Reviews (5)

Caretakers
Down on their luck Abbott & Costello manage to find jobs as caretakers for an all girl school. Because of scandals and publicity the owner of the school threatens to stop funding so the school can go under. Abbott & Costello place a wager on a basketball game between their school and the undefeated champions school hoping to win enough money to save the school. In the meantime they have some incredibly funny scenes. Including when they first arrive at their room in the school and are told to clean it up, Costello manages to find himself in a very "sticky" situation presenting itself as one of the funniest scenes in any of the Abbott & Costello classic...also not to be missed Costello recreates one of the most popular 3 Stooges scenes in which Curly wrestles with some raw Oyster soup...Costello does fairly well in his imitation. Overall this picture is one of their best...a must have for any Abbott & Costello fan.

A very funny comedy from the 40's
This may not be prime A&C but its pretty darn close. There are many classic routines here including the oyster in the soup, the Little Red riding Hood story (AKA Jonah & the Whale), and a long set piece where Lou destroys a kitchen. The film also benefits from having a great heavy: Lon Chaney Jr! This one also has more action than usual with a hilarious girls basketball game and a great and bizarre climactic chase. The best part of the show is when Lou wrestles Lon Chaney. You will laugh!

Good Not Great.
In this film, Abbott & Costello get Abbott's sister enroled in an all girls school.The guys are brought along as caretakers. The best performance is from "The Man with A Thousand Faces" Lou Chaney. Some fair gags but not their best.

ONE OF ABBOTT & COSTELLO'S BEST FILMS
Bud and Lou are at it again. In this feature they are caretakers at an all-girls college. And save it from bankruptcy with the USUAL results. The FUNNIEST highlight of the film is the climatic basketball game scene. Lou dons drag to play for his school "BIXBY COLLEGE". After getting bonked on the head by a member of the rival team, he develops amnesia, and Bud then convinces him that he's "DAISY DIMPLE"- The World's Greatest female basketball star. [Note: ALL of the trick shots in the basketball game were ACTUALLY performed by Lou Costello himself]. 5 STARS once again to Bud and Lou.

ABBOTT & COSTELLO GO TO COLLEGE
Classic 1945 Abbott & Costello comedy. Bud and Lou play caretakers at an all girls school, and turn on it's ear with zany results. BEST highlight of the film is the WILD AND ZANY basketball game sequence. Lou disguises himself as a girl to help out his Bixby College. During the game he gets bonked on the head and develops amnesia,and Bud convinces him that he's "DAISY DIMPLE", the WORLD'S GREATEST FEMALE BASKETBALL STAR. [Note: All the trick shots in the game were ACTUALLY performed by Lou Costello himself]. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Suspect is an endearingly silly suspense movie with an excellent cast. Cher stars as Washington, D.C., public defender Kathleen Riley, who is beginning to question the meaning of her career. (Before you prejudge, she's perfectly believable as a lawyer. It's the overtly Irish moniker she can't quite pull off.) A murder victim is found in the Potomac, a mute homeless man (Liam Neeson) stands accused, and Riley gets the case. Can it be that the homeless guy is innocent? Can it be that this whole thing just might go right to the top? I don't want to spoil it for you, but I think you know which way the smart money is betting. Luckily Dennis Quaid is on the scene, playing that rarest of creatures, the heroic congressional lobbyist. Suspect has a refreshingly cheerful disregard for courtroom procedure, the rules of evidence (apparently it's OK to root around crime scenes and pick stuff up), and you could fit the Capitol dome itself through some of the holes in the plot. But once you're comfortable with the fact that you're in a world where special movie laws apply, it's a very enjoyable flick. Watch it in good health and remember: if you're going to question a highly dangerous homeless man in a terrible neighborhood, for heaven's sake do it alone in the dead of night. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Stylish Courtroom Thriller Has Precision and Poise
When a deaf-mute homeless man is accused of murdering a federal worker in Washington DC, the public defender assigned to the case assumes he is guilty--until she begins to receive tips about the case from the most unlikely of sources: a member of the jury seated for the trial. Any one even remotely conversant with the law will find the story so full of loopholes that it is more than a little ridiculous, but it scarcely matters: the cast carries it off in fine style, playing the script with exceptional precision and poise and generating plenty of suspense along the way. Cher is particularly noteworth as the public defender assigned to the case. Cher? Playing a Washington D.C. attorney? It's hardly typecasting, but once more Cher demonstrates the depth of her talent: not only is she extremely effective, she is completely believable. The same might be said for both Liam Neeson, who plays the deaf-mute on trial, and Dennis Quaid, who plays the smarmy juror who begins to put two and two together; SUSPECT is clearly Cher's picture, but her co-stars are every bit as good as she.

Although it has its share of courtroom pyrotechnics and suspenseful moments, SUSPECT is a surprisingly low-key and all the more successful for it. When all is said and done we like the characters as people, believe in them, and are glad we met them. While it will never compete with the likes of Hitchcock, SUSPECT is a good, solid, and very unpretentious courtroom thriller excuted with a great deal of style. Those whose tastes run in that direction will be very pleased indeed. Recommended.

One of Cher's best!
I actually prefer this film to Witches of eastwick and Moonstruck! Great thriller that will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat. Cher plays a defense attorney for a deaf/mute & homeless Liam Neeson. Dennis Quaid is on the jury and together, he & Cher must unfold the mystery and prove her client innocent. The ending is extremely suspenseful and will leave you in disbelief. This was during Cher's peak as an actress.

Great twists! Great performances!
Dennis Quaid delivers! As does Cher and Liam! NICE plot, great premise. The viewer gets very invested in the outcome. No gore, but some nice tense moments. Nice chemistry between Cher and Quaid--a surprise there. You will enjoy it.

Above the law
In SUSPECT, Cher plays Kathleen Riley, a defense attourney for the public. When a brutal murder is commited against a Justice Department file clerk, and a homeless man who is deaf and cannot speak is accused of the crime, and Kathleen gets the case. Dennis Quaid plays dairy farm lobbyist Eddie, who is a juror who helps Kathleen with finding evidence. This part of the movie is a little hard to swallow, but the performances make up for it. It's terribly unlikely a juror would become romantically involved with a defense lawyer as well. However the movie was fine otherwise, and one of the last scenes where an unknown assailant chases Kathleen down the hallways of the court house, is quite suspenseful and thrilling. Cher is very believable in this part. Overall, a great flick to rent, very suspenseful and has a surprise twist at the end.

Cher for the defense
This one will hopefully be restocked soon for Cher die-hards who'll find this suspenseful who-dun-it a worthy view. As Washington, D.C. public defender Kathleen Riley, Cher gets appointed by the court to defend a homeless deaf-mute (Lian Neeson, in one of his first substantial roles) accused in the brutal murder of a Justice Department file clerk. Setting out with a presumed guilt for her client, Ms. Riley comes to believe in her client's innocence and sets out to prove it. On the trial jury is dairy farm lobbyist Dennis Quaid who takes a judically improper and unethical active role in proving the defendant's innocence after he develops the hots for the defense counsel. Of course, the likelihood of a juror getting it on with the defense lawyer during trial is ludicrous and, in real life, would probably get both charged criminally and the lawyer disbarred. But the credible acting of the leads helps us to overlook that unlikely scenario and focus instead on who really done it. Anyone with any background knowledge of law, procedure and ethics might wonder about some of the judicial rulings handed down by the trial judge, but they figure significantly in the who and why of who really done it. Cher, by the time she made the film, was firmly established as a leading lady, and she demonstrates here that she can carry the responsibility. "Suspect," despite its unlikely premise, is nonetheless a compelling view, and the solution (and, yes, the defendant is innocent) is a stunner! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Equal Opportunity
Just because a movie is bad doesn't mean people won't like it. House of Horrors is a B-schlock classic. Contrived, marginal acting, sub-intelligent plot, low-brow entertainment, fantastic! And I find the contention that poor Rondo Hattan was "exploited" to be very tiresome. The guy has gone down into cinematic history! He has a solid fan base nearly 60 years after his death. Tom Cruise, Richard Gere and others adored purely on their looks can only hope to be so fondly remembered. I give House of Horrors a B for Bad. And that's damn good.

The Creeper creeps.
A second string suspense thriller from Universal Studios. A crazed sculptor and a brute killer form an unholy alliance and spread dreadful death through the art community. The best thing this little movie has going for it is Rondo Hatton as The Creeper. Hatton suffered from a disfiguring bone disease and he played horror roles without makeup. He goes around snapping the spines of nasty art critics who disparage the work of his sculptor friend. Hatton's range as an actor was limited, but he managed to project some of the melancholy isolation from the world that was a trademark of Boris Karloff's portrayal of the Frankenstein monster. His friendship with De Lange, the sculptor, recalls the monster and Ygor. The script is guilty of second rate cliches. Most of the attempts at witty remarks sound corny and fall flat. Robert Lowery plays a Vargas type illustrator who specializes in cheesecake art. Baby boomers may recall Lowery as Big Tim Champion of the old "Circus Boy" TV program. Look close, and you can see Virginia Christine (later Mrs. Olson of Folgers Coffee fame) as a doomed streetwalker. Throw it all in the blender and you have a lightweight but enjoyable thriller. It's good stuff for collectors of Grade B horror flicks. Other viewers should tread carefully. ;-)

The worst type of explotation
The films premise is simple and inept, look how ugly the Creeper is ! Rondo Hatton who was disfigured due to being gassed in the trenches in WW1, which caused his limbs to grow abnormally is throughly exploited in this disgusting attempt at entertainment. Apart from the fact that the Creeper cycle of films were diabolically poor in the first place and that as far as I can remember when it was first released the ads said "See the ugliest man in Hollywood, The ugliest man alive" as at draw for the audience is a sign of a very very poor production. The only good thing that came out of this cinematic offal is that Hatton ended up marrying one of the most beautiful starlets of the time I cant remember her name but I do remember a reporter asking how she could marry such an ugly man. From a time America should be ashamed of this repugnent trash should be shown to people in an object lesson on how insensitive and ignorant we humans can be.

I liked it !
The creeper goes after harsh critics, I think he should go after the other reveiwers of this movie. I thought it was good, the creeper ruled. It is one of my favorie classic monster movies.

A horror, but not a thriller
This is another Universal horror film from the 1940's, when both budgets and quality levels shrank dramatically. "House of Horrors" is one of the worst of the genre, with an inept cast and an idiotic plot. The only cast member capable of generating either interest or sympathy is Rondo Hatton; the others are forgettable. Interesting only as a curiosity. The real horror here is the astonishing level of ineptitude it took to make a movie this bad. ... Read more

Amazon.com

No one uses color like Chinese director Zhang Yimou--movies like Raise the Red Lantern or Hero, though different in tone and subject matter, are drenched in rich, luscious shades of red, blue, yellow, and green. House of Flying Daggers is no exception; if they weren't choreographed with such vigorous imagination, the spectacular action sequences would seem little more than an excuse for vivid hues rippling across the screen. Government officers Leo and Jin (Asian superstars Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) set out to destroy an underground rebellion called the House of Flying Daggers (named for their weapon of choice, a curved blade that swoops through the air like a boomerang). Their only chance to find the rebels is a blind women named Mei (Ziyi Zhang, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who has some lethal kung fu moves of her own. In the guise of an aspiring rebel, Jin escorts Mei through gorgeous forests and fields that become bloody battlegrounds as soldiers try to kill them both. While arrows and spears of bamboo fly through the air, Mei, Jin, and Leo turn against each other in surprising ways, driven by passion and honor. Zhang's previous action/art film, Hero, sometimes sacrificed momentum for sheer visual beauty; House of Flying Daggers finds a more muscular balance of aesthetic splendor and dazzling swordplay. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (153)

DO NOT buy this crap!
OK! Who the hell gave this movie 4 stars??!! Poor story, poor dialog, poor EVERYTHING!!! This movie sucked. Get stabbed by a dagger and the girl stays alive until the unnecessary long fight between two bad actors is over??!! Come on! This movie is worse than the Hindi crap that comes out of Bollywood. Wish I could give it zero stars, but I can't. Amazon, will you please see that movies of this low quality get zero stars?

Technically breathtaking, but left this viewer a little cold
Zhang Yimou's HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS continues where the director's HERO left off: it is a film of immense visual beauty and amazing choreography, supporting a plot with melodramatic elements to it. But whereas HERO could conceivably, amidst the dazzling imagistic pageantry and big emotions, be interpreted as a political statement (the film ends with a ruler having to sacrifice a hero for what he considers the greater cause of unifying feudal China), HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is content to be romantic melodrama, plain and simple.

Personally, I kinda prefer the extra intellectual and thematic stimulation offered by HERO. At the end of that film, you really had something to think about; at the end of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS...well, the story is over (and a song sung in English by soprano Kathleen Battle plays over the closing credits). Nothing of great consequence, I felt, had really happened in this film; it is basically one ravishing image and one amazing fight sequence following another, interspersed with (admittedly well-acted) moments of intimacy or high drama. If Zhang Yimou was aiming for thematic subtlety in HERO, here he goes for operatic emotions and visual spectacle. And for all its technical brilliance, the whole thing ultimately left me a little cold---maybe a bit too melodramatic and soapy for my taste.

That is a very personal reaction, of course. The technical brilliance Zhang Yimou brings to HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is not to be denied; these are some of the most breathtaking (and breathtakingly filmed) fight sequences seen since the last notable "wuxia" film, Ang Lee's CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. And the actors bring as much conviction as possible to their basically two-dimensional characters: certainly, as House of Flying Daggers member Mei, Ziyi Zhang brings convincing passion to her role, as do Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau as, respectively Jin and Leo, two police deputies who rescue Mei from prison and try to trick her into bringing them to the House of Flying Daggers to stop their rebelliousness once and for all.

Perhaps the best way to appreciate HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS is to look at it as a cinematic opera. Zhang Yimou is clearly not afraid to work on a big canvas, and he brings all the big emotions and spectacular sights he can to tell his melodramatic story. Those who go into this film expecting to be dazzled will most likely be satisfied; it is a genuine technical marvel. For me, though, I was expecting more substance to the film than it delivered. HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS may be more purely enjoyable than HERO, but the latter, to me, is a much more interesting movie than this one.

Super Cool Movie!!!
The action and special effects sequences in this movie are incredibly fun to watch.Zhang Ziyi is flawless as usual, and her perfomance and beauty justifies buying this DVD in itself.

Great cinematography, weak story
Genre: Foreign, Martial Arts, Romance

Genre Grade: B+

Final Grade: A-

This was another great film from Chinese director Yimou Zhang. Although not even close to comparing to his last film, Hero, it still was a great movie. Zhang is an artist, it is as simple as that. His locations are perfect, the colors are vibrant, and the characters are passionate. This is much more a love story than anything. It offers some good surprises concerning the characters and keeps the mystery of the "House of Flying Daggers" a secret to even the viewers. Actress Ziyi Zhang should learn to speak English because she could be a huge star in the United States.

I recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero. It is dubbed in English so you don't have to read subtitles if you don't want to.

stunning
Yimou is a true artist of cinema. Hero and House of Flying Daggers are beautiful and spiritual adventures in Asian cinema. Both films are remarkable acheivments that are lost on the reviewer who gave this film one star. True art is often missunderstood by the masses. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Waste Of Money...Waste Of Film...Just Plain Bad!
I didn't really enjoy any of the "Silent Night Deadly Night" movies, especially this one. It has NOTHING to do with the original movie, or Christmas.

Was this some sort of joke? Did they make it just for a laugh? It sure looks like it. Oh, man...I'd buy a copy of this movie just to tape over it. Freaky satanic cult...confusing plot, not to mention BORING. Please, take this one off the shelf and pretend it was never made.

I was VERY disapointed with this movie. I should have just stopped after part one.

WARNING ,MAY CAUSE YOU TO FALL ASLEEP!
I thought nothing could be worse than part 2 or 3 but we have a new candiate here for Initiation(which should have been the title of the movie)is the worst in the series by far. First off it has nothing to with the series and doesn't have anything to do with christmas(don't be fooled by the x-mas tree on the cover,you won't see santa in this movie)and the isn't even remotely entertaining to say the least. Its about a cult the manipulates a TV reporter into joining their cult. The movie has stupid effects with bugs as other reviewers have said and the effects are downright awful. This is the halloween 3 of the series,it is a bad excuse for a side story that should have never have been a movie in the first place just like (Season Of The Witch)or (New Beginning) of Friday The 13th for that matter.In other words the movie doesn't belong. SKIP THIS AND SEE THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE(1984/SILENT NIGHT,DEADLY NIGHT)INSTEAD AND YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!

Yuzna's yuletide initiation
No relation to earlier films in the series (I haven't seen #3 yet) which is a good thing.
The movie stars Maud Adams (007's MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN and OCTOPUSSY) and Clint Howard (Ron's brother).
A female news reporter Kim (Neith Hunter) is investigating the mysterious case of a woman's death by spontaneous combustion, which are linked to a bizzare satanic cult led by occult bookstore owner Adams and her freaky son Howard, who are on a quest for immortality.
The movie is still nothing special, although there is a standout scene where Hunter is lying on her back in the grass looking up at some trees and the trees form the image of a face smiling down at her, and another good scene where a topless Hunter vomits bugs then her face melts. Nice huh? Merry Xmas everyone.

Brian Yuzna's Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: The Initiation
There is no connection between this film and the first three in the series, but that is not an automatic positive.

This straightforward, gruesome story has a cute plucky reporter with boyfriend troubles investigating the mysterious death of a woman, and getting caught up in a witches' coven led by Maud Adams, eons from "Octopussy."

The lead actress is easy on these tired eyes, Clint Howard plays the same nutjob role he always gets outside of his brother's films, and the movie keeps a tight pace. But take away the "Part 4" from the title, and this is just another straight to video gorefest that was not good enough to get wide release in the theaters first. Sure, the gore involving giant bugs is good, but there is nothing really special here. That said, this is still severed head and shoulders above the first three entries in the series.

This is rated (R) for strong physical violence, sexual violence, strong gore, profanity, female nudity, brief male nudity, sexual content, and adult situations.

can you say "crap"?
I love the SN,DN series, and I shudder to think that I almost gave the series up after seeing this crap(my first viewing of any chapter in this series). It involves a woman being forced to join an evil cult of man-hating she-demons. Their henchman is named Ricky, but it is definately not the Ricky from the last 3 films. He is well acted by Clint Howard, but a very boring character. All of the acting here is horrid (except Clint's of course...) and the story is confusing, boring, sexist, and just plain bad. True, the first one in the series was bad, but in a good, fun sort of way. This movie just sucks. The special effects are good, but that and Clint are the only things that are. This movie has very little to do with Christmas and NOTHING to do with the first three films. SN,DN parts 2,3,and 5 are all five-star movies. The original is only a three-star movie and this is a no-star movie. I only gave it one star because I had to. Please, AVOID SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT 4: INITIATION, LIKE THE PLAGUE! IT IS VERY VERY BAD! ... Read more

Amazon.com

"That damned elusive Pimpernel" finds a dashing embodiment in Leslie Howard, who has the steel to be an action hero and the wit to hide behind his alter ego: a British fop. Based on Baroness Orczy's novel, the story focuses on the efforts of this British dandy to aid members of the French aristocracy in escaping the guillotines of the French revolution. He also romances Merle Oberon, a beauty forgotten by recent generations, and engages in a wonderfully wicked duel of wits with the humorless enforcer for the French Republicans (Raymond Massey). If somewhat short on swashbuckling, it's long on the kind of costume drama that Hollywood seems to have forgotten how to do. Remade in 1982 for television, in an equally engaging version starring Anthony Andrews. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (31)

SINK ME! ONE OF MY FAVORITE FILMS
My mother, who was a lover of great old movies, introduced me to this film years ago. At first I thought it dull and dry, being too much accustomed to the new special effects that were beginning to dominate film.

The more I watched it the more I came to understand that this film is one of the true classics ever made and features some of the greatest actors and actresses to ever grace the silver screen. It is now easily one of my very favorite movies.

Leslie Howard (Gone With The Wind) stars as Sir Percy Blakeney, a super hero of the French Revolution, who masquerades as a man who should be afraid of his own shadow. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the Zorro stories were spawned in part by exposure to The Scarlet Pimpernel. Merle Oberon (Wuthering Heights), one of the great leading ladies of Hollywood, stars as Lady Marguerite Blakeney, a woman who holds a terrible secret about her past and wonders why her husband is a dandy. Rounding out the cast is Raymond Massey (East of Eden) who stars as the sinister Citizen Chauvelin.

A movie's greatness is shown in whether its remakes offer something new and revolutionary or copy it verbatim. The remake of this movie that aired in the late seventies/early eighties, was a complete copy of this 1934 classic. Don't waste any time on it and relish the classic performance by Howard, Oberon and Massey.

The Movie vs. the Book
I would have liked this movie had I not read the book first. But once you read the book, you realize that this movie is a VERY poor adaption. The book is a lot more exciting and fun. And Leslie Howard was really miscast as Sir Percy Blakeney. He's too.....I guess depressing is the word. The point is that he doesn't do the character any justice. If you want "The Scarlet Pimpernel"....Read the Book.

a very good film
This film has most everyting adventure romance, but also an underlying sadness as its during the French Revolution. Merl Oberon is beautiful does a great acting job and also Leslie Howard plays the Scarlet PImpernel so very very well. Hes very talented in all his films this I think is one of his best.

A Decent Old Movie Gets Shortsheeted.
I had a tattered old copy of this movie on video for years that had finally begun to degrade due to the number of passes it had endured through the VCR. When I brought this DVD home I had such high anticipation to see the classic on a digital format, but was sorely disappointed to find out that Madacy Entertainment had shortened the movie by removing scenes from it. Now, why they had done this is unknown, but it was a great disappointment to both me and my wife.
I constantly wonder why the scenes aren't there (being in video post production myself), and often question whether the DVD has an error in it's encoding and is skipping the scenes, or if Madacy for some reason took the scenes out due to time constraints.
In spite of this flaw, the movie is still a classic.

A Story for Our Times
Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon, I think, are in their most romantic roles ever.

This movie is based on the legendary story of the Scarlet Pimpernel, risen in a time of rampant Leftism (revolutionary France, set on social and political implosion) and burgeoise England (eventually saved only by the rise of Rev. Wesley).

My wife is one for early romantic movies, but I am the one who thinks the most romantic and tear-jerking scene (don't psychoanalyze me here -- I think I just love the play of raw courage vs. naivite) I have ever seen is in this movie. Holding Oberon by the shoulders in his palms, Howard stares her straight in the eyes, "What price did you pay?!!" he declares. This is the crux of their relationship.

The political savior, Howard, is in a much more subtle plot -- saving men, women, and children one at a time from the reach of hard-Leftists set on destroying stability in Europe militantly and in blood in order to rebuild the society under their own ideal.

Perhaps many people won't get it, but this movie is well worth the watching no matter by whom, a lesson for those who can think, and real entertainment for those who will not. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this remarkable film about a woman obsessed with exacting an apology from the chief of her small village, director Zhang Yimou (Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern) tells a deceptively simple story with incredible art.When Wang Shantang (Lei Laosheng), the chief, kicks a chili farmer, Quinglai (Liu Peiqi), between the legs, all the farmer's wife, Qiu Ju (Gong Li), wants is an apology.The chief's reticencesends Qiu Ju on a misguided journey through the legal system in search of satisfaction.What she gets, however, is a harsh lesson in "be careful of what you ask for."In the end she finds that life can frustrate our attempts at harmony in the simplest, cruelest ways.Among the most notable aspects of this film are the marvelous performances by Gong Li and her supporting cast. As an example of artistic storytelling, this film is as close to flawless as one is likely to find.If you haven't yet discovered Zhang Yimou, you have a real treat in store. --James McGrath ... Read more

Reviews (21)

A parable of modern China
This is a story about saving face and winning face, and what can happen if you carry things too far. Gong Li stars as Qiu Ju, a peasant woman with child whose husband is kicked in the groin by the local chief. She wants an apology. The chief of course will not apologize since he would then lose face. Both are stubborn and obstinate. Proud and determined, Qiu Ju steers her way through the bureaucracy from the village to the district to the city; but the thing she desires, an apology from the chief, eludes her. He cannot apologize because he has only sired daughters. He has license (he believes in his heart) because he was insulted by her husband who said he raised "only hens."

The Chinese locales, from village roads to big city avenues are presented with stunning clarity so that the color and the sense of life is vivid and compelling. Director Zhang Yimou. forces us to see. From the opening shot of the mass of people in the city walking toward us (out of which emerges Qiu Ju) to the feast celebrating the child's first month of life near the end, we feel the humanity of the great mass of the Chinese people.

In a sense this is a gentle satire of the bureaucratic state that modern China has become. But Zhang Yimou emphasizes the bounty of China and not its poverty. There is a sense of abundance with the corn drying in the eaves, the sheets of dough being cut into noodles, the fat cows on the roads and the bright red chili drying in the sun. There is snow on the ground and the roads are unpaved, but there is an idyllic feeling of warmth emanating from the people. One gets the idea that fairness and tolerance will prevail.

In another sense, this is a parable about the price of things and how that differs from what is really of value. So often is price mentioned in the movie that I can tell you that a yuan at the time of the movie was worth about a dollar in its buying power. (Four and a half yuan for a "pound" of chili; five yuan as a fair price for a short cab ride; twenty yuan for a legal letter.) Getting justice in the strict sense is what Qiu Ju demands. Her affable husband would settle for a lot less. He is the wiser of the two. Notice how Qiu Ju is acutely sensitive to price. She bargains well and avoids most of the rip offs of the big city. But what is the value of being a member of the community? This is a lesson she needs to learn, and, as the movie ends, she does.

Good Movie
I first saw Gong Li in "Raise the Red Lantern" So I had to see this one.
Here she plays a pregnant peasant woman, wife of a chili farmer. Who receives a kick in the groin, from the village chief. Because he believes the farmer insulted him.
Qiu Ju is hell bent on getting an apology for her husband. She is more determined in this than her husband.

The chief offers money but throws it on the ground, saying then she will be forced to bow to him as she picks it up. She refuses.

She sells their chilies a little at a time for money to travel to the city, to see if justice can be got there. But she's a country woman with not much city experience or money, can she do it?

I won't spoil the ending---- Good movie.

Yimou's Most Thoughtful Film
Zhang Yimou's "The Story of Qiu Ju" is not a masterpiece as is his film "Raise the Red Lantern." It doesn't have the epic qualities of "To Live" nor is it as visually stunning as "The Road Home." But "Qiu Ju" may well be Yimou's most thought provoking film, leaving you pondering the messages a long time after the film has ended.

Qiu Ju's husband has been kicked ("where it counts") by the village chief. The only bit of justice Qiu Ju wants is an apology. It seems to be a simple enough request, but her search for the apology proves to be elusive as she encounters a legal system more interested in its own red tape than in the needs of ordinary people.

But this is not "Erin Brockovich" where the sides of "good" and "bad" are easily defined. The people in the legal system Qiu Ju encounters are genuinely decent folks. They are also, unfortunately, a bit clueless. And Qiu Ju is not beyond reproach herself. At the conclusion of the film even she is realizing that she has pushed the matter too far.

Just how far should one go to seek justice in this world? Even if you are totally in the right, does there come a time when you must let the matter rest for your own sake as well as everybody else's? There are no easy answers.

This is another great performance by Gong Li in the title role. She may be one of the most beautiful women in the world, but here she is not above playing "dowdy." And as usual, Zhang Yimou is nearly flawless in his direction. He gives a wonderful tip of the hat to the late French director Francois Truffaut in the end, echoing that famous final shot of Truffaut's "The 400 Blows."

But this is a film that will stick with you well past that last shot.

OUTSTANDING in all respects
I viewed this film on a CVD without benefit of subtitles and had to rely on a Cantonese speaking colleague to translate the Chinese subtitles. It was well worth the inconvenience (for both of us). It is a simple story that takes on comic proportions as the stubborn protagonist pursues her concept of justice through the snakelike pathways of the bureaucracy to an unexpected outcome - a universal problem that is as much in evidence in a democracy such as North America as it is anywhere.

I lived in Hong Kong for twenty years ('66 - '86) and experienced only the farcical soap operas etc of the Hong Kong film industry. This production was an eye opener for me of the high quality that exists in Chinese films. It set me on a trail of discovery that has resulted in a substantial number of Chinese films on DVD gracing my bookshelf (some produced by Hong Kong companies - Shaw Brothers (HK))

Gong Li plays the role of the relentless, stubborn housewife superbly and is an actress who has built herself a solid reputation for excellence for her roles in many films. For a contrasting role by this brilliant star, I recommend Shanghai Triad.

The film is also expertly crafted and shows how much can be done with a simple story in the hands of skilled film makers. This is also true of Shanghai Triad which I also remember for its music and photography.

Some of the other Chinese films I admire are The Road Home, The King of Masks and Farewell My Concubine (which paved the way for me to the Peking opera The Peony Pavillion).

I eagerly await the release of The Story of Qiu Ju for the North American market so it too can take its rightful place on the shelf among my other Chinese DVDs.

Be careful what you wish for
I was very looking forward to seeing this movie, and I did enjoy it, but, I think not many americans would endure the entire movie.The main character, Qiu-Ju, is very pregnant, and a woman with a mission. The village Chief kicked her husband in the "privates" ( bad call, but not unprevoked ) and he is "out of commision" for a few weeks. Understandly, she wants justice in the form of an apology. She goes through all the correct legal roads in China and time and time again they come up with the same verdict. The chief has to pay medical bills and loss of wages and a little more, but Qiu_Ju only wants an apology. The Chief is a proud man who will not "bend". Most of the movie is Qiu-Ju and her sister-in-law trudging by foot up and down small roads to big cities with little or no conversation. Her husband and family wish her to stay home and "get over it" but she is stubborn! I will not spoil the end, but "be careful what you wish for"! not everyone's cup of tea ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A hilariously campy piece of garbage
This is such an atrociously awful movie that it's a joy to watch. You have to be aware of the real life events that were ongoing during the making of "The Klansman." Burton and Taylor were busting up and Burton was awash in vodka. He arrived in Oroville, California and promptly proposed to an 18 year Denny's waitress. His costar, Lee Marvin, was also drinking a bottle a day. Neither was sober for a single syllable of this terrible movie and their struggles to appear sober make for some hilarious moments.

Burton, as usual, dreadfully overacts and his attempts at a Southern accent are pitiful, to say the least. Marvin's acting is much better, but when he has to speak inane lines from a miserable script, he can't fare much better. The highlights has to be the scene in the bus station when Burton karate chops poor Cameron Mitchell nearly to death. The movie was so cheaply edited that you can clearly hear director Terrence Young yelling, "Cut, Cam! Get up! Cut!" They don't even bother to edit out the director's instructions. You will be laughing yourself into a choking fit during this lengthy bus station melee,

This is a great movie to watch with a couple of beers. If you appreciate a terrible script, crude sets and two major stars who were drunk out of their minds while filming, you'll love this one.

Truly disappointing!
Firstly, poor sound. Secondly, the film has been cut, heavily.
Let us hope that Paramount release it on DVD soon, as it is their film. In the meantime, if anyone wants to see this film then just buy the Paramount VHS tape- it's very good quality for picture & sound & it is UNCUT! Do not waste your money or time on this poor attempt at a DVD release!!!

"THE KLANSMAN" WAS A DISASTER
In the Spring of 1974 Director Terance Young and company came to Oroville, California to film the Klansman. The locals were excited to have a big studio film made in the small town. However, when it opened at the State Theatre in Oroville, there was widespread horror.

The film included a castration, an attempted rape and two rapes, plus a whole lot of racial comments and some god-awful acting. You would have thought that Richard Burton would have done well with his acting, but he was one of the worse. He was drunk and chasing an under-age girl for most of the shooting schedule and could not seem to handle the southern accent. (This may have been the incident that destroyed his and Liz Taylor's marriage.)

Lee Marvin, Cameron Mitchell, Lola Falana and a few others did well in their acting but the script shot them down. It was full of racial stereotypes that probably set back racial relations for the next 100 years. (This was OJ Simpson's first film.)

I was there in 1974 and saw a lot of the shooting of the movie. It's only redeeming value to me is the fact that it showed a lot of areas of Table Mountain, Cherokee, Oroville and Sugarloaf Mountain (75 miles north of Sacramento in Northern California).
The scenery is beautiful but the movie is awful.

There are many scenes that are unintentially funny because of the bad acting plus a hilarious scene where Richard Burton "slaps" Cameron Mitchell into a blood pulp. A Classic!

All in all a minor film but worth seeing if you want a laugh or two. Warning, the rape scene with Lola Falana is not for the faint of heart! Plus the castration scene makes ME grit my teeth!

Sad waste of two powerhouse talents
Richard Burton was one of the all-time great thespians and it's a travesty that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences never honored him with an Oscar for any of his numerous nominations. Lee Marvin was a dynamic actor in his own right as well. Why they are wasting their time in this ugly, worthless (...) movie is anybody's guess.
Many films that incorporate a racist theme merit importance when they depict the horror and any subsequent violence that such bigotry and hatred derives. This film does nothing but present a shallow glimpse into the racial tensions stemming from the South (a common and unfortunate stereotype).
One interesting note: OJ Simpson made his film debut here as a radical "Black Panther"-type militant who murders white folks whenever he has a chance. (...)

Campy in the extreme!
This is such an atrociously awful movie that it's a joy to watch. You have to be aware of the real life events that were ongoing during the making of "The Klansman." Burton and Taylor were busting up and Burton was awash in vodka. He arrived in Oroville, California and promptly proposed to an 18 year Denny's waitress. His costar, Lee Marvin, was also drinking a bottle a day. Neither was sober for a single syllable of this terrible movie and their struggles to appear sober make for some hilarious moments.

Burton, as usual, dreadfully overacts and his attempts at a Southern accent are pitiful, to say the least. Marvin's acting is much better, but when he has to speak inane lines from a miserable script, he can't fare much better.

This is a great movie to watch with a couple of beers. If you appreciate a terrible script, crude sets and two major stars who were drunk out of their minds while filming, you'll love this one. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Boaz Yakin's astounding debut feature looks at the violent world of the projects through the eyes of a 12-year-old drug runner. Sean Nelson delivers a quiet but intense performance as Michael--street name Fresh--a cynical but introspective kid grown up fast and hard on the killing streets of the projects. Samuel L. Jackson costars as Fresh's estranged father, a speed chess hustler in the city park whose dispassionate philosophy--the chess board as life--becomes the film's central metaphor, as Fresh plots a brilliant, coldly brutal plan to save himself and his junkie sister from his world of drug dealers and street violence. Yakin's assured direction delivers a vividly realized world in bold, crisp images and an austere but poetic style that captures the dispassionate point of view of a heart-hardened adolescent street survivor. The excellent score by former Police-manStewart Copeland, his most haunting since Rumblefish, mixes smooth symphonic sounds with bluesy guitars and syncopated percussion, giving the soundtrack the same sad intimacy as Yakin's visuals. The world of Fresh is alive with danger thatthreatens to extinguish all the wonder and joy of childhood--the film's most devastating moment observes Fresh helplessly trying to stop the bleeding of a schoolmate, a girl he has a crush on, caught by a stray bullet from a senseless playground murder. As Fresh loses his innocence playing street thugs and drug dealers like pieces on a chess board, he becomes the greatest victim of all. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (33)

A LESSON FOR ALL
Fresh is more than just another film about urban decay and the harsh realities of New York street life. It's a story that is as real as anything you've seen on the nightly news. It's the story that doesn't make it to the Sunday paper. Depending on who reads this review and where there from, Fresh truly hits close to home. Brooklyn NY is the setting and Fresh played by Sean Nelson is "the little man running the streets" Although younger than any main character in a film that covers the topic of drugs, He is a lot mature and focused than many of the sterotyped characters that Hollywood loves to portray black youths as. Working as a runner for two notorious drug dealers, Fresh finds himself caught in a deadly game of chess. It's a story that is rich with raw power and director Boaz Yakin gives it to the audience without the sugar frosting. With powewrful performances by Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, and N, Bush Wright, Fresh brings you face to face with a reality that many parents of todays youth hope is just all blown out of perportion. So go cop it Aiight.

Fresh - what an apt title
this movie was outstanding. I've seen it many times and cannot wait for the DVD to come out, as my tape is on its last loop.

I will defend the music and say that works really well in this film. It's not the kind of thing you would go out and purchase seperately, however. The writing is also superb, nary a wasted word, although some lines seem kind of awkward, forced or inauthentic - one of the three. The director Yakin apparently did a lot of research on the streets of some tough neighborhoods in New York to prepare himself to write this drama. All things considered, I think he did a fine job.

Sean Young puts in a better than adequate showing, Giancarlo Esposito is captivating as Esteban and Samuel Jackson is wonderful as Fresh's deadbeat, chess-sparing father. Chess, by the way, is a theme tailored to the plot in this coming of age story, as the pieces on the chess board come to represent figures in young Fresh's life; some, er, most of whom he must sacrifice in a gambit that will get him and his heroin-addict sister out of the ghetto.

Must See
The previous reviewers have pretty much summed it all up. This is a great American movie. The theatrical release completely passed me by, and I only recently discovered 'Fresh' by reading the reviews on Amazon. Buy this movie, it will have you rapt with attention. The story is deep and the details many, so much so you will need more than one viewing to take it all in. Great performances all around.

"Anything lost can be found again, except for time wasted."
Michael, a.k.a. "Fresh", is a 12-year-old drug dealer who lives in a run-down house with his aunt and other orphaned children in a dangerous Brooklyn neighborhood. Having grown up in a harsh culture, he is a boy who shows little emotion despite witnessing the revulsion of street life on a regular basis. His mother is long gone, his sister has resorted to prostitution, and his father is completely estranged-although every now and then he meets with his father to play speed chess, through which he is taught street knowledge. At first Fresh aspires to live the life of a powerful drug dealer, but one day a heartrending incident causes him to rethink his dreams and consider a better possible future.

Directed by Boaz Yakin (who also directed "Remember the Titans"--a *completely* different film), "Fresh" is an astonishingly well-done film that left me stunned long after it ended. By depicting a brutal life through the eyes of a young boy, the film tells a bleak story by taking its viewers on a roller-coaster ride of gut-wrenching scenes, and yet in the process it still manages to engage the audience and finally arrive at a surprising conclusion.

Although the first third of the film is basically used to give the viewer a tour of Fresh's neighborhood, the plot soon becomes very complex after one particular scene. Fresh's life literally becomes a game of chess, represented by the moves the pieces make and the strategy used to stay alive. Despite the film's quiet atmosphere, it moves at a rapid pace and forces the audience to listen closely in order to keep on track with the plot. The plot moves unpredictably throughout, but every one of its elements makes perfect sense after a bit of thinking. And although the script is heavy on profanity, it is totally realistic in depicting the everyday life of the characters, and the dialogue between Fresh and his father during their chess matches is especially good.

The picture is shot on low-budget film, making the Brooklyn neighborhood feel all the more dark and unwelcoming. But there are no prolonged fight scenes, nor is there a lot of on-screen brutality. There are, however, a lot of tragic scenes that really hit home, and they are shot with rapid film editing and camera work that didn't require any computer enhancements. Simply put, no unnecessary visual techniques are used.

The acting is superb all around. Sean Nelson, in his debut role, is stunning as Fresh; he is so compelling in the way he conveys his emotions without having to say anything, and he feels so natural that it seems as if he doesn't even know the camera's on him for more than 90% of the film. For this to come out of a debut performance is impressive enough; but for it to come out of such a young actor is truly astonishing. Supporting roles include Samuel L. Jackson, who expresses a great sense of authority as Fresh's father, and Giancarlo Esposito, who is absolutely chilling as the "black king" of the film.

And the ending is unforgettable. In fact, it is not the unpredictable denouement that the viewer remembers best; it is the very last image. In one final shot, all the emotion that had built up to that point bursts out in a brief, silent moment. It is a deeply moving way to end the film, and it gave me a faint sense of hope despite all the sorrow and horror that had already happened.

"Fresh" is a tiny film that manages to be riveting, frightening, disturbing, contemplative, poignant, and faintly uplifting all at once, and that alone makes it one of the most memorable films I have ever seen. But with acting, filming, and screenplay all being top-notch without any other frills, "Fresh" is also a brilliant work that uses only the most basic aspects of film to their fullest extent. It features many upsetting scenes and is definitely not for all viewers, and due to the plot and script it can be a very challenging film to watch at times, but it is an unconventional example of a director and cast at the top of their form. I easily recommend "Fresh" to film lovers everywhere.

Incredible!
It was one of those movies that cames on late on a night that I couldn't sleep. After 3 minutes, I was hooked and could not even make an attempt at sleeping.
This movie is worthy of any award.
It is incredible! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Maybe I Am Easily Pleased
I just watched this movie again last night, having watched it before when it was first released. My motive for writing this review is to add one positive contribution to this collection of downward pointing thumbs.

Well, yes, it is sort of an ordinary cloak and dagger film, but I enjoyed seeing a female lead character who was gutsy, a lady who didn't follow the stereotype of the ankle sprainer who has to lean on the big strong man for protection. Actually it is a good thing that Kelly McGillis isn't prone to ankle injuries, because she certainly does a lot of running in this flick. She just seems to be in a hurry wherever she goes, and trots along at a good clip even when she isn't being chased. Sometimes I felt I was watching another version of Run Lola Run.

Anyway the time period is the Joe McCarthy era, and Kelly loses her job because she refuses to name names to Congress. By chance she discovers some strange happenings that indicate maybe there are some ex (current?) Nazis inflitrating her pleasant neighborhood. Well the FBI is involved, too, and the chase is on. Evil people flit in and out, and surprises happen when people open doors.

Admittedly the tale is sort of muted Hitchcock, and not particularly exceptional in its plot, but I found it to be a pleasant thriller to watch. I must also confess that I was mesmerized by Ms McGillis's breathtaking beauty. She was about 30 when this movie was made, and, gosh, I just fell in love with her.

Disappointing
I agree with the Leonard Maltin review. This starts off well, but becomes a very ordinary, unexciting melodrama, that tries to have some Hitchcock tension, but it doesn't work very well. Towards the end of the film, I was muttering, "what a waste of time."

The reviewer Peter(can't remember the rest of his or her name) should have his or her review REMOVED, for revealing too much of the plot of the film. I'd write to Peter, if there were an e-mail address. Do NOT reveal too much about plot details. It's nice to be surprised when you see a film, Peter.

For the price, a best buy at 3 ½ stars
Though the Australian reviewer's comments are too harsh, they are entertaining with some points well-taken. But this reviewer would move the overall rating up to 3 ½ stars out of 5 possible.

Having purchased the DVD and seen it without any preconceptions or prior reviews, this reviewer was pleasantly satisfied: not a classic film, but quite entertaining, keeping one on the edge of the seat pretty much throughout. There is never a dull moment, but not overly so as is too often the case in today's hyperactive and mindless 'action and adventure' flicks. This film was definitely not written by 13-year-olds for 13-year-olds and contains a lot of well-presented material. Kelly McGillis gives a credible performance as a balanced and generally level-headed woman being persecuted by governmental agencies. Her portrayal is not the weepy, hysterical and too-vulnerable type that can find its way into films like this. Mandy Patinkin does well as a chilling, oily and thoroughly corrupted and unscrupulous politician/attorney (or whatever) with too much power in the wrong places. Jessica Tandy is good in what few scenes she has; too bad she couldn't have had a more central role.

As to the production values, the film is the letterboxed theatrical presentation at 1.66:1 (as stated on the case, and this seemed about right.) The picture, for a 1988 film, while not exceptional, is mostly clear, though with suggestions of fuzziness for purists. Overall, the image is on the dark side and there is some loss of detail in deep shade scenes, though not annoyingly so. Color fidelity of details in some scenes struck this reviewer as almost exceptionally good. The Dolby Digital mono sound is strong and clean.

There are no annoying advertising impositions or preliminary and unrelated material to try to get around (something becoming increasing annoying in many new DVD releases, sometimes necessitating drastic action to curtail!) The DVD is well-packaged in a quality case. If you like a thriller in the Hitchcock vein with reasonable and well-restrained message content that doesn't get in the way of the story, this DVD is a good buy for the price, and recommended.

who's in the house
This Peter Yates directed thriller was written by Walter Bernstein, who had been blacklisted in the McCarthy era, and had written about it for The Front. Here Bernstein takes his anti-McCarthy paranoia one step further by suggesting that Roy Cohn tried to illegally smuggle former Nazis into America, posing them under the name of dead Jews. Yates' underrated skill manages to overcome this somewhat far-fetched premise, providing a woman in peril drama with various Hitchcock-ian setpieces - a wedding reception, a church, a bookshop, a theatre, and the climax at Grand Central Terminal. He also attempts a romance between the woman targetted by the FBI and an FBI agent who feels guilty about her harassment. While the romance is aided by the score by Georges Delerue, and Jeff Daniels is acceptable, if a bit comically light, to play the male lead, Yates has more trouble with Kelly McGillis as the woman. In spite of her skill, McGillis isn't a romantic actress. No matter how effectively she is styled for the period, she lacks vulnerability so that we never feel she will be defeated. Pauline Kael memorably compared McGillis to Charlton Heston. Yates partially compensates by having her silent and on the run, but when in one scene she is naked in the bath being menaced by Mandy Patinkin as the Roy Cohn figure, while she acts vulnerable, it's not truthful. Patinkin playing his menace with musical comedy timing doesn't help either. Perhaps if he sang to her in his terrifying falsetto, McGillis would be truthfully frightened. Jessica Tandy appears briefly as a woman McGillis is paid to read to, and I was disappointed that Bernstein found no way to bring her further into the plot. Even the Carroll Street house (though I don't recall hearing the name Carroll Street ever mentioned) is disposed of quickly. And Patinkin has an odd speech where he demonstrates the logic of his shenanigans by splashing ketchup on a white tablecloth. The Grand Central climax is handled awkwardly when everyone is climbing the belfry (why do people being pursued always go up and no down?!), but Yates comes off better with a chase in a bookshop, and the wedding reception, with Daniels and McGillis dancing and spying. It's a pity Bernstein decided to take on this comic book style approach to an abhorrent moral and political time in history. You would think that someone who was blacklisted would not pander to such a base Hollywood aesthetic. McCarthy was scary enough without making him and his pals neo-Nazis. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In the Family Way collects three episodes from the groundbreaking All in the Family show. The first, "Gloria's Pregnancy," centers around the Bunkers' daughter's miscarriage. The way the show dealt with topics such as these is what put it way ahead of its competition in the 1970s. What's truly amazing, however, is the way an episode like this holds up decades later. Comforting his daughter, O'Connor lets the purest of hearts shine through the often prickly-as-a-porcupine Archie, the character himself becoming a symbol of what the show was trying to communicate: the bittersweet complexity of living.

In "The First and Last Supper," Archie tries to escape from dining with his neighborhood's newest residents, the Jeffersons, and stoops so low as to fabricate a story about Edith twisting her ankle. When his plan falls apart, he's forced to swallow not only dinner but some disturbing food for thought--he might not be the only one harboring some racist tendencies. The episode also treats one to a classic Bunker take on evolution: "We didn't crawl out from under no rocks, we didn't have no tails, and we didn't come from monkeys, you atheistic, pinko meathead."

Closing out the collection, "The Bunkers and the Swingers" features Rue McClanahan and Vincent Gardenia as a hot-to-trot couple whom Edith invites to the house after completely missing the point of the wife-swapping ad they've placed in the back of a magazine. It's a particularly affecting episode in the way it highlights Edith's innocence ("It sounded like they needed us") and Archie's hilariously cordoned-off worldview, in which anything the least bit alien is automatically "Communism." --Bob Michaels ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Archie's world gets turned upside down three times
I remember "Gloria's Pregnancy" (Episode #6 February 16, 1971) as the first episode of a situation comedy ever to make me cry (I wasn't old enough to get the emotions of "Lucy is Enciente" when I watched it as a kid). Even though it was only the sixth episode of "All in the Family," the character of Archie Bunker was already so fully formed that when he visits Gloria after she suffers a miscarriage, the first crack in his gruff facade was a tender moment. This episode was originally entitled, "Gloria Has a Belly Full." "The First and Last Supper" (#13 April 6, 1971) finds the Bunkers visiting the Jeffersons for dinner, where Archie discovers he might not be the most bigoted person in the neighborhood. Finally, "The Bunkers and the Swingers" (#44 October 28, 1972) features guest stars Rue McClanahan and Vincent Gardenia as a couple who come over to the house when Edith innocently answers an ad for "swingers," not knowing that their visitors have come for a night of wife-swapping. Now that you know what three episodes are included in this volume, you have to admit the title "In the Family Way" is meant somewhat ironically. The one common thread of these three episodes seems to be that Archie finds the tables turned on him in three decidedly different ways.

Archie Is The Best.
This Show Was Very Funny. Archie Made Us All Laugh When He Talk About President Nixon. Archie Goes With Edith To Her Cousin Maude's House For Carol's Wedding Shower. Maude Who Created Her Very Own TV Show By The Same Name, Slams The Door On Archie. Buy This Tape ... Read more

Description

Our heroes continue on their journey to the Johto League Champions. This action-packed title features 3 episodes:The Stolen Stones: Team Rocket manages to catch Pikachu. Will Ash be able to get Pikachu back with the help of Arcanin? Ariados, Amigos: Our heroes join the trainer of Fuschia City to learn the special Pokemon Jujitsu. The Apple Corp: Pikachu joins hands with Pichu to save the day from Team Rocket! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pokemon is the best
This video is great buy it!

Another three Johto League fillers
I do not own this video but I have seen all the episodes and, to be honest, they're not that great.

1. We start off with The Stolen Stones which isn't a bad filler, probably the best on the video. Ash and co. meet up with a brother and sister who run an Archanine delivery service. Team Rocket steal some evolution stones from them and it's up to Ash and friends to get them back. This one is quite memorable for Team Rocket's antics. They get quite a bit of screentime.

2. Next up is Ariados Amigos, the worst on the video in my opinion. Our heroes meet up with Aya from Fushia City gym again and she teaches them about Pokémon jujitsu. Yawn.

3. Finally, a cutesy episode - Apple Corp - ends the video. Ash and friends visit an orchard were Pichu are stealing apples. If you are a Pikachu or Pichu fan you will probably enjoy it. I don't mind it too much.

Overall, not a great offering. I'd wait for a video with more gym episodes. Filler episodes (which these three are) never affect the storyline so you aren't missing anything at all. ... Read more

Description

The fifth installment of the phenomenally successful POKEMON series takes place in a mysterious city on water. Set against a baffling maze of canals and alleyways, Ash, Pikachu, the rest of the gang take on a slick new pair of thieves in this glamorous, high-stakes adventure story. The film introduces two new Pokemon characters -- Latias and Latios, who possess strong psychic abilities and the power to disguise themselves as humans! ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Another entertaining movie
I was a little skeptical when I picked up this DVD (after being a little disappointed by the 4th movie), but I was pleasantly surprised by this movie!
"Pokemon Heroes" follows the typical 'fun things happen, but then the ending is bittersweet' plot established back in the first movie, but I'm not complaining. Latios and Latias are some of the most personable legendaries that I've seen so far. The story is straightforward, easy to follow, and Ash&Co's involvement is not quite as horribly forced as in previous movies.

Unlike the earlier movies, the CG elements are not always totally obvious. (Some are, some aren't. Better than the previous movie, at least!) The music fits the scenes well. The new characters were likeable, for the most part. Annie and Oakley made interesting and entertaining additions to Team Rocket. The DVD also includes the "Camp Pikachu" short, which was one of the better mini-movies, and several addition features. The best of these was "animation stages", which let you really get a good feeling of how the movie was put together. Scouting videos from Venice are also on the DVD, and are a nice touch!

All in all, if you're a fan of Pokemon (or have someone in the family who is), I highly recommend this DVD!

great movie!
Pokemon has always been one of my favorite animes, the reason is because it gives the audience an upbeat and esthusiastic sensation that's hard to forget. Some people may find the TV series a bit boring, but I can guarantee you, Pokemon's 5th movie, Pokemon Heroes, is no where close to boredom since 80% of the time is filled with suspense and action.

The movie does not emphasize on the "one person who saves all" perspective, which means Ash, to my surprise, does not play the major role here; his significance in this movie is far less than that of Latias and Latios, the two legendary guardians that protect the city that looks almost identical to Venice. Unlike Pokemon 2000, Ash does not takes his enemies out with Pikachu, his courage and bravery in this movie cannot prevent the destruction of the city. This reflects that the word "heroes" in Pokemon Heroes does not refer to Ash and his gang, rather, it focuses on Latias and Latios' sacrificial actions (especially Latios).

Like all other Pokemon movies, the graphics are beautifully drawn and rendered. When Ash is running away with Latias in street alleys near the beginning of the movie, the first person view of the scenary mixed with 3D effect is truly breathtaking! It is comparable to Miyazaki's Spirited Away's 3D rendering, and to some degree, better than that of Spirited Away's.

The background musics give the audience a sensation of Venice's (though the city is not Venice in the movie), and musics can be heard most of the time throughout the anime, which do not create boredom because they match up with the atmosphere perfectly.

Pokemon Heroes is truly an amazing film, anyone who loves Pokemon animes should watch it, and anyone who's bored of the protagonist saving the entire world should watch this for a change, it will not give you disappointment!

A good movie a must have.
I love this movie. It even has a little short in the begining to tell adults what pokemon is about. So adults don't get counfused when they are stuck watching it with their kids. And the relationship between Latios and Latias is so cute. It had a couple of parts that made me laugh. But in the end Latios dies and I cried. Latias holds her big brother's hand. And has to let go. And Latias watches as her big brother dissaper before her eyes. But it has a happy ending. You can see Latios and Latias flying across the city with their farther.

BEST MOVIE OF THE CENTURY
This is a movie to remember. This is so good. If you did not like it, then some things wrong with you.

It was fantastic!!!!
I loved it. I think it is one of the best movies so far aside from pokemon the movie 2000. I was sort of disapointed about the 4th movie and was reluctant to watch the newer ones.What confuses me is that the setting of the movie is in Hoenn...right? Well, why is misty back. I mean, thats not a bad thing and I would have liked it better if misty stayed jurneying through the Hoenn region with Ash and Brock.For the most part I give this movie 2 thumbs up and recomend for u to watch it.^_^ ... Read more

Reviews (202)

Pokemon The First Movie Rocks!
I'm a Pokemon fan, and like all Pokemon fans I went to go see the movie. I was expecting an OK movie. Boy was I wrong!This movie totally blew me away. This is the best movie I've ever seen in my entire life! Even most people who think Pokemon is dumb will love this movie.

The storyplot is basically about this Pokemon named Mewtwo who decides all humans are evil after some expieriences with some people who wanted to control him and study him. He calls our heroes to the greatest battle of their life and soon Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and some other trainers are the only ones who can stop Mewtwo's plans for world domination.

Unlike the TV show, this has a much more dramatic and action packed plot. I reccomend it to any person who likes a good movie.

PKMN One
This movie's plot was deep, and Mewtwo interested me some with...well, basically everything out him. He certainly has a way of getting what he wants, that's for sure! But, yes, wasn't as good as the third, in my view, but pretty close. The plot is the ever common 'let's go save the world' gig.
I'm going out to save the world, mom!
Okay, be back by dinner, honey!
Heh...just had to add that...

A mini master piece
When this movie came out on Dvd and Video I brought it the first day it came out. It's the best movie thats out there. A mini Masterpiece in my view. I also like it cause my favorite pokemon Mew is in it. And it's the only way to see Mew in Anime. People that don't know nothing about pokemon may be lost. So you should watch the first episode of pokemon to understand it better. It's a must see for pokemon fans.

the first one is the best one!
I havn't seen this movie for two years and i just watched it again for the first time. I'm looking at all the other pokemon movies that have come out since 1999, and this one is way better than all the others!

First of all, great story! It kept me interested till the end. Also, this is the first and last movie were the graphics behind the charectors isn't to advanced for the actual charectors. Ya know, for example, in Pokemon: 4ever, the big Celebi wood thing at the end was too 3-d. It looked like something from pixar. That's whats good about pokemon the first.

Also, it has a great moral to it too. All the other movies are pretty much the same: if you want something bad enough and you try, you get it, or: don't be afraid, or: try your best. This movie's is: it doesn't matter how u were born (in this movie, cloned or born, but in real life, what u look like), but how you look at life and how you decide to live it is what really matters.

The only thing that could be better in it is the 'violence'. It's not really violent like blood or killing or anything like that, it's more like 'fighting to the point of death' sort of thing. But that brings me back to the moral of the story, which is the reason they were fighting in the first place. Also, this movie is sort of sad. I mean, for a while, the main charector actually dies! Then his best friend, Pikachu, is all sad and then he is trying as hard as he can to bring him back to life...........well you know the rest.

Anyway, all in all, this movie is one of my favorite cartoon movies and the very best Pokemon movie! This is a must-have for anyone who is at least interested in Pokemon!!!!!

Who cares what the critics say...
Pokemon had a good first movie. It's animation is way better than digimon's and the characters didn't look deformed. The plot was deeper and smoother. It's a must buy. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Japanese equivalent of a Hammer vampire film
There is something fascinating to me about Asian vampire films. How closely will the story follow the classic western vampire mythology, and what differences wi