priviledged and delusional, the Clunes drove us all crazy with their whining and self-serving rationalizations. They were like a car accident --- they sickened you, but you couldn't help but watch them.

Watching the Glenns on the other hand was pure agony, as you witnessed the disintegration of a marriage that appeared to be cracking up even before the Frontier House experiment. Although they proved to quite equal to the task (the Clunes, by contrast, would have had to resort to cannibalism to survive the winter), the Glenns might have ended up killing each other somewhere along the way. I suspect that the Glenns, unfortunately, depicted all too accurately many a domestic situation on the historical frontier.

If you have photographs of your 19th-century ancestors, particularly those who were sod-busters, take a good look at those faces. They are the faces of weathered, hardened people who have looked adversity in the face. Watching this series will make you understand why they looked so hardened. Of course, the Clunes never would have gotten a chance to get their portraits made, because they would be dead.

Enjoyable family entertainment.
Three very different families (the Clunes, the Glenns/Pattons, and the Brooks) leave their 2001 lives behind in favor of the 1883 Montana frontier in this highly enjoyable series by PBS. The Clunes are a modern, rich California family. The Glenns/Pattons are a semi-troubled middle class family from Tennesee. The Brooks are a young newly married couple from Boston. All are outfitted with appropriate frontier attire and left to form their own community in the style of 1883. The children were what really amazed me about this show. They all pretty much came as spoiled brats whining about missing TV and Nintendo, and by the time they had to leave to go back to their 2001 lives, they were all crying and not wanting to leave. Although I think the Glenns had the best shot at making it throughout the winter (the mom of the family is tough as nails--a necessary quality to lasting on the frontier), my favorite family was the Clunes. They seemed to enjoy it the most, and the husband and wife had a wonderful, enviable relationship. There are 3 videos, with 2 30 minute episodes each. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Paul Newman and his Butch Cassidy director, George Roy Hill, made a very original comedy in this 1977 story of an over-the-hill player/coach (Newman) for a lousy hockey team who gets results when he teaches his players to get dirty. One of the most hilariously profane movies ever to come out of Hollywood, this is the kind of film that makes its own rules as it goes along. Newman is very good, and while Hill goes for the gusto in terms of capturing the violence of this world, his instinct for comedy has never been sharper. Great support from Strother Martin, Paul Dooley, and the rest. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (84)

Perhaps the funniest sports comedy of all time
This is simply a hilarious movie about a hockey team fighting for its very survival in Charlestown, West Virginia. The style of hockey portrayed in the movie is Don Cherry-style "Old Time Hockey" - Sweethearts who don't like violence in sports should check out another video.
Although Paul Newman stars, it is the no-name actors (minor league hockey players in real life) who play the Hanson brothers who steal the show.
Life eventually imitated art: A couple of years after this movie came out, the Boston Bruins went into the stands to beat up fans in New York's Madison Square Garden, and, a few years later, the Montreal Canadians and Philadelphia Flyers had a huge brawl before the game even started - just like in this movie.

One of the funniest films ever!
Like USED CARS, this movie is bawdy, rude, over the top, politically incorrect, profane, gratuitous, and loving every minute of it! Newman plays the captain of a bush-league hockey team that's going down the tubes. For most of the players, it's either hockey or an assembly-line job, so Newman decides to bring in the fans with violence. He succeeds, thanks to some brilliant manipulation and a trio of hockey-playing idiot savants (mostly idiot) named the Hanson Brothers. This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The first scene where the Hanson's get off the bench (heck, EVERY scene with the Hansons) is a classic and will make you laugh until you need surgery! The DVD isn't much better than the VHS, unfortunately, as far as picture quality or features go. There are some alternate language tracks (if you're a big fan of Newman in French), but no director's commentary, etc. SEE THIS MOVIE! Every performance is hilarious and perfectly-cast. George Roy Hill (who also directed Newman in the classics BUTCH CASSIDY and THE STING) seems to just bring out Newman's best no matter what the genre. Also Strother Martin (of COOL HAND LUKE, "failure to communicate") fame, is in this and is totally hilarious!

HAT TRICK.
Many were amazed that SLAP SHOT was written by a woman when it was released in 1977. More amazing was that Nancy Dowd's original screenplay was robbed of an Oscar nomination in 1977. Dowd got the feel of the game and the players as perfect as the paint on the blue lines (her brother Ned Dowd plays the infamous Oggie Ogelthorpe in a nano-second cameo that has reverbs throughout the film). George Roy Hill works his A-list players, Newman, Strother Martin and the now heralded Hanson Brothers, into sports (not just sports films) legends. SLAP SHOT is a winner.

Baldwin needs to be a little more observant!
Um, did you perhaps fail to notice that this is an R rated movie? That usually means that there is a fair amount of coarse language, expletives, violence, nudity, etc. Just what made you think that this was a movie for children? Anyway, it's a great movie and being a *huge* Paul Newman fan, I really enjoyed seeing him in this very amusing comedy role.

Baldwin you are clueless
As a hockey player and hockey coach I can tell you one thing, you are not a hockey dad. This movie is definately one of the most hilarious sports movies ever. Don't even bother with any other hockey movie, except maybe Youngblood, because those other movies, especially Mighty Ducks (puke) is not hockey, flying V my behind (did we forget about offsides?).
The Hanson brothers were everyone's heroes. While we all wished to be Gretzky or Orr, we all wanted to be the Hansons. They are some of the best caricatures of hockey players in the 1970s. Hockey was a brutal, lawless game that while some had skating skills, most had fighting skills. It was fun growing up in the 70's and early 80's playing hockey as a kid. While playing high school and college was not quite like this movie, go see a junior game or a USHL game and this is what you'll see, albeit a bit more toned down.
Mighty Ducks - please. Give me Reg Dunlop, Killer Carlson and the Hansons - which being from Minnesota gives me pleasure seeing some hometown skaters. Enjoy the movie, enjoy the hits and the humor. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Family Reunion a Must for those who love fall and winter
Not only is Davis wonderful, but the house she lives in as well as her kitchen are breathtaking. I watch this movie around mid-november as the extrior shots are quite beautful as well. Davis's house in the tv movie is now a Holocaust Memorial to the jewish people who died under hitler in world war two. The scene where she is walking into town is now the entrance that preserve. I hope and pray that some day this movie will be out on DVD format. Future star Paul Rudd...makes his acting debut in this made for tv movie. This show is a JOY to watch. I give it five stars

A family's reunion to dysfunction
I remeber seeing this on TV when I was growning up, and I liked it. Davis is magnificient as the matriarch of a family with problems (which family doesn't!). She is at home in this New England setting, baking bread and stirring up trouble. She is desperately trying to keep her family together, despite their resistance. It is a good movie to watch as the weather gets colder, as I remeber the interior sets being cozy, and the exterior shots are gorgeous of the New England Fall. It is also a good film to watch before the holidays, to possibly examine your own family's issues, and how you would (or wouldn't) want to deal with them. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

EXCITING MOVIE FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS
This is an exciting and intelligent film for everyone. Do not let
the box cover art make you think this is a kiddie film only. It
is a neat little film that teaches many lessons. D.A.R.Y.L. is
actually a child robot that is too perfect a child and a scient
ist working with him wants him to have a life outside the gov
ernment lab. D.A.R.Y.L. winds up with a foster family, makes a
life long friend has an exciting finale. This is a uniformly
well-made and acted film with excellent special effects on what
was a shoe-string budget. This film is as enjoyable as most of
Disney's big budget offerings. Also it shows that a wonderful
film without gratuitous trash and language can be made.
The film works so well because of the performance of Barrett
Oliver as D.A.R.Y.L. He gives the presence of the perfect, loving child. He also was in The Neverending Story and Cocoon
parts one and two. Strangely he seems to have disappeared from
film in his teens. I would like to see him in more films

d.a.r.y.l.
from the first time i saw this film,i knew this was a great family movie.has a very good story line and excitement for all ages.paramount is brining this film out on dvd sometime in 2004.hope it will be in widescreen.check it out,you'll love it!

A Good Movie!!!
I remember watching D.A.R.Y.L in the 80's and thinking it was a cute movie that has humor mixed with drama and a great cast, Barrett Oliver (The Never Ending Story), Michael McKean (Laverne and Shirley) and Mary Beth Hurt (Chilly Scenes of Winter) and is about a robot made to look like a little boy who is set free by a scientist and sent to live with foster parents who at first have no clue that he isn't a real little boy. I don't want to give too much away but I think this is a cute movie and I recommend it but I wish they'd put it on DVD (Widescreen)!

One of the best movies of the 80s
Long before Steven Spielberg's A.I. came out in the summer of 2001,there was a film that came out in 1985 called D.A.R.Y.L.which is way better then A.I.I grew up on this film since the age of 4 years old and it's still wonderful to me even at the age of 22.While A.I. is a good film,it lacks the warmth,awe and the wonder that Daryl had.His name stands of Data Analyzing Robot Youth Lifeform and noone,not even Daryl himself knows he's a robot,they just think of him as a normal boy with extraordinary talents.Daryl is a warm and touching film not only for childern but for adults too.

miraculous
Barret Oliver, who plays DARYL, is one of the greatest child actors in my opinion. This movie is not only heartwarming, but intreaging. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Winds of Kitty Hawk
I am delighted to find this excellent biography of Orville and Wilbur Wright and their struggles, defeats and eventual triumph in the invention of the airplane. I am ordering it for a Christmas gift for my 15-year-old Godson. There is so much junk all over the place these days, but very little that inspires young boys to aspire to greater things than rock and roll bands! I have seen it on television twice and found it as interesting the second time as the first. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

The House without A Christmas Tree
I was 13 when this movie first came out. It touched me deeply and still does. I noticed one reviewer said the filming was terrible. You have to understand that this was filmed inexpensively, in the 70's as a childrens special.It was based on the book by Gail Rock and so it was as though looking at the illustrations in a book. We didn't have all those fancy technical affects they have now. And, even if they did, that's not what the movie was about. It was about family, emotions, the simpler times. That's what touched us.It tugged at our emotions and our heart strings. We didn't need great technical affects to entertain us. And if the feeling isn't there when you view it. It never will be. So, if you're looking for fantastic special effects, this isn't the movie for you. There are plenty out there, devoid the emotions. If your looking for a movie,that will touch your inner self, then this is the movie for you. I also am pleased to have the video sequels "The Holiday Treasure" and "The Easter Promise". I only wish they'd make available on video. "Addie and the King Of Hearts". I'm hoping it can be done as there are many of us that would love to own it on video.

Gifts from the Heart
I'm another one who has waited a very long time for this nostalgic feature to be released to video. This film illustrates the true spirit of Christmas in a multi-act live drama/play form. It's not about the gifts that are bought, wrapped and boxed but rather the gifts of the spirit and the heart. It's a real tear jerker about a family and the power of Christmas gifts of love, compassion and understanding (remember those?) in a time of holiday grief. Excellent performances by Lisa Lucas, Mildred Natwick and Jason Robards as the "Grinchy", sour and emotionally distant father.

In additon to excellent acting and a heart warming story, this movie is also very well presented. There are some very artistic, yet simple visual transitions that separate each act as the narrator recounts her story of a Christmas so memorable. The painted pictures and real life image transitions creatively bring this story to life and also capture the memories for all generations to enjoy during the holiday season and all year round.

You will feel the empathic power of this holiday treasure.... and even more if you have ever lost someone you loved. If you have any Grinches in your family, this is the perfect gift.

A Warm, Televised, Childhood Memory!! I Love Gail Rock!!
This is a WONDERFUL movie...!! I remember this movie from my childhood. The watching of this movie was as much a part of our family traditions as was trimming the tree or waiting in our jammies (anxiously in bed), for Santa.

Ms. Rock has given us a tender (and sometimes bitter), look into a "yester-year" Christmas..one that was real, alive, simple and without all of the high-tech trappings of today.

It was a wish of mine that someday I would be able to watch this wonderful movie again and was THRILLED when I was able to purchase it...by the way, two other movies were released as well 1. The Holiday Treasure (purchased from Critic's Choice Video) 2. The Easter Promise (Look For Used Copies At Auction Sites Or You Can Try Critic's Choice Videos. The Holiday Treasure was originally named The Thanksgiving Treasure when it aired on television..this was Ms. Rock's title for the Thanksgiving offering. Another wonderful addition to the life of Addie (Gail Rock), Mills is a sweet offering titled Addie Mills And The King Of Hearts...This has never been released for consumer purchase....I wish it was!!

These stories are so warm and real....I am collecting the videos, the first-issue hardcovers and paperbacks of as many of the titles as I can find...I suggest that you do the same!!

Wonderful material for the entire family!! THANK YOU GAIL ROCK! WE LOVE YOU...AND ADDIE!!

A Place I love to go to
I have owned "A House Without A Christmas Tree" for several years and I watch it year around.I just watched it again.
I feel like I have gone back to my house, as a child. I was born in 35 and Addie was born in 36. Her home and school look much like mine did.
I liked the post war years and the simple Christmases that we had.
I have watched this with my grandchildren and they compare me with the grandmother and call me a smart old character.
I love everything about the movie. I love the home, the family, the Christmas season, but, my favorite part is the relationship that Addie has with her grandmother.
Who is narrating this movie?

A special place in my heart and on my video shelf
I was thrilled to get a copy of this video. It was filmed at a house across from my grade school. I remember we got to sit outside and watching filming...but our teacher told us we had to be as quiet as mice. We were. My school is also featured in the movie. I'll never forget the experience, or the movie. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Flawed but Fascinating Film
Fact: Michael Moriarty is simply incapable of being boring---even when miscast as he is here and saddled with an absurd New England accent that makes him sound like the Stage Manager in Our Town. In spite of these factors, I found my eyes glued on him for the length of this film---ditto for Blythe Danner, an actress of equal intelligence, sensitivity, and grace who is also miscast. These two youthful performers (the film was made 24 years ago) portray middle-aged suburbanites who, despite the presence of numerous children (one college-aged who looks older than her father)seem to have nothing better to do than ask each other questions like "Have you taken a lover?" Nevertheless, there are fascinating moments here: a couple of love scenes (too short for my money), a touching scene in which the couple announce their impending divorce to their children (if only the camera had been closer to the actors' faces) and a brief but delightful scene with Glenn Close--who looks about 18--making eyes at Mr. Moriarty.

A Tale of Woes; Will They Get Back Together Again? Hope So!!
What do you think of "Too Far To Go" that's about a 20-year marriage splitting up because of their mutual soft-spoken stupidity and cruelty to each other (mostly from her to him?)! Just "too far to go" to reach across to each other. The story held my interest. I kept hoping they would recommit to their marriage. The ending was nice; had you thinking "well maybe", if they each grew up first.

This movie was made in 1978; it's summertime; scenery pleasant. This is a marriage set in the late '50s or '60s). The story was full of "come to me" and "go away", so the viewer is always hoping and groaning for Richard and Joan. You wanted to shake them yell "wake up and be nice to each other again."

What beautiful actors these two were. Joan Maple (Blythe Danner)is so slim and pretty, but cruel in the way she casually torments her husband, Richard (37-year old actor, pretty-boyish faced, Michael Moriarty, playing a husband in his mid-40s). (Ever wish the English language had words that meant masculine beauty?) Richard needed less compulsiveness too. Michael Moriarty was so good playing this seemingly vulnerable, basically uncomplicated, "what's happening to my world" man. In the story, Richard and Joan are missing each other constantly by not tuning in to each other.

I thought it was sweet and very effective to have the flash back scenes during their marriage. Just change the actor's hair, and Richard was 20-years younger man again with that smooth face and boyish grin. In one flash back of their wedding, Joan says, "You didn't kiss me." Nice story; intersting ending! As the judge said after verifying their signatures, "Well then, good luck to you." AND then, Richard forgets "too far to go" and slowly and timidly leans toward Joan to kiss her this time. A neat place and way to end the movie. Truly makes you hope they might have a good chance to "live happily ever after ..." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wounderful
Wounderful!
I`ve seen it today on TV, and I love it.It is such a lovely, lively and romantic story.
Perfect for cold winter mornigs!;)
Beeing twelve years old could be hard, but to have such selfish parents who don't care about their kids this must be horrible. It is a good movie for kids and older one's, because it shows so much of life of a teenager, whose parents are splited. And Jamie( Jeremy L.) is such a sweet guy, that as a girl you can't swich off.

A Cautionary Tale About Divorce
Trini Alvarado and Jeremy Levy play a couple of twelve year old New York City kids going to one of the better schools. Both of the characters have parents getting a divorce or are divorced. The parents fight quite a bit, so much so that they don't pay attention as the kids spend more and more time together. Jeremy's father directs commercials and he is very much into the 70's love the one you're with mentality (pre-AIDS). He gives Jeremy free access to his swinging bachelor pad where he romances trini. By the time both sets of parents realize that the kids have used the neglect to set themself up for a weekend of adult free entertainment, the kids are naked and in the hot tub. Will the parents arrive in time? Watch and see.

a little dated, but worth it
This movie is a wonderfully stereotypical example of teen angest from the 80s. Splendid film about rich kids whose parents are headed through a semi-tumultuous divorce, and how they "survive" it all (it aint easy being rich). ... 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 (1)

Aussies make good flicks
Yes, I liked Romper Stomper too. Although this well done, carefully developing sleeper is not for the prudish (dressing room nudity) it is not a kick in the brains like Romper Stomper.
It takes on some variant social issues, however. Gotta love those Aussies, oi oi! uh oi! ... Read more

Description

Frank, a somewhat successful professor at a technology school, listens to old songs on his tape machine and wanders back to scenes of his youth in World War II England. His is a journey of love and resentment, humor and bitterness, and the discovery that "we only seem to understand people... when there’s no longer a need." The New York Times’ John J. O’Connor hailed this comedy as "masterly, often extraordinary... another outstanding example of how well theater can work on television when it’s intelligently handled." Stars Oscar®-nominees Tom Hulce (Amadeus) and Geraldine Fitzgerald (Arthur). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wounderful
Wounderful!
I`ve seen it today on TV, and I love it.It is such a lovely, lively and romantic story.
Perfect for cold winter mornigs!;)
Beeing twelve years old could be hard, but to have such selfish parents who don't care about their kids this must be horrible. It is a good movie for kids and older one's, because it shows so much of life of a teenager, whose parents are splited. And Jamie( Jeremy L.) is such a sweet guy, that as a girl you can't swich off.

A Cautionary Tale About Divorce
Trini Alvarado and Jeremy Levy play a couple of twelve year old New York City kids going to one of the better schools. Both of the characters have parents getting a divorce or are divorced. The parents fight quite a bit, so much so that they don't pay attention as the kids spend more and more time together. Jeremy's father directs commercials and he is very much into the 70's love the one you're with mentality (pre-AIDS). He gives Jeremy free access to his swinging bachelor pad where he romances trini. By the time both sets of parents realize that the kids have used the neglect to set themself up for a weekend of adult free entertainment, the kids are naked and in the hot tub. Will the parents arrive in time? Watch and see.

a little dated, but worth it
This movie is a wonderfully stereotypical example of teen angest from the 80s. Splendid film about rich kids whose parents are headed through a semi-tumultuous divorce, and how they "survive" it all (it aint easy being rich). ... Read more

Description

Robert Altman presents this funny, sensitive depiction of divorce as seen through the eyes of two 12-year-olds, amid their adolescent growing pains and sexual awakenings. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wounderful
Wounderful!
I`ve seen it today on TV, and I love it.It is such a lovely, lively and romantic story.
Perfect for cold winter mornigs!;)
Beeing twelve years old could be hard, but to have such selfish parents who don't care about their kids this must be horrible. It is a good movie for kids and older one's, because it shows so much of life of a teenager, whose parents are splited. And Jamie( Jeremy L.) is such a sweet guy, that as a girl you can't swich off.

A Cautionary Tale About Divorce
Trini Alvarado and Jeremy Levy play a couple of twelve year old New York City kids going to one of the better schools. Both of the characters have parents getting a divorce or are divorced. The parents fight quite a bit, so much so that they don't pay attention as the kids spend more and more time together. Jeremy's father directs commercials and he is very much into the 70's love the one you're with mentality (pre-AIDS). He gives Jeremy free access to his swinging bachelor pad where he romances trini. By the time both sets of parents realize that the kids have used the neglect to set themself up for a weekend of adult free entertainment, the kids are naked and in the hot tub. Will the parents arrive in time? Watch and see.

a little dated, but worth it
This movie is a wonderfully stereotypical example of teen angest from the 80s. Splendid film about rich kids whose parents are headed through a semi-tumultuous divorce, and how they "survive" it all (it aint easy being rich). ... Read more