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| 1. Dream Team Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $19.98
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: B000005XXZ Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 3140 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (19)
What makes this movie work is the relationship of the patients. It is so much fun watching Keaton, Lloyd, and Boyle bicker all the time about the littlest things. Boyle has a really funny scene in which he leaves the van while Lloyd tries to block him. Boyle then muscles his way past Lloyd, tells him that He shall have no false gods before Him, and finally he tells Lloyd to get out his way before calling him a seven-letter word. There might only be so much you can do with a catatonic character, but Furst is quite memorable. Even though the doctor must have the patience of a saint when dealing with them, he probably has a harder time suppressing a laugh. Quite simply, this is a movie that gets better every time you watch it.
First you have a great comedy ensemble who also can play drama just as effectively. Michael Keaton is Billy Caufield ("I'm an escaped mental patient with a history of violence"), Christopher Lloyd is Henry Sikorsky, an overly organized person ("Why don't we bring this up in group? Or maybe we should just hug?"), Peter Boyle is Jack McDermott who has a Messiah complex ("Arise and walk, my son"), & Stephen Furst is Albert Ianuzzi, who only speaks in TV ads and baseball jargon ("Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee"). If you don't already know by now, these guys are four mental patients, whose doctor, played by Dennis Boutsikaris ("One more afternoon in the rec room and I'm gonna have to go on Thorazine myself"), decides to take them to a baseball game in New York. Only things don't go as planned, as the good doctor ends up getting knocked unconscious and whisked away to a hospital, leaving his patients all alone on the streets of New York City. And the comedy ensues! As the gang tries to figure out a way to find their doctor, they end up finding "themselves" in the process. Add Lorraine Bracco (of "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos" fame) as Keaton's girlfriend ("So am I walking home with an escaped mental patient or what?") and you know you're set to have a good time. What makes the film memorable is that it has the perfect blend of laugh outloud humor ("We're a special combat unit with the United States Marine Corps and we've been tracking some Libyan terrorists. In fact I think we've got 'em trailed to a bagel shop around the corner.") combined with some tender dramatic moments, that work together seamlessly. The DVD is your typical standard DVD. No extras, other than the original theatrical trailer. Happily the film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which looks pretty good. A little dark in some spots, but not too much to complain about. The Dream Team - a very funny movie. Henry - "We're directly under the Hudson River now". Billy - "Yeah. You guys see those tiles up there, all those individual tiles? Doc, isn't true that if even one of those tiles were to come loose, like millions and millions of gallons of water would come pouring down on us and crush us like tiny little bugs? (pauses) Is that a leak up there? You see those tiles? They're leakin' water! Oh, my God!" Jack - "I will hold back the waters". Billy - "Thanks, Jack". ... Read more | |
| 2. Private Benjamin Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $9.94
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 630443796X Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 2934 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
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Amazon.com Reviews (8)
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.
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.
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!
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| 3. Unfaithfully Yours Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $29.98
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: B000006GET Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 19248 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
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Amazon.com Reviews (7)
Given my feelings towards the original I wasn't sure if I'd like this remake. It has almost become a Hollywood rule remakes are never on par with the originals. Just as sequels are not as good as the original. Howard Zieff's "Unfaithfully Yours" is a nice exception. I admit I don't think it's quite as good as the Sturges film (that one I would give 4 stars) it is still entertaining and funny at moments. I thought the absence of Preston Sturges would cause a decrease in the comedic possibilities, but, I forgot how good Dudley Moore and Albert Brooks are. Moore plays Claude Eastman a famous conductor who suspects his much younger wife Daniella (Nastassja Kinski) is cheating on him after the thought is first put into his head when a misunderstanding between Claude and his friend Norman (Albert Brooks) takes place and Norman thought Claude wanted him to hire a detective to watch his wife while Claude was out of town. Howard Zieff is not exactly what I would call a great director, he was the man behind "The Main Event" and the "My Girl" films, but, he strings things together nicely here. The script, while perhaps not as funny as Sturges' is not completely a dud. Barry Levinson had a hand in the remake, so expects some funny bits. One of my favorite scenes is at the restaurant when Moore "thinks" Armand Assante is confronting him about having an affair with his wife, and the start a dueling violin contest of Tchaikovsky. Also I should mention I the film's one advantage. In the scene dealing with Moore's plan to kill his wife it's set-up much funnier. Bottom-line:Remake of the classic Preston Sturges comedy is not exactly as good as the original but offers its own nice moments. Good performances by Moore and Brooks (who isn't used enough).
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| 4. My Girl Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $9.95
our price: $9.95 (price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6302380936 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 7077 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
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Amazon.com Reviews (57)
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| 5. Private Benjamin Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6302816394 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 56630 US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
| 6. Hearts of the West Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $19.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6301969499 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 17620 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
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Amazon.com Reviews (5)
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| 7. The Main Event Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $9.94
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 0790740699 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 25922 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
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Amazon.com Reviews (11)
Both of these statements have a lot of merit, but I think I'm going to go with my second opinion. Even though we've seen the same story a thousand times before, THE MAIN EVENT is quite enjoyable while it's playing. The scenes are set up well, the one-liners are mostly funny ("I said celebrate, not fornicate!"), and Streisand and O'Neal give off a strong sexual charge between them onscreen. It may not be meaningful, or even original, but THE MAIN EVENT is a pretty good timewaster. About the DVD: The picture quality is great, and the mono sound is fine as well. It's great to have the original trailer and the 19-minute television special, titled GETTING IN SHAPE FOR THE MAIN EVENT, preserved on disc, although Streisand's brief audio commentary is slightly disappointing.
Both of these statements have a lot of merit, but I think I'm going to go with my second opinion. Even though we've seen the same story a thousand times before, THE MAIN EVENT is quite enjoyable while it's playing. The scenes are set up well, the one-liners are mostly funny ("I said celebrate, not fornicate!"), and Streisand and O'Neal give off a strong sexual charge between them onscreen. It may not be meaningful, or even original, but THE MAIN EVENT is a pretty good timewaster. About the DVD: The picture quality is great, and the mono sound is fine as well. It's great to have the original trailer and the 19-minute television special, titled GETTING IN SHAPE FOR THE MAIN EVENT, preserved on disc, although Streisand's brief audio commentary is slightly disappointing.
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| 8. Slither Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $19.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6302240980 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 34572 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (4)
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| 9. My Girl 2 Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $14.95
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6303148255 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 6082 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (20)
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| 10. House Calls Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6300182525 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 5194 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (2)
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| 11. House Calls Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $12.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6304288492 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 30395 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (2)
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| 12. The Main Event Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6300268004 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 59432 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (11)
Both of these statements have a lot of merit, but I think I'm going to go with my second opinion. Even though we've seen the same story a thousand times before, THE MAIN EVENT is quite enjoyable while it's playing. The scenes are set up well, the one-liners are mostly funny ("I said celebrate, not fornicate!"), and Streisand and O'Neal give off a strong sexual charge between them onscreen. It may not be meaningful, or even original, but THE MAIN EVENT is a pretty good timewaster. About the DVD: The picture quality is great, and the mono sound is fine as well. It's great to have the original trailer and the 19-minute television special, titled GETTING IN SHAPE FOR THE MAIN EVENT, preserved on disc, although Streisand's brief audio commentary is slightly disappointing.
Both of these statements have a lot of merit, but I think I'm going to go with my second opinion. Even though we've seen the same story a thousand times before, THE MAIN EVENT is quite enjoyable while it's playing. The scenes are set up well, the one-liners are mostly funny ("I said celebrate, not fornicate!"), and Streisand and O'Neal give off a strong sexual charge between them onscreen. It may not be meaningful, or even original, but THE MAIN EVENT is a pretty good timewaster. About the DVD: The picture quality is great, and the mono sound is fine as well. It's great to have the original trailer and the 19-minute television special, titled GETTING IN SHAPE FOR THE MAIN EVENT, preserved on disc, although Streisand's brief audio commentary is slightly disappointing.
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| 13. My Girl Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $9.95
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6303972888 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 13135 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (57)
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| 14. Dream Team Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $9.95
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6305814627 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 33445 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (19)
What makes this movie work is the relationship of the patients. It is so much fun watching Keaton, Lloyd, and Boyle bicker all the time about the littlest things. Boyle has a really funny scene in which he leaves the van while Lloyd tries to block him. Boyle then muscles his way past Lloyd, tells him that He shall have no false gods before Him, and finally he tells Lloyd to get out his way before calling him a seven-letter word. There might only be so much you can do with a catatonic character, but Furst is quite memorable. Even though the doctor must have the patience of a saint when dealing with them, he probably has a harder time suppressing a laugh. Quite simply, this is a movie that gets better every time you watch it.
First you have a great comedy ensemble who also can play drama just as effectively. Michael Keaton is Billy Caufield ("I'm an escaped mental patient with a history of violence"), Christopher Lloyd is Henry Sikorsky, an overly organized person ("Why don't we bring this up in group? Or maybe we should just hug?"), Peter Boyle is Jack McDermott who has a Messiah complex ("Arise and walk, my son"), & Stephen Furst is Albert Ianuzzi, who only speaks in TV ads and baseball jargon ("Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee"). If you don't already know by now, these guys are four mental patients, whose doctor, played by Dennis Boutsikaris ("One more afternoon in the rec room and I'm gonna have to go on Thorazine myself"), decides to take them to a baseball game in New York. Only things don't go as planned, as the good doctor ends up getting knocked unconscious and whisked away to a hospital, leaving his patients all alone on the streets of New York City. And the comedy ensues! As the gang tries to figure out a way to find their doctor, they end up finding "themselves" in the process. Add Lorraine Bracco (of "Goodfellas" and "The Sopranos" fame) as Keaton's girlfriend ("So am I walking home with an escaped mental patient or what?") and you know you're set to have a good time. What makes the film memorable is that it has the perfect blend of laugh outloud humor ("We're a special combat unit with the United States Marine Corps and we've been tracking some Libyan terrorists. In fact I think we've got 'em trailed to a bagel shop around the corner.") combined with some tender dramatic moments, that work together seamlessly. The DVD is your typical standard DVD. No extras, other than the original theatrical trailer. Happily the film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which looks pretty good. A little dark in some spots, but not too much to complain about. The Dream Team - a very funny movie. Henry - "We're directly under the Hudson River now". Billy - "Yeah. You guys see those tiles up there, all those individual tiles? Doc, isn't true that if even one of those tiles were to come loose, like millions and millions of gallons of water would come pouring down on us and crush us like tiny little bugs? (pauses) Is that a leak up there? You see those tiles? They're leakin' water! Oh, my God!" Jack - "I will hold back the waters". Billy - "Thanks, Jack". ... Read more | |
| 15. My Girl 2 Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $14.95
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6304068573 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 52688 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (20)
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| 16. My Girl 2 Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6304753853 Catlog: Video Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (20)
| |
| 17. Private Benjamin Director: Howard Zieff | |
![]() | list price: $9.94
(price subject to change: see help) Asin: 6304437978 Catlog: Video Sales Rank: 78004 Average Customer Review: US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan |
Reviews (8)
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.
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.
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. Ju | |