Description

Frolicking youth comedy about zany high school students set in the 1960s. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

THE BEST MOVIE EVER FILMED
this is probably the best movie ever made. this stands right up there with gorp and american spirit on the all time greatest list. from the amazing camera angles catching boobies in their finest to amazing performences from all the actors, i give this a 11 out of 10

Wang Bang Sweet Poontang; This movie ROCKS!
From Strip bowling to Jerkofski's "meat locker" scene, this is a must-have movie. A cinematic tour de force that accurately portrayed the zany capering of adolescence in the early eighties. You will not be disappointed by this high caliber teen comedy. After this, the mold was broken.

not bad!
Screwballs is about a group of high school boys who have a bet on who can see Purity Busch's breast first.The humor is juvenile,but if you like that sort of thing this movie's for you.

Do not confuse with the movie
Screwballs is too funny for words. But it is not the movie about endless [breasts].

best movie
Best movie ever made. The best part of the movie is the
last 2 1/2 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (278)

Quirky, and sadly funny.
I haven't read the graphic novel "Ghost World," and didn't have any preconceived ideas about this movie before I saw it (that I know of).

"Ghost World" is the story of a slightly odd girl, Enid (played transparently by Thora Birch), and her obsession with the unloved things of this world, starting with her encounter with Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a fried-chicken company administrator by day, geekish collector of 78s and other miscellanea by night. It's also the story of the changes in the relationship between Enid and her not-so-odd friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), who after high school, is rapidly transforming into a fairly mainstream adult.

The movie has an offbeat sensibility that is both funny and slightly jarring at times, but that delivers a very true-feeling story of post-high school "what do I do now?" syndrome. The thing I love about this movie is that, as opposed to the fake silicone slickness of most "teen" movies, this has a funny-sad real feel that represents the not often glorified underbelly of society. The film is populated with entertaining characters, from the pseudo-artistic art teacher (Illeana Douglas), to the bumbling soft-spoken father (Bob Balaban), to cameo characters such as "Weird Al" the fifties diner waiter, and Doug, the white-trash mini-mart loiterer. As Enid says, "these are our people!"

"Ghost World" is kinder than a John Waters movie, truer than a teen movie, and better than most similarly-true independent movies.

Accentuate the positive
Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World" is that rarest of hybrids -- a human comedy, brilliantly and bizarrely funny, but suffused with a profound sense of melancholia. The experience of watching it is deliriously pleasurable, but the humor emerges from the film's unfailingly generous reservoir of empathy; by the end, you're not sure whether to respond to these characters with laughter or with love. It is quite clear that Zwigoff feels both.

And that's what critics of this fine film have overlooked -- that although 17-year-old Enid (Thora Birch) looks at the world with bitter, unremittingly sarcastic eyes, "Ghost World" couldn't be less cynical or judgmental if it tried. Of all the characters on display, most of whom Enid despises and ridicules, there isn't a single one who isn't really good at heart; even the art teacher (a ridiculously funny Illeana Douglas), who has been derided as a one-dimensional caricature, has an untouchable core of decency.

Indeed, the character for whom "Ghost World" retains the harshest criticism is Enid herself. As much as we adore her terrifying intelligence, her single-mindedly retro fashion sense, and her contempt for all things phony and pretentious, we aren't allowed to forget her self-destructive habits or her unwillingness to grow up even as the world around her charges resolutely forward. Her best friend, Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), once her partner in crime, has taken on a normalcy and sense of perspective that Enid finds tiresome, which is partly why she takes refuge in a lonely middle-aged bachelor named Seymour (Steve Buscemi, in a shoulda-been-Oscar-nominated performance). Their bond is at once improbable and emotionally convincing, and Zwigoff harmonizes Birch's and Buscemi's own highly idiosyncratic styles into a marvelous, unforced chemistry.

Compassionate and subtly optimistic, "Ghost World" only falters slightly with a few misfired pop-culture references and an ending that's both ambiguous and too overstated, but even that misstep proves strangely satisfying. With a character as unforgettable as Enid, it's good to know that there's such a thing as closure -- even if it's open-ended closure.

A movie about ideas and people in the real world
Here's an unHollyowood film about life, roles, friendship and departure that transcends most of the trash available on the big or little screen. I saw this on TV last night, followed by the big screen spectacular "Three Kings". It was more than clear to me which film was about ideas and real life, and which one was a cure for insomnia. I'll talk about the one about ideas and real life.

Unlike the Amazon synopsis and Leonard Maltin's opinion, this movie is not about alienation. It is about a cynical high school graduate's attempt to find a niche to fit into when her world undergoes changes she cannot understand. Thora Birch ("American Beauty") is very good as the high school graduate with a dark view of everything in the world...until she meets milquetoast record collector Steve Buscemi. There is a good deal of cliche in this meeting but it serves to break the holocaust of darkness in her life, which is compounded by her best friend changing roles, her schlemiel father being an empty, vacuous figure in her life, and her indecision about what to do with her own life.

Birch focuses on loser Buscemi, trying to improve his lot in life. She successfully helps set him up with another woman, then injects herself in his life in a way to locate her own life when everyone she knows seemingly abandons her. When this fails, she follows the pattern of the only other stable role model in her life, a mentally ill middle age man who sits at a bus stop, waiting for a bus that never arrives. When his bus one day arrives, she decides to take it, too, as the movie ends.

This is Birch's final removal from the world, the alienation most critics disucssed. I prefer to think of it as role acceptance, as finding her niche, as getting to a place she wants. This very simple film portrays a reality for many high school kids that come from single parent homes and lack direction after school. It tells a real story in an uncomfortable circumstance. People that enjoy nice neat stories in films will be very distrubed watching this. People whose minds look for meaning in film portrayals will become more involved the longer the movie goes on.

ghost world
So I've been watching some cult type movies recently. The ones that are referenced all the time, or half the people on livejournal have an icon of. Ghost world is one of those movies. I had no idea what the plot was about before I watched it. ( I was hoping it would be a supernatural movie, but alas, it is not)
I think its a good drama with some funny parts. The characters are realistic and likeable. Some parts make you think, oh that's like me, or thats like how so and so behaves. Which isn't seen very often in movies, perhaps thats why people like this so much. I dont think it's arty, though. Parts I didn't like: the bus thing, and what happened when she got drunk, and her typical 'I'm unique, really' scene/emo look. The rest I liked pretty much. The part where her teacher is analyzing someone piece of rubbish art is very true to life (turner prize, anyone?). It's a nice comedy drama type movie, and I would watch it again. Good acting too. Thanks for reading!

Interesting movie--interesting characters
From reviews I'd read, I expected to be blown away by Ghost World--much the way I'd been blown away by American Beauty and Lost in Translation. I wasn't. It's a good movie, mind you. Interesting characters who feel very genuine albeit somewhat one dimensional, and an odd tangle relationships. It also very effectively captures the alienation of smart teens growing up in a world that seems populated by zombies of one kind or another. So, it's very much worthwhile watching it--maybe more than once. (I can't help but think of Thora Birch as a smart version of Kelly Osbourne from her dress and mannerisms in this movie. But that's neither here nor there.)

So what's wrong with it? What keeps it from being great? In part, it's the almost relentlessly brooding tone that keeps the characters from being fully realized human beings. Maybe, just maybe, there are people as unreliable, aimless, and alienated all the time--just like Thora Birch's character. But do we really need a movie about someone who is so malignantly morose? And no one else in the movie really picks up the slack, showing that intelligent people can be sharp and effective, as well as cynical. Without that counterpoint, the story has a mushy center, and starts to get--well--a little boring. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This Show Should have Complete Seasons On DVD!
I was 13 when Mork and Mindy originally came on TV and I thought it was a cute show and funny too. I remember that stores were selling suspenders just like Mork's and a lot of kids were wearing them to school. Robin Williams was hilarious and adorable as alien from outerspace Mork and Pam Dawber was great as Mindy the young woman who finds him and lets him stay in her apartment. I also thought Conrad Janis was great as Mindy's father and so was the actress who played Mindy's grandma. This may not have been the best sitcom of all time and isn't quite as good as classics like I Love Lucy, Taxi or The Mary Tyler Moore Show but Mork and Mindy was a cute show with enjoyable episodes and I want to see it released in complete season DVD boxsets!

Mork And Mindy
I'm 13 years old and I wasn't even around when Mork And Mindy came to telvision and as soon as i heard about the show i got a video of vol.1. When I finished watching the video I was so impressed by the acting of Robin Williams, and I was because Robin Williams is my favorite actor. In vol.1 the eposides that are on there are the fist eposide which is "Mork Moves In" and the 7th eposide witch is "Mork Goes Public". In the first eposide on the tape it's about how Mork comes to Earth and meets Mindy lives with her, but Mindy's farther does not want Mork to live with her. Will Mork stay on Earth? In the 2nd eposide a reporter is looking for an alien to put in his magzine, so Mindy tries to hid Mork from him. Will Mork be gone for good?

So, So Video Quality
The show "Mork & Mindy" is a pretty good show. Pam Dawber, Robin Williams, and Elizabeth Kerr were great in it.

But the video quality [is quite poor]! It is recorded in SLP/EP mode. Now, this is okay for shows that are released in black and white, but not for shows in color. The image looks like it was recorded off TV, and the episodes were the standard cut versions that were shown on Nick at Nite from 1991-1995, and the now dead FOX Family Channel. They could've either:

A: Included more episodes for our money, or
B: Have Taped it in SP Mode if They Only Wanted Two Episodes On It

I think another company other then Paramount Video should release "Mork & Mindy" and it's sister series, "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley"

excellent
mork and mindy have always been a fav of mine, i would like to purchase all season episodes, but can i? i haven't even seen it advertised in australia, what a waste, can someone tell me how i can get all the videos, without having to order them individually? ... Read more

Reviews (503)

Man Out Of Time
It's hard to think of a movie in which the hero ponders a metaphorical crossroads in his life while standing at a literal crossroads. Insipid or inspired? The problem with Robert Zemeckis's visually and viscerally eye-punching Robinson Crusoe ins that you can't say for sure. Could the movie really be as thematically trite as an insprirational office poster? Or is it an admirably stripped- down examination of the ancestral essence of being human?
Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) doesn't worry about such big questions. He's airlifted into Moscow and other emerging capital hot-spots when local operations are absolutely, positivly running from that tireless hunter: time. (It's alerrgorical! Get it?) Summoned on Christmas to make an emergency run, Chuck leaves his fiencee Kelly (Helen Hunt) with the promise that he'll return New Year's Eve. Cue from a "Perfect Storm": Chuck and the FedEx jet crew lose radio contact and crash into the Pacific Ocean in a truly harrowing, you-are-there disaster sequence. This is no film for the squeamish, particularly after Chuck and a few FedEx packages wash up on an unnamed, utterly uninhabited island (Fiji's Monukiri and Mana, actually).
Almost everything, from what Chuck's forced to eat to his horror at consequences of a desert-island toothache, is accompanied by all the blood and guts left over from SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
Add in Chuck's deteriorating hold on sanity---evinced by the inspired conceit of his relationship with a volleyball on which he has drawn a face---and you have a long middle section of bravura filmaking.
But once Chuck get home, the film turns anticlimatic and emotionally nil, and there's a startling lack of chemistry between Hanks and an unimpressive Hunt.

Cast Away
Cast Away
The first thought I had after seeing this film was whether or not I fully understood all of what I had seen. Posing this question will undoubtedly offer no easy answers, which for a film like Cast Away is probably a good thing. Cast Away begins with Fed Ex Executive Chuck Nolan (Tom Hanks in another stellar performance) explaining to his employee's that quote "We live by the clock". It's Christmas Eve and Chuck is enjoying a good meal with family and friends when his beeper rings and he finds himself forced to go out on a quick job. He tells his beautiful girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) that he will be home in time for new years celebrations. He promises. However a tragic plane crash into the ocean (which is very thrilling and realistic) changes all that. Now Chuck will no longer be living by the clock because he's now got all the time in the world. A trailer that gives away the entire movie ruined cast Away for many people. A spokes man for 20th Century Fox Entertainment said that Cast Away is movie about a man lost at sea and how he deals with coming home to world of change. Frankly I do not see it that way. I am a firm believer that people want to be surprised when they go to the movies. The only other quibble I have about the movie is the ending from which I think we the viewers are left with too many questions. Besides those problems I walked out of the theatre feeling really satisfied with what I had seen. The acting is top flight. The cinematography is excellent and the score is also a plus. One thing to mention to people is that there isn't allot of dialogue in the movie which may turn some people off. However, those people not too fussy may find this film truly riveting. For me it was a breathtaking experience. Review: **** out of five

unwooden Hollywood
Greeting comrads. Whats all can be said. read Yugijouohs' stunning review here in this Amazon customer review section, and you can believe me, he be harsher than I would have been if i talk , but that's repeating, he has said all there is to say! But I'll toss my 2 lira - Helen Hunt is the cats pajamas for ME personally--as opposed to me impersonally haha eddu make funny--and if had known she was not going to appear in Cast Away, I would not have even gone to see it.As mia santa momma said , flattery is no pizza,...but I will smash that rule here. WHENEVER Ms. Hunt is on picture, the movie is EYECATCHING! Again, see Yugijouohs review for more "depth" , I only write to urge you, the last TWENTY minutes of this movie recall the label on minestrone soup cans when i was a boy- Mm Mm GOOD! Probably the best use of digital storage in this crazy filmmaking world. Happily, this is my first positive review on Amazon, and this kind of filmmaking must "be a shining city on the hill" like Ronald Reagan speech! I say, Stay away from bad foreign film, go see Hollywood..(you may learn english)! To say 1 negative thing, the scenery shots ARE boring & Hanks seems a very disengenous man. To believe this movie was hardly "test screened", I love that this type of movie ending is not what world "wants"(?) At most you cant turn your DVD off when Mr Hanks is rescued,the movie would get malto bazillioniano stars I give in the review. This is my best advice.

I shared the same experience as Chuck Noland did...
This movie is very touching, and it's been hard for me to watch it again. Why you ask, because I use to date a girl back in 1996 when she lived here in Fitzgerald, GA. Her name is Kelly aswell. We dated briefly, but that all ending when her dad had to move to Houston, TX because of his job being transfered from the railcart co. here in Fitzgerld, GA, to Houston, TX. Me and her lost contact with each other until 2002, when I was able to find where she was and to finally get in touch with her again. She came back to Fitzgerald and We hugged each other for a long while. She stayed for a day or so here in town with another family member of her's, then they left to go back to Houston, TX. Sadly she started dating someone there in January of 2003. She told me that she did not think she could take having a long distance relationship, which that does make since. She did however came back later that year, but it was different. She saw it as a Friendly visit instead. But we still email each other everynow and then.

I know you could care less about my experience compared to this movie, but anyway Tom Hanks again brings in a great performance in "CastAway", just like he did in "Saving Private Ryan". The only thing I dislike about this movie is that he sounds like he is apologizes for not coming back to Kelly(Helen Hunt). It's not his fault the plane went down and he got stranded on an island, and Kelly(Helen Hunt) should have held out longer to see if he would indid be found. Which he is found and returns to Texas, and to his job as a Fed-Ex worker. But Kelly(Helen Hunt) is now remarried and has a daughter. But the movie does end on a positive note.

I recommend this movie to anyone wanting to see an adventure type movie, after you watch this movie it will make you look at life a different way and to stay close to the love ones you so dearly treasure.

Tom Tanks
Castaway was gravely lacking whether it was a true story or not. I hope it was true because that would at least validate the reason why somebody would put an anti-climactic and obvious-to-the-point-of-silliness story like that on a screen. The only enjoyable parts were where he lost something: Wilson the volleyball and his only companion of four years; blood, in the ocean accident where he tries to row a deflated lifesaver tube towards a light in the distance and breaks his leg open on the coral; his flashlight burning out; his soul-mate re-marrying and starting a new family; etc. It was enjoyable because I wanted him to suffer further. I think sympathetic feelings should only be lent to greatness, like Stalin or the Hindenburg exploding into flames, not to some shlub lost at sea who survives against great odds and endures to what? Saving his life only to give into the convention of letting things be as they are? Of course if there is resistance one shouldn't push and pull, but it seemed the only thing holding him back were the qualms and strictions of leaving well enough alone. Too bad this didn't register in his brain on that island and save the two hours and twenty plus minutes of film. Although there were some amusing parts there was never really any suspense as the viewer knows without any advance warning that he would survive his ordeal no matter the severity or peril he faced. Two stars begrudginly because it was 50 times better than Wendigo and I like to be consistent. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The hit Broadway musical from the 1940s gets a lavish if not always exciting workout in this 1955 film version directed by old lion Fred Zinnemann (High Noon). Gordon MacRae brings his sterling voice to the role of cowboy Curly, and Shirley Jones plays Laurie, the object of his affection. The Rodgers and Hammerstein score includes "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," and "People Will Say We're in Love," and Agnes DeMille provides the buoyant choreography. Among the supporting cast, Gloria Grahame is memorable as Ado Annie, the "girl who cain't say no," and Rod Steiger overdoes it as the villainous Jud. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (66)

Vibrant, memorable film version of musical classic
"Oklahoma!" was a classic AMerican musical, groundbreaking in its seamless integration of story, score, and dance, and a highly entertaining show in its own right with a thin but delightful story and classic score, the first of many classic scores to come from Rodgers and Hammerstein. THankfully, most of that vitality, freshness, and joy, not to mention the story and score, translate accurately and brilliantly, and very entertainingly, into the splashy 1955 film version, which is perfectly cast, sung and orchestrated, and competently directed by Fred Zinneman, (of "High Noon" and "From Here To Eternity" fame) whose only movie musical this was.

The gorgeous shots of the Midwestern landscape can probably best be appreciated in the widescreen Todd-AO version. (The film was famously filmed twice, in the new process and in standard Cinemescope to accomadate theatres who did not have the new technology installed) Gordon McRae is a marvelous Curley, full of energy, sarcasm, and romantacism, and he sings those songs to perfection. He and the original Curley, Alfred Drake, are the best I've heard. The radiant Shirley Jones is perfect in her film debut as Laurey. The supporting cast is all first-rate; other reviewers have mentioned Gloria Grahame's Ado Annie, which is indeed a hilarious and unforgettable performance, but there is also Gene Nelson's wonderful Will Parker, Charlotte Greenwood's loveable and delightful Aunt Eller, and Rod Steiger's adaquately menacing Jud Fry. (That last character loses some dimension through the deletion of his solo "Lonely Room," but Steiger probably wouldn't have sung it all that well, and the rest of the film is so perfect, that this is really a minor quibble) It should be noted that, even though this cast contains quite a few actors not noted for their singing pipes, no one is dubbed, and everybody sings very well. (Though again, Steiger might not have been up to the demands of "Lonely Room," though he does a fine job on "Poer Jud Is Daid") It could be argued that these classic songs have never been better-sung then they are here, and the augmented original Robert Russell Bennett orchestrations are great. Agnes de Mille recreates her original choreogrpahy to great effect; "Kansas City" still is amazing in how casually it comes out of the situation, "The Farmer and the Cowman" and "Many a New Day" are delightful, and the famous "Laurey Makes Up Her Mind" dream ballet is still stunning. Not the best R&H musical, ("Carousel" and "The King and I" outclass it in story and score, and "The King and I" is probably a better film) but certainly one of the best film versions of one of their musicals with the makings of a highly entertaining evening for the whole family. A fine tribute to a classic of musical theatre.

This movie Rocks!!
"Oklahoma!" is one GREAT movie. I don't think I ever smile so much during a movie as I do when I watch this one, it just makes me so darn happy! Ok, so the plot isn't amazing... but it doesn't matter, because the plot isn't really what drives this film. This movie is all about the characters, and the positive mood it creates, and the wonderful music that you will be humming for days after you watch the film. I actually bought the soundtrack a few weeks ago, (that's how much I liked it) and I haven't been able to stop playing it. I've seen a lot of musicals, both movie and stage, and I believe that "Oklahoma!" ties with "West Side Story" for having the best music of any musical, ever. The famous Rogers and Hammerstein score is just awesome. All of the songs are great, there isn't a bad one in the movie, but "People Will Say We're In Love" is my personal favorite. The scene were Curly and Laurie are singing this to each other in the peach orchard is so amazingly cute. I guess I'm just a silly hopeless romantic, but I can't help it. Shirley Jones as Laurie is wonderful, she has a BEAUTIFUL voice, and does a fine acting job too, especially considering she was only 20 years old and this was her film debut. The sparks just fly between her and Gordon MacRae (Curly), and this chemistry between the two leads is really what makes the movie work as well as it does. I was also stunned by the visual beauty of the film. It's beautiful color and exceptional picture clarity is uncommon for an older movie, so when I first watched "Oklahoma!" I had to double check to make sure it was really made in 1955. The special Todd-AO filming process other reviewers have gone into detail about really made a difference here. Anyways, I seem to have rambled on a bit, but I'll try to make my point here. This is a fun, romantic movie, that's a bit hokey at times ( but endearingly so, I believe) and has a few weak moments. But these few weak elements are far outweighed by the great ones. I judge a movie mainly on these two factors: 1) by the way I feel immediately after I've finished watching it, and 2) if it has a lasting impression on me. After this one, I just feel happy, and giddy, and like I want to dance around my living room and break out into song. And as far as lasting impressions go, I liked it so much I felt compelled to write this review and reccomend it to the world. So if this sounds like the kind of movie you'd enjoy, go for it, and have fun watching this classic.

Oklahoma
Well I'm surprised to find that I seem to be in the minority but I think Oklahoma is the Greatest Screen Musical of All Time.
I'll go in to why I think that but first I want you to know that I'm a great fan of musicals and have seen most of the great ones many, many times on the tube and on the big screen. Films like Top Hat, Gay Divorcee, Gold Diggers of 33 and 35, 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Swingtime, Follow the Fleet, Holiday Inn, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Pennies from Heaven('81) and of course My Fair Lady are as good as it gets and hold a cherished place in my heart.
They all have teriffic stars, good humor and above all wonderful music and wonderful songs. Oklahoma has more of that than any other movie. Every song
is a winner, a gem, a pearl. They eliminated the few "clinker" songs from the stage production (it ran for 26 years) leaving only the absolute winners for the movie. Shirley Jones was eighteen and wonderfully radiant. Her singing was even better than the original stage recording. Her singing was marvelous.
Howard Keel was originally slated to play Curly but opted out because he refused to shoot two movies, as they duplicated every scene for two different film processes. (The A-O Todd version is the one seen on the DVD and has much higher resolution than the
Cinemascope one seen for years on TV) What a stroke of luck, Howard Keel (much too old and stiff to play opposite Miss Jones) is out and Gordon MacRae (the perfect fit) is in. His voice, while not as dynamic as Alfred Drake's, is perfect for the screen
but best of all he brings a sensiblity and earthy quality to the role missing from all the others I've seen. Some bizarre casting
in the minor roles like Gloria Grahame as Ado Annie and Eddie Albert as Ali Hakim and Rod Stieger as the "bully colored" Judd Frey add a strange flavor to the mix. But it's not the only strange thing going on. The story itself is not particularly a pleasant one and one might find the treatment of Judd or Judd himself unpleasant. It themes aren't necessarily family fare. There's even a dream sequence featuring some dark moments in a bordello. These elements add to the complexity and depth of this best-of-all musicals. And now the real muscle, Oh What a Beautiful Morning, Surrey with the Fringe on Top, I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No, Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City,
Never Will Come a Day, People Will Say We're in Love, Poor Judd is Dead, The Farmer and the Cowhand Should Be Friends, With Me It's All or Nothin' and Of course Oklahoma. No musical, not The King and I, not Singin' in the Rain, not Carousel, not any other save My Fair Lady can boost so many landmark songs. Throw in three or four marvelous dance sequences and big dash of Americana and you have the best screen musical ever. Thanks for your tolerance and thank you Amazon for letting me get that off my chest. There is one other musical I gotta mention, because it puts so many others to shame but I'm afraid I'll lose any crediblity, if any, I've got. Well, here it goes, South Park, Bigger, Longer, Uncut is better than all of Andrew Llyod Webber's musicals wound-up into one. In fact I don't think he's got a single song that can outdo ANY song in S P, B, L, U.
There I've said it and now I'm done. Thank you.

Still one of the best
I just watched "Oklahoma" again for the first time in a few years. I can understand why some viewers disliked this musical. The plot concerns farmers and ranchers fighting for dominance over land in the midwest in the 1800's. It's difficult for some of us modern urban dwellers to relate to this dilemma. Also, the characters in "Oklahoma" all speak in a cutesy, rubish dialect which is sometimes hard to understand and can even be annoying.

And it must seem quaint to us that escorting a girl on a picnic could create the kind of conflict that it does in this story. Another disconcerting element in "Oklahoma" is the sight of supposedly rough, rugged cowboys performing in pristine, balletic sequences staged by Agnes De Mille. After our generation has grown up on the gritty realism and sensuality of choreography by the likes of Bob Fosse or even Baz Luhrmann, this type of choreography seems dated and out of place.

But despite these criticisms, "Oklahoma" is still a great musical because of the music itself, and the way the music is so seamlessly integrated into the plot and characterizations. Simply stated, the melodies composed by the prodigious Richard Rodgers and the lyrics written by the poetic Oscar Hammerstein II for "Oklahoma" are magnificent.

For instance, is there a grander or more exuberant description of a wondrous new day than in "Oh What a Beautiful Morning"? Or a more lilting expression of reluctant love than in "People Will Say We're in Love"? Or how about the lyrical beauty and grace of the waltz "Out of My Dreams"? Or the syncopated melody and lyrics of "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" which is a perfect accompaniment to the clippity-clop of a horse pulling a carriage? And what about the joyous, unbridled energy of the celebratory theme song "Oklahoma"?

They all add up to a superb, exceptional score. Other assets of the movie version of "Oklahoma": the vibrant color photography; the solid performances by a talented and versatile cast; and the rich, beautiful singing voices of Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.

"Oklahoma" is not a perfect musical, but it's still one of the best and well worth your time if you possess an open mind and a discerning ear.

I really hate this movie...(* 1/2)...
I have never seen anything more boring and tedious than this film. I was forced to watch this one summer Sunday night when nothing else was on T.V., and had finished the book I was reading. I wasn't particulary looking forward to seeing it, because I didn't like "The Sound of Music", "South Pacific", or "Carosuel", but I like old movies, and thought I'd give it a chance. Also it had gotten such great reviews and all and I believe it won Best Picture at the Academy Awards back in '56. After what felt like 48 hours of bordem, I came to the conclusion that this was offically the most over-rated film I have EVER seen! The promblem wasn't even that it was a musical. I like musicals, but this was just awful! The (lyrical) music and dancing was just STUPID. The story was over-used, and the charectors ANNOYING! The only reason I give this a star and 1/2 is because it was tecnically well made, even tho the music and dancing was atrocious! I can't really reccomend this movie or not, becuase I think it really depends on a persons taste. If you like "The Sound of Music", and "Carosuel", you'll probably like this... ... Read more

Description

A group of anti-arms activists hold a nuclear testing plant "hostage".Staged as an actual late-breaking news event. ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Shows the truth about network news
Special Bulletin is a TV movie about nuclear bomb threat in Charleston S.C. and how on television network responses to crisis, when one of their newcrews becomes in invovled. I really liked this movie, because of the way that the network reacts to the crisis. In the beginning there is concern for the hostages, but as the continues you see graphics and music being developed. And it becomes less about the hostages and more about get the story. Overall its a good movie.

Interesting and provacative
The whole "movie" is done to try and not be a movie at all. In the spirit of H.G. Wells and "War of the Worlds" this 'movie' attempts to seem like an actual news broadcast. You watch as a normal news day turns into a national crisis. A group of anti-nuclear activists has assembled a make-shift atomic device of comparable yield to the ones that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thier demands are US nuclear disarmament, in the hopes that if they forced the US to make the first move, the USSR would follow suit by disarming in turn. The plot isn't very plausible, even by 80's standards, but the film is interesting and enjoyable to watch.

The special effects in the movie aren't bad, considering the era and the very very very low budget the film must have had. It's interesting to see the news personel changing attitudes, as they slowly begin to grasp the reality of the situation and begin to have a sort of epiphany that the news they report isn't just pictures and facts that don't effect them, it's real.

This isn't really something to watch if you're looking for a great movie, but it was enjoyable, especially to anyone who has an interest in nuclear weapons and the politics there of (or the 80's for that matter) and anyone who likes an out of the ordinary, creative film.

Also may work as a good practical joke, to put in the VCR on New years eve without telling anyone and wait to see if they can tell that something isnt right LOL. Probably wouldn't work, being the clothing and reporting style is CLEARLY not 2002, but hey.

AT 4AM COMMING IN IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MOVIE.....
IN 1988, I BEGAN MY JOB AT 5AM. AS I DRESST TO GO, I HAD TURNED THE TV ON. THE MOVIE HAD BEGAN. MY FIANCE BROUGHT ME COFFEE ON HIS WAY HOME FROM HIS 3RD SHIFT JOB. HE TURNED THE SOUND UP AND WE BOTH WATCHT IN SILENCE.I WAS PUTTING ON PINK SOCKS (I DO REMEMBER THAT)! WE LIVED IN NASHVILLE AT THE TIME, NOT FAR FROM
THE 'SITE' OF THE ACTION. I WAS SO SCARED!, I WAS WEEPING. I ASKT HIM IF I "SHOULD GO AHEAD & PICK UP THOSE SICK PEOPLE & TAKE THEM TO DIALYSIS?" "SHOULD WE JUST STAY TOGETHER? NO PLACE TO HIDE OR OUTRUN THE INEVITABLE"!. I WAS EXTREMELY DISTRAUGHT. WE DID DECIDE TO STAY W/ OUR RESPECTIVE SCHEDULES AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I REMEMBER SAYING "MAYBE THIS IS A BIG JOKE ON EVERYONE." I THOUGHT ED FLANDERS WAS WALTER CRONKITE? NO ONE LOOKT LIKE tv STARS...I PICKT UP MY PATIENTS & DELIVERED THEM TO THE CENTER. NONE OF THE NURSES LOOKT UPSET. I CALLED HOME, AND WAS TOLD BY MY FIANCE, THAT HE'D LOOKT AT THE STATION TO THE END,
AND IT WAS "JUST" A MOVIE. WE NEVER SAW THE DISCLAIMERS? I JUST JUST KNEW
"JUDGEMENT DAY" HAD ARRIVED.&..I LEARNED TO TRY TO "STAY READY". TOMMORROW IS NOT PROMISED. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE MOVIE! ESPECIALLY IN 1988, AT FOUR O'CLOCK AM IN THE PREDAWN HOURS ...... O3/13/03 PEGGYROSEINWOODS

An '80s video 'War of the Worlds'
Patterned after a real news network broadcast, The network actually announced during each station break that "This is a fictitious story", etc. But as I remember viewing it for the first time, until the first commercial, seeing the alternate CNN-type network with 'BREAKING NEWS' and reporters scrambling about actually instilled real fear in me which I have not felt before or since during any cinematic experience. Honestly, I have laughed at movies like "The Exorcist". The vastly more popular (but lousy) mid-'80s film "The Last Day" paled in comparison to this film, which seems to have disapeared like a fart in a hurricane, most likely for scaring too many people.
The evolving profile of the terrorist/mastermind is as chilling as any modern, real profile of Al Queda. Remember, this feature was made almost 20 years before the current proliferation of reality-based television. A Very, Very, interesting and ground-breaking film.

Remembering How It Was
...

And thus this TV movie.

The terrorists' demands and MO don't seem all that far-fetched, given the climate of opinion of the time. This was a time when the nastiest terror cells operating in the First World tended to be intellectual political-theoretical types, committed to the Radicalisation of the Masses (the Bader-Meinhoff Gang, the Red Army Faction, the Symbionese Liberation Army, the Weathermen...) rather than people who actually had something resembling a real grievance.

And so a group of people have decided to dramatise the danger of nuclear weapons; if they are not allowed to strike a symbolic, internationally-acknowledged blow against the nuclear-war-machine, they will strike a REAL blow that will, they hope, bring the realities home to the masses.

And so the stage is set for tragedy.

"Special Bulletin" is, intentionally, made to look as much like real television news coverage as possible -- unlike most TV movies, it is shot on video rather than film (In fact, i wouldn't be at all surprised if the image wasn't intentionally slightly degraded to emphasise that it WAS tape, not film). While a lot of people may not actually be able to describe what the differences between a film image and a video image are, they are perceptible to almost anyone, and the mind, consciously or otherwise, identifies the video image with "real TV" and the film image with "movies".

Another thing that helps to create the rather scary level of verisimilitude in this film is the fact that it is paced like real TV; its rhythm is keyed to commercial breaks, and this enhances the realism of the revreation of the staccato, punchy nature of television news coverage, both when Something Is Happening and in those long stretches when you have had nothing actually new in hours, but you can't just let the story go, if only because the Competition might get a ratings jump on you if something new happens and they're able to go live with it faster than you. (We saw both of these aspects in the recent coverage of the DC-area sniper story.)

((This film is so tied to its commercials that, when a local science-fiction club decided to use it as a program item, they wound up adding one award-winning or blooper-reel commercial at each break, because without the spots it just didn't work.))

Aside from the video imagery and the pacing, there is the fact that the production makes use of realistic sound effects, especially the the flat, popping sound that real gunshots have when recorded, and the familiar sound of voices just off-mike, discernible but muffled.

One mistake, i feel, that was made was the use of a video-generated special effects shot for the climactic moment of the film; maybe that's what such a blast WOULD look like on video, but it doesn't match my memories of footage of actual open-air atomic test shots.

But the aftermath footage is chilling...

(I have read complaints that the electro-magnetic pulse effects of the blast should render TV equipment that close to Ground Zero in operative; i don't know -- this is a very small burst, and remote-news equipment is built pretty tough...)

And the visuals and account of the after-effects that we hear as a follow-up story are at once frightening, heart-breaking, accurate and a pointed reminder of just how insufficient anything we could realistically expec to be able to do to take care of casualties and destroyed cities from anything other than an isolated incident would be...

Grim, scary, still a valid cuationary tale (though the potential nuclear terrorists might have different motives and might strike without warning, the results would be the same...) and brilliantly done.

Deserves a DVD release, perhaps with historical material about the Cold War and the terrorists of the day... ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fahey sharpens skills in "Virtual"
Jeff Fahey (Darkman III, Lawn Mower Man) has been making movies since 1985. He has put time and effort in his characters, starring in 42 films since 2000. He can be a vicious gunslinger (Silverado) then turn around and be a totally polished gentelman (Outback, later released as Wrangler). This ability to put himself in his character's skin makes him an interesting study. That's why he works so well in "Virtual Seduction". He portrays a ruderless man lost in fantasy. He's fueled by love, regrets and heartbreak over the death of his lover. But living in fantasy has it's price. Though not a big-budget film, it's entertaining and Fahey makes us empathize with his character's need to have another chance. Worth a look both to see this actor's skills and view a good sci-fi thriller.

Virtual Seduction - Reality Is Not An Option
Paris Is The Ideal Lover: Kind, Passionate, And Beautiful, But She Is Dead..Paris Is The Victim Of A Brutal Murder Wittnessed By Her Boyfriend...This Film Illustrates The Dangerous Addiction Of Too Much Virtual Reality...Test Subject Liam (Jeff Fahey) Finds Himself Prefering The Simulation Of His Deceased Girlfriend To His Flesh And Blood Love Laura (Ami Dolenz)...Fortunately, Laura Is Not Willing To Give Up To A Computer Generated Reality Quite That Easily...She Must Stop Him Before He, Himself Chooses To Join Paris In The Simulated World Permantly... ... Read more

Reviews (344)

A nice change of pace for Pfeiffer
After 'Scream' rehashed the horror genre, 'Lake Placid' tried to do the same for the horror genre. The ghost genre inevitably came next, but fared somewhat better. Take 'The Sixth Sense' and 'House On Haunted Hill' for example, both well above your average scary movie. Now this film sold itself on the basis that it was an 'adult' horror movie. By that it simply meant old-fashioned, for supposed teen flicks such as 'Scream' were actually far more intelligent. This is just sophisticated.

Still, it's nice to see a movie where Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer manage to move away from type-casting and prove that they can both act. Also impressive is the fact that director Zemeckis filmed this whilst on a hiatus from his other film 'Castaway'. Unfortunately though, it drags a lot at the start. After things hot up a little you'll be at the edge of your seat but for a long while it's a little dull. Of course, this was passed off as being adult and a great tension-builder and no-one dared say anything. It was just kep quiet about whilst everyone raved about the ending.

If you're not accustomed to the genre then this is probably a really good start to ghost movies. But there are far better ones out there and this is little more than ordinary. In fact, it is only really a fantastic turn by Pfeiffer that makes it anything special. Watch out throughout the movie for key points that are heavily earmarked as future plot elements - what's with the mysterious (and conveniently misty) lake? the old photos? and the seemingly insignificant fact that you can't get mobile phone reception on the deserted bridge?

Highly entertaining in parts, very dull in others.

A brilliant, complex and masterfully engaging horror.
What Lies Beneath, a brilliant, masterfully played out homage to Hitchcock is quite frankly the scariest movie I have ever seen. I came out of the cinema pale and shaking and while I was watching the film I was so scared I even had to shield my eyes at parts. All the scary parts are brought to life by a great score with manages to grab you in the nuts at the most unexpected times. The movie is over 2 hours long but never tires. I have watched this about 5 times now and every time I get the chills and always appreciate the film more. Robert Zemeckis excellent direction reminds us of how many great movies directors can do in 1 year. Cast Away and this film were both brilliant experiences and Zemeckis directs them both brilliantly. The performances excel, with Michelle Pfeiffer excellent as Claire Spencer who, while trying to uncover a masterful mystery, is slowly losing her mind. Harrison Ford brings up many shocks and takes a surprising back seat. His performance is fabulous. What Lies Beneath builds its suspense - especially in one horrifyingly Hitchcockian bathtub sequence - and always uses its ideas. I couldn't find many plot holes but the film can be complex at times. If you watch the film carefully and take note of everything that's happening I'm sure you'll understand the ending and the mystery that is slowly unlocking. What Lies Beneath has many great camera shots too like Michelle's toe peaking above the bath water, her hand clutching the side, her grabbing a sharp piece of glass and it reflecting her terrified face and a freaky close-up on Harrison Ford's eye. I love this movie, and it will always be a heart-stopping and fun experience for me to sit through.

verrry suspenceful
i was focused on this movie the whole time, and i'm the type of person wondering when it's going to be over. i was litterallyon the edge of my seat for some of the parts. if you like scary movies, you should see this one. it was great.

"A Thriller"
Well Harrison Ford has a heel turn in this movie, well the whole movie until the last 30 min of it he trys to kill his wife cause she finds out he killed a student.Well this was a great movie.

horrific horror (that means good)
this is a good horror movie, but i don't know if it would still be suspensful the 2nd time around. (i only like em super scary.) ya. that's it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A pampered socialite (Goldie Hawn) is so distraught after the wedding-night death of her husband (Albert Brooks) that she up and joins the Army. She whines, she pouts, she brings the corps down, until, of course, she gets with it. Eileen Brennan received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as the butch Captain Doreen Lewis, Benjamin's nemesis. Funny and winning, the film takes an odd turn when Benjamin is assigned to the international theater and gets involved with a dour Frenchman (Armand Assante). Of course, it's all part of Benjamin's growth as a person, and the part confirmed that Hawn had gone from a go-go girl to a "you go" girl. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An overhyped so-so movie that's really forgetable
A spoiled Judy Benjamin get's married to an ugly ... guy with an even uglier hairdo (white people can't wear fro's without looking ridiculous). He dies of a heart attack on their honeymoon as they make love on the bathroom floor. A smooth talking Army recruiter hears her sad tale on a radio talk show and offers to help her. After smooth talking her in his office, she signs up. Sounds like a real good story right? Well......

Judy's arrival at Ft Biloxi is funny as are other boot camp scenes... Once Judy decides to tough out basic, it just isn't a comedy anymore. She actually starts to get annoying.

After being given an ultimatum from her CO, (jump or screw) Judy jumps from the airplane. She cries [wolf] and gets an assignment in Paris. It all goes downhill from here. She meets up again with a snobbish Frenchman that she met in Biloxi (yeah I know). Well he's a communist and the Army wants her to stop dating him. She decides to marry him, then changes her mind once she's out of the Army. The final scene is her running happily down the road in a wedding dress acting like a 16 year old.

This movie is a lot like Full Metal Jacket in that after boot camp, everyone shuts it off. Bill Murray's 'Stripes' is a good example of 'interest after the boot camp scenes'. Maybe that's why the old TV show 'Private Benjamin' only dealt with boot camp type training.

THERE ARE WORSE WAYS TO PASS AN EVENING THAN WITH THIS FILM
This 1980s feminist fable is about the pampered and weak JAP (Jewish-American Princess) Judy Benjamin, who wants nothing more than to be married to a rich and successful man and be able to spend lots of money. She has been cared for by men for her entire life and has no skills, independence, or serious ambitions. After she is widowed, she falls for a recruiter's sales pitch and joins the Army, believing that it will be like going to a spa and will help her recover from the emotional blow of her husband's death. There is great comic potential here, but the movie lacks the sort of sharp writing that would have taken it to the next level. Nonetheless, it obviously strikes a cord with many viewers.

The first half of this film is inoffensive, sitcom-grade material. (In fact, a sitcom based on the film ran from 1981 to 1983.) Goldie Hawn's alternately cutesy/whiny act during basic training gets tiring quickly -- she's like a child who keeps begging for our attention -- and the film rarely manages to capitalize on the comic potential of the situations. Still, it does set up well how her parents' visit to the Army base reminds her of their degrading treatment of her, making her resolve to be the best soldier possible. We cheer for her to succeed. She does, of course, becoming a strong and independent woman in the Army.

The second, more serious half of the movie is somewhat more satisfying, as we watch Private Benjamin fight not to let her new French beau Henri bully her into reverting to her shallow, weak, pre-Army self. Her romance with the despicable Henri is the most interesting part of the film, in part because Arman Assante plays his part so well: charming but condescending and unfaithful.

The picture quality on the DVD is average for a film from 1980. The DVD includes the trailer and short biographies of the major actors. The film is captioned in several languages and can be heard with French dubbing. It does not include a widescreen version, just pan-and-scan.

Pouting Princess
Judy is in an extremely vulnerable state and when she calls into a radio show to understand why her life is in turmoil, an army recruter asks to meet her. When she arrives, she is obviously confused and wants to escape from her problems.

An assignment in Europe, getting into peak physical shape and living in her own condo sounds just too tempting. The reality of the situation is not so tempting. $458 a month hardly makes up for your husband dying on your wedding night. When she arrives at boot camp and says: "Is green the only color these come in? Where are the yahts?" You just fall in love with her character.

The disturbingly insensitive Captain Doreen Lewis is a comic treat all by herself, yet even with a whip in hand, not even she can compete with the pouting princess. Doreen wants to toss Judy right back into the arms of her parents. However, when Judy's father tells her she is not intelligent enough to make her own decisions, something changes. Private Benjamin decides to stay.

Some of the great comic moments are when Goldie is cleaning the bathroom with her electric toothbrush. I have stayed at an army base in Germany and trust me, they could have used a bit of toothbrush cleaning. My thoughts were that in the army, everything was spotless. Not! So, this movie was even funnier since I could totally relate to some of the experiences Judy had to go through. Another reason to respect our men and women in the military!

While this is mostly a comedy, there is some romance, with a sadistic twist. You know there is going to be trouble when Judy asks: "Am I making sense?" And her French Fiancé says: "No, and that 's what I love about you." You start to get the feeling that Judy is the only one who really knows what she wants and that no one else is listening.

Judy starts off running from her problems and ends up running from her problems. There are no real solutions presented, except to run. And maybe sometimes if you think about it, running is just a good idea.

Comic Entertainment at its finest!

Great Film! Poor Treatment!
Along with "Foul Play" this is one of Goldie Hawn's finest hours, playing a rich, pampered widow who is duped into joining the army. An hysterical comedy who's format has been returned to time and again, but never quite to this effect. Eileen Brennan is equally fantastic as the tough army officer you love to hate. I've been awaiting the release of this film on DVD for some time (along with Foul Play which hasn't yet been released), and it's here that I felt disappointed. For one, the only released version of this is in Standard Pan & Scan. I know some of you out there still cling to this outmoded format, but for the rest of us, this is unacceptable. At the very least, it should have been dual sided, with Widescreen on one side and Standard on the other. Secondly, they've done nothing with soundtrack other than present in Dolby Stereo 2.0. I realize that with some older titles, they don't bother to remaster the soundtrack in 5.0 (let alone DTS - the Ultimate sound format for your buck!), but I still think it's very lame that they do this. Anyway, there is a trailer, at least, but don't expect any deleted scenes, bloopers, or any other fancy features. The film can also be heard in French, but Spanish would also have been nice (there are at least Spanish subtitles). They've priced this relatively low (I guess because they knew what a lame job they did with it), but I'd have preferred a bit more of a higher price if it meant little more effort on their part for this truly classic comedy. Let's hope that "Foul Play" offers a lot more when it's finally released.

Half-comedy
Did anyone but me notice that this movie stops being a comedy the moment Judy Benjamin defies her parents and decides to remain in the army? From the very next scene through the conclusion, it becomes a deliberate feminist polemic and deliberately unfunny. Feminism is nice, but filmmakers seem either afraid to have too much fun with it or unable to keep from aiming over the top. (See Nine to Five and The Incredible Shrinking Woman for two other examples.) Eileen Brennan's scene in which she first meets Benjamin is the high point and (unfortunately and needless to say) comes early. As with Swing Shift, Hawn flexed her star muscles and did things her way -- to the detriment of the product and the audience. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

This title is now available on DVD
It is not immediately obvious (it doesn't come up as an alternate format), but this work is now available in a DVD edition, which has been re-mastered to 5.1 digital sound.

Magnificent, A great opera story ever told , Viva Mascagni
I have seen this video more than three times & each time i see it, it has the same impact on me. The feeling of beauty, tragedy. The way the artists potray the characters is truly superb. My favourate scenes is between the Tiruddu & Santuzza. The song 'No no Tiruddu' is done so well. also the intermezzo. Thelast act my Domingo 'Mama....."saying goodbye to her mother before the fight with Alfio ofcourse he dies at the end. The woman who shouts "Somebody has killed Tiruddu" in Italian is such a thrill & has become so familiar with many movie goers especially "the God Father part 3" saga. This is a great video to own.Obrastva & Domingo have never sounded so good. I also like Alfio's voice with his whip at the beginning of the film when he enters the market & everyone sorrounds him to listen. Buy this one U wont regret.

Cavalleria Rusticana
The greatest opera ever composed. Why is it not available in DVD?

Collect this Cav
Agree with the 9/3/99 review except I like Zeffirelli better than Coppola and Domingo's wig was truly awful in this production. His hair was perfect so why they made him wear a wig is a mystery and unfortunately I found it distracting throughout the film. Otherwise, it is the very best available. The music is devine, passionatly performed. The wig can be forgiven.

Superb
I fully agree with the review which was written 9/3/99 from Summit NJ. Even a newcomer to Opera would have to Love this one. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Robert Crumb is known for his disturbing, yet compelling, underground cartoons: his most famous works made countercultural icons out of Mr. Natural ("Keep on Truckin'...") and Fritz the Cat. Terry Zwigoff delves into the odd world of the cartoonist in his documentary film Crumb, and the picture that emerges is not always pretty--at moments, it's almost repellent--but it's a fascinating glimpse into a very strange mind. Interviewing immediate family--Crumb has one suicidal brother, one semi-psychopathic brother, two sisters who declined to be interviewed, and a tyrannical mother--Crumb begins to look a bit saner. Given his surroundings, it's remarkable that he has survived so well. His hostilities toward women may turn some viewers off, but his wife, Aline, seems to be a grounding point, and she provides a solid counterbalance to the man.No one shies away from discussing incredibly intimate things (namely, sex!), which explains much of R. Crumb's cartoons. This documentary can definitely be considered a masterpiece for the cult crowd, and as for the rest of us, it's sure to make us feel a little better about our own lives! --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (51)

On behalf of Charles...
I own this film and I must say that I like Robert Crumb's taste in the blues and I share a lot of his views about the shallowness of American culture. He's a purist, creatively brilliant, and holds to his artistic values. Nevertheless, I couldn't help feeling that I would like to have seen him have the presence of mind to "lower" himself enough and get paid outrageously enough to do a lousy album cover every once in awhile so he could have perhaps helped his brother Charles to get the mental health care he needed and out of that gawd awful home environment with that crazy mother of his. Of course, if he had he probably wouldn't have been Robert Crumb with his all-consuming eccentricities and self-preoccupation with the female anatomy and big butts. Still, considering he was quite aware of being raised in a twisted family, it didn't seem to occur to him that he might have been in the position to help his two brothers reclaim their lives by throwing some major financial resources their way so they could have a better chance to overcome their sadistic father and demented upbringing. In his own way, Charles had his own genius and needed psychiatric care. Maybe RC tried and it just wasn't portrayed in the movie. On the other hand, I never got the impression the thought ever crossed his mind, because there's little evidence he thought about anything other than himself, his art, his immediate family, and outlets for his never-ending sexual obsessions -- or so it seems. If he had, I think I'd have more respect for him as a person than just as a supremely gifted artist.

Disturbing, shockling funny, and eerily hypnotic
Robert Crumb is well known as one of the pioneers of the underground comic book era of the 1960s, and his "Keep On Truckin'" logo is still well-known today. His comics were (and still are), bizarre, outrageous, shocking, and often offensive. But the story of real-life creator of such psychedelic highlights as Zap Comics and Fritz the Cat is so weird and unusual in itself, you'll remember it for a long time to come. (Robert Crumb describes the Church of the SubGenius as the only religion he could consider joining.) Terry Zwigoff's masterful portrayal of Crumb is presented in such a manner that even as you're shocked at some of the things he draws (e.g. Mr. Natural in "A Bitchin' Bod"), you see that compared to the other people in his family, he looks almost normal. It's presented in a modest, low-key style that you can't tear your eyes away from after you start watching it. The scene of Crumb's brother Max eating cloth while sitting on a bed of nails is strangely entrancing.

Thanks to Zwigoff for documenting the Family Crumb
What a fascinating family, so glad they let us glimpse their eccentricities head on, to me it was liberating. Here is a family of lovable oddballs, some coping with life more effectively than others. They are not made from a Picture Perfect American Family mold, for sure! In Robert Crumb's comics, surface normality and conformity is no guarantee that no desires and emotions, perverse and otherwise, lurk beneath. So I'm grateful to Crumb for having the moxie to put it out there in his drawings. Honesty is both healing and creative.

Keep on Truckin'...
"Crumb" is the sad and funny documentary of a damaged man who happened to find a beautiful and reasonably lucrative outlet for his peccadilloes. It's also the brutal portrait of two men - Robert's brothers - who were not so lucky.

"Crumb" offers amazing access to R. Crumb and his family, but the man himself remains an enigma - an entertaining and fascinating enigma, but an enigma nonetheless. Still, Zwigoff's probing camera gets behind the man and his art, his fans and detractors, and delivers a wonderful portrait of the man and a great appreciation of his work - even his most off-putting, misogynistic work.

But it's when Zwigoff talks to Robert's family that we see the true effects of a horrible, and horror-filled, childhood. Both of his brothers are intelligent and considerably talented, but they were unable to find a healthy outlet to escape a tyrannical father (his abuse is only hinted at in the movie), and their stories are deeply affecting - and difficult to watch.

So "Crumb" is either life-affirming or terribly depressing. I vote for the first option, which is why I'm the proud owner of the DVD. You wont find a much better documentary, or a more powerful drama, than "Crumb."

Great Documentary
Wow! I knew R. Crumb was off-beat, but I had no idea how much so. And his family is really messed up, much worse off than Robert Crumb. His siters refused to be interviewed forthe film, but his two brothers should be institutionalized. If you question your own weirdness and sanity, take a look at the Crumb family in comparison; It may cheer you up. Something totally worthwhile is the scene where Crumb is going through his older brother's comics and notebooks. Want to "see someone go insane?" Here you go. Warning, R. Crumb, and his friends and family's honesty is commendable yet some viewers may not appreciate the talk of masturbation, racial slurs, and gender roles. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

the siege, the warning
the siege was release in 1998, nobody cared. 911 came alone and the movie was justified. strong performances from every body especially the main stars made the movie REAL. a very underrated movie for it time. siege is a movie set in nyc home of terrorist cells, also home of denzel and the fbi. plot and sub-plots preceed from scene to scene. denzel and bening fight for the information, b. willis slides in and steal the show as the general of the elite army. after seeing this movie you are going to say, "why didn't the president watch this muther******* pre-911!" ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Amazing Bad Movie
Ah, days gone by. The days of Cannon films, mindless, loud, ultraviolent, ridiculous 80s action films.

A previous reviewer gave an impressive account of Cannon and the Golan/Globus production duo that gave us classics like Death Wish 3 and Cobra.

Invasion U.S.A. is a great bad movie, period. Chuck Norris, normally an awful actor, looks to be trying really hard not to act at all. Matter of fact, Chuck looks plain creepy, his face completely blank and emotionless. He plays an ex 'government agent'. Turns out there's a planned nighttime invasion of America being cooked up by an evil Russian general, an old nemesis of Norris. There's also some Cubans, and even Arabs from some unnamed country. They invade America one evening, killing Americans easily because we're weak, etc, etc, and they even roll into town to blow up a few suburban family homes with rocket launchers.

Chuck Norris is the only one in America with any real idea of what's going on, so he wearily puts on his twin Uzi straps and sets out to kill the invaders. It's a typical 80s, updated cowboys and Indians flick, dripping with cynicism. Invasion U.S.A. also adheres to an ironclad Golan/Globus rule: the badder the criminal, the worse he has to suffer before dying horribly.

This movie would have scared young children in 1985 into thinking Russia would actually invade and we would be bazookaed in our own homes. But now it reveals itself to be a true masterpiece, a moment of cinema from a bygone era when exploitation, paranoia, fear, violence, and profit were running amok.

The director is Joseph Zito, so you're in good bad genre hands, he having directed The Prowler and Friday the 13th The Final Chapter before. The film makes no sense at all. Like Death Wish 3, for instance, the film deserves a lot of credit for so completely disregarding anything of quality, save for the bullet-riddled violence. Plot, acting, direction, plausibility are all jettisoned in favor of pure gratification of hidden right-wing fantasies.

If you long for the 80s, love bad movies, love Chuck Norris, love Golan/Globus, love moronic guy movies, this is highly recommended

One of my greatest guilty pleasures.
When a group of terrorists invade America, only Matt Hunter (Chuck Norris) can stop them. Pretty simple stuff, not an ounce of plot to get in the way of the story, but what a story it is. Invasion U.S.A. was one of the million or so b-movie thrill rides put out by the now, sadly, defunct Cannon Pictures. I was fearful that changing times (and fashions) would date Invasion U.S.A. some, and, to be honest, they have. But it still retains enough of its bad movie charms to entertain in a brainlessly high octane way. Stuffed with enough action for two Cannon Pictures, this is an essential for both Cannon and Chuck Norris fans - though the 'good' movies The Chuckster did for the studio are, in my opinion, the first Missing in Action and The Hero and The Terror. But this is my favorite of the bunch and I give it my highest recommendation.

One of Chuck's Best!!!
In summary, terrorist start to take over the states. Chuck takes care of things, so don't worry, Norris IS homeland security. Very rock solid action movie, but a litlle dated by todays standards. Who gives a crap? Much better than his Walker, Texas Ranger days. 4 1/2 Stars.

vintage Chuck Norris
One of Chuck Norris's better known movies; TBS has shown this countless times. It doesn't really get better with age though. Not Chuck's best movie but better than several of the real duds like Forced Vengeance and Good Guys Wear Black. It's Chuck against the Russkies who invade his homeland and really tee him off. No real extras on the DVD, just the movie. Action is not really memorable in this movie, and it's pretty unbelievable even for a Chuck movie. But, if you're a Chuck fan, this one is a must because it's got a few classic Chuck one-liners.

An Utterly Ridiculous Yet Fun Actioneer
Ah the '80's. Reagen, over-indulgence, superficiality, and of course, the seminal genre that we now know as 1980's action movies. Invasion U.S.A. is everything that an 80's action movie should be: action packed (no matter how ridiculous and moronic the plot lines are), extremely right-wing, and of course, having stone-faced macho men declare war on the entire world. This film lacks in every aspect of a "good" movie (realistic action scenes, drama, good acting, interesting and or thought provoking), yet manages to suceed magnificently on the entertainment scale. One of my favorite scenes in the film are when Chuck Norris takes on the Russian dude in a man to man close combat rocket launcher scene! Also, I must say I was quite intrigued as to how Chuck Norris's ridiculously big truck managed to remain un-scathed through all of the gun battles that occur in this movie.

All in all, Invasion U.S.A. is the perfect movie for a night with a couple of buddies. Don't expect that much, and you'll enjoy this mindless 80's action flick. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Franco Zeffirelli(Romeo and Juliet) and screenwriter Hugh Whitemore strip away a bit of the familiar romanticism of Charlotte Brontë's novel and come up with a more plain but somehow quite interesting film adaptation. Charlotte Gainsbourg(The Cement Garden) makes for an oddly appealing but deliberately unlovely version of Jane (previous actresses have included Susannah York andJoan Fontaine), and William Hurt is excellent as an equally revised Rochester, brusque and self-involved but not the totem of torment and charisma we've seen before. The story clings to the usual chapters in the book, but with Zeffirelli shaping the principal characters to reflect their cautious perceptions of one another--rather than to a Hollywood notion of grand passion--the film has a wonderful accessibility. Great support from Joan Plowright, Billie Whitelaw, Anna Paquin, and the rest of the cast.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (96)

This version is just "eh".
This review contains many spoilers, so you might not want to read it if you haven't read the book.

First of all, Jane Eyre is my favorite book. I love it so much because it is romantic, feminist, exciting and mysterious. It would be extremely difficult for any movie to do the novel justice.

Still, this version COULD have been better. Charlotte Gainsbourg did look very much how I imagined Jane, but she always came across as so cold. It's true that in the book Jane does not always express how she feels, but she is not as stony as Miss Gainsbourg portrays her.

William Hurt wasn't the best Rochester, either. I don't know what they were thinking, casting a blonde, conventionally handsome actor to play the dark and brooding Mr. Rochester! It even says on the back of the box something like, "Jane Eyre falls for her rich and HANDSOME employer..." I'm sure Charlotte Bronte would have been insulted that her character was changed to the point of blasphemy. Elle McPherson as Blanche Ingram was pretty bad too.

I did like Anna Paquin as young Jane though, and the elderly woman who played Mrs. Fairfax was perfect.

It's not just the acting that bothered me...I think they ruined three of my favorite scenes. The first is the scene in which Mr. Rochester dresses up as a Gipsy woman to find out if Jane loves him. This is a WONDERFUL passage in the book, and every version of Jane Eyre I have ever seen always leaves it out! I have a feeling that they originally filmed this scene, but they ended up having to cut it so the movie wouldn't be too long. So I was disappointed about that.

The second scene I didn't like was when Mr. Rochester proposes to Jane. When I read it in the book it brought tears to my eyes, because it was so beautiful and passionate, but in this movie it just falls flat.

Mr. Rochester: Duhhh, I love you. Will you marry me? Jane: Mmm, sure, why not.

OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but that's how it felt to me. That scene was severely downplayed; it didn't move me at all. And why didn't they film it in the garden by the big tree, like it is in the book? I thought that was an important detail.

I also thought it was cheesy how they showed Thornfield burning down JUST when Jane was leaving! Please, she just walked out the door and she doesn't even stop or notice when the mansion catches on fire? I think this was done for dramatic effect, but it came across to me as ridiculous.

Still, I give the movie 2 stars, because although Mr. Hurt didn't really look his part, he did an OK job of playing it. And I did like how they did the scene in which Mr. Rochester admits to having been married before, and presents Bertha Mason to everyone who was attending his and Jane's wedding. That was pretty well done, and pretty faithful to the book. I'd recommend this movie for that scene alone.

I think that above all, if a movie version of Jane Eyre is to be made, it MUST be faithful to the book. The novel is wonderful enough that they wouldn't have to change anything.

Very Good!
I really liked this movie! It was very good and was a little disapointed with the LOOK of the mad-person, but is still good but the 1944 adaption was a little better!

i like it!
Oh boy, I like this movie... and I like Charlotte Gainsbourg a