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Max Ophüls's dark "Cinderella" melodrama belongs as much to the murky world of film noir as to the polished European dramas of high-society power games. Barbara Bel Geddes is a carhop who puts her hopes in a charm-school education and a modeling gig. When cold, demanding industrialist millionaire Robert Ryan suddenly proposes, her fashion magazine fantasies come true, but her loveless marriage makes her new mansion home a lonely gilded cage where she's more servant than wife. She runs off and becomes a white-collar receptionist (in furs and Saks gowns). James Mason, an idealistic doctor, hires her and slowly wins her heart, but her monstrous husband responds with a campaign of blackmail and psychological torments. Ophüls fights a script that all too often puts its themes into the mouth of Mason, whose constant harangues against the pursuit of money for money's sake sound increasingly like a broken record, but the director's delicate style beautifully captures both the surface elegance and emptiness of the millionaire lifestyle. Bel Geddes undergoes the transformation from a callow, naïve kid to a woman of strength and moral fortitude, while Mason tempers his saintliness with moments of doubt. Ryan reveals himself as a chillingly cruel manipulator whose only goal is to "win" at all costs. Ophüls beautifully twists the American dream into a nightmare where even the happy ending feels just a bit tarnished. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Money isn't everything...
Leonora (Barbara Bel Geddes) marries a rich man (Robert Ryan) and gets wealth but not happiness. To get away from her pointless life and the husband, who regards her as an employee, rather than a wife, she moves away and gets a job as a secretary for a doctor (James Mason).

This movie is not only well-written, well directed and well acted. It also has great cinematography and a good Noir atmosphere. The story isn't unique, but the combination of all these things result in a very good movie. Film Noir is one of my favorite genres and no Noir fan should miss this movie. The movie, and especially the Robert Ryan character (based on Howard Hughes) made me think of Citizen Kane. Noir fans can raise my rating a half star.

Howard Hughes personified!
Few people are aware that the central character in Caught, Smith Ohlrig, was actually a parody of tycoon Howard Hughes. Directed by German ex-patriate Max Ophuls and produced at MGM, the film was made after Hughes reportedly affronted Ophuls by referring to him as "the oaf" when the latter worked at RKO under Hughes' erratic reign. After Ophuls left RKO for MGM, he orchestrated the film's creation as a sublime revenge against Hughes. Starring Robert Ryan, James Mason and Barbara Bel Geddes, Caught was an elegant entry that showcased Ryan's tremendous power as an actor. He seemed to intuitively recognize how to portray Ohlrig (Hughes), demonically effective as the cruel, self-centered magnate who marries ingenue Bel Geddes to spite his psychiatrist. As in many of his films, Ryan's performance is the biggest reason to see it, and as usual, one keeps hoping for more scenes in which he appears. Though Mason and Bel Geddes occupy more space in the film, it is clearly a "Ryan" film. Caught engages the audience most during the scenes involving Ryan and Bel Geddes, and was considered by many to be the best of Ophuls' American-made films. As a film noir, it contains all of the necessary elements of alienation and deception, and the opening scenes between Ryan and Bel Geddes, Ryan and his psychiatrist, Ryan and James Mason, and Ryan and his lackey (Curt Bois) are reason enough to see the film. The story itself is less effective than the sum of its parts, and should be seen by any movie buff interested in film noir. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A sad ending
This very last movie Laurel & Hardy made was a disaster. They expected to film for about a month but it took a year to complete. Stan fell ill and had to undergo surgery. After having been released from hospital he should have taken a rest but being a professional he felt obligated to make the movie.
He was in a lot of pain and it certainly shows in this film. Stan also lost a lot of weight and both looked old and tired, which was partially due to the fact that the director had them waiting for days before calling them for some scenes.
Don't ever start a collection with this one. It might put you off for the rest of your life!

A Sad Farewell
I have mixed emotions about this one. Laurel and Hardy fans SHOULD see this one, because it is the last film the boys did.
But be prepared, Stan was in poor health at the time. He was a diabetic and suffered terribly during the heat. He was only 60, but looked like death warmed over. The film is NOT typical L&H comedy, but a poor attmept at political satire. Sorry folks, that just WASN'T the boys style. With poorly dubbed dialog for the non-English speaking performers, it's a little irritating at first. There is still some magic left, like Stan "burping" his pet lobster, when he and Ollie take the boat engine apart, only to have the pieces fall overboard and where Stan pours oil over troubled water. I just wish the film had been made when the boys were in better health and could have had more controll. In his final years,even Stan called this film an "abortion" True fans of L&H should remember them in their prime, like "The Music Box"
and "Way Out West"

A sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team
"Utopia" was originally released in 1952 as "Atoll K" and later as "Robinson Crusoeland," and finds an aging Laurel & Hardy have inherited a yacht and an island. The boys set off to see along with a refugee as their cook and a stowaway. The yacht sinks in a storm, but a newly created atoll (hence the original title) emerges from the sea to give them a place to live. They are then joined on their new little paradise by Suzy Delair, who is running away from a jealous fiancee. Together they all create their own private little utopia, where everything is just perfect until uranium is discovered and all of the nations of the world begin to battle over ownership of the atoll. Just as the boys are about to be lynched, the atoll sinks back beneath the seas. Whatever its title, this final film from Laurel & Hardy certainly provides mixed feelings. The political satire angle is ambitious, but scarcely appropriate for comedians who rely so much on visual humor (compare with the Marx Brother's classic "Duck Soup"), although the sequence where Hardy distributes key political posts to everyone but Laurel (he gets to be "The People") is good. But most of the sight gags are not typical Laurel & Hardy routines and several people have claimed the best gags were cut from the film. There is also the shock of the appearance of Stan Laurel, who had been ill before the production and looks like he is at death's door. "Utopia" is a sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team.

an exellent movie
THIS FRENCH MOVIE -YES THE PRODUCERS ARE FRENCH- PUT OLLIE AND STAND IN AN ISLAND. THIS MOVIE IS ONE THE LAST MOVIES THEY FILMED ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Captures the quality of the time
Tamango captures a wonderful story line, that has never been touched on before, or after. Although the movie seems somewhat "underbudgated" it is well worth the money to see this film. It captures the essence, beauty,and talent of Ms. Dandridge. This film also happens to be one of Dorothy Dandridge's last films. Tamango (1958), Porgy and Bess( 1959), and her final finished film Malaga (1960), and her final film that was never finished Marco Polo. Although the quality of the film is poor, you canot deny the quality of the actors and exhuberamt plot. Tamango is well worth it.

Dorothy Dandridge saves the movie...
Tamango is the story of a slave ship, during the early 1800's, on a voyage to Cuba. Curd Jürgens plays the captain of the slave ship ~ Dorothy Dandridge plays Aiche, a mulatto/mixed slave who is also the Captain's lover. When a new slave, Tamango (played by an unknown actor, Alex Cressan) comes aboard, he plans (with the help of the other slaves) to take over the ship so they can return back to Africa to become free again. While they manage to take over part of the ship, they don't do as well as they planned; but they have taken Aiche hostage. Aiche must choose to help her fellow slaves, or the Captain (who happens to own her, although he doesn't mistreat her and gives her special treatment). Dorothy looks beautiful as usual (she grew her hair long for the role) and her acting talent shines all through out the film. However, I am dissapointed at how cheap the movie was made. A lot of the actors voices have been dubbed (their mouths don't match what they are saying) and the sound and picture quality is not very good. Also, the ending kind of leaves you wanting more. "Tamango" never became very popular because sadly in 1959, it was banned in the United States because of the depiction of interracial romance.

Didn't see this movie yet, but
please at least get the date that it was made right. It was made in 1959, NOT 1969. Ms. Dandridge had already died four years before then so it's not possible that the film came out in that year! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Jay North does it again
I liked this movie.
a bit over acted but nice. Clint Walker plays a mean self centered hunter. Jay North plays his son. Anyway son runs away and jump off the train intending to take him home after father shoots an kills sons friendly tiger. Son almost dies while going over a falls (told ya great scenery) and is befriended by a (native) boy whose father dies. Together the two boys set out on a trek to bring the baby white elephant to... anyway Great scenery and acting on both boys parts. As good as any jungle movie I have seen. 4 stars

Jay North does it again
This film should get five stars for scenery alone. I enjoyed the romp though the jungle with Jay North and his friend. Clint walker played the dad and very true to character. The boys try to get a whitebaby elephant through the jungle to...anyway you like Tarzan, you will really like this.

Mixed Feelings
The Story: Terry (Jay North) has gone to India to live with his father (Clint Walker) after his mother dies. His father is a big-game hunter who used to run a prosperous hunting camp, but the father's business has fallen on hard times. Also, Terry's father was clawed by a tiger and has lost some of his courage and zest for hunting. Terry's father is also not much on being a father, and Terry, realizing this quickly, runs off, and joins up with an Indian boy on a sacred mission to take a baby white elephant to a far-away temple.

Positives: The story, the action, the musical score, and the setting are all wonderful. The actors do everything right. The plot is fairly intricate.

Negatives: The dialogue, the dialogue, and the dialogue. This is a badly written script, and this is a badly written script, and this is a badly written script. I felt sorry for these actors as they tried to make these stilted, artificial, forced lines sound natural. Example: After Terry meets his father, he puts "Dad" somewhere in every sentence he says to his father. If the scriptwriter intended this as a way to show the boy getting used to finally meeting his long-imagined but never-met father, he did not succeed.

Overall: This film was hard to review, as it had severe flaws but I still liked it. As I watched it, I finally decided what would help: I pretended the actors were speaking a language I didn't understand, and I just watched the movie without listening to their words. In this way, I enjoyed it. I suggest a remake, with a rewritten script, and starring Haley Joe Osment as Terry and Keanu Reeves as his father.

A somewhat interesting tale of a runaway
Terry (Jay North) gets very mad at his father one day and decides to run away from home. After awhile, Terry befriends an Indian boy named Raji (Sajid Khan). Raji is going on a certain journey that he wants to fulfill, and Terry decides to go along with him. While on this journey, Terry and Raji will encounter conflict, mainly having to do with the rare white elephant that they're taking along.

Terry will have even more trouble along the way, since he is a runaway. Terry's father, Mr. Bowen (Clint Walker), is searching for him, and Terry doesn't want to be found.

"Maya" is a pretty good movie. It doesn't have any spectacular action or suspense to it, but it's an interesting tale of a runaway who encounters even more trouble while trying to escape trouble. Even though the star of the classic show, Dennis The Menace (Jay North), is the main actor in this movie, don't expect it to be funny, because it's not. This movie is more serious than anything.

I would recommend getting "Maya" if you like interesting adventures, even if they don't have anything spectacular to them. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Well - it is the third
This movie rounds out the three Bears movies and helped pave the way to the short lived tv series of the same name. While there is very little baseball in this film (the filmmakers get to caught up with the idea of being in Japan and forget who the film is about) and Tony Curtis is not Walter Matthau (but who is?) the film still has its moments and isn't without the smallest of pleasures. A perfect film for kids around 7 years old who like baseball. All others need not bother.

...
...All the Bad News Bears movies are good. I have all 3 on DVD at home and I watch them all the time and never get sick of it. This third one is good also. It does show the team from the first two of the Bad News Bears through the whole movie. They don't play till the end though. I think my favorite one is the second one where they play at the Astrodome that's my favorite one. It's still a classic and fun to watch.

Cheap Seats with even cheaper CRAP!!
Oh CRUD! Is this a baseball movie or a Japan documentary? If this was supposed to be a baseball movie of little league kids, they should have put a little more baseball in it. I like the humor however. But without Tanner and Lupus, the humor is dry. It's just plain garbage! I wish that they would get the TV series out on video too!! It beats the crud out of this one!!

What's wrong with it!
I think that ALL of the bad news bears including the TV series were exceptionally done! They are MUCH MUCH better than the baseball comidies of today! And I wish they would bring the bears back to the BIG SCREEN!

This Is Why Over-The-Hill Players Play in Japan...
"The Bad News Bears Go to Japan." After all, where else could they go after playing in the Astrodome? Unfortunately, a movie series that started with a movie that really didn't need a sequel, much less two, ends down by a run, two men on and a two-out pop-up in the bottom of the 9th. Or 10th... or 15th... Another one of these movies and we're gonna have to get the commissioner's office involved.

Tony Curtis strains mightily to get laughs out of some paper-thin material, and Jackie Earle Haley is way too old to be playing in this league. The film involves his character in a cross-cultural romance, and pits the Bears against the Japanese national team, but the novelty has worn off.

You're just going to be left wondering, "Why did they bother to make this movie? Free trip to Japan?" If you're interested in how our national pasttime is played in the OTHER country where it's the national pasttime, check out the passable "Mr. Baseball" instead. At least Tom Selleck has some believable moves. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Best
I Love this movie.. And I am so glad that it's coming out on video. You have this woman with a lot of kids(Diahann Carroll), who is on welfare and works on the side to make ends meet. She meets this garbageman(James Earl Jones) who likes her despite the kids, dates her, and despite his own problems, want to marry her. In time,he gets cold feet and runs off for a minute thinking on the committment he's about to take on, but in the end, love rules the day. This movie,which the late Diana Sands got a hold of initially, was about to star in but got sick and later died, is so realistic. You have this woman who is on welfare, but works. You have this man who loves this woman, but he got kids from another relationship, and he got to pay for that too, then marry a woman with five kids?... That's enough to make anyone take a pause for the cause. Not to say it isn't a good idea. I have seen men do it and keep on going. But, it will make you think. A great movie by an unlikely actress. Diahann usually plays classier roles, yet she was good in this one so much so that she was nominated for an Oscar for that role.

A very special film for all time
Well, I admit I'm biased (because my parents wrote and co-produced CLAUDINE), but after seeing the film again as an adult (I was 19 when it came out), I am amazed by the splendid acting and, yes, my parents' remarkable script. This film definitely improved with age, and I'm extremely happy that my late parents' finest work is finally available for the home video/DVD market. It was a total blast working on the DVD commentary track; to find out that the movie meant so much to Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, and George Tillman Jr. was extremely gratifying. Thanks to all the CLAUDINE fans that clamored for the movie and helped bring it home.

I Looked For This Movie For Years
I remember when CLAUDINE first came out. I was a pre-teen growing up on the South Side of Chicago. I think it was my babysitter who took my sister and I to see the movie. We LOVED it. We wanted to see it over and over, but of course we couldn't; we were children. Who was going to keep taking us to the movies?
When the movie finally got to TV, I had to see it, but it wasn't the same. My sister and I, who almost knew the movie word for word, would ask, "Where's the part where..." It was so edited. Still, when able to do so, I did copy the TV version. Any version was better than no version.
I was so happy when videos came out. I said to myself, "I can finally see the UNCUT version of CLAUDINE.
When my aunt got her first recorder, a Betamax, we would go to the videostore, I think it was called Errols, and check out the maximum number of videos you could. From those early times I searched and searched and asked and asked for CLAUDINE. I looked through that huge video directory that would be in the store, but it was NOT listed and most of the people I asked didn't know what I was talking about. I could not understand why it couldn't be found. I wanted to write in to that question section in the front of the Parade magazine to ask why CLAUDINE wasn't in video format, but I never did.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I walked into Blockbuster yesterday around midnight, and there was CLAUDINE. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I checked it out, and when I got home, though it was after midnight, I not only watched it once, I watched it a second time with the commentary from some of the actors. I am now older than "Claudine" was in the movie, but I STILL absolutely LOVE it and I LOVE the soundtrack!
James Earl Jones and Diahann Carroll have the best chemistry in this movie.
Of course I'm going to buy it, not just for myself, but for my sister and one of my aunts, too.
I highly recommend this movie. It is HEART-WARMING and just WONDERFUL.

Long Overdue
I worked for Blockbuster Video for nearly 10 years, and Claudine was one of the most requested videos ever. Unfortunely it was never released on Video or DVD until now. So unless you got to catch it on Cable in the wee hours of the morning you might not have seen it.It is one of my all time favorite movies. I have already purchased four copies for friends and family. If you have not seen this movie yet take it from me it's the best!!

A REAL TEAR JERKER!!!
THIS IS AN AWESOME MOVIE ABOUT A WOMAN ON WELFARE HAVING A HARD TIME RAISING SIX KIDS I LOVE THIS MOVIE I CRY EVERYTIME I SEE THIS MOVIE AND I LOVE IT I CAN WATCH IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT I LOVE THIS MOVIE.... I USED TO WATCH IT EVERYTIME THAT IT CAME ON TV WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL BUT NOW I AM DEFINITELY SURPRISED TO SEE THAT JAMES EARL JONES AND DIHANN CARROLL HAD ACCEPTED AND AGREED TO PLAY THESE ROLES BUT I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE BOTH OF THESE VETERAN ACTORS THEY HAVE ALWAYS CARRIED THEMSELVES IN A VERY GOOD WAYS AND I HAVE ADMIRED ALL OF THEIR WORK BUT THIS IS A MUST MOVIE TO HAVE AND OWN ESPECIALLY IF YOU LIKE DIHANN CARROL AND JAMES EARL JONES BUT THIS MOVIE IS VERY EASY TO RELATE TO AND THE SOUNDTRACK IS ALSO CURTIS MAYFIELD ARRANGED, PRODUCED , AND COMPOSED THIS SOUNDTRACK CURTIS IS THE BABYFACE OF THE 70'S HE WAS AN AWESOME PERFORMER AND PRODUCER HE AND GLADY'S HAD DID AN EXCELLENT JOB ON THE SOUNDTRACK TO BE INVISIBLE, ON AN ON, MAKE YOURS A HAPPY HOME, ANY MANY GREAT OTHERS BUT I RECOMMEND THE VIDEO AND THE SOUNDTRACK YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH BOTH!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Thought-provoking and intense!
A great movie for psych students! This movie explores not only the basic fear of the unknown(s), but can also be a visual model of the human psyche: Two men representing Freud's Id, Ego, and Superego. I can write a paper on that theme alone! Waterston's portrayal of Royce is intense. Potapov's acting, with or without dialogue, tore emotional responses from this viewer all through the movie. Highly recommended!!

Great, Engrossing Survival Adventure! Yes!
This movie will hold your attention from start to finish! It must have been based on an actual account (but personally don't know that). Except for briefly at the start and again at the finish of the story, there are only two actors working here. The bond that develops between the injured, downed, Russian pilot and the American meteorologist rescuer (Sam Waterston) is based on the need for human contact and survival instinct.

Sam Waterson is so excellent in this leading role. When his character's discouragement gets to a low point; the blizzard closes off their fresh air supply; the food is about gone; the endless miles of slow, overland trek are days long; and his emotions give way, this viewer could almost feel the cold and hunger and tears. Their final rescue is charming and a relief!

What a movie! This is the kind of adventure that makes you feel your time was well spent for the viewing; your belief in "goodness will out" was renewed; and the sense that you were part of the intense story. You hope you would be as sacrificing for this helpless pilot as the American (Sam Waterston) was.

This is a movie you'll recommend to others, or loan it out and hope it's returned. It's one you'll bring out again! Hope you'll watch and enjoy this movie as much as we did!

What if saving someone's life meant risking your own?
This film tells an extraordinary tale of survival and struggle between two strangers (Alexander Potapov and Sam Waterston) and the terrifying forces of nature. In the opening scene, meteorologist Royce (Waterston) is flying home after a tour of duty as a meteorologist in the Arctic when he spots a downed plane. Royce volunteers to parachute in with supplies to help a survivor until a recue helicopter can pick them up the next day. Both men soon realize that they may not be rescued and must rely on each other to survive. A film you will enjoy watching over and over again. Based on the novel by James Aldridge. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Boring Movies the New Standard?
"Boesman & Lena" was a disappointment to me after reading the reviews. I find it very difficult to sit for 1 1/2 hours watching people on a beach yelling, screaming and arguing with each other the whole time, no matter what the subject matter. There was only one other person in the movie and he did not speak English, yet Lena yelled at him when they couldn't even understand each other. There were no houses, no explanation of why they wound up where they were or what happened to their baby (Maybe I missed all of this). Another movie almost exactly like this is "Daughters of the Dust" except it had more people in it. Again, it showed no homes or interaction with society in general and consisted of people arguing on a beach for the entire movie. Unknown to me at first, I realized that both of these borefests were products of Kino Video. I will have to be more careful when buying DVDs in the future as I consider the purchase of these 2 movies a waste of my money. There are some very good black-themed movies which I hope will appear on DVD but these are 2 that I would not recommend to anyone.

Excellent Performances
Director John Berry (CLAUDINE), in his last film, has crafted a visual adaptation of the Athol Fugard play. Angela Bassett (who received an NAACP Image Award nomination) and Danny Glover do some of their best work to date in this film. They have great chemistry together and despite being both American-born actors, are totally believable in their respective roles.

The film was released theatrically with barely a whisper, but fortunately, audiences have the opportunity to see this well-acted film at home. You definitely want to get the wide screen version to get the full impact of the visuals. This is the second film adaption of the play. The first one was made in the 1970s and featured Fugard in the role of Boesman. Of the two, the latest version is the strongest. If you love dramas with dynamic performances, definitely give this one a look.

Long night's journey into twilight.
The only reason I didn't give Boseman & Lena five stars is that it isn't always easy to watch. It is, however, a superlative view into the effects of racism and Apartheid on Boseman & Lena, and Lena's internal struggle to understand the aftermath of its senseless brutality on their lives. Angela Bassett and Danny Glover do their best acting to date, in a performance that is not likely to become a best seller due to the subject matter. All in all, a powerful movie rendition of South African playwright Athol Fugard's transformational play. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A sad ending
This very last movie Laurel & Hardy made was a disaster. They expected to film for about a month but it took a year to complete. Stan fell ill and had to undergo surgery. After having been released from hospital he should have taken a rest but being a professional he felt obligated to make the movie.
He was in a lot of pain and it certainly shows in this film. Stan also lost a lot of weight and both looked old and tired, which was partially due to the fact that the director had them waiting for days before calling them for some scenes.
Don't ever start a collection with this one. It might put you off for the rest of your life!

A Sad Farewell
I have mixed emotions about this one. Laurel and Hardy fans SHOULD see this one, because it is the last film the boys did.
But be prepared, Stan was in poor health at the time. He was a diabetic and suffered terribly during the heat. He was only 60, but looked like death warmed over. The film is NOT typical L&H comedy, but a poor attmept at political satire. Sorry folks, that just WASN'T the boys style. With poorly dubbed dialog for the non-English speaking performers, it's a little irritating at first. There is still some magic left, like Stan "burping" his pet lobster, when he and Ollie take the boat engine apart, only to have the pieces fall overboard and where Stan pours oil over troubled water. I just wish the film had been made when the boys were in better health and could have had more controll. In his final years,even Stan called this film an "abortion" True fans of L&H should remember them in their prime, like "The Music Box"
and "Way Out West"

A sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team
"Utopia" was originally released in 1952 as "Atoll K" and later as "Robinson Crusoeland," and finds an aging Laurel & Hardy have inherited a yacht and an island. The boys set off to see along with a refugee as their cook and a stowaway. The yacht sinks in a storm, but a newly created atoll (hence the original title) emerges from the sea to give them a place to live. They are then joined on their new little paradise by Suzy Delair, who is running away from a jealous fiancee. Together they all create their own private little utopia, where everything is just perfect until uranium is discovered and all of the nations of the world begin to battle over ownership of the atoll. Just as the boys are about to be lynched, the atoll sinks back beneath the seas. Whatever its title, this final film from Laurel & Hardy certainly provides mixed feelings. The political satire angle is ambitious, but scarcely appropriate for comedians who rely so much on visual humor (compare with the Marx Brother's classic "Duck Soup"), although the sequence where Hardy distributes key political posts to everyone but Laurel (he gets to be "The People") is good. But most of the sight gags are not typical Laurel & Hardy routines and several people have claimed the best gags were cut from the film. There is also the shock of the appearance of Stan Laurel, who had been ill before the production and looks like he is at death's door. "Utopia" is a sad farewell to the screen's greatest comic team.

an exellent movie
THIS FRENCH MOVIE -YES THE PRODUCERS ARE FRENCH- PUT OLLIE AND STAND IN AN ISLAND. THIS MOVIE IS ONE THE LAST MOVIES THEY FILMED ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Boring Movies the New Standard?
"Boesman & Lena" was a disappointment to me after reading the reviews. I find it very difficult to sit for 1 1/2 hours watching people on a beach yelling, screaming and arguing with each other the whole time, no matter what the subject matter. There was only one other person in the movie and he did not speak English, yet Lena yelled at him when they couldn't even understand each other. There were no houses, no explanation of why they wound up where they were or what happened to their baby (Maybe I missed all of this). Another movie almost exactly like this is "Daughters of the Dust" except it had more people in it. Again, it showed no homes or interaction with society in general and consisted of people arguing on a beach for the entire movie. Unknown to me at first, I realized that both of these borefests were products of Kino Video. I will have to be more careful when buying DVDs in the future as I consider the purchase of these 2 movies a waste of my money. There are some very good black-themed movies which I hope will appear on DVD but these are 2 that I would not recommend to anyone.

Excellent Performances
Director John Berry (CLAUDINE), in his last film, has crafted a visual adaptation of the Athol Fugard play. Angela Bassett (who received an NAACP Image Award nomination) and Danny Glover do some of their best work to date in this film. They have great chemistry together and despite being both American-born actors, are totally believable in their respective roles.

The film was released theatrically with barely a whisper, but fortunately, audiences have the opportunity to see this well-acted film at home. You definitely want to get the wide screen version to get the full impact of the visuals. This is the second film adaption of the play. The first one was made in the 1970s and featured Fugard in the role of Boesman. Of the two, the latest version is the strongest. If you love dramas with dynamic performances, definitely give this one a look.

Long night's journey into twilight.
The only reason I didn't give Boseman & Lena five stars is that it isn't always easy to watch. It is, however, a superlative view into the effects of racism and Apartheid on Boseman & Lena, and Lena's internal struggle to understand the aftermath of its senseless brutality on their lives. Angela Bassett and Danny Glover do their best acting to date, in a performance that is not likely to become a best seller due to the subject matter. All in all, a powerful movie rendition of South African playwright Athol Fugard's transformational play. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Well - it is the third
This movie rounds out the three Bears movies and helped pave the way to the short lived tv series of the same name. While there is very little baseball in this film (the filmmakers get to caught up with the idea of being in Japan and forget who the film is about) and Tony Curtis is not Walter Matthau (but who is?) the film still has its moments and isn't without the smallest of pleasures. A perfect film for kids around 7 years old who like baseball. All others need not bother.

...
...All the Bad News Bears movies are good. I have all 3 on DVD at home and I watch them all the time and never get sick of it. This third one is good also. It does show the team from the first two of the Bad News Bears through the whole movie. They don't play till the end though. I think my favorite one is the second one where they play at the Astrodome that's my favorite one. It's still a classic and fun to watch.

Cheap Seats with even cheaper CRAP!!
Oh CRUD! Is this a baseball movie or a Japan documentary? If this was supposed to be a baseball movie of little league kids, they should have put a little more baseball in it. I like the humor however. But without Tanner and Lupus, the humor is dry. It's just plain garbage! I wish that they would get the TV series out on video too!! It beats the crud out of this one!!

What's wrong with it!
I think that ALL of the bad news bears including the TV series were exceptionally done! They are MUCH MUCH better than the baseball comidies of today! And I wish they would bring the bears back to the BIG SCREEN!

This Is Why Over-The-Hill Players Play in Japan...
"The Bad News Bears Go to Japan." After all, where else could they go after playing in the Astrodome? Unfortunately, a movie series that started with a movie that really didn't need a sequel, much less two, ends down by a run, two men on and a two-out pop-up in the bottom of the 9th. Or 10th... or 15th... Another one of these movies and we're gonna have to get the commissioner's office involved.

Tony Curtis strains mightily to get laughs out of some paper-thin material, and Jackie Earle Haley is way too old to be playing in this league. The film involves his character in a cross-cultural romance, and pits the Bears against the Japanese national team, but the novelty has worn off.

You're just going to be left wondering, "Why did they bother to make this movie? Free trip to Japan?" If you're interested in how our national pasttime is played in the OTHER country where it's the national pasttime, check out the passable "Mr. Baseball" instead. At least Tom Selleck has some believable moves. ... Read more