Reviews (10)

EXCELLENT MOVIE/Guaranteed to shed a tear!!!
Definitely a wonderful movie and one of my personal favorites, Eleni, brings to the screen the true story of a boy whose family suffered terribly during the Greek Civil War 1946-49, but who managed, thanks to his mother's love, to get safely to the USA and raise his own family in peace. It is a movie about war, hunger, suffering, but most importantly courage, honor, sacrifice, and how Love-motherly love, can overcome and prevail even in the most difficult of situations. A great movie indeed which will surely bring tears to one's eyes! Needless to say, both Kate Nelligan and John Malkovich are superb in their roles as mother and son!
The previous "reviewer's" comments are not even worth elaborating on...

So close to the truth-dramatic dynamite
I saw this film while living in Greece and having had visited many such villages in northern Greece, it was completely mesmerizing. The portrayal of the Greek people at that time and the cultural differences were astonishingly true.

At its first showing, it was picketted and closed after one day only to reopen two days later away from the city center, which was when I saw it.

It completely absorbed my interest and I felt a new sympahthy for the people who lived through those times (many of whom I knew).

It;s a great movie and should be more widely shown!

Great Movie "Eleni"
I loved this movie, I have been looking for it for a long time, when will this be coming out on DVD.

absolute garbage
one of the worst movies ever made. it actually glorifies a traitor to the Greek people who supported the fascists in the civil war. unbelievable and shameful.

Powerful. Unforgettable. TRUE story.
It is 2:00 a.m. and I cannot sleep after watching this movie.

Mothers love their children but in our decadent, face paced, greed driven society I so often find myself off course, yelling and snappish at the slightest thing. In other words, God forgive me for not conveying that love and for taking our time together for granted.

This movie takes place during the Greek Civil War in the late 1940's. God help us to cease all wars and fighting. 28,000 children were taken from their homes and sent to work in communist camps.

This story shares the sacrifice and love of a brave woman and truly devoted mother, Eleni. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

a great feel good movie with excellent acting
This movie really shows how Michael Keaton can really do comedy.
He plays a wealthy hockey player whose life is turned upside
down when he meets a Latino kid who muggs him and his mother.
We see a romance revolve and Michael Keaton's character sees
just what a lonely life he has. His scence with the little boy
are touching and funny. Michael Keaton can do comedy and serious
roles and he was perfect in this movie. Everyone was great.

I was quite pleased!
I am happy to say that "Touch and Go" was a great movie. My old buddy Michael Keaton finally did it again. He made a film that I enjoyed as much or even more than "The Dream Team". I actually cared about each individual character and their outcome.

It is a story about a self absorbed hockey player who finds out what that there is a world outside of himself. After being mugged by a wisecracking 12 year old kid, he ends up taking the brat under his wing unintentionally. He begins a romance with the boys mother (Maria Conchita Alonso-lookin SMOKIN' as ever-of course this was 1986) and ends up putting his hockey career on the backburner.

After renting a slew of BAD movies including "My Own Private Idaho", "A Kiss Before Dying" and "One Good Cop"(it just didn't do it for me) It was a treat to have something with substance finally. I highly recomend this film to anyone looking for a good time on a Saturday night.

5 out of 5 with complete confidence.

great interaction
the movie was intertaining and thought provoking.great inter-
action with it's 3 main characters.

touch and go
i saw the movie once and i love it. i enjoyed how the heart of micheal was change due to his meeting the little boy and his mom who i felt really needed him. oh i really enjoyed when he got with her and the boy was going to have a father figure in his life now and how she would no longer have to struggle any more cause she got micheal. she is a lovely girl and they play well together in this movie. i love it--------yes!!!!!!!!.

Touch and Go
This is one of my all time favorite movies. Michael Keaton and Maria Conchita Alonso are wonderful. It is an entertaining and heartwarming story about a young boy headed in the wrong direction in life and a playboy hockey player who become friends and "straighten" each other out. I highly recommend this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great Movie! John Ritter gives an excellent performance!
Rush out and get this one! John Ritter is excellent in this action/ adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The Project
This extraodinary explosive film get 5 stars for originality and intense action fighting scenes. Olivier Gruner gives a non-stop spectacular performance and continues to shock and amaze. With the action, fighting scenes, and overall plot, this movie rates very high on my list.

A great performance of Olivier Gruner
The performance of Olivier Gruner was an impressive one. There's a compromise with Steven Seagal. "Olivier why are you still playing in the independant video-scene?" Please give me a website of his fanclub or more information to write him personally. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

You are now entering Interzone, William S. Burroughs's phantasmagorical land of junk, paranoia, and crawly things. Best travel advice:"Exterminate all rational thought." In David Cronenberg's superbly shot, unnerving warp on the Burroughs novel, the novelist himself becomes a main character (played in an implacable monotone by Peter Weller), with elements from Burroughs' life--including the shooting of his wife during a "William Tell" game, and bohemian friends Kerouac and Ginsberg--added to frame the book's wild visions. This is, ironically, a somewhat rational approach to an unfilmable book (and it makes a hair-curling double bill with Barton Fink, another look at writerly madness, with both films sharing Judy Davis). Cronenberg is a natural for oozing mugwumps and typewriters that turn into giant bugs, of course. But in the end, this is really his own vision of the artistic process, rather than Burroughs's hallucinatory descent into hell. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (62)

It's a literary high
Cronenberg's version of Naked Lunch is a brilliant combination of Burroughs' novel and Burroughs' life. He blends the true story of Burroughs life (and his reason for writing) with the surreal dark-comedy 'routines' of the novel until they become one story. The story is a quiet hallucination featuring exterminators, addiction, typewriters in the form of insects, typewriters that grow genitals, a global conspiracy of intelligence agents, the drug trade, homosexual ambiguity, writer's block, accidental murder, and literary paranoia. None of these elements is explored completely. Instead, Cronenberg touches on each one until they form some strange, underlying logic.

This edition of the DVD has enough extras to make it the only version of Naked Lunch you'll ever have to buy. (They won't release a bigger, better edition later.) The BBC documentary is okay. It's about 45 minutes long, giving Cronenberg and William Burroughs a lot of time to speak. (Burroughs is particularly good, with a dry sense of humor and a habit of saying obvious truths that make people uneasy.) The second disc also has stills from the special effects team, showing how the various creatures and organic typewriters were developed.

But it's the first disc --- the movie itself --- that makes it worth buying and watching. The special audio track, shared by Peter Weller and Cronenberg, adds a lot of useful background information. The film itself is bright and sharp, a perfect example of DVD clarity. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who is interested in the best films of the 1990s. Naked Lunch didn't make as big an impact in theaters as it did in book stores, but it should have.

"It's time to do our Wiiliam Tell Act"
Talking slithering strangely sexual typewriters, addicts of cockroach-exterminating pyretheum powder (who like to breath on cbugs and watch them die while on it), thick-fluid sipping mugwhump creatures, an assortment of strange parasitic characters to represent the sinister parts of you you never knew ere there, and a high as a kite protagonist to narrate it all. What more can I say? This is both a brilliant representation of William S. Burrough's no-holds-barred dark imagination and director Cronenburg's as well, both with the twisted audascity to take all these horrific atroscities of reality and fantasy and breath eroticism & mystery into them...

Impossible to describe or even explain (almost but not quite as incomprehensible as FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS), the movie is not exactly a telling of the book Naked Lunch (even though some characters, namely the vile mugwhumps, show up) as it is a telling of Burroughs writing the book and what he may have imagined while writing it.

THe film starts out with the main character William Lee and his even more "creepy" (if anyone in the Burroughs line ever wanted to label what's inside themselves) wife, Joan, are addicted to the roach powder pyretheum, which Lee obtains thru his job as an exterminator. After playing a drunken William Tell act with his wife and blowing her head off so to say (which actually happened to Burroughs and his wife, and is said to have sparked the writing of Naked Lunch), he escapes to Tangiers, Mexico (with a "ticket" which actually appears to be a syringe). There he flows into a seemingly hallucinatory Interzone--a place populated by all the things mentioned above and tons more weirdness. He also meets the wife of a bisexual author who looks almost identical to his wife...and they engage in a particularly freaky sexual practice in which a typewriter tries to join in. If I say any more, the plot will be totally given away, so just watch, and compared to all the elaborate twists and turns on this unreal path to hell, I've said very little.

Great performances from Roy Sheider (who plays Dr. Benway, another character direct from the book), Paul Weller as Lee, Judy Davis as Joan and the other Joan, and Robert A. Silverman as a truly unique black centipede meat salesman with a disquieting manor (the black centipede meat, as well as Burroughs' thoughts on how centipedes controlled many Interzone lives, were from the novel). You'll either be completely confused or completely tripped out of yr. mind, but you won't leave the film unchanged...just like Burroughs' writings.

welcome to interzone!
In my opinion, Cronenburgs best film, or at least that i've seen. Amazing movie, Peter Weller (robocop) does an awesome job too. One of those joints you pop in the player and are thinking about it a week after you've viewed it. Runaway to Interzone with talking typewriters, giant sea centipedes, and the innermost sanctum of paranoia, bizarre eroticism, delusion, hallucination, and beautifully depressing schizophrenia. It's something else. Tough movie to describe, definitely required viewing for anyone with oddball tastes like mine and a good respect for a true artists unique vision (in this case two artists, Cronenberg and Burroughs). p.s. (just don't ever try the William Tell party trick)

Out to Lunch
If you're going to watch this film then you pretty much already know what you're in for. Take Cronenberg and Burroughs, mix them together and you've got yourself a pretty weird film. And it is weird, but it's also so much more. It deals with addiction like no other film has. Specifically how addiction effects the creative process. This is far from youre average nice Saturday night film viewing, but it's a real treat nontheless. Criterion has once again done an amazing job. I'd be surprised if there's ever a better release of the film.

David Cronenberg's Very Best
Before you even try to watch this movie, realize that David Cronenberg's films are among the most bizarre and perplexing films you will ever see. If you like your films to stick to traditional narratives and standard plot devices you will probably hate 'Naked Lunch' (and any other David Cronenberg film you chance to come across). If, however, you are extremely open minded (as in, "I'm open to watching a movie where people have sex with typewriters that turn into giant insects") you may find yourself addicted to Cronenberg's surreal style of film making.

'Naked Lunch' follows the story of a bug-exterminator-cum-secret-agent who...you know what, forget it...because the plot in 'Naked Lunch' isn't really what this movie is about. I'm not going to say that the movie is plot-less (it's not), but the story (an insane organic blend of sections from Burroughs's novel and episodes from his life) exists mainly as an alibi for Cronenberg's signature style of subconscious imagery; more specifically, for his metaphoric exploration of writing as an erotic addictive binge to "exterminate all rational thought." If that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, don't blame me. The fantastic thing about this movie is that it has a twisted logic that is entirely of its own making, and it sits with you. 'Naked Lunch' is a film that is difficult to deal with. It's a movie that I love, and I don't know if that's going to come across in this review. But, 'Naked Lunch' is nothing if not ambiguous, and that's what makes it great art. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Clint Eastwood's moody, evocative direction and Forest Whitaker'sstrong, sensitive performance are the chief proponents to recommend an otherwise muted biopic of '40s jazz legend Charlie Parker, who fell victim to his chemical excesses and convinced the doctor who pronounced him dead that he was a good four decades older than he actually was. The film doesn't try to assign clear blame for Parker's demons, though the era's racism is addressed unflinchingly. Clearly a labor of love, Eastwood's movie structurally attempts to ape the angular music of bebop itself (there are flashbacks within flashbacks, which gets a little confusing), but doesn't quite capture the smolder of the period. Diane Venora registers strongly as Bird's wife, Chan, the woman who can'trescue Bird from the abyss into which he peers. --David Kronke ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Intriguing but a disappointment
Jazz aficionado Clint Eastwood's admiration for the legendary Charlie Parker is evident throughout "Bird," but it can't overcome a script that dwells on the great musician's self-destructive drug use at the expense of his musicianship. Why did Charlie Parker die at such a young age? The film answers that question rather explicitly. Why was Charlie Parker great? "Bird" tends to fumble when addressing that question. Still, Eastwood captures the smoky ambiance of Parker's nocturnal world very well, and the music is hard to fault. Though it is ultimately a disappointment, "Bird" is worth a look for admirers of both the director and his subject.

A MASTERPIECE OF JAZZ AND DRUG FILM NOIR.
Wow, I can't believe the negative reviews for this MASTERPIECE by Clint Eastwood. Being a big fan of Jazz, I've owned this film for many years in more than one incarnation, and have watched it more times than I care to tally.

Many reviewers said it's overly dark. Yep. Jazz musicians spend most of their time in dark smoke-filled nightclubs. So does BIRD. This is a great MOOD PIECE. It could also be called FILM NOIR.

Many said it doesn't establish why Charlie Parker was one of the greats of Jazz. In one particularly brilliant scene of writing in this film, Parker is talking about himself and the legend of BIRD to Red Rodney, partner in Jazz and fellow heroin addict. He talks about "going inside the melody" of Cherokee, a song he had played many times and was tired of doing. Parker decides to go around the melody with little notes and discovers his style. Thus, a whole new form of music called Be Bop is born. A superb scene.

Many reviewers said it dwelt too heavily on the negative aspects of Parker's drug abuse. This is true. However, heroin played a significant part in early Jazz music in this country. Heavily significant. A majority of the best and brightest Jazz stars were plagued by addiction for many years. Read Miles Davis' autobiography. He lists them all. Eastwood recognizes this in a scene where Parker is in Paris and is debating whether to return to the States. A fellow sideman is trying convince him to stay in France where he can make a decent living. SIDEMAN: "You can't make no living playing Jazz in the States." BIRD: "Dizz can. Duke can." SIDEMAN: "Well you ain't Dizz. And you certainly ain't Duke." BIRD: "So I kick." The Sideman laughs uproariously. BIRD: "I can kick." The Sideman laughs harder. The point of this exchange: the only successful Jazzmen are Duke and Dizzy because they may be the only ones not hooked on heroin. Subtle writing. A brilliant exchange that conveys so much about the world of Jazz. For some Jazz musicians, heroin was used in a creative context whether people will admit that or not. And drug and alcohol abuse DID kill Charlie Parker. Artists can be extremely self-destructive human beings.

Some said it wasn't accurate. Many film biopics use composite characters for dramatic effect and change some history for storytelling purposes. Films can't possibly contain a person's whole history. It's not possible. But BIRD conveys Parker's fame and troubles with amazing grace and skill.

Yes, BIRD is dark and depressing. It is also a brilliantly realized ART FILM. However, the timeline can be very confusing. I screened this for a friend, who was lost in the flashbacks. He did however, enjoy the film.

Another thing I love about the script, is that it portrays Charlie Parker as an articulate and eloquent man, as many Jazz musicians were at the time and still are. (Wynton Marsalis comes to mind.) Even in "the midst of my disorientation," Parker remains articulate. One of my favorite lines of dialogue is when Parker is waking up on the floor after passing out in a wealthy patron's house. She explains to him that he has passed out, and Parker retorts from the floor, "Very undignified of me." BEAUTIFUL WRITING.

I just had to chime in, because this film is an overlooked TREASURE. Forest Whitaker gives us probably the most amazing death scene I've ever witnessed on film. He should have won the Oscar for his performance. It was shamefully overlooked. Diane Venora is superb as are the rest of the cast. And as for Clint Eastwood; this is without a doubt, HIS BEST FILM. And one of my all time favorite flicks. Thanks Clint, for giving me many hours of enjoyment, and taking me back to a time I wish I had lived through, with this WORK OF ART. YOU are a TRUE JAZZ LOVER.

If YOU are A TRUE LOVER OF JAZZ or A TRUE LOVER OF FILM ART, YOU MUST SEE THIS POIGNANT PIECE OF JAZZ HISTORY. THIS IS SUPERLATIVE MOVIEMAKING.

This Bird doesn't fly
This movie was a disappointment for me. I had hoped to learn about a creative musician's life but that is not the story here. The acting is great but the threads of plot are just too disconnected. I suspect those who love this film know Mr. Parkers life so well that the holes in the story don't keep them in the dark the way I felt. Clint Eastwood directs this movie like my 15 year old son who doesn't understand how to show me something that he knows really well and I don't. That's the feeling I had watching this movie.

Unless you know Charlie Parkers life very well I'd pass on this movie.

Never forgot it
Forrest Whittaker is one of the best actors in Hollywood. It's a shame we don't see more of him but he had a triumph with Bird. Some critics have said it wasn't completely accurate. That's true. Bird spent his adult life as an addict and there's nothing romantic or touching about that. Bird's relationship with Chan wasn't as portrayed in the film but the full, unfiltered story of his life would've been more than most audiences could bear. This is the "lite" version, kind of like Lady Sings the Blues but it's still a great film that gives you an idea of it's subject's genius and it well worth the money.

Warning - DVD does not play in computers
I saw this movie a long time ago and liked it. Unfortunately,
the DVD is "copy protected" and will not play on most
computers unless you have CSS cracking software. Too bad.
I don't want to buy a DVD player just to watch a few DVD's
so I play them on my computer. But not this one. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This movie SUCKS!
This is the worst movie ever made. It has the worst script, actors, and every other bad movie element. It is total CRAP!

Best movie ever made!!
Nostradamus is a thrilling tale, that has an ideal plot and a very interesting plot. It is really good and deserves a lot of credit.

not bad
watched this at my friend Joel's apartment...well I'm the one who rented it but its about a cop..Estes and a lady cop(Joely Fisher) also who investigate some murders..then Estes is thrown into another dimension...then he stays there awhile learning about armageddon and then goes back but when he goes back he doesnt even exist in the world..like he was never born..there's a lot of good stuff but what keeps this alive is Estes' performance as the cop and some of the ideas..otherwise all the other stuff is pretty plain.

An entertaining sci-fi thriller.
Rob Estes plays a cop who is unknowingly the real Nostradamus, and ends up having to save the world from Armageddon. The plotline of Nostradamus is slim but believable for the most part and the movie is both funny and thought-provoking. The swift movement of the action to the climax and conclusion also helps to make this a drama worth watching, providing an interesting twist to the Nostradamus legend. For all fans of Rob Estes from his "Silk" days, he is still as good as ever! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

a great feel good movie with excellent acting
This movie really shows how Michael Keaton can really do comedy.
He plays a wealthy hockey player whose life is turned upside
down when he meets a Latino kid who muggs him and his mother.
We see a romance revolve and Michael Keaton's character sees
just what a lonely life he has. His scence with the little boy
are touching and funny. Michael Keaton can do comedy and serious
roles and he was perfect in this movie. Everyone was great.

I was quite pleased!
I am happy to say that "Touch and Go" was a great movie. My old buddy Michael Keaton finally did it again. He made a film that I enjoyed as much or even more than "The Dream Team". I actually cared about each individual character and their outcome.

It is a story about a self absorbed hockey player who finds out what that there is a world outside of himself. After being mugged by a wisecracking 12 year old kid, he ends up taking the brat under his wing unintentionally. He begins a romance with the boys mother (Maria Conchita Alonso-lookin SMOKIN' as ever-of course this was 1986) and ends up putting his hockey career on the backburner.

After renting a slew of BAD movies including "My Own Private Idaho", "A Kiss Before Dying" and "One Good Cop"(it just didn't do it for me) It was a treat to have something with substance finally. I highly recomend this film to anyone looking for a good time on a Saturday night.

5 out of 5 with complete confidence.

great interaction
the movie was intertaining and thought provoking.great inter-
action with it's 3 main characters.

touch and go
i saw the movie once and i love it. i enjoyed how the heart of micheal was change due to his meeting the little boy and his mom who i felt really needed him. oh i really enjoyed when he got with her and the boy was going to have a father figure in his life now and how she would no longer have to struggle any more cause she got micheal. she is a lovely girl and they play well together in this movie. i love it--------yes!!!!!!!!.

Touch and Go
This is one of my all time favorite movies. Michael Keaton and Maria Conchita Alonso are wonderful. It is an entertaining and heartwarming story about a young boy headed in the wrong direction in life and a playboy hockey player who become friends and "straighten" each other out. I highly recommend this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

STANDARD SCI FI FARE
One of the main problems in this low budget sci fi flick is its failure to show us the monster in full detail. A combination of ALIEN and ARMAGEDDON, WITHIN THE ROCK offers us a mining crew on a strange moon that is hurtling towards the earth. A doctor is on board to help divert the orbit of the moon. What they don't know is that the moon is harboring a million year old demon imprisoned by an alien civilization. The monster cannot function in oxygen-saturated air, so the crew decides it must battle it with nitrogen. The cast includes Xander Berkeley in his typical villain role as the money-grubbing manager of the mine crew; Caroline Barclay in a lifeless portrayal of the doctor; Brandon Tatum and Brian Krause as the gungho brothers--they're actually pretty good; Calvin Levels in his typical brother role; and Michael Zelniker as the computer nerd Archer, who is also quite good. The direction is amatuerish and the movie moves a little too slowly;it is also atrociously edited and lit. Not a horrible film, just not a good horror film.

Let's be honest
Not too bad for a B flick. But, spend your money elsewhere.

Completely Horrific!
What a horrific movie! It's scary and bloody. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's worth watching over and over again no matter how many times. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

STANDARD SCI FI FARE
One of the main problems in this low budget sci fi flick is its failure to show us the monster in full detail. A combination of ALIEN and ARMAGEDDON, WITHIN THE ROCK offers us a mining crew on a strange moon that is hurtling towards the earth. A doctor is on board to help divert the orbit of the moon. What they don't know is that the moon is harboring a million year old demon imprisoned by an alien civilization. The monster cannot function in oxygen-saturated air, so the crew decides it must battle it with nitrogen. The cast includes Xander Berkeley in his typical villain role as the money-grubbing manager of the mine crew; Caroline Barclay in a lifeless portrayal of the doctor; Brandon Tatum and Brian Krause as the gungho brothers--they're actually pretty good; Calvin Levels in his typical brother role; and Michael Zelniker as the computer nerd Archer, who is also quite good. The direction is amatuerish and the movie moves a little too slowly;it is also atrociously edited and lit. Not a horrible film, just not a good horror film.

Let's be honest
Not too bad for a B flick. But, spend your money elsewhere.

Completely Horrific!
What a horrific movie! It's scary and bloody. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's worth watching over and over again no matter how many times. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Michael Jordan had won two championships and lived through two small scandals when this documentary-lite was made in 1993. During his 1991-1992 season, the unauthorized book The Jordan Rules accused the player of being a bossy, hot-tempered team captain, and questions about Michael's off-court gambling habits arose. Still, as the level-headed Jordan notes, he had decided that year that the only person who could knock him off his pedestal would be himself--not a book author or media folks. In short, Michael matured. And while watching Air Time, it's hard not to believe in a guy who's had to believe in himself so often--especially when you see the endless stream of media pressure and public attention the man faced every day. It puts Jordan's love for golf in a new light, as a serene escape from the NBA circus.

While the video sprinkles Jordan's commentary throughout, it covers the Chicago Bulls' first two championships (with downright cool footage of the 1992 playoff series against the Knicks); Michael's second Olympic experience; his commercial endorsement work; and a music video with the ever-ghoulish Michael Jackson. Sneak peeks into Jordan's home life with Juanita and the kids are also tossed in. What's most engaging, though, is not walking down memory lane into the Bulls' glory days against L.A., Portland, and every other NBA team, but learning what a truly stable and genuine off-court demeanor Jordan has. In an age when young players proudly sport their arrogant, entitled attitudes, Michael's authentically gracious ways are those of a dying breed. After all, what red-hot player today--when given the opportunity to be captain of a Dream Team featuring Magic Johnson and Larry Bird--would defer without hesitation to his elders? Latrel Sprewell, he's not--and thank goodness.--Karen Karleski ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Review On Air Time
This video sends chills through my body when I watch it. It shows Michael at his best and in the prime of his leaping days. This video is a motivation to me, I try to put it on every morning when I wake up. I strongly reccomend this video.

IF you like Mike you will like Airtime
Airtime came out after the Bulls second championship, during a time when Jordan was being touted as the greatest player that ever was just preceding the final season before his first retirement. What is captured here is the last of the youthful Jordan who beat you with speed because he didn't have to out think you. This video is only second to Micheal Jordan's playground in capturing the athletic marvel that Air Jordan possessed. Whether you are a basketball -or- Jordan enthusiast or impressed by the things Micheal Jordan could and did do on the court, I recommend this video. The people at NBA Entertainment packaged it so that it is not some romp for enthusiasts only. Quite entertaining. Expect to see Micheal Jackson, as well! Hey, maybe that works for you, eh 8-)

It's air time
"Air Time," like all Michael Jordan videos, is awesome and scores a thundering slam dunk. It has a lot of Jordan's best gravity-defying shots and dunks, but it has a lot more than just highlights. Out of all the Michael Jordan videos I've seen, this one has more about Jordan as a person than any of the others. You'll see him spending time at home with his family, playing golf, and off the court at the Barcelona Olympics in '92. It also has a lot of insight from Jordan himself on what it's like to be a superstar, what he thinks of his friends in the NBA, and he talks about what he thinks of himself when it comes to basketball and as a role model.

"Air Time" does have a lot of Michael Jordan highlights from the regular season, a couple of the championships, an all-star game, and from the '92 Olympics. It also tells of some of the controversy Jordan had to put up with such as the accusations of his gambling and when a writer stated something that Jordan supposedly said about one of his teammates.

Bottom line, when you watch "Air Time," you'll learn a lot more about Michael Jordan than you ever knew before, and it's coming from him in his own words. It also has some spectacular highlights that you will never forget. If you're a Michael Jordan fan, I recommend getting this video right away. If you're not a Michael Jordan fan, this video might change your mind about him.

The best of our time or any time....
This is possibly the best Michael Jordan video out there. It takes us from the start of the 1991-1992 season to the end of the original dream team run for gold at Barcelona. The video isn't just a clip reel (which there is still plenty of) but it also gives us a closer look at the man: Michael Jordan. The video shows us how Jordan reacts after being ejected from his first NBA game, how he deals with people attacking his gambling, his reaction to the JORDAN RULES book, Magic Johnson's retirement from the NBA and other moments that you won't find in any other video that was produced for Jordan. This was a great video and a definite must have for any Jordan fan, NBA fan or any sports fan that wants to remember the best that ever played the game...

Great for the MJ fan.
Great stories about the greatest basketball player that ever lived !!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A soso film
I first saw this on the Scifi channel.It was an ok film.It has some flaws,but the acting was decent.The special effects were good,not great.Almost all the actors we no die,except the 2 main ones of course.When a teen reporter goes under cover at a building were they help teens with there problems,she finds out that there are killer rats everywere and they are starting to kill some of the patients.The momma rat is about the size of a large T.V.Anyway,now the reporter has to escape and get the patients to safety.The rats killed all of the falcuty and only 5 of the teenaged patients.In the end the reporter and her boyfriend escape along with the survivers.A good movie to rent and watch on a Friday night.There are some really creepy moments and gory scenes,like when the momma rat is dragging the girls head across the floor leaving a trail of blood.I would recomend you to rent this not buy.

RATS!!!!!
KILLER RATS is one of those rare modern movies that captures much of the essence of the fifties and sixties "killer monster" movies. Director Tibor Takacs manages to instill some real creepy moments as we are engrossed in this tale of mutant rats. Sara Downing plays a reporter who goes "undercover" to investigate the goings on a HMO type facility. She meets the esteemed doctor (Ron Perlman) and the obedient staff and soon senses something amiss. Meanwhile, her boyfriend reporter (Michael Hagerty) tries to convince her to get out after a series of mysterious disappearances. Michael Zelniker plays the maintenance man who has a mysterious connection with the rats; Bailey Chase plays a drug addict who is a handsome action movie star; and Denise Dowse plays Rose, the bitchy roommate of Sara. The CGI generated rats of course don't look real, but they are scary nonetheless. The movie has an eerie atmospheric pacing and I forgive the numerous plot loopholes because it's a scary movie! If you like this kind of thriller, you won't be disappointed.

It was made for cable, but it belongs in the garbage...
Low budget and very poor production highlight yet another story of animals going amok and killing people. Ron Pearlman stars as the guy trying to hide it from the outside world. Too bad he couldn't stop this film from being made, period.

Killer Rats pulls no punches
Killer Rats has more substance than most killer beastie movies although it leaves me a little confused as to the set layout.
Sewer workers find a blocked-off doorway. One leaves to find a new way around while the other breaks open the seal. He pokes his head in the wall and is promptly yanked in. The other worker returns. She gets a look at something in the hole and runs. She gets caught.
We then see a troubled blond woman, Samantha, get delivered to a private sanitarium. There she is forced to fit in. We meet some of the other characters, including the ruthless head doctor, and discover that the rats are free in the building.
All is not quite as it seems. Samantha is actually an undercover reporter trying to report of possibly deteriorating conditions after privatization. People start disappearing and Samantha may have seen something but she was medicated at the time.
The movie gets pretty intense as the rats get bolder and we learn more about their relationship with some of the facility's staff. There is one scene of a disturbed girl who had seen her lover killed by the rats. She knows they are after her and that she has no way of escaping the padded room where she is on suicide watch. As the rats arrive, she manages to bite a wrist sufficiently to commit suicide.
The movie's effect vary somewhat throughout the film. One scene shows rats scurrying toward a door and they look like toys being pulled on strings. the big main rat sometimes looks very real and at other times it looks two-dimensional. But one thing is constant, the rats have glowing red eyes that emit malevolence in every scene.
I will not spoil the twists and surprises but I was somewhat confused during some of the action scenes as to what was basement and what was sewer. I was not sure why the characters could not find a way out. But it's a good film with plenty of atmosphere and some good solid framework.

Bad.
This movie is proof that I will watch any [thing]they have at the movie store. But, a one liner ironically describes what you will be thinking while and after you watch this plane crash: "This is definately....not good for my sobriety."

A girl is an undercover reporter that moves into a mental ward trying to see if they hurt the mentally ill people, little does she know that the head Psychiatrist and some....dude? Are performing horrible atrocities on rats.

The guy, which I think is the janitor becomes mentally bonded with the big momma rat, saying she "feeds off his thoughts" ... Well anyway the rats become physcho, yes physco they got red eyes and love blood. When your watching the film you wonder if the producers just went over the film with a red highlighter or something, dotting the eyes of the rats. But watch out kiddies, there is a big huge alpha rat thing, which when he comes on screen looks like a cgi smear as it jumps and attacks ... and old women. This whole movie seems aimless, you dont know if they are trying to appeal to 80's horror movie fans with the minimal blood and gore they show or PETA members when they preach about animal cruelty, which is the main motive for why the rats went nuts. Oh yes and another one liner "Time...for a little 1on1 therapy!", ...

The highlight of this film would have to be the crazy girl chewing her arm off for no reason other than she is nuts. Even though the idea of killer rats is far from cliche, Lets be for real here; I mean honestly, who is scared of someone mutating rats into physco rats? Not me, thus takeing away a scary movies lasting appeal giving it nothing to generate fear off of. The climax is as entertaining and anti-clamtic as Archie Bunker takeing a big joe.

But dont fret because a whole lot of monster rats came out a of trash can at the end, leaveing this horrible movie open for what sees to be a even worse sequel.

A sterling example that rat horror movies can't be any good. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Not even Tom...
I originally bout this for Tom Waits, but he's hardly in it.
And John Malckovich as 'the gay friend'.
Don't bother with this one

Underappreciated gem.
If you know a group of 30 (and even 40) somethings who just can't seem to let go of their adolescence, this film will resonate with you. The buddy relationships depicted amongst the pack of guys are right on target, and the awkwardness between the guys' reliance on the pack and their building adult romantic relationship (heterosexual or gay)beyond the pack is well detailed. Linda Fiorentino and Chloe Webb are a credible and recognizeable pair of friends who suport each other, sometimes in anger, somtimes in bemusement, while the somewhat arrested guys in their lives stumble into growing up. Others may disagree, but I am willing to bet that many single urbanites will shout "bingo" when they overhear some of the film's conversations between guy and girl, guy and guy, and girl and girl. Add some quirky, fun NYC caricatures, an evening of last hurrah stunts, and first rate performances from everyone (particularly Mantegna, Jamie Lee Curtis, Fiorentino, and Malkevich)and you have a solid, enjoyable ensemble piece.

Queens Logic: I'm Moving Out
As a lifetime resident of the neighborhood depicted in the movie(which is Astoria, where NOBODY says they're from "Queens"), I excitedly anticipated renting and viewing this movie. Unfortunately, the high points consisted mainly of spotting neighborhood sites and scenes, unless you also include laughing at the incredibly lame situations and dialogue. The high point of lameness (among many) is the speech by Chloe Webb, in which she explains how she's just a girl from Queens and "will always be from Queens". The accent selected for this speech is unidentifiable, and may contain some part Bowery Boys and some part Nanny, but has never been heard inside the city limits of Astoria (or Queens for that matter). Her boyfriend, Ken Olin, is going through the struggle (as all artists must) in which he must decide if this ordinary girl from Queens with the odd accent can be his "muse", or will he need to find a muse in Manhattan. Luckily, the N train is near, so the decision can be made conveniently. Elsewhere in the convoluted plot, Joe Mantegna inexpicably climbs the Hellgate Bridge with a toothpick in his mouth,and prefers to hang out in bars rather than with his extreme babe wife, Linda Fiorentino. The main saving graces for the movie are John Malkovich playing a lovable, friendly but somehow menacingly Malkovich gay guy, Fiorentino just for showing up, and the general attitude that Astorians are cool while Manhattanites are idiotic. (This is clearly true, but why base a movie on it?) Note that Malkovich and Kevin Bacon (also appearing) never ever discuss being in this movie. PS: Watch out for the howling scene-I give you four slices of Astoria pizza for free if you can watch it without cringing and running out of your living room. Oh yes, Jamie Lee Curtis plays a ditzy crazy lady- never seen that before!

Where was I when........?
Queens Logic is another of those movies where you ask yourself.... How did I miss this movie before? Queens Logic? Never heard of it!

The movie is special for its little moments and its great characters. The bartender we all wish we knew (Molinaro), the sleazeball with a heart of gold (Tom Waits), Joey Clams, Joe Mantegna paying his employees "in cash or check?", shotgun handy.

The performances are great, particularly Mantegna, and the film succeeds in transporting you to a section of New York only otherwise known as the home of the Mets.

The film succeeds in showing how these friends truly care for one another and has almost as many precious moments as another cult classic (although less steeped in mythology) "The Wanderers". These are the moments you want to look back on. These are the friends who will always love you. This is a movie which feels good to watch.

high potential to achieve college cult status
Sure, "Queens Logic" might at first come across asnothing more than "The Big Chill" Italian-American-style,with a marriage instead of a funeral drawing folks back together. But if ever a movie begs a second (and third) watching it's this one. Not only is it sharply directed by Steve Rash but the acting is quite nearly pristine throughout, an astounding accomplishment considering the number of prime characters, bit-parts and cameo appearances which permeate the storyline from beginning to end. But it's the screenwriting angle that elevates this movie to the category of significant cinematography. The street-level dialogue is classically accurate -- and perfectly delivered.While it shines as an uncensored piece of Big Apple Americana, it also has that feel of college cult favorite, as much for its quirkiness as the now high-profile faces which appear throughout, like an always-way-cool Tom Waits, a left-field-guruish Jamie Lee Curtis, a can't-score-for-nothin' Kevin Bacon and a trascendentally-gay John Malkovich. Worth buying instead of simply renting. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

STANDARD SCI FI FARE
One of the main problems in this low budget sci fi flick is its failure to show us the monster in full detail. A combination of ALIEN and ARMAGEDDON, WITHIN THE ROCK offers us a mining crew on a strange moon that is hurtling towards the earth. A doctor is on board to help divert the orbit of the moon. What they don't know is that the moon is harboring a million year old demon imprisoned by an alien civilization. The monster cannot function in oxygen-saturated air, so the crew decides it must battle it with nitrogen. The cast includes Xander Berkeley in his typical villain role as the money-grubbing manager of the mine crew; Caroline Barclay in a lifeless portrayal of the doctor; Brandon Tatum and Brian Krause as the gungho brothers--they're actually pretty good; Calvin Levels in his typical brother role; and Michael Zelniker as the computer nerd Archer, who is also quite good. The direction is amatuerish and the movie moves a little too slowly;it is also atrociously edited and lit. Not a horrible film, just not a good horror film.

Let's be honest
Not too bad for a B flick. But, spend your money elsewhere.

Completely Horrific!
What a horrific movie! It's scary and bloody. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's worth watching over and over again no matter how many times. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Intriguing but a disappointment
Jazz aficionado Clint Eastwood's admiration for the legendary Charlie Parker is evident throughout "Bird," but it can't overcome a script that dwells on the great musician's self-destructive drug use at the expense of his musicianship. Why did Charlie Parker die at such a young age? The film answers that question rather explicitly. Why was Charlie Parker great? "Bird" tends to fumble when addressing that question. Still, Eastwood captures the smoky ambiance of Parker's nocturnal world very well, and the music is hard to fault. Though it is ultimately a disappointment, "Bird" is worth a look for admirers of both the director and his subject.

A MASTERPIECE OF JAZZ AND DRUG FILM NOIR.
Wow, I can't believe the negative reviews for this MASTERPIECE by Clint Eastwood. Being a big fan of Jazz, I've owned this film for many years in more than one incarnation, and have watched it more times than I care to tally.

Many reviewers said it's overly dark. Yep. Jazz musicians spend most of their time in dark smoke-filled nightclubs. So does BIRD. This is a great MOOD PIECE. It could also be called FILM NOIR.

Many said it doesn't establish why Charlie Parker was one of the greats of Jazz. In one particularly brilliant scene of writing in this film, Parker is talking about himself and the legend of BIRD to Red Rodney, partner in Jazz and fellow heroin addict. He talks about "going inside the melody" of Cherokee, a song he had played many times and was tired of doing. Parker decides to go around the melody with little notes and discovers his style. Thus, a whole new form of music called Be Bop is born. A superb scene.

Many reviewers said it dwelt too heavily on the negative aspects of Parker's drug abuse. This is true. However, heroin played a significant part in early Jazz music in this country. Heavily significant. A majority of the best and brightest Jazz stars were plagued by addiction for many years. Read Miles Davis' autobiography. He lists them all. Eastwood recognizes this in a scene where Parker is in Paris and is debating whether to return to the States. A fellow sideman is trying convince him to stay in France where he can make a decent living. SIDEMAN: "You can't make no living playing Jazz in the States." BIRD: "Dizz can. Duke can." SIDEMAN: "Well you ain't Dizz. And you certainly ain't Duke." BIRD: "So I kick." The Sideman laughs uproariously. BIRD: "I can kick." The Sideman laughs harder. The point of this exchange: the only successful Jazzmen are Duke and Dizzy because they may be the only ones not hooked on heroin. Subtle writing. A brilliant exchange that conveys so much about the world of Jazz. For some Jazz musicians, heroin was used in a creative context whether people will admit that or not. And drug and alcohol abuse DID kill Charlie Parker. Artists can be extremely self-destructive human beings.

Some said it wasn't accurate. Many film biopics use composite characters for dramatic effect and change some history for storytelling purposes. Films can't possibly contain a person's whole history. It's not possible. But BIRD conveys Parker's fame and troubles with amazing grace and skill.

Yes, BIRD is dark and depressing. It is also a brilliantly realized ART FILM. However, the timeline can be very confusing. I screened this for a friend, who was lost in the flashbacks. He did however, enjoy the film.

Another thing I love about the script, is that it portrays Charlie Parker as an articulate and eloquent man, as many Jazz musicians were at the time and still are. (Wynton Marsalis comes to mind.) Even in "the midst of my disorientation," Parker remains articulate. One of my favorite lines of dialogue is when Parker is waking up on the floor after passing out in a wealthy patron's house. She explains to him that he has passed out, and Parker retorts from the floor, "Very undignified of me." BEAUTIFUL WRITING.

I just had to chime in, because this film is an overlooked TREASURE. Forest Whitaker gives us probably the most amazing death scene I've ever witnessed on film. He should have won the Oscar for his performance. It was shamefully overlooked. Diane Venora is superb as are the rest of the cast. And as for Clint Eastwood; this is without a doubt, HIS BEST FILM. And one of my all time favorite flicks. Thanks Clint, for giving me many hours of enjoyment, and taking me back to a time I wish I had lived through, with this WORK OF ART. YOU are a TRUE JAZZ LOVER.

If YOU are A TRUE LOVER OF JAZZ or A TRUE LOVER OF FILM ART, YOU MUST SEE THIS POIGNANT PIECE OF JAZZ HISTORY. THIS IS SUPERLATIVE MOVIEMAKING.

This Bird doesn't fly
This movie was a disappointment for me. I had hoped to learn about a creative musician's life but that is not the story here. The acting is great but the threads of plot are just too disconnected. I suspect those who love this film know Mr. Parkers life so well that the holes in the story don't keep them in the dark the way I felt. Clint Eastwood directs this movie like my 15 year old son who doesn't understand how to show me something that he knows really well and I don't. That's the feeling I had watching this movie.

Unless you know Charlie Parkers life very well I'd pass on this movie.

Never forgot it
Forrest Whittaker is one of the best actors in Hollywood. It's a shame we don't see more of him but he had a triumph with Bird. Some critics have said it wasn't completely accurate. That's true. Bird spent his adult life as an addict and there's nothing romantic or touching about that. Bird's relationship with Chan wasn't as portrayed in the film but the full, unfiltered story of his life would've been more than most audiences could bear. This is the "lite" version, kind of like Lady Sings the Blues but it's still a great film that gives you an idea of it's subject's genius and it well worth the money.

Warning - DVD does not play in computers
I saw this movie a long time ago and liked it. Unfortunately,
the DVD is "copy protected" and will not play on most
computers unless you have CSS cracking software. Too bad.
I don't want to buy a DVD player just to watch a few DVD's
so I play them on my computer. But not this one. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

STANDARD SCI FI FARE
One of the main problems in this low budget sci fi flick is its failure to show us the monster in full detail. A combination of ALIEN and ARMAGEDDON, WITHIN THE ROCK offers us a mining crew on a strange moon that is hurtling towards the earth. A doctor is on board to help divert the orbit of the moon. What they don't know is that the moon is harboring a million year old demon imprisoned by an alien civilization. The monster cannot function in oxygen-saturated air, so the crew decides it must battle it with nitrogen. The cast includes Xander Berkeley in his typical villain role as the money-grubbing manager of the mine crew; Caroline Barclay in a lifeless portrayal of the doctor; Brandon Tatum and Brian Krause as the gungho brothers--they're actually pretty good; Calvin Levels in his typical brother role; and Michael Zelniker as the computer nerd Archer, who is also quite good. The direction is amatuerish and the movie moves a little too slowly;it is also atrociously edited and lit. Not a horrible film, just not a good horror film.

Let's be honest
Not too bad for a B flick. But, spend your money elsewhere.

Completely Horrific!
What a horrific movie! It's scary and bloody. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's worth watching over and over again no matter how many times. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Not even Tom...
I originally bout this for Tom Waits, but he's hardly in it.
And John Malckovich as 'the gay friend'.
Don't bother with this one

Underappreciated gem.
If you know a group of 30 (and even 40) somethings who just can't seem to let go of their adolescence, this film will resonate with you. The buddy relationships depicted amongst the pack of guys are right on target, and the awkwardness between the guys' reliance on the pack and their building adult romantic relationship (heterosexual or gay)beyond the pack is well detailed. Linda Fiorentino and Chloe Webb are a credible and recognizeable pair of friends who suport each other, sometimes in anger, somtimes in bemusement, while the somewhat arrested guys in their lives stumble into growing up. Others may disagree, but I am willing to bet that many single urbanites will shout "bingo" when they overhear some of the film's conversations between guy and girl, guy and guy, and girl and girl. Add some quirky, fun NYC caricatures, an evening of last hurrah stunts, and first rate performances from everyone (particularly Mantegna, Jamie Lee Curtis, Fiorentino, and Malkevich)and you have a solid, enjoyable ensemble piece.

Queens Logic: I'm Moving Out
As a lifetime resident of the neighborhood depicted in the movie(which is Astoria, where NOBODY says they're from "Queens"), I excitedly anticipated renting and viewing this movie. Unfortunately, the high points consisted mainly of spotting neighborhood sites and scenes, unless you also include laughing at the incredibly lame situations and dialogue. The high point of lameness (among many) is the speech by Chloe Webb, in which she explains how she's just a girl from Queens and "will always be from Queens". The accent selected for this speech is unidentifiable, and may contain some part Bowery Boys and some part Nanny, but has never been heard inside the city limits of Astoria (or Queens for that matter). Her boyfriend, Ken Olin, is going through the struggle (as all artists must) in which he must decide if this ordinary girl from Queens with the odd accent can be his "muse", or will he need to find a muse in Manhattan. Luckily, the N train is near, so the decision can be made conveniently. Elsewhere in the convoluted plot, Joe Mantegna inexpicably climbs the Hellgate Bridge with a toothpick in his mouth,and prefers to hang out in bars rather than with his extreme babe wife, Linda Fiorentino. The main saving graces for the movie are John Malkovich playing a lovable, friendly but somehow menacingly Malkovich gay guy, Fiorentino just for showing up, and the general attitude that Astorians are cool while Manhattanites are idiotic. (This is clearly true, but why base a movie on it?) Note that Malkovich and Kevin Bacon (also appearing) never ever discuss being in this movie. PS: Watch out for the howling scene-I give you four slices of Astoria pizza for free if you can watch it without cringing and running out of your living room. Oh yes, Jamie Lee Curtis plays a ditzy crazy lady- never seen that before!

Where was I when........?
Queens Logic is another of those movies where you ask yourself.... How did I miss this movie before? Queens Logic? Never heard of it!

The movie is special for its little moments and its great characters. The bartender we all wish we knew (Molinaro), the sleazeball with a heart of gold (Tom Waits), Joey Clams, Joe Mantegna paying his employees "in cash or check?", shotgun handy.

The performances are great, particularly Mantegna, and the film succeeds in transporting you to a section of New York only otherwise known as the home of the Mets.

The film succeeds in showing how these friends truly care for one another and has almost as many precious moments as another cult classic (although less steeped in mythology) "The Wanderers". These are the moments you want to look back on. These are the friends who will always love you. This is a movie which feels good to watch.

high potential to achieve college cult status
Sure, "Queens Logic" might at first come across asnothing more than "The Big Chill" Italian-American-style,with a marriage instead of a funeral drawing folks back together. But if ever a movie begs a second (and third) watching it's this one. Not only is it sharply directed by Steve Rash but the acting is quite nearly pristine throughout, an astounding accomplishment considering the number of prime characters, bit-parts and cameo appearances which permeate the storyline from beginning to end. But it's the screenwriting angle that elevates this movie to the category of significant cinematography. The street-level dialogue is classically accurate -- and perfectly delivered.While it shines as an uncensored piece of Big Apple Americana, it also has that feel of college cult favorite, as much for its quirkiness as the now high-profile faces which appear throughout, like an always-way-cool Tom Waits, a left-field-guruish Jamie Lee Curtis, a can't-score-for-nothin' Kevin Bacon and a trascendentally-gay John Malkovich. Worth buying instead of simply renting. ... Read more