Reviews (1)

Noteworthy Entry for the Mission: Impossible Collector
THE CONTROLLERS is the first entry in Mission: Impossible's fourth season and features a semi-plausible plot and a somewhat larger cast than the previous seasons. In the two-part episode, the IMF must prevent a scientist from unleashing a mind-controlling drug. THE CONTROLLERS is a good edition to the post-Bain/Landau Mission: Impossible T.V. series, but there is a chemistry that seems to be missing. From a technical standpoint, the series stands out as the first appearance of Dina Merrill as Meredyth and a post-Star Trek Leonard Nimoy as Paris. An enjoyable edition to the series. ... Read more

Reviews (257)

Volume 2 Delivers The Goods (4 Stars)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 might have been action driven and fast paced, but Vol. 2 was not. The slower pace made room for better focus on dialogue though. There are still great fight scenes, but not as many as there were in the first movie. Tarantino hit his stride with this movie. Die hard fans should go out and see it. The movie is two and a half hours long, but it's totally worth sitting through. There are great new characters (most notably Pei Mei) and it does a great job of filling in the holes that were left in Vol. 1(like Uma's screen name). Memorable scenes would be Uma Thurman being buried alive and her fight with Elle Driver in the trailer home. Easily one of the best fight scenes ever. Then there's Bill, played by David Carradine. He was probably the most engaging character in the whole movie. While I was disappointed in the way he died, it totally made sense. Overall, Kill Bill Vol. 2 definitely meets all expectations with its great dialogue and awesome fight scenes. Be warned though, the fight scenes aren't as fast and furious as the first movie. Nor are there as many. But that's not bad because it plays to Tarantino's strength: dialogue. If you liked Vol. 1 or if you're into karate flicks, you'll love Vol. 2. But if you didn't like Vol. 1, you'll like Vol. 2 even less.

Better than Vol. 1
If cinema is ever in need of edgy freshness, then Charlie Kaufman is the man to turn to. But when that need arises and has to be fused with humorously offbeat style then Quentin Tarantino is the Kaufman of directors. Or is Kaufman really the Tarantino of aspiring writers? It doesn't matter. In any case, what truly matters is that Tarantino continues to inject that richly abnormal talent of his into his latest piece "Kill Bill: Volume 2."

Four years after being betrayed by her former boss Bill (David Carradine) and shot in the head at her wedding, The Bride (Uma Thurman) wakes up from her coma and thirsts for revenge. After dispatching Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren (Lucy Liu) in "Volume 1," this previously retired assassin is back in "Volume 2" to finish off the rest of Bill's Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and ultimately, kill Bill.

"Volume 2" is definitely the heart of the two movies. Saturated with intense fighting scenes "Volume 1" ended with a bitter sweetness as The Bride seemed completely undeveloped as a character. But "Volume 2" complements the first movie nicely as the action takes the passenger seat and Tarantino concentrates on storytelling, fleshing out The Bride's character. There's actually emotional depth involved now, revealing The Bride's relationship with Bill as well as her motives for leaving an assassin's life.

Thurman is wonderful as The Bride, playing along with Tarantino's take on Hollywood cheesiness to executing some intense dialogue scenes that transition between emotions within seconds. Tarantino is obviously extracting all the skills he can from Thurman, and the end result is worth every squeeze: she pulls off acrobatic feats and heavy dialogue in the same two hours with seamless changeovers.

Carradine also does such a marvelous job of portraying Bill to the point that it becomes frightening. Carradine's subtleties are what form this character and by the end of it all it becomes clear just how insane of a character Bill is: he philosophizes about death while making sandwiches and questions past relationships with a menacing sword in hand. The low and relaxed tone that he carries through the movie makes it feel like Carradine isn't even playing anyone, he's just slipping this character on like an old, comfortable shirt.

But it's not just the characters that make Kill Bill so special. The first installment is wonderful in paying tribute to Japanese anime, folksy spaghetti westerns and an overall homage to "old school" Asian kung fu flicks. Tarantino again draws various sources from 70's pop culture to showcase the quirks of "Volume 2." Whereas the first movie displays Tarantino's knowledge of Asian cinema with wire-wearing kung fu, with unrealistic squirting samurai-movie colored blood included, "Volume 2" solidifies that homage to the full extent.

Perhaps the single greatest movie moment of 2004 is in "The Cruel Tutelage of Pai Mei," the film's chapter in which the origin of The Bride's abilities is discovered. Tarantino brings out all the stops on this one. From the stereotyped supercilious personality to the superficial white facial hair, the character of kung fu master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) is the absolute embodiment of a 70's Chinese kung fu flick. After this scene, it's obvious that Tarantino is on the edge of oddball insanity, right there with brilliance on the other side.

Like the chapter of Pai Mei, the rest of Tarantino's film combines everything campy and corny with his bizarre sense of direction. And everything rationally ridiculous here somehow ends up as abnormally gorgeous.

Superb second chapter
A radiant bride-to-be (and mother-to-be) who calls herself Arlene takes a few minutes out of her wedding rehearsal to talk to her former boss (and ex-lover) about the peaceful new life she's planned. She tells him she'll be working in a record store where she'll get to "listen to music all day, talk about music all day. It's really cool. It's going to be a great environment for my little girl to grow up in."

"As opposed to jetting around the world, killing human beings, collecting vast sums of money?" her one-time employer asks.

Yes, Arlene is actually The Bride (Uma Thurman), a.k.a. Black Mamba, one of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad (D.I.V.A.S., for short). And, yes, the man with whom she's sharing her future plans is Bill, the enigmatic, shadowy D.I.V.A.S. commander who never showed his face in "Kill Bill, Vol. 1."

Bill, played to diabolical perfection by David Carradine, is visible throughout "Kill Bill, Vol. 2," and that's only one of the many changes between the first and last installments of writer-director Quentin Tarantino's epic saga of revenge and retribution. "Vol. 1," which took place largely in Japan, was a magnificently gory, almost operatic homage to the Hong Kong and Japanese cinema of the 1960s and 1970s; "Vol. 2," set primarily in Texas and Mexico, is considerably more controlled -- although no less stylish -- and moodier, paying tribute to the unconventional Westerns of director Sergio Leone and, in its black-and-white flashback sequences, recalling such late-1940s/early-1950s thrillers as "Gun Crazy" and "The Big Heat."

No one ever accused Tarantino of being shy when it comes to laying out his catalog of influences.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson's all-seeing camera swoops, slithers and moves stealthily around each scene, just like our unstoppable heroine, then throws in some extreme close-ups that feel like a fist between the eyes. Editor Sally Menke and production designers David Wasco and Cao Jui Ping do wonderful work as they recreate everything from "In Cold Blood" to the washed-out-looking, jumpy Chinese chop-socky films of the 1970s.

But far from being merely imitative, "Vol. 2" features a few breakthroughs for its creator as well. A prolonged sequence involving a character who is pummeled, drugged and buried alive is one of the most gripping episodes of Tarantino's career, and The Bride's apprenticeship to merciless martial arts master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu), a deceptively wispy-looking type with a strong chauvinistic streak, is outrageously hilarious. "Your so-called kung fu is really quite pathetic," Pai Mei taunts as The Bride tries -- and fails -- to impress him with her moves. "Like all Yankee women, all you can do is order in restaurants and spend a man's money!"

The finale of "Vol. 1" was a blood-drenched, wickedly hilarious free-for-all, with The Bride dispatching scores of would-be hitmen in a showdown in a Tokyo nightclub, but the last half-hour of "Vol. 2" is a shocker of an entirely different kind, as Tarantino aims for the heart instead of the funnybone. He tried something somewhat similar in the bittersweet wrap-up of "Jackie Brown," with mixed results. He's much more successful this time out, partly because he's created a steadier build-up to the crucial emotional crescendo (set to a marvelously trippy remix of The Zombies' "She's Not There") and partly because the tension Carradine and Thurman generate in the pivotal scene, as bloodlust collides with memories of happier days, is utterly riveting.

Tarantino's cast fills out a classic rogues' gallery, dominated by Carradine's Bill, a psychotic who conceals his sadism beneath a calm, paternalistic exterior. Daryl Hannah's one-eyed Elle Driver and Michael Madsen's Budd, both of whom were briefly seen in "Vol. 1," get ample opportunity to prove their worth as antagonists of The Bride. The face-off with Elle, in particular, is so delightfully demented only Tarantino could have conjured it up.

Was the director wise in turning "Bill" into a double-bill? Absolutely. For one thing, he must have realized he had made an extravaganza that would have been too intense and certainly too emotionally exhausting for most audiences to process in a single four-hour sitting. Also, he obviously knew he had a second half that would be well worth the six-month wait.

"Gargantuan -- always liked that word; so rarely have a chance to use it in a sentence," the icy-hearted Elle murmurs at one point. Try this on for size: The frenzied, funny and unabashedly ultraviolent "Kill Bill" saga represents a gargantuan achievement in action cinema.

Can a movie possibly get any better than this?
First I'd like to say that Quentin Tarantino is the best film maker that ever lived period. I would say that KILL BILL VOL. 2 is the greatest film since Casablanca. This is by far my favorite of Quentin Tarantino's films. This is a must own Dvd. Buy this awesome mind-blowing classic movie today.

This movie should not be see by the stupid ones
YES YES MAN I THOUGT THAT THERE WAS NOT TOO MUCH STORY BEHIND THE 1ST VOL IT WAS GREAT BUT SOMETHING WAS MISSING IT WAS THE AWESOME STORY OF THE 2ND. IS LIKE WATCHING A SPAGHETI WESTERN BY SERGIO LEONE BUT BEING DRUNK.BUT STILL I DONT KNOW HOW SOME PEOPLE TALK SO MUCH CRAP ABOUT THE 2ND VOL.IS PROBABLY THAT THEY MISSED THE POINT THAT IS VERY SAD MAN.THAT'S WHY THIS MOVIE IS NOT SUITED FOR THE DUMBASSES.WHEN YOU SEE THIS VOL YOU WILL DEICIDE IF YOU ARE A TRUE TARANTINO FAN!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Wonderful Film, An Homage to USA Jazz In Paris
The late saxophonist, Dexter Gordon, was absolutely fabulous in this film about an American jazz musician in Paris as the 1950s come to a close. He befriends a young Frenchman who tries to help him but ultimately such friends will always be the givers in a relationship with a jazz artist. There is dialogue in this movie that is always the first thing I remember about it. Gordon's character wonders why people always expect that by escaping to somewhere else, that they will find a new life. "But you're still yourself when you land there," he adds, "You'd have to be a different person inside if you wanted to escape into a new life." These are prophetic words because although race-blind Paris will offer yet another jazz opportunity to this American black musician, he will never escape from himself. He ultimately sees a French psychiatrist when he can't stay away from booze and drugs. "I can't turn off the music in my head," he says, "It is always playing." Perhaps no truer words have ever been spoken by an artist because even those with smaller gifts in the fine arts see images or hear music in their heads. They might be able to turn it off at times but a huge talent won't be able to do so. As they say, there is no free lunch. This film also offers a superb soundtrack that I had to buy upon leaving the movie theater. This is an excellent film where you are justified in owning both the DVD film and the CD soundtrack.

Real emotions from real characters
This touching and realistic movie is quietly dedicated to jazz pianist Bud Powell and saxophonnist Lester Young (both expatiriates who lived in Paris) on whose life the character of "Dale Turner," the saxophonist, is based. The character of Dale Turner, a jazzman in his last days, is played by Dexter Gordon, a jazzman soon to die of throat cancer. Dexter Gordon, a real-life expatriot jazzman who spent much of his playing years in Denmark, deservedly received an academy award nomination for his moving portrayal based on not only a real life story but people and settings with which he was personally familiar. In many ways it is the story of all three musicians, Gordon, Powell and Young. But even more it is based on a fine book on the life of Bud Powell by the young Frenchman who befriended him (which I cannot put my hands on right now). It's as close to truth as you can come. By the way, Dexter played Montreux the next year and while he sounds fragile in the film, he play with great strength.

Gordon rips off Bud Powell
This is a rip off of the Bud Powell story, plain and simple. Francis Paudras was an artist of sorts, similar to the graphic artist in the movie. Francis lived with his girlfriend rather than his daughter. Buttercup was the devil woman in Powell's life, they don't even bother to change the name here. Making money off of the story of Bud Powell without having to pay anyone for it seems ridiculous to me. If you want the real story behind this movie, read "Dance of the Infidels: A Portrait of Bud Powell", written by Paudras himself. The book, while tedious at times, is drenched with the emotion of a truly heartbreaking story, rather than this cheap ripoff.

Friendship, music and far too much whisky
This movie stars Dexter Gordon and features among others Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins, John McGlaughlin, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard and Ron Carter. If you like jazz that's probably all you need to know to make you go see it.

It's a loving recreation of Paris in the 1950s when many of the best American jazz musicians liked to hang in and around the Blue Note café, a venue which, if I only had a time machine is probably where I would most want to spend my evenings. There we find Dale Turner (Gordon) who is in France playing his tenor and drinking himself to death. Turner is based on a kind of amalgam of Bud Powell and Lester Young. His self-destructiveness and bizarre speech habits (all his male friends are nicknamed "Lady" something or other) are pureYoung. The friendship with a young Frenchman Francis (Francois Cluzet) with forms the film's dramatic centre is based on an episode in the life of Powell.

Cluzet's character is perhaps one of the weaker aspects of the film. His conversations with Turner are a bit unsuccessful in getting very far past fanspeak, You are so wonderful, I love your music so much, etc., etc., which I confess I started finding a little tiresome. But generally it's a really delightful movie and one it is possible to enjoy even if you aren't a jazz nut.

But the music is certainly a huge treat. The scene where Gordon and Lonette McKee's Darcey Leigh (clearly based on Billie Holiday) perform "How Long Has This Been Going On" is one of the most unforgettable and mesmerizing musical moments in any film.

Music aside, it's a rather quiet, low key drama about how Turner befriends Francis and his young daughter who must then struggle to help him control the drink habit which is inexorably killing him. It's fairly slow moving. Not a lot happens. But it's a touching and likeable movie, slow and tender like much of its soundtrack, and is kept interesting mainly by Dexter Gordon's marvellous performance as Turner, a heartbreaking mixture of poetry and kindness on the one hand and hopeless alcoholic desperation on the other. He acts almost as well as he plays and he plays, well, he plays like Dexter Gordon.

Jazz anyone?
Being a sax player, I was completely sucked in. It's one
of my favorites. It's a slow-paced movie, but the acting is
exellent and it's very real. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Among the most exciting of MGM swashbucklers, Richard Thorpe's 1952 Ivanhoe stars Robert Taylor as the medieval hero of Sir Walter Scott's novel. Returning to England from the Third Crusades, Ivanhoe is steadfast in his determination to raise the ransom for the captured King Richard (Norman Wooland), but the effort is full of peril. First is Ivanhoe's reunion with his estranged father (Finlay Currie), a Saxon who hates the Norman king and refuses to give his son the money. Then there's Ivanhoe's unpopular rescue of a wealthy Jew, Isaac (Felix Aylmer), from anti-Semites, and the subsequent decision by Isaac's beautiful daughter, Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor), to pay Ivanhoe's entry fee in a tournament. (The strapped knight seeks the tourney's cash prize.) Wait, it gets worse: two of Ivanhoe's closest associates (played by George Sanders and Robert Douglas) collude with Richard's evil brother, Prince John (Guy Rolfe), to discredit their friend and steal away Rebecca and another woman, Rowena (Joan Fontaine)--who also fancies Ivanhoe--for themselves. Yes, the situation looks grim, but surprise appearances by a couple of legendary hero types toward the end help level the playing field. Nonstop adventure to make one swoon, Ivanhoe is a gorgeous treat and reasonably faithful to the Age of Chivalry. Things worked out so well for this film, Thorpe and Taylor got together the next year to make Knights of the Round Table. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Very Good Rendition of the Sir Walter Scott Classic Tale!
Robert Taylor and Director Richard Thorpe team up for their first of two (Knights of the Round Table in 1953) epic tales of noble knights and beautiful damsels in this well made adaptation of the 1819 Sir Walter Scott classic, nominated in 1952 for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is, of course, the classic retelling of one man's, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, quest to restore Richard The Lion-Hearted (Norman Wooland) to the throne stolen by his evil brother, Prince John (Guy Rolfe). But with all it's feats of derring-do, this version is also a tender tale of love. Robert Taylor stars as the intrepid Saxon knight-errant Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who is charmed by not one fair lady, but two; the stunningly beautiful Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) and the stately Saxon princess Rowena (Joan Fontaine). In striking contrast to this romantic feast, there is the malevolent Sir Brian De Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), Ivanhoe's deadly enemy and constant threat. This film features some very authentic looking and spectacular fighting sequences and is sure to become a favorite film of students of 12th-century English history. Filmed entirely on location in Great Britain, this movie is very rich in detail, including costumes and weaponry. Very representative of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer classics, this is a very good film somewhat typical of the film making of this decade, but still good enough to be enjoyed in modern day. If you somehow missed this one, give it a look; An excellent movie !!!

Very Good Rendition of the Sir Walter Scott Classic Tale!
Robert Taylor and Director Richard Thorpe team up for their first of two (Knights of the Round Table in 1953) epic tales of noble knights and beautiful damsels in this well made adaptation of the 1819 Sir Walter Scott classic, nominated in 1952 for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is, of course, the classic retelling of one man's, Wilfred of Ivanhoe, quest to restore Richard The Lion-Hearted (Norman Wooland) to the throne stolen by his evil brother, Prince John (Guy Rolfe). But with all its feats of derring-do, this version is also a tender tale of love. Robert Taylor stars as the intrepid Saxon knight-errant Wilfred of Ivanhoe, who is charmed by not one fair lady, but two; the stunningly beautiful Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) and the stately Saxon princess Rowena (Joan Fontaine). In striking contrast to this romantic feast, there is the malevolent Sir Brian De Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), Ivanhoe's deadly enemy and constant threat. This film features some very authentic looking and spectacular fighting sequences and is sure to become a favorite film of students of 12th-century English history. Filmed entirely on location in Great Britain, this movie is very rich in detail, including costumes and weaponry. Very representative of the Metro Goldwyn Mayer classics, this is a very good film somewhat typical of the film making of this decade, but still good enough to be enjoyed in modern day. If you somehow missed this one, give it a look; An excellent movie !!!

MGM's Superb Version Of The Sir Walter Scott Classic
There have been many versions of Sir Walter Scott's classic 1819 swashbuckling story "Ivanhoe", over the years but few of them come near MGM's well crafted and rousing 1952 version that reteamed the two Taylors (Robert and Elizabeth), for the second time. This version benefits greatly from being filmed on location in England, taking full advantage of the nature terrain which gives this film such an authentic feel and flavour. It marked another late career triumph for veteran MGM star Robert Taylor who was fresh from appearing in the blockbuster "Quo Vadis", in Rome when MGM sent him this time to England to take the lead role of Sir Walter Scott's heroic character fighting injustice in the medieval England of Prince John. This film has everything the swashbuckler fan could ask for, daring sword play, a beautiful leading lady, wonderous recreations of 12th Century England, and stunning action sequences filmed on the largest outdoor Castle set ever constructed by MGM while it had a studio in England.

The adventure story of the dashing knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe who champions the cause of the absent King Richard the Lion Hearted while he is away with the crusades is well known to most school age children but this film version is no mere comic book characterisation. Robert Taylor found a real niche late in his career playing these hero's of early English history and in "Ivanhoe",he is perfectly cast as the dashing knight who not only fights the wrong doers trying to steal King Richard's throne, but finds time to romance two beautiful women in Saxon princess Lady Rowena (Joan Fontaine), and the lovely young Jewess Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor). The opening of the film finds Richard's throne usurped by his younger brother the wicked Prince John (Guy Rolfe). While returning from the Crusades Ivanhoe discovers that King Richard far from being dead as his brother would have the country believe is actually being held for ransom in Austria. Returning to England Ivanhoe finds the Saxon's under siege from Prince John and on a visit where he attempts a reconciliation with his estranged father Cedric (Finlay Currie)he sees first hand the work of Prince John and his follower Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders). After an attempt is made to rob one of his father' guests the elderly jew Issac of York (Felix Aylmer) Ivanhoe becomes acquainted with his beautiful daughter Rebecca who pledges her jewellery towards King Richard's ransom. Entering a jousting tournament hoping to win the prize money to free Richard, Ivanhoe comes up against his mortal enemy Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert and is heavily wounded. He is taken to Rebecca's house to recover however Sir Brian not only seeks to destroy Ivanhoe but wants to take the lovely Rebecca as his own. In an attempt to flee Prince John's forces both lady Rowena and Rebecca are captured by Sir Brian who takes them to the Norman fortress where he imprisons both Isaac of York and Ivanhoe's father Cedric. Ivanhoe gives himself to Sir Brian in return for the other release but he is betrayed and imprisoned with the others. Sir Brian however hasn't counted on the Saxon's revenge and soon the castle is undersiege. Despite an attack which sees the castle taken by the Saxons Sir Brian manages to escape with Rebecca who is then put on trial for supposed witchcraft. When it looks like Rebecca will be burned as a witch Ivanhoe arrives to her defense and offers to settle the verdict by one to one combat with Sir Brian. During the fateful contest Sir Brian is killed and just in time King Richard arrives home to claim back his throne displace the usurper Prince John. The conclusion sees Ivanhoe reaffirm his commitment to the lady Rowena despite his obvious attraction to the younger Rebecca.

Nominated for an Academy Award in 1952 for Best Picture this was one of MGM's biggest productions for the year and no expense was spared on sets, colour photography and action sequences. Robert Taylor was so successul in this role that MGM assigned him to play Sir Lancelot in "Knights of the Round Table", the following year to be also directed by Richard Thorpe. Rarely has Elizabeth Taylor appeared more beautiful than as the young heroine Rebecca. Hers is an interesting role which thankfully presents a sympathetic jewish character into the story. Elizabeth herself never wanted to do this film and was always scathing of her own performance here passing the entire film off in interviews as "just a big medieval Western". That really doesn't do the film justice as it is first rate entertainment of the old school. George Sanders and Guy Rolfe make superb villians and Sanders indeed manages to breath extra dimension into what could have been simply a one dimensional villian with his playing opposite Elizabeth Taylor in particular. The spectacular jousting scenes and the siege of the Norman castle are sequences rarely bettered in these type of films and every effort was made to give the film the correct period feel. The costumes by Roger Furse and art direction supplied by Alfred Junge really enhance the atmosphere and authentic historical look of "Ivanhoe" making it one of the better thought out historical adventures from the 1950's decade.

First class entertainment is provided all the way by MGM's "Ivanhoe", and as an example of what the studio could produce even as it went into decline in the 1950's it is top rate. The two Taylor's would never appear together again on film but they make a most interesting screen team and "Ivanhoe", boasts the sort of supporting cast in Joan Fontaine, George Sanders , Emlyn Williams and Finlay Currie that makes me wonder where the equivalent talent is in Hollywood today. Enjoy Robert Taylor fighting evil in 12th Century England in this wonderful version of Sir Walter Scott's immortal "Ivanhoe".

Same Category as The Adventures of Robin Hood
Why is this movie not released on DVD???? Does the studio have any plans on releasing soon???

A Beautiful Movie
I saw this movie in 1952 when I was 7 years old. Years later I bought the Laser disc and am dismayed there is no DVD.There have been many swashbuckling movies but this is the best. It is a ripping good story, poignant as well. Beautifully filmed! Robert Taylor Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor are superb-as is George Sanders. I have shown this film over and over again to my children and they love it. It is romantic without being vulgar. It has plenty of action" without being gruesome. It has character. And lest I forget a wonderful musical score. ... Read more

Description

A powerful tale of a rural Texas family divided by a bullying father?and a long unsolved murder. Year: 1998Director: Antonio Tibaldi Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Nastassja Kinski, John Savage ... Read more

Reviews (32)

A Mystery Thriller that is Both Bizarre and Disturbing
This is not my first choice when selecting a movie and I honestly purchased it because it was a super deal and on the cover it featured (heartthrob) Ryan Phillipe (more famous for his roles in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series and "54").  This is an unusual and troubling film.   The story is set in modern day rural Texas.  It follows the very dysfunctional lives of the West family.  Mom & Dad own and operate a small town bar.  The family history is deep and haunting and the movie leaves you in shadows as you try to piece together this emotional drama.  If I told you too many secrets, it would take away from the suspense and surprise of the movie.  I will say it is quite violent and/or sexual at times and it does not end on a happy "Brady Bunch" style note.   The story and acting is good, but the plot and suspense is excellent.  Hence I rated the film a 4.  It won several awards at smaller film festivals.  Although I have not seen "American Beauty" yet, I am thinking "Little Boy Blue" is somewhat similar in it's dysfunction, only "American Beauty" had more money to throw at the film.  Isn't Hollywood great?  "Little Boy Blue" also stars Nastassja Kinski and features 2 fine young actors playing the part of Jimmy's (Ryan Phillipe) siblings.   What is most disturbing about this movie, is that it could be based on a true story of dysfunction in America.

A Mystery Thriller that is both bizarre and disturbing
This is not my first choice when selecting a movie and I honestly purchased it because it was a super deal and on the cover it featured (heartthrob) Ryan Phillipe (more famous for his roles in the "I Know What You Did Last Summer" series and "54").  This is an unusual and troubling film.   The story is set in modern day rural Texas.  It follows the very dysfunctional lives of the West family.  Mom & Dad own and operate a small town bar.  The family history is deep and haunting and the movie leaves you in shadows as you try to piece together this emotional drama.  If I told you too many secrets, it would take away from the suspense and surprise of the movie.  I will say it is quite violent and/or sexual at times and it does not end on a happy "Brady Bunch" style note.   The story and acting is good, but the plot and suspense is excellent.  Hence I rated the film a 4.  It won several awards at smaller film festivals.  Although I have not seen "American Beauty" yet, I am thinking "Little Boy Blue" is somewhat similar in it's dysfunction, only "American Beauty" had more money to throw at the film.  Isn't Hollywood great?  "Little Boy Blue" also stars Nastassja Kinski and features 2 fine young actors playing the part of Jimmy's (Ryan Phillipe) siblings.   What is most disturbing about this movie, is that it could be based on a true story of dysfunction in America.

All in the Family
This mildly engaging indie drama presents an intriguing mood and a couple of good performances, still as a whole it doesn`t work very well. Antonio Tibaldi directs this story about a dysfunctional family and its secrets, particularly Jimmy`s past, AKA "Little Boy Blue" (played by Ryan Phillippe). Despite the mysterious tone of the film, which offers some surprises along the way, this is an average effort overall, since the pacing is too slow at parts and the ending isn`t too satisfying. The acting is convincing, though (John Savage, Natassja Kinski), so this offbeat coming-of-age tale still deserves a watch.

Not bad but not good enough either.

noooooo, my brothers are my sons damnit
shocking and powerful piece. Phillippe is the son of Nastassja Kinski and John Savage(who is Savage in this movie). Savage is Phillippes abusive father. starts good and ends with a bang, well two bangs. and one of the bangs shouldnt of been in there, where Kinski gets shot. the story goes that Savage stold Phillippe when he was a baby and killed his real father and raped his real mother, his real mother finds this out and comes for some, well, revenge. Phillippe also finds out that his brothers are his sons and his mother is the one who he had sex with, whoa!!!! and then Phillippe suddenly vanishes. his real mom comes and kills Savage and then Kinski(whyyy!!!) and then shes shot down by Phillippes buddy cop. they find Phillippe under ground tied up from his fake father. Phillippe delivers one of his best.

Phillippe's breakthrough
Not to downplay the greatness of this film, as it truly is an amazing (though disturbing) movie, but I felt a short review on Phillipe's performance was in order.

Ryan Phillipe is most popularly known as the heartthrob character from I Know What You Did Last Summer, 54, and especially Cruel Intentions. When watching this movie I was particularly impressed by Phillipe as I feel this is his break-through role. Many of the characters he plays express similiar emotions and demeanor, but this one is far far different. If you have doubted Phillipe's acting talent at any time, this is a movie to see. ... Read more

Description

Romance-Drama set in a small Southern town at the turn of the century. The romance is between an independent woman from the North who marries the local general-store owner. The drama comes from the townspeople's reaction to their age difference. He's much older than she is - and he's only been a widower for three weeks! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A MODERATELY ENTERTAINING FILM...
This is a pleasant little Hallmark Hall of Fame film based upon the book of the same name by Olive Ann Burns. It a film that takes place in a very small, sleepy southern town around the turn of the century where an elderly gentleman, a Mr. Blakeslee (Richard Widmark), runs a general store in which he employs a very attractive, middle-aged milliner with the unlikely name of Miss Love Simpson. She is an outsider and a non-southerner, an attractive independent woman who is looked at a bit askance by the town's residents.

The town is turned upside down when three weeks after the death of his wife, Mr. Blakeslee proposes to Miss Love, and she accepts. They get married, much to the chagrin of the Blakeslee family who must grin and bear it. They are outraged that he is recently widowed and that she is young enough to be his daughter. The only one in the family who truly welcomes Miss Love is Will Tweedy (Neil Patrick Harris), Mr. Blakeslee's teen grandson. The rest are simply aghast.

When a blast from her past turns up on Miss Love's doorstep and something happens that threatens to cause a major scandal among the town gossips, Will and Mr. Blakeslee stand by Ms. Love. Gradually, what seems to have been a marriage of convenience blossoms into something more than for which either party bargained. While Mr. Blakeslee confers a certain respectability upon Miss Love, she puts a spring into the step of her old codger husband, and he begins to look positively rejuvenated. It is also a coming of age film with respect to Will.

Richard Widmark and Neil Patrick Harris give wonderful performances, very easy and natural. Faye Dunaway gives a decent enough performance, but I felt that she tended to pose for the camera rather than act. I was also very distracted by her face as it was so tightly pulled back over her cheekbones that her smile tended to look as if it were in rictus. The name Mr. Sardonicus would come to mind whenever she smiled. That is not to say that she did not look attractive, only somewhat unnatural. That being said, the film never rises to a level beyond that of a film made for the small screen. Notwithstanding that, it is a film that is worth a rental, as it is moderately entertaining.

Not bad, fairly entertaining
Dunaway produced this one herself after a string of lousy flops that had no artistic value at all, and I mean a loooong string of them. Cold Sassy Tree isn't too bad. It was made for cable. It has a fairly tight script and a good cast. She and Wildmark fall in love in a small town in the South. He is an old widower, she is either a widow or a spinster, I cannot remember which. His family disapproves. They forge ahead with their love and at the end, everyone is happy. This is post-face work for Dunaway, I think Beverly Hills Madam was the last we saw of the original Dunaway face, sadly. Nevertheless, this is a good movie. It is not something to watch over and over, but it's good for a single sitting.

Read The Book!
This is a wonderful novel. It is one of my favorites, so I was expecting great things from this video. I don't know why, because, with the exception of To Kill a Mockingbird, the movie never measures up to the novel. This one is even worse than usual. The characters are very poorly developed, the story has been changed somewhat--and not for the better. It has none of the warmth and humor of the book. I was disgusted with my choice and wish I had the money back!

AWESOME SCRIPT!!
THE COLD SASSY TREE IS A REAL PICTORIAL VIEW OF THAT TIME AND HAS A GREAT SCRIPT THE WORDING IS FANTASTIC.

it sucked
it su ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is considered by many to be the greatest American novel ever written. Though none of the many film adaptations have done the book justice, the closest remains the 1939 remake with Mickey Rooney. Toning down his usual firecracker personality, Rooney's river-boy Huck is a fun-loving, superstitious kid who can't give up his free-and-easy life of fishing and smoking, despite the best efforts of his kindly guardians. When his souse of a Pap blackmails the well-meaning matrons, mischievous Huck fakes his death and heads down the river with his friend Jim (Rex Ingram), a slave he grudgingly helps escape to a free state. Rooney displays his underrated skills as a dramatic performer as he banters with Jim about slavery, fate, and destiny, and his slow realization that, slave or not, Jim is a human being ripples across his face like a remembered sin. The last half of the picture winds the destinies of the runaways around the schemes of con men Walter Connelly and William Frawley (who make a hilarious team as "the King" and "the Duke"), where the comic antics nuzzle against despicable plots and Huck's free spirit slams against his growing sense of responsibility. It's a generally faithful adaptation until the climax, which completely removes Tom Sawyer's appearance for a melodramatic, race-to-the-rescue conclusion. But for all the film's narrative liberties, Rooney's thoughtful performance captures Twain's Huck better than any version before or since. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I want, DVD version "The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn" with Mickey Roonney, with subtitles in spanish and spoken in spanish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best film version of the Mark Twain classic.
This is probably the most accurate portrayal of Huck ever brought to screen! Here you see the young hero learn the power of loyalty and the evils of racism as he smokes and curses his way through one adventure after another.

Despite criticisms about the use of racially offensive language, this movie(and book) have done much toward bridging the gap between the races by imparting understanding and empathy. Accusations that the language of the book should justify its being banned are born of ignorance, not a true desire for tolerance.

Watch this and decide for yourself.

It was an okay movie.
I think this book was very boring . But the movie was alittle better. I wish that he had published some better book than the ones that he has out.Mark Twain is a very creative man and I admire that. Recently i had visited his house in Conneticut. It was really nice and I enjoyed myself. Otherwise , the my most favorite book would have to be Tom Sawyer because it was an exciting aventure. Iy was also nice how he put Tom Sawyer as a continuation in Huck Finn Book, eventhough I thought that book was really boring. So to all the readers out there I would just like to say watch the movie and not read the book you will enjoy it more.

super............thanks for asking
super movie wonderful everything just a tad different from the book but overall it was great thanks for asking

Fun Movie, good acting -- not fairly true to the story
If you care for accuracy avoid this video. For fun, and a sort of neat feel - OK

Acting quite good.

But this is not the story written by Mark Twain (or Sam Clemens) ... Read more

Amazon.com

Anthony Hopkins is a brilliant actor; Cuba Gooding Jr. is a talented guy with a lot of charm. Both have recently won Oscars (Best Actor for The Silence of the Lambs and Best Supporting Actor for Jerry Maguire, respectively); neither can make Instinct compelling. Hopkins plays a brilliant anthropologist studying gorillas who entered into their world, becoming part of their family, and who killed two park rangers in the gorillas' habitat. Gooding plays a brilliant young psychiatrist who's supposed to evaluate Hopkins and determine whether he's fit to stand trial. Hopkins, along with a number of other psychotics, is being held at a prison, which serves to illustrate the movie's themes about control and freedom. It's not so much that the ideas themselves are hokum--nature versus civilization is always a rich topic--it's that Instinct boils them down to inane sound bites. Psychology is reduced to a game in which the psychiatrist's job is to trick the patient into believing the correct thing or revealing the key that will solve the puzzle. There's not a credible moment in the whole movie, despite the presence of a good cast, including Donald Sutherland (M*A*S*H, Klute, Without Limits, and many, many others) and Maura Tierney (TV's Newsradio).--Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (87)

not a great film, and yet...
This is not a great film, but perhaps it could have been. The actors are, of course, excellent. And I enjoyed seeing Cuba Gooding Junior getting the chance to play so much and so often one-to-one with Hopkins; what a great learning experience that must have been for him; and he held his own, or rose to meet Hopkins very admirably: good for him.

There is something about this movie for me: I feel like I'm sensing the seed of something very, very good that didn't quite come to fruition, despite what on the surface seems to be a season filler kind of movie. There's something more there (I wish the people involved could give it a few more tries--oh well). But that not yet really well developed "something," the promise that seems to be inherent in this movie, is compelling enough for me to buy it.

I also highly recommend the other movie I logged on to buy, now that I heard it's been re-released: "Never Cry Wolf" with Charles Martin Smith, based on the true story of a biologist's 6-months in-the-field study of the Artic wolf--now that's a movie, a story, that has *fully* come to fruition (in art *and* in life). And for anyone interested in a story based on a real-life experience with the mountain gorillas, I'd highly recommend *Gorillas in the Mist*, based on Dian Fossey's experiences.

Anyway, I will be placing *Instinct* alongside those two for that promising *something* that it seemed to be trying to reveal to me and that I did indeed sense in some way as I watched it...

Are You Free?
Instinct is simply the most under-rated movie of all time. Hopkins and Gooding gave us great performances that were backed up by the talented supporting cast of Maura Tierney, Donald Sutherland, John Ashton, George Dzundza, and Doug Spinuzza.

It's too bad that most people who watch Instinct really don't understand the message, because it is one of the most important messages of all time. The message is that humans need to stop acting like we are gods, and give up the delusion that we are the masters of the universe.

How can such an awful film like Fargo gets praised left and right as one of the best, while this incredible masterpiece called Instinct goes unnoticed? Don't know? They are called CRITICS. Critics are generally people who have seen so many films, that they are burnt out, and try to analyze films in ways they never did when they truly enjoyed movies. They tend to develop a distaste for entertaining movies, and a taste for bizarre or boring films. Once some of the top critics blasted Instinct, it didn't have a chance. The domino effect took over, and a movie that I thought was destined to be hailed as one of the best, was very quickly stomped into obscurity.

How can this movie be so often described as derivative by the exact same people who praise one of the most derivative movies of all time, called The Shawshank Redemption? Watch Shawshank right after watching Escape from Alcatraz, and you should see what I mean. Was it King, or was it a writer for Shawshank the movie that stole those ideas and scenes? I don't know.

We all have opinions, and mine aren't any better than yours; but when a movie that has the entertainment, acting, writing, and messages of the caliber that Instinct does, can be successfully portrayed by the so-called experts as a horrible film, then you know something screwy is going on. Just watch this masterpiece, and do it with an open mind. From the words of Ethan Powell, played by Anthony Hopkins: `Are you free?' Not many of us are.

Surprisingly good!
I'd heard some criticism of this movie, basically that it was the same thing they did with Hannibal Lecter, same actor, so why bother seeing it, yadda yadda. Not so! I was expecting a different type of movie, and was VERY pleasantly surprised by Instinct. I agree with some of criticism of "stereotypical" prison guards, "eccentric" inmates in the psych wing... yet it works. It's worth your while!

You do not need to watch this movie to figure it out
As is more and more often the case the trailer for "Instinct" provides what you need to know about this movie. Noted anthropologist Ethan Powell (Anthony Hopkins) was reported missing in the jungles of Africa and lost for almost two years. It was said that he was walking amongst the gorillas that he was studying. Then he murdered a couple of game wardens with a wooden club. Now he has been returned to the United States and placed in the mental ward of a prison where he refuses to speak. The case is discussed by a pair of shrinks: Dr. Ben Hillard (Donald Sutherland), who is old and wise, and Dr. Theo Caulder (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), who is young and smart. Hillard engages briefly in deep thought and then muses: "He lives with the animals, takes on their behavior, and becomes one. How does that happen?"

Of course that is what the movie is about, and young Dr. Caulder is going to go have a series of confrontational sessions with Dr. Powell in prison, get him to talk, and eventually find out the answers to the big question. But as soon as Hillard articulated the big question I had my hand up because I was pretty sure I knew the answer. I mean I saw "Gorillas in the Midst" but even without that big clue common sense would pretty much tell you why somebody studying primates in the jungle would favor the apes and side with them against human beings. There might be some surprises in terms of the details, but certainly the general idea here is clear even before we actually "learn" the answer. However, to be fair, this film gets credit for not having a sexual relationship develop between young Dr. Caulder and Powell's daughter Lyn (Maura Tierney),

Will Anthony Hopkins staring at an inquisitor in a prison setting it is hard not to see parallels between "Instinct" and "Silence of the Lambs." Caulder admits at one point that he has become a student as well as a therapist and this 1999 film is one where the patient may well do more for the doctor than the other way around. Added to this film are your standard roster of prison goons, apathetic doctors, and eccentric prisoner-patients in a simplistic combining of "The Shawshank Redemption" and "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest." Consequently Caulder not only has to bring Powell back to sanity and his family, but has to fight to reform the corrupt system that he finds.

The extras on this DVD consist of the trailer for "Instinct," as a reminder that it was a lot better than the actual movies, and then pictures of other movies you could have watched instead of this one. Apparently someone in a decision-making capacity recognized that most people watching this movie were probably to hit the eject button as soon as the credits, so why waste time and money adding extras nobody was going to want to see?

Beautiful movie!
As another reviewer said, one of the really good things this movie did was mention Daniel Quinn's book in the beginning.

I have just finished reading Ishmael by Quinn (which I wouldn't have known of hadn't it been for this movie), and I must say that Instinct's scriptwriter has done an excellent job of creating a story *based* on the thoughts of the book but making it so much more interesting and dramatic. The movie has IMPACT. It caught my attention when I saw the trailer on TV, and I knew I had to watch it, and I *drank* it in like I had longed for it for ages.

It's a beautiful, excellent movie. ... Read more

Description

The record-setting number one concert film, EDDIE MURPHY: RAW shows Eddie Murphy doing what he does best: making people laugh.Filmed live at New York's Felt Forum, Murphy delights, shocks, and entertains with celebrity impersonations, observations on 'love, sex and marriage in the 80's, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

Stand-Up Comedy At Its' Best
In the same tradition of raunchy stand up comedy kings such as Richard Pryor and Red Foxx, Eddie Murphy's comedy pokes fun at many groups and celebrities. Filmed at the height of Eddie's status as the world's biggest film star (while on contract with Paramount), "Raw" is an hour and a half of hysterical impersonations and skits.

Written by comedy star/director Keenan Ivory Wayans ("Scary Movie"; "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka"; television's "In Living Color") and directed by Robert Townsend ("Meteor Man"; "Hollywood Shuffle"), Raw's highlights include Eddie's trip to San Francisco (where he is greeted at the aiport by flamboyant gay men), his trouble with women, and celebrity put downs.

The most memorable skit in this film probably has to be Eddie's imaginary wedding to an African tribal woman who gets corrupted by American women upon her arrival to the U.S. "Unfoofoo" (his African wife's name) and Eddie's discussion of how he met her made me laugh out loud. Truly, only a comedy genius could have thought of such a funny skit.

Although not a film for young kids due to its' use of foul language and discussion of sexual situations, the film showcased Murphy at his best, long before his string of family oriented films ("Dr. Doolittle" "Nutty Professor"). While there is a new king when it comes to raunchy comedy nowadays (Chris Rock) Eddie still remains one of the best. "Raw" is a showcase of great comedic writing and performance.

Four -and-a-"HALF!" stars
The year was 1987 and after been widely known for his classic "Delirious" stand-up act and Beverly Hills Cop movies, Eddie Murphy comes to New York City to perform his latest act in this feature called "Raw". If you were laughing at the jokes from "Delirious", then chances are that you were rolling on floor in laughter when you watched this.

Before the performance is a Keenan Ivory Wayans-produced sketch where it shows Eddie as a kid (played by Deion Richmond [Kenny on "The Cosby Show"]) telling a nasty joke in front of his family, which sets the tone of what his act will be: funny but in bad taste. If you look closer, his family members consist of other people who weren't famous yet like Tatyana Ali ("The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air") and Samuel L. Jackson.

Now, on to the act (directed by Robert Townsend, I might add). Though he does less impressions of stars than he did in "Delirious", it is still hilarious to see him do a fed-up Michael Jackson, a scolding Bill Cosby, and a dead-on impression of Richard Pryor, his idol. The audience is noticeably having a good time and even catches Eddie cracking himself up when he talks about getting arrested by a certain type of police.

In this day and age when African-American comedians' whole routine is usually about how black folks are different from white folks, you wonder if they ever studied Eddie Murphy's monologues, because Murphy had a LOT more to speak on. See the discussion on prenuptial agreement: if you (the man) don't get one with your wife, when it's time for your divorce, she'll ask for "HALF!" of your money. Of course that comes off as misogynistic and derogatory, but it's just comedy, not necessarily commentary.

You'll bust a gut laughing at Oomfufu, Eddie's pretend wife; his mama's hamburger that's "better than McDonald's"; and his reenactment of a fight that happened in a club. His funniest jokes, however, revolve around how the audience members' reactions might be: for example, when he suggests that women would rather be alone with her man instead of seeing this show, a woman would say, "That's true! [Eddie's] funny, but he ain't that funny!"

I knocked off a half-a-star because the bit about his drunk father, first introduced in "Delirious", ran too long. But that doesn't make "Raw" any less of a classic. If you've been living under a rock up until now, see this film today.

Eddie Murphay At His Best
This is one the all time greatest Stand up performances ever. The Title "Raw" says it all. This is Eddie Murphy at his best, raw and uncut. From his jokes about TV shows and its characters to childhood, cheating, divorce, Italians, and his belligerant father, you'll be laughing from start to finish. Its been 17 years and I still enjoy it as much as the first time I saw it. I could go on for days about this film, but it's far better than words can describe. Seeing is definately believing. From the Richard Pryors and Red Foxxes to The Chris Rock's, Bernie Mac's and Dave Chapelle's ... "Eddie Murphy Raw" is the undisputed King of Comedy!!!

he gets away with it!!!!
This has got to be the most unbearably crude, politically incorrect comedy routine ever - and he pulls it off, with real style!!! OK, it is somewhat dated, coming from the 80s, but this man has got to be one of the funniest comedians since Bill Cosby. They are both geniuses. But Murphy takes being black head on (head first?), as well as men-women, gays, you name. If you can stop laughing, there is something to offend EVERYONE. He is also a first rate actor/impersonator. Best I've seen in a long time = I am getting ready to return to the states, and this is the PERFECT preparation in the age of Bush II.

PAINFULLY FUNNY!!!!!
THIS IS ONE OF EDDIE'S BEST STAND UP MOVIES EVER I LOVE THIS I LOVE THE WHOLE VIDEO I LOVE IT. I LOVE EDDIE HE IS SO FUNNY IN THIS MOVIE HE WILL HAVE YOU CRYING HE IS SO FUNNY. EVERY SINGLE JOKE HE TELLS IN THIS MOVIE IS VERY FUNNY AND I LOVE IT THEREFORE, IF YOU ARE A FAN OF EDDIE MURPHY THEN YOU WOULD DEFINITELY ENJOY THIS MOVIE!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Man from uncle are great
The first one is a little more wild than i like but the second on is the best I have seen.They are great guys I like it that the good guys always win at the end.

George Sanders steals Vol 2 in great dichotomous style
Why 5 stars you may ask? This volume really shows us the dichotomy that existed between the First and Second Seasons of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." television series. "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." was a great extension of the James Bond cinematic phenomena created in the 60s. "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" and the follow-up "The Yukon Affair" couldn't be more different in tone. But that's what made this series so dynamic. George Sanders steals both episodes.

An UNCLE classic
The first show on this video is the sparkling Gazebo in the Maze affair, featuring the talented George Sanders as Squire G. Emory Partridge. This one is a classic example of how good this show was to begin with. The dialogue is crisp, and not to be missed are Jeanette Nolan's wacky Edith Partridge and Leo G. Carroll in biking attire! Written by Dean Hargrove, who should've done more episodes, this one has the kind of dialogue in it that made the show so popular. Illya is kidnapped by the Squire, who has a grudge against UNCLE, and it's Napoleon to the rescue (well, sort of, since he promptly gets captured as well). The classic line from this one is when they are escaping through the maze, while being chased by a gamekeeper and a very large, nasty looking wolf. When the gamekeeper accidentally is attacked by the wolf, Illya murmurs, "bon appetit!" Definitely a keeper!

The second title brings back the squire, minus his wife, for a less clever episode. It's okay, but it definitely lacks the sparkle of the first. However, Illya manages to kiss the cute little Eskimo, and both agents wind up in the hospital. Not as clever or as imaginative as the Gazebo affair, but not as silly as some of the third season episodes, either.

Gazebo in the Maze and Yukon Affair
Though "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" and "The Yukon Affair" are something like a two part episode, "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" appeared in UNCLE's first season while "The Yukon Affair" appeared in UNCLE's second season. If you read on you'll find out why I'm only giving this volume only 3 stars.

Episode 27 "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair": A long time ago, Napoleon and Illya stopped the plan of Squire G. Emory Partridge (George Sanders) to control a small country in South America. Now he wants revenge. He kidnaps Illya and lures Napoleon to his manor in Eastsnout. He captures Napoleon and wants to have Napoleon and Illya convince Mr. Waverly come to Eastsnout to try to bring UNCLE down. They refuse though and Partridge, together with his wife Edith (Jeanette Nolan), torture Napoleon and Illya. Peggy Durance (Bonnie Franklin) helps them escape fortunately. The only thing is, the dungeon is right in the center of a maze in which it is filled with all sorts of deadly traps.* Great episode with a great plot. In the second season of UNCLE, they made it so Partridge returned again, in The Yukon Affair. I definitely prefer this first one with Partridge though. The part when Napoleon, Illya, and Peggy are trying to get out of the maze is really exciting, especially with Partridge, his henchman, and a wolf looking for them.

Episode 43 "The Yukon Affair": Sqire G. Emory Partridge (George Sanders) has returned and has acquired in Alaska a large quantity of Quadrillenium X, a very heavy metal with high magnetic powers which THRUSH wants. Napoleon and Illya are sent there to try to stop him but are immediately captured by Eskimos, but are saved by the chief's daughter Murphy (Tianne Gabrielle). Partridge and his niece Victoria (Marion Thompson) again capture them though. Will Napoleon and Illya be able to escape and find the cache of Quadrillenium X? * Weak and stupid plot, not very high up in my list of favorite UNCLE episodes. The scene in the beginning where Illya and Napoleon are in UNCLE headquarters is the best part of the whole episode, the rest is just too silly.

George Sanders returns twice as G. Emory Partridge
Volume 2 in the "Man from U.N.C.L.E." video collection features George Sanders as that most urbane bad guy, G. Emory Partridge in a pair of episodes from 1965. First up is "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" (Episode #27: April 5, 1965), where it turns out that Partridge has not really been dead these seven years since last the boys saw him. Partridge kidnaps Kuryakin as a trap for Solo, with the aid of his strange but deadly wife, marvelously played by Jeanette Nolan. Dean Hargrove and Antony Ellis wrote the script for this above average episode, based on a story by Ellis, while Alf Kjellin was the director. Partridge returns in "The Yukon Affair" (Episode 43: December 24, 1965), although I am sad to report Mrs. Partridge does not make an appearance this time around. Like most sequels it is somewhat disappointing, especially since Sanders and Nolan were such an interesting tag team. Anyhow, Partridge tries to kill Solo with a big rock and then Waverly sends the boys off to the Yukon to track him down. While this certainly gives a whole new meaning to the idea of the Cold War, this is an okay episode that is just not as good as "Gazebo." In both of them the cheif charm is the way Sanders proceeds to do his evil deeds with such charm and grace. Marc Siegel wrote the "Yukon" episode, which was also directed by Kjellin. ... Read more

Amazon.com

New Zealand filmmaker Lee Tamahori (The Edge) directed this brutal but powerful story drawn from the culture of poverty and alienation enveloping contemporary Maori life. Rena Owen plays the beleaguered mother of two boys--one of whom is already in prison while the other contemplates membership in a gang--and a daughter whose potential is being smothered at home. Temuera Morrison gives an outstanding and sometimes shocking performance as the violent head of the household, more adept at keeping up his social stature within his community of friends than holding down a job. The film pulls no punches, literally and figuratively, but despite the rough going, Tamahori gives us a rare and important insight into a disenfranchised people digging down deep to find their pride. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (99)

The Clashing of Cultures Brings Ruin
ONCE WERE WARRIORS is a gem of a movie that received little play in the United States. And that is a shame since this film is one of the most brutal and unforgettable exposes of the disintegration of a native culture after debilitating contact with a colonially suffocating one. Director Lee Tomahori presents a poverty-stricken subculture of the Maori tribe in New Zealand, one in which the dissolution of the formerly strong tribal bonds and rituals becomes increasingly evident in each scene. Part of the appeal of this movie is that the theme of cultural sabotage is often repeated in many cultures--and not just in third world cultures that accept Burger King rather than their own gods as a worthy pantheon.

Temuera Morrison is Jake, a brute of a husband who finds that his place in society has been undercut by a Western civilization that seems bent on putting Guess jeans on all the natives. Jake finds it difficult to hold a job so he spends his days drinking in pubs with his mates. He brawls, he drinks, he abuses his long suffering wife Beth (Rena Owen) whenever his self-esteem dips below a critical level. Beth tries hard to maintain some semblance of normalcy, but with one son in prison, another seeking to join a gang, and a teenage daughter trying to face the issues of her own burgeoning sexuality in a male-dominant society, she finds this job impossible. She loves Jake, but she hates what he has become, and there is no easy solution.

Nearly all the major characters are blighted in some way by their inability to adjust to their newer and low-class status in a Western culture than relegates their own to disrepute. Much of the film is filled with the raw violence of bar room brawls, ugly scenes of domestic abuse, and rape. All of this violence serves to underscore the need of a disenfranchised people to look within themselves to find the pride and respect that once marked them as warriors. Most fail, but the few who do not suggest that the recovery of basic human decency transcends cultures and borders so that any who see this marvelous movie can take heart that brutes like Jake are dinosaurs, eventually to be replaced by adaptable survivors like Beth. The closing scene of Beth's son,now fully engaged in his gang's ritualistic dance of discipline, punctuates this most basic of human desires.

Superb acting and a point well made
It isn't hard to see why this movie garnered so many kudos after its release. The acting is superb. (Note: Temeura Morrison later stated that he was "scarred" for quite a while emotionally and mentally after playing Jake.) The unexcelled acting in AND the directing of this film, in this viewer's opinion, show the exact nature of family violence more clearly than other presentation in any media ever has. At first I was unwilling to see another film dealing with the subject, especially since I the results of domestic violence almost daily on my job. Now I say that if you watch only one film on the matter in your life, make it this one. For an American viewer, the fact that all the action takes place in Auckland, New Zealand helps give the distance needed for an honest perspective on the theme. Then the highly skilled actors (may we see more of all of them!)play the story out as it happens to thousands of families all over the world, totally stripping domestic violence of any excuse to be. By the heart-rending and horrific end of the movie there can be no doubt in anyone's mind that neither substance abuse, cultural conditioning, disenfranchised cultures, poverty nor a host of other things often invoked as "reasons" justify turning one's household into a war zone. Most family violence perpetrators are not hardcore psychopaths; they are "Jakes", and they have no excuse for what they do to their families. A beautiful film that makes its point without resulting to melodrama and sensationalism. It's a credit to all involved with the production that we look in on the lives of one family in crisis and realize, knowing that this scene is repeated thousands of time daily worldwide, the ultimate devastation brought about by "routine" family violence. A brilliant presentation. A "must see."

Film Of The Century!
Without discussing the content of this film, suffice it to say that the acting is absolutely phenomenal! The male and female leads are enormously talented!It's real ,it's raw, and I think that is the best example of acting that I have ever seen

Just sucks you in...
... and won't let you go. Really amazing story with people you really care for.

The best film of 1994
ONCE WERE WARRIORS is one of the most powerful films I have ever seen. Released at a time when NZ films weren't widely accepted, yet when audiences saw it ... they changed their minds. This was the most talked about film in Australia in 1994. It's one of those rare movies that made me cry.

Incredible performances from both male and female leads which contribute to the powerfulness of this film. The sequel from 1998 called "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" is worth seeing, but not a patch on ONCE WERE WARRIORS.

Buy it, rent it, or whatever ... just get yourself a copy. You must have this DVD in your collection. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Based on an improbable but true story, Cool Runnings concerns the Jamaican bobsled team that competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Director Jon Turteltaub (Phenomenon) does a fine job with both the absurdity of the situation (the athletes had never even seen snow) and the passion behind it (their desire to compete and win). John Candy, in one of his last roles, is touching as a disgraced coach who seizes the opportunity to work with the Jamaicans as a chance for redemption. The bobsled scenes look good, and the races are exciting. The climax, which is entirely unexpected, takes the film to a wholly different level, even if events in the story don't quite match the facts. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Cool Runnings warms the heart
I remember seeing this movie in the theatre when it first came out. It's the heart-warming true story behind the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team. After jumping through numerous hoops such as racial discrimination, a coach with a shady past, and a rickety bobsled, they land themselves a bobsledding spot in the Winter Olympics, something Jamaica never had before.
John Candy gives a stellar performance, unfortunately it was one of his last. At times he's comical, while others, more dramatic. He's a character easy to fall in love with. I miss him.
Overall, Cool Runnings teaches the fundamentals of determination and never letting anything come between yourself and your dreams. Even when catastrophy ended the Jamaican's third bobsled run, they still got up and carried their sled across the finish line. Even if their time didn't earn a gold medal, their heart did.

Heart- warming and inspiring...
Bobsled to a Caribbean is like a Yeti to the Sahara desert. Both simply dont exist!. And yet, 4 guys with dreams in their eyes, set out to acheive the unmaginable in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. To represent their country Jamaica in Bobsledding!.

"Cool Runnings" is based on this true story, but with a few changes that needless to say, is aimed at making the movie more dramatic. Leon(Derice Bannock)is an athlete aimed at making amends for his failure to secure a berth in the Jamaican Sprint Team. With no way out, he decides to try Bobsled, a sport no Caribbean in his right mind would even know it exists. Irv Blitzer(John Candy), a disgraced former champion Bobsledder decides to train Leon the intricacies of this "bone-shattering" sport. To compete in the event would however require 3 more bobsledders to make up the team. In comes his best friend Sanka(Doug.E.Doug), the tempermental Yul Brenner(Malik Yoba) and the reserved Junior Bevil(Rawle Lewis). What you end up with is a team of hysterical proportions, but with a heart.

"Cool Runnings" is not so much about the event as it is with the main characters. The Jamaicans are determined to compete in an event that is considered solely the domain of a few Icelandic- Nordic nations. The 4 guys are felt out of place, racialized and ridiculed at the event while the coach(Candy) is humiliated and taunted at every turn by the organizers. The crux lays in how they overcome their hardships and ultimately win the crowd, if not a medal. The movie is absolutely hilarious considering the Jamaicans have never seen snow in real life. The initial training on their island is itself worth every penny you paid to watch this movie. However the movie's main strength is in its moral message. "Believe". The movie is based entirely on this one word.

Leon is superb in his role as the leader who never gives up. John Candy is without doubt an actor with a heart of gold. Every movie he has been involved in, he brings in that 'human element' into picture. He is perfect as the flawed but determined coach. The find of the movie however, is Rawle Lewis as Junior Beville. He has the best dialogues and behind that meek physique ,stands a truly compassionate and competitive character. Sanka is the funny bone whose expressions are enough to spill your guts out while Yul Brenner is a tough but protective fellow who eventually warms up to the team and gets transformed at the end of the event. Ultimately it is the will and the confidence they derive from each other at every turn of the event that makes this movie so heart-warming.

The movie has a nice flow to it and the music is catchy. Jon Tutletaub(Director) puts everyting in the right place and the direction is straight forward but slick. Though some parts of the movie are fictionalized, it is forgivable since the main theme isn't lost. Infact it actually enhances it. I must say that movies like this generally tend to have a predictable ending. You'll know you'll have a happy one at that. But watch Cool Running's final few scenes and the phrase 'finish the race' will take a whole new meaning to you. The ending is inspiring..surprising..simply magnificent. Go watch it.

Hillarious and Inspirational
Everytime I watch Cool Runnings, I still feel the magic and excitement of the first time I watched it. This movie is exceptional. Everything about it works.
The acting is powerful, the story is both exciting and moving, the comedy is fresh and enjoyable, and the soundtrack is perfectly suited to support the mood of the movie.
Cool Runnings is a perfect family film. People of all ages will be drawn to it and enjoy cheering for the Jamaican Bobsled team. There is some mild use of profanity, but it can be overlooked in favor of the moving story, and the morals that children will pick up along with it. Cool Runnings shows the value of pride, tolerance, and persistance.
Throughout the course of the movie we see the team prove to the world through their persistance that they are just as good as any other team, regardless of where they come from. They learn to become a team, learn to take pride in their culture, and do a lot of self discovery.
This movie is one of the few that is sure to touch you and to uplift your spirit.

Teenagers dig this movie!
Catchy music, funny crashes, bar fight, a sledder who pees in the sled because he's so scared, calling each other names like Sanka and Yul Brynner....all make for a great laugh in the eyes of a teenager. I've shown this movie to dozens of teens and it never disappoints. The fact is that it's a true story of people chasing their dream, and it has a perfect blend of silly with poignant and great pace to keep adults and young adults alike INTERESTED and entertained the entire time. Also, it follows real life at the end and doesn't have a bunch of no-name Jamaicans taking the gold at the Olympics....teens expect a Disney ending like that and appreciate seeing, instead, the truth. However, ANYONE who watches it finds themselves rooting for these no-name Jamaicans and kind of wishing they would medal even though, realistically, they have no chance. BUY IT and watch it and show it to others...its timeless themes never go out of date.

One of the Best Movies I've Seen
"Cool Runnings" is one of the best movies I have seen.
The story line, John Candy and the Jamaican Bobsledders,
the switch from warm Jamaica to cold Calgary all make for a
warm and funny movie. I'm going to take the advice of another
reviewer and watch it now to revive the "feel-good" feeling
of the entire movie. A classic to buy and keep. A true
comedy. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Entertaining Golf the Comic Italian Way
This is more of classic Martin & Lewis! They play off each other so well. Here the goofy caddie (read Lewis) becomes the star golfer.

Songs are good, with That's Amore the headliner. Never realized that this song came from this movie.

Lighthearted stuff that is so pleasing a contrast to today's shocking, revolting plots. Very entertaining for the family.

Buy this one!
Really enjoyed Dean Martin's singing! Their acting was more believable in this movie. The 2 comedians looked like they really had fun on this film.