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If you concentrate on the fact that Howard the Duck was a notorious box office dud (still brought up today) and considered one of the worst films of the '80s, it's entirely possible to enjoy this special effects piffle. Howard, played by a special effect puppet, lives on a planet where ducks evolved instead of apes, but one day he's sucked into a vortex and deposited on Earth. There he befriends Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson), lead singer for the Cherry Bombs, becomes their manager, and, oh yeah, saves the Earth from the Dark Overlords. Jeffrey Jones is the villain and Tim Robbins (!) is there for comic relief. And who can resist the culmination of synthesizer pop, the Howard the Duck theme song, as realized by the Cherry Bombs? A midnight movie that your kids might watch more than you. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (96)

All Hail Howard the Duck!!!
(...)Howard the Duck is all of this and more. I first saw this movie in theaters and loved it. Lea Thompson and the rest of her band The Cheery Bombs are sexy, and the theme song is real catchy!

The special effects are up to par with the technology at the time, and the comedy is right on the nose. I mean c'mon those Dark Overlords were pretty cool looking. Anyone who claims to hate this movie is obviously an 80's hater. (...) This film defines great 80's cinema and I could never understand the backlash. Many great movies have bombed at the theaters only to become favorite classics (the original Blues Brothers and It's a Wonderful Life come to mind).

(...)I will defend this movie until my dying day. Howard the Duck is a great movie from the greatest decade of the 20th Century. Hail Howard!!!

An ILM Late 80's Audition Reel!!
Momma always said, "you learn more from your failures, than you do from your successes." I think Momma has a point. Sometimes failures can point the way to the future. The 80's were a good barometer for that, and no other movie has blazed the trail of failure quite like Willard Huyck colossal miscalculation HOWARD THE DUCK. A movie that is inept and pointless, and yet so full of innovative and yes even breathtaking special effects.

HOWARD THE DUCK tells the story of a duck named Howard (voiced by Chip Zein, and played by a bunch of little people in a duck suit) who lives on a planet much like earth, except Duck's are the top of the food chain. He's a failed rock musician who's finally given up that dream and has settled into the mundane life of an advertising copywriter. On one particular day, he's just gets home from another day of the daily grind, when he's sucked into a giant laser beam and transported to Cleveland, Ohio on our earth. Let the comic hijinks begin...well okay let the less than stellar puns begin.

Howard meets Beverly (Lean Thompson) a struggling rock musician and takes up "roost" in her apartment. After a day or so they fall in love. There's also a young Lab Assistant named Phil (Tim Robbins in a star-making performance) and Dr. Jennings (Jefferey Jones) whom want to help Howard get home, via the giant laser beam that brought him to earth in the first place.

I stop there because the second half of the movie has to do with this wild alien and I'm not quite sure I can do that part of the story any real justice. Suffice to say there's an alien threat and Howard is here to stop it. Actually he kind of runs away from it as the alien menace and the cops try to stop him.

HOWARD THE DUCK is based on a far more interesting and inventive comic book series created by Steve Gerber. This movie and that series have absolutely nothing in common but the name. In fact the movie ruined the comic book series that poor Steve Gerber sued Universal and George Lucas, and then killed off his Duck for a long time. How's that for fair.

Wait a second you say, go back just a minute, did you just say George Lucas? Yes ladies and gentlemen. George Lucas was the executive producer of this film and it shows. His fingerprint is on everything and more importantly Industrial, Lights, and Magic have designed this film as their audition reel. They throw everything into the pot, creature effects, stop motion, animation effects, makeup effects, an elaborate chase sequence (that I'm convinced was shot for shot re-created for the freeway chase in the MATRIX RELOADED, well not really but It's nice to speculate.) involving a small personal aircraft, and all of it is breath taking.

But why? Why did ILM and George Lucas waste all that time and energy? The only thing I can think is that they were doing tests for Lucas's next big project WILLOW.

You're probably now asking why doesn't the film work? The biggest problem is there is absoulty no screenplay. The first 20 minutes of the film fly by, barely allowing the viewer to breathe. The characters have time to meet, time to fight, time to get back together, all before the story begins to take shape. By the time it does it shifts radically into a completely different movie involving giant space creatures.

They started out with a promising idea; it's ET in the city. How does this duck adapt to his surroundings? That should have been the movie. But there's no room for special effects that way. So on comes Act 2, and so many effects shots you shake your head.

I was also a little disgusted by the Human/Duck love scene of course you see nothing, but the implied relationship makes even less sense then the rest of the movie and is really there just to make a silly joke anyway.

This is the key to why this film fails. It doesn't set its tone properly. Every other line is some comic zinger that falls flat because the movie doesn't know whether it's a comedy, or an action picture. There satire, and drama all thrown out there but it goes nowhere.

This effects all the acting as well. The human characters are robbed of any humanity because the script is so disjointed. They overreact to everything and poor Tim Robbins is forced to mug for laughs when the audience already knows that there are none.

The script by director Huyck and his writing partner Gloria Katz is so bad you forget that these are the people who hit just the right beats in their more successful film AMERICAN GRAFFITTI.

The films biggest flaw is that it has no audience. It a tad bit vulgar for little kids, and if you reach the age of 8 you'll be far smarter than this movie is. As for adults there is nothing of substance in the movie for people to grab onto.

But I guess in the end could HOWARD THE DUCK been a good picture? Maybe! There were definitely moments of light in the picture. Moments that seemed unforced. I especially loved the early scenes involving Howard and Beverly. An interesting story could have unfolded. But the films exciting visuals were more important to the bottom line. In fact the bulk of the film contains this huge chase scene involving airplanes, cars, 18-Wheelers and lots of destruction. Sure the scene is cool to look at but it's not worth the Journey.

Stay away from Howard the Duck.

** Out of 5

Love this movie
I am 25 years old. I loved this movie as a kid. I watched it over and over again. I just ordered it for my 7 year old son with the hopes that he will like it as much as I did. I is a funny and stupid movie, but well worth it for the kids to watch. I highly recommend this movie for anyone between the ages of 5-13 years old.

Cult Classic
Lea Thompson, Tim Robbins, and the always entertaining Jeffrey Jones star in this tale of a duck from an alternate universe
who finds himself transported to Earth and is now trying to get home. Lea Thompson plays the young woman who looks after him,
Tim Robbins plays the janitor who pretends to be a scientist,
and Jeffrey Jones plays a scientist who goes a little crazy.

The funny thing about movies that are ambitious and
flop, Is nobody copies that formula. Sure Die Hard has been copied over and over. Under Siege etc. But Movies that don't make the big money are often forgotten. And that is what makes them better now then when they were released. Buackaroo Banzai is another example of a box office flop that has gained alot of
success through video and dvd.

And I know alot of people will think I am crazy. But this is my
favorite George Lucas film. There is something about Howard the
Duck that I gravitated towards as a kid. Maybe it was him being small in a strange foreign world he is yet to understand. Isn't that what childhood is about. The best movies are the ones where
the movie never changes but as you watch it at a different age
and a different point in your life you notice so much more.
I can't explain much further my fondness for Howard the Duck.
But I really love this movie.

I know there are alot of people who can't stand this movie,
But for those who get it, There is nothing quite like it
and probally never will be again.

An insult to a classic comic book
Steve Gerber's original Howard the Duck comics were a classic mockery of the '70s, from jabs at religious cults to Howard's run for president in 1976 and even an issue almost entirely in text because of deadlines. However, Gerber left Howard and Marvel Comics at the end of the decade due to his struggle to gain control of his signature character.

Coming in 1986, at a time when Gerber's dispute with Marvel had exploded into a full-blown legal battle (and the comic publisher had practically destroyed Howard with numerous changes in appearance and origin), the Howard the Duck movie was heavly hyped and awarded a huge budget-largely due to the involvement of one George Lucas. What emerged was the worst movie of 1986, and one of the 1980s many candidates for "worst movie ever". For those ignorant of the original comic book, the reputation is well-earned, with an unlikeable lead and an incredibly stupid plot. For those of us familiar with Steve Gerber's work, this film is nothing short of an abomination. However, years of repeated (and downright excessive) reruns on cable have created a number of apologists for this drivel. Do yourself a favor and avoid this wreck (and pray that George Lucas is able to keep it from appearing on DVD), while tracking down the Howard the Duck comics written by Steve Gerber, which are superior to this travesty in every way. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Alice returns from Wonderland only to discover she's on the wrongside of her living room mirror at the beginning of the second half of IrwinAllen's 1985 production, with teleplay by Paul Zindel and songs by SteveAllen (the three-hour film was broken into two parts for video, the firsttitle being Alice in Wonderland). Before you can say "curiouser andcuriouser" the jabberwocky is after her. It chases Alice back to a strangeland where life appears to be one giant game of chess with pieces portrayedby the likes of Carol Channing and Harvey Korman. The 7-year-old longs to behome, but that doesn't stop her from enjoying some song and dance withTweedledum and Tweedledee (Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme), watching a boutbetween the lion (Ernest Borgnine) and the unicorn (Beau Bridges), or beingrescued by the White Knight (Lloyd Bridges). Despite the oddly low-techvisual effects from Star Wars's John Dykstra--the jabberwocky is soclearly a guy in a dragon suit--this thrillingly kitschy movie ablyentertains. Where else will you see Merv Griffin as a train conductor,Sally Struthers and Donna Mills catfighting with Vegas-worthy flowerheaddresses, and Jonathan Winters as a crabby Humpty Dumpty before the fall?Adults who fondly remember the '70s and '80s and children 4 and older shouldenjoy this version of the fabled tale. --Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (43)

The Ultimate Alice
When I was five, I saw this on tv for the first time and was enthralled. For me, this is the ultimate Alice Through the Looking Glass--so many stars, so many songs and so like the actual story till the end. I've looked for it everywhere but until today it was only a memory. Now I can't wait till it comes in the mail. We had taped it off of tv on a Beta tape years ago but lost the second half so now I can't wait to own it! If you've read the book or have only heard of our Alice, this is the movie to see.

Baaaa-tter, Much Baaaaa-tter!
This movie has stuck with me and my brother for so many years! We taped it off of TV when we were kids, and as everyone knows, "TV Tapes" never last very long in anyone's home. Now, my brother and I live together, and we every so often start singing the movie's songs, or reciting its lines! Our favorite scenes are the train and on the beach with the Tweedles. I am buying a copy of the movie today to give my brother for his 24th birthday, and I know that he will be thrilled to have it! (As will I...)

#1 on my childhood movie collection!
when i was a kid i was so in love with this movie, it was my get away from a bad day at school. the charaters are so magical and realistic. i could only find this movie here and im so glad i could add this to my collection so i could share this great movie to my children.

The best movie ever!!!
Ilove this Alice Through the Looking Glass! It's certainly curiouser and curiouser. It follows the original story the most closely out of all the Alice movies I've ever seen. My favorite part is when the jabberwocky comes out of Alice's present box. When I first saw that I jumped! The only thing I didn't like about the whole movie was that it didn't show the looking glass insects. Other than that I thought it was great! All alice lovers buy this today!

The Jabberwocky
When I was a young child, I had a horrible fear that the Jabberwocky from this version of Alice Through the Looking Glass. I used to believe that he was living in my closet and that someday he would pull me through the large mirror hanging on the inside of my closet door. Over the years I have come to wonder why I was so afraid of him and I have been dying to see this production again. I was so happy when I bought it online and found out how afraid I was of a cheezy dragon costume! This video is absolutly adorable and any fan of Alice in Wonderland will love it! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The 1951 John Huston classic, set in Africa during World War I, garnered Humphrey Bogart an Oscar for his role as a hard-drinking riverboat captain in Africa, who provides passage for a Christian missionary spinster (Katharine Hepburn). Taking an instant, mutual dislike to one another, the two endure rough waters, the presence of German soldiers, and their own bickering to finally fall into one another's arms. This is classic Huston material--part adventure, part quest--but this time with a pair of characters who'd all but given up on happiness. Bogart (a longtime collaborator with Huston on such classics as The Maltese Falcon and Key Largo) and Hepburn have never been better, and support from frequent Huston crony Robert Morley (Beat the Devil, also featuring Bogart) adds some extra dimension and color. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Why this movie is considered so good
1) Based on the novel (of the same name) by C.S. Forester
2) Music performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
3) Directed by John Huston
4) Katharine Hepburn
5) Humphrey Bogart

The movie begins in German East Africa, September 1914 with the Germans invading and destroying a small town that missionaries Samuel and Rose (brother and sister) are living in. After the Germans take all the natives away Samuel falls ill and dies.

Mr. Alnutt (sailor of the African Queen), the man who delivers their mail, comes around and Rose goes with him for safety reasons. They hide (Mr. Alnutt feels the Germans will want his boat) and discuss what to do next. With the war all around them, they need to figure a way out of there.

With much pushing on Rose's part they decide to go down a very difficult river and torpedo a German ship to help their country.

The scenery and the wild animals are amazing to behold. I love when Rose calls Charlie "a coward". This very different pair has many adventures.

This is why the movie is considered so good!

Two Great Actors Make A Great Movie
Can two people carry an entire movie? When the two are Humphrey Bogart (who won an Oscar for this performance) and Katherine Hepburn (who did equally well but didn't get the Oscar), the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" Bogart plays a beaten up riverboat (the "African Queen" is his boat) captain in Africa at the onset of World War One. b Hepburn plays a spinster missionary who assists her brother, Robert Morley, in converting the locals to Christianity (or, at least, helps to get them singing hymns, whether they understand the words or not). After the Germans burn the church and kill her brother, Hepburn escapes with Bogart down the river aboard the African Queen. With memorable scene after memorable scene (leech attacks, German attacks, shooting the rapids and then shooting THE RAPIDS, disappearing tributaries, black fly attacks), John Huston directs these two veteran actors through a classic movie. Bogart starts off with many rough edges but gradually gets slightly tamed. Hepburn starts off very prudish, but gradually loosens up. They go from hating each other to getting married in a very predictable, but still realistic way. Adversity is the mother of romance. Buy this one and watch it every year (or more often) on a rainy afternoon or snowy evening. If it's a snowy evening, you might even feel better about the snow afterward.

Kate & Bogey Sparkle in this Classic Hollywood Gem
The chemistry between "old maid" missionary woman Hepburn and rough-guy Bogart streaming along a river together in WWI Africa is great. Through many perils the two manage to survive until they are captured by Enemy Germans who are about to execute the pair as spies. The ending of this Hollywood Classic is extremely satisfying.

Humphrey Bogart won his only Oscar for his role, while Katherine Hepburn chalked up another one of her 12 career nominations. This film is pure cinema-candy. How can anyone NOT love this movie??? Highly recommended.*****

Entertaining Mix of Genres
Bogie & Hepburn in perfect form. She plays an uptight missionary and he plays a carefree everyday guy. They learn to respect and like each other and fall in love and save the day. A perfect blend of romance, adventure, action, comedy, suspense, & war drama. The movie doesn't reinvent the wheel with fancy camera angles and plot twists. Its sheer star powered entertainment. If you're a fan of either star, you can't miss with this.

Cool movie
I watched the African Queen in social studies in 7th grade. It was Ok. I liked the whole idea. I know this will sound stupid but i didnt like the way that Rosie woman smiled.
But in general, the movie was OK. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (276)

Great Job by Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx gives a five star, award-winning, performance of a lifetime in this movie filled with drama, romance, humor, drugs, triumph, and quality music. Showing the trials and tribulation of one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century it follows Ray Charles Robinson from the start of his career as he deals with such various obstacles as blindness, racism, his brother's death as a child, and heroin addiction. This film is well rounded with numerous familiar faces but one unknown face deserves just as much recognition as Foxx. This person is Sharon Warren who portrays Ray's strong willed mother who makes his learn to stand up for him self despite his handicap and not to let anyone keep him from what he wants in life. While not being the most glamorous portrayal of a legend it show how strong and utterly amazing the man really was. Laced with the actual music of and by Ray Charles you get the feeling you are really watching the man himself. Highly recommended.

Excellent film...one of the best of 2004
Genre: Bio-Pic Drama/Musical

Genre Grade: A+

Final Grade: A

This was an excellent movie. It was much more serious-toned than I thought it would be, giving a strong glimpse into adultery and drug addiction and also gives a horrific glimpse into Ray's childhood. The movie is also uplifting with the story of Ray finding his own sound, and just all the music in general. Definitely worth seeing (and worth sitting nearly three hours for), and although the conclusion of the movie feels very rushed and unexpected, it has such a strong body and introduction that make it worth it. Jaime Foxx was amazing in it, and I've got my bets on him for taking home the Oscar next year. There were seriously a couple of moments in the movie where it almost seemed like they inserted some old footage with the real Ray Charles in it because he stepped into the role so well. Great movie, see it!

Sheesh...big deal!
Oh please!Enough with all these accolade about Jamie Foxx's performance.All I saw was an IMPERSONATION.He wasnt multidimensional and I didnt see CHARACTER.Acting like Ray Charles is not enough,he should have lived it through the movie.Im not pretending to be an acting expert here (because im not) but Jamie Foxx doesnt deserve all these compliments,seriously.
About the movie,its actually more fitting for HBO but what's good about this movie is that they didnt force the audience to think that Ray Charles was this noble being,unlike other biopics,which portrays the famous characters as if theyre saints.There are lots of holes in the movie and it focused on his music and his womanizing and we can get a glimpse of his childhood with a subplot of him being banned to play in his hometown,other than that,theres nothing else.You should buy this if youre a big fan.But if you just like the music,just rent it.

Superlative Performances Elevate Solid, Episodic Biopic
At this point, it seems superfluous to say Jamie Foxx gives a brilliant, surprisingly nuanced performance as Ray Charles, as he not only mimics the singer's mannerisms flawlessly but also provides texture and depth to the pained man underneath. It's startling to see Foxx perform at the piano in that idiosyncratic spasmodic style that Charles had, as the actor very often becomes indistinguishable from the legend. In the private moments also depicted here, Foxx is amazingly perceptive about the troubled, hard-shelled, often nasty man Charles apparently was in real life. Hardly the image one remembers from the Pepsi commercials or his other frequent, sometimes ridiculous TV appearances...anyone remember he was in several episodes of "The Nanny"?

But the movie is not about the deconstruction of Ray Charles. In fact, director/writer Taylor Hackford and co-writer James L. White have written a literate, often powerful screenplay that makes us understand the complexity behind Charles' genius and the reasons for his inner demons. The challenge is that in order to remain true to his life story, Hackford and White have overstuffed the movie with so many milestone moments that it becomes episodic and sometimes rather wearing, especially when it comes to the film's depiction of Charles' two-decade heroin addiction. The sight of Charles shooting up and denying his addiction becomes almost a repetitive plot device, as if to provide melodramatic filler between the triumphant moments when he conquers musical frontiers that initially meet with resistance. That's not to say there aren't strong, compelling moments, as there are many. Ironically, one of the most memorable has nothing to do with Foxx but depicts a moment in Charles' hardscrabble Georgia childhood when little Ray trips over a chair and screams for his mother. Wordlessly, he picks himself up and becomes attuned to the sounds around him, picking up a cricket and realizing his mother is right in front of him. It's a transcendent moment.

Hackford is not the most subtle of filmmakers (he made the over-the-top "The Devil's Advocate" among others), and unfortunately his exaggerated sense of melodrama creeps in now and then, in particular, the last section when he decides to go for a 1960's movie-style approach to drug rehabilitation and inserts a fantasy scene back to Charles' childhood that provides pat closure to his long-standing issues.It's an oddly surreal Hollywood-style scene that I feel betrays the honesty of what was presented before. But sometimes Hackford's excessiveness works in his favor, as in the supposedly improvised way that classics like "What'd I Say?" and "Hit the Road, Jack" were composed. I also think he does an effective job in making racism an inherent part of the story, not just a pointed plot device, specifically in showing how much of the manipulation Charles experienced in his career was not at the hands of white promoters. The movie also highlights Charles' decision not to play an unsegregated venue in Georgia and revisits that decision in a coda that takes place years later.

Beyond Foxx, there is a gallery of superlative performances, especially by a trio of fine actresses. Kerry Washington is superb as Charles' wife Della Bea providing strength and tolerance in the face of her husband's drug addiction and constant adultery.Regina King plays backup singer Margie Hendricks, Charles' on-the-road mistress, with her requisite sass but with a penetrating desperation. Best of all is Sharon Warren, who portrays Charles' proud mother Aretha in flashbacks that make you understand where Charles got his courage and unbridled fury. Also providing excellent support are C.J. Sanders as the young Ray, who witnesses his young brother's accidental drowning and faces his impending blindness, and Clifton Powell as Charles' right-hand man Jeff Brown. The more well-known figures are played gamely though less memorably by Larenz Tate as an ambitious, very young Quincy Jones; Curtis Armstrong as an overly measured Ahmet Ertegun; and Richard Schiff as an anxious Jerry Wexler. At 153 minutes, the movie is rather long, and because of its episodic nature, stops rather abruptly in 1966 when Charles' personal and private lives seem to gain equilibrium. Regardless, the wondrous Foxx elevates this film biopic into something quite extraordinary.

The two-disc DVD package has several extras worth noting. On the first disc, the chief addition is fourteen scenes deleted in the theatrical version that have been spliced into the version here and notated accordingly. Some provide interesting context to the story, though they sometimes slow the pacing, a problem coupled by the addition of dead pauses that hurt the overall quality of the viewing experience. All told, the extended version clocks in at a staggering 178 minutes. Taylor Hackford's commentary on the alternate audio track is informative but on the perfunctory side (I only wish Foxx could have added his perspective and can only dream what Charles could have contributed had he lived long enough to "see" the film's release.) On the second disc, those fourteen deleted scenes show up individually, and there are also three featurettes. The first is the obligatory making-of short, "A Look Inside Ray", which includes comments by the filmmakers and actors on making the film.The next short, "Walking in His Shoes", is about the meeting between Foxx and Charles before his death and discusses how Foxx got under the skin of the character. The last, "Ray Remembered", is a quick tribute to the spirit of Charles by those who loved and admired him.

The Road Leads Back To You
Most of us under sixty think of Ray Charles as a perpetually smiling, swaying, grayed old man wearing sunglasses, glued to the piano bench who mumbles out "Georgia."What most do not realize is that Ray Charles had been performing since the 1940's until his death in 2004.This film shows Ray as a vibrant young man and opens our eyes to a whole new world that many have never known, a world that includes segregation and the civil rights movement.The movie spans from Ray's childhood up until around 1963.Considering that Ray's career went on for forty years AFTER that is astounding.

Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia, in 1930.Growing up in poverty in Florida during the Great Depression, he lost his little brother in a tragic accident that would haunt him the rest of his life.Around age seven, he went blind from glaucoma.Ray honed his knack for music at the state school for the blind and deaf.

Although a true genius and pioneer of jazz, R&B, and even country western, Ray (Jamie Foxx) was not a perfect human being by any means.Ray had learned to be fiercely independent from his fiery and dedicated mother Aretha (Sharon Warren), who died when he was fifteen.Yet he was dependent on a couple of demons - women and heroin.These addictions had tragic consequences.The fact that Bea, his long-suffering wife (Regina King), stood by him all those years is an example of the kind of chemistry and love this man inspired.

The movie reminds me so much of The Temptations (1998) as far as how the plot unfolds, that I would have given "Ray" four stars if it were not for Foxx's and Warren's performances.Foxx won Best Male Leading Actor for his sublime performance of a legend and an icon.Sharon Warren was so intense as Ray's mother.With her visible biceps on a fragile frame, she embodied the plight of all African Americans during Jim Crow.I want to see Warren again in a film.She is absolutely amazing.

The movie has sexuality and drug use, but nothing too graphic.There is no bad language.All of the songs in the film are Ray's original recordings, lip-synched very well by Foxx and the backup girls.When I heard that the songs would be lip-synched, I did not think I would enjoy it, but it works very well and was very entertaining.

The DVD has commentary by the director, and short readable bios of just about all the main and supporting actors in the film.It is a little annoying to have to read the white font and keep scrolling endlessly through each bio.

... Read more

Reviews (99)

Great for its time!
If you have ever listened to the original Orson Welles' infamous radio show of the same name, you will have to watch this movie. The story begins as a meteor crashes to the earth and puzzles the residents of a California town.

The incident isn't given much thought, until one night, everything in town turns off. No electricity, no phones, watches stop. Gene Barry, the resident scientist from Pacific Tech, is trying to find out what's going on, as masters' student Ann Robinson tries to help.....predictably, they fall in love while chaos ensues all over the planet.

The aliens are not friendly. Their technology outdoes anything on earth. Not even atomic energy seems to stop them. So, what does? You'll have to watch this and see. The movie is somewhere between a really great B movie and an actual heavy duty motion picture event. The story is entertaining, and the writing is not as corny and stilted as a lot of sci fi movies made in the 50's. And whoa, those special effects! Not bad for an old classic!

Excellent Adaptation of the H.G. Wells Novel
This movie is one of the standard bearers for early science fiction. The film is well-scripted and acted, and the special effects are quite good considering the age of the film.

Gene Barry plays the central character of the movie, Dr. Clayton Forrester, a scientist from Cal Tech. He and two buddies are fishing nearby when the initial Martian invasion ship lands (crashes) nearby. By the way, that must have been a heckuva landing the Martians had to endure when their 'meteors' touched down.

The movie details humanity's efforts to halt the apparently unstoppable murderous Martian invasion force. No pretenses about peaceful coexistence or some sort of misunderstanding here, folks. The Martians want our planet and are willing to kill every man, woman, and child on it to get it. As such, the military is portrayed in a pretty good light in this film (unlike many others). After all, when the alien's first club out of the bag is lethal force, then you pretty much have to go with the flow.

In the end, with atomic weapons having failed to stop the invaders, mankind appears doomed. Saving the day, however, is the most unlikely of allies (and, no, I ain't talking Russia).

Overall, a well-paced sci-fi/thriller with a basic premise that never fails to entertain when it is well done--as it is here.

When worlds collide
I am by no means a fan of science fiction movies but of the few that I do enjoy, "The War of the Worlds" is my favorite sci-fi flick. Devlin Emmerich's 'Independence Day" has nothing on this film despite having the state of the art special effects. "The War of the Worlds" was based on a radio program that legendary actor Orson Welles read one Halloween night and caused a lot of people to freak out because they thought what they were hearing were true. Dr. Clayton Forrester played by the handsome Gene Barry comes across a small town in California. He was called by the townsfolk to investigate the meteor that crash landed in their town. What Forrester soons discovers is that the meteor that crashed was no meteor. Chaos ensues when the aliens reveal themselves and their deadly intentions. For its time, "The War of the Worlds" had quite the special effects. It may not be as dazzling as that modern rip-off "Independence Day" and even the '80s tv series of the same namesake but it certainly had heart and was more entertaining. I remember first seeing the film in high school and enjoying every second of it, and ten years later I still enjoy watching "The War of the Worlds". Too bad Devlin Emmerich didn't have a backbone and had to ape the concept of this film for his atrocious "Independence Day". That just lacked originality. Nothing beats the original concept of aliens invading earth than "The War of the Worlds" in my book.

War of the Worlds: ground breaking sci-fi
H.G. Wells, is one of the first the introduce readers with the idea of aliens from mars taking over the earth, and triggered many writers later to write books involving martians. In the masterpiece, Wells introduces many ideas and masterfully blends them into his story.
England is in trouble as cylinders of metal carrying martians constantly crash on the earth every 24 hours. Each cylinder carries a walking tripod, that has a heat beam attached, a beam that melts and burns anything it hits. As more aliens come, they bring gasses that can kill a human just when they inhale it.
All seems lost for the main character as he tries to dodge martians, and return to leatherhead, where his wife has taken refuge. He is forced to hide from the martians byhimself, for almost everyone is dead.
Hope of survival is almost noting for humans, when they find out the martians have developed flying machines, to promote their world wide destruction, but something happens to the martians......
This is a great book and I am very pleased that I took the time the read it, even though some parts were very slow.

An Early Color Sci-Fi Classic
"The format is standard instead of widescreen...," says an Amazon reviewer of War Of The Worlds, one "lotus_scrum" of Phoenix, AZ. She also later adds, "Not the WORST looking dvd but the full screen format hurts it badly for me. If it gets a new release with widescreen, remastered sound and picture I'll give it a 5." None of which makes much sense, since the DVD has fine sound, and was NEVER shot in widescreen, since widescreen didn't exist back then!

And as President of the Widescreen Watchers Association, I should know. Here is the release date of the first movie shot in widescreen, which happened to star Marilyn Monroe: How To Marry A Millionaire - November 5, 1953.

And here is the release date of the standard movie in question starring Gene Barry: War Of The Worlds - August 26, 1953.

As you can see, War Of The Worlds could hardly have been presented in late August - almost 3 months before the process was first tried in early November! In addition, although many films started being shot in widescreen in 1954, several studios were slow on the uptake and did not make their films mainly in widescreen until late 1955 or early 1956. From Here To Eternity (1955), shot in standard screen, is a prime example of that.

What all of the above means in regard to this particular film is that nothing was cut off of the picture, so to paraphrase Flip Wilson, "what you get is all there was to see."

It's a beautiful film (although perhaps corny by today's computerized Matrix standards) and the use of color is rich and vibrant. Once you've seen it you'll never forget it. It's Pal and Haskin at their best.

I also recommend other such color sci-fi classics as Forbidden Planet, When Worlds Collide, and The Time Machine. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sometimes movies are built around a great idea begging for a story, in this case pairing ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov with tap great Gregory Hines. The resulting storm of dance in White Nights, as one would expect, is great, but the story is a little forced. Baryshnikov plays (in parallel to his own life) a Russian defector to the U.S. who ends up a prisoner in the motherland after his plane is forced to land in Leningrad during an emergency. Hines is an American expatriate who gets involved with the situation. Director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman) punctuates an escape scenario and relationship dilemmas with as many dance sequences as possible, and the result is a wobbly, unconvincing tale with some furious footwork. Fortunately, performances carry the day, as the two male leads are both very strong as actors, and the supporting cast--Isabella Rossellini, Helen Mirren, and filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (Moonlighting)--is terrific.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (29)

It was great when I saw it in high school...
I recently saw this again and sheesh.... it's all about perception. This film is very 80s...very very very '80s. Seeing Mikhail Baryshnikov dancing in tights was worth the experience of the rest of the movie when I saw this back in the carefree days of high school.

Great and convincing acting by Isabella Rossellini, Helen Mirren and Gregory Hines don't save this from being what seems in this day and time to be a ridiculous story. It's easy to forget what a threat the Soviet Union was at the time... and how scary the thought of being trapped in communist Russia really was... neighbor spying on neighbor, eavesdropping equipment everywhere and just cold, dreary days one after another. This is a film best enjoyed by folks who can remember what it was like be around in the 80s w/ the fear of nuclear war. This is hardly a "timeless" piece, but still enjoyable.

Eleven pirouettes!
Baryshnikov does eleven pirouettes straight. What more can you ask for? Anyway, the movie was very good. It was a dark, communist Soviet Union film, with a lot of tension. But most importantly, Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov were fantastic. It is superhuman what they can do.

every thing
the beauty,grace, and syncronozation of these two men dancing from such different backgrounds and styles was magnificent. The love, trust, and faith under such difficult situations was indescribable. The story with its action and psychological background kept me riveted to the screen (5 OR SIX TIMES OR MORE!) When do I order my dvd?!!!

Breathtaking!
Wonderful dancing, great story, good music too and Barisnikov back to his roots. Altough the Kirov scenes were filmed in Portugal. Opening scene is lovely.....

Most beautiful!
I love this movie. It's my all time favourite and it's great to see it's out on DVD. Mikhail Barischnikow is of course the greatest dancer and performs his artistry. The storyline is breathtaking. All actors and actresses are simply supreme. It was Isabella Rosselini's first movie role . I saw this movie the first time in the cinema and it was the first time I saw Gregory Hines - who will truely be missed. He was a great actor and step dancer. This movie is one of the greatest but only a few people seem to know ... Read more

Amazon.com

Big Bird and Telly Monster lead young viewers through the alphabet, letter by letter, in a magical and imaginative half-hour discovery of letters and their sounds. The perfect tape for young Sesame Street fans who are just beginning to get the hang of what letters are all about, it includes short skits, songs, and other bits of business--some original, some culled from the Sesame Streetshow--featuring a variety of Muppet characters as well as the human residents of that famously educational thoroughfare. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The BEST alphabet video on the market!
I bought this tape for my little boy when he was 16 months old.
This is by far the best alphabet movie I have seen to date. It's not all annoying loud songs like so many of the movies are now. My son is allowed to watch one movie per day, and this is usually his first choice. Believe it or not, by 17/18 months he was saying the entire alphabet. His pediatrician was shocked at his 18 month visit! There are lots of neat songs and video clips from Sesame Street episodes from the early 70's I remember myself on this tape!

Variety and simplicity
If you are looking for an introduction to letters for your child, this is a wonderful video. Through entertaining skits and a variety of visuals, the Sesame Street Gang go through the alphabet while coming up with words that begin with each letter. The sequence of photos of street signs and billboards which zero in on each letter in order is a real favorite with our 28-month old and has led to his interest in street signs and letter recognition in our own neighborhood. The pace is leisurely enough for toddlers who are just learning sounds, yet contains enough music and animated sequences to capture the attention of squirmy kids--if you happen to have one of those. Please note: There is no Elmo in this video, which to my mind is a plus but may be a disappointment to rabid Elmo fans.

Excellent Learning Aid
Sesame Street learning about Letters, Has helped my 22 month old twin boys, and my daughter who is 3 1/2 to learn the alphabet, and have fun at the same time. They all ask to watch this video almost every day!

Great entertainment and Great learning!!!
This video has been around for a while; my now 14yr old daughter used to watch this video everyday from 9months old on. No kidding, by the time she was 18 months old, she could identify ALL the letters if you asked her to point to any one!
Now, I have a 4yr old, 3yr old, and twin 2yr olds who are really learning alot from this video, albeit not as fast as my 14yr did.
I would recommend this to anyone with kids from 6months up!

Not bad, but...
The quality of the tape itself could be better. Also, it is a bit tiring for a toddler to sit through this video with the whole alphabet being introduced at once. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Rebecca is an ageless, timeless adult movie about a woman who marries a widower but fears she lives in the shadow of her predecessor. This was Hitchcock's first American feature, and it garnered the Best Picture statue at the 1941 Academy Awards. In today's films, most twists and surprises are ridiculous or just gratuitous, so it's sobering to look back on this film where every revelation not only shocks, but makes organic sense with the story line. Laurence Olivier is dashing and weak, fierce and cowed. Joan Fontaine is strong yet submissive, defiant yet accommodating. There isn't a false moment or misstep, but the film must have killed the employment outlook of any women named Danvers for about 20 years. Brilliant stuff. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (115)

Gothic Greatness
From the opening shots and line about dreaming of a visit to Manderly again, to the final shots of Mrs. Danvers and the flames, Alfred Hitchcock creates a dark, eerie atmosphere that will remain with the viewer every time you see the film. Although Rebecca is never seen, her presence is felt throughout the entire movie. Laurence Olivier, as the late Rebecca's tortured husband is good, although I think his moods and personal torture are played too strongly. Joan Fontaine, never an actress I have especially admired, is surprisingly excellent as Olivier's new, unnamed, naive wife, thrust into a world she is unprepared to deal with. But the greatest performance of the film belongs to Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, Rebecca's housekeeper, and consequently, Fontaine's nemesis. With her daunting profile and posture, and her chilling delivery of lines, she creates one of the most memorable film characters I have ever seen. With its winding plot, terrific performances, and the direction of Alfred Hitchcock creating tension and atmosphere on a Gothic scale, Rebecca is one of the greater suspense films I have ever seen.

Classic Suspense
The Best Picture in 1940 and an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's famous novel. It is not at all surprising this movie won two Academy Awards and nine other nominations. Through the masterful direction of Alfred Hitchcock, you will be kept in complete suspense. The newly restored version from the original negatives is presented full-frame and has been digitally mastered for optimum picture and sound. The result is a sumptuous black-and-white film that is better than I have ever seen it before. They do say this movie gets better each time you watch it, and I must agree.

The opening scenes convince you that this is going to be quite a forbidding story. A meandering path overgrown with foliage and a ghostly manor (Manderley) appears out of the Cornwall, England mist. The gothic quality is only the stage for a love story haunted by the memory of Rebecca. While this is mostly filled with suspense and mystery, there are a few moments of humor.

While a young woman (Joan Fontaine) is vacationing in the South of France as a ladies companion, she meets a wealthy widower Maxim de Winter (Lawrence Olivier). His wife, Rebecca is said to have died in a boating accident. They fall in love, marry and then he takes her home to Manderley. She is ill prepared for such a position in society and stumbles through her days trying to adapt as best she can.

"Rebecca" is the theme of this movie, yet the heroine is the second rather timid Mrs. de Winter when she rises to the occasion and takes on this ghost who haunts her husband. Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) manages the manor and seeks to keep the first Mrs. de Winter's memory alive in an almost obsessive way. She is cold and has no regard for Maxim's new wife's feelings. Judith Anderson is just magnificent in her role and her character is in a way is Rebecca's ghost personified.

The conclusion is surprising as we find out how Maxim really feels and the story unfolds one detail at a time to finish with a satisfying conclusion. You will never once think these characters are actors, they are their characters from start to finish.

You must watch this movie in complete darkness with just a few candles burning for it to be just slightly scary. One of my all-time favorite movies. Definitely worth owning!

Yummy Classic Movie
I have seen all of Hitchcock's American work. If you are familiar with his movies, you probably agree that, with the exception of "Family Plot", his films are delicious brain food! Rebecca is a beautiful, mysterious and tragic piece. Olivier and Fontaine are at the peak of their talent and beauty. By the way, if you like Joan Fontaine in this film, her performance is equally good in Hitchcock's Suspicion, with Cary Grant. Why aren't most modern actors this good, hmmm? Hey Mr. Soderbergh, please don't remake this one! There's a reason why we call them 'Classic'.

A classic shines.
A stunning transfer from Criterion. "Rebecca" remains one of the finest films of the 1940's, and features Joan Fontaine as the second mistress of Manderley, forever living in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor. Lawrence Olivier is perhaps detached in his performance, but nevertheless embodies the master of Manderley as few others of his generation could. "Rebecca" also contains the paranoia, suspense, and dreamlike mood that would color much of director Alfred Hitchcock's later work. Criterion continues to put the major DVD distributors to shame with its transfers of old films, and once again proves that although higher in price, their DVD's are worth every penny.

"We can never go back to Manderley again"
Joan Fontaine laments as she opens the film, obviously several years removed from her time at the lush, oversized estate, which recalls "Tara" from Gone With the Wind as a residence which is actually also a character in the movie. People remember the houses from these two films almost more than the characters. No coincidence that both films were produced by the ridiculously meticulous David O. Selznick. GWtW was of course the most popular film of all time, so Selznick figured he had the right idea about how to make a film. Details, right down to the last corner.

Alfred Hitchcock had made a career in London making films with complete autonomy. He basically called all the shots. When he got to America, he signed a four movie deal with Selznick. Rebecca is the first and best of the three. (no, not a mistake, I'll explain later) Rebecca was the only film by Hitchcock to win best picture from the Academy, although Hitch did not win best director. The film was basically a tug of war between producer and director. Selznick wanted the book followed religiously, Hitch wanted to take the basic idea of the book and add his own touches. Selznick wouldn't allow it, so Hitch was forced to make the film exactly by the book.

The film stars Fontaine as an unnamed young woman who while working as a paid companion for the unbearable Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates), she meets and falls in love with the brooding Maxim de Winter (Lawrence Olivier). They marry after a quick courtship and go "home" to Manderley, Olivier's mammoth estate. Fontaine is very young and has no idea what she is getting into, especially when it dawns on her that Olivier's late first wife, Rebecca, still dominates the house. Her stationery, napkins, and rituals are still present, and Fontaine feels she has no chance against this woman.

The other problem in the house is the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson),who creeps around the house, showing up at any time to frighten Fontaine. She is still obsessed with Rebecca, still keeps Rebecca's old room the same way, hairbrush at the correct angle on the vanity. She makes Fontaine feel she will never measure up, will never be a great lady of Manderley, something that Mrs. Van Hopper tried to tell her as well. Everyone and everything in the house revolves around this dead Rebecca, so much so that Fontaine almost can't live through it.

Rebecca never appears in the film, yet it is amazing how much of a character she is. When Fontaine tries to dress up for a ball, Danvers suggests a portrait on the wall which is supposed to be a long dead relative of Maxims. Of course, when Fontaine wears the dress, she realizes from Maxim's reaction that the woman and the dress were Rebecca and that she just reminded him of her.

Eventually the film goes into Rebecca's death in some detail. We never know for sure that we know all the details of the death, but it doesn't really matter. By the end of the movie, all the major characters in the film will have been changed. Some will have been destroyed forever.

Criterion has done a great job with this film, giving us a great transfer, as always, along with a superb commentary. The second disc features trailers, interviews with Fontaine and Anderson, making of featurettes, examples of Selznick's letters and his attention to detail, and how maddening it got for the master.

By the way, Selznick got three films out of Hitchcock. They were Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Paradine Case. Well, he really got four, but he gave one of them to RKO studios because he was unhappy with the story and he thought it would interest no one. What was the film Selznick gave away? It was Hitch's best film of all time in my opinion--Notorious. What a waste it would have been had Selznick been allowed to ruin Hitch's masterpiece. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

It's hard to know who thought it would be a good idea to make a live-action version of Disney's animated classic. The one bright notion anyone had was casting Glenn Close as Disney über-villainess Cruella de Vil; her flashing eyes and angular features are a perfect match and do credit to what is one of the most indelible animated characters Disney has ever created. The story remains essentially the same, focusing on Cruella's plot to kidnap the puppies of a young married couple (Jeff Daniels and Jolie Richardson) and make them into a coat. But the dreaded John Hughes, who wrote this script, fills it with sadistic slapstick and far too few genuine laughs. The human actors work hard, but to little avail; thankfully, there's a passel of puppies to regularly steal scenes when the going gets dreary--although there are only so many laughs to be had from inappropriate dog puddles. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Delightful story with puppies that will steal your heart
It was a stroke of genius for the legendary Disney Studio to decide to remake their classic 1961 animated feature "101 Dalmatians", as a live action feature. Never a great fan of remakes, I feel this story is a natural for a live action version and on first viewing it totally won me over. It has so much to offer viewers of all ages, whether it be its 99 gorgeous Dalmatian puppies that would melt the heart of any dog lover, a top class production with terrific sets, locations and stunts or a wonderfully wicked villianess in the incomparable Cruella De Vil played to perfection by gifted actress Glenn Close.

The film follows closely the original story and tells the tale of London couple Roger and Anita who meet through a Dalmatian dog mixup in a London Park and fall in love, marry and find themselves the happy "parents" of 15 beautiful Dalmatian puppies when their Dalmatians Pongo and Perdita begin a family of their own. Their happiness is short lived however when Anita's boss the dastardly Cruella De Vil spots the puppies and immediately makes plans to have the puppies kidnapped so that she can turn their pelts into the extravagant spotted fur coat she has always dreamed of having. What ensures is a comical tale full of laughs, great stunts and hilarious situations of the "boo the villian, cheer the dogs" variety. The Dalmatian parents, with the aid of many assorted members of the animal kingdom from woodpeckers, squirrels, and assorted sheep pigs, and dogs not only succeed in tracking down the missing puppies in their hideout but also outwit Cruella and her incompetent accomplices at every turn. The animals revenge on Cruella and her accomplices makes for most of the humour as they find themselves being dumped through falling roofs, landing in tubs of gooey molasses and being smelled out by skunks!

No expense was spared on this production and indeed all the live action characters bare an amazing resemblance to their cartoon counterparts. Gleen Close towers over the whole production in her performance as Disney Studios most famous villianess the totally over the top Cruella De Vil. Her makeup, hair styles and clothing is everything you would imagine Cruella to be. It is to the credit of Glenn Close that she succeeds totally in bringing to life such a well known and "loved" cartoon villianess. A supremely talented actress as seen in such diverse roles as those in "Fatal Attraction", "Dangerous Liaisons", "Meeting Venus", and "Paradise Road" among others, she is a total riot as the bizzare fashion designer with an extreme fur fetish. It is she who makes "101 Dalmatians" such memorable viewing and her encounters with the animals in the second half of the film will have you laughing for ages. The sight of Cruella rising out of the tub of molasses where she has been unceremoniously dumped by the animal brigade will bring fits of laughter to the viewer. The film also boasts the great talents of Jeff Daniels and the lovely Joely Richardson as Roger and Anita the loving couple drawn to each other by their fondness for Dalmatians, and the gifted Joan Plowright as Anita's former Nanny who finds herself performing the role again but this time for the 15 puppies in the house. Much of the comedy stems from the great playing by Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams as the wacky Jasper and Horace employed by Cruella who's job it is to steal the puppies for Cruella. They receive the main brunt of the animals "revenge" to great comic effect as does John Shrapnel in the role of the sinister scarred Skinner who is employed to turn the puppies coats into Cruella's new coat. The animal stunts performed in this film will have you gasping as the animals seem top take on human personalities of their own to brilliant effect. The location photography around London and in the snow scenes at Cruella's hideaway also create a very pleasing look to the film.

I never fail to watch "101 Dalmatians" without finding a smile appearing on my face. It is a totally delightful film that is just as much for adults as it is children which is a real credit to the Disney Studios. Glenn Close really makes the film a viewing experience with her over the top playing here but if you are in anyway a dog lover you can't help but be totally captivated by these delightful 101 spotted creatures charming the audience in "101 Dalmatians". Enjoy!

"101 Dalmatians"
Having watched both the live-action and the animated versions of "101 Dalmatians," I find the live-action version to be vastly superior. This updated classic has a fresh, fun storyline. The actors who play the characters seem perfectly suited for their roles. Glenn Close is particularly good as Cruella De Vil. The movie was filmed in England and each scene is beautifully crafted. The director has done a remarkable job of giving the dogs respected status as emotion-feeling, three dimensional characters without resorting to the silly and mundane method of giving them human voices. Being a dog trainer myself, the thing I most enjoy about the movie is the absolutely phenomenal job done by the dog handlers. Not only are the trained behaviors remarkable, but the handlers have elicited responses from the dogs that readily convey understandable "emotions" to the audience. The ONE glaring fault of this movie is the final scene where all of the dogs have been allowed to breed ad infinitum. I find that totally irresponsible and the reason this movie gets 4 stars instead of 5.

CORNY!
One of the WORST films by Disney is this "101 Dalmations", which is a live-action version of the original cartoon movie & is nowhere near as good. All it was is just a retelling of the story obviously, but very little excitement and fun, bad acting and cheesy, cheesy, cheesy special effects. (not to mention the jokes sucked!) It is also TOO short! They could've added in more and it would've been better but it all ended too soon. Disney is really going downhill with these sequels and remakes and I suggest that they STOP now!! How anybody could like this film is beyond me! This is the stupidest, crappiest movie remake ever! Save your money and buy the original cartoon version instead cause it's 100% better than this smelly pile of dog crap! Your kids will also like it more.

A dog's life
Don't expect this type of overacting Disney movie that can be a sweet movie. It was pretty funny. It will be better than the second movie 102 Dalmatians.

Calling all dogs, we must find the puppies!
We purchased the cartoon version at our first opportunity, and this has been a heavily watched movie by our kids, especially when they were pre-kindergarten. This is still my 6 year old daughters favorite movie and the family voted it #8 of 41. Not quite up to the production standards of other Disney movies, this one was popular with all 5 children and is very watchable with repeat viewings. It narrowly beat out Fox and the hound for the 8th spot.

Cruella De Vil sees the 15 puppies of Pongo and Perdita and decides that she needs to make a polka dot Dalmatian coat with their fur. Her henchmen kidnap 86 puppies from around London and with these 15 she has 101. Pongo and Perdita call upon their doggie friend to search for the lost pups in hopes of engineering a rescue.
We had a lot of fun by gathering the family together to rank the 41 Disney movies we have that include some cartoon work. All the kids, ages 6 to 27, participated along with mother and dad. Peter Pan is no Codfish, we rank it #2. Lion King was selected number 1 of the 41 as the family favorite, but narrowly. Peter Pan was 2. Pete's Dragon 3, Beauty & the beast 4, Sleeping Beauty 5, Snow White 6 and Robin hood 7. These 7 movies all received a 5 star rating from us and complete our magnificent 7. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

"Very, best favorite "
My two year old daughter would watch this twice a day if we let her. Fortunately we don't mind listening to it. The message is good, the story is cute & the songs are catchy. We find ourselves walking around the house humming, "this is Elmo's train, chugga-chugga whoo whoo!" Since we won't let her watch TV all day, now my daughter want to play with trains.

Dull, long-winded, and not the right message
I have many Sesame St videos from the great (123 Count With Me, Bert and Ernie's Word Play) to the not so great (Get Up and Dance), but I absolutely HATE this one!

Firstly the "sharing" message is delivered in a heavy way with very few songs to liven it up. Then the newsreader/interviewer format used doesn't work at all - it is just incredibly boring. Even the introduction of familiar characters like Jack and Jill and the Three Little Pigs cannot save this dud.

I think it may even teach children to be more selfish and "MINE" oriented than they were before they watched it. Elmo constantly talks about Elmo's train, and it's clear that he absolutely hates to share. At the end he only agrees to share due to purely selfish reasons (otherwise Zoe won't play with him anymore), and he tries to share as little as possible (as little as Zoe will let him get away with).

This DVD portrays sharing as a strict case of quid pro quo - I'll give you a cookie, but ONLY IF you give me half your glass of milk. Never mind that I have lots of cookies (more than I can eat). I think sharing should be portrayed as motivated by friendship, affection and caring, not only selfish "what's in it for me?" thinking.

OK overall; high points for educational value.
My 3-year-old finds it impossible to share trains, which must be a common problem, as the video opens to Elmo and "Elmo's Train." Although not as good as "Big Bird Gets Lost," I think this video has value in a preschooler's collection. The message is clear: it's boring to play by yourself, but nobody wants to play with someone who doesn't treat them with respect. Sharing strategies like playing different parts of a game, taking equal turns, putting different games or toys together, and splitting things into parts are outlined by Elmo, Zoe, Big Bird and the Grouches in the main plot.

Katie Couric (who is not an actress - bear with her) cuts in occasionally as a newscaster for "Cooperation Today" solving conundrums like how Jack & Jill can get up the hill, and how the 3 little pigs can keep themselves safe by helping them work together. A few vintage clips "What is Friend?" with Cookie Monster, and "Two Heads are Better than One" are included. Unfortunately, the rest of the music on this tape is not up to Sesame Street standards. Joe Raposo's "Share" by Elmo, Zoe, and Big Bird isn't too bad - but the Elmo's Train song is annoying, and the Cooperation Song is unpleasantly saccharin.

That being said, my 3 year old preschooler was riveted to his seat, and cried for me to rewind it when it was over. He just started school, and is struggling with this issue - the video seemed to help him collect his thoughts. Again, as in "Big Bird Gets Lost," we had a great discussion afterwards. I'd definitely recommend this to parents whose kids are having a tough time learning to play.

Love this video BUT........
My 22 month old loves this video! She loves Elmo & Katie Couric, and she loves dancing to "So Much Better". She quickly learned "Jack & Jill" and about "The Three Little Pigs". The only bad thing about the video is that it taught her to say "No" even more; she even says "Elmo says no!". And the video taught her the word "MINE". When Zoe asks Elmo if he would share his train with her, Elmo says "No! Elmo says no! This train is mine, mine. MINE!" So when we watch this video, I mute this section.

Good one to have
My son, then 18 months loved this video watched days and nights. I am not sure that has something to do with it, but he is very good at sharing his toys with other chilldren. He also does not touch or grab toys that do not belong to him unless he gets permission. I didn't think asking preschool children to ask so politely (with that kind of choice of words )"Pardon me ...." was realistic, as Katey said in the commentary she made as a parent of preschooler, but other than that it was very entertaining and educational. ... Read more

Reviews (641)

Schizophrenia is *not* this pretty
It's extremely difficult to get into the mind (and therefore the world) of the patient with schizophrenia or a similar thought disorder. Necessarily simplified from the biography of mathematician John Nash, this film achieves dramatic pace and structure that has no analogue in the life of even some of the most extraordinary individuals suffering from such a condition.

Setting aside the fact that Ron Howard's work is not true to the nominal subject of the movie, however, this film comes laudably close to a good clinical depiction of the desperate vividness of the auditory and visual hallucinations suffered by patients with schizophrenia, including the sort of elaborate structures of delusion which the more intelligent individual has been known to develop.

I would wish that Howard and his associates had managed to portray something more of the adverse effects of the drugs available to treat schizophrenia in the '50s and '60s. Indeed, I would've liked to have seen Russell Crowe add to his superb performance some intimation of these harrowing elements so that the audience could better understand the pharmacotherapeutic factors that drove Nash to discontinue his neuroleptic medications and undertake what is essentially self-directed cognitive therapy in order to address his thought disorder. Even the more recently-developed "atypical" antipsychotic medicines have pretty nasty side effects, and we are far from perfection in the medical management of schizophrenia today.

This is in no way a perfect movie, certainly. It is, however, good art, and we owe the makers of this film our thanks for helping increase the general public awareness of thought disorders. Schizophrenia is a great deal easier to treat (both with and without neuroleptic agents) when it is brought to appropriate medical attention at the earlier phases of development, and Russell Crowe has succeeding in putting a human face on the disorder -- much as Tom Hanks did for HIV/AIDS in *Philadelphia* -- with great power and (I hope) telling effect.

An Excellent Film
While many complain that Ron Howard whitewashed much of John Nash's life in A BEAUTIFUL MIND, those same fail to acknowledge that the film as it stands is in and of itself quite a strong picture. And while those same people scream of sentimentality throughout, there is nothing here that suggests anything sentimental or even likable about the person of John Nash. Granted, there are a few moments where scenes with his wife teeter on sappy, but overall I think the film depicts rather well the horror that must have been, and still is, Nash's life as a schizophrenic. The acting is uniformly excellent--Russell Crowe shows far more of his capability(and should have got the Oscar) here as an actor than in GLADIATOR The supporting cast is also first-rate--Jennifer Connelly gives a quiet, beautifully restrained performance as Alicia Nash(and I think it's safe to say the Oscar wasn't completely unjustified), and there's also equally fine work from Ed Harris, Paul Bettany, and Christopher

Plummer. Best Picture of the year? Nope, that would have been LORD OF THE RINGS. But I think this is a solid second choice.

"They are my past. Everyone is haunted by their past."
Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind" is a tragic and inspiring masterwork that showcases one of the most impressive acting performances in recent memory. If there were still any lingering doubts as to the extent of Russell Crowe's acting prowess, this film dashed them all.

John Nash (Crowe) is a brilliant mathematician who makes an amazing breakthrough in his field while a student at Princeton. After graduating, he teaches at M.I.T. while working for the federal government as a code-breaker. He begins a relationship with a graduate student (Jennifer Connelly) and soon they are married and settle into a quiet domestic life. However, Nash soon starts to see patterns and associations of information everywhere and it is soon discovered that he is suffering from schizophrenia. Serious questions as to his perceptions of the real world, both in the past and in the present, must now be confronted.

Virtually all aspects of "A Beautiful Mind" work beautifully. Howard's confident direction and the strong lead performances by Crowe and Connelly is the glue that holds the entire production together. However, the important contributions made by supporting actors Paul Bettany, Ed Harris, and Christopher Plummer, composer James Horner, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman should not be underestimated and should also be acknowledged. Furthermore, "A Beautiful Mind" deserves credit for not sentimentalizing Nash's struggle against mental illness. The darker aspects of his tortuous road to recovery are not avoided and are unflinchingly presented warts and all. It is a credit to Crowe's talent that we come to know John Nash so well and come to care so much for him. Nash's life is an amazing story and "A Beautiful Mind" is an amazing recounting of it.

Not a true tale
Let's be clear from the start: This is a movie about A Nobel Prize winning mathematician that suffers from schizophrenia named John Nash. However, this is not the true-life story of THE John Nash, a Nobel Prize winning mathematician that suffers from schizophrenia. Nor is this the screen adaptation of the book "A Beautiful Mind," by Sylvia Nasar. The two share a title, a mental illness, and character names but little else.

That said, the movie does an excellent job of portraying the life of a promenant individual who suffered from many classic symptoms of schizophrenia in the 60's & 70's. But it does not present the illness from both sides equally. We see how the main character (not named in this section to avoid confusion) is afflicted, but we do not see enough of what those around him see. Nor does it quite arrive at showing how glorious the "light at the end of tunnel" is after decades of fighting the darkness.

The movie does not discuss John & Alicia's real-life divorce, the repeated coast-to-coast trips, or the years John spent living in Europe. And definately does not offer any hints at John's experiments with homosexuality (discussed at length in the text, but reportedly excluded at Nash's request).

In short, this movie is a starting place for future movies about mental illness, but is not an end-all experience.

Darn This Movie
I can't stop watching it. The music always gives me goose bumps and I cry every time Crowe says goodbye to the little girl. And I never even noticed the pigeons the first time!....duh. ... Read more

Amazon.com

How many ways can you count from 1 to 20? The folks at Sesame Street know them all and run through them several times in this delightful, funny, and educational half-hour video. Big Bird and Count Onetwothree are the hosts of this takeoff on "The Tonight Show," in which Big Bird (as our Johnny Carson stand-in) introduces numbers and the Sesame Street folks act them out. Learning About Numbersis a mixture of original material and skits and songs from Sesame Street. A personal favorite: Kermit the frog as a passenger on an elevator operated by the Count, who keeps passing Kermit's floor because he loves counting the numbers so much. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A Change of Pace
At first, my children showed little interest in this video because they are used to watching the more modern, computerized visual effects now used on Sesame Street. But, after watching it a few times, they are showing much more interest in it. There are many sesame street classics in this video that are enjoyable and my son has learned to count better, but the reason why my children tend to lose interest is because too much time and emphasis is put on Big Bird's role as a talk show host.

One of the best of the Sesame Street videos
This video has a few of the very best clips from Sesame Street ever---like the one where cats go in a dollhouse and knock down the little cups, and the one where a ball goes down an elaborate roller coaster setup, and then is ground up into smaller balls which go on ice cream sundaes! My boys love to watch this. My only problem with it is Big Bird's try at acting like Johnny Carson---it's out of character. He acts nothing like his regular personality in the between clips part of this video, and that's a little annoying, but not terribly so.

Classic Sesame Street!
If you grew up watching Sesame Street, then you will LOVE having this video for your kids. You will recognize many of the songs and skits. No, it is not as flashy and digital as modern Sesame Street, but that's a good thing, in my opinion. If your children watch a lot of TV, their attention span might not allow them to watch this video. If you prefer to use TV/videos sparingly, like we do, your kids will love it as much as you will. I just hope they put this on DVD!

Toddlers LOVE this video
I am a daycare provider. My daycare kids just love this video. I have all the number and letter Sesame Street videos. This is the favorite of all the numbers ones. All the Sesame Street number ones are worth having. But if you could only get one. I would choose this one. I had this one for my daughter when she was a toddler and she loved it then too. As for the letter videos. I would pass on the Learning about Letter video. It was By far the worst of all the videos. No thought was put into making that video.

cute video
My son just turned 3. He recently started watching this video and he really likes it. He already knew how to count to 20 but this made it more interesting. In my opinion, this tape has some cute clips with alot of variation. Different from other counting tapes. The host is Big Bird and the Count. Ernie, Grover, Kermit, The Honkers and other classic Sesame Street people are also included. I have three other counting tapes from Babys First Impressions, Watch N Learn and one other Sesame Street counting tape. This Learning About Numbers is by far my sons favorite. I even enjoy listening to the tunes! ... Read more

Description

When it's your teddy bear's birthday, you want to celebrate in style!That's why Big Bird is throwing a dance party for Radar.Everyone's getting into the act, and they're doing all their favorite dances!So put on your dancing shoes and get ready to party Sesame Street style! ... Read more

Reviews (26)

People who gave thumbs down missed the point.....
.... If you have a motivated child who LOVES music and dancing this is perfect. Big Bird's teddy bear (Radar) is having a birthday party and YOU are invited. That's why the dance teacher keeps looking at the camera. To make your child a part of the party!!! ....

My daughter is 16 months and knows all the steps and songs. The first song is instructional, where you touch your toes, turn around, pull on your ears etc. After dancing with her, my daughter knows all her body parts!

My daughter (22months) loves this video
I agree with others that the dance teacher is annoying, but my daughter loves this video. This video really has taught her how to follow directions. She does the dances along with the kids on the show and has fun. She asks for it almost every day. I actually bought it for the "Animal Birthday" song because I love Kingston Livingston the 3rd, but the rest of the video is fun. Especially the last song. Whenever she starts to get cranky, we can sometimes avoid a tantrum by singing the "I'm a Little Airplane" song and she will start being an airplane instead! Whatever works!

Dancing Machine!
My two year old son LOVES LOVES this video. In fact we already owned it and he carries it everywhere, in the car, to friends houses, on trips so it's pretty tattered! We took it to a party tonite and it entertained all the kids, but it's on it's last play I think! I just bought another and hope it gets here fast before the old DVD self destructs! I also have a one year old and they both love to do the dance moves and it's good exercise for mom too! It's just a FUN video for everyone and I actually like all the songs - not too annoying! Any toddler would love this video/dvd!

One of the best videos I've bought
My daughter who is 17 months and her friend who is two yrs. love this video. My daughter tries to dance along with the kids, and she loves the songs. I only wish I had it on dvd.

Great!
My 2 year old daughter loves to dance along to this DVD. She has the routine of the first dance memorized, and it's so cute to watch her do the dances. It's a great way to get your child to exercize, and stay entertained. Usually, she gets sick of these DVD's rather quickly, but she's watched this one about a hundred times, and still loves it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Part mystery, part wartime polemic, Lifeboat finds director Alfred Hitchcock tackling a cinematic challenge that foreshadows the self-imposed handicaps of Rope and Rear Window. As with those subsequent features, Hitchcock confines his action and characters to a single set, in this instance the lone surviving lifeboat from an Allied freighter sunk by a German U-boat in the North Atlantic. A less confident, ingenious filmmaker might have opened up John Steinbeck's dialogue-driven character study beyond the battered boat and its cargo of survivors, but Hitchcock instead revels in his predicament to exploit the enforced intimacy between his characters.

Indeed, we never actually see the doomed freighter--the smoking ship's funnel beneath the credits simply sinks beneath the waves, and we're plunged into the escalating tensions between those who gradually find their way to the boat, a band of eight English and American passengers and crew, plus a German sailor (Walter Slezak) rescued from the U-boat, itself destroyed by the freighter's deck gun. Heading the cast and inevitably commanding their and our attention is the cello-voiced Tallulah Bankhead as Connie Porter, a cynical, sophisticated writer whose priorities seem to be hanging onto her mink and keeping her lipstick fresh. Gradually, the others find Porter and her lifeboat, forming a temporary community that inevitably suggests a careful cross section of archetypes, from wealthy industrialist (Henry Hull) to ship's boiler men (John Hodiak and William Bendix).

Hitchcock juggles the interpersonal skirmishes between the boat's occupants with the mystery of their German prisoner, which itself becomes a meditation on the fine line between nationalism and morality, a line that Slezak walks delicately until his identity is resolved. Visually, Hitchcock transforms his back-lot set and its rear-projected cloudbanks into a desolate stretch of ocean, while capturing the horror of an amputation through an economical set of images culminating in an empty boot. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (22)

A Forgotten Film From The Master Of Suspense
Lifeboat where do i begin? well for starters i guess it would have to be that this is one of my all time favorite Films from Alfred Hitchcock. But to most people they have never heard of Lifeboat. Yeah it was one of his early works but one of his best. Most people when they think of Hitchcock they think of Psycho ans The Birds and Vertigo. But this is better than the birds. It has a human story and ever increasing the tension. In a by gone era of hollywood when movies were grand in spectical not budget.

Lifeboat is about a freighter that is heading to New York. But is sunk by a German U-boat and in the opening scenes there is Tallulah Bankhead in a lifeboat all by herself with all of her belongings. Then one by one they pick up more survivors the tension increasing when they pick up a crewman of the U-boat. Only Hitchcock would make his backlot movie with fake clouds seem so real and make a the ocean look vast and barren. He also manages to elict good performances from Bankhead,Walter Slezak, Canada Lee and others.

I would highly reccomend that you check out this film from the master of suspense. this is not to be missed of put of. It is very suspensful i mean would you come to expect less from Hitchcock.

SEE THIS MOVIE I BEG YOU.

Lesser Known Hitchcock
Lifeboat isn't as famous as some of Hitchcock's other films, but it deserves to be seen today. It's a chance to see Tallulah Bankhead, who if anything, had a very interesting screen presence. She was an original. It's also a chance to see a very human portrayal of an African American character (Canada Lee) at a time when Hollywood rarely did that. There is also a lot of commentary about the Germans and the war, which given the time when this film was made (during the war), makes it all the more fascinating. The performances are good (including a very young Hume Cronyn), and Hitchcock manages to keep the action moving despite having so limited a space in which to do so. If you like Alfred Hitchcock, this is one you should see.

BANKHEAD -- HITCHCOCK
Tallulah Bankhead was one of the 20th century's best actresses, taking over from Ethel Barrymore as the Toast of Broadway and the London stage. She made few films, and this is her best role. (For a very long time the joke was that Bankhead's stage roles were taken over by and became film hits for Bette Davis. Certainly that's true with Hellman's THE LITTLE FOXES.) Here, one has the opportunity to observe how an actress of supreme talent, handles a role in which everything is shown; in which practically nothing can be hidden. Every would-be actress ought to study not only what she does, but more importantly, what she doesn't do, for as a stage acress par excellence all through her younger years, some movie people thought her too big for the screen. Probably she wasn't, but simply needed a good director. Here, she got the best in the business, and the results show.

Hitchcock was fascinated with women, with actresses, and particularly beautiful ones. And, if Connie's beauty here, is not young, and fresh, it is nevertheless, compelling. She is like a thoroughbred mare among mules and cab nags in an auction pen of chance. She stands out because of her breeding. She has lines. Her costume? A white silk blouse, good nylons, a full-length mink coat, and a diamond bracelet. And, of course, that wonderful mane of hair.

If you study Hitchcock, it would make a wonderful double bill to see LIFEBOAT and STAGE FRIGHT close together. Here, he studies Bankhead; in STAGEFRIGHT he studies Dietrich; two fair-haired actresses of wildly differing personal style, but of exceptional power and interest. And, what they have in common and what both display in these two films, is their unusual, and unusually expressive voices. Bankhead was a famous radio actress for many years, as well as a stage star. Dietrich too was a radio actress, and all her life was a singer and recording artist. The trick in working with an artist with an exceptional voice, is to carefully trim and arrange the dialogue in such a way as best to show off the voice's characteristics.

Admirers of Lesbian Chic might want to imagine what Ann Sheridan, or Barbara Stanwick, Rosalind Russell, Ruth Hussey or Lizabeth Scott or any one of a number of others might have done with this "Contralto" role: You know, the wise-cracking, hard boiled newspaper dame. The role is a Type, very popular during the 30's, and with a lesser actress and a lesser director, we might have gotten a good movie out of the material, but not a black-and-white masterpiece, like this one. After all, what if CASABLANCA had been cast with Ronald Raegan and Heddy Lamarr?

You can watch this movie over and over. A director's tour de force, the trick, I think, is to watch for Hitchcock's cutting sequences; the way he manipulated the editing around the actors' speeches within the episodes. Extremely clever. So good, the seams are nearly invisible.

Its a great propaganda movie, but of an unusual kind; far subtler than most. Its a great Camp, or G/L movie, but again, far subtler than most. Its a great Murder movie too, etc., etc...

Great.
'Lifeboat' is a great film by the late Alfred Hitchcock. He is really truly a master of filmmaking and very few directors could make such a fantastic story from such a limited setting. Not many people know of the film, but one should definately check it out.

Hitchcock in a Tank?
A very nice ensemble cast delivers the claustrophobia in this
"Lifeboat"

Heather Angel and Henry Hull always seem to be least recognized in this drama although thw whole cast is seemless .

Bill Bendix could walways play comedy or drama with equal terms.
I think a Dick Cavett story on Bankhead and Chico Marx may be in order. " Chico said " I want to ... You" and Bankhead , always the wit said " and so you shall young man" !

Slezak on the other hand was always an actor who used his rubber face to great effect. Watch out for waves and few script flaws but stay dry ! ... Read more

Reviews (200)

One of the best classic horror films of all time.
My opinion of this movie, The Birds, is that it is a masterpiece of it's own time. This was a great piece of classic horror; Alfred Hitchcock did a fantastic job. The special effects were very believeable, especially for coming from the early sixties. I still haven't figured out how they got all of those birds to attack, or if half of them were fake. Also, Hitchcock did a great job of showing blood and gore when it was qppropriate, like when Jessica Tandy as Lydia Brenner finds Lonny Chapman as Deke Carter with his eyes pecked out. The movie did, however, lack music so this made it kind of drag along. Music would have paced the movie, and also added suspense and other effects. Tippi Hedren as Melanie Daniels was a bad actress. She showed no real emotion and always seemed to be worried about her appearance instead of her acting. I really noticed this in the bedroom scene, when she was being attacked, and she didn't even scream. Rod Taylor, who played the role of Mitch Brenner, was a great actor. He seemed real and Believable. He showed emotion in every scene, and his overall performance was pleasant. Jessica Tandy is great in all the films she is in, and this one was no exception. As Lydia Brenner, she did a great job of acting rude and mean to Melanie Daniels through out the whole movie. I was, however, very annoyed with the young actress that played Cathy Brenner. She was a horrible actress with over-elaborate emotional breakouts, and when she cried after she was attacked, it was so annoying, I thought my ears were bleeding. The ending to the film was very bland. There should have been more closure to the whole situation instead of just making you wonder what happened to them. The Birds is nothing like modern day horror films. It takes a more believeable line to horror than most modern day films. Modern horror consists mostly of the supernatural or total carnage. Although I would still put The Birds into a category with any modern day horror flicks, I still believe that it is definitely classic horror.

A nightmare comes to life - thanks to Hitchcock!
Although Alfred Hitchcock is widely regarded as the greatest director of suspense and "thriller" movies in Hollywood's long history, in his direction of "The Birds" (1963), he outdoes himself. Even more than "Psycho", which started the modern "slice-and-dice" genre of horror movies, "The Birds" is a truly disturbing and surreal experience - a nightmare which comes to life on film. In my opinion "The Birds" is unlike any other Hitchcock film - it actually comes closer to movies such as "The Sixth Sense" or even "The Matrix" in the way it takes the "real world" we are all familiar and comfortable with and turns it into something that will cause you to lose sleep at night. The film's plot is deceptively simple: Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), a rich and rather spoiled young woman, meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), a handsome and rather mysterious man, in a pet store in San Francisco. She is intrigued enough to follow him to his home in Bodega Bay, a charming but isolated small fishing town on the northern California coast. There she meets the local schoolteacher, Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), who once had a brief affair with Mitch. Annie takes an immediate dislike to Melanie and her interest in Annie's old boyfriend. Eventually Melanie meets Mitch's mother (Jessica Tandy), a high-strung and suspicious woman who leans upon her son for emotional support and stability. However, this soap-opera style plotline is simply the background for the REAL story in the movie: as the film progresses the birds in Bodega Bay and the surrounding countryside begin to act strangely - they suddenly attack humans for no apparent reason, and start gathering in large and ominous groups on power lines and rooftops. Eventually the birds become murderous - they kill a local farmer by crashing through his bedroom window and hacking out his eyes. Then they attack the schoolchildren and the townspeople in yet another of Hitchcock's famous film sequences. As the frightened and baffled townsfolk are hemmed into their homes and stores like "birds in a cage", they blame Melanie for bringing this terror into their once-peaceful little town. The film's famous climax occurs at the home of Mitch and his mother, as a massive flock of birds attacks the home at night and tries to get inside to kill our heroes. To make this film even more disturbing and bizzare, Hitchcock decided not to have a musical score, and there is no music whatsoever - only the terrifying screeching of the birds as they attack. What makes this film work is how Hitchcock deftly takes "everyday", normal things - such as sitting on a park bench and smoking a cigarette, and turns it into something bizarre, surreal, and truly frightening. Although some critics have refused to label this film as one of Hitchcock's best, it does rank as one of the scariest thrillers of all time. Beware of "The Birds"! (But you'll love the movie).

Beware THE BIRDS!!!
The Birds is one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films. Perhaps that has a lot to do with the beautiful Tippi Hedren, who shines in everything she does. The gorgeous scenery, adorable costumes, and lavish colors also add to the surreal atmosphere, which quickly gets disrupted by a flock of killer birds. Like many firsts Hitchcock introduced with his films, this is the first "nature run amock" film, just like Psycho was the first "slasher" film. This Psycho follow-up was yet another ground-breaking addition to the horror genre and further revealed the master director's darker obsessions.

Like Hitchcock's fabulous Rebecca and mediocre Jamaica Inn, this is based on a story by the extremely talented Daphne Du Maurier, but Hitchcock was left with the task of fleshing out the short story into a feature film. He did one hell of a job. Hitchcock and screenwriter Evan Hunter borrowed only the title and basic conceit of Daphne du Maurier's 1952 short story, "The Birds." Du Maurier's tale, conventional and utterly humorless, is a Cold War parable that uses the unexplained bird attacks as an apocalyptic metaphor for nature thrown out of balance by technology and warfare. It's told from the perspective of Nat Hocken, a disabled war veteran and farmhand living in a cottage with his family in the British Isles.

The film version is set in Bodega Bay and follows bored, spoiled socialite Melanie Daniels (Hedren) as she romantically pursues dashing lawyer Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). Tension soon develops among Melanie, schoolteacher Annie Hayworth, Mitch's former flame (Suzanne Pleshette), and Mitch's domineering mother (Jessica Tandy). The emotional interplay is interrupted (and reflected) by the sudden and unexplained attack of thousands of birds on the area.

Hailed as one of Hitchcock's masterpieces by some and despised by others, THE BIRDS is certainly among the director's more complex and fascinating works. Volumes have been written about the film, with each writer picking it apart scene by scene in order to prove his or her particular critical theory--mostly of the psychoanalytic variety. Be that as it may, even those who grow impatient with the slow build-up or occasional dramatic lapses cannot deny the terrifying power of many of the film's haunting images: the bird point-of-view shot of Bodega Bay, the birds slowly gathering on the playground monkey bars, the attack on the children's birthday party, Melanie trapped in the attic, and the final ambiguous shot of the defeated humans leaving Bodega Bay while the thousands of triumphant birds gathered on the ground watch them go.

Eerie, scary, and suspenseful, this is a great film and classic Hitchcock, which highlights his genius. There is no sound track to cue the audience in as to when to be scared. And what other filmmaker could take the simple sound of wings fluttering in a house and turn it into the sheer sound of terror?

Hitchcook can make anything scary.
Hitchcook can make anything scary, and this movie is profff, I don't no how fake birds can be scary but they are, in this film anyway.

It all starts with an opener that's more like 2 people trying to play a joke on eatchother, and ends with a tailhanger ending, paked with scares and creeps this is a must see.

Tense thriller is a winner
This eerie Hitchcock thriller doesn't have a shower scene but is has its fair share of suspense, dread and anticipation as to when the birds will attack. Filmed in color and without the accompaniment of music, the movie builds steadily towards tense and dangerous moments when hundreds of blackbirds swoop down on the human populace and scratch, peck and claw them to shreds without rhyme or reason. Even a lone seagull gets in its licks on Melanie Daniels who has followed Mitch Brenner to Bodega Bay to close in on the handsome fellow. The film has several attacks in which adults and school children are ravaged, and the air assaults are frightening to watch. The dangerous birds' unexplained sheer destructive force is displayed in the attack in a bedroom where the unfortunate Ms. Daniels is trapped, and their determination to destroy every human in their path is awful to behold. The movie's special effects are first-rate, and the gloomy, overcast skies of the Northern California coast add to the depressed mood of the film. The characters all seemed detached and distant from each other and although Ms. Daniels tries very hard to connect with Mr. Brenner, the romance angle is never developed. ... Read more

Description

Inspired by actual events comes this Emmy Award-winning movie about two girls from different worlds who learn the ultimate lesson about tolerance and friendship. When African-American Congressman Ron Dellums and his daughter Piper (Shadia Simmons, ZENON: THE ZEQUEL), greet their South African exchange student Mahree (Lindsey Haun, BRING IT ON), they're surprised to discover she's white. But no one's more surprised than Mahree herself, a product of the Apartheid system, who's been raised to view dark-skinned people as second-class citizens. Only if Piper and Mahree can learn to see past their differences will they discover the friendship of a lifetime. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Overcoming Racism
Wow. This movie shows how much our skin color matters to us. Racism goes back a long way. This movie is about a white girl from South Africa who goes to live with a black congressman and his wife and daughter in the United States. Overcome with shock from their skin color when they first meet at the airport, they reluctantly set aside their differences to go to their house. But no matter how hard they try to be nice, the white girl won't be won over. Finally, both girls compromise and become fast friends. But trouble brews when people come to take the white girl away. Friendship and overcome racism help these girls to fight back and beat the odds. This movie was wonderful and I recommend this to everyone, young and old.

Inspiring and Dramatic
I really enjoyed "THE COLOR OF FRIENDSHIP". It's a Disney Channel Original Movie, What do you expect?

Racism is an amazing part of our history, but it is somthing that we need to end.

This movie deals with a white girl from South Africa, who is sent to the United States, Specifically Washington D.C., to live with a Congressmen and his family. The Duloom family took this girl in, despite her shock about them being black, and their shock about her being white. Together, though, they overcame many odds and problems.

This is a very inspiring true story that will get you thinking about what it means to be a free person in a country such as the United States. It makes you think about what's beyond your country, and what they are forced to go through as well. I would highly reccomend this movie to families and children alike.

Whoa.
My teacher showed this to us to understand that Manchester, a town nearby, is more diverse than we are. I cried when Mahree wanted to go back to Africa! I couldn't help noticing that the actor who plays Mahree looks like a kid in my class!

Fun and educational
Although this film could be used to teach about racism, it is also an ideal tool to communicate to kids that we sometimes have misconceptions and unrealistic expectations about other people and cultures. I have had an opportunity to share this film with children of many ages who have lived overseas or are planning to do so and they have all enjoyed this movie. I recommend it for a fun evening or a teaching opportunity. The music sequences are a bit tedious, especially to an audience of boys (I have three of them), but overall this is a great kids movie.

History
I'm in a world geography class at my high school and we have learned about the apartheid. I never really understood how much the apartheid seperated everyone until i saw this movie. It made everything clearer. This movie is perfect for all ages and shows younger people what used to happen, and hopefully won't happen ever again. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Brilliant, And Bittersweet
Sergeant York is one of the great films of all time. Justly heralded for the performances -- especially the superb Gary Cooper -- and writing, direction, Max Steiner's score, etc. What isn't often mentioned is how bittersweet is the ending. Prior to going to war, Alvin York had been too poor to purchase a piece of bottom land for farming. Called to war, he resisted. He was a pacifist, against killing. However, in a stunning scene on a mountain ledge, York finally agrees to fight the German enemy. He single-handedly captures 132 prisoners, and kills dozens of others. For this, he is hailed a hero and becomes America's most-decoarated WW I soldier. And finally gets his bottom land. However, he has only earned this bottom land because he went against his pacifist beliefs -- "thou shall not kill". The land is given to him for the very act of killing. How ironic and bittersweet. How apt is Cooper's closing line: "The Lord sure does move in mysterious ways." Don't miss this film.

A great classic movie!!
This movie is based on a real life story about a man who is saved by Jesus Christ and then goes off to war. Unlike the war movies made today, the plot revolves around the man's faith in God, (which might be why they never show this movie on the networks, although its a classic).

Sergeant York gets saved in a church after being struck by lightening, and after he is saved he is drafted, and spends time reconciling doing what Christ commands with killing people during time of war. (This isn't an easy thing to reconcile, and perhaps especially for a newly saved person, even if most movies act like its nothing.)

After reading the bible however, York finds the answer, and goes to war, becoming one of America's great heroes, and in the end, he and his future wife are greatly blessed by God.

If all this sounds too heavy, it isn't. Sergeant York is from Tennessee and the movie is actually quite light hearted. I also enjoyed hearing the hymn 'Give me that Old Time Religion'.

One of my favorite movies, and worth getting if you are tired of the trash they put on tv, and want some films with Christians in them.

As Good As It Gets
Next to "Red River" this is Howard Hawks' greatest achievement, which is to say one of the greatest American films ever made. A relatively true-to-life depiction of the Tennessee hill farmer who found himself caught up in the nightmare of WWI, it would be memorable enough just for its wonderful re-creation of the the back-country life and dialect. Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan never surpassed the performances they gave here as Alvin York and his neighbor and pastor Rosier Pile, and the rest of the cast shines just as brightly, particularly Margaret Wycherly as York's mother, and George Tobias as his comrade in arms. York won international fame when he accepted the surrender of more than 100 German soldiers about a month before the end of the war. Although York showed amazing heroism and marksmanship in the encounter, both he and Hawks knew full well that the German army was played out by that point and in many areas was surrendering en masse. Some sense of that is built into the project, to everyone's credit, and the picture's finest moment comes when Cooper says firmly "I'm not proud of what when on over there." Both Howard Koch of "Casablanca" fame and John Huston worked on the script.

Mom and Apple pie
Don't judge this movie by millennium standards; this was a simple movie from a simpler time. Sgt York was a hero. The film is missing some spots. I remember a particular scene during training when York's backpack was filled with bricks, while the other men had loaded theirs up with straw (don't laugh I've known Marines who actually load their rucks up with heavy gear). But overall, it's a good representation of early genre. Please note that a War Movie used to also include the home coming, the fiancée or wife or mom back home pining away with worry and doubt. It's all here, too. Great entertainment? Not really, it's more in line with a historical review of early cinema.

I'm not an American and still think this Movie is the best.
I think this is the best Movie I have ever seen! I watch it all the time when I'm bored and it never fails to lift me. I shed tears of joy at the morals of the man. I think Gary Cooper was one of the best actors from the black & white period and own this and other movies made by him. I cry, I laugh, I think, what more can a movie do for you?
Absolutely Brilliant.
PS I live up in the outback on mountains too!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

John Hughes's popular 1985 teen drama finds a diverse group of high school students--a jock (Emilio Estevez), a metalhead (Judd Nelson), a weirdo (Ally Sheedy), a princess (Molly Ringwald), and a nerd (Anthony Michael Hall)--sharing a Saturday in detention at their high school for one minor infraction or another. Over the course of a day, they talk through the social barriers that ordinarily keep them apart, and new alliances are born, though not without a lot of pain first. Hughes (Sixteen Candles), who wrote and directed, is heavy on dialogue but he also thoughtfully refreshes the look of the film every few minutes with different settings and original viewpoints on action. The movie deals with such fundamentals as the human tendency toward bias and hurting the weak, and because the characters are caught somewhere between childhood and adulthood, it's easy to get emotionally involved in hope for their redemption. Preteen and teenage kids love this film, incidentally. The DVD release includes production notes, cast and crew bios, widescreen presentation, Dolby sound, closed captioning, optional French and Spanish soundtracks, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (213)

2 thumbs down
I found John Hughes' 1985 movie The Breakfast Club to be an extremely generalized, heavy handed, piece of trite filmmaking that may or may not have been relevant to teenagers fifteen years ago, but is certainly nowhere near on target now.
Obviously it was by design that his five main characters were one-dimensional character sketches of so-called 'traditional' high school stereotypes. You have Andy the jock (Emilio Estevez), Claire the princess (Molly Ringwald, a John Hughes staple), Bender the criminal (Judd Nelson), Brian the nerd (Anthony Michael Hall), and Allison the basket case (Ally Sheedy). In my opinion, for Hughes to insinuate that these five people come from completely different backgrounds and had absolutely no contact with each other or anyone else from their particular 'type' during school is just plain silly. For example, it is quite likely that Claire and Andy, being popular people, would know each other, or at least that princesses and jocks would interact on a regular basis. Same thing goes for Bender and Allison as social outcasts. Only Brian, being the brain, would logically be shunned by all other classes.
For another thing, these categories have little relevance today because in today's modern society, and indeed this has always been true, teens simply cannot be categorized and labeled, even by their peers, in this manner. I myself saw elements of my personality in every one of the characters, and neither I nor anyone I know would fit neatly into these stereotypes.
The last thing I'm going to gripe about in this review is, logically enough, the ending. For a film that tried so hard to be edgy, the denouement was awfully hackneyed and predictable. Four out of the five characters hook up at the end? Gosh, I never saw that coming! Also, the treatment of Allison was laughable. This girl has serious psychological issues that have been with her all her life, but all she needs is a little makeup, a nice dress, and a clean-cut boyfriend to set her to rights? I don't think so, pal. Willful suspension of disbelief is all fine and good, but to trivialize Allison's pain and emotional trauma in this manner is irresponsible and does a disservice to those young people who do identify with her character. I think that's enough bashing for this film; while it had its moments, it certainly is by no means the 'classic' that it is reputed to be.

One for the ages
This movie is a classic and it will stand the test of time. This is the second "teen coming of age" installment from John Hues, and round 2 for Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. The first installment, Sixteen Candles, was more of a sexual coming of age movie whereas The Breakfast Club is more of a coming of age for one's character and social awareness. Where they are "teetering" with; do they stay with the social allegiances of their perspective pack, or do they listen to that inner voice...the voice of reason, maturity and human compassion that's not bound to any "click". I also like the choice of actors here; I think they all fit like pieces in a puzzle and make their characters totally believable. I am in the same age range as almost the entire cast and I was a senior in High school when this film came out. Allot of reviews seem to put this film within the Junior High crowd but I feel it's much more mature than that. The very message that it's trying to get across isn't understood in real life until we get close to 18 or so. The story is simple; 5 kids have to come into school on a Saturday for detention. At first they try to segregate themselves according to their school social standings. Inevitably they find out that they are more alike than they ever thought. The movie, in my eyes, is broken into 3 parts; the first part is pure character development. This is where you (the viewer) get to know each person they way they are supposed to be seen with their everyday face. At first, they act the way they think they should act, and stand up for what they always had, with out question or defiance. They stay true to their cause never steering away for a second. The second part of the film is where the movie itself develops. These 5 separate entities realize that they are variations of the same person. They have the same desires and anguishes. Their pressures and stresses are the same even though it's generated from very different sources.
The jock (Emilio Estevez) has the pressure to be on top of his sport (wrestling). In return for this he gets attention from his dad, coaches and keeps his standing within his social group. This is his priority in life and he doesn't stray.
The Princess (Molly Ringwald) has to conform and obey the rules of her social group in order to be accepted and keep her standing within the group. She keeps her eyes closed; mouth shut and goes along for the ride.
The Metal Head/criminal (Judd Nelson) is an angry guy! He wears the physical and mental scars of growing up in an abusive house. He hates most people, like the ones Emilio and Molly play, because in his eyes, they have had a free ticket and earned nothing...things are handed to them because of their social and/or economical standings. On the other hand, he feels that he's on a whole other plain because his eyes have been beaten open and he was forced to grow up a little faster than he wanted too or was ready too. I feel that Judd Nelson's character is the most crucial to the movie. He is the key to this whole new self-awareness for everyone, including himself.
The nerd (Anthony Michael Hall) is the quintessential geek. His every woken moment is spent learning. He hides behind his grades and in fact, he wants to be more accepted by the "cooler" groups. He also is a little "cocky" about his better grades and academically superiority to the other people in the room.
The weirdo (Ally Sheedy) is a loner and an outcast. She doesn't have friends that we (the viewers) know of. Because her parents ignore her, She feels ugly and without a place in the world. She is starving for positive attention. I think her character was needed in this movie to balance off the cast. It would have left out a very critical part of teen angst!
Richard Vernon (Paul Gleason) is the "Villain" of the movie. To the kids, he represents the out of touch older generation and the mean spirited, high testosterone adult. For Richard Vernon, these kids are the source of his anger and agony. He has lost touch with the younger generation for 1 reason, he got older...and the older you get, the harder it is to relate to youth. Youth recycles right before your eyes, but you keep getting older. His character is the key that releases these kids. He helps them to strip away the blindfolds and to take a fresh look at every thing and everyone (including themselves).

This leads to the 3rd and final part of the movie. Where they cleanse themselves of all the pentad up anger and prejudices. When the kids realize that they all have the same goal, they were just taking different roads to reach it. I highly recommend The Breakfast Club and it should go down as one of the all time great teenage movie!

A little time - a little perspective
I first saw this movie at a cinema in Austin in March, 1985. Just a year out of high school, I thought this was a deep, moving motion picture with a quality cast that really showed the feelings of different groups of students in schools. I could relate to the characters.

Move forward more than 19 years. This movie has not aged well. I read on the IMDB that John Hughes wrote this script in two days. After watching this movie again, I find that very easy to believe. It is horrible! - and this coming from a man who loves all things 80's! Was Judd Nelson about 35 when he made that movie? He looks about 20 years older than Anthony Michael Hall. Unbelievable characters and dialogue. Then they tie it up nice and neat at the end - with 2 unlikely couples pairing off leading us to believe there's no social caste in high schools.

With the small cast and lack of location shots, I'm amazed that I've never read about some high school drama club doing a stage production of this disaster. In any case, I've got a Breakfast Club DVD I'll never watch again - I'll post it used "New & Used" above.

Still relevant after all these years
Some question the durability of "The Breakfast Club," saying that the themes and plotlines do not hold up in today's teen society. As a 15-year-old, I would like to say that that is thoroughly untrue. 19 years after its release, "The Breakfast Club" is still a truthful, relateable account of teenagers and their personalities, and the ways in which they interact with each other. Sure, the stereotypes of the characters may be a bit exaggerated -- but that's necessary in order to get the point across. Watching this movie, I feel as if I know these people, or at least I've run across them at one point in my high school career.

The plot, as most people know, involves five different kids being assigned Saturday detention together. Each kid represents a typical high school stereotype -- a princess (Molly Ringwald), a jock (Emilio Estevez), a brain (Anthony Michael Hall), a basket case (the excellent Ally Sheedy), and a criminal (Judd Nelson). At the beginning of the day, none of them know each other, except for the princess and the jock. Throughout the day, they learn more about each other and work at tearing down the stereotypes that pit them against each other. As for the reviewer who said this isn't realistic that they would open up so much to each other -- it absolutely is. Put five kids into a room without an adult for nine hours, and they will talk about anything.

The beauty of this movie is the depth of the characters beyond the stereotypes -- particularly the nerd, Brian, who as we find out in the movie has problems well beyond what people think of him. He is the one that I most relate to in the movie. Watch "The Breakfast Club," and see who you most relate to. It's a great experience. Beyond the social commentary aspect, it's also just a funny movie. The jokes come at breakneck speed, especially for the first half of the movie (before it gets somewhat serious). The actors are also very enjoyable in their roles, particularly Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall. Highly recommended.

Must have to any collection.
The quintessential John Hughes film. I remember in my English class my junior year (1987) we had to analyze this movie. Only 2 years after it's release it was had all the qualities needed for a class analysis. I will spare you the report that I did back then.

Since then I have watched this movie at least once a year (and contrary to popular believe it is not for the panty shot). The characters are very well done. There is something that anyone who went through high school can relate to, even if we fit more than just one character. The interactions between the teens towards each other and then towards the principal as a group is classic. It's got love, teen angst, popular kids, geeks, dweebs, outcasts and the ever popular kid that doesn't fit in but always tries to get the attention. Nothing like dumping out your bag for people to go through to get attention.

Of course you can't forget the star cast of strong 80's actors, Emilio Estevez (Andrew 'Andy') Anthony Michael Hall (Brian) Judd Nelson (John Bender) Molly Ringwald (Claire) Ally Sheedy (Allison) and Paul Gleason (Principal). Great acting, John's look at teenagers and a great script all make for a very enjoyable look at the interactions and 'attitude' typical of the high school years.

I truly could go on about this movie but I won't. I'll just say that this is a much have for any movie buff and if you haven't seen it you must. ... Read more

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Sarah (a teenage Jennifer Connelly) rehearses the role of a fairy-tale queen, performing for her stuffed animals. She is about to discover that the time has come to leave her childhood behind. In real life she has to baby-sit her brother and contend with parents who don't understand her at all. Her petulance leads her to call the goblins to take the baby away, but when they actually do, she realizes her responsibility to rescue him. Sarah negotiates the Labyrinth to reach the City of the Goblins and the castle of their king. The king is the only other human in the film and is played by a glam-rocking David Bowie, who performs five of his songs. The rest of the cast are puppets, a wonderful array of Jim Henson's imaginative masterpieces. Henson gives credit to children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the creatures in the movie will remind Sendak fans of his drawings. The castle of the king is a living M.C. Escher set that adults will enjoy. The film combines the highest standards of art, costume, and set decoration. Like executive producer George Lucas's other fantasies, Labyrinth mixes adventure with lessons about growing up. --Lloyd Chesley ... Read more

Reviews (769)

A wonderful movie for the kids... Great Jim Henson fun!!
I watched this movie for the first time as a young child and , I must say, it definitely appeals to the imagination of young and old alike. The puppets and the scenery are very fanciful and identify well with the fairy tale story line.Jennifer Connelly plays a young girl who lives in her ficticious dream world with princesses and goblins. When she makes the mistake of taking the fairy tale for granted, her bratty baby brother is swept away by none other than the almighty Goblin King (played by David Bowie.) She is forced to search through a twisting, mystical maze called the Labyrinth. Along her way she makes friends who are also fed up with the Goblin King and his shenanigans.The music provided by the talented David Bowie brings the story to life. It excites the kid in you and leaves you with at least one song in your heart. Jim Henson's muppets are as colorful and imaginative as ever and they conjure up rememberances of the fanciful visions that we used to dream of as children. This film is definitely worth seeing again and again and again...

A MAZE OF WONDERS!
This movie is a timeless classic. I first saw it on its theatrical release and still love it as much now as I did then. Its fantastic characters and enchanting sets make this a beatiful and magical tale, which could only be created by the artistic genius of Jim Henson's workshop. Now with this Dvd release, the film has been given a new lease of energy. The improved picture quality really emphasises the films gorgeous colors, really bringing to life the action. The script is blessed with the fantasy of the 'Dark Crystal' (an equally brilliant movie) but with the added mayhem of the Muppet show,it is far more more light hearted.

As is standard with Jim Henson movies, there is a wonderful mixture of characters, which interact together brilliantly. The acting may not be the best, but it is important to remember that Jennifer Connelly who plays Sarah (the lead character)was only 14 when she made this movie and is having to act with puppets which can't be easy. The great David Bowie gives a convincig performance as the goblin king, providing musical interludes, which admittedly, I found somewhat tedious as a youngster but enjoy now. All the elements blend to make a lively, innocent adventure movie which will be enjoyed by all ages.

The Dvd also provides a wonderful trove of extras, including a delightful 'making of' documentary which gives some really interesting insights to the movies creation.

Timeless magic
On its' release this little gem of a film was overlooked and not the hit it deserved to be.
The story centres around Sarah, a teenager, who resents her stepmother and Toby, her baby stepbrother and 'wishes' for the goblins to take him away. When they do Sarah finds herself journeying through the labyrinth of the goblin king (Bowie) in order to save him.
She befriends an assortment of creatures such as Hoggle, a grumpy dwarf type being and Ludo, a massive, hairy beast who has a gentle nature. They accompany and help Sarah on her way to the goblin king's castle where Toby is being held.
Jim Hensons workshop has worked it's usual magic and the film is littered with songs written and performed by David Bowie.
This film is pure entertainment for any age group, well worth watching.

Simplistic yet Imaginative
Rather than relying on modern cinematics and special effects, Labyrinth instead relies on the talent and imagination of it's creators. It combines the talents of Set Designer M.C. Eshcher, Producer and Director, the infamous Jim Henson, and of course, the talented fantasy artist and designer Brian Froud. This combination creates an absolutely fun, and magic filled journey through the naivete of childhood that can be shared by the young and old alike.

Jeniffer Conolly is superp as Sarah, and David Bowie even more superb as Jareth, The Goblin King. The casting couldn't have been more perfect, as both artists became legends in their own right in that their appeal has lasted through the decades, and so, has the film. It remains a cult classic.

If anything, the lack of special effects has made it's appeal even more undeniable, as it cannot be dated. Too many times has it occured with films that as speical effects develop, the films lose their appeal. As the film relies on the fantastic nature of not only the genre, but the spectacular muppetry, the film retains it's beauty, despite it's simplistic cinematics...

A must see for all lovers of the fantsy genre...and of course Jim Henson or David Bowie fans...

The Labyrinth
This is a great movie! I love it so much. It's kind of corny by today's standards. However, it is allot of fun.
The costumes are really cool to look at. David Bowie's music is fun in it as well.
Makes a nifty sound track. The character Sarah Williams is kind of annoying. However, David is great in it. ... Read more

Reviews (119)

An great comedy thriller classic.
When an ambitious Small Time Crook (Two Time Oscar-Winner:Robert Redford) steals $10,000 with his old age partner from an dangerous criminal (Robert Shaw), later on that day, The Crook discover his crime partner has been murder by the crime lord. Then The Crook meets his dead friend ex-partner a Veteran Con-Man (Three Time Oscar-Winner:Paul Newman), who seek revenge on the crime lord.

Entertaining comedy is directed by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Slap Shot) and Written by David S. Ward (The Program). Winner of Seven Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Score and Best Original Screenplay. The Film recieve Three Oscar Nominations, Including:Best Actor:-Robert Redford, Best Cinematography and Best Sound. The Sting has the Greatest Double Crossing in a Movie History, Complete with an Surprise Ending. Great Fun. Better to Wait for the Special Edition DVD in a Widescreen Version, which it will be 30 Years, Next Year. Grade:A.

The Quintessential Caper Flick
"The Sting" is an extremely well written story by David Ward ("Major League", "Sleepless in Seattle") and David Maurer about some smalltime grifters who attempt to swindle a mob boss. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards in 1974 and won seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. It reunited director George Roy Hill, Robert Redford and Paul Newman four years after their blockbuster, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". Strangely, although Butch and Sundance made it to number 50 on AFI's top 100 of the century, this film did not make that list. This is even more surprising since "Butch" did not win the Oscar for Best Picture in 1970 ("Midnight Cowboy" won it that year).

While I think "Butch" is funnier and more exciting, this film is more intriguing with interesting character studies and some unpredictable plot twists. Hill does a superb job of weaving the elements of the caper together and giving it a depression era feeling. The humor is more ironic than hilarious, but it fits the story well. The period props, locations, and sets are excellent, and the costumes are perfect. The costumes were done by the legendary Edith Head, who designed costumes for over 400 films in her 50-year career. She won an Oscar for best Costume Design for this film, which was one of eight she won in that category in a career marked by an astounding 34 Oscar nominations. The music by Scott Joplin and Marvin Hamlisch is also fabulous, bestowing an early twentieth century flavor on the film, and giving Hamlisch one of three Oscars he won that year (the other two were for "The Way We Were" also starring Redford).

Where "Butch" was probably a little more Newman's film, this film clearly belonged to Redford. Redford, who was nominated for best actor for the role, is marvelous in the lead, giving his character a charming, lighthearted personality to go along with his scheming intellect. Newman plays almost a supporting role as the veteran conman Henry Gondorff, who assembles the team for the caper and oversees its execution. Despite the smaller part, Newman gives an electrifying performance with his conniving tough guy portrayal. Robert Shaw ("From Russia With Love", "A Man For All Seasons", "Jaws") is also terrific as mob boss Doyle Lonnegan. Charles Durning ("The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"), Ray Walston (TV's "My Favorite Martian") and Eileen Brennan ("Private Benjamin") round out a splendid supporting cast with fantastic character portrayals.

This film is entertaining and fun with a tight plot and wonderful period renderings. I rated it a 10/10. If you have never seen it, you are in for a treat.

THIS ONE REALLY STINGS!
"The Sting" is a classic throwback to Hollywood's golden age: a fish out of water tale about a couple of con artists (Paul Newman and Robert Redford) who seemingly meet their match in a cheating mobster (Robert Shaw). As the police close in from one end and the Mafia from the other, the stakes become higher, the comedy more hilarious and the ultimate con, more rewarding. The supporting cast is a potpourri of stellar characters including Dana Elcar, Eileen Brennan, Ray Walston, Charles Durning, and Harold Gould. Marvin Hamlisch provides a sophisticated score buttressed by Scott Joplin's ragtime jazz.

It is disheartening to see an Oscar wining Best Picture get so shabby a treatment on DVD. For starters, the film is presented in a full frame, pan and scan version only. The shortcomings of this format are that you are not seeing the film in a version director, George Roy Hill would have approved of. But apart from Universal's glaringly obvious oversight, the print quality of "The Sting" suffers from a poorly balanced color spectrum, age related artifacts, edge enhancement, shimmering of fine details and pixelization. Flesh tones are often weak and pasty. Blacks are rarely solid or deep. Fine grain can be excessive in spots. The audio is poorly mixed, sounding strident and tinny. There are no extra features.

Redford and Newman at it again
I just rented this DVD and watched the whole thing, but I've seen this movie several times before.

Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) is a con artist who unknowingly swindles a lackey of crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). After Hooker's partner in the crime is killed, Hooker vows revenge against Lonnegan and seeks Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), one of the best cons in the game to help in the big Sting. Hooker would love to do more than just hit Lonnegan for a lot of money, but "doesn't know enough about killin' to kill him."

It's not easy separating a crime boss from his money, especially when he owns half the politicians and police. They have to take him without him even knowing he was taken. What follows is an exciting deception, carried out with professionalism and ingenuity.

I don't think the chemistry between Newman and Redford is quite as good as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but it's still pretty darn good. Lines like this:

Redford (first seeing his arch-enemy): "He's not as tough as he thinks."
Newman: "Neither are we"

The story is classic. You don't exactly know who's who, and you wonder how they're going to pull it off in the end. Scott Joplin's ragtime music, although somewhat anachronistic, is effective at keeping the movie somewhat lighthearted. There are a couple of instances of swearing and a stripper with pasties on, which gives it a PG rating.

The reason for four stars is the fact that the DVD has NO EXTRAS, and the only option is the full screen version, no widescreen. A movie as good as this deserves better, which is unfortunate.

Overall, this is a great movie with great cinematography (transition wipe effects and some tracking shots) and phenomenal acting. Enjoy.

Widescreen?
I love the film, but why is this not available in Widescreen on DVD? There's been a Widescreen VHS, and I've seen it in Widescreen on Turner Classic Movies. I know it was shot in Widescreen, so how about it, Universal? ... Read more