Reviews (10)

A pleasant change of pace for Elvis
The Trouble With Girls was a pleasant change of pace for Elvis, who had long grown weary of the typical formula flicks, regardless of how well they did at the box office.

The light comedy had a good story to it, and the 1927 setting was great. Elvis is the manager of the traveling Chautauqua, and he blends in well with the rest of the performers, highlighted by Vincent Price, Dabney Coleman and John Carradine.

It was nice to see the movie not centered totally around Elvis' singing, although his rendition of "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" was really motivating. "Clean up Your Own Back Yard" was a great song as well, especially when compared to some stinkers he had done in recent movies.

I read where they were originally going to call the movie "The Chautauqua." They should have done so. I agree with another reviewer who said "The Trouble With Girls," is a deceiving title, making people think it's an "Elvis" movie. This has indeed made it one of his more forgotten and underappreciated efforts. Elvis was in the best physical shape of his life, having come off of the filming of his comeback special, he obviously enjoyed making a different type of movie, and he put more effort into it knowing that his comeback to the stage was just over the horizon once he finished filming "Change of Habit."

And we even see Elvis smoking a cigar. To my knowledge, that is the only time Elvis was seen smoking on screen. Definitely a change from his squeaky clean image from the "Blue Hawaii" days.

See this movie. It won't win any awards, but it lets Elvis fans see him in a different light as his movie career came to an end.

A snooze, but a change of pace for Presley
The second film in which Elvis plays a character named Walter (the first was "Kid Galahad", "The Trouble With Girls" is a snooze, but a worthy addition to the King's filmography if only because it represents a complete change of pace from most of his other 1960's vehicles. Set in the 1920s, he's the manager of a travelling tent show rocked by assorted scandals, and he's surrounded by a cast of solid professionals (Vincent Price appears in a cameo). Slim, relaxed, and impeccably dressed

in a white suit, Elvis looks better here than he has in a decade, and it's no wonder. By the time this film entered production, the TV special that would represent his return from the ashes of low-budget Hollywood pap, was already in the can, and he had only one more movie to go ("Change of Habit") before bidding adieu to the film capital that saw him as nothing more than bait to reel in an often undiscriminating teenaged audience.

Glad to see it on DVD!!
This is a great Elvis movie set in the roaring 1920's.I'm glad to see that it will finally be released on DVD along with his other great movies!!

Great Elvis Movie!!
This is a great Elvis Presley movie set in the roaring 1920's.It's a must see especially for the Elvis fan!!Look for it on dvd soon!!

The Trouble With "The Trouble With Girls"
The title of this movie is very misleading, as it is NOT another typical Elvis comedy with lots of young girls. The movie takes place in 1927, when traveling tent shows know as "Chautauquas" crisscrossed America. Chautauquas were a combination of carnivals and religious revival meetings. Similarly, this movie combines elements of lighthearted musical comedy with dramatic action, in an effort to create a non-formula film for Elvis. By trying to be a dramatic comedy, the movie generally fails to be entertaining. Elvis Presley plays the manager of the Chautaqua, but he is too laid back to be an effective boss. Marilyn Mason is his assistant and love interest. She continually nags him about following union rules, and they have little chemistry together on screen. As for the music, the only noteworthy song is Elvis Presley's emotional performance of the gospel standard, "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A major (and minor) Esther Williams vehicle.
This film is a kind of dual enigma because, while it is a properly light-hearted musical (they all were, but with varying degrees of success), it also boasts a great many oddities- starting with the strange title (exactly what in the film is "for keeps?"). Esther Williams plays a properly likable, properly beautiful, aquacade star whose relationship with Jimmy Durante (a legend whom I've always enjoyed) should've been that of a father and daughter, but instead is something a tad stranger. Thankfully, this isn't ignored in the film, as her actual love interest (Johnnie Johnston), whom Durante relentlessly 'protects' from Williams, challenges his interference in the film's 11th hour. (While Durante seems to have a bothered conscience about this, it is never confirmed or denied.) Another annoyance, as someone memtioned earlier, is the blowhard opera tenor (Lauritz Melchior) playing Johnston's meddlesome father. After getting past all this stickiness, the film's highlights, which are its musical portions (especially the Cugat numbers and the striptease and swim of "Ten Percent Off"), can finally be enjoyed.

a great film!
This is an Esther Williams film, not heard aboutt or shown as often. It's really good, and well worth watching. It's one of her best. It has really nice swin scenes clothes and a pretty good storyline.

good movie
i liked this time for keeps it was a good movie i read her book
and it had some infomation in it that help me enjoyed the movie more. like in one part were it was filmed in mich there a place
in upper mich i would not mind go seeing you haved to take a boat
to get there it look like some good fishing up there.

Prime Durante
If you're a fan of Jimmy Durante or of the Grand Hotel in Mackinack Island this is a film you'll love. Durante plays the manager/protector of Esther Williams and he's in prime form. Esther's OK too if you like that sort of thing.

Esther nearly drowns
This film has the elements of an entertaining film, but fails largely due to the operatic sequences with Lauritz Melchior. He completely spoiled Esther's THRILL OF A ROMANCE (1945) and only Jimmy Durante keeps him from drowning this one, too. I don't mind operatic singing, but it just doesn't belong in a lightweight film like this. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Once upon a time, in the 1980s and early 1990s, American independent movies did not seek to merely ape Hollywood formulas. They were more than just feature-length resumes for shrewd, enterprising filmmakers who had nothing to say, but dreamed of saying it with a big-studio budget. Back then, independent films provided a different kind of movie experience; they challenged and provoked audiences--and none more so than 1991's The Rapture, written and directed by Michael Tolkin, the man who wrote the screenplay for The Player, Robert Altman's scathing anti-Hollywood comedy. Mimi Rogers plays Sharon, a lost soul who gives up her hedonistic life of sex and drugs when she finds God and becomes a fundamentalist Christian fanatic. Her pilgrim's progress, presented in a deadpan, nonjudgmental style, culminates quite literally in the title event--the Second Coming, the Apocalypse, the end of the world, or whatever you want to call it. Rogers's fearless performance becomes all the more provocative when you recall that the actress is a lifelong member of the Church of Scientology. The Rapture is a mind-boggling, wildly ambitious movie that's open to myriad interpretations. But no matter what you make of it, it's sure to leave you engaged and shaken. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (52)

A hybrid genre classic
This truly is Mimi Rogers' best performance, and a thankful stepping stone for David Duchovny, if he turned this one down he might have never got chance to get that X Files role that he was born to play.
The Rapture is basically an experimental hybrid genre classic, it focuses on a womans spiritual and sexual awakening, first she is promiscous then she discovers the bible.
Being a devoted David Duchovny fan this is a film that never leaves my memory because of its total sincerity to the charachter and its haunting soundtrack, critics who watched it once should be invited to watch it again second time around and catch the bits that they missed, its a little gem from To Kill A Mocking bird Dierctor 'Micheal Tolkin'.
Be pleased if you own it on tape as its one for your alternate collection.

"10" Commandments or "X" Files?
With the benefit of hindsight, this is one of the most compelling (albeit oddball)"millennium paranoia" films of the 1990's. Mimi Rogers' Mona Lisa demeanor is perfectly cast portraying a woman who lives by the "If it feels good, do it" philiosophy, yet agonizes over her spiritual emptiness. While that is not an original idea for a movie protaganist,("Looking For Mr. Goodbar", anyone?)what ensues following her "conversion" has little or no precedence in film history.It is nearly impossible to discuss this aspect without turning it into a "spoiler". Suffice it to say that, if you're famililar with the "controversial" ending to 1999's "Magnolia", the final scenes in "Rapture" appear to have the same polarizing effect on viewers. At turns disturbing, thought-provoking,ambitiously Kubrickian, even maddening,but never boring. Not recommended for "popcorn movie" fans!

Why is this movie not on DVD?
One of the most powerful movies I have ever seen and to think Mimi Rogers didn't become a Big Star after this. She didnt even get a nomination but that tells you a lot about the Academy. Her performance outweighs anything Julia Roberts or Gweneth Paltrow has ever done.
This movie is not just about religion but being lost in a world that's not always kind.
Check it out.

Not an angry review with many spelling errors
Good to see that this film is still the subject of so much bitter debate, a decade and more after it appeared. Let me engage in some contradictions to say that this is a totally entertaining and totally disturbing movie to watch. You can look at it from several angles, but the doctrinally pure "rapture-believin'" Christian angle is probably not one of them. At very least it addresses the enduring problem of spiritual emptiness and the lure of "easy answer" end-times beliefs. As our world becomes more unhinged and uncertain the visibility of these societal phenomena only increases. Best of all we get to see David Duchovny before he fell in with a bad UFO crowd.

There is a limit of five stars, so that is all.
This is a low budget movie, and still it is a phenomenal.
It is a great story, an important messagge, and an incredible and unexpectedly fast-paced movie.
I would rent it for sure, I bought it, and I wish they will do it in DVD, if they do I will buy it for sure. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Description

Get set for more action, more vampires and more Wesley Snipes in this second monster-hit installment in the Blade franchise. ... Read more

Reviews (314)

Arguably the Best Action Movie of 2002
Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson return to battle the undead in what will probably be the best action movie of 2002. With a whole slew of fight scenes, great costumes, great weapons, great scenes, and great soundtrack music, Blade II rocks.

Blade (Snipes) is enlisted by the Vampires to help destroy a genetic nightmare-being called the Reapers, which even have the Vampires themselves on the run. Assisting Blade is a re-juvinated Whistler (Kristofferson) and the Bloodpack, an elite group of Vampires trained to hunt Blade led by the lovely Leonor Varela and Ron Perlman. Blade is now the leader of the Bloodpack as they must try to defeat the Reapers.

Two hours later, you're going to have to catch your breath outside of the theater. Del Toro's direction is incredible, as you are right in the thick of the action. All the stops are pulled out for this sequel. However, the only drawback is the lack of a solid plot, but you pretty much forget about that after you get taken in my all the action sequences. The computer effects are equally dazzling, and adds to the gore of the film (which is definately a factor).

Everything is just right in "Blade II". The film is casted well, everything is shiny and glossy with a kick-butt attitude towards it. Camera shots and frame rate are queued with perfection, and the fight scenes during the film are what makes this production top-notch. A must see and a definate buy when released.

Claret has never looked better!!
If Guillermo del Toro set out to translate the language of comics to the silver screen, than he more than achieved his goal with the visually astounding Blade II. With the exception of the two returning characters of Whistler and Blade, this 'sequel' couldn't be more removed from the original if it tried. From atmosphere and colour coded lighting to whip crack pace and even more gore, Blade II is relentless in it's attempt to leave you gasping by the time the blood drenched credits roll. Foregoing any real semblance of plot (that would only slow things down after all), the film tends to feel like one long fight scene but it's all executed so impressively that the final impression left is one not unlike riding a rollercoaster. Not a bad thing and an even better thing if that's what the director set out to do. Guillermo himself is unapologetic in his honesty that he was simply intended to fashion a 'kick ...' movie that while different from Stephen Norrington's original, retains the similar style and wit that made the first so special. Acting wise, Blade is a role Wesley Snipes could probably play in his sleep so while he is predictably fantastic in bringing the character to believable life, all eyes settle on newcomer Luke Goss (he of Bros fame) and he doesn't dissapoint as the ruthless (and perhaps somewhat tragic) reaper Gerrad Nomak. From his appearance onscreen, Goss gives a captivating performance, somehow even investing a real humanity in a character that is more animalistic than human and that is testament to Goss' talents. Smartly avoiding overkill in the make up department, it's Goss' physical presence that is the most unsettling aspect of the villian. With two such formidable actors grounding the insanity that ensures in it's running run, the film is left to throw body parts up at the screen haphazardly. That it is crafted all so professionally allows you to simply be whisked away for the horrific ride. While not as acomplished as the first, Blade II remains startling good viewing. All action genres are pandered to, the horror fans get what they are after and when all is said and done, some might find themselves surprised how addictive the film continues to be, requesting if not demanding repeated viewings. A great horror and action film that deserves more of an accolade than simply 'sequel' and more a title in it's own right.

BEST MOVIE EVER
After the first installment in the Blade series, I was really looking forward to the sequel - and I wasn't dissapointed. This far surpasses Blade and just hightens the suspense for Blade: Trinity (out Dec 10). Wesley Snipes is his usual great self in a fast-paced, suspense action movie. Kris Kristofferson is brilliant as Whistler once again (as are the rest of the cast). If you liked the first then you will definetly like this - and hopefully like me you cant wait for Blade: Trinity !

Blade I Retains M. Wolfman Touch....
....Blade II does not.

What's the Marv Wolfman Touch you may ask. Wolfman and Gene Colan of course was the original Marvel comics team which created Blade from a subplot in their most popular horror comic Tomb of Dracula in the 1970s. Those dudes pretty much knew they were creating comic books stories and never, never took themselves 100% too seriously.

Blade II loses the light touch--as much as fables of vampirous goings on could indeed have a light touch--and goes for the jugular, pun intended. I found myself wishing for one of those campy, talky Vincent Price death scenes since most of the creatures here explode in a special effects blast into dust and immediately into oblivion type of thing when killed. The crew of offending vampires creepily open the flesh on their cheek, jaws and upper neck to--bite yer neck and suck yer blaad! Yeesh! And Snipes smiles sadistiaclly thru-out the entire thing. It was a chore to look at it 'cuz it is busy, so many of those vamp things disintergate and no one is having that much fun. I'll watch a video featuring Sesame Street's Count any day insteada this mess.

Pulse-Pounding!!!!
When the world is threatned by a new and deadlier breed of super vampire the legendary Blade and his mentor Whistler must join forces with the Bloodpack, an elite team of vampire warriors made up of his sworn enemies. In order to stop the carnage these ravenous fiends must be destroyed at all costs. In this high-voltage adventure, exploding with spectular effects and martial arts action. The electrifying Snipes reprises his role from the original cult classic Blade. I thought this was a hell of alot better than the original. I thought the sequel had a better plot, great acting, excellent fight scenes, and nonstop action. If you liked the original, you'll love the sequel. I loved the sequel, alot more than I liked the original. ENJOY!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (339)

A true masterpiece! A 5 star winner and a true classic!
The Wizard of Oz has got to be one of the greatest movies in classical and musical cinema history. For sixty years this movie has been the perfect choice for childeren and adults to watch and enjoy. The story is about Dorthy Gale who lives in Kansas with her aunt and uncle. When Dorthy decides to run away from home because of her feelings being empty a tornado hits and she and her house are taken to another world, the Land of Oz. A place where she finds friends like she never imagined like Glinda the good witch of the north, the beautiful witch who gives her the rubey slippers which posses power like any unknown. The scarecrow, a friendly man of clothing and straw who wants a brian, the tin woodsman, a sweet man made of tin who wants a heart, the lion, a kind and cowardly forest animal who wants courage and the wicked witch of the west, a evil witch who wants the rubey slippers and revenge on Dorthy for accidently killing her sister, the wicked witch of the east. As Dorthy and her friends follow the yellow brick to the emerald city, the place where the great and powerful and mysterious Wizard of Oz lives the magic of this film can tell the rest.

A true masterpiece! Excellent polt, characters, music and more. It holds an emotional presents that will touch everyone's heart and wish they were in the Land of Oz! See it and live through the magic of this timeless classical film of wonders.

An OZ-some DVD Experience
Like most baby boomers, I've watched this film dozens of times in the past on broadcast TV, then VHS tape, then LaserDisc ... but I had never actually SEEN "The Wizard of Oz" until this newly restored DVD came out. It's an amazing transfer. The sepia-tone Kansas sequences are startlingly sharp and clear, and the Technicolored world "Over the Rainbow" is truly dazzling. I found myself fascinated by details I had never noticed before: the glittering corn stalks in the Scarecrow's field; the mirror-like floors of the Emerald City; the polished buttons on the guardsmen's uniforms. Incredibly, even the individual grains of red sand in the Witch's hourglass stood out and glistened! All these minor-but-sumptuous visual details served to heighten the magical spell that the film has always woven, enhancing the performances, the story, and the music.

The DVD extras are a mind-boggling embarrassment of riches. The "Making Of" documentary hosted by the incomparable Angela Lansbury is worth the price of the DVD alone, but there's so much more: an international poster gallery, interviews with cast members, deleted scenes, production stills, radio clips, etc, etc. There's enough material to keep even the most casual viewer fascinated for hours, and a true Oz buff will be occupied for days!

If you only bought a DVD player to watch this one disc, it would well be worth the expense. Treat yourself, and fall in love with this classic film again ... for the first time.

The Wonderful Movie of Oz
I have been enchanted as I now watch the movie as an adult. It is not just a story about a girl from Kansas trying to get back home - actually, that was added into the movie: "There's no place like home" wasn't in the book even. I think it was a story of things that we want, and that we imagine these things may be granted by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The scarecrow wants a brain, the tinman a heart, and the lion courage. On their journey off to see the wizard, they encounter the wicked witch of the west - who is determined to get the ruby slippers off of Dorothy's feet. Now, the thing I am puzzled by is at the beginning, Glinda is the one who reminds the wicked witch about the shoes. Then she is the one who places them on Dorothy's feet: "There they are and there they'll stay." Had she not had the shoes, her journey to the wizard would not have been so troublesome. Not to mention that the "good witch" sent Dorothy on a journey to a phony wizard. I wonder now if there was some kind of irony in that - since she was also the one who in the end tells Dorothy that all she has to do is click her heels together and say "there 's no place like home." While the movie is totally a classic I love and will watch over and over again, I am wondering about the book: Were the "ruby slippers" (which were silver in the novel) as magical - and - if there was no "no place like home" in the novel then I am wondering how Dorothy got back to Kansas. I think that because each time I watch this film I realize something new, it will always remain one of my favorite movies ever.

The Wizard of Oz is wonderful
The classic film! The Wizard of Oz is wonderful. Judy Garland's breakthrough performance. Beautiful.

Growing Up, Growing On
I knew every line of this as a kid. I loved the books. I even loved the sequel that everyone else hated because I love OZ. I tried to be "over" this movie for a long time as an adult. But every time I see it I re-remember why I couldn't get enough before. The quintessential fairy tale. All kids and all adults should watch it again to remind them that a movie can work without sex, violence or graphic anything really. It's scary -- touching -- and completely engrossing -- more so each year I grow older. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

The Wonder Years is the best T.V. show ever created!
Wow! This tape would make an excellent gift for all Wonder Years fans! In the first episode, sweet 12-year-old Kevin Arnold is trying to find a present for his girlfriend Winnie and at the same time, the whole Arnold household is hoping Jack, the father will buy them a color t.v. for Christmas. In the end, Kevin learns that Christmas is more than presents and is about the memories and special moments in life. In the second episode, Kevin is older (sixteen-years-old) and is trying to find the perfect present for Winnie again. After the family, suffers a financial blow because Jack's partner decides to not invest in the furniture company, the holiday spirit is again being tested. I enjoyed the tapes so much and I watch them over and over. Definately a good tape.

Poor Tape Quality
The story was excellent, but the tape quality was awful. It looked like somebody taped it at home off their VCR. I was beginning to think it was bootlegged.

The Most Touching and Heartwarming Show I have ever seen
When I first saw an episode of the Wonder Years, I didn't connect with it much. I thought it was a show for kids, one that didn't have much bearing on me. As I watched it more, especially on Nick at Nite when there was nothing else on, I began to realize that this show was unique. Not only did it appeal to younger audiences with its light-hearted humor, but that it even appealed to middle to late teenagers like me, with its displays of Kevin's relationships, his feelings, and his growth as a person. This show deals with practically every difficulty that adolescents must face, from strange parents to changing friends. It is rare that a show has actually been able to reach out and touch my heart, but it seems that this show is able to do it whenever I watch it. My only wish was that they had the entire series available, so that I could watch it from start to finish.

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the wonderful wonder years
I have enjoyed watching The Wonder Years from a toddler to a teen and tears still roll down my cheeks when i see the reality of the pain in the world that this program shows. Through Kevin's eyes I have seen the Vietnam War. I have felt love, rejection, acceptance, care, compassion and loss. The Wonder Years is the truth of the world then and now. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Martin and Lewis part with their greatest film.
'Hollywood Or Bust', along with 'Artists And Models', is the finest Martin and Lewis vehicle - both were directed by genius Frank Tashlin, a former cartoonist who brought a comic-strip sensibility to his movies. 'Bust' is best seen as a glorious live-action cartoon, all bright painted colours (especially red and green) and exagerrated set-pieces in which extreme violence and crisis have no physical or mental effect, the characters picking themselves up, dusting off and continuing. The patterning of red, especially, has a splendid pay off when a red-jacketed Jerry finds himself in a corral with a ferocious bull.

Dino is a petty gangster in serious hock to a 'bookie' - he devises a plan whereby he'll forge tickets for a Chevy raffle, which prize he'll sell to pay his debts. The real winning ticket belongs to Jerry, a nerdish film buff who wants to travel to Hollywood to meet his idol, Anita Ekberg. Dino's attempts to ditch this nuisance fail, so they head West, picking up an aspiring starlet on the way, one initially hostile to Dino's pressing charms. Their adventures include having their car robbed by a gun-wielding granny; a dry-run for Anita's famous fountain-dip in 'La Dolce Vita'; and a raucous chase through the Paramount lot.

The Martin-Lewis relationship in this film is best seen as that between a father and son, the first unwilling and exasperated, but eventually humanised; the latter crazed with pubescent lust for buxom blondes, restless, disruptive, easily bored, but doggedly loyal. This division affects the treatment of their respective romantic interludes - Dino's is an adult, playful pursuit in which sexuality is clearly the issue; Jerry's is an absurd, sexless joke.

Or is it? Tashlin maight be considered the Douglas Sirk of 50s comedy, somebody who played the Hollywood game, and provided the entertainments his patrons and audiences wanted, but who smuggled in subversive ideas and critiques. Dino's romance is the stuff of conventional romantic comedy - two people, initially hostile because of misunderstanding, realise they love each other, and overcome obstacles to be together. There are sinister aspects to this plot - including a near-rape by a lake - but it follows the familiar route. It is parodically mirrored twice, however - not only by Jerry's preposterous antics, but the amorousness of his hound, Mr. Bascombe, slithering in poolside longing after Ekberg's poodle: for the first time in the film, his identifying, er, appendages, are clearly visible (deriding the censorship-appeasing euphemisms of the film). It's surely no coincidence that his long-limbed loucheness is very Dean Martin. Here is a downward-turning evolutionary process, the 'normality' of the Dino plot made to seem ridiculous and bestial. Earlier, Mr. Bascombe had figured as a restraining influence on Dino, foiling his every attempt to cheat Jerry. As the heel repents, the guardian morally declines, mocking the idea that 'conscience' could ever be embodied in a dog.

Throughout the film, Tashlin is similarly emphasising the film's lack of realism, and displaying the proceses of its construction, from the ironic use of backdrop, the ostentatious framing, the playing to the camera (with Jerry hurling a football at us), the stilted switches between narrative and musical sequences, to the 'disrobing' of Hollywood pretence in the Paramount sequence. It's no coincidence that Godard and Truffaut were huge fans of Martin and Lewis - 'Bust' is one of the great Hollywood expressions of cinephilia. It's also a road movie as ironic Western, invoking Horace Greeley and the dreams of going West, but finding it supercivilised and industrialised - hostile to dream, the frontier spirit tamed by capitalism - even the Indians have become American teenagers.

For all its flaunting Hollywood landmarks, the film is an expression of 50s crisis in the industry, acknowledging film's losing ground to TV and 'youth' culture (especially rock'n'roll). Jerry is a kind of Buster Keaton figure here, the dreamer who transforms horrible reality with his dreams, the only arena in which he can become a hero. Hollywood, according to Tashlin, can no longer afford that luxury.

Amazing Martin - Lewis in Motion
Gorgeously original slapdash comedy,suave Dean Martin and geeky Jerry Lewis team up with badass ride and great dane to cruise to Hollywood.Hilarious nostalgic fun,one of Frank Tashlin's best.

Dean and Jerry Go Bust
"Hollywood or Bust" was the last Martin and Lewis film -- and you can see that the comedy team was on its last legs. Despite Frank Tashlin's inventive direction, the film is terribly uneven. Jerry has some memorable routines, but it's evident that Dino has had enough. The chemistry is gone. Still, it remains one of duo's better efforts.

Great Dane lovers this is for you!
Overlooked for being on the cover this movie is lots of fun because of Mr. Bascombe, the Great Dane! Lovers of Great Danes are bound to be tickled by this movie by what the dog does. A favorite in our house by people and danes living here!

great look @ america in 1956
the film is a panoramic look (some will say cliched look) at america in the fifties(no warts) just good clean fun-they say dean and jerry weren't getting along, but i can't tell that from the film.....i hadn't seen it in a long time and it still looks good! ... Read more

Description

Rocking and rolling south of the border, "Fun in Acapulco" finds Elvis starring as Mike Windgren, a recently unemployed boat hand who finds work as a lifeguard and singer at a local hotel.Clashing with a rival lifeguard who resents Mike's competition of who can impress the women the most.Tempted by a lady bullfighter (Cardenas) and a beautiful temptress (Andress), Windgren must rely on his ability to croon Latin love songs including "You Can't Say No in Acapulco" and "Bossa Nova Baby" to prove his romantic prowess. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Bossa Nova Baby
Great songs and Elvis is looking wonderful! A fun movie for the whole family.

The BEST!
I am a big Elvis fan, and this movie is by far my favorite one! It has everything....catchy songs....Elvis chasing the girls....you name it!

If you are a fan and have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it!

funny entertainment
There was a valid reason for why Elvis was called the king of rock; he was on top and he reigned the entire time he was live, and now, even in death, he manages to sell more and more albums and be enjoyed by new generations.

This Elvis movie is a personal favorite of mine. The on-location filming makes it spectacular and Elvis is truly in top form in this delightful movie. You can watch it with the whole family, and, with the exception of one pretty gruesome fist fight scene, with young children as well.

Elvis sings a number of Spanish-tinged numbers and does a great performance at the El Troubadour of "Bossa Nova Baby."

The plot works well, and the story is fun if you can imagine Elvis Presley being a singer in Mexico in the early '60's.

The four Beatles acutally went to see this movie when the came over to the states early in their career.

Elvis does his own stunts in this film, but does not do the cliff diving scene. The cliff diving scene is really spectacular and really gives this film a unique dimension that many of his other films were missing due to tight budgets.

A great Elvis vehicle, you can enjoy it now, 40 years later (whewww...hard to believe it's that old now) and be transported back to a lovely time of innocence and fun.

Ursala Andress is a delight and had great on-screen chemistry with the king. I wish that she had made more appearances in Elvis movies as she was easily as good as Elvis as an actor.

Buy it for your collection so that you can watch it for years to come, and pass it along to the youngsters to let the next generation enjoy!!

Betty Jennings

Elvis and that Bossa Nova Baby beat.
"Fun In Acapulco" might look like it on-screen, but it wasn't fun in Acapulco for Elvis or Ursula Andress. Both of them were learning new languages. Ursula Andress was just learning English (reason for her voiced being dubbed in "Dr. No"), and Elvis had to learn Spanish because some of the songs he sang have Spanish lyrics. So it was hard work for them. You have to hear Elvis sing in Spanish. It's so different. Here, he plays a former circus performer who comes to Acapulco to get away from his past. He's hired as a lifeguard at a hotel, and sings for the guests at night. Being a lifeguard wasn't easy, because when he was in the circus, he was in the acrobats. On one swing he missed his partner who fell to the ground and resulted in a terrible accident. When a rival lifeguard learns about it, he challenges him to dive again since now Elvis' character is afraid of heights. He's finally able to gain back his courage, beats up the rival Alejandro Rey in a great fight scene, and climbs to the highest clif and makes the highest dive. He wins the heart of Ursula Andress, too. Great latin rhythm, latin love, and latin themed Elvis flick.

Elvis heads south of the border in Fun in Acapulco
This movie review is not written by me. This movie review is written by Elvis Presley. April Fools Day! Elvis Presley heads south of the border. And if you don't know what I mean by that. He heads down to Mexico.

Mike Windgren (Elvis Presley) was put off a circus act with his famkly until an accident happens. The act is broken up. Now Mike is Mexico, where he is fired as a boat hand.

He is fired when his boss's minor daughter accuses him of bring her to a place that his not where she suppose to be. That same night he meets Raoul Almeido (Larry Domasin). He is a child. He looks like a midget Elvis!

Raoul helps Mike find a job at a htel. He is take the place of a bad singer, when the person is sick. And his aslo a part-time lifeguard at the pool. Before he's hired he meets cliff driver and the only lifeguard Moreno (Alejandro Rey). He dives 136 feet off a cliff. You won't catch me doing that.

He aslo meets Moreno's girl named Margarita Dauphine. She is played by Ursula Address. The songs are all sung by Elvis Presely with Larry Domasin sing a song with him. The movie was directed by Richard Thrope (Jailhouse Rock). Viva Elvis! Viva Mexico! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

One great laugh out loud line........
I agree with others that pan and scan is sacrilege!! Anyway, see the movie if only to hear the hilarious use of the word "titular". You will fall on the floor laughing, I swear! Great send-up of the Madison Avenue, three-martini-lunch ad world. Enjoy!

A fifties masterpiece BUT DON'T BUY THE VHS!
A devastating satire of American culture. Could one accuse Tashlin of exploiting Jayne Mansfield's breasts for the sake of criticizing America's breast fetish? Probably, but Mansfield's performance is nothing short of fabulous. Problem: The VHS is pan and scan. This is simply unacceptable. If I were only allowed one video to be letterboxed in my collection, and accept pan and scan versions of everything else, I'd choose this one. That's right, not 2001, not anything from David Lean, not even my beloved _Manhattan_. Nope. This one loses all value in pan and scan. tape it off TCM next time around. Borrow or e-bay a laserdisc copy. e-mail Fox video and demand a DVD. Don't buy the VHS. It's not worth a penny.

Being happy is the very living end!
This satire movie skewers its first victim immediately after the 20th Century Fox logo, where Tony Randall is seen playing the drums and cello from the Fox fanfare with Cinemascope extension. After Randall briefly explains the plot of the movie, the credits continue with some satiric commercials on products that obviously don't cut the mustard.

Ever-suffering Madison Avenue TV commercial writer Rockwell Hunter is working at LaSalle, Raskin, Poole, and Crocket to save the Stayput Lipstick account. He's planning to marry Jenny, who's a secretary at the firm. He gets the inspiration of using blonde bombshell Rita Marlowe to endorse Stayput Lipstick from his teenage niece April, who's the local president of the Rita Marlowe fan club. Rita is in fact spending some time in New York to recuperate from a bad affair with jungle-man actor Bobo Branniganski, with her companion Vi in tow.

Hunter goes to Marlowe's apartment to get her endorsement. He does so, but in exchange for pretending to be her lover and making Bobo, with whom she's talking on the phone, jealous. She brazenly tells Bobo that Rockwell is the president of the firm.
His life then takes a tailspin for the better and wilder. He is mobbed by bobbysocksers in the same way the Beatles would be seven years later. However, things with Jenny becomes strained as he and Rita become an item, and it's clear that Rita genuinely falls in love with him.

There is also a half-time intermission, where Tony Randall speaks on the wonders of TV, which back then was a 21" screen with a "wonderful clean picture."

The main idea is that it's a fallacy to equate success with getting big money; if it makes you happy, do it! Therein lies the flaws of capitalism and big business. What is the big deal of gray-flanneled dreams, the ritual of getting a key to the executive washroom, and working on ideas to get the American people to buy things they don't really need? Henry Rufus, Rockwell's immediate supervisor, has the best lines. If he gets fired, he'll have no problem getting another job--he has no talent. His line "It's a miracle how you overcame your education" also implies that to work in the grey flannel jungle, a college education is the last thing needed. And best of all: "If talent had anything to do with success, then Brooks Brothers would go out of business. Movie studios would be turned into supermarkets."

Other jabs or references include Marilyn Monroe's marriage to Arthur Miller, Marilyn wanting to play Grushenka in the Brothers Karamazov, Marilyn incorporating herself, tycoon J.D. Rockefeller's passion for roses, and Elvis-"I don't have sideburns!"

All the main stars work wonders here. Jayne Mansfield, having previously starred in a Tashlin vehicle, The Girl Can't Help It, has a ball spoofing herself in the best role of her career. Joan Blondell as Vi, Rita's caustic companion, has a wonderful role when she fondly and tearfully reminisces her unrequited love affair with a milkman. One of her great lines goes: "She couldn't speak English, being from Texas." Ironically, Blondell played another character named Vi, in Grease. Henry Jones (Rufus) is more extraverted than he was as Mousey in The Girl Can't Help It. British actor John Williams as LaSalle Jr. has a few appearances but a key role. And talk about the dialogue: slick, snappy, and laugh-eliciting. There aren't many movies like this one; it does appear dated, but the main idea is timeless. Remember, being happy is the very living end!

a masterpiece, yes, but when does it come to DVD?
It's pretty simple: there are few satires like it ever. Tashlin's not subtle in his satire, like, say, Billy Wilder could be, but that's the cartoonist in him. I could say more, but my gripe is that the film remains unavailable in DVD, which would assuredly present it in its original widescreen format. The beauty of the magnificent sequence which mocks the television screen, surely worth the price of the ticket in 1957, cannot be told in a pan and scan version. I cannot reccommend the VHS (which I believe is not letterboxed). Tape it off AMC or TCM if you can, or scour the e-auctions for laserdisc copies, or demand that Fox home video get out a DVD of this thing. This film is the reason they invented DVD!

Tashlin's Shining Moment
For a guy who scaled the twin peaks of animation and feature films - a rare accomplishment in the 1950s - director/gagman Frank Tashlin has, surprisingly, few real standouts on his resume. Too often ill-served by either his material, his stars, or both at once, Tashlin's reputation rests on his cartoons (of course) and flashes of brilliance in otherwise so-so live-action movies. After all, in most civilized nations, being the director of both CINDERFELLA and THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SGT O'FARRELL constitutes a demerit if not an outright crime against humanity. Even Tashlin's better pictures, like SON OF PALEFACE and THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, tend to be mediocrities occasionally enlivened by his outlandish visual slapstick. WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? is the glorious summit of what had to have been a frustrating career, the one time he was matched with a writer (Geo Axelrod) and cast (led by Tony Randall & Jayne Mansfield) perfectly in sync with his playfully outre satiric sensibility. The end result will make you wish lightning had struck more often like this for Tashlin; ROCK HUNTER may be the most beautifully 'opened-up' stage property in film history. It's visually clever and sumptuous, engagingly witty and breathlessly paced all at the same time. Best of all, its satiric barbs (aimed equally at television and the Organization Man mindset) hit their targets consistently while never superceding the character-driven heart of the story. Randall is simply terrific here, and his wobbly tightwalk between schnook and lothario is hilarious. Add a few bonus points for the casting of the severely-underappreciated Henry Jones as Randall's fellow ad-exec, who oozes an authentic 50s boozy licentiousness & gray-flannelled desperation from his pores in every scene he steals. Jayne's at her very best to boot, doing her trademark sex-kitten squeal with one arched, knowing eyebrow, and displaying plenty of resourceful smarts in her wised-up line readings throughout. As satisfying a comedy as emerged from the American 50s. Make sure you see it widescreen, though: you won't want to miss a thing here. Tashlin's masterpiece, and his penance for Jerry Lewis and Phyllis Diller. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

With the knockout one-two punch of 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction writer-director Quentin Tarantino stunned the filmmaking world, exploding into prominence as a cinematic heavyweight contender. But Pulp Fiction was more than just the follow-up to an impressive first feature, or the winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, or a script stuffed with the sort of juicy bubblegum dialogue actors just love to chew, or the vehicle that reestablished John Travolta on the A-list, or the relatively low-budget ($8 million) independent showcase for an ultrahip mixture of established marquee names and rising stars from the indie scene (among them Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Julia Sweeney, Kathy Griffin, and Phil Lamar). It was more, even, than an unprecedented $100-million-plus hit for indie distributor Miramax. Pulp Fiction was a sensation. No, it was not the Second Coming (I actually think Reservoir Dogs is a more substantial film; and P.T. Anderson outdid Tarantino in 1997 by making his directorial debut with two even more mature and accomplished pictures, Hard Eight and Boogie Nights). But Pulp Fiction packs so much energy and invention into telling its nonchronologically interwoven short stories (all about temptation, corruption, and redemption amongst modern criminals, large and small) it leaves viewers both exhilarated and exhausted--hearts racing and knuckles white from the ride. (Oh, and the infectious, surf-guitar-based soundtrack is tastier than a Royale with Cheese.) --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (557)

Powerhouse film will enhance your DVD collection
I will admit to being a huge fan of Pulp Fiction from my first 10 minutes into the theater and getting yanked by my shirt colllar into the story and not being released until the final credit rolled. OK, so I'm biased.

BUT...it's not without well-earned bias. This movie easily qualified as an instant classic. The story is top notch, even though it comes in several different, smaller packages, Tarantino earns his directing stripes in effortlessly taking these seemingly random tales and believably weaving them all together. The acting/casting doesn't leave any stone unturned (It's Uma Thurman's best performance to date, Samuel Jackson WAS the best supporting actor winner that year, even if they didn't give him the trophy. Even Willis demonstrates some wicked acting chops in a beautifully understated performance. Christopher Walken, too, provides the most satisfying and memorable cameo!), and even the choppy editing style works.

Casual movie lovers will enjoy this as just a great film. Movie fanatics will love this DVD for the satisfying extras it provides.

Too good a DVD for you to pass up!

"Saved by a miracle of God..."
You know what, some people say that this movie sucks because it is way too hard to follow in story. I don't believe a word of that. The first time I watched the movie I wasn't a bit confused about this movie's un-cohesive plot.

This movie is reminiscent of the Pulp comics and magazines from yester-year, with it's high octane violence, graphic depiction of drugs, and of course...sex.

What I personally liked about Pulp was that characters can enter or exit the movie at anytime without much explanation. One minute you see John Travolta...next minute he is blown to bits by a M-16 machine gun. No questions asked.

Quentin definitely establishes that he knows what he doing, with unique camera angles, sparkling script, and wonderful acting...some of it done by the master himself!

I reccomend anyone watch this movie. It's completely awesome if you can handle the content.

oh yeah. "saved by a miracle of God" refers to a memorable line by Samuel L Jackson who plays a hitman that is convinced that the reason he survived near death is beacuse God's mighty hand came down and stopped the bullets. He soon quits his profession while on the other hand John Travolta stays...and we all know what happens to him! heh heh heh heh heh heh

Quentin Tarantino's best before Kill Bill
This classic by Quentin Tarantino was the first ultra-violent movie and it was fantastically well executed. An American Independent movie at its best.

The Most Fun You'll Have Watching A Movie!!
From the beginning five minutes of two people planning on holding up a diner, you know you're in for some fun. This is Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino's undisputed masterpiece. Simply put, a genius rollercoast ride from beginning to end. With a large list of stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis and Uma Thurman in some of their greatest performances to date.

The movie is broken up into three stories, all revolving around two hitmen (Jackson, Travolta), a mob boss's wife (Thurman), a boxer planing on retiring (Willis), and a mysterious breifcase, this fast paced film is probably one of the greatest action films EVER. The dialogue is what you would expect from Tarantino, with plenty of funny but memorable lines that you will remember forever.

With a die-hard cast, a chaotic but focused storyline, and an unbelievable soundtrack, including the classic "Miserlou" by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones, this film is definately Tarantino's funniest, most violent, and most fun romp to date, and one of the top ten greatest films ever! See it and you will not regret it.

awsome
this is one of the must see crime movies. very funny and never dull. great acting. not actually that hard to follow like some reviewers say. there are not that many jumps between time. the dvd is great. ... Read more

Description

Peter Weller and Judy Davis play a hip couple who open a trendy L.A. Boutique to finance a "civilized" divorce in a biting tale of our times. "The sexiest, smartest comedy this decade has produced" (Harper's Bazaar) Year: 1994 Director: Michael Tolkin Starring:Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Patrick Bauchau ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The best film ever made about LA
Ten years after its release, Steve Martin's LA Story has a cult following for its adept interpretation of vapid and decadent Los Angelinos. Though LA Story came out in 1990 and seems to lampoon the 80s, Michael Tolkin goes way beyond his collaborative work with Robert Altman(The Player) with this pitch black comedy.

The film is way ahead of its time. Hollywood has yet to examine the decadent 90s in any way. Here we have characters who are more Clinton era than American Beauty. Pretty astute, considering that the film was released in 1994!

Look for top performances from Peter Weller, Judy Davis, and great supporting work from Adam West, Sandra Seacat, and a pre-Pulp Fiction Samuel Jackson. Hopefully, some of the great camera work an slick visuals will find its way on to DVD in the near future.

maria ellingsen wasted- i got lost watching it
This film is a mess. It features a load of stars and made no sense at all. The great Icelandic actress Maria Ellingsen appears once or twice and is her exceptonal is wasted in this film. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

A brisk stroll through Yuppie hell
Michael Tolkin's "The New Age" was the most scathing movie indictment of the American dream gone Sonoma catalog since Albert Brooks' brilliant satire "Lost In America". "The New Age" re-teams the "Tracy & Hepburn" of indie film, Peter Weller and Judy Davis, who were also the wacked-out couple in "Naked Lunch". Instead of heading off in an RV to go "find themselves", Judy and Peter decide to "simplify" thier over-extended Yuppie lifestyle by chucking it all and opening up a Beverly Hills boutique. Hilarity ensues....right? Actually, the movie takes a more low-key,sometimes cruel, black comedy approach to its subjects as they proceed to go into a tandem midlife crisis. Along the way, most trendy southern California fads are lampooned, recalling the film "Serial", which savaged the Bay Area Yuppie/New Age scene in the same fashion. Good supporting performances abound; the biggest surprise is Adam "Batman" West, who is priceless as Weller's father. West plays the wryly acerbic, aging Lothario with much aplomb.(Where has he been?!) Highly recommended.

I like Michael Tolkin, okay?
This movie meant a lot more to me after I lived in Phoenix, Arizona for a year, which is as far west as I want to go for the rest of my life. It's much more interesting to observe empty, soul-less people from a safe distance. It's funny. See "The Rapture," too. Thanks. ... Read more

Reviews (101)

Heartbreaking, Soulful Science Fiction
Andrei Tarkovsky's "Solaris," offered in an absolutely stunning digital transfer from the talented folks at Criterion, is an acquired taste. It's long, incredibly slow in its pacing, and oddly moderate in tone despite its subject matter (the main character, Kris, played by Donatas Banionis, seems too restrained at times, given what he experiences). It contains some idiosyncratic, perhaps even questionable, narrative and aesthetic choices. And it balances the intellectual and the emotional very precariously; even though Tarkovsky wanted to make a film that was more humane and emotional than Kubrick's "2001" (which he found to be cold and sterile), "Solaris" is still a film about abstract ideas, making one wonder if Tarkosvky succeeded in his aims. These elements can get in the way of the film's wonder and beauty if viewers aren't deliberately open to its possibilities.

For all of its techno-scienctific and philosophical approach to its themes of love, life, memory, grief, humanity, reality, and perception, "Solaris" is, at its core, a heartbreaking, soulful mystery that renders its deepest meanings not through space travel or planetary exploration or battles between good and evil, but through a touching, mystical relationship between a grieving widower and the dream-like, tangible apparition of his dead wife. Kris Kelvin, a psychologist, travels to a Russian space station hovering above the planet Solaris to investigate trouble and determine if the station should remain operational. In the process, he gets trapped by Solaris's mystery, the ability of its conscious, sentient life force to probe his memories and consciousness. His late wife Hari (magnificently played by Natalya Bondarchuk) appears and reappears and struggles to understand who (or what) she is, while Kelvin must struggle to understand his grief, his memory, and the proper uses of science and technology.

The remarkability of "Solaris" as a cinematic experience lies not only in the intrigue of its central event, but also in Tarkosvky's subtle, respectful, and appropriate emotional touch. If it takes a seemingly lengthy amount of time before Kelvin (and we) experience Solaris and its mysteries, the methodical pace makes the emotional impact all the more significant. Hari's and Kelvin's struggles are heartbreaking, and precisely because Tarkovsky needn't spell them out; he gives them the time and space they require. In addition, Tarkovsky's visuals are perfectly attuned to his intelletcual and emotional themes. In that stunningly beautiful, dreamlike, famous brief moment when Hari and Kris experience weightlessness in the space station, the film becomes viscerally alive, and you momentarily wonder if you have ever seen anything more beautiful.

"Solaris" is demanding, no doubt, and just when it seems that you have come to understand what it means, Tarkovsky makes it more mysterious by offering an ending that will force you to rethink the entire film. It's also a unique cinematic experience, a testament to Tarkovsky's powerful artistry, and proof that the most demanding of works tend to offer the most lasting rewards.

2001 Anti-Matter...A Different Vision
Made in the Soviet Union a few years after Kubrick's 2001, Solaris is maddening, enigmatic, sometimes illogical and frustrating, but in the end an engrossing, moody, eliptical meditation on science and morality, conscience and guilt, love and indifference.

The director, Andrei Tarkovsky, had seen 2001 prior to filming Solaris, and was determined to go in a different direction from the meticulous & detailed technologic bent of Kubrick's masterpiece. Special effects here are minimal, but adequate for Tarkovsky to tell his story. His is a messy, humanistic affair, with a trashed and lived-in space station as its setting, quite the oppposite of the coldly logical, icy brilliance of Kubrick's vision. Both films are concerned with the reason and meaning of being and mankind's fate or destiny, but while Kubrick's is related with minimal dialogue, Tarkovsky's people talk and talk.

I found the Solaris dialogue at times intriguing, often ungraspable and opague, enigmatic in interesting ways, and sometimes unnecessarily enigmatic at other times. The great similarity between the two films is the fantastic visual feast both directors bring to their very different stories. Kubrick's film captures the cold emptiness and vast isolation of space, and the tremendous amount of technology required to put fragile humans in that hostile environment. Tarkovky's space station is messy, used, lived-in and familiar, i.e., a human habitat.

The two films have a couple of other things in common: in both films the most "human" character in the story is "non-human", HAL in 2001, and Hari in Solaris; and, both the central characters eventually are taken on a mind-bending journey within themselves and without to a somewhere other than the world they know.

The Tarkovsky film is a 70's film. That means long takes and tracking shots, with a slow narrative that doesn't have jump cuts and the razzle-dazzle of today's editing. It requires patience and probably more than one viewing to absorb. Even at that, it will be open to interpretation, because for all the dialogue, Tarkovsky doesn't explain a lot, and in some instances, refutes the inner logic of this own story. This won't matter to many viewers who will be content with the visual treats and the wonderful evocation of mood and mystery, and a story of the emphemeral nature of love and existence, so easily slipping from one's grasp. Others may find it too confusing and slow and lose patience.

Considering the conditions and restrictions Andrei Tarkovsky was working under , both financially and politically, his achievement here is as impressive as Kubrick's daring and innovative film. Except for a few scenes that may be oblique comments on the Soviet system, you would not know this film had arisen from under the weight of that regime. Although sometimes a bit heavy-handed, Solaris is a film about the nature and meaning of being human, and how that fits in an increasingly cold and technological world. If you aren't in a hurry, it may be worth your while. 4-1/2 stars.

Learning one's place
We find a creature who seems far more advanced than we are. Who we might like to destroy but hardly know if we can. Who can seemingly turn our minds against us. For whom we don't seem to be a priority at all. Of whom our best minds manage only feeble speculations.

I saw this movie first and only recently read Lem's story. Tarkovsky got a great start from Lem. It's difficult to compare text and movie. Tarkovsky seemed to have been reasonably faithful to the contents of the book, but added a long introduction as well as his own ending. Both works are impressive. Tarkovsky seems to linger often so a good deal of patience is a prerequisite for enjoying this film.

Now that I've read Lem's "Solaris", I'm less satisfied with Tarkovsky's "Solaris". Lem's book moved along well. Tarkovskky's added introduction (including moving up the inquiry of Burton) accomplishes little and the ending may be more explicit than is needed: hasn't Solaris already done enough to impress? On the other hand, Tarkovsky's cast is excellent (I especially enjoyed Hari and Snow) and visually the movie is a treat.

A movie of Promethean scope
Tarkvosky's "Solaris" takes on so many deep seated philosophical questions at once that by the end of the film, the casual viewer may feel overwhelmed. It is a madness trip, an intellectual exercise, a visual piece, absurdism, a dramatic catharsis and an uncomfortable probing of the human self all at once. This is not "shut off your mind" stuff. The long and short of it: three scientists visit Solaris, a planet which seems to be an alternate reality, and suffer the consequences. Chris (really the main focus of the film), a scientist, is warned repeatedly by a colleague who suffered a mental breakdown on the station about how dangerous it is, but pays no heed. One commits suicide before the unfortunate Chris arrives. Hari, his wife who committed suicide when he left her years ago, appears and despite Chris' initial attempt to blast her in the space, is seemingly there to stay. Chris is warned by both men (a ruthless scientist and a drunk) that he is being deceived, and that she is not his real wife, but Hari seems to have feelings which are genuinely human despite being an illusion. There are awful scenes in which she splits apart, re-emerges painfully back into 'life', etc. All the while Chris engages in philosophical discussions about the worthy or unworthy nature of mankind, quoting Tolstoy and, of course, Dostoevsky. Some of it is drop dead funny, perhaps without intending to be: an air of absurdity overshadows everything taking place. When the two men on the ship with him decide that itss time Chris gave up the ghost and destroy Hari, he returns home and still seems to be a million miles away. We are not sure if he is sane in the last scene, which is frighteningly reminiscent. He is in slow motion, behaving like a man high on LSD. Will he ever regain his sanity? Was a part, at least, of Hari real? When she viewed his home videos with the 'original' Hari (among the scariest sequences in the film), why did she respond as if she knew? Tarkovsky skillfully keeps us dangling from his parapet. This is a kickass, disturbing movie.

Its Strengths Far Outweigh its Weaknesses
Though it suffers from a maudlin and morbid fascination with negative emotions, Solaris is a tremendous achievement. The achievement is in the extreme physical beauty of the film itself and the challenging intelligence of the ideas raised but not always explored. At issue is nothing less than the nature of humanity. Is a human defined by its conciousness, its memories, its emotions, its senses, its history, its origin, its desire to live or some combination of all or some of those traits. Be forewarned, the film is extremely slow and deliberate & its lacks any real plot. We americans tend to like our movies with plots. It many cultures, the ideas are more important than the plots but in America the plot is generally more important than the ideas. Consequently, idea driven movies like Solaris are seen as dull and boring because there is no forward momentum. Here in America, it is considered acceptable to respond to movies like Solaris by saying, "I don't watch movies to think. If I want to think, I'll read a book." This is what happens when you raise millions of people on television and fast food. ... Read more

Description

Jacques Tati's (Mon Oncle, Mr.Hulot's Holiday) delightful look at the absurdities of modern life is a masterpiece of visual comedy and sound gags.Tati's lovable alter ego, Mr.Hulot, ventures out into modern Paris, where the charm of old Europe is buried beneath a sea of steel and plate glass office buildings. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The worst movie I've ever seen
Ok, judging from everyone else's review, a lot of people like this movie. I can't figure out why. There is absolutely nothing interesting or funny about it. There is NO PLOT whatsoever, no characters and no story. It is just 2 hours of random people crossing the screen, never to be seen again. What is possibly interesting about that?

Classic Film But Terrible Video Transfer
This is a wonderful film. Some may say it's a bit slow paced and perhaps it's not geared for the MTV generation's pace of visual stimulation. Nonetheless, patience has it's rewards for anyone who cares to take a chance. It appears that every last detail in this film was molded by the director, Tati. Unfortunately, the video transfer on this edition is so terribly soft, as though the telecine was not in focus. It's a crime that such a great film could not have been treated with greater care. One only hopes that a DVD transfer of superior quality is in the pipes.

Astonishing Masterpiece of Visual Comedy
In Playtime, Jacques Tati makes some of his sharpest commentary on urban alienation, but does it with a such a singularly light and subtle form of visual comedy that it often borders on the banal. Exquisitely so, though; this is both a broad fable and a complex film that rewards attention to its details.

An Often Neglected Masterpiece
Tati's film is very beautiful. It has a visual look that is unlike any other film. Mr. Hulot, our protagonist is surrounded by tall glass buildings and big blue skies, a very beautiful, yet disturbing avant garde image. This sticks out in my mind as Tati's greatest film, the one that made him great and broke his career. I recommend that you see it. ... Read more