Reviews (413)

Family Fun for All
What a great movie, even with this epic being nearly 7 hours long on DVD. You'll find it hard to stop watching the adventures of Tony and Kimberly as they make their way through the 9 Kingdoms with Wolf and The Prince. There is comedy, magic, romance, drama and all the rest for every one. Safe for every one to watch with only a very few mild words and violent acts that might cause a few parents concern for the very young. Entertaining on all levels, even for myself a middle aged male into war flix. I found myself fixed on this movie only getting up to change the 3 disc it takes to watch it. While I question a couple of the casting choices like headlining Ann Margret for such a small role, overall the acting was well above par for a made for TV movie. Even the FX and make-up were above average for a made for TV film. This film did not find a fan base until after it aired, which due to poor ratings on TV there may never be a another one which without giving anything away the movie hinted at that near the end. Recommended for raining day or winter watching as it is a all day view, and a number of fan sites have spung up with fanzine stories that carry the movie on well past the ending.

My all time favorite movie.
I hope everyone sees this movie, but it's not for young kids. This is my top five favorite movie of all time. All the fairy tales built into one. It will make you laugh and cry. I watch this movie again and again when I can see it all the way through. If anyone knows of a sequel drop me a line. I like the wolf the best. I think they should make a real life 10th Kingdom maze similar like the movie.

Was I watching the same film as the rest of these folks?
As I write this, I wonder whether it's possible there were two entirely separate "10th Kingdoms" released, and I just bought the evil twin version! This series is so bad as to be almost unwatchable...in fact, it is unwatchable. I forced myself to sit through it, since I shelled out considerable cash for it in high hopes that it would be the awe-inspiring series mentioned on the back and in reviews.

The problem seems to lie in that the film couldn't decide whether the main audience should be adults or children, and consequently fails miserably to reach either. All of a child's favorite fairy-tale characters are included, which would be fine, but the story had to be "modernised", apparently on the presumption that today's "hip" kids wouldnt appreciate it and that adults would get bored (it is about 10 hours, after all). So, to spice things up, the writers added gratiuitous sexual innuendo and profanity (like the pathetic "butt" kissing episode, but the word used wasn't butt, and I cannot repeat it here since Amazon.com wouldn't allow it and deleted my last review for content...ask yourself if you want your kids watching a film with language Amazon.com won't allow in a review!). How to pick up chicks and pop psychology are thrown in, apparently to amuse the adult audience, but the whole thing just seems grossly patronising and you actually feel a bit insulted and offended while watching. The story line is moronic, and the interplay between the evil queen and her daughter would be deeply disturbing to some children (in short, you are a burden to your parents, and they would do anything, including murder, to get rid of you). The acting is so bad you feel uncomfortable watching it...three notable examples are the babbling, neurotic "wolf", the three "hip" maniacal troll children and Laroquette's character, who tries and fails to convey that he takes this whole romp seriously. you actually feel sorry for all of the actors in this series, and hope that the poor acting is a result of an irredeemable script and not lack of talent. There are some cute moments, like an obese Snow White (the fairest in the land?) and a geriatric Cinderella (or Sleeping Beauty, I forget) whose youthful face belies bone cracking agony whenever she is invited to dance. All in all, adults will find this film completely unwatchable, and kids will find it weird, incomprehensible or just boring, perhaps a healthy dose of all three.

The sad fact is there was SO much potential here, and the special effects really are spectacular (the opening sequence in particular), and the series' failure to deliver just leaves one angry and wanting to mash the tapes into tiny, little bits, especially after ten hours of hoping that it will somehow get better.

See "Arabian Nights" with Leguizamo and others. It tackles the same theme and manages to deliver with much more humor and entertainment in 1/5 the time.

best movie!
This is one of the best movies ever! It's got adventure, love, action and fairy tales what else could you ask for!??!! Everyone should at least watch this if not buy it and watch it once a month!

Sparkling, inventive fantasy
Virginia is a charming but rather insecure girl who lives with her father Tony in a building in New York where he is the put-upon janitor. Virginia is tormented by muddled memories of her mother, who disapeared when she was a young child. Strange things begin to happen in their lives when a Prince who has been turned into a golden retriever escapes from his magical world into theirs. He has been transfored by a wicked queen who wants to take control of the Nine kingdoms. She sends her werewolf henckman and a group of hideous trolls in pursuit of the escaped Prince. Tony and Virginia find themselves obliged to return to the Nine Kingdoms and help the enchanted Prince in his quest to defeat the Wicked Queen. They end up travelling with the werwolf, who has an eye for Virginia, but is he friend or foe? This is an absolutely wonderful series, which is full of dazzling special effects, superb acting, wit and charm. There are som very funny scenes, like the one where the werewolf has Virginia's grandmother trussed up and ready to cook,the one where Tony is given some wishes and makes the most of his chance to humiliate his obnoxious employer, and the scene where Virgina has to enter a shpeherdess contest and sing a song, "We will, we will shear you". Virginia's father Tony (John Larroquette) is my favourite character, his commonsense approach to the weird fairytale world is great, ("What is the point of having an evil door?"). And there is a delightful if strange romance between Virginia (Kimberley Williams) and the wolf (Scott Cohen). An absolute delight. Only one regret, at the end of this series there is a hint that there may be furthere adventures to come, but so far we haven't seen any. Is a sequel too much to hope for? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Future Nightmare creator and Scream weaver Wes Craven'sfilm debut is a primitive little production that rises above its cut-rateproduction values and hazy, grainy patina via its grimly affecting portraitof human evil infiltrating a middle-class household. The story is adaptedfrom Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, but the film has more incommon with Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs as it charts the descent of aharmless married couple into methodical killers. A quartet of criminals--adistorted version of the nuclear family--kidnaps a pair of teenage girls andproceeds to ravage, rape, torture, and finally brutally murder them in thewoods, unwittingly within walking distance of their rural home. The killerstake refuge in the girls' own home, but when the parents discover just whothey are and what they've done, they plot violent retribution.

Along with George Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Tobe Hooper'sTexas Chainsaw Massacre, Craven helped redefine American horror withthis debut--all three movies portray modern society crumbling into madnessand horror. But, unlike his fellow directors, Craven gives his film anuncomfortable verisimilitude, setting it squarely in the heartland of modernAmerica. While at times it's awkward and inconsistent, with distracting comicinterludes, his handling of the brutal horror scenes is unsettling, and thedeath of the daughter is an unexpectedly quiet and lyrical moment. --SeanAxmaker ... Read more

Reviews (200)

Meh... It was okay...
I love A LOT of Wes Craven's work, but this had to be his greatest failure! The plot itself seems somewhat rather interesting, but the movie just couldn't cut it! The acting was pretty good but the music score was poor, the colors were grainy looking, and the picture quality has got to be the WORST I've ever seen in DVDs!! (not to mention it really wasn't that scary.) We could at least have a better transfer of this, right?! What's even worse about this movie is that at SOME times it tries to be funny and scary at the same time, which is definetally not a good mix depending on the type of film it's made out to be. (Heck, alot of these 70s films don't really make much sense huh?) The only part I'd have to say I liked was at the very end where the parents get revenge on the killers with the booby-traps and stuff.

OVERALL: I would NOT recommend this movie if you are looking for an Oscar-winner or whatever unless you are a B-movie collector who likes this stuff. I give it 4/10 for a good idea in story but poor sound and picture quality.

How could Wes Craven do this?!!!!
This movie is nothing like people say it is. It is the worst movie I have ever seen. The only part good about it was the breasts( I say breast I was afraid I wouldn't get posted) and nothing else. I didn't even finish watching it.

completly stunk
this movie really sucked, nothing more. I gave it one star because Wes Craven is my favorite movie writer/director.

Wes Cravens first...
Last House On The Left shocked a hardened horror/exploitation fan like me. I couldn't believe that this was made in 1971. The sadistic way Krueg and company acted and how they tortured poor Mari and her friend was nothing short of vile, but the way Craven shot these scenes of torture made your stomach churn twice as bad. The revenge of the parents also made this film something to behold. Last House is classic exploitation. Viewing it is a must.

Clever clever..! -Movie..!! -For a really low budget.
One of Wes Craven's.. -Early film's.. -Has this old
sinnister tale of good old rappe and torture.. -I've
bought this DVD and not half two worry about any
more dang VHS.. -Lucky.. -I am glad that a friend
of mine.. -Bought it for me.. -Becuase..! -I've sold
DVD'S I did not like any more..

I've think.. -Wes is worth it two sell your DVD'S
and respect the man for his buck.. -Craven did a
excellent job.. -I've totally of Wes about all of
his film's.. -The Catholic may condemmed. -Me..!
but Wes will alway's be known as the king of grade
B horror film's.. -In my mind.. -Sean Cunningham..
the Veteran of the Friday the 13th.. -Flick's help
Wes two do this movie in Connecuite..?

Craven.. -Is a cheap cheap film maker..? -And taken
his blood and gut's too serious for this kind..!
Sean did a great job with production value's..!
their is a glimpse as the future Friday the 13th
Steve Minor jumps at the end as he rides with some
drunken roadie's.. -Never mind..!

This movie may disturbed a lot of people..! -But
their is a story two just being a horror film..?
this one did not cost Wes any thing.. -The film
went two their back yards.. -Did something
they've cooed acheived for them selve's..?

Two girls go into a night in town..! -As they've
are hunted by some rapest's..! -The girls get trapped..
after they where headed two a concert.. -Then their
taken two the dimmwitted wooed's two be rape..?
then the movie turn's out a longer for the too ho
have kiddnapped.. -Rape; -and killed these poor
innocent women.. -Then..! -The next day; -the
parent's of the girl.. -Mari Collingwood.. -Goe's
out jogging.. -They've find the girl..?

But the same rapest's go too the house..! -Have
dinner.. -The mother learns that they are the
real killer's.. -So they've plot some fantastic
peice of cinema history.. -Revenge..! -Their are a
lot of disturbing images in this movie.. -And
don't let any one watch this with a bad heart
condition.. -I love the special feature's with

Wes Craven.. -and; -the introduction.. -Which
he explains that he have put back some of the old
violent footage in this flick..?

Wes Craven.. -Shooed of gane an oscor.. -But he
is known as a low budgetted filmmaker..? -You
never guest your going out.. -Two make a low
budget feature.. -Play with stuff that no one
has ever tried.. -And don't win an oscor..?

This is my Grade -A.. -Horror flick.. -Some say
it is not a horror flick..

Wes had a nice try with this..!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not many movies can take credit for bringing about the demise of a movie studio--but Michael Cimino's ego-driven, overblown Western is one of them. These days, its $40 million budget would barely cover the cost of an Adam Sandler film--but in 1981, it virtually put United Artists out of business. Cimino, fresh from an Oscar for The Deer Hunter, spent months assembling this ultimately gorgeous and confusing story of the Johnson County cattle wars of 1881, with a cast that included Kris Kristofferson, Jeff Bridges, John Hurt, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, and many more. Almost four hours in its original form, the film was cut to less than three for an abortive commercial release, then restored for video. Anyway you look at it, this is a mess better viewed as a curiosity than anything else. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (73)

Have you noticed that no one ever gives this film 3 stars...
It's always 1 or 5 (the occasional 2 or 4 are just cowards...). This is a film you either adore or detest. Those who adore it (moi, for instance, as the 5 star rating clearly indicates) are usually very patient movie watchers who like to watch a film unfold at its own pace. How many films can you name that are still going through exposition an hour and half into the film?

David Bern once said that movies are nothing but pictures and images; stories are just a trick to get you to watch them. You could turn off the sound and mix up the reels (some probably think that happened when they saw it in the theatre), and this would still be a feast for the eyes. Cimino's lush vision of Montana is overwhelming. It's like a stroll through a moving Bierstadt exhibition. It contains pieces that are almost perfect acts of filmmaking - such as the skating sequence, which could stand alone as a short (the 1 star folks just stopped reading, muttering the word "dilatant" under their collective breaths).

But despite its cinematic saturation, Heaven's Gate has a powerful, complex story. It's a story about class barbarism, and how the American Aristocracy of the last century committed mass murder in the West, with the help of the Government and the Military. It has a love story between two people who wouldn't have touched each other in the "civilized" East. It has intense performances by Isabella Hupert, Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston, et al.

Yes, this is clearly not a film for everyone - in fact, if it was made for anyone, it was for Michael Cimino - but it is a film that some of us are glad was made. If you like LONG, CHALLANGING films by self-indulgent artists, rent it - and if you love it, you'll have to buy it; and if you hate it, well, you probably wasted five bucks and couldn't even get to the second tape...

How the West was Won
Cimino may not have made a blockbuster, but he did make one of the best Westerns in cinematic history. Unfortunately, most people can't sit through a 4-hour movie. If you are one of those persons who can appreciate a complex narrative, delivered by a stunning cast, that tells a more candid tale of the West, then "Heaven's Gate" is a real treat.

Cimino has collected a set of compelling stories that swirl around the range wars of the Montana. He relates these stories through his protaganist, a federal marshall played by Kris Kristofferson. His thoughts drift back to Harvard Yard in the opening sequence, where he reveled in the commencement ceremonies with his old schoolmate, John Hurt. Much of this scene was chopped out in the theatrical release, undermining the content of the film. It is this Eastern view, which Cimino wants you to take note of. How one can meld into the West as Kristofferson does, and how one can become part and parcel of the cattle syndicate as Hurt did.

The stories mainly focus around the Eastern European immigrants who attempted to carve out a life in late 19th-century Montana. They came up against the great cattle syndicates, who owned much of the range, leaving little for the immigrants to settle on. Cimino gives you a very intimate view of the events. His camera angles take you right into the action. This is a very visceral movie.

Eventually these immigrants come up against the cattle barons, who had formed their own vigilante gangs in an attempt to combat the encroachment of the new settlers on their land. Kristofferson has grown close to the immigrants and eventually chooses to support their claims, leading to a final gut-wrenching confrontation, which includes his old schoolmate, John Hurt.

The cast is first rate. Walken, Bridges, Huppert, Watterston all give excellent performances. Cimino has inverted many of the myths that surround the Old West, and provided a living history. The film almost has the quality of a sepia tone, as he has muted his colors to give the sense of age. The [fourty]... million budget seems paltry by toda's standards, but at the time it was one of the most expensive films ever made. Unfortunately, not everyone was ready for it.

Quite Possibly the Most Maligned Picture Ever Made
When self-appointed film experts talk about the worst movies of all time, Heaven's Gate invariably enters the conversation. Until the release of Ishtar, this depiction of the Johnson County War in the late 19th Century enjoyed the dubious distinction of being the biggest box office flop of all time. In my view, however, a box office flop doesn't necessarily denote a bad movie. A bad movie is one with low production values, bad effects, and/or muddled script, like Plan 9 From Outer Space or Manos: The Hands of Fate. Heaven's Gate, though it may have been a box office flop, is actually a very good movie that got it's undeserved reputation due to director Michael Cimino's obsession with perfection. This resulted in multiple takes of scenes that most directors could have shot in one or two. Ultimately, the picture cost three or four times its original budget to make. Negative pre-release publicity from a reporter who managed to get into the film as an extra after Cimino refused to grant him an interview, and the critical shellacking that it received from the critics when released, conspired with the well reported cost overruns to doom Heaven's Gate before it was even out of the starting gate.

Personally, I like this movie. And while I appreciate Cimino's insistence on period authenticity in such things as trains, costuming and sets but I have a problem reconciling it to a script that takes such artistic liberties with recorded history. The real Jim Averill was a cattle ruster who along with his wife was hanged. He was not the noble sheriff with an Ivy League background as portrayed in the film by Kris Kristofferson. Nevertheless, Heaven's Gate is a superb motion picture in many respects. The cinematography by Villnos Zsigmond is nothing short of magnificent, and the acting performances are all good, especially those of Kristofferson, John Hurt, and Christopher Walken. Although many previous reviewers have criticized the sound quality, I found nothing wrong with it. I also didn't find the plot all that hard to follow, as others claim. Perhaps they expected the movie to give them a clue without any sort of thinking on their own. Of all the complaints that have been levelled against Heaven's Gate, the only one I think that has any merit to it is that the pacing is painfully slow. That said, I don't believe it distracts significantly from the enjoyment of the movie. Incidentally, have I mentioned that David Mansfield's score (sadly, not in print) is beautiful?

Sure, Heaven's Gate is considered to be a flop. But I would suggest to anyone reading this review that you watch it for yourself and decide. It's really not as bad a movie as others have led you to believe it is.

Check it out for the camerawork; there's nothing else there
"Heaven's Gate" is one of the most beautifully photographed films ever made. Every frame seems almost antique, a dazzling combination of sunlit exteriors and naturally lit interiors with candles and oil lamps that give the film a burnish unlike any other.

And there's several brillantly directed sequences that are unlike anything in any other film. A hyper-active rollerskating dance that transforms into a waltz between the romantic leads. A massive graduation dance on the lawn of Harvard (actually shot at Oxford) that is breathtaking in its scope.

However, all this camerawork and virtuoso editing is wrapped around one of the dullest screenplays ever written. The story is so simple, it could have been covered in 90 minutes instead of 3 hours and 40 minutes, and most of the movie consists of long pensive silences between the actors that lack any kind of dramatic interest or narrative thrust. The movie meanders, wanders, stops dead in its tracks, only occasionally remembering to pick up the storyline and go somewhere with it.

Kristofferson is utterly passive and uninteresting.

The film spends its first half-hour setting up a friendship between Kristofferson and John Hurt that has no bearing or meaning to to the storyline.

The love triangle aspect is contrived and dull.

And the victimized immigrants in the film are so shrill, panicky, and annoying that you almost wish they'd get killed.

Pictorially, the film is a masterpiece. But as a narrative film, it utterly fails on every level.....never before has so much care gone into making a film with so little substance.

As you can tell, this is a very ambivelent review. I think "Heaven's Gate" is worth a viewing just for those lovely images and sequences.....pure eye candy. Just don't expect to be entertained past that level.

Cimino's Hellish Disaster
I was one of the people who went to see this movie when it first came out in New York City - if you blinked, you missed it because it was pulled after one week! That's an indication of how bad this movie really is.

While I was watching the movie, I started trying to read lips because the sound was just so horrendous, you could barely hear or understand what was being said - I'm not kidding. I could hear wagon wheels turn and horses trot better than I could the actor's voices. By the end of the movie my glutimus maximus was numb - along with the expressions on the audience's faces. You could hear a pin drop in the place - then the avalanche of boos and scathing reviews started pouring down. I've never experienced anything like it before or since.

The scenery and music is fantastic, everything else is truly horrendous. Cimino had over 200 hours of film which needed to be cut down to between 2 and 3 hours - it's impossible to make a cohesive, intelligent movie from such a huge amount of film - storylines get trimmed or cut completely leaving you to wonder what the heck is going on or why certain things seemed disjointed and/or untold.

You're left wondering how someone who created a spectacular movie like The Deer Hunter could have become so self-absorbed that he created a disaster of enormous proportions. $40 million might not seem like much nowawdays, but in 1980, it was a heckuva lot of money. (It's equivalent to $100,000,000 today!)

Such a shame that Cimino threw his career down the toilet with this movie. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Beverly Hills 90210 is one of my favorite shows!
This video is a must for anyone who loves 90210.It gives bits and pieces of the first two seasons, which brings back happy and sad memories of the characters.The video also talks about the character's feeling about graduating from high school and about leaving each other.If you have graduated or going to graduate from high school, this video will make you feel sad as you recall high school experiences.The saddest scene is at the end when they are looking at the sign that says, West Bev 93 and are staring at it.This is a video that you will love to own about all of the 90210 characters!

90210 is the best show on television!
I am a big huge Beverly Hills, 90210 fan! It's the coolest show on FOX, it even has a great soundtrack too. I watch the show all the time and all the actors are good. It's still a good show even though if it's been on for awhile. For those of you 90210 fans you can catch 2 episodes on FX every weekday at 4:00 and 5:00 (I think).

The sadness of 90210 ending
It is such a shame that 90210 had to go off the air. It was my favorite show ever since i've been alive. I will miss Luke Perry alot on T.V. I recorded almost every episode they made so at least the memories will stay with me forever. All I hope is that they make another show just like that. It really feels good to watch a great show and have the characters go through some of the same issues you might be going through. It was a great show and they did a great job. 90210 will be in memory forever...

Huge Fan from Brazil
I'm a huge, huge fan of BV 90210 from Brazil and I have never missed an episode of all ten seasons. I really look forward for their release on DVD!!! Beverly Hills 90210 definitely needs to be on DVD ASAP! I still watch the show everyday! Maybe this is the third time!!! But I NEVER get tired of it! I REALLY LOVE THE SHOW! I wish they would come out with all the DVDS soon.

90210 big fan!
i want to buy this video but with some of the reviews ive seen im not sure if i still want to. but i was young when the show started so i never watched it untill about the begining of 2004. see i really think luke perry (dylan mckay) is so hot so i started watching it and my dad records it every week day and on sat and sun. i love it so much! i wish they would come out with all the DVDS! season 1/10 cuz i would buy them all. i need to catch up with the early days. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Consistent mid-80s sci-fi with a great score.
"Runaway"

This is the archetypal "average" movie. Whilst not expertly handled by director Crichton (yes, Michael Crichton), Runaway at least succeeds in being reasonably interesting and very watchable. It's one of those movies that succeeds in being very enjoyable without actually being that good; there is something very comfortable about the tone of the whole film. Whilst most of the set-pieces could have been more tightly edited and paced, there is an undeniable consistency in the visuals throughout. And note has to be made of Gene Simmons (yes, from Kiss), who makes a convincing bad guy, and the subtle but workable chemistry between Tom Selleck and the glammed-down Cynthia Rhodes.

The film boasts an impressive electronic score by the legendary Jerry Goldsmith, done in the same year as his beautiful work on Ridley Scott's Legend, at which time Goldsmith was in the process of moving over to synthesizers. The closing theme, which plays out as Selleck and Rhodes kiss under showers of sparks, is exhiliarating.

The DVD is unremarkable, with a fairly good transfer and sound if nothing in the way of extras (unless you're still counting trailers).

Underated Movie
Jack Ramsay (Tom Selleck) is a sergeant on the runaway squad - a police squad dedicated to robots. Ramsay and his new partner (Cynthia Rhodes) track down an electronics genious named Charles Luther (Gene Simmons) who has programed robots to kill. After the murders of two electronic engineers Ramsay discovers Luther has stolen a new weapon and plans to sell it to the highest bidder.

Its hard to believe this movie is sixteen years old. I like all the actors in this movie and have seen it several times and it still is not boring. The only problems i have with it is that the dvd does not have many options on it and there are two very cheesy scenes at the begining.

Gene Simmons plays a fantastic bad guy!
When I am watching a 1984 sci-fi movie, I am not expecting to see an oscar calibur portrail full of twists and turns. Some may call it predictible, but myself I feel that the story flowed and made sense. Too many times have I seen a movie wher its certainly unpredictable because the plot climax comes out of nowhere. Tom Sellek plays the part well and is very believeable as a hardened and some what cynical cop. Gene Simmons in one of his only noteworthy film performances takes his KISS type persona and plays the evil genius well. I for one enjoyed this movie alot, and unlike Blade Runner didn't find myself watching it 5 times to understand the very shallow story line. If you are looking for a believeable near future story, pick this up.

What's wrong with this picture? NOTHING!
Poor Tom Selleck. I swear everybody loves him but he never gets a hit movie. This happens to be a very good SciFi movie. I know since there are not many I don't own. Not to mention you have a good director and great music. Add in a cool evil Vectrocon doctor played by Gene "Kiss" Simmons with killer insect like robots and you have a winner.

Selleck plays Sgt. Jack Ramsey, a cop that polices runaway robots. Since most of them are fairly harmless house units it starts out a bit comical. But as the story develops with a Vectrocon secretary played by Kirstie Alley finding out about killer robots. Add in some incredible heat seeking signature bullets that can turn corners and the tension mounts.

The DVD includes some extras including Bios on the stars. The picture and sound quality are sharp. Well worth owning on DVD, especially for fans of Tom Selleck.

GOOD START TO GENE SIMMONS'S ACTING CAREER
THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT A COMPUTER COP (SELLECK) WHO GETS INVOLVED IN A VILLAN'S (SIMMONS) PLANS WITH ALTERING ROBOTS CONTROLS TO KILL PEOPLE, AND THE VILLAN LUTHER (SIMMONS) TRIES TO KILL THE COP (SELLECK) SO HE DOESN'T GET CAUGHT. HERE IS GENE SIMMONS FIRST ACTING ROLE AND DOES A HELL OF A GOOD JOB DOING IT. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

The Ultimate Classical Greek Adventure is dishonered.
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS may very well be THE classic adventure film. Everything about it shines with sheer perfection in the art of entertainment. Spectacular music by Bernard Herrmann, a sweeping story full of suspense and surprise, and some of Ray Harryhausen's all-time greatest effects work. I cannot commend this film enough.

After giving what was probably Harryhausen's worst film FIRST MEN IN THE MOON an awesome DVD treatment, they completely dishoner his good name with this edition of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS. This is honestly one of the [worst] DVDs I've ever seen! (Hence the four star rating instead of five.) The picture and sound quality are so unbelievably bad!!! I've seen some VHS copies that easily outshine the print seen here. All other titles in the "Ray Harryhausen Signature Collection" sported digitally mastered audio and video, and looked like pure gold. Shame on you, Columbia!

The special features ..., too. Completely devoid of the documentaries featured on other "Signature Collection" DVDs, all we get is a pretty [bad] interview of Ray Harryhausen by John Landis. I guess it would seem interesting, but only for those who haven't seen "The Ray Harryhausen Chronicles", one of the previously mentioned documentaries. That feature is far more insightful than the one here.

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS is a masterpiece, and this DVD is worth buying only if you absolutely must own it. If you don't, then avoid it at all costs.

greatest film from a special fx master
I love this film. I first saw it when I was twelve and I've loved it ever since. Especially after seeing this wonderful film butchered for television viewing, I couldn't wait to get the DVD. This is a fairly faithful adaptation of the myth; the script is well-written and the cast does a great job -- this has got to be the best Hercules (Nigel Green) in any classical movie.

The wonderful music is by Bernard Herrman (Fahrenheit 451, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Vertigo), and the effects by Harryhausen are superb, maybe his best. I'll never forget the first time I saw the giant bronze Talos turn his head and step down from his pedestal. Seeing the harpies come to life, and the seven-headed Hydra, the skeletons, Triton, the gods on Mount Olympus .... too many great effects to list!

The DVD version is worthwhile. The picture quality here is very good and the sound quality average. Special DVD features include English, French or Spanish language and subtitles; a great 12 minute discussion between John Landis and Ray Harryhausen (1995); a 1963 trailer.

The fight against the triviality!
Mircea Eliade defined the triviality as the absence of physical tension in the human being.
If we agree this concept ; then the argonauts represent the fight against the triviality. Notice for instance the greek meaning of Argos: the white ship. And the white color means purification.
The seek of the golden fleece means the search for the triumph of the truth ; since the gold symbolizes spirituality and the fleece innocence ; the circle is completed.
Besides the mission has one last goal: to fight against the dragon and exterminate it ; because the fleece is its prisoner . The dragon symbolizes the perversity ; so if you want to access to the sublimity . you must to kill the dragon.
This movie is a winner. Ray Harryhausen inspired to many film makers , specially a teenager called Steven Spielberg who confessed this confidence to James Lipton in The actor's studio .
The mythical monsters are the magnificient background all along the movie. A film conceived as family entertainment but loaded of smart clues , who teachs us the huge wisdom who lives beneath the underestimated term myth: wrong choice as you know.
Great special effects ; and from all standpoints a cult movie since its release.!

Movie deserves a better DVD release....
Well, if you look at only the movie, then you get your money's worth. It's done in widescreen with great picture and sound quality. regretfully, Colombia/Tri-Star did not put in many bonus features, such as a more detailed making of featurette to tell how the movie was made and all the wonderful effects work. Instead, Ray is reduced to talking to a not so bright John Landis about the making of the movie and Landis's interviewing skills are about as professional as a nine year old. Maybe one day, they will give this movie a more worthy DVD release. Then this barebones edition.

More Harryhausen greatness
This is a great popcorn movie - swashbuckling, mythic, and a little quaint by today's effects standards. The effects, acting, and visual style all work together well, though. It can't be compared to today's movies any more than Charlie Chaplain can.

Once you allow yourself into its mood, it's great entertainment. Treasure is captured, danger is faced, and other-wordly foes are defeated. Keep it around for a rainy saturday, and make sure you have popcorn. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Generally considered the first sound feature, this 1927 film is pretty much silent except for a few lines of dialogue and Al Jolson's songs. The story finds Jolson playing the son of a cantor who wants him to follow in his footsteps, but the singer prefers secular music. Except for its historical value, the film isn't all that interesting, though it is great to get a sense of why people considered Jolson to be a hugely exciting entertainer at the time. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (16)

It's Not "Just Entertainment": Still Food for Thought
It's simple to look at _The Jazz Singer_, released in 1927, and think that it's corny and quaint, interesting only for the historical fact of its being the first film to use synchronous sound--and to use it only slightly, at that. But the film still raises compelling and interesting questions about the pull for minorities towards assimilation. The film is shameless in its condemning of the father, the Cantor, whose gallant--if often heavy-handed--attempt to preserve religious tradition is overtly ridiculed as outdated and "old world" by the text of the film. Indeed, the film reflects a time in the United States when it wasn't appropriate to be proud to be yourself, to be of a minority faith--as if to suggest that to be truly American, one had to be Christian as well. (Even the Al Jolson character's love interest is unfeeling and cold when he struggles with his consience during the most holy days of the Jewish faith; she refers to him as "a Jazz Singer. . .singing to _his_ God," as if it were some God alien to herself and others.) This film still raises important issues about difference and society's general acceptance of difference. If anything, one's view of the Cantor is far more sympathetic now than it would have been then.

Of Historical Interest Only
Rather than follow in his father's footsteps, a Jewish cantor's son runs away from home to become a jazz singer; many years later he returns to New York to star in a Broadway show and attempts a reconcilliation with his implacable father. Even 1927 audiences thought it was pretty silly--but no one ever went to see THE JAZZ SINGER because it was a great film. They went to see it because you could hear the actors talk.

Not that they do much talking. Al Jolson performs several of his popular numbers and there are occasional snatches of speech and dialogue, but for all pratical purposes THE JAZZ SINGER is a silent film. The cast, which includes Warner Oland (better known for his later appearances as Charlie Chan) plays very broadly, and the result is mildly entertaining. But the interest here is largely historical. Film historians, students, and buffs will be eager to see it--and rightly so--but I do not recommend it for the casual viewer.

Highly moving film
What lady watching could keep a dry eye at the end when Jack Robin sings Mammy with his own mother proudly watching in the audience? Absolutely moving. The film was not the first part talkie to come outa Hollywood but it was the most successful. And the story rather closely parallels Jolson's real life family story. He was the son of a cantor, the two were originally from Lithuania and Jolson ran away from his dad when he was just a boy.

Interesting but uneven
"The Jazz Singer" will forever be remembered as being the first Hollywood movie to make the transition from the silent era. However, if not for its label as the first talking picture, "The Jazz Singer" would have been long forgotten and would not have earned a place in the AFI's top 100 movies list.

The first 20 minutes or so of "The Jazz Singer" has 'classic status' written all over it. It is very good and if the remainder of the movie continued the same way, the film would merit at least 4 1/2 stars. However, the film soon dips down and never quite regains itself. It loses its direction, the dialogue continually becomes more amateurish and at times it's an effort to watch.

The story is of Jakie Rabinowitz, a young Jewish man who wants to break away from following his family's traditions and pursue a career as an entertainer, much to the disapproval of his father. Many will find the story to be cliched and over used. However, given the films age, this aspect can be overlooked. But either way, the film ultimately doesn't stand the test of time and must be watched from a historical viewpoint. Talking pictures had just started and this was uncharted territory. Some of the actors seem uncomfortable with the transition and it shows sometimes on screen.

That being said, "The Jazz Singer" is something that is only sought after by critics and movie buffs. It's worth a look but the average moviegoer will find it an ordeal to watch.

There are many reasons to love Jolson's "The Jazz Singer"
This is an extraordinary film.

First, it is a great story of the dilemma faced by a son between following a path set by his family and culture, in contrast with pursuing his own career ambitions.

This is a story with great relevance today.

Second, it is the first "talking picture." As a piece of cinema history, it is a missing link between silent and talking pictures.

The Jazz Singer is conceived and photographed as a silent picture, and follows all silent picture conventions, but has several synchronized sound segments - with performances by the great Al Jolson - worked in.

The most memorable to me is the scene with Jolson talking to his mother, with Jolson sitting at the piano.

Third, Al Jolson was the most popular superstar of his day; he is compared in popularity to Michael Jackson, Elvis, and Bing Crosby combined at their peaks. In a world before radio, television, and sound pictures, the Winter Garden Theater on Broadway in NYC was built for Jolson and he filled it for years.

Finally, "The Jazz Singer" is an historical document looking at New York in the 1920's. That world is long long gone. The sets, the costumes, the types of the actors, all reflect a rich and interesting world that no longer exists.

Don't look at "The Jazz Singer" as some historical oddity or museum piece. As a piece of entertainment, culture and history, it is very powerful and riveting.

As far as I am concerned, it is highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

In Spanish too
I feel happy that tv series that I watched many years ago . Now I can get them in DVD, but these serios were no popular just in USA in other countries of Latin America was popular too. It should be make in Spanish too or with subtitles in several languages. Thanks

When's the DVD coming out????
I see all of these other old school TV shows coming out on DVD. Mission: Impossible was a great show and deserves its spot for a DVD release for each season.

Impossible to Match
I saw many of the Mission Impossible series as a teenager. I also read the original paperback book when it came out which was made as Vol. #7. Steven Hill playing Daniell Briggs (the first season)and Peter Graves ( all subsequent seasons) as Jim Phelps both play excellent as the genius mastermind Team leader of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) a top American government group virtually unknown to the rest of the top secret agencies. During his college days Dan or Jim majored in psychology at a top west coast university and was a chess champion. The rest of the IMF is composed of the beautiful model and Fem Fatale, Cinnamon Carter played by Barbara Bain is excellent. The academy award winner, Martin Landau who eventually married Barbara plays Rollin Hand, the magician and master of disguise. Black actor, Greg Morris does a superb job as Barney Collier, electronics genius with a prestigious background. The strong man or weight lifting world record holder, William (Willie) Armitage played by Peter Lupus is the brawn on the Team. he certainly looked the part also. Together the IMF carries out missions against impossible odds to rescue people, con enemy states, and change the courses of governments for the betterment of the free world especially without causing wars. This first volume is excellent in introducing this Team of specialists with exciting and intruiging plots and ways the IMF thwarts and bamboozles the opponent in the pilot and also in the second story called the Photographer which Anthony Zerbe stars. All of the Mission Impossible series are excellent and demonstrates how things can be accomplished through nonviolent methods also. The CIA actually did accomplish some similiar things which are now becoming declassified. This show was one of my favorite TV shows in the sixties and early seventies. You will enjoy them as well!!

Introducing you to the Cold War and the IMF Team
"Mission Impossible" originally ran from 1966 and 1973, telling tales of the Impossible Mission Force, a group of highly specialized government agents who were usually involved in disrupting the activities of small foreign powers trying to mess with the United States and the Free World. The group leader, Daniel Briggs (Steven Hill) in the first season and Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) for the rest of the show's run, put together the team and developed the complex plan to pull off the impossible mission; Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain) was the the beautiful female member of the team, Rollin Hand (Martin Landau) the master of disguise, Barney Collier (Greg Morris) was the electronics expert, and William Armitage (Peter Lupus) the muscle.

This first tape in the "Mission Impossible" series has the pilot and a choice episode from the show's second season. In the pilot episode (9/17/66), Wally Cox plays a safecracker who has to sneak into the vault of a hotel to steal a couple of nuclear warheads from a military dictator. This was the only episode of the show written by series creator Bruce Geller. This is not a classic episode per se, but it clearly sets the template for the entire series. "The Photographer" (12/17/67), written by two of the show's most productive writers, William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter, deals with biological warfare. Enemy agents intend to spread pneumonic plague and a top photographer (Anthony Zerbe) is the key contact. The IMF fakes a nuclear attack on New York to get the key to the code. Yes, there is a large degree of irony in watching this particular episode today, but remember what things were like in the Sixties. "The Photographer" is a classic MI episode and along with the pilot makes this an excellent tape to have for fans of the series.

Final Note: For my money the title sequence for this show is definitely one of the ten best ever, not just because of Lalo Schifrin's memorable theme music but because of the way shots from the episode were mixed in with the burning fuse and shots of the cast. You always saw enough to get interested in what was to happen, but they never let the cat out of the bag enough to ruin the episode.

Mission: Impossible, Vol. 1
I Thought that these two episodes were two of the best. One the first episode had Steven Hill starring who I think in some cases is better at the part than Peter Graves is. Two the second episode had a clever set up. But I won't explain it to you I want you to see it for youself. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Raquel Welch in a two-piece fur bikini. That and the title is pretty much all anyone needs to know. If that indeed isn't enough, there are the dinosaurs of technician-artist Ray Harryhausen (along with some superimposed iguanas), and a prologue that tells you all you want to know about this "brutal world." Want more? There are volcanoes, barehanded wrestling with warthogs, and rival, subhuman, cannibalistic tribes--Lord, the list goes on and on! The portrait of humankind isn't the most flattering: we're petty, greedy, we grunt a lot, and we don't play well with others. Welch portrays a cavewoman from the tribe of the Blondes trying to make a life for herself with an outcast from the tribe of the Brunettes, which doesn't sit well with anybody. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (31)

A Classic
One Million Years B.C., is awesome. It has minimum dialogue and creatures a plenty. The musical score that accompanies the dramatic and well shot scenes gives the film a strong sense of emotion, and the viewer gets a feeling of what it would be like to live in the cruel world that is the movie's setting. Best of all, we get to see the lovely Raquel Welch in a fur bikini.

Of couse, this film is a little scientifically inaccurate, but it's still great. Most of the prehistoric creatures were animated using stop-motion techniques, by none other than the great Ray Harryhausen (Mighty Joe Young, It Came From Venus). The special affects are great. A giant lizard and a brief shot of a giant turantula eating some smaller (but still oversized) insect adds to the monstrous mayhem. Watch and enjoy.

Superb Harryhausen effects, and the rest ain't bad either!
Although Fox uses the famous picture of Raquel Welch in her fur bikini on the cover of this DVD, the reason most people will want to watch and this 1966 movie today is because of the dinosaur stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film, a remake of a very clunky 1940 movie, "One Million B.C.," starring Victor Mature and Carol Landis, combined Harryhausen's terrific dinosaur effects with a caveman plot heavy with sexual titillation. The combination made the film a big worldwide hit (and without any dialogue in any intelligible language, it translated easily to other countries), but today the sex elements seem tame and often a bit silly. The dinosaurs still amaze; Harryhausen's effects have a sense of wonder to them that never ages. Even away from the animated effects sequences, the film still works remarkably well due to effective performances from the cast and the filmmakers' attempts to keep the story simple but serious (when possible).

"One Million Years B.C." was the brainchild of Michael Carreras, son of James Carreras, the head of Hammer Film Productions in England. Hammer had made its name with its Technicolor gothic horror films, but Michael Carreras wanted the studio to stretch in different directions, and "One Million Years B.C." was one of his most successful experiments. He asked Harryhausen to provide the effects, and the effects man was loaned from his own production company, Morningside, to do the movie. This makes it one of the few films from the period that Harryhausen worked on where he was not one of the producers or involved in developing the project.

The movie was shot on the Canary Islands, a perfect setting for a prehistoric wilderness. In a fictional time where men and dinosaurs lived side-by-side (even six-year-olds know this is ridiculous), Tumak of the primitive Rock Tribe (John Richardson) is exiled from the tribe after a conflict with his brother. He travels through the wastelands until his finds the peaceful (and beautiful and blonde) Shell Tribe by the ocean. He romances the alluring Loana the Fair One (Raquel Welch, in the role that made her star), who eventually leaves with him when the Shell Tribe exiles him as well.

The story is quite simple, following our heroes across the wastes and encountering multiple deadly animals, ape men, plus getting involved in fights and tribal warfare and facing natural disasters like a volcano. There is no intelligible dialogue, only a simplistic, guttural language. A narrator at the beginning lays out the situation, then vanishes, leaving us with the pantomime story. (Strangely, the DVD is dubbed in Spanish, with a subtitle option! Since this only covers the first five minutes, you have to wonder why they bothered.) Welch and Richardson are both very good at the difficult roles, which require heavily physical acting and facial expressions. Also excellent are Robert Brown as Tumak's violent father (the same actor who played M in the 1980s James Bond movies!) and the sexy Martine Beswick (who also appeared in two James Bond films) as Tumak's first love. Yes Raquel and Martine do get into a girl fight -- the filmmakers were not going to turn THAT opportunity down.

Plenty goes on in the human scenes, with many battles and tussles, and Raquel Welch does light up the screen. Mario Nascimbene's bizarre music contributes to the drama. But when the dinosaurs are on the screen is when the film really shines.

Oddly, the first monster we see isn't a stop-motion effect at all, but blown-up footage of an iguana. Harryhausen admits this was his choice, and that it was a mistake. That said, the iguana is well matted into the footage of John Richardson. A giant spider shows up briefly, but the rest of the animals are all stop-motion: an archelon (giant sea-turtle), a briefly sited brontosaurus (originally meant to take part in a full sequence), a juvenile allosaurus that attacks the Shell People camp, a triceratops and a ceratosaurus battling each other, a pteranodon and a pteradactyl and the pteranodon's babies. All the sequences are great, but the allosaurus fights especially stands out. The nine-foot tall dinosaur moves quickly and interacts seamlessly with the human actors, and the result is an incredibly dynamic and exciting scene; the finale is a great stand up and cheer moment.

The DVD is an adequate presentation. The film has been carefully restored from poor sources (the negative is lost), so it looks fairly good, but with noticeable flaws in places. The sound is an adequate stereo. There are barely any extras: the trailers, and a brief split screen comparison of the film before and after the restoration. Considering that the DVDs of Harryhausen films released by Columbia feature interviews with him, the lack of any other special features is disappointing but sadly fairly typical of the way Fox releases its back-catalog films on DVD.

Despite some of those DVD problems, I still recommend "One Millions Years B.C." to any effects and fantasy film fan. It has aged much better than you would think based on those old cheesecake Raquel Welch posters. Raquel looks good, the story holds together, and man those dinosaurs will still make they day of kids of all ages, from six to one million!

This is why Welch was never taken seriously....
With due respect to Ms. Welch, it was taking movie roles like this which caused film makers to typecast her in these rather substanceless pictures where the looks and not the story was the name of the movie. This was a Hammer Production, and to have Ray do the effects work just did not work. Ray was a master of creature effects and his work at Colombia Pictures turned out so much better then this one time deal with Hammer films which always did their movies quickly and on very shoe string budgets. The budget for this movie was so low that they actually have a cheap lizard appear as the first prehistoric monster before Ray's Dinosaur effects take over. I think more people watched this movie because Raquel was in it and Ray's effects work took a back seat. That's too bad, because he desereved to work on better productions then this piece of celliod trash.

These lazy DVDs of grand classics need to end!
I vote everyone who is a big fan of this movie give it the lowest rating imaginable. Hopefully Fox will get the message, take it off the market, and give us the edition it truly deserves. If we all voice together, we can SURELY make a difference!!

I cannot believe that Fox did this to us!!
No special features, no commentary by Raquel or Ray Harryhausen, her biggest film ever! And then they have released the short version of this film. WTF!! I have been waiting years for Fox to release this on DVD and this is what we get! They are in big trouble and need to apologize and redo this DVD right. Who ever are making these kinds of decisions are really OUT! BOO TO FOX! You let us down with this one. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

A MOVIE WITH BALLS!
I think this movie was okay,but doesn't have that scary feeling that Phantasm 1,and 2 has.But it was still cool!

Picking up where part 2 left off,Reggie(Reggie Bannister)is alive and the hurst crashes killing Liz(Paula Irvine),Mike(Michael Baldwin) is taken to a hospital for treatment.After Mike gets out the hospital,Reggie and Mike go look for the TALL MAN(on cover-Angus Scrimm)and his flying killer spheres.But on the way we meet Jody(Bill Thornbury)Mike's dead brother who is undead and can turn into a flying sphere.After Mike gets"captured" by the TALL MAN,Reggie meets a young kid in a ghost town,Tim(Kevin Conners)joins Reggie on his quest to rescue Mike and kill the evil TALL MAN for good.The two of them meet up with a former Military soilder,Rocky(Gloria Lynne Henry)who knows how to kick butt good.Now the three brave ones go against the evil TALL MAN and his army of the undead in this film directed by Don Concarelli(Beast Master,Phantasm 1,2,and 4).

I think the price of this movie is not worth it....

Horrifying, Strange
I have long desired to see the 'Phantasm' films; mixtures of surrealism and horror being what I love. However, the well-known graphic violence kept me at a distance until Phantasm 3 appeared on cable. At midnight. So, I took a gamble and watched it. Phantasm 3 is excellent. Though slightly hokey and not as powerful as the original, Phantasm 3 still is very powerful. The world in which Mike and Reggie is like some post-apocalyptic nightmare; with the Tall Man, that interloper between life and death, roams America stealing souls. There are several scene which are masterworks. The first being Mike waking up in the hospital and finding himself face to face with the demon nurse. The best scene however, is the ending. Reggie held captive by hundreds of the drills, and the zombies pulling the boy through the window. "Its never over, boy!" (This is said to be a horror comedy, but viewers beware: after seeing this I looked under the bed for the first time in my life. For a horror comedy, try "The Evil Dead'. For my favorite film, try 'Eraserhead'.

Bill Thornbury and A. Michael Baldwin are back.
The film starts cleverly where the earlier film ended. A. Michael Baldwin is back as "Michael". So are Reggie Bannister and Angus Scrimm as "The Tall Man". Bill Thornbury as "Jody" makes special appearances fifteen years after the first Phantasm film in 1979. I won't reveal any of the plot because Phantasm films are always a surprise. Kevin Connors plays "Tim". Followed by PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION (1998) and a fifth film is in limbo.

O.K, you can drive
As this movie opens Ice Cream man/ part -ime warrior for the human race Reggi is continuing his campaign against the tyrannical forces of The Tall Man. In this chapter of the Phantasm saga earth does not resemble the earth we know a whole heck of a lot. Not to be too melodramatic about it but to a large extent The Tall Man appears to have immerged victorious. What will Reggy and new found friend Tim do now?

I thought the relationship between Tim and Reggy was interesting because in their relationship I saw a lot of the old relationship between Reggy and Mike from before the Tall Man came to town.

My impression-Although I didn't like this one as much as I did one and two there is just something about these cheesy horror movies that I love like nothing else in the world. This a worthy addition to the Phantasm world. I only wish they would hurry and come out with Phantasm 5 before too much longer.

A fine addition
First of let me start with the fact that the Grace Jones wanna be should've been the one sliced and diced in the mausoleum instead of her buddy. Her acting was substandard by even low budget standards... With that said let me move on to the rest of the film. I love this movie....not as much as 1 or 4....but beats the snot out of 2. It brought back my favorite actors from 1....plus the sureal element of horror from the mind of a child. When the directors cut of Phan 2 is released (I hate Phan 2 because the studio took it out of Coscarelli's hands and mutilated it...but gave it four stars out of loyalty to Reggie,Angus and Don) the quartet will have much better continuity. Some people complain about the camp in 3 that wasn't aorund in the original....but we need to understand with Army of Darkness helping Evil Dead break into mainstream & the failure of Phan 2 in theaters, it was all Coscarelli could do to save the Phantasm legacy. Now that he is back on track with Oblivion we're in for one heck of a thrill ride. Bruce Campbell worked with Coscarelli on Bubba Hotep...and is rumored to be signed on for the 5th Phantasm film. I can't wait. Later my Phan brothers..........and for you Johnny come latelys who think Phan 2 is the best of the series........thank god you don't make movies. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Kevin Costner's 1990 epic won a bundle of Oscars for a moving, engrossing story of a white soldier (Costner) who singlehandedly mans a post in the 1870 Dakotas, and becomes a part of the Lakota Sioux community who live nearby. The film may not be a masterpiece, but it is far more than the sum of good intentions. The characters are strong, the development of relationships is both ambitious and careful, the love story between Costner and Mary McDonnell's character is captivating. Only the third-act portrait of white intruders as morons feels overbearing, but even that leads to a terribly moving conclusion. Costner's direction is assured, the balance of action and intimacy is perfect--what more could anyone want outside of an unqualified masterpiece? --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (168)

Beautiful film of a bygone era
Sumptuous, delicious, beautiful movie about a white soldier's journey of self-discovery with a Lakota Sioux tribe.

Lt. John Dunbar, a Civil War hero by accident (he was trying to kill himself), gets a second chance at life when he's allowed to choose his next military assignment. He chooses to see the frontier--"before it's gone". Arriving at the fort, he finds it abandoned, disheveled, broken down. As he tries to rebuild the fort and enjoy the scenery, hoping to see buffalo, he befriends a wolf, Two Socks. Eventually the local Indians come to check him out, and Dunbar and his neighbors draw closer through a series of stop-and-start encounters. He draws close enough to become one of them--but then Army life intrudes into the near-idyllic scene.

The details of the prairie and of Sioux village life are breathtaking. The music by John Barry is atmospheric and inspiring. I would hope those viewing the film will ask themselves what it would have been like to live an Indian village, if they would have been up to its demands and open to its possibilities.

An All American Classic!
This movie has everything (wait a minute, of course it does. it won 7 acadamy awards...)you could ever want in a film. Comedy, history, romance, tragedy, EVERYTHING!!! The story is all about John Dunbar, who enlists in the Union in the Civil War, and is stationed out in the middle of nowhere in one of the plain states (I'm not sure which one). He mets a gentle wolf, and he mets an even gentler Sioux tribe who soon befriend him. He falls in love with an English woman who belongs to the tribe because when she was little, A Pawnee tribe killed the rest of her family. The Sioux somewhat addopted her, & she learned to speak the language. They soon fall in love and get married. But all kinds of tragedies befall the tribe - The ongoing war against the Pawnee, The Union army capturing John (Dances with Wolves is his Sioux name), More pioneers taking the Indian's land, not enough buffalo to eat, etc. This movie is SO excellent! If you haven't seen Dances With Wolves, you are missing out on a great American Classic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dances with Wolves Earns Lawrence Award
Dances with Wolves easily earns a position among the all-time-greatest epic motion pictures. Its story and presentation are fresh, honest, real and breathtaking. "Epic" implies the film takes longer to tell its story than the average movie, and that it does. But consider that the correct measure of the length of any film is to track the number of visits your eyes make to your watch during the film. Thus a three-hour movie may seem shorter than a ninety-minute movie. The character development and interaction of this movie invites us to participate, to be there and feel as our hearts share the emotions of characters even as we feel the pleasure from the eye candy provided by the amazing cinematography that takes us across the massive Northern Plaines of the United States. The movie begins in a dramatic scene in which, Kevin Costner, a lieutenant in the Union Army, crawls off the battlefield surgeons table to save his badly injured leg or foot from amputation. Somewhat delirious he takes actions that lead to victory for his troops and ends a deadly stalemate between the two armies. As the hero of the battle the general's surgeon heals his leg and the lieutenant is offered any post he wants. He chooses the most remote post the army has because he wants to see the unspoiled land before it's too late, and the real story begins. A caution to those who think the white man was portrayed unfairly; read unbiased history, then watch the movie again. This movie undertakes allot and it succeeds. This exciting action, drama, western, love-story shows us a great example of a film that can be so absolutely entertaining and educational at the same time. Dances with Wolves entertains as it shows through historical example the importance and consequences of learning about our own preconceptions and learning the potential benefit we may enjoy from learning to respect and accept other beliefs or points of view, to just learning to understand all that we can before making decisions and drawing conclusions in any matter.
Dances with Wolves does all that any movie could be asked to do.

Still no definitive version available to the public
The reason I have decided to comment on this film is because I want to warn everyone that DANCES WITH WOLVES is available in two different versions and BOTH are inferior. As far as the the extended four-hour DVD goes, I can only say this: Who the heck has FOUR blasted hours to spend on one single movie? Why extend a movie that was already dangerously long? There must have been a little controversy over this matter because shortly after its release to DVD, the original three-hour theatrical version became available (thank God)... but guess what? It's only available in a full screen format, which means that HALF of the movie has been cropped out, and yes, we are literally missing HALF of the movie! It surprises me to see that the studio would so blatently pull an act of butchery to an important film of this stature in a day when full screen formats are quickly fading out for the more pleasing 16:9 ratio, which is obviously the future standard.

MYTHOLOGY
Indians are a favorite pet of the liberal establishment. "Dances With Wolves" is a fine movie. Most of them are. Nobody ever said these people are not brilliant. There is no real lie in "Dances" that I can see, but it does seem stylized. The Indians are pictured as peaceful, spiritual conservers of the land. Real-life Indians had every potential of being violent savages without anybody's prompting. Just ask the Mexicans who were systematically robbed by them every harvest until American mountain men with guns were recruited to provide a little security. The soldiers are dumbellionites, as are most of the whites that Kevin Costner "escapes" from in his effort to find the real West. While Indians certainly knew how to preserve the land, an act of necessity for them, they took plenty from it without replenishment. Whites stripped and mined the land, but they also came up with ingenious technologies that re-generated the land.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM ... Read more

Reviews (48)

THE ULTIMATE CULT MOVIE
This flick is the weirdest thing i ever seen in my life !!!!!! It's a great experience.I consider the movie like an happy cauldron of Camp,comedy,Sci-fi,super-hero genre and...an own bit of "magic" supported by the Terence Hill's charm. "Poliziotto Superpiù" is best-known in America like "SUPERSNOOPER" and "SUPERFUZZ" . I think it's a GREAT cult movie plenty of ideas,you can call it a "masterstroke" .Sergio Corbucci is a famous italian director,and he directed this movie with passion and good intentions.But the real "lethal weapon" is Terence Hill.He plays Dave Speed,the irradiated policeman with some problems concerning...the colour RED !!!!!!!! I know the Superfuzz's popularity is increasing day by day. Well,it deserves it.I know it's a bestseller among the Cult movie arena.So,it wins the place like "Ultimate cult movie" .In italy it's already a classic. Personally,i think it's a great bad movie and i love it so much that...i'm beginning to have some problems with colour RED too. I give it 8,5 stars out of 10 (Mmmm...maybe 10 stars out of 10 !!!!!!!!!!!)

Remembering the "good ol' days"... a guilty pleasure
There's always that one semi-obscure movie that you always remember from your youth, and sticks with you... Then you see it as an adult, and you're a little disappointed, but still enjoy it...

I caught SUPER FUZZ maybe a million times when it aired on cable back in the early eighties. When I saw it again on video recently, I couldn't believe how corny and ridiculous it was. Apparently, I was very easily entertained when I was seven.

It had a pretty ridiculous story. The 'hero', Dave Speed (played by Terence Hill), a rookie cop that gets irradiated and gains superpowers, tries with the help of his partner Sgt. Dunlop (Ernest Borgnine) to stop a mob-run counterfeiting ring. The denomination being counterfeited are $1.00 bills... how farfetched is that! I also get a kick out of Terence Hill trying to hide his accent when he speaks... you can still hear it pop up quite a bit. Sounds kinda French, even though I believe he's Italian...

And, like any superpowered type, Speed has a weakness... whenever he sees the color red, his powers fail him.

There's also the three mob henchmen helping run the ring for the boss... the front man,'Paradise', wears a silly fedora/Panama-looking hat, loud Hawaiian-style flower shirts, gold chains, and white patent leather shoes. He's part Disco, part 'Miami Vice'. All three are such ridiculously overdone parodies of mob hoods, it's ludicrous. They also take their lumps, and then some, in a way that makes the Keystone Cops look like a veteran SWAT team. Their guitar-swinging 'fight' with hero Speed in the middle of the film makes the antics of the Police Academy movies look high-brow.

But, even through all this, I've watched my SUPER FUZZ video a dozen times already. I think there's something wrong with me. I guess, as they say, old habits die hard. And, apparently, I'm still easily entertained...

One of the Greatest Stupid Movies Ever!!!
My favorite movie type is StupidMovies! Example AirPlane 1 & 2, Caddy Shack 1 #2 sucked, Night Patrol, Hamburger the Motion Picture, Top Secret, Nakid Gun 1, 2 & 3, Hot Shots 1 & 2, Student Bodies, Wacco, And of course Super Fuzz! I own most all these movies but one and I will have it August! There are so many more Stupid movies and there almost all great! Quote,"Every time I see red I lose my super powers."

Ok for those of you who dont know.
What the movies about:

A cop (fuzz) goes to issue a ticket and gets caught in a nuclear test blast. Of course he don't die like a normal person but instead devolops Super powers! The rest of the movie is the bad guys / girls trying to put a stop to his saving the day!

There is a lot more to it, Like taking a piece of bubble gum and blowing it up to the size of a hot air balloon and flying to safety. However it is much better experienced than told about so buy it and see it! A must See!! 4 thumbs up.

Soundtrack
Does anyone have the soundtrack....or at least the recording of the theme song. I will pay money for it. I am dying to get my hands on a copy for this music.

superfuzz supercool
All these reviews follow my sentiments exactly. I watched this movie and "Watch Out We're Mad" at the movie theatre in '81 in Mexico City! Terrence Hill and Bud Spencer were my heroes! I had no idea at that age that they were of the spaghetti western ilk. If you have never seen this movie you may wonder what the big deal is, but if you saw it as a much younger version of yourself, you will have a chuckle. Again. ... Read more

Description

War correspondent stumbles on a little known fact that an honored American war patriot had in fact worked for the Fascists; wife urges writer to expose the facts for history. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Flameout
Hard to imagine Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn being lousy together: until you see them in this Popular Front catastrophe fron 1942. The conspiracy theory of those days among Hollywood leftists was that there were Fascist fifth columnists under every bed and they had to be rooted out. Reporter Tracy is rooting under widow Hepburn's bed to get the goods on her late husband. Tracy was not politcally sympathetic to the project and he looks thoroughly discouraged and annoyed from scene one. The crummy script and abominable sets didn't help any. Politics is always a touchy subject in the movies; it usually doesn't date well. Some films, like "For Whom the Bell Tolls," can shrug off the rhetoric and still be great years later. Others, like "Keeper of the Flame," sink like a stone.

Keeper of the the Flame reminded me vaguely of "Citizen
Kane". This film was made a year later in 1942. The techniques, the tone & general production just seemed siniliar. Kate Hepburn is the widow of the famous, popular, charismatic World War I hero, Robert Forest. Apparently he's also become fabulously wealthy. A bridge washes out from a storm the night he is to meet with other powerful men to plan a takeover of the United States. He's a closet facist & very few people know. Anyway, he's basically dead in an auto accident before the movie starts. Could he have been saved? His marriage to Hepburn hasn't been going too well & she being a patriotic American, has a probelm with his facisism. None of this is known of course. Along comes Spencer Tracer a famous reporter to do a biography on the great man. A few sparks fly & as a Hepburn/Tracy flick, this is not their best effort. There are a few slow spots but its a thriller that keeps your attention. There was a war on when this movie was made but thankfully the anti-facist message was pretty subtle. Overall, they could have done better, but then, they could have done worse. 31/2 stars.

National Hero?
A journalist (Spencer Tracy) investigates the strange circumstances surrounding the death of a national hero. But he runs into a wall of silence. Everybody seems to hide something and the strange behaviour of the widow (Katharine Hepburn) puzzles him: her mourning seems not very deep. No wonder, since her husband planned to take the U.S. Government over with a fascistic coup, and this poor woman did what she considered her patriotic duty...

Good thriller that could have been great. The warning of totalitarianism is subtle - the young adherents who beleaguer Hepburn's home never use martial rhetoric - but the film is plodding and drags on. Tracy spends nearly the entire film running and sometimes riding on horseback from one house to the other, from one taciturn witness to the next. The denouement is squeezed into the last 10 minutes. Hepburn is even declared an american hero although her motives were not entirely selfless: her husband despised her because she could not bear him children. The flaws in this film are all the more disappointing, since, with this plot and this cast, the film could have been on the level of NOTORIOUS.

one of the best
This one of the best no matter what! My dad told me to watch this movie because he thought I would like it, and I did. It might not be the best Known movie but it's still a thriller. If you love Alfred's movies I promise you will love this!

Tracy-Hepburn vehicle warns of the Fascist threat at home
This is an interesting choice for the second Tracy-Hepburn picture, following the success of "Woman of the Year," but then all of the films Katharine Hepburn made during World War II were interesting choices. In "Stage Door Canteen," while other stars performed, Hepburn shared in the film's main dramatic scene and in "Dragon Seed" she played a Chinese peasant girl. However, "Keeper of the Flame" is clearly Spencer Tracy's film. He plays Steven O'Malley, a famous correspondent who has returned from Europe to cover the death an American national hero, Robert V. Forrest. Hepburn plays the reclusive widow, a role that eerily foreshadows Jacqueline Kennedy in some regards, whom O'Malley comes to suspect of having murdered her husband. However, to his surprise, O'Malley discovers that Forrest's supernationalism was merely a facade for fascism. There is more going on here than meets the eye. Based an "unwritten" novel by I. A. R. Wylie and scripted by Donald Odgen Stewart, the choice of George Cukor to direct the film is quite surprising. Cukor and cinematographer William Daniels do their best to create a Hitchcock-type film, but the overall effect is a pale imitation at best. Hepburn seems ill-suited to the role of the widow with a secret, although certainly her political sensibilities would support the point of the film. Tracy is a bit subdued, no doubt because of the conflict between his feelings for Christine Forrest and his desire to uncover the truth no matter what the cost, but this is still a solid performance from one of the greatest film actors.

Overall the fascist threat seems too muted in this film. Darryl Hickman as the young Jeb Rickards, who had belonged to Forrest's youth organization (which looks less like the Boy Scouts and more like the Hitler Youth as the movie progresses), is the true emotional heart of the film. Yet in the end you feel more that he was mislead than actually endangered by his membership. The idea that fascism could succeed in America only as a third front sort of thing is dangerously misleading, as demagogues like Huey P. Long were in the process of proving. The nation surely could have used a solid anti-fascist film from Hollywood, but "Keeper of the Flame" was ultimately too shallow an effort. At the end you might understand that Robert V. Forrest was a fascist, but you really have no idea what that means beyond the fact that it is a very bad thing.

This is arguably the weakest Tracy-Hepburn film and was certainly not the formula followed in their more successful efforts. Given the subject matter the romantic elements between the two is sadly misplaced, getting in the way of the film's message as much as the reporter's investigation. Hepburn would be served a little better by her next foray into the suspense genre four years later in "Undercurrent." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Classic Mac performance
The Mirage tour came at a time when the Mac members were pursuing solo careers, and finding it hard to get back into the classic Mac mood after the draining Tusk tour. Some solo careers were more successful than others however, naming no names..... The video features a large selection of Lindsey Buckingham songs, a fair amount of Christine McVie songs, and a pitiful three Stevie Nicks contributions. The music in some cases is very raw and wild, like a classic rock concert where the musicians are just playing what they want in any way they want, which is great, but Buckingham's 'Not That Funny' is about 10 minutes long, consisting of him dancing and playing fairly pathetic guitar, which makes the video a bit like .. 'OK, let's fast forward this bit, and this bit, and this bit', until you get to a 'proper song', like 'Blue Letter', 'You Make Loving Fun', and the moving and incredibly powerful performance of the Tusk album gem 'Sisters of the Moon.' It is interesting to see Fleetwood Mac perform at this point of self expression through solo careers, particularly Buckingham, who seemed to want to stay in his garage instead of playing with the Mac. Besides the slightly strained moments, this video is worth buying if you have some spare money about, as it captures a point of Mac history where creativity was at a peak, as well as some of the feelings between band members. The set list is unusual, which is very refreshing these days amidst just the old well known numbers which can get extremely tiresome. Buy this if you want to hear songs you didn't think had been performed, like 'Sisters of the Moon', 'Eyes of the world' and 'Blue Letter'. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Fairie Tale Theater rocks, especially Cinderella!
I love Fairy tales. The first time I saw this movie (and thisone Cinderella especially) I was enchanted and I loved it from thenon. Jean Stapleton gives this movie humor, Jennifer Beals gives it enchantment, and Matthew Broderick gives it a taste of what is still a celebrity in the late 90's! This movie ROCKS!

Faerie Tale Theatre: Cinderella
One of the most romantic episodes in the excellent Faerie Tale Theatre series, this one is the classic rags-to-riches story of Cinderella. Jennifer Beals beautifully portrays the role of Cinderella, and Matthew Broderick makes a delightfully witty Prince Henry. The appearances of Jean Stapleton as the fairy godmother and Eve Arden as the wicked stepmother are superb. The costumes, sets and music are truly divine in this wonderful faerie tale.

Happily Ever After start HERE!
What happens when you have Jennifer Beals playing Cinderella and Jean Stapleton as the fairy godmother? MAGIC!!! This is a wonderful film in the Faerie Tale Theatre series. Each actor/actress gives very memorable performances from Matthew Broderick playing the prince who is looking for love to Eve Arden who plays the unfair dictating stepmother. A perfect family film. A movie that no family or fan of fantasy should be without!

Amazing!
These videos were my absolute favorite as a kid, and at 20, I'm still watching them! They're all so beautifully done and have such wonderful actors! I'm saving all of my copies to show my children some day!

Great Movie
Wonderfully modernized version of the classic tale of Cinderella brought to life with wonderful actors. Great movie . Highly reccomend. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Seven years after he earned his first screen credit as the writer of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, former Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe made his directorial debut with this acclaimed romantic comedy starring John Cusack and Ione Skye as unlikely lovers on the cusp of adulthood. The casting is perfect, and Crowe's rookie direction is appropriately unobtrusive, no doubt influenced by his actor-loving, Oscar®-winning mentor, James L. Brooks. But the real strength of Crowe's work is his exceptional writing, his timely grasp of contemporary rhythms and language (he's frequently called "the voice of a generation"), and the rich humor and depth of his fully developed characters. In Say Anything... Cusack and Skye play recent high school graduates enjoying one final summer before leaping into a lifetime of adult responsibilities. Lloyd (Cusack) is an aspiring kickboxer with no definite plans; Diane (Skye) is a valedictorian with intentions to further her education in Europe. Together they find unlikely bliss, but there's also turbulence when Diane's father (John Mahoney)--who only wants what's best for his daughter--is charged with fraud and tax evasion. Favoring strong performances over obtrusive visual style, Crowe focuses on his unique characters and the ambitions and fears that define them; the movie's a treasure trove of quiet, often humorous revelations of personality. Lili Taylor and Eric Stoltz score high marks for memorable supporting roles, and Cusack's own sister Joan is perfect in scenes with her onscreen and offscreen brother. A rare romantic comedy that's as funny as it is dramatically honest, Say Anything... marked the arrival of a gifted writer-director who followed up with the underrated Singles before scoring his first box-office smash with Jerry Maguire. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (182)

Cameron Crowe's Masterpiece
I don't know if it's just me, but writer/director Cameron Crowe always seems to hit the mark. Whether it be his first effort at writing a Script (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), his second directorial effort (Singles), and the absolutely fabulous Jerry Maguire and this year's sure fire Best Picture, Almost Famous.

Unlike most films, which begin with a screenplay, producer, James L. Brooks asked Cameron Crowe to write the story in prose first. The result was a 90-page novella that became the outline for the film, and from which Crowe wrote the final screenplay.

This movie stars John Cusack (who must have been about 19) as Lloyd Dobler, an eternal optimist who seeks to capture the heart of Diane Court (Ione Skye). He surprises just about everyone-including himself-when she returns the sentiment. But Diane's over possessive, divorced Dad (John Mahoney) doesn't approve and it's going to take more than just the power of love to conquer all.

This is my favourite movie by Cameron Crowe. As with all his movies, the dialogue is true to life and flows. Every aspect of this film borders on unbelievable brilliance. John Cusack is terrific as Lloyd Dobler, the sweetest guy in the whole world. He's one of those guys that girls would love to have, but one of those guys that guys would love to be. The situations are true to life situations teens would absolutely be put in (I love watching Lloyd make his first phone call to Diane -- it reminded me of me) Ione Skye is also great as the object of Lloyd's affection torn between her love for her father and her love for Lloyd.

Besides being Cameron Crowe's best film, this movie also sports the greatest love scene of all time (I won't ruin it for those who haven't seen it), and can give inspiration to any guy who has ever wanted a girl as much as Lloyd. Guaranteed though, after seeing this particular scene, be prepared to fall in love with Peter Gabriel's Song "In Your Eyes".

If you haven't read through all of this (if you got bored, I don't blame you), just read this last paragraph. This is a terrific movie. One that you can watch over and over again without getting tired of it. If you haven't seen it, you are indeed missing out. Roger Ebert declared it one of the best films of the year in 1989.

- "We just don't want to see you get hurt" "I wanna get hurt"

John Cusack's 2nd Best Movie of All Time
There is no denying that "Say Anything" is quite simply one of the best films of all time!

HOWEVER...John Cusack's best role will always be that of Walter Gibson in "The Sure Thing".... which needs to be released on DVD IMMEDIATELY.

"Say Anything" is a different film than "The Sure Thing." It is in a class all by itself. It is quite simply marvelous, poignant and forever endearing. It deserves so much more than 5 starts! 10 stars for this beautiful film.

What can be said about this film that hasn't already been said? It is the perfect love story. Lloyd meets girl. Lloyd falls in love with girl. Girl's father objects to Lloyd. Lloyd loses girl. Lloyd wins her back. True love reigns.

This DVD is PACKED. Worth every cent you will pay should you wish to own a classic gem. There is commentary by director Cameron Crowe, John Cusack, & Ione Skye!! (Right there, worth the price!) There are so many behind the scenes stories and anecdotes to be listened to here. There are theatrical and television trailers, 10 deleted scenes, 13 extended scenes & 5 alternate scenes with commentary!! What more could you want?!

DO NOT miss out on owning this DVD. If you've by some chance never seen "Say Anything" do yourself a favor and do so right away! You're truly missing out.

SPOILER FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT HAVE SEEN IT.... No matter how many times I have seen this masterpiece, I still get choked up when Lloyd tells Diane, "You've just described every success story." And then we wait for the "ding" along with them.

And then... the "ding." CUT TO BLACK. (Gets me every time.)

I love this movie. Absolutely love it.

SOMEWHAT SIMPLISTIC BUT CHARMING TEEN ROMANCE DRAMA..
Whether it is young John Cusack's skittering sense of comic timing, Yione Skye's riveting beauty (no idea why she hasn't been in other known films!), or the sweet but memorably amusing moments littered throughout this film, there is something very charming about this candypop romance from the 80s.

A dorky but confident guy falls head over heels in love with the school's super brainy girl. Things happen, ups and downs ensue, all leading to an ending that is so satisfying, so overwhelmingly right, that immediately we fall back into step.

My minor grouse with the story was how conveniently the solid parental characterization of the girl's father turns out to be such a snake. One wonders if teenagers may not pick up from this the tired and rather sad message that parents are not to be trusted, no matter how sincere.

But that doesn't detract Say Anything from being a hot recommendation from me, particularly if you have a thing for lovey-dovey light dramas. It generally maintains an intelligent and realistic contour, which is more than one can say for most romantic comedies being made today.

A Modern Romance Classic
It's so pertinent for our times. I think almost anyone can relate something similar in their lives to the scenes in this movie. That's why it's so appealing. In a world where not every guy gets the girl, this is the stuff of dreams...and for a little while, somebody out there who is watching it gets to live that dream.

Teen Charmer
A teen movie of the late 80's, I found this charmer, "Say Anything." John Cusak is the quirky misfit teen in love with the unattainable. The unattainable is the senior class brain, Ione Skye. Ione has a wonderful smile, which she uses to disarm. Her acting skills are limited however, so Cusak's antics move the story to the opposites-attract finale. John Mahoney, the dad in "Frazer" on TV, plays Ione's businessman, father in deep soup with the IRS. He wants her to go to England on a scholarship. She is wooed, charmed, and then makes it with shiftless Cusak. I must say that Mahoney is believable in a complicated character, both loving father and a secret embezzler. Ordinarily in these teen operas, parents are total dotes. There is the obligatory teen beer-bash, but this one is fairly realistic with kids that actually like each other, as opposed to bashes where kids are trying to be too cool. Nice little date flick for teens. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Lust for Life is appropriately titled, for mere passionseems inadequate when describing this superb fictionalized biography (based onIrving Stone's popular novel) of Vincent Van Gogh. In a deservedly Oscar®- nominated performance, Kirk Douglas is physically and emotionally perfect as thetormented Dutch painter, whose life is chronicled from his ill-fated stint as apreacher to Belgian miners in 1878, to his Impressionist-inspired artisticawakening and psychological descent to suicide in 1890. Having triumphed with1952's The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas, producer John Houseman, anddirector Vincente Minnelli brought vigor and vitality to this blessed project,which centers on Van Gogh's stormy friendship with fellow artist Gaugin(Oscar-winner Anthony Quinn). Minnelli used an outmoded color film process andinnovative camera techniques to vividly recreate Van Gogh's paintings, and hefilmed on the actual Dutch and French locations where Van Gogh's masteryflourished. The artist's lust for life also fed his madness, and this filmdeeply understands the fine line in between. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (16)

THE TERRIBLE LONELINESS OF VINCENT VAN GOGH
One of the greatest films ever made about the madness of creative genius. As films about artists go, I like this film better than POLLOCK and almost as much as BASQUIAT. This is very much an overlooked CLASSIC. I have friends who are fans of Van Gogh's who have never heard of this film. Based on the book of the same title by Irving Stone and for those who love DEAR THEO: the abridged letters of Vincent Van Gogh, a must see. This film absolutely conveys the heartbreaking feeling of this starving misunderstood genius pounding his lifeblood into canvas in a French atelier or countryside while the gallery owners scoff and the painter remains unrecognized and unloved.

Kirk Douglas' finest performance, is fraught with peril. Anthony Quinn, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Paul Gauguin, is superb. The script, some of which was taken from Van Gogh himself, is sometimes dated but always poignant: "Sometimes the pictures come to me as if in a dream, with a terrible lucidity." BRILLIANT!!

Unfortunately the VHS format is fullscreen which begs the question; WHY IS THIS MASTERPIECE UNAVAILABLE IN WIDESCREEN ON DVD!?! What a cultural wasteland: I could probably find ERNEST GOES TO CAMP on DVD, but try to find this CLASSIC and the clerk at the local HOLLYWOOD VIDEO might say, "LUST FOR LIFE? That would probably be in the Adult Film Section." I hope someone is working hard to preserve this Masterpiece. Anything less would be a shame. My VHS tape has been viewed so many times the magnetic particles are starting to fall off. If the DVD doesn't come out soon I'll be forced to buy another copy on VHS.(SIGH)

A flawed classic
Many people consider this to be the standard when it comes to retelling the tragic story of Vincent van Gogh's life.

The film is very good and there's no question that director Vincente Minnelli put a tremendous amount of work into bringing Van Gogh to the screen. The sets and costumes are wonderful.

I suppose that my main criticism of the film is that its "heart" seems to be more firmly set in 1950's Hollywood than in 1880's Europe. In other words, the film has a very constructed, American flavour to it. This is most glaring when many of the scenes shift from Kirk Douglas on the screen (clearly American) to a narrative reading of his letters to his brother, Theo (read by a British narrator)--very jarring. Kirk's performance, though very good, never quite "clinches" the role--he remains a very good actor on a very pretty set.

But certainly I would recommend this film to anyone with an interest in Van Gogh--not a perfect movie by any means, but there are moments that are quite remarkable.

Starry Night
There haven't been many movies made about great painters, which seems a little odd, but theirs is a static art, hard to capture on film. Producer John Houseman and director Vincente Minnelli do a great job here of placing Van Gogh's life and art before our eyes in a way calculated to whet our interest about the man. His peculiar life was stalked by some kind of mental instability; whether physical or psychological in nature nobody still knows. Kirk Douglas' fine performance is right on in portraying a troubled man trying for both artistic excellence and some kind of normalcy in life; above all a painter who held nothing back from his work. Anthony Quinn, who must have played every nationality under the sun during his career, walked off with an Oscar for his part as the flamboyant and less-gifted Paul Gaugin, destined to play second fiddle to Van Gogh's genius. The film's construction owes something to John Huston's "Moulin Rouge," of four years earlier, a bio of Toulouse-Lautrec.

"I want to create things that touch people"
With an uncanny resemblance to the self-portraits of Vincent Van Gogh, Kirk Douglas is perfect for this detailed and wonderful production of the artist's life; it's a passionate performance of a troubled soul, whose creative urges battled with his mental illness.
The film has an intelligent script by Norman Corwin, based on Irving Stone's biographical novel. It picks up the story around 1879, when Van Gogh was 26 years old, and went to minister (unsuccessfully) to the coal miners of a destitute area, and from there takes us through his many different abodes, his relationship with "Christine", who is well played by Pamela Brown, and the flourishing of his art in his last 15 years of life.

The art direction is superb, and the recreations of the places Van Gogh painted a marvel, among them the famous yellow house he lived in and its bedroom, and my favorite, the pool hall, with its hanging lamps.
The cinematography by Freddy Young and Russell Harlan is terrific, and we get many full screen views of the original paintings, many of them lesser known pieces from private collections.

This was a multi-award winning film, and garnered an Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Anthony Quinn, who is fabulous as Paul Gauguin, whose personality was the complete opposite of his friend Van Gogh; the ego clashes when they attempted to live together are well illustrated in several scenes, and with a little addition to his nose, Quinn has been made to look exactly like Gauguin's famous self-portrait with the snake.
James Donald is excellent as Vincent's patient and generous brother, who was Van Gogh's central means of support for most of his lifetime, both financially and of his paintings.
A tremendous knowledge about art went into this film, and it's one of the best artist biographies ever put to film (another good one also came from a Stone best seller, "The Agony and the Ecstasy"), and is a must-see for artists and anyone with an interest in Van Gogh's genius. Total running time is 122 minutes.

A wonderful Classic!
I'm a painter myself, have done alot of reading about the lives of these artists, and can never get over the superb performances of these actors!----Truly a superb movie classic! Five stars, in my book! ... Read more

Reviews (21)

The Earthling - a message for everyone
William Holden and young Ricky Schroder give perfomences of a lifetime in this "coming of self" styled movie.

To learn to love one's self and to trust someone else is a struggle for anyone who has had difficulties in life.

Willam Holden plays this part with such realism and depth you would actually beleave he has lived his whole life in the woods living off the land.

In real life Mr. Holden and real-life wife Stephanie Powers were advocates for our earth and keeping it clean in air & water. They have fought for animal rights as well.

Young Schroder, portrays a young boy who desperately needs a friend. He needs to know he can depend on himself and that he is strong enough to face most things life throws. He will find out that he has the inner strength & wisdom to face life and survive.

I highly recommend this movie for the whole family. There is something we can all learn from it. It is entertaining as well as a tool for anyone who would like to know more about hiking, camping and being one with our earth. I rate this movie 5 stars.

My #1 Movie of All Time!
Yes, this is my favorite movie of all time.
The plot is simple.
The dialogue is sparse.
The countryside is beautiful.
And it renews the soul.
You know you can't do it over. We live with our mistakes forever. But you can pass on your knowledge and love to the other. Even a stranger who only meets you because of adversity and heartbreak.
Even on the way out, down and out, it is still possible to give and to love. And to forgive.
This is an incredible find. ... It was worth it at that price.
It will touch your soul. It can touch your soul if you will allow that. You will cry and, perhaps, regret.
But you can see there is always hope of love, even when least expected.
I don't want to spoil the story any more than I have. And I cannot because it isn't the storyline, but the love that tell.
Even the "kid's" extremely poor acting doesn't destroy the deeper story.
It is my #1 recommendation of all time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do (I watch it about as often as my daughters watch The Matrix, which isn't my #1 pick because of the gratuitous violence).

My favorite film - Where's the DVD????
I wish someone would get this film onto DVD and soon!
I saw this in the theater when I was a kid and thought it was wonderful. As an adult I enjoy it even more. It has never gotten the recognition it deserves.
Usually these grumpy-old-man/too-cute-for-words-kid films are as annoying as all heck - but this one thoughtful and beautiful and not all corny.

NOT a Rick Schroeder vehicle
I agree with the writer, 'One of the profoundest films I have seen.' If I could say only one thing to people about this film, it is that it is NOT a) a Ricky Schroeder vehicle, b) it is not just a kiddie Disney movie. It has a non-didactic message that our world desperately needs to hear. It is an outstanding performance by Mr Holden. It is one of my top favourite films if not the top. It has no gun battles, no rap soundtrack, no references to drugs or sexuality or 'relationships'--horrors, this film suggests there might be more important things--& is perhaps 'shockingly lowbrow' by the standards of the sophisticates of New York. I can honestly say this film taught me some things as or more profound & filled with wisdom as anything in the Bible. I really wish this was out on DVD, it ought to be. It is basically a 'family film' that can also make a grown adult think & grow (& perhaps reduce them to tears). I have been able to see this film only a few times, since I was a kid, until I recently got a VHS tape of it, & it has new meanings every time I watch it. Really the sole criticism I would make is that the Bette Midler-type singing of the themesong is not so great, very 1980-ish, but that's all. A great film that I hope never goes out of print.

A Christian Parable
This is one of the most profound films I ever watched. The acting is wonderful. The film is a psychological study of an old man who must teach a boy to survive before the old man dies. He must nuture the boy enough keep him attentive to the vital survival lessons he must learn, while witholding love so the boy does not become too dependent to learn. What few realize is that the old man stands for God and the boy represents Mankind learning to find its way to Paradise, the valley within a valley. P.S. The screen writer is Lanny Cotler. Lanny, please send me your e-mail address so I can tell you why you have written a masterpiece and to check out my parable interpretation with you. rxmoeller@aol.com ... Read more

Reviews (22)

"Tis a far, far better thing..."
than a lot of other movies, that's for sure! What a wonderful adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities". Like so many of the great author's works, this story is crammed full of images famous outside of the work itself: Madame DeFarge and her incessant, malevolent knitting, Dr. Manet lost in his cobbling, Sydney Carton offering the ultimate love sacrifice. Ronald Colman gives a splendid performance as the world-weary Sydney, and looks surprisingly young without his trademark moustache. Among the good supporting cast, Edna May Oliver, as always, steals the show as the prim Miss Pross, chaperone to Lucie Manet, daughter of the unfortunate doctor held captive in the Bastille for half a lifetime. Like all pre-GWTW Selznick pictures, the movie has an air of the antique about it (like "David Copperfield" and "Little Women"), but for a story set in the distant past, that makes sense. It had been many years since I last saw this piece, and what surprised me were the excellently done mob scene when the French peasants charge the Bastille, and when Madame DeFarge denounces Charles Darney in the witness box. Usually, the only scene excerpted from "A Tale of Two Cities" is the last guillotine shot, but I think it's a disservice to the film to not show more of these other great scenes to a larger audience. "It was the best of times" seeing this grand old film--take my work for it, and rent it yourself.

COLMAN'S FINEST HOUR.
Originally released for Christmas in 1935, this splendidly produced, atmospheric and magnificently acted film displayed M-G-M's flair for filming literary classics - DAVID COPPERFIELD was released earlier that year - with no expense spared; the storming of the Bastille sequence employed several thousand extras and was filmed on one of Hollywood's largest sets ever. Ronald Colman was intially reluctant to play the role of Sidney Carlton, that charming but dissolute lawyer who commits the ultimate self - sacrifice ...... It took great persuasion to make Colman shave off his trademark moustache for the role of Carlton, but he delivered more than likely his finest performance ( Later in his life, Colman admitted this was his personal favourite of all his roles ). Charles Dicken's stirring classic of seventeenth-century Paris and London and the events surrounding the French Revolution had been filmed as silents on four different occasions -twice each in Great Britain and America - this easily remains the definitive masterpiece. Under Jack Conway's meticulous direction, A TALE OF TWO CITIES offers memorable performances by a fine cast, including the marvelously hammy Blanche Yurka, frightening Lucille LaVerne, vinegary Edna May Oliver, despicable Basil Rathbone, eloquent Henry B. Walthall ( he was the "Little Colonel" in BIRTH OF A NATION ) and, in a radical change of pace, the dimunitive Isabel Jewell, as the pathetic seamstress who accompanies Colman to the place of his execution.

MAKE THIS AVAILABLE AGAIN, PLEASE
They don't make 'em like this anymore - and that is a shame. A fast-paced, interesting plot which does not insult the viewer's intelligence...crisp, elegant dialogue...fantastic acting. Compare this to the fare of our day, which is sludge written, directed, and acted by and for morons (generally speaking, of course).

Full disclosure: My late grandfather, the original Mr. A, is in this movie (he is one of the extras storming the Bastille).

Cinema and Colman Congradulated
Having recently read the novel cover to cover, and falling madly in love with the character of Sydney Carton, I felt it was time to see MGM's take on the novel. So, I chose the 1935 version of A Tale Of Two Cities since I love the classics; and I hear that is rare for someone only seventeen! Anyways, Colman's performance of the beloved hopelessly and helplessly in love Carton, had me in happiness and romantic sympathy. I don't think I have ever been so emotionally shaken with any film like this one. It is a film that lays true enough to the novel, and to the characters. It is the best film adaption of the novel you can find, and the greatest performance of Sydney Carton you will ever hope to see. I raise a taost to Ronald Colman for his magnificence and grip on the character, and another toast to the entire film for keeping my eyes and mind on the story and its characters struggles in life and love, and the pursuit of self.

Amazing film
I've been on a Colman kick lately, thanks to a friend who is an ardent fan of his. So, I went to rent some movies, saw this one, and brought it home.

I'm a little funny about costume dramas. As a rule, I find them incredibly boring. But, I like Ronald (listening to him talk is almost worth watching a boring movie for), and I was pleasantly surprised with "Marie Antoinette", so I thought... I will try this one out.

The story was not only gripping, it was very emotionally powerful. I just don't cry over movies. Sometimes, I *almost* will - but with this one I just couldn't keep the tears back. It started when little Lucie started crying for her father and didn't stop from that point to the end of the movie. I knew what Sydney was going to do, and while waiting for him to do it, I dreaded the time when it would come and admired him. Sydney Carton is my hero of the day and will be forever enshrined in my hall of cinematic heroes. (Okay, so it was a book first, but I've never read the book.) He was so sweet to that poor seamstress, too.

Anyway, tears and emotion aside, this is a fascinating and terrifying glimpse into the bloody insanity of the French revolution and the terrible things that happened to the innocent right along with the guilty. Horrible proof of how a mob, once aroused, can be nearly impossible to stop. Basil Rathbone turns in a fabulous performance as the cold-hearted nobleman who can run down a child in the street and go on his way without blinking twice. Ronald Colman as the slightly sodden but thoroughly unselfish advocate. He can say so much with his eyes. The Christmas service scene was unbelieveably moving.

I fear I'm not making much sense. Let's say this film left a deep impression on me, definitely will be a favourite from now on. I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This extraordinary 1970 British film marked the directorial debut of cinematographer Nicolas Roeg (working with Donald Cammell). James Fox portrays a London gangster who has to hide away for awhile and ends up staying with a fading rock star (Mick Jagger). The latter recognizes something of his old, daring self in the violent criminal, and after pushing open the boundaries of the hood's experience with psychedelics, the two men begin to intertwine as one. The film is an exciting pool of ideas about real and presumed power, about the mysteries of "performance" as a pressing outward toward an abandonment of identity and embrace of revelation. Beneath it all, however, is Roeg and Cammell's suspicion that the worlds of these two men--pop shaman and underworld soldier--are not dissimilar in their self-serving goals. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Jagger's timecapsal--a Stones fan's must see...
In one pivotal, surreal, and disturbing scene in this film Mick Jagger regales some inhabitants of his household with some creepy, old Robert Johnson blues just accompaning himself on an acoustic. I watched this scene at first, knowing full well of The Stones' and Jagger's blues worship, and even I thought 'this is ridiculous--is this white boy kidding?'. BUt as Jagger sings "I said 'hello satan----I believe it's time to go", this white boy thrilled some hoodoo through me. By many accounts that I've read, this is what meeting Jagger might be like, and may be the essence of the man.

Having said all that, I find this to be a compelling film. It graphically depicts hard sex, violence, drug use (several years before 'Clockwork Orange' was brought to life), as well as strange obsession with androgeny (several years before the boom of Bowie & Bolan). Mick Jagger's reclusive, devil-worshipping Turner was no stretch of the imagination, especially at this time (1968), but one must hand it to Jagger--despite a few awkward scenes, he smolders, & few real rockers of the time could fill such cinematic hooves. He was even diplomatically second-billed to British actor James Fox, who is the main focus of the film, playing a gangster on the lam. His dillemna gives the film a true sense of tension and depth.

Surreal psychadelic nightmare
One of the most astonishing movies of all time. In a nutshell, 'Performance' tells the story of London gangster Chas Delvin (James Fox), on the run from his old associates for an unauthorised murder. He hides out in the house of reclusive rock star Turner (Mick Jagger), who introduces Delvin to his bizarre world of sex, drugs, black magic and rock n' roll. The movie is packed with amazing performances all round, particularly from James Fox. The script by Donald Cammell is great and the direction by Cammell & Nicolas Roeg is superb. While obviously a product of the sixties the film has aged fairly well. It raises interesting and timeless questions about identity and duality. This film is very strange and very graphic. It does not make much sense at first, in fact it is a movie which demands to be seen more than once. Certainly once you see this movie it will stay with you.

Performance Cinema Re-release seen in Notting Hill London
Donald Cammell

"If Performance does not upset audiences," he explained, "then it is nothing."

My friend Neil and I have been waiting for some time to see this film at the cinema. It hasn't been widely available on video for some time and has not yet been released on DVD.
So we were overjoyed to see it was being shown at the Electric Cinema a wonderful recently revamped cinema in Notting Hill Gate, not a hundred yards from Powis Square, one of the main locations in the film.

Performance was financed by Warner Brothers in the late 60's, though it was not released for two years after its completion due to WB demanding recuts and probably hoping the whole sordid little film would be forgotten about.
Thankfully it wasn't, and has over the years become something important and special to many people.
Performance starts as a seemingly straightforward East end gangster film, typical of the period. However when Chas, played to perfection by James Fox, takes refuge in the bohemian lair that is Turners (Jagger) Powis Square townhouse, the pace and the feel of the film change dramatically.
Turner is a retired rock icon who is wallowing in in a filthy corner of his psyche while he decides whether to try and recapture his mojo or continue his hermit like existence. However the hermit tag only applies to Turners lack of contact with fresh air, not many hermits have two pretty free spirits in the form of Pherber (Anita Pallenberg ) and Lucy (Michele Breton) roaming naked around their self imposed prisons.
Pallenberg is the wild blonde who was probably didn't find it too hard to get into character, at the time of filming she was actually Keith Richards's girlfriend, and tales of a jealous Richards watching over the set are abound.
For me the most interesting character and also seemingly someone who probably wasn't acting is Breton. A very pretty boyish French Girl who was said to be a runaway. I have read that she died shortly after the film which seems like a sad but not surprising end for such a free spirited child of the sixties. I would love to have been able to tell you more about Breton, but a search on the internet will turn up very little. She would seem to me like a leaf that breezed into swinging London and was swept away like so many others.
Jagger is convincing as Turner and this is undoubtedly his best, if not his only good, film.
As Turner takes over control of the film from Chas we are treated to a feast of decadence and weirdness that never strays too far from reality for its own good. The film is tied down to a solid base by the continuing gangster film thread humming silently in the background.
Since 1970 many an apocryphal tale has surfaced surrounding the making of Performance, ranging from nervous breakdowns to suicide and drug overdoses. I am always skeptical about such tales, but, unfortunately most of these tales would actually seem to be true. Certainly writer and co director Donald Cammel shot himself and James Fox was disturbed enough not to make another film for many years afterwards.

As I waited for my friends to come out of the Electric Cinema, I overheard many a reaction to the film from other patrons. On the whole it would seem that people seemed disappointed or confused or even annoyed. Thanks god for that. Thank god it has not been tamed by age and become a safe little piece of 60's nostalgia.
Performance does upset audiences. It IS something.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted"
"Performance"(1970) directed by both Nicolas Roeg and Donald Camell and starring Mick Jagger and James Fox, is a film that is directed to a certain group of people and taste and treated as a cult classic. Chances are you've discovered this film because you are one of those people and you'll probably dig it. I saw this film because I am a big Rolling Stones fan and of the 60's and wanted to see Mick Jagger and to tell you the truth, I was not expecting much. "Performance" is a great film for what it is, an experimental film dealing with the clash of two worlds in a nonlinear format. In the beginning of the film, I thought it was just being weird for the sake of being weird but once I started to accept it and let it unravel, I thought it was a great film. James Fox does a great performance and Mick Jagger too but his just playing himself. The film has a lot of interesting shots and scenes which really stick with you. At the end of the film, my psyche had changed and I felt like I was in a different state of consciousness. I would really like to see "Performance" restored on to DVD because the sound quality on video is awful and makes it even harder to understand the thick Cockney accents. All and all, "Performance" has its errors but is a great snapshot into the culture and general feeling of the 60's.

Must everything be explained?
I found this movie after watching some special films like "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and "Mulholland Drive" that made me hungry for something different in a movie. In fact, I rented "Performance" after following Amazon's chain of "people who bought this movie also bought this movie", and it is now on my best of the best list. What a stunning film it is. Sometimes, we struggle too hard to explain things. "Performance" should be experienced, not explained. Watching this film is like having a dream, and, like a dream, it won't make much sense when you awaken from it. But the images from it and the feelings they inspire will haunt you. I was about to write here about some examples, but I'll just give one - a Jim Morrison poster on the wall entitled "It's Over". Perhaps the movie is about the death throes of 60's idealism? I'm sure that in part it is, and that different people will have different interpretations. Did you have a dream last week? What did it mean? ... Read more