Reviews (31)

Meant to be stupid.
I have to say this is one of the most stupid movies I have ever seen. However, it is also one of the funniest movies I have ever seen cause it is so stupid. It's one of those movies where you expect either a dopy kids movie or a good Disney movie, then when you watch it you're all, "STUUUUPID" and roll on the floor laughing...cause you can't believe all the stupid stuff that's going on. And the lousy plot just made it even more funny. By the way, this was probably the only movie Paul Walker was actually good in cause he didn't have to act which seems to be his talent so it fit his surfing image purfect. Very funny but sadly overlooked when it came out so it's even hard to come accross someone who saw it. Oh, it has a bit of crude humor that wasn't needed in such a dopey film, especially one made for kids. But I personaly think young adults would have more fun with this film than kids or adults 30+. Just cause kids don't get it and could care less and older adults would just take it too seriously and spit all over it.

Best Movie
I love to watch this movie with my friends we can watch it over and over and over again it just makes us laugh and thats what a movie should do.

Honestly, If you want to stay sane.
never watch this movie, no plot, no nothing, stupid immature jokes, and everything. Seriously, disney must've been on some drugs when the agreed to make this....

so stupid it's funny
The only reason why this movie was enjoyable is because it was so stupid, it was funny. That about it. This movie had almost no plot, but stupid jokes. Some dialogue was a little too adult for a Disney movie. The adult humor made it unacceptable for the little children, and the lack of plot made it unviewable for adults. Well, there still is some major humor in this movie and i would reccomend it if you need a good laugh.

Meet the Deedles rocks!
I don't get it...like no one has ever seen this movie, it is so funny and really good. I love it me and my best friend watch it all the time and I had a lot of fun with my friends watching this movie, everyone should see it. ... Read more

Reviews (132)

Put Four On The Floor And Pedal To The Metal
The original Fast And The Furious film took me by surprise. I found myself enjoying it more than I should have. Its fast cars, crazy stunts, and brooding stars, made for an entertaining guilty pleasure. I am pleased to say that, the sequel, despite Vin Diesel's abscence, continues that trend.

Due to his actions at the end of the last movie, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), is now an ex undercover cop, and on the run from the law himself. As he tries to stay ahead of his pursuers, his travels take him to Miami, where he has become part of an outlaw street racing ring. After he is caught by the feds, in order to clear his record, O'Connor agrees to help take down a ruthless drug kingpin (Cole Hauser). Calling on his childhood friend Roman (Tyrese), to be his partner, the two team up with a lovely undercover agent (Eva Mendes) to try and topple an empire.

Director John Singleton doesn't mess with the successful formula of the first film one bit. 2 Fast 2 Furious has plenty of cool cars, far out driving stunts, and a bevy of beauties, to make it work. When I heard that Diesel was not going to be in this film, I didn't know if it would be as good. Actually, the film benefits from him not being a part of it, and allows Walker to prove he can carry a film. The plot seems like a natural progression and "new blood" Tyrese and Mendez offer up something fresh to the series.

The DVD includes a short film that takes viewers from the end of the first film, right up to the start of the second, showing O'Connor on the run. This music video style short is a neat idea for a film like this. Singleton provides a solid audio commentary track for the movie. Inside 2 Fast 2 Furious is an electronic press kit style featurette that's ok. But what's even better are the other featurettes called "Supercharged Stunts", "Driving School With The Cast" and learning the art of "Tricking Out a Hot Import Car" The deleted scenes and outtakes make some "noise" but requires only one viewing really. There's also a fun animated anecdotes trivia track, a behind the scenes look at how rapper Ludacris made some music for the soundtrack, and a sneak peek trailer for The Fast and the Furious video game. The DVD has not one but 3 main menus, each one has access to additional bonus material based on a character from the film.

2 Fast 2 Furious is another fine, leave your brain at the door and just go with it, kind of film. If you know that going in...you will have a good time.

More like a Model T
2 Fast 2 Furious is a stupefying glance into Hollywood. It seems to represent a new kind of filmmaking where the bare minimum will do, revealing a real contempt for even the popcorn movie audience.

The film shouldn't be expected to do much to begin with. If you ever saw the preview, you'd think it was supposed to be stupid, summer fun. There's nothing wrong with that, everyone grew up with popcorn summer movies in their lives, whether it was the 70s, 80s, 90s, whatever. But this is a new chapter, I think. The line between good video games and movies like this has been completely blurred. I found the film so inept in even the intended aims, that I sat open-mouthed, speechless, watching the film unfold in what seemed like three times its actual length.

I don't know where to begin. The first film was what it was, a summer popcorn movie with fast, silly street machines racing, Vin Diesel inventing a career, and that was about it. A sequel was almost a no-brainer, indeed.

First off, I'm in disbelief that this was directed by John Singleton. A promising young black director back when Boyz in the Hood appeared, he has now been completely neutralized by Hollywood. After all, why should white directors have a monopoly on crap? I can only hope Singleton was paid well for his troubles, as I believe his does have some talent.

The film takes place in Miami, where the 'hero' of the original, no longer a copy, is now living a subsistence life street-racing. He gets involved with some Cuban drug barons and an old friend who wound up in jail, etc, etc. It doesn't matter. The story and plotting are so ludicrous, it doesn't matter. There isn't even an attempt at credibility, so I guess some credit is deserved. In fact, the only way to really watch a movie like this and even try to enjoy it is to completely disregard any story or plot, and just trust that the dots somehow connect, at least on paper. Speaking of Ludacris, he appears as some kind of heavily-connected gangsta thug who promotes these street races in neighborhoods the cops don't even bother patrolling.

But the main draw of the film is the car chases, and the cars. And I have to say, even in this, they've pretty much failed to deliver. Yes, there are some wild street machines. And there are plenty of chases. But only a couple of stunts impress at all. There appeared to be so much trickery involving the scenes, it was disappointing and lame. The opener says it all. I don't know how they've done it, but the shots of the drivers in their cars look very fake and processed. Sure, I know the actors aren't driving, but you can tell digital fakery was involved, and if you look closely, there is a dearth of scenery from real, actual, impressive stunt driving. It looks boring, and that's the real crime.

The acting is appalling on all fronts. The only person of any note or credibility is James Remar, character actor extraordinaire, always with a menacing face. He has a side role. The two main stars are so bad, the film at times resembles a reading for the film, as opposed to the film. They both look like male models saying lines, and indeed, at least one of them is.

If you like video games, go and play Midnight Club Street Racing 2, or Burnout and its sequels, because they are the equivalent of watching this film. No, they're better, because you can control them, and end them when you wish. That it can't even deliver on the very simple, guilty-pleasure front it looks to be on is the real crime of 2 Fast.

Not recommended, except if you're a car addict, and at least the film has a lot of extras.

Mediocre sequel, although final 20 minutes aren't too bad
The original FAST AND THE FURIOUS was brainless but reasonably entertaining, with a charismatic performance by Vin Diesel, a fairly interesting plot, and some very well-done action scenes. This inevitable sequel, starring Paul Walker (who played second fiddle to Diesel's character in the original) and Tyrese (as Diesel's "replacement"), hardly approaches the highs of the first film at all until the last 20 minutes or so, when 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS truly comes alive with a fun-to-watch car chase scene, some ingenuity, and some momentum. Until then, it's pretty mediocre, with a cookie-cutter plot, some wince-inducing dialogue (which tries way too hard to be "cool"), and bland car racing scenes. Thanks to Tyrese, who brings considerable energy and charisma to a badly underwritten but important role, it's still fairly watchable overall, but at least with THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS I wasn't annoyed with the dialogue and bored with the plot. Action fans can easily skip this one.

Awesome
This is a great movie. Everybody's saying "OH ITS SOOOO UNREALISTIC SO IT SUCKS". So wait... just because its unreleastic means it automatically sucks? Wrong answer. The movie that does suck is Lord Of The Rings, kill that movie and watch this. Peace out.

The Fast and The Furious is way better than this one
I cannot feel the quality of the film, although there are expensive cars. The story line is so so and the charactors didn't put much effor during filming. In The Fast and The Furious, I can feel the love, the friendship, the leadership and the emotion of Dominic's heart. In this movie, I felt that those racers are more like "gangs" rather than "teams". The friendship between 2 main charactors is just too weak to hold the story up. ... Read more

Description

An irresistible cast of Hollywood's young faces star in this fun, sexy comedy hit about the power of attraction and the pressures of popularity! Stung when his bombshell girlfriend abruptly dumps him for a TV celebrity, big man on campus Zack Siler (Freddie Prinze Jr., I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER) wagers with a classmate he can quickly turn any girl -- even the school's biggest geek, Laney Boggs (Rachel Leigh Cook, LIVING OUT LOUD) -- into the prom queen! He wasn't, however, betting on falling in love! After an amazing makeover, Laney is transformed from nobody to knockout ... but when she learns of Zack's deception, it could ruin any chance he had with his newfound dream girl! With a hip, modern soundtrack and a hilarious story that audiences loved, this great comedy is all that ... and more! ... Read more

Reviews (291)

Pygmalion '99
Let's get one thing straight before I make my critique: for those who are expecting an earnest depiction of high school students and high school life, look elsewhere. "She's All That" is as over-the-top as it can get and the movie ironically contains random jokes and parodies about supposedly realistic programs as well, namely the MTV-spawned reality show "The Real World" and its progeny series "Road Rules". This movie is all in good fun but it does manage to hint at a good deal of real life trifles that particular people suffer in that highly-influential and barely survivable place that we geeks and outsiders call "high school". Well, maybe not "high school" (probably closer to HELL), but anyone who was picked on or unjustifiably ostracized gets the picture.

The endearing Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze, Jr. star in this sugary ditty about a dude named Zack Silar (Prinze) who is ditched by his long-time armpiece Taylor Vaughn (O'Keefe) only six weeks before the prom. He suffers public humiliation in front of his jock companions and, moreover, the entire school. His less-than-sympathetic pal Dean (Walker) proposes a bet which the illustrious school president can't pass up: Dean will hand-pick the geekiest girl in the school and within the time allotted, Zack must transform her into a mega-babe and make her more than eligible for the elite status of prom queen. The deal is on and within only two minutes of searching, the "scary and inaccessible" Laney Boggs (Cook) makes her appearance by falling flat on her face in the courtyard - Dean has found his guinea pig. From here, Prinze and Cook do the traditional and recycled theme of geek-to-goddess. Suspension of disbelief is a pre-requisite for this transformation - the pretty and petite Cook is hardly an ugly duckling by any standard, her luminous brown eyes and almost pixie-ish beauty a complete distraction, even when she is supposed to look mousy (tortoiseshell glasses, stringy hair, sloppy clothes, etc.). Prinze comes off humble and sweet even when he is trying to be suave and arrogant, but this doesn't ruin anything. We rather want to see him that way because we want to believe that he really does care about Laney and that his reputation is the last thing on his mind. Prinze does this remarkably well. Matthew Lillard of "Scream" fame is a riot as a fictitious Real World cast member Brock Landers, a character that is obviously modeled from the obnoxious and insensitive Puck from Real World San Francisco. Of course, he's a lot more likeable because his character is a complete farce and Lillard almost steals the show. Almost unbearable is Paul Walker as Dean Sampson, the narcissistic jock who places the bet with Zack and manipulates it in his favor. Walker's delivery is so forced and obtuse that one would believe that is truly HIS nature and not just his character. Jodi Lyn O'Keefe is a comedic queen as the vacuous Taylor Vaughn, and Kieran Culkin and Eldin Ratliff are again part of the same cast list (The Mighty) but this time as Laney's younger brother Simon and her best friend Jesse, respectively. If you watch closely during a particular lunchroom scene, you will see Prinze's fiancé and "Buffy" TV star Sarah Michelle Gellar make a brief cameo.

"She's All That" borrows a lot of old themes but still remains fresh because of its enthusiastic cast and an above average script. If teen fluff is your fave, direct yourselves towards cookie-cutter flicks like "Down To You", "Ten Things I Hate About You", "Can't Hardly Wait" and the all-time classic "Clueless". If you want some BIG laughs, rent "American Pie" and watch for its sequel, due out August 10th. Lastly, if you really want to see Prinze show off his acting gams, rent "The House of Yes".

Oh God, not another one!
Here is another movie in which a guy makes a bet about girl, falls in love with girl, then girl finds out, etc. There have to have been at least 40 other movies and tv shows with this plot. Honestly, I would advise you to avoid all movies that have Freddie Prinze Jr. as their star. Every one that I have seen is rubbish.

In this movie, popular guy/jock Zack(Freddie Prinze Jr.) gets dumped by his self-absorbed witch of a girlfriend Taylor(how can you like a character who would go out with her?) for a rude self-absorbed tv star named Brock. While reeling from this shocking breakup, he makes a bet with a jerk friend of his(Okay, how did they become friends?) named Dean. The bet is that he can take any girl and make her a prom queen within the eight weeks before the prom. His "friend" picks out Laney, a misfit artist with horn-rimmed glasses and an extremely unbecoming haircut, played by Rachel Leigh Cook. A relative of mine glanced at the cover that features a photo of her and, after hearing a brief plot summary, said, "Oh, yeah right, like she could be a geek."

However, Cook manages it so well at the beginning that I found it difficult not to consider her a freak. Especially after the 'preforming arts' cafe scene. Anyway, Laney ends up flowering into a beautiful girl who gets nominated as prom queen (big surprise, huh?). The other nominee? Zack's old girlfriend Taylor.

Poor Zack begins to fall in love with Laney, but, unfortunately for him, his 'buddy' Dean decides that the new Laney is totally hot and tells her all about the bet. He omits the fact that it was his idea and that he selected her as the victim. Must have slipped his mind. Laney is shocked and hurt. Gee, what will happen? Will Zack be able to win her back? Ooh, that's a tough one. Oh, there is also a milisecond appearance by Sarah Michelle Gellar. This really does nothing to improve the movie. I suggest that you save your money.

Yuck
First of all, the main character, the dorky girl, isn't ugly. The "popular girl" is not very good looking and there is no way any of these people are highschool aged. This film is also totally sexist.

The jist of this movie was that there is a dork, everyone treats her like crap they make her all pretty (They take of a pair of thick glasses...WOW) and then she lives happily ever after with the jerk that bet everyone he could turn her into prom queen. Charming. Kind of reminds of of Ten Things I Hate about you does it not? A film which I also dislike.

it's all bad
This is the last ripple in the wave of teenage movies that gripped the nation in the late 1990s. A la Pygmalion, My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman, a girl looked down by general society gets a makeover by a respected man and everyone loves her. yay!

But this is the most boring version yet! It is nice that Freddie Prinze Jr's character is a popular jock who is also on the honor roll -- but that's it for changes and surprises. Unless you count the fact that everyone at the prom does a synchronized choreographed dance. Watch if it is on TV, but don't spend actual money on it.

This exemplifies what is bad about "teen movies"
Not only is this film completely predictable, it is also entirely implausible. Cook is simply NOT believable as the "ugly duckling." The characterizations are one-dimensional, and the plot twists are as stagey and disconnected as would be in a high school skit.

Is it any wonder that this was the primary source for "Not Another Teen Movie"? ... Read more

Reviews (127)

Time warp in modern times
Based on Michael Crichton's novel of transposing modern day humans back into medieval times, it follows the book nicely. Personally I would much rather have seen a film of the trilogy written by Stephen Donaldson on the same hyposis and along similar times, one of which is titled A MAN RIDES THROUGH. Both usemirrors to achieve the time warp experience from medieval to this century.

This story takes place in 1971 where a diverse group of archaeology students, working under the auspices of ITC in New Mexico, are involved in excavating the ruins of Castlegard in France. Their professor has disappeared and, using a
wormhole in a wooded area, are transported back in time to rescue him. They have six hours in our concept of time and given markers to use for their return within that timeline.

Arriving on April 4, 1357, the day of a French attack on this particular castle, we see a lot of action. Only the modern men showed fear in combat. William Decker, stranded there 400 years in the past because of transcription errors, exemplified the savage cruelty which is second nature in a hostile environment. He showed this young group 'the price we pay' for discovery, that knowledge of history depends upon survival. One thing worse than dying here is living here, they were told.

This film uses a primitive set of castle grounds complete with thatched roof. The church at the base of a mountain on which a fortress stood contained a tomb of a couple holding hands in death. In the modern scene, the female student was intrigued with the dead man having only one ear. The mystery is revealed
during the fireworks of a fierce battle that evening.

One of their group was ready to change history over a woman; instead, he spends 25 years back in time to die in 1382. Andre Merick had his ear cut off and stayed behind with his love, Lady Clare.

You've just got to see the Greek fire used in this fight in the name of justice. They were told, "God is on your side." The night arrows turned the tide. A lot of fire was used.

Because of the timeline (6 hrs. down to a few minutes) for anyone to safely return, a battle was also going on in the lab as time runs out. You must see the entire episode to discover who indeed returns and who is lost. "Well done, my Lord."

Zero artistic effort here
What a lazy, sophomoric effort by Richard Donner. I read Timeline a few years ago and I recall enjoying it. It wasn't great literature, but it was fast and fun and I looked forward to the film version. I regret to report that I honestly can't think of one single redeeming feature in this sorry excuse of a film. A script that butchers the book, which is amazing in itself. Crichton practically writes his novels for the screen these days. Uninspired directing. In the past Donner has given us some fine work like Ladyhawk and Lethal Weapon. It was painfully obvious that the person who made this turd just did not care if it was good or not. The cast was barely adequate, with only Gerard Butler making any kind of impression. The action scenes were cable TV quality, as were the sets and costumes. How bad was this movie? Congo (another Crichton novel that was mugged by the filmakers), by comparison, was a good movie. Zero artistic effort here. Sub-zero, if there is such a thing.

Could have been better
Abraham doesnt sound like too intelligent of a reviewer so I will try and make sense of it.

The movie is entertaining, if LOOSELY based off the incredible book by Michael Crichton. (Abraham, i suggest you read the book before blathering off about something you know nothing about)

There are plot holes, bad acting, and less than stellar wardrobes. But if you have read the book, it is still entertaining to see the characters on screen and see the story in action.

in my bottom 5, occupying # 2.
Book? I don't know about any book, I'm talking about the movie. I can't believe someone even dared to share this crapp with us.

Filled with flaws, TERRIBLE acting, stupid plot (ergo stupid screenplay), cheap unbelievable custome design, cheesy, artless, mindless, insulting, etc. etc. etc.

I wish I'd watch it more recently so I could make a list for you of all the flaws, mistakes, nonsense presented in this rubbish. I can remember an example though:

When the archeologists are discovering that new "whatever" underground, the girls says: "Who would destroy such a beautiful piece of art?" (the stone). Then, when they are back in middle age, she is infront of the stone and she must break it so they can escape, then she remembers what she said and answers herself: "Oh, I did it". (...) What?! The writer might've as well al least watched Back To The Future to get some lessons on time-traveling rules. Nothing you change in the past can be seen in the present before you did it (before the time traveling), because if wouldn't have any sense. In less words, what if she decided NOT to travel in time? Would that stone be broken? Who would've done it? crapp, crapp, crapp.

No opinions here, some movies are still about opinions (In my opinion it's good, in my opinion it's bad), this is plain bad and anyone who thinks the contrary has no idea what he's talking about, and if you son't believe me, check the general rating.

Wish it were longer, more details.......
My husband and I really enjoyed this film, it could have been longer, providing more details, like how they arrived at building the aparatus in the first place, why the first guy was killed, and by whom, Why Deckar was left behind, and felt compelled to kill the person that left him behind. Just develop it more, it has great potential for what might have been, but is still really enjoyable the way it is. ... Read more

Reviews (656)

The ultimate guy flick
"The Fast and the Furious" is, if nothing else, the ultimate guy flick: full of fast cars, hot chicks, and macho dudes who beat each other up before bonding over barbecue and Coronas.

It is a testosterone-fueled, pumped, hyperkinetic dude fantasy that draws on old '60s and 70s chase films like "Bullitt" and "Grand Theft Auto," but adds a rewarding layer of character and relationship depth.

Mind you, when we're talking about character depth, we're not talking about "Glengarry Glen Ross" here, but unlike recent car-chase flicks like "Gone in Sixty Seconds," we at least understand what drives the relationships. Heck, we see that there are relationships.

The central relationship revolves around Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker). The former is a street racer who has a side business hijacking trucks; the latter is an undercover cop who infiltrates Toretto's gang. Of course, there's a male bonding experience here - Toretto beats O'Connor in a race (run through curiously traffic-free Los Angeles streets), and afterwards O'Connor saves Toretto from being picked up by the police.

Soon thereafter, O'Connor is more or less accepted into Toretto's gang, and while the central purpose of of this is to bust the gang, O'Connor finds himself becoming friends with his intended collars, and drawn into the alluring world of street racing. He also falls in love with Toretto's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), even though that would seem to violate every rule known to undercover police work.

Of course, "The Fast and the Furious" isn't a realistic crime caper; if it were, would Toretto's gang really rip off trucks while they're moving? Their method is to surround the truck with a small flotilla of hopped-up compact cars, shoot a rope from one of the cars into the cab of the truck, and use the rope as a bridge to jump onto the truck. From there, I suppose it'd be a matter of gaining entry into the cab, subduing the driver, and stealing the truck. Now, all this is pretty exciting stuff on screen, but hasn't it occurred to Toretto that it'd just be easier to rip off the truck when it's parked?

But realism isn't the point here - adrenaline is, and "The Fast and the Furious" delivers just that, with a healthy dollop of style and testosterone. Enjoy the movie, but just don't think about it too much.

Entertaining Thrill Ride.
When a young speed demon racer (Paul Walker) is the new guy on the Streets. While there`s another racers charged the streets of Los Angeles, every night is a championship race with nitro-boosted fury. Dominic (Vin Diesel) rules the road turning all his challengers into a hard core winner and he could be under suspicion of Stealing Expensive Equipment. But when the young racer proves himself to Dominic, he`s one of the fastest driver out-there but What Dominic doesn`t know is that the young racer is acutally a undercover detective and he also unexpected falls in Love with Dominic's Sister (Jordana Brewster).

DVD`s has an strong anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound including also DTS 5.1 Surround Sound. This was One of the Biggest Unexpected Box Office Hits of 2001. The Flick's only Flaw, it's suffers a Thin Story-line. DVD Extras are:An running commentary track by director:Rob Cohen (Dragon:The Bruce Lee Story, Triple X, Day Light). Deleted Scenes with/without commentary and more. This film has excellent car-racing scenes full of excitement. Panavision. Grade:A-.

Bad!
I hate this movie. Do not buy or rent.

Why? Why?
I nominate this as one of the dumbest movies ever made. The dialogue is painful to listen to a lot of the time. The plot? Geez. Road pirates???
My mouth was agape half the time and I was shaking my head slowly. Even the Hollywood gloss couldn't help it enough.
Only knuckledragging special-school folks will love this movie. Go get your helmet. You're going to special-school!

THIS MOVIE HAS NO OTHER PRETENSION THAN BEEN AMUSING.
"The Fast And The Furious" is obviously a guilty pleasure. The movie has amazing cars, attractive women (Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster), corny dialogues, summer movie visual stunts, bad actors (Vin Diesel) and a MTV movie soundtrack. But the funny thing is that the movie works despite all that (or perhaps because all that).

"The Fast And The Furious" is an amusing movie because the director and cast never pretended to be part of a groundbreaking film, they knew that they were filming a popcorn movie, so they enjoyed the whole process, and the result is evident, "The Fast And The Furious" is an entertaining movie.

Of course, this kind of trick only works once, but Hollywood don't care, the studios love to repeat successful formulas, even if they know they are going to release a bad movie, they do it because they also know that it's going to do well in the box office. So Hollywood made a sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious", but obviously that movie is just average or below average. This kind of formulas (cars + visual effects + attractive women) only work once.

Anyway, "The Fast And The Furious" it's a very amusing, entertaining film. I would recommend you to rent it first, and if you like it a lot, well, get it. If you don't like it that much, at least you will have a good time for two hours. ... Read more

Reviews (118)

Good movie about high school football life
When I first saw Varsity Blues, I wasn't expecting it to be a great movie. But overall, I enjoyed it very much. This movie, created by MTV, only cost $16 million bucks to make and brought in over $52 million at the box office, because this movie is mainly aimed at high school juniors and seniors or in the age range of 16-21.

The story takes place in a fictional town called West Canaan, Texas, a small, steamy town in southwestern Texas where high school football is a way of life. The town is the home of the West Canaan Coyotes, a football team which has won 22 consecutive district championships and 2 state championships. The head coach of the team, Coach Kilmer (Jon Voight), has a "win-at-all-costs" attitude, meaning he has a reputation of playing his players injured or sick. He has also coached many of the current players' fathers, who seem to be re-living their glory years through their sons. When the all-Texas star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) goes down with a season-ending knee injury, backup quarterback Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek from Dawson's Creek) reluctantly assumes the duties of filling Lance's shoes. Once he miraculously leads his team to victory, his life begins to drastically change. He becomes very popular in school, gets free under-the-counter alcohol, and even easy sex from the former quarterback's girlfriend. So as the movie goes on, Mox continues to lead his team to victory, while dealing with the pressure of his coach and the love triangle that he has gotten himself into. In the final game at the end of the movie, he shows what it is like to be a high school hero after the coach abandons the team. As the movie ends, we hear a voiceover of what became of the characters.

So in conclusion, it's a pretty good movie from MTV which shows what high school life mixed with football is really all about. That is why I mentioned that this film should mainly be viewed by high school/college students. There are some really funny scenes in this movie; the most notable would probably be when one of the players hijacks a police car and parades around town with a bunch of naked girls in the backseat, and when they discover that their science teacher has a job at a local strip club. Adults might want to stay away from this one. 3 1/2 stars.

Top-notch entertainment for anyone, especially football fans
Absolutely the best football film ever made. As a player who just recently finished my senior season playing for Gibson Southern High School in Southern Indiana, I can relate to a lot of what the movie has to offer. The movie gave me goosebumps on several occasions and nearly brought me to tears. It has just the right combo of action, comedy, and drama to keep the film running smoothly throughtout. The actors do a good job juggling between their dramatic roles and their spots on the field. You'll be impressed with Van Der Beek's athleticism, you'll crack up at the comments of Tweeder and Billy Bob, and in the end, you'll want to wail-on Mr. Voight. I recommend it to anyone interested in a flick with a little bit of everything. Also, anyone who has ever experienced football on Friday nights...don't miss this. It will take you back.

A Late 90's Classic.
Ok, so James Van Der Beek's Texas accent isn't all that great. So what if no football coach in their right mind would run a hook-and-ladder play to a 350 pound lineman. What does it matter that very few of us ever have a teacher as hot as Miss Davis...much less one that works in a strip club? It's still a great movie.

Look people, this isn't supposed to be a drama. This is a comedy-drama. Some dramatic parts, but it's supposed to be funny overall. That's why the movie has Tweeder! There are a few dramatic parts to the film, but it's mostly comedy. The intended audience is obviously the high school and college age, but can be enjoyed by nearly everyone...especially football fans.

Who knew that MTV Films was capable of making a movie like this? It did very well at the box office, and the DVD has sold well too...for good reason. Come on....everyone has to laugh when Tweeder steals the police car.

related to Odessa, TX's Permian High School Panthers??
Does anyone know if the story behind Varsity Blues is related or drawn from the book, 'Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream' by H. G. Bissinger?
It's about the Permian High School Panthers of Odessa, TX; where the the team, for better and for worse, is the town.

Anyone know?

Thanks in advance...

So bad it's good.
This movie almost defines so-bad-it's-good. My friends and I repeatedly watch this movie simply to hear James Van Der Beek's bad Texan accent and his insipid speeches. We constantly quote "I will not live your life" to each other. Quite frankly this movie is hilarious for its over the topness. If it weren't for James Van Der Beek, I'm fairly certain this film never would have seen the light of day. It's a shame that the only real value this film has is for camp humor. ... Read more

Reviews (91)

Straight forward plot, very familiar actors
Joshua Jackson (Pacey from Dawson's Creek) turns in an interesting performance as a college senior trying to pay for Law School by joining a Secret Society (a la George Bush). The story holds up and Jackson teams with Leslie Bibb (from Popular) to try to get fellow Skull Paul Walker to tell the truth. Walker is the old money bad boy who can't live up to the expectations of Craig T. Nelson, but there are other machinations going on behind the scenes (be sure to see the outtakes for the possible relationship between Jackson and the distiguished gentleman from Virgina). This movie bears a similarity with The Firm, but Jackson is not Tom Cruise, so many won't remember it a year from now. As a WB young star vehicle it fails, as a thriller it is so so, but it was worth a look.

Noteworthy Thriller
The Skulls is a well-paced and well-acted thriller. Joshua Jackson is Luke McNamara. An Ivy League college student who isn't doing to well with paying his tuition. To certify his place in completing college and have a successful future, he wants in with the Skulls. An intermediate group of young men who are guaranteed anything they want in life. After getting in, Luke's life begins to fall apart as his best friend is murdered and his girlfriend is on the run. Should Luke trust the secret society and his new friend Caleb, or try to get out of the society alive?

The Skulls, for some reason, gives me an at-home feeling. I kind of relate to each character in a way, and that shows that each actor gave a pretty good performance. Joshua Jackson, Paul Walker, and Leslie Bibb shine as the leads. Craig T. Nelson also gives a nice performance. The plot and pacing of The Skulls is excellent. The scenes meant to be intense are just that, and scenes meant to be heartfelt and fun are just that too.

The DVD isn't loaded, but it's pretty note worthy to any fan of the movie. A commentary is given by director Bob Cohen. I actually found this quiet entertaining as Cohen explains concepts of the movie and other things. There are a few deleted scenes with commentary by Cohen. It is seen why these were cut. There's also a Making Of featurette that works mostly as a promo spot. To round it up are the theatrical trailer and some very interesting production notes.

For any fan of the movie or its stars, this DVD is a must have and a must keep.

Not what I expected.
I got this movie, expecting to see a thriller based on fact. What I got instead was a teen-flick that seemed more like Scream than a movie about the powerful elite that (purportedly) runs countries and continents. Don't get me wrong however, this movie is definitely a thriller but it isn't sinister enough. The Skulls seem more like a group of spoilt brats than a highly efficient secret organization filled with the best minds.

The story was not very credible, how do a group of teenagers bring down such a secretive society that is said to span the globe? Surely the Skulls are not so incompetent as to allow a teen-journalist to enter their most sacred chambers with such ease and steal all their secrets.

There must be better movies about the skulls out there because this one was a real disappointment. I can only recommend this movie to those who like thrillers, just don't get this movie if you are expecting an expose on the skulls.

There was one reviewer who said he would have liked to see Jackson and Walker more physically involved with each other. It amazes me that there are such deviants who watch these movies to fulfill their perverted fantasies. The movie was about the Skulls not about homoerotic fantasies.

It's no mystery
This film lacks any of the suspense or intensity that makes good thrillers memorable. Cohen claims it is a message film aimed at teenagers headed toward college. The message I took away from it is find a better script before you start making your movie or it will wind up like this -- hackneyed and predictable.

There are plenty of implausibilities and downright silliness, not to mention groaners in the dialogue and some serious over-acting.

But if you think this movie is bad, just check out the sequel...

Skull Shattering!
SKULLOVE IT! I love this movie! I watch this movie like every other day! A sort of complicated story, it does very well!! ... Read more

Reviews (216)

ROAD KILL
Directed by John Dahl, previously best known for Red Rock West and The Last Seduction (the movie that launched Linda Fiorentino's career), the ironically titled Joy ride is very much a homage to the seventies Spielberg movie Duel but rather than being just a cheap rip-off Joy Ride is in fact a very entertaining, genuinely scary edge of the seat ride, which proves that you don't need a big budget to make great movies.

THE PLOT: The film's instantly likeable hero, Lewis, played by Paul Walker (The Fast and The Furious) a scholarship student at Berkeley, buys a battered 1971 car so he can pick up Venna (Leelee Sobieski), who he has a major crush for, from the University of Colorado and drive her to the East Coast for summer vacation. However, on the way he unexpectedly has to pick up his irresponsible older brother Fuller (the always excellent Steve Zahn) who's in a Salt Lake City jail on a drunk-and-disorderly charge. During the journey Fuller buys a cheap CB radio and involves Lewis in an unpleasant practical joke at the expense of a truck driver with the CB handle 'Rusty Nail' but they find themselves in fear for their lives when old Rusty turns out to be a psychopath who takes a violent dislike to them. From then on, they themselves become the objects of the unseen Rusty Nail's revenge. After several hair-raising encounters, they resolve not to tell Venna of their adventures when they pick her up at the clean, well-lit Colorado campus.

It would be easy to criticise Joy Ride (known as Road kill in the UK). Its premise is hardly original and its reliance on a CB radio as a plot device harks back to the seventies, rather than the present day when everybody (except in this movie) has a cell phone. However, Joy Ride is actually a stunning success due to its faultless direction, which creates Hitchcock like suspense and provides many heart stopping moments. The script is excellent too combining and balancing humour and horror in equal measures, often hinting at violence that is not actually seen and providing nervous moments of humour whilst avoiding corniness. As for the three leads they are perfectly cast with Paul Walker, minus the blonde beach boy locks he sported in The Fast and the Furious, making a good fist of the part of the boy from the wrong side of the tracks in love with the girl from the right side of the tracks played by the equally impressive Leelee Sobieski (Deep Impact). Steve Zahn (Out of Sight) as the misfit brother Fuller is also excellent and he steals many of the scenes with witty one-liners but ultimately this is a movie whose strength lies in the sum of all its parts. Cheaply made it shows that its not big budgets that make great movies its talent and imagination. Here's hoping there's a sequel! Four stars, well merited. ****

Develop a Phobia for Big, Black Trucks and Roadside Motels..
This is a brilliantly directed and scripted, 5-star thriller. The casting of the 3 leads - Steve Zahn, Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski is perfect as they deliver wonderful performances and share great screen chemistry.

I can't remember the last time I had so much "fun" at the cinema. The suspense in "Joy Ride" is taut and heart-pounding while the laugh moments are also plentiful. The movie's about the danger that 2 brothers, Fuller (Zahn) and Lewis (Walker) get themselves into after their "seemingly" harmless prank on their car's CB radio goes horribly wrong when their "victim", a truck driver (who calls himself "Rusty Nail"), decides to get even with them. Watching this movie was great fun! Loud LAUGHS from the cinema audience during the funny scenes and SCREAMS from the female (mainly) audience during the "scary" moments testify to how effective the movie is. To me, one of the most hilarious scenes is the one where Fuller goes to the rescue of Venna (played by Sobieski) who is being harassed by a bunch of men in a motel bar.

The villain, "Rusty Nail" has the scariest voice! Listening to him talk on the CB radio ("Candy Cane... I'm looking for Candy Cane...") is enough to send a chill down your spine. You'll have to watch the movie to know whether he does show his face or not in the end.

This movie ends with a "delicious" twist.... to pave the way for a "Joy Ride 2", maybe?

I don't know if this type of movie is termed "black comedy" but trust me, the laughs and thrills are first-rate all the way. Just fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the Joy Ride!

Just ok
Since Paul Walker was in it(and I hate his annoying voice and wooden acting) I was expecting this to be a total disaster. To my surprise it wasn't as terrible as I anticipated. Although if you ask me whether it was a good movie, the answer would be no. Paul(and his baby blue eyes) goes on the road trip along with his dimwitted jailbird of a brother and hot(in producer's opinion) chick that he wants desperately. On the way, they decide to play a joke on some trucker who gets pissed off and starts stalking them. Somehow this trucker(whose face we never see) knows everything about them and he appears at the most unexpected moments. Instead of going to the cops, like any normal people, the characters spend the movie trying to run away and outwit this fathom. I thought it was supposed to be suspense thriller but this is definitely "Friday 13th" kind of movie(and I'm not found of those). Paul Walker didn't stink as badly as he did in the "Fast and the Furious", but this LeeLee Sobievski who was playing the "hot" chick is one bad actress(and skanky looking one at that. I suspect the producers had the beer goggles on when she was selected for this role). However, if you compare this film with some of the other crap I've been watching lately, this can almost be called a masterpiece

bad ending
This movie is pretty suspenseful, but the last thirty seconds might just be the worst ending in cinima history, or maybe rusty nail has a clone.

I'm not your Candycane!
This was one suspenseful movie! Two of my friends sat me down to watch this one, and I was very happy with it.

The plot has been summarized before, so I will avoid that. This movie is very much a tale of suspense that you will keep thinking about for days. Paul Walker and Steve Zahn do really well in this film, but I'm not crazy about Leelee Sobieski. I've seen her in other films, and her acting is the same in all of them, lukewarm.

The first half of the movie is really good and you can really get into it, then Leelee's character is introduced and it starts to drag. This is a good movie to watch with a bunch of friends sitting there yelling at the screen.

The alternate endings are also very fabulous. Check them out if you haven't seen them yet. ... Read more

Reviews (656)

The ultimate guy flick
"The Fast and the Furious" is, if nothing else, the ultimate guy flick: full of fast cars, hot chicks, and macho dudes who beat each other up before bonding over barbecue and Coronas.

It is a testosterone-fueled, pumped, hyperkinetic dude fantasy that draws on old '60s and 70s chase films like "Bullitt" and "Grand Theft Auto," but adds a rewarding layer of character and relationship depth.

Mind you, when we're talking about character depth, we're not talking about "Glengarry Glen Ross" here, but unlike recent car-chase flicks like "Gone in Sixty Seconds," we at least understand what drives the relationships. Heck, we see that there are relationships.

The central relationship revolves around Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker). The former is a street racer who has a side business hijacking trucks; the latter is an undercover cop who infiltrates Toretto's gang. Of course, there's a male bonding experience here - Toretto beats O'Connor in a race (run through curiously traffic-free Los Angeles streets), and afterwards O'Connor saves Toretto from being picked up by the police.

Soon thereafter, O'Connor is more or less accepted into Toretto's gang, and while the central purpose of of this is to bust the gang, O'Connor finds himself becoming friends with his intended collars, and drawn into the alluring world of street racing. He also falls in love with Toretto's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), even though that would seem to violate every rule known to undercover police work.

Of course, "The Fast and the Furious" isn't a realistic crime caper; if it were, would Toretto's gang really rip off trucks while they're moving? Their method is to surround the truck with a small flotilla of hopped-up compact cars, shoot a rope from one of the cars into the cab of the truck, and use the rope as a bridge to jump onto the truck. From there, I suppose it'd be a matter of gaining entry into the cab, subduing the driver, and stealing the truck. Now, all this is pretty exciting stuff on screen, but hasn't it occurred to Toretto that it'd just be easier to rip off the truck when it's parked?

But realism isn't the point here - adrenaline is, and "The Fast and the Furious" delivers just that, with a healthy dollop of style and testosterone. Enjoy the movie, but just don't think about it too much.

Entertaining Thrill Ride.
When a young speed demon racer (Paul Walker) is the new guy on the Streets. While there`s another racers charged the streets of Los Angeles, every night is a championship race with nitro-boosted fury. Dominic (Vin Diesel) rules the road turning all his challengers into a hard core winner and he could be under suspicion of Stealing Expensive Equipment. But when the young racer proves himself to Dominic, he`s one of the fastest driver out-there but What Dominic doesn`t know is that the young racer is acutally a undercover detective and he also unexpected falls in Love with Dominic's Sister (Jordana Brewster).

DVD`s has an strong anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and an excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound including also DTS 5.1 Surround Sound. This was One of the Biggest Unexpected Box Office Hits of 2001. The Flick's only Flaw, it's suffers a Thin Story-line. DVD Extras are:An running commentary track by director:Rob Cohen (Dragon:The Bruce Lee Story, Triple X, Day Light). Deleted Scenes with/without commentary and more. This film has excellent car-racing scenes full of excitement. Panavision. Grade:A-.

Bad!
I hate this movie. Do not buy or rent.

Why? Why?
I nominate this as one of the dumbest movies ever made. The dialogue is painful to listen to a lot of the time. The plot? Geez. Road pirates???
My mouth was agape half the time and I was shaking my head slowly. Even the Hollywood gloss couldn't help it enough.
Only knuckledragging special-school folks will love this movie. Go get your helmet. You're going to special-school!

THIS MOVIE HAS NO OTHER PRETENSION THAN BEEN AMUSING.
"The Fast And The Furious" is obviously a guilty pleasure. The movie has amazing cars, attractive women (Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster), corny dialogues, summer movie visual stunts, bad actors (Vin Diesel) and a MTV movie soundtrack. But the funny thing is that the movie works despite all that (or perhaps because all that).

"The Fast And The Furious" is an amusing movie because the director and cast never pretended to be part of a groundbreaking film, they knew that they were filming a popcorn movie, so they enjoyed the whole process, and the result is evident, "The Fast And The Furious" is an entertaining movie.

Of course, this kind of trick only works once, but Hollywood don't care, the studios love to repeat successful formulas, even if they know they are going to release a bad movie, they do it because they also know that it's going to do well in the box office. So Hollywood made a sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious", but obviously that movie is just average or below average. This kind of formulas (cars + visual effects + attractive women) only work once.

Anyway, "The Fast And The Furious" it's a very amusing, entertaining film. I would recommend you to rent it first, and if you like it a lot, well, get it. If you don't like it that much, at least you will have a good time for two hours. ... Read more

Reviews (127)

Time warp in modern times
Based on Michael Crichton's novel of transposing modern day humans back into medieval times, it follows the book nicely. Personally I would much rather have seen a film of the trilogy written by Stephen Donaldson on the same hyposis and along similar times, one of which is titled A MAN RIDES THROUGH. Both usemirrors to achieve the time warp experience from medieval to this century.

This story takes place in 1971 where a diverse group of archaeology students, working under the auspices of ITC in New Mexico, are involved in excavating the ruins of Castlegard in France. Their professor has disappeared and, using a
wormhole in a wooded area, are transported back in time to rescue him. They have six hours in our concept of time and given markers to use for their return within that timeline.

Arriving on April 4, 1357, the day of a French attack on this particular castle, we see a lot of action. Only the modern men showed fear in combat. William Decker, stranded there 400 years in the past because of transcription errors, exemplified the savage cruelty which is second nature in a hostile environment. He showed this young group 'the price we pay' for discovery, that knowledge of history depends upon survival. One thing worse than dying here is living here, they were told.

This film uses a primitive set of castle grounds complete with thatched roof. The church at the base of a mountain on which a fortress stood contained a tomb of a couple holding hands in death. In the modern scene, the female student was intrigued with the dead man having only one ear. The mystery is revealed
during the fireworks of a fierce battle that evening.

One of their group was ready to change history over a woman; instead, he spends 25 years back in time to die in 1382. Andre Merick had his ear cut off and stayed behind with his love, Lady Clare.

You've just got to see the Greek fire used in this fight in the name of justice. They were told, "God is on your side." The night arrows turned the tide. A lot of fire was used.

Because of the timeline (6 hrs. down to a few minutes) for anyone to safely return, a battle was also going on in the lab as time runs out. You must see the entire episode to discover who indeed returns and who is lost. "Well done, my Lord."

Zero artistic effort here
What a lazy, sophomoric effort by Richard Donner. I read Timeline a few years ago and I recall enjoying it. It wasn't great literature, but it was fast and fun and I looked forward to the film version. I regret to report that I honestly can't think of one single redeeming feature in this sorry excuse of a film. A script that butchers the book, which is amazing in itself. Crichton practically writes his novels for the screen these days. Uninspired directing. In the past Donner has given us some fine work like Ladyhawk and Lethal Weapon. It was painfully obvious that the person who made this turd just did not care if it was good or not. The cast was barely adequate, with only Gerard Butler making any kind of impression. The action scenes were cable TV quality, as were the sets and costumes. How bad was this movie? Congo (another Crichton novel that was mugged by the filmakers), by comparison, was a good movie. Zero artistic effort here. Sub-zero, if there is such a thing.

Could have been better
Abraham doesnt sound like too intelligent of a reviewer so I will try and make sense of it.

The movie is entertaining, if LOOSELY based off the incredible book by Michael Crichton. (Abraham, i suggest you read the book before blathering off about something you know nothing about)

There are plot holes, bad acting, and less than stellar wardrobes. But if you have read the book, it is still entertaining to see the characters on screen and see the story in action.

in my bottom 5, occupying # 2.
Book? I don't know about any book, I'm talking about the movie. I can't believe someone even dared to share this crapp with us.

Filled with flaws, TERRIBLE acting, stupid plot (ergo stupid screenplay), cheap unbelievable custome design, cheesy, artless, mindless, insulting, etc. etc. etc.

I wish I'd watch it more recently so I could make a list for you of all the flaws, mistakes, nonsense presented in this rubbish. I can remember an example though:

When the archeologists are discovering that new "whatever" underground, the girls says: "Who would destroy such a beautiful piece of art?" (the stone). Then, when they are back in middle age, she is infront of the stone and she must break it so they can escape, then she remembers what she said and answers herself: "Oh, I did it". (...) What?! The writer might've as well al least watched Back To The Future to get some lessons on time-traveling rules. Nothing you change in the past can be seen in the present before you did it (before the time traveling), because if wouldn't have any sense. In less words, what if she decided NOT to travel in time? Would that stone be broken? Who would've done it? crapp, crapp, crapp.

No opinions here, some movies are still about opinions (In my opinion it's good, in my opinion it's bad), this is plain bad and anyone who thinks the contrary has no idea what he's talking about, and if you son't believe me, check the general rating.

Wish it were longer, more details.......
My husband and I really enjoyed this film, it could have been longer, providing more details, like how they arrived at building the aparatus in the first place, why the first guy was killed, and by whom, Why Deckar was left behind, and felt compelled to kill the person that left him behind. Just develop it more, it has great potential for what might have been, but is still really enjoyable the way it is. ... Read more

Reviews (216)

ROAD KILL
Directed by John Dahl, previously best known for Red Rock West and The Last Seduction (the movie that launched Linda Fiorentino's career), the ironically titled Joy ride is very much a homage to the seventies Spielberg movie Duel but rather than being just a cheap rip-off Joy Ride is in fact a very entertaining, genuinely scary edge of the seat ride, which proves that you don't need a big budget to make great movies.

THE PLOT: The film's instantly likeable hero, Lewis, played by Paul Walker (The Fast and The Furious) a scholarship student at Berkeley, buys a battered 1971 car so he can pick up Venna (Leelee Sobieski), who he has a major crush for, from the University of Colorado and drive her to the East Coast for summer vacation. However, on the way he unexpectedly has to pick up his irresponsible older brother Fuller (the always excellent Steve Zahn) who's in a Salt Lake City jail on a drunk-and-disorderly charge. During the journey Fuller buys a cheap CB radio and involves Lewis in an unpleasant practical joke at the expense of a truck driver with the CB handle 'Rusty Nail' but they find themselves in fear for their lives when old Rusty turns out to be a psychopath who takes a violent dislike to them. From then on, they themselves become the objects of the unseen Rusty Nail's revenge. After several hair-raising encounters, they resolve not to tell Venna of their adventures when they pick her up at the clean, well-lit Colorado campus.

It would be easy to criticise Joy Ride (known as Road kill in the UK). Its premise is hardly original and its reliance on a CB radio as a plot device harks back to the seventies, rather than the present day when everybody (except in this movie) has a cell phone. However, Joy Ride is actually a stunning success due to its faultless direction, which creates Hitchcock like suspense and provides many heart stopping moments. The script is excellent too combining and balancing humour and horror in equal measures, often hinting at violence that is not actually seen and providing nervous moments of humour whilst avoiding corniness. As for the three leads they are perfectly cast with Paul Walker, minus the blonde beach boy locks he sported in The Fast and the Furious, making a good fist of the part of the boy from the wrong side of the tracks in love with the girl from the right side of the tracks played by the equally impressive Leelee Sobieski (Deep Impact). Steve Zahn (Out of Sight) as the misfit brother Fuller is also excellent and he steals many of the scenes with witty one-liners but ultimately this is a movie whose strength lies in the sum of all its parts. Cheaply made it shows that its not big budgets that make great movies its talent and imagination. Here's hoping there's a sequel! Four stars, well merited. ****

Develop a Phobia for Big, Black Trucks and Roadside Motels..
This is a brilliantly directed and scripted, 5-star thriller. The casting of the 3 leads - Steve Zahn, Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski is perfect as they deliver wonderful performances and share great screen chemistry.

I can't remember the last time I had so much "fun" at the cinema. The suspense in "Joy Ride" is taut and heart-pounding while the laugh moments are also plentiful. The movie's about the danger that 2 brothers, Fuller (Zahn) and Lewis (Walker) get themselves into after their "seemingly" harmless prank on their car's CB radio goes horribly wrong when their "victim", a truck driver (who calls himself "Rusty Nail"), decides to get even with them. Watching this movie was great fun! Loud LAUGHS from the cinema audience during the funny scenes and SCREAMS from the female (mainly) audience during the "scary" moments testify to how effective the movie is. To me, one of the most hilarious scenes is the one where Fuller goes to the rescue of Venna (played by Sobieski) who is being harassed by a bunch of men in a motel bar.

The villain, "Rusty Nail" has the scariest voice! Listening to him talk on the CB radio ("Candy Cane... I'm looking for Candy Cane...") is enough to send a chill down your spine. You'll have to watch the movie to know whether he does show his face or not in the end.

This movie ends with a "delicious" twist.... to pave the way for a "Joy Ride 2", maybe?

I don't know if this type of movie is termed "black comedy" but trust me, the laughs and thrills are first-rate all the way. Just fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the Joy Ride!

Just ok
Since Paul Walker was in it(and I hate his annoying voice and wooden acting) I was expecting this to be a total disaster. To my surprise it wasn't as terrible as I anticipated. Although if you ask me whether it was a good movie, the answer would be no. Paul(and his baby blue eyes) goes on the road trip along with his dimwitted jailbird of a brother and hot(in producer's opinion) chick that he wants desperately. On the way, they decide to play a joke on some trucker who gets pissed off and starts stalking them. Somehow this trucker(whose face we never see) knows everything about them and he appears at the most unexpected moments. Instead of going to the cops, like any normal people, the characters spend the movie trying to run away and outwit this fathom. I thought it was supposed to be suspense thriller but this is definitely "Friday 13th" kind of movie(and I'm not found of those). Paul Walker didn't stink as badly as he did in the "Fast and the Furious", but this LeeLee Sobievski who was playing the "hot" chick is one bad actress(and skanky looking one at that. I suspect the producers had the beer goggles on when she was selected for this role). However, if you compare this film with some of the other crap I've been watching lately, this can almost be called a masterpiece

bad ending
This movie is pretty suspenseful, but the last thirty seconds might just be the worst ending in cinima history, or maybe rusty nail has a clone.

I'm not your Candycane!
This was one suspenseful movie! Two of my friends sat me down to watch this one, and I was very happy with it.

The plot has been summarized before, so I will avoid that. This movie is very much a tale of suspense that you will keep thinking about for days. Paul Walker and Steve Zahn do really well in this film, but I'm not crazy about Leelee Sobieski. I've seen her in other films, and her acting is the same in all of them, lukewarm.

The first half of the movie is really good and you can really get into it, then Leelee's character is introduced and it starts to drag. This is a good movie to watch with a bunch of friends sitting there yelling at the screen.

The alternate endings are also very fabulous. Check them out if you haven't seen them yet. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Very funny comedy. If you don¿t expect horror.
This movie is often in the horror section in the video stores. Therefore, some people who expect a horror movie might get disappointed. I would call this a comedy and it is a really funny comedy that spoofs a number of horror movies, for instance, the shower scene in Psycho (1960). The actors are actually quite good and the characters are funny, like Diane, who always lists her arguments "A...B...C..." and Dr. Pennyworth who starts to talk about the frog he found when he was young all the time. And the angry General Turnbull. And some other stupid funny things like that everybody gets almost hypnotized every time Richard Clark takes off his glasses. Well, it's to funny to tell you have to see it yourself! I very much recommend this movie to everybody who likes funny comedies and especially to you who likes horror movies and comedies! Give it a chance!

Quick! Grab The Xylophone And The Kazoo!
This rare film, made with lots of personal sacrifice from the cast and crew, is well worth the effort to seek out. "Monster In The Closet" is a satire of formulaic monster movies, and is done with great wit and charm on a low budget. The story concerns a mysterious set of serial murders in which all victims are killed in their closets. Early victims include the horror movie institution, John Carradine, this time as a cranky blind man who gets eaten.

A spittoon-toting Sheriff (Claude Akins) tries to defeat the monster while ignoring scientific counsel from scientists Denise Dubarry and Henry Gibson. Gibson is particularly entertaining as a half-baked forgetful professor who thinks he can communicate with the creature via a xylophone (he can, as it turns out, not that it does him any good), and is forever prattling on about a frog he once found. The male lead is Donald Grant, who does a great job as the naive 'Pretty Boy' reporter sent to cover the story as harassment by veteran reporter "Scoop" played by Frank Ashmore. I have never been as pleased in a movie as when Grant stands up to Ashmore.

When the creature finally does show up it is a gross looking kind of excrement monster with a second sub-head in a spoof of "Alien", which actually can be communicated with. In the end not only does Gibson get to chat with the creature via the xylophone, but Grant gets to chat via kazoo, as well. The Army seems powerless to do anything, a romance subplot flourishes, and we get to what would seem to be the climactic scene of the film. There is a great twist in the last 15 minutes, which I did not see coming, and probably most other people won't either. Suffice it to say, it is silly, involves a lot of property mutilation that I would not want to explain to my Homeowner's policy issuer, love, self-sacrifice (sort of), and hope springing eternal. (And ultimately a lot of expensive remodeling.)

The film is a great, cheesy, fun movie to watch (best with friends) and I highly recommend it. Troma distributes it, but did not produce it, so it is not typical Troma fare. It is not particularly violent (except the scenes of violent closet disruption and some Army efforts at the grade school) or gory (well, OK, the monster mouth is pretty nasty), has little objectionable except one fairly gratuitous scene of Stella Stevens in an excellent "Psycho" parody, and is just plain fun.

Watch a great low budget movie and see why B Movies can be so much fun. Grab "Monster In The Closet" today!

MONSTERS IN THE CLOSET stars Fergie of Black Eyed Peas
Stacy Ferguson, also none a Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, Kids incorporated star from 1983-1989, and former member of Wild Orchid, has a short role in this movie. Shes the lil blonde girl. Shes so cute in it lol. Its a must have for any fans of fergie. She was like 11 in it lol.

Its a great movie and people should by it anyway. even if you rnot a fergie fan.

I'm the guy in the movie...
I'm Donald Grant... Richard Clark in the movie. We made this thing back in 1983. I compare the production of the film, to what I've heard about the first 'Rocky'. Most everyone sacrificed their time and livlihood for the months of pre-production, actual production, and post, to get Monster done. I really only understood the magnitude of everyone's sacrifice after the project was completed.
It took about 15 weeks to shoot, what could have taken about 6 weeks. Monster was not 'produced' by Troma. They picked it up for distribution, and took production credits only after the actual producers exhausted their resources, and were forced to do what they could to get the film done. Director Bob Dahlin really had a vision. He plucked me out of nowhere (commercial actor from the SF bay area) and put me as the lead in the film. Being his first major film,with him at the helm... he was (I believe) overly cautious - thus the long shooting time. He and the producers, busted keester to get this thing done.
I believe it is the first movie in the history of the Teamsters, that the unions allowed them to defer pay. Everyone involved in this film did it on faith and confidence in Bob and the script.
In hindsight, I believed the producers should have accepted help from the majors (who were courting them all along), so that it could have gotten the full theatrical release that it was due. Bob and the producers were understandibly reluctant to give up any control.
Monster is a great little movie, with a tremendous cast of veteran actors. I learned a tremendous amount from all of them, and developed lifelong firendships with a few of them. dongrant@arczip.com

B-Film Tribute and Lots of Troma Extras
The Monster in the Closet is a wonderful send up of classic man-in-a-rubber-suit b-movies of the 50's. In this one, a mysterious monster suddenly appears in a closet in a small town North of San Francisco and proceeds to start killing people. It is able to move from closet to closet unseen.

Richard Clark is a hopeless reporter who is sent out to cover the nutty story. What he finds is a true story of horror and terror that can shock the world. He is suddenly in the middle of the biggest story ever.

A wonderful cast helps keep the movie right on track. Claude Akins is the tobacco-spitting Sherif and Henry Gibson is an Einstein-like scientist plus many others.

The movie is rated PG although Stella Stevens has a nude scene and many of the disks extras (there are dozens) are obviously R rated. But if you have ever loved those campy B flicks, you will really want to see this one. ... Read more

Reviews (118)

Good movie about high school football life
When I first saw Varsity Blues, I wasn't expecting it to be a great movie. But overall, I enjoyed it very much. This movie, created by MTV, only cost $16 million bucks to make and brought in over $52 million at the box office, because this movie is mainly aimed at high school juniors and seniors or in the age range of 16-21.

The story takes place in a fictional town called West Canaan, Texas, a small, steamy town in southwestern Texas where high school football is a way of life. The town is the home of the West Canaan Coyotes, a football team which has won 22 consecutive district championships and 2 state championships. The head coach of the team, Coach Kilmer (Jon Voight), has a "win-at-all-costs" attitude, meaning he has a reputation of playing his players injured or sick. He has also coached many of the current players' fathers, who seem to be re-living their glory years through their sons. When the all-Texas star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) goes down with a season-ending knee injury, backup quarterback Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek from Dawson's Creek) reluctantly assumes the duties of filling Lance's shoes. Once he miraculously leads his team to victory, his life begins to drastically change. He becomes very popular in school, gets free under-the-counter alcohol, and even easy sex from the former quarterback's girlfriend. So as the movie goes on, Mox continues to lead his team to victory, while dealing with the pressure of his coach and the love triangle that he has gotten himself into. In the final game at the end of the movie, he shows what it is like to be a high school hero after the coach abandons the team. As the movie ends, we hear a voiceover of what became of the characters.

So in conclusion, it's a pretty good movie from MTV which shows what high school life mixed with football is really all about. That is why I mentioned that this film should mainly be viewed by high school/college students. There are some really funny scenes in this movie; the most notable would probably be when one of the players hijacks a police car and parades around town with a bunch of naked girls in the backseat, and when they discover that their science teacher has a job at a local strip club. Adults might want to stay away from this one. 3 1/2 stars.

Top-notch entertainment for anyone, especially football fans
Absolutely the best football film ever made. As a player who just recently finished my senior season playing for Gibson Southern High School in Southern Indiana, I can relate to a lot of what the movie has to offer. The movie gave me goosebumps on several occasions and nearly brought me to tears. It has just the right combo of action, comedy, and drama to keep the film running smoothly throughtout. The actors do a good job juggling between their dramatic roles and their spots on the field. You'll be impressed with Van Der Beek's athleticism, you'll crack up at the comments of Tweeder and Billy Bob, and in the end, you'll want to wail-on Mr. Voight. I recommend it to anyone interested in a flick with a little bit of everything. Also, anyone who has ever experienced football on Friday nights...don't miss this. It will take you back.

A Late 90's Classic.
Ok, so James Van Der Beek's Texas accent isn't all that great. So what if no football coach in their right mind would run a hook-and-ladder play to a 350 pound lineman. What does it matter that very few of us ever have a teacher as hot as Miss Davis...much less one that works in a strip club? It's still a great movie.

Look people, this isn't supposed to be a drama. This is a comedy-drama. Some dramatic parts