Reviews (74)

Not ROCKY HORROR - but still up there
Are you a Jessica Harper fan?Do you like the work of Richard O'Brien?If you answered yes for those questions, you should continue to read this review.If not, try a different movie.SHOCK TREATMENT is definitely the most weird, bizarre, unique, complicated film ever made and is to watched seriously.Make sure you watch it at least three times before forming a critically opinion of what you think.After the first viewing you are thinking "it's crap" and "I don't understand".By the second it is growing on you.But by the third, you are begging for more and want to keep the video forever.The higlight of this film is Jessica Harper's performance as Janet Majors.She is the only character that keeps the show together.If you didn't like Susan Sarandon in ROCKY HORROR, you'll most likely love Harper instead.Her sexy looks and voice make you want to listen to her sing over and over again.The problem wiht SHOCK TREATMENT is that too many people compare it to ROCKY HORROR.But maybe that's a good thing!On its own, the movie sucks!But if you take into consideration the kind of humour that Richard O'Brien puts into his work and the sort of songs he writes, you can understand the uniqueness of ST.Songs would be the only good thing about this film as there is too much dialogue and plot compilcation that first viewers get lost and promise never to watch it ever again.Because of this, not many people see it more times to make it slowly grow on you.Trust me, this film is only for ROCKY HORROR lovers who want to see more of O'Brien's work and for those who have often wondered what other actors would suit in the parts of Brad and Janet.Not to be missed or not to be seen!It's your decision.

Get Commited!
If you are a fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, or any cult movie, for that matter, this movie's worth a look. Cliff DeYoung and Jessica Harper star as Brad and Janet Majors (the hapless couple from RHPS), now unhappily married. They are contestants on the game show Marriage Maze, a sort of Newlyweds Game for people on the verge of divorce, hosted by Bert Schnick, a blind, abrasive German (Barry Humphries, in a hilarious pre-Dame Edna role). Brad ends up on Dentonvale, a reality TV show run by Doctors Cosmo and Nation McKinly (RHPS veterans Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn). As Brad is drugged and dragged off into the care of Nurse Ansalong (RHPS veteran Nell Campbell), Janet finds herself flung headfirst into the heart of the local TV studio,quickly becoming a local celebrity. And past that, you'll have to see the movie to find out what happens.

overlooked underrated masterpiece? yes!
Six years after "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" Richar O'Brian provides a sequal (yes, I said SEQUAL for all those Rocky fanatics who insist this "isn't a sequal" --that's like saying the number 3 doesn't follow the number 2 simply because you find the number 3 inferior to 2 for personal reasons, but now I sound like I'm slamming Rocky fanatics which I don't mean to because I do feel a certain kinship there) in his (O'Brian's) as yet unfinished trilogy (which puts one in mind of Dario Argento's unfinished "Mater" trilogy, the first film of which, coincidentally, featured Jessica Harper ["Suspiria"]).
This musical/rock opera was made in 1981, and 23 years later it is perhaps more relevent now than it was at it's creation. Crass talk shows where mentally, financially, and intellectually challenged people parade their problems for the world to see (sometimes scripted, sometimes all too real) as well as "sell your privacy and soul for 15 minutes of fame" reality tv shows continue to pop up every season despite having far outlived their initial coolness. But at the heart of it all is the fact that these reality tv shows, and daytime talk shows, are both "real" and "un-real" at the same time; sometimes scripted, sometimes acted, sometimes overplayed or exaggerated all for the benefit of the camera, we've gotten to a place in history where we no longer know what the truth is based on sight and sound. In the past, we had the firm unfaltering belief, true or false, that what you saw and heard could not be denied. But now, with digital manipulation of images good enough to fool experts, and motivation so subverted by the desire for fame, all our old beliefs have gone out the window.
And this, if you're still with me, is the heart and soul of SHOCK TREATMENT.
I can say O'brien was/is brilliant without hesitation. His ability to observe and record the slow percolation and inevitable rise of the "evil" subversion of reality television is Nostradamous-like.
ALL THIS AND CATCHY SONGS TOO!
We find our "heros" of "Rocky Horror," Brad and Janet Majors, now un-happily married, back in Dentonville on DTV (Dentonville Television) searching for a way to fix their troubled marriage. Brad is an ineffectual, over-emotional, weak husband while Janet is a strong, intellegent woman whose only real weakness is that she still desires to be loved by someone equal to herself, yet refuses to give up on the hoplessly inferior Brad based on loyalty and the belife that television will solve all her problems.
Her internal fantasy seems to be projected into reality within O'brien's deceptively complex plot (I mean deceptive in that critics seem to overlook his amazingly complex structure, espescially when comparing this film to the more commercially/cult successful "Rocky"). . .her fantasy is projected in the form of a more competent, in touch, cool, collected, effective, masculine version of Brad in the form of media mogul Farley Flavors.
Unfortunately, her ideal turns out to be just as flawed as her real Brad, only in a psychotic, stalker, serial killer kind of way.
O'brien, ever artistically and philosophically obsessed with sex vs. gender, sees Brad as split into two versions of himself, the inefective, weak "female" and the cold, brutal "male." Not that O'brien appears to percieve females, real females, as weak, on the contrary, Janet is perhaps the strongest most fully realised character/person in the film. I think it's more that O'brien is playing on the male/female "gender" roles society imposes than the real life "sex" of the individual.
I could go into detailed description of the rest of the plot and story, I could discuss each song, critique this film line by line and have a book of a Doctoral thesis on this film and it's current relativity. But I won't, hehe, perhaps more for the simple fact I don't have the time than that I fear I may bore (and this really isn't the place). Suffice it to say, this film is really amazing.
The MUSIC and LYRICS are not only catchy, but timeless and unique. The cinematography, with its cut between grainy television on television and normal cinemas tyle is cooler than cool. The acting is dead on deadpan happy smiles hiding deep internal torture on a level seldome achieved.
Jessica Harper (who was also amazing in another rock opera, Brian DePalma's "The Phantom Of The Paradise" which wasn't as famous as "Rocky," but is just as amazing) is amazingly gorgeous in all her elvin, big eyed, impossibly cute glory. Her strong deep velvety voice puts Karen Carpenter to shame!
Rent this movie, buy this movie, buy it new if you can find it, buy it used if you can't. Demand it be put out on (widescreen!) dvd! See it, live it, love it. "Rocky Horror" be damned this is a brilliant film (and I loved "Rocky!") and deserves the attention "part one" got!

Be Prepared...
...for one of the most confusing movies you will ever see. I personally got a little bit of detail out of this movie, but the rest of it was random singing and dancing. The funniest thing about this picture is in Richard O'Briens storytelling of live as a tv show. Many people whine and moan that it's nothing like the rocky horror picture show, let alone not a sequel, well guess what....THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A SEQUEL, FRANKS DEAD, OK!? (sobs...) Anyway, for those of you who want to hear of the movie in itself, Denton (Brad and Janet's hometown) is now a big tv studio. Each morning, studio audience members arise from their chairs to view the newest game shows. Brad and Janet (again, nothing like their other characters) are having problems. Seems brads an emotional reck, and after going on a new game show hosted by crazy blind man bert schnidt, Brad is soon committed to a tv show/psychiatric ward called Dentonvale. Richard O'Brien and Patricia quinn once again give stunning performances, this time as Cosmo and Nation McKinley (again into the idea of incest). Little Nell is in the movie as Nurse Ansalong, not too big of a role actually, just eye candy. Charles Gray however has a much more active role than in the R.H.P.S, and he sings too! I suppose the main plot is centered around Janet becoming famous to help brad, then forgetting about him completely and becoming too thrilled with being famous. I highly recommend this, not as being compared to the R.H.P.S (nothing compares with that) but rather as an open minded person who loves looking at weird stuff.

Shock Treatment
Well, after the Rocky Horror Picture Show, I didn't think a movie could be much worse. At least you could accompany some other films with Mystery Science Theatre 3000, and for those of you who don't know what that is, you must check it out, it's number five on my all time favorite shows list. This isn't a sequal to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, as there is no resemblance to both titles in any way.

So I suppose I was breathtaken by the cruel and unusual punishment of badness we are given on this tape,(and not like bad to the bone.)This is literaly a Shock Treatment that won't go away. Please save yourself and avoid this at all costs. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This weak, 1991 remake of the French comedy La Chèvre stars Danny Glover as a detective who is sent to Mexico to find a businessman's daughter (Sheila Kelley) and who gets stuck with a hapless assistant (Martin Short). The film wears out its welcome very quickly, despite some passable physical comedy from Short. Both actors have made much better movies; don't be surprised if you can't make it through to the end of this one. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (7)

This film must come to DVD!!!!!!!!!!!
This has been my family's favorite comedy for years. Everything about it is simply top notch fun. Martin Short at his BEST!!! If anyone knows of an online petition to get this to DVD, let me know and I'm there!! thesingingvoice@yahoo.com

100% pure fun.
Very good remake of the French film "La Chevre" ("Knock on the Wood"). First and last good film by director Nadia Tass.
Valerie (Sheila Kelley) is unluckiest women on the face of the Earth. She disappears in Mexico without the trace and nobody have any clue what happen. Her frustrated rich father taking his last chance with very odd team: "Private Eye" Ray (Danny Glover) and Eugene, unluckiest man on the face of the Earth ( Martin Short). The plan is simple: go to Mexico and let Eugene just be himself. Did it work? Sure it did, but you have to se how.
This comedy is 100% pure fun. The only one reason why I gave it 4 stars is the French film, which I've seen many times. No one can beat a French team of Gérard Depardieu and Pier Rishard.
"Vlad"

Hilarious
As far as comedy films go, this is my all-time favorite. While I think I have a pretty good sense of humor, there aren't many films that will make me laugh out loud. This one does. In fact, there are belly-laughs galore from start to finish. I have recommended this film to many of my friends and everyone that has seen it has loved it. Highly recommended.

Made me laugh out loud not just giggle!!!
The movie was very light hearted and not serious at all. Myself and my kids were able to enjoy it together. In this day and age that in itself is a real treat.

Just plain fun!
If you like slapstick, this is the movie for you. I've searched local video houses for this one for my kids with no LUCK! My boys, 6 & 11, think it's hilarious. For good, clean fun, try this. Martin Short is a hoot! ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Excellent resource for teachers
As a fifth grade teacher, I have found this book to be an excellent choice as a class novel. Almost every young person fantasizes at some time what it would be like if he/she would strike out on his own to survive in the wilderness. Most students, therefore, enjoy learning the numerous ways Sam, the main character, adapts to a life of self-sufficiency in a forest in the Catskill Mountains.

Students also appreciate that the novel lends itself to ways of evaluating their comprehension beyond the typical "quiz-discussion-book report method" that often does little to promote a love of reading. Our class has had fun as each student used clay, grass,leaves, rocks and sticks to build his/her own idea of how Sam's treehouse might look, as each student wrote his/her own diary in which he/she explained how he/she used some of Sam's own survival techniques to survive in a wilderness adventure, and as each student wrote and illustrated an "ABC" book that showed 26 important aspects of the book.

We also really enjoyed finding the book in Amazon's website. My students like reading other people's reviews of the book, and appreciate being able to add their own as follows: Brian Billman-I gave this book an 8 becauseI learned how to survive in the wilderness,but there was not enough action. Heidi Bonnes-I give this story a 3 because Ididn't like how the author jumped from time to time.I also didn't like how it was written in first person. Kerstin Noelle Brooks-I give this book a 10 because I liked how Sam made the clothes and I also liked when he was brave enouph to fight the mother falcon.I rated it a 10 because he had interesting tools and it was interesting when he met the English teacher and didn't over-react to him.He just acted normal.My favorite part was when Sam took the falcon for a pet.You should buy this book because it's great!!I've read it 3 times!!It's great!!!I also like how he made all of stuff.My favorite part was when the skunk sprayed him.So buy that book before it's too late!!!! Lisa Clapp-I loved MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN!!! I would rate it a 10 at the least. I liked the survival tips, how Sam got Frightful, and once it ended, I wanted more!!! John D-I rate this book a 1. The reason I didn't like the book was because it was in diary form. It would have also been better if it had more excitement. Alison F-I would givethe book an 8 because I liked Frightful. Frightful is a perigrine falcon that Sam trained. She is exciting and good at hunting. Kristy F.-I thought this book was unrelalistic because most parents wouldn't let their child runaway. If you ask your parents to runaway I don't think they would say you could. Also it jumped around from thing to thing. I rated this book 3. I thought it was boring,too. Laura G.-I give this story a 9 , because it has alot of survival technigues and it has very good action.I feel the book was exciting. Janette Kielmeyer-I gave the book a 4, because I did not like the way the author jumped from time to time in the book. I did not like the fact the parents let him run away like that. R.M From my opinion,I Hated the book. It would be better if it had more acition. If bando was a robber that was wanted. by the police. Brad Pendy I would give this book an 8 because I didn't like how it jumped from place to place.But I liked the rest of the book. AmandaS.-I would give this book a 3.Because,it was unrealistic how the parents let Sam run away.I aslo thought that it needed more action. John S.- I would give it a 3 because T thought that it was too long. Also seeing it through the eyes of Sam made it seem very dull.But all the survival techniques were okay. Amber T.- I would rate it a 7. I liked the part when Sam climbs a towering cliff to claim a baby falcon, for a pet. If it had more action, I think it would have been more interesting. Kelly W.- I would rate this book a 3 because I didn't like how he jumped from time to time. I also didn't like how he wrote in his diary so much. Andy W -I think it was a good book because you learn about survival in the mountains. I will read it again. I think the book was real good. I give it a 9. William White- I give it a 3 because it gave you survival techniques, but there was not much action. Overall, it was a quality book. Brad Christopher Williams-I would give this book an 8. I liked the book because of the survival techniques. I especially liked the egg boiled in a leaf. END

Wild Boy Lives in Mountains on Nuts and Venison
As a fifth grade teacher who shows this movie to my class AFTER they read the novel, I find that they prefer the book. Why? There is more detail in the book, and they don't appreciate the unrealistic scene with Frightful in the middle. However, the movie does serve a valuable purpose, which is why I show it each year. We get to meet the majestic Frightful, hear her shrill cry, appreciate her soaring beauty. It's also interesting to see the inside of Sam's tree, and to have a real face put to Bando. But, for the true experience, the book by Jean Craighead George MUST be read!!

Love of nature
I got my DVD of this film today! It is in widescreen! This has always been one of my favorite movies. After his father tells Sam that he can't take him on a trip to the mountains, he decides to run away from home to study nature. He has a pet raccon and a falcon and a few other wild critters. This movie has a lot of insight into nature.

I mean no offense to other reviewers on this site, but there are a lot of negatitive reviews of this movie. I haven't read the book, but one thing I need to mention is this: I think a lot of people who read the book expect the movie to be just like the book, no more no less. Well, It's unrealistic to expect this-the movie can not be the book and the book can not be the movie-movies are different than books. You got to take what you like about the book and write the script from that. This is done all the time in Hollywood. Sometimes what works on the printed page won't work on screen and vice versa.

I like Sam's voice over in this film because it provides insights into his thoughts or what he is writing in his journal. As a bonus you'll learn a new recpe for syrrup and pancakes!

So give this movie a try! Ignore the negative reviews until at least you have seen the movie.

My Side of theMountain
I too must say if I had never read the book, I would have enjoyed the movie. The movie was a bit disappointing, first off the movie is set in Canda. But the book is set in the Catskill Mountains in New York. Why the change? The Catskills are beautiful. Also as mentioned the bit about Frightful's death an the addition of Gus. While Gus was cute he simply didn't exist in the book. Why the changes, the book is perfectly find the way it was written. We may hope for a remake of the movie but it is highly doubtful this will come about. Hope this review was a bit helpful.

My Side of the Mountain
I really enjoyed reading the story about Sam. I don't usually like English or reading but this story was about adventure and being in the mountains. I felt Sam was a lot like me, because I enjoy being outside and fishing and stuff. Compared to some of the other books I have had to read for English this one was really pretty good. ... Read more

Reviews (272)

Another masterpiece from Guy Ritchie
Highly talented writer/director Guy Ritchie delivers another masterpiece with Snatch, that equals the sheer quality and genius of his other masterpiece, Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrells. Once again the film is edgy with vast undertones of dark, gritty realism centering on the underworld but refreshingly encapsulates a darkly humorous side to it making the film have an even balance and therefore making it more enjoyable and entertaining in the process. The film has a host of subplots all shrewdly linked to the main storyline and a wealth of characters including a couple of likeley Cockney lads who are two novice unlicensed boxing promotors, Turkish (Jason Statham) and Tommy (Stephen Graham), fellow boxing promotor Brick Top (Alan Ford), Mickey O'Neil played by Brad Pitt as an Irish gypsy who gets roped into the boxing match where his opposition is rigged to win, Avi (Dennis Farina) as the man due to deliver a stolen 86 carat diamond and Bullet Tooth Villain (Vinnie Jones) who Avi hires to trace the diamond after he is robbed. The characters and performances are superb and vastly convincing, the host of plots are well-structured and the attutude-laced dialogue rides along like a roller coaster. Snatch on the whole is an utterly compelling film that will grip your attention and not let it go until the film is completed. Essential viewing and the extra features on this DVD are an added bonus. Highly recommended!

Chaotic, kinetic and outrageous fun
Snatch is a fast-paced gangster thriller from England. Like many such British films, it is equal parts drama and black comedy. Our friends in the UK may take crime seriously, but they can't bring themselves to do the same with criminals. Perhaps there is a lesson for us there. I thoroughly enjoyed Snatch, but I must warn you that the accents can sometimes be hard to understand. The one used by Brad Pitt is intentionally indecipherable. Fortunately, I watched the DVD version, which has an option that puts subtitles on the screen whenever Mt. Pitt speaks. The video edition does not have this feature, but that doesn't matter too much. His dazzling performance is entirely physical in nature, so what does it matter what he has to say? The other characters don't understand him either.

The movie was directed by Michael Ritchie, who is probably better known to Americans as Madonna's husband. His first picture, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, was also about psycho bad guys; in fact, Snatch is so similar to it that it is practically a sequel. The characters are different, but many of the same actors appear in both movies. Both films also share Ritchie's frenetic, stylish editing, as well as his fascination with lowlifes.

The plot is so complicated that describing it is difficult. I had little problem following it, but several reviewers admitted to getting completely lost. Basically, the story is about a huge diamond that gets stolen from a jewelry company in Amsterdam. It bounces from one group of criminals to the next, and, of course, everybody wants to get their hands on it at any cost. Meanwhile, a boxing promoter is having a very difficult time with a vile, ruthless gang boss who is demanding that he fix a fight. This is where Brad Pitt's character, One Punch Mickey, comes in. He is part of a band of gypsies [thus, the accent] who are the trickiest double-dealing folks you are every likely to see. Soon, everyone is merrily out to get everyone else.

The characters all have names straight out of a Damon Runyon story - Frankie Four Fingers, Bullet Tooth, Boris the Blade, Turkish and Brick Top are some of them. I think the names alone are enough of a clue that the movie is not to be taken seriously. One problem some viewers will have with it is that there are two or three times as many characters than in most movies. Keeping up with them can be a challenge.

Snatch should prove to be great fun for those who love for a movie to be fast and innovative. For those who like them to be cool, calm and collected, another choice of movies is recommended.

Where's the snatch?
I thought from the title that this was a XXX porno flick. Silly me. Brad Pitt still spends the entire movie talking like he's got a tampon stuffed in each cheek (sort of like the cotton wads Marlon Brando used in The Godfather). Is this the way these people really talk? And I thought I had a speech impediment. I should start auditioning for parts in movies about Irish gypsies. Still, this was a pretty good flick and I'd actually give it 4.5 stars if I could. Big Bubba says go see it and don't Bogart the popcorn.

I again can not think of a title
Here is the deal about "Snatch", if you happen to be a Brad Pitt fan, you will probably love this movie because the 1st time you watch it, he steals the show, and because he is (if I am not mistaken and I very well might be) the only American actor in the movie and the other actors are not very well known in the states, I mean some people know Jason Statham but who knows the other actors, very few people, or at least, before they see/saw "Snatch". Great movie, hilarious really, it gets old after you watch it a couple of times but if you watch it with your friends, it's all in good fun because you can go on reciting the lines you know and that makes it a lot more fun to watch but the 1st time, it's beautiful.

to all you 3* & below plonkers
Seen some critics say they can't understand what the f*** is being said by the english actors .Some even suggest leaving the subtitles on !

Why should all films pander to a middle USA marketplace .Can't you enjoy the cultural differences & isn't it fun to try to pick up how other people speak the great english language ? We don't have UK english subtitles for US movies .

By the way I'm saying this as a Scotsman living in England . The Londoners find us equally difficult to understand but we don't have english subtitles for scottish actors everyone over here just works it out .

Bloody good film if you make the effort . ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Edward D. Wood Jr. was an actor writer-director-producer, occasionally in drag, who combined meager bursts of talent with an undying optimism to create some of the most bizarrely memorable "B" movies to ever come out of Tinseltown. Though Wood died in obscurity as an alcoholic in 1978, his films have been considered cult classics for years. He is consistently voted the worst director who ever lived. You would think this an odd subject, but director Tim Burton harnesses the undying hopefulness that made Wood such a character. Shot in black and white, just like Wood's creations, this stylized, witty production captures the poetic absurdity of Wood's films and his unconventional life. Burton's recreation of Wood's wonderfully awful Plan 9 from Outer Space looks much better than the original low-budget quickie. Burton tackled an extremely strange subject matter for a biopic, but Wood is presented as naive almost to the point of delusion, so the story works. The pace sags in the middle, as the weirdness starts to wear thin, but Depp proves himself an adroit actor, even while wearing angora and a blonde wig. Wood's unconventional repertoire company is faithfully reproduced, including an Academy Award-winning Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. Landau is pathetic, droll, and charismatic as the elderly junkie who made his last screen appearances in Wood's films. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (150)

Good Movie about a horrible film-maker
Ed Wood, Jr. is more beloved than reviled as the "creative mind" behind such grade-z movies as "Plan 9 From Outer Space", "Glen or Glenda". Though it's generally accepted that Wood wasn't playing it straight with his horrible scripts ("he's been killed, murdered....and somebody's responsible!"; "Future events like these will affect you in the future!"), unbelievable special effects and nonesensical plots, this film slightly suggests that Wood actually bought into his own nonsense. Here, Johnny Depp (is there anything he can't do?) plays the beloved but infamous Ed, a WWII vet, failed movie maker and transvestite. Playing Ed as if doing an extended Jon Lovitz impression (his lines delivered all high-pitched and non-stop), Depp's Ed is mostly innocuous and guiless (his genuine belief in the implausible predictions of self-proclaimed seer, Criswell, are a hoot) and incapable of seeing his own sheer lunacy. The script uses "Glen" and "Plan 9" as bookends on Ed's checkered career - with the first film marking his collaboration with the then well-faded horror star, Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), and the second marking a sort of tribute to the star who died before its completion. Director Tim Burton stocks the film with a well-rounded cast - Bill Murray as transvestite "Bunny" Breckenridge, Jeff Jones as Criswell, Sarah Jessica Parker as Ed's long suffering girl friend, Dolores, Lisa Marie as "Vampira" and George Steele as Tor Johnson - that's a lot of fun, but doesn't do much with them. Bill Murray seems at times the saddest transvestite in history, mulling his paltry earnings from Ed's flicks to pay for his "procedure" while Jones' Criswell puts a damper on things when he makes all too clear how he invents his predictions. Instead, Burton's attentions are reserved for Ed and Bela, with Landau turning in a performance that's in turns hysterical (when revealing his hatred for arch-rival Boris Karloff), heartbreaking and terrifying (the forgotten star dies trying to kick a heavy heroin habit). Even so, the script doesn't stay consistent, with the emotional and humours highs isolated in their own scenes. The script reaches a depth of sorrow and horror when revealing Lugosi's profound suffering in de-tox, yet only briefly. (The script dangles the question of how well the dying star recognized the inanity of Woods' work). In other moments, the film hints at other real-life horrors like Ed's war experiences, but much of the film is actually shy of risk. Much of the conflict is between Ed and his backers - mostly evangelicals conned into thinking they were financing a religious picture and slowly realize Ed's true caliber as a film maker. Ed fights back to preserve his artistic vision without having to prove what his vision is or whether he even has one. His flagging self-confidence is restored by a chance encounter with Orson Welles (Vincent DoNofrio, also an underappreciated Hollywood fixture, his lines dubbed by the same guy who voices "Brain" on "Pinky and the Brain"). The more famed director is about to start work on a troubled epic of his own which, though never named, will be instantly recognizable to film students as "A Touch of Evil" ("Can you imagine Charlton Heston as a Mexican Cop?", Welles laments). Plunging ahead, the film works to the climax of Ed's career- the infamous "Plan 9 from Outer Space"! With Ed's trademark horrible special effects, unintelligible plot and insultingly poor script, "Plan" is almost guaranteed cult-status. Burton only recreates some of the scenes, so the last few minutes of the film plays like a montage of SNL skits, with Ed almost crying as he savors each frame. Leaving Ed before the credits roll on his "masterpiece", we never see Ed's lowly ends, his own substance abuse problems or the more clearly horrible films that marked his latter years. Burton never confronts this and misses an ironic motherlode - whether the ridiculous fantasy of Ed's pictures were supposed to be scary, or whether in seeming scary but so ineptly so, they were actually meant to symbolize a safer world than the one he experienced for real.

Plan 10 From INNER Space -- a true American classic!!!!
Yes, Eddie!
Not only Burton's best yet, but one of the finest
American films from the 90's -- or of any decade for that matter.
Cleverly written, lovingly directed, stylishly shot, acted
with empathy, scored and designed with tasteful camp, ED WOOD
is a virtual paen to Hollywoodism (whatever the hell THAT is!).

Just Czapsky's cinematography or Shore's soundtrack alone are
worthy of immense praise. And Tim Burton hits all the right notes flawlessly (for a change). Definitely his Citizen Kane.
Can't praise Depp and Lugosi enough, nor the editing, or....oh, hell! If you have any affection for the 50s, or B-Movies, or Bela Lugosi (God rest his soul), or Maila Nurmi (yum-yum), or angora, or pulp American cinema - meaning REAL American movies - then you should be a fan of this movie, regardless of what you think of Ed Wood's stuff.

Last point.
This movie is overdue for a worthy DVD treatment: docus, bios,
making-of-background -- the whole bit.
Was good enough for an Oscar for Landau, so why are we still waiting?
Yes indeed, pull that (angora) string!

No really this is good, honest
Watching Ed Wood movies and watching Ed Wood there is an alarming thing - Ed Wood's life was better suited to a movie than he was as a director! And as he tried woefully to express this side of his personality to the public with the woeful Glen or Glenda ( " Did you see the movie? Uh huh. Worst movie you saw in your life? OK but how about.....hello hello! )

Johnny Depp is hilarious as Ed and really plays the part extraordinarily well. You almost feel sorry for him as he gets rejected from everyone because he seems to have his intentions right no matter how skewed they end up being.

Of course Ed has a fetish for women's clothing which would make itself known in the film Glen or Glenda but Dolores wouldn't know about this until she read the script. Let's just say she doesn't take to it as well as Ed's rather naive script would like her to be! Although I have to admit that Sarah Jessica Parker is not exactly that easy to like in the movie

Martin Landau is the one who I think plays Bela Lugosi and I have to say that the resemblance is uncanny that you almost feel like singing the line from the Bauhaus song Bela Lugosi's Dead -" Oh Bela, Bela's not dead " indeed!

Bill Murray is fantastic in his role. As ever, he has the best lines in this movie. One of the best roles I've seen him in

I've seen this film - it must be about nearly 7 or 8 times and it's so funny that some of the lines in it are implanted in my head. One that has to be watched for those interested in seeing something a little unusual

My Favorite Movie of All Time
I have watched this movie probably 100 times and can never get enough. I cannot believe it hasn't been released on DVD yet.

The portrayal of Ed Wood is of a guy that never gives up even though he is terrible. Ever the optimist and the king of spin. He gives his pre-released version of 'Glen or Glenda' to a producer. When ED is told it's the worst movie the producer has ever seen---Ed's answer, "My next one will be better!"

When Ed is told that Bela will be kicked out of re-hab due to lack of insurance---Ed goes to Bela and tells him, "The tests all came back great---you can go home now."

Ed is a testament that it is more important to be positive and tenacious----rather than good.

Martin Landau REALLY deserved this Oscar. Like another reviewer said, he becomes Lugosi. I really feel Martin's portrayal of Bela more than I have ever felt any on-screen performance---ever. He brings me to tears almost every time. It's heartbreaking, funny and perfect in every single way.

From getting the whole crew baptized to finance a movie----to parading around the set in a wig and a dress. It's a great movie.

Enjoy!

Release it on DVD already!!
I'd heard good things about Ed Wood from critics, and decided to rent it to see for myself. After all, most of the movies I enjoy the most are movies that are panned viciously by said critics. Guess what? for once, I agreed with the "screen snobs" and enjoyed this movie just as much as the ones normally dismissed by the critics.

Johnny Depp is brilliant as the ever optimistic, supremely untalented Ed Wood. It is strange to contemplate the irony that it took such a top notch director, cast and writer to honor someone like Ed.

Speaking of brilliant, don't miss Martin Landau's Oscar winning turn as Bela Lugosi. By turns hilariously profane and poignantly troubled, Landau earned his Oscar for this part.

I just wish the powers that be at the studios would hurry up and put this gem on DVD so that we can all enjoy it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Unlike the fly in the 1958 horror classic, they never really explainwhat happens to the neighbor's sheepdog when young Wilby Daniels trades places with it. The dog just vanishes, or is subsumed or assumed or something, leaving Wilby (Tommy Kirk) to explain to his dog-hating, allergic, mailman father (Fred MacMurray) that he's turned into a canine.The Shaggy Dog seems like the first instance of Disney packaging, as most of the principals were either Mouseketeers or had been in the short Disney segmentSpin and Marty or a previous Disney film. As successful as The Absent Minded Professor for humor, Dog follows Wilby and a rival as they vie for the hand of the new French girl in school, and the girlnext door (Annette Funicello). The exchanges with Wilby's younger brother, Moochie (Kevin Corcoran), who always wanted a family dog, are alone worth the price ofthe tape. Indeed the most successful element of this overall endearing film is the re-pairing of the two actors as brothers (they had done so before in 1957's Old Yeller). This is family fare that's diverting without pandering, a feat that the later Disney regime would have a difficult time re-creating. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Sweet, nostalgic Fun
This movie may seem a pretty dated to today's kids and teens, but adults will enjoy this family film about a boy (Tommy Kirk) who can shape-shift into a big, shaggy dog. The wonderful Fred MacMurray plays his allergic-to-dogs father.It is funny and innocent, set in a more carefree time. I highly recommend this movie. 5 Stars!

Hot diggetty Dog!
I hadn't seen this black and white Disney classic since I was knee-high to a sheepdog! It's a fun reunion with old friends and an enjoyable treat for the whole family. Fred MacMurray is a mail man. He hates dogs. His older son, Wilby (Tommy Kirk) is a geeky teenager. Younger son Moochie, (Kevin Corcoran) wants a dog. Annette Funicello (after the Mickey Mouse Club but before the Beach) is the girl next door whose hold on Wilby and his friend Buzz (later to be the eldest of MacMurray's Four - there were 3, and then he left and Ernie - Chip's real-life brother- came and there were still Three - TV Sons ) is threatened by an exotic new girl on the block, Francesca. Francesca has a very large Bratislavian (Shaggy) Sheepdog and a father with lots of unsavory friends and associates, including Struther Martin who will later have a "failure to communicate" with Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luke."

It is 1959. It is the height of the Cold War with the USSR and its Eastern Bloc. Wilby has stumbled (literally) into possession of an accursed ring of Lucretia Borgia's - which, at unpredictable times and places "shape shifts" him into the Shaggy Dog or back into Wilby. In his various incarnations, Wilby overhears a plot to destroy America. He and his family and friends must save Democracy! Along the way we see a pajama clad Dog gargling and brushing his teeth at the sink before bedtime, chatting with confounded policemen, and leading them on a merry high speed car chase. A Bratislavian Sheepdog driving a convertible at a rapid rate is quite a sight to see! My favorite line is Buzz (an Eddie Haskell type of adolescent) hitting up Wilby for some money. "I'll need some gas. You wouldn't happen to have a buck on you?" Things have changed.

Disney gets big laughs with new comedy formula
This movie has kids and teens, animals, fun music, a magic ring that changes a person into a dog, spies, fumbling police, mixed up identities, fast cars, action and chase scenes, and a suffering dad who has to take the brunt of his boys antics including an attempt to prove he is crazy by a psychologist. This is an important film as the first live action comedy made by Disney introducing a popular series of formula Disney comedies through the sixties. The best parts of this film were mimicked in so many others.

It is also the first Disney film to feature Fred MacMurray. This was a comeback vehicle for the actor who was languishing without much work since the type of film he was known for was no longer produced. But after this film he went on to do many films for Disney, the "Absent Minded Professor" and its sequal "Son of Flubber","Bon Voyage", "The Happiest Millionaire", "Charley and the Angel", and "Follow Me Boys", a non-comedy sentimental film Dinsey made about a boy scout leader.

Tommy Kirk is also in this film as Freds son "Wilby" and the hero, of sorts. After all, he is the one turns into a dog with the accidental help of a magic ring. Juvenile Disney star Moochie (Kevin Corcoran)plays his younger brother, and is outright hilareous with his show stealing antics. The ever charming Annete Funicello is here, along with a couple of other Mouseketeers in bit parts. But mouseketeer Roberta Shore plays the sweet Franceska, the new neighbor that Wilby falls for. Her dog looks just like the dog that Wilby turns into when he is enchanted, so Wilby takes his place to find out how good a dog's life really is. But Wilby soon finds out that her villainous father is a dangerous foreign spy.

While it was filmed as a low budget piece, it was very succesful comercially raking in $8 million in its first theatrical release. That was very big in 1959. The movie concept was first offered to a TV network as an idea for a new series, and they gruffly turned it down as "a stupid idea that no one would want to watch". Walt made it anyway, turning it into a theatrical release. When the crowds poured in to the theatre the studio boss called Walt to admit his mistake. Walt laughed all the way to the bank, and created a whole series of movies based on some ideas from this movies formula. This includes the police officer scratching his head, and other character actors that seemed to crop up in the next dozen comedies.

A great Disney advertising campaign aimed at teenagers capitalized on the then-current fad for "I was a teenage ____" movies. The film starts with some great animated titles done expertly by veteran Dinsey animators X. Atencio, T. Hee, and Bill Justice. Released in 1959, written and produced by Disney Studio man Bill Walsh. Directed by Charles Barton. Disney veteran Bill Koehler did the animal training with the sheepdog that is used in some scenes as he did on at least half of the Disney films. (read his rare book "The Wonderful World of Disney Animals" if you can find it.)

Look out for famous Disney voice talent Paul Frees in this, he is the narrator and is seen as the psychiatrist (a rare on-screen appearance for the voice actor). His famous voice is featured throughout Disneyland ride attractions, especially in the Haunted Mansion (ghost host)and Pirates of the Caribbean.

The plot has a touch of 50's paranoia about the cold war, but spoofs it rather than warning of the dangers. Kids just love this film and so do parents and teens.
A sequal called "The Shaggy DA" was made after this. This movie was also remade recently for television by Disney with more modern effects.

Just hilarious.
This is one of the funniest Disney movies they ever made. The adults are goofy, the kids adorable, and the exchanges between the two brothers....priceless. I'd forgotten how much I love it.

Funny
this is a funny movie about a teenager who finds this magic ring and reads what it says on the ring, he sometimes (you never now when) will turn into a dog, and worse the dog that he turns into belongs to a girl he likes. very funny good family movie ... Read more

Reviews (72)

Doris and Rock's best movie
Without a doubt, this film is the apex of the Rock and Doris screen collaboration. It's an absolute delight from the opening scenes until the credits roll. It's also a wonderful time machine of the 1950's, and even though I was born after this film was made, it always make me feel as if I experienced this decade first-hand. Doris Day had a charisma on screen that is indescribable and it's never been put to better use than here. You just want to hug her to bits, she's simply adorable and her character makes the film. Rock gives one of his best peformances and he was always better when Doris was around. They screen chemistry is fabulous, exceeded only by Tracy and Hepburn. It's obvious these were two people who liked each other and felt comfortable in each other's company. Thelma Ritter and Tony Randall give superb supporting performances.

Another wonderful thing about Pillow Talk is that it's still extremely funny. There are many scenes where you will laugh out loud. The entire interplay between Doris and Rock (when he's Rex Stetson) is hilarious and holds up beautifully. Another favorite scene is when Rock is confronted with his re-designed apartment, all at the hands of the scheming Doris.

They don't make 'em like this anymore. People of all ages should love this film. I watch it every few years and always find something new to admire or laugh about. A highly recommended and enjoyable movie. One word about the DVD version: I was disappointed in the quality, it's a little grainy. There are also not many extras, excepting the theatrical trailer.

A Comic Inspiration...To Me!
Of all the classic comedies that starred Doris Day and Rock Hudson, or the two stars with other co-stars, this remains my favorite.The legendary late Rock Hudson was at his peak in this romantic comedy, and who better to showcase his charms against, than quintessential girl-next-door, Doris Day. Hudson thrives on his ability to charm indeed, as a songwriter named Brad Allen. Brad is a love-em and leave-em kind of guy, who entertains a seemingly endless array of lovesick females at his well equipped bachelor pad. He also sings to them over the phone for hours on end, tying up the telephone party-line he shares with Jan Morrow, interior designer, enter a perturbed Doris Day. Every time Jan picks up the phone, she hears Brad sing "You're My Inspiration...", and always with a new girls' name attached to the end. Flabbergasted at his womanizing, she sends a phone company rep to have a word with Mr. Allen, only to find that she TOO has fallen for the tall dark and handsome playboy. .............. Jan tells her boyfriend of sorts played by the wonderful veteran comedy legend Tony Randall, about her dialing dilemma. Randall, as always, plays himself. He's neat, dapper and proper, as not only Jan's boyfriend, but Brad Allen's friend and boss as well. After extoling the virtues of Jan to Brad, and mentioning that she shares a party-line with "some nut", describing the singing phone routine, Brad is too curious to find out what Randall is so wild about. After Brad Allen finally glimpses Jan Morrow dancing at a club, and sees the other end of his party line is not the shrew he expected, he sets out for his sweetest conquest of all................ "Pillow Talk" is a timeless gem of classic comedy. Amazingly, it was considered quite risque in it's time. This only goes to show just how jaded the world and cinema has become since 1959. Rock Hudson was actually embarrassed, and nearly declined the role. We can speculate in retrospect why he felt that way, but no one could've been a better cad than Rock as Brad! The one and only Doris Day is sweet as sunshine, until the duped decorator delighfully disarms Mr. Allen's charms, leaving him, for the first time, really in love with someone other than himself. Thelma Ritter is amusing as Jan's perpetually hung-over housekeeper. It's a truly comic moment when Ritter counsels Brad over a few too many drinks on how to win Jan over, and Hudsons' head hits the table with a thud, while Ritter babbles on oblivous to her companions condition. Tony Randall is his classic prim self, and laugh out loud funny, as he storms into his own place to rescue Jan from the smug seducer huffing the line "At least you could have had the DECENCY...to bring your OWN champagne!" .............. There are too many wonderful moments in this film to cover them all. If you somehow haven't, it's far better for you to enjoy watching this long lost genre of the innocent, fun, fresh feel-good romantic comedy, and experience first hand, the pure delight it has to offer in abundance.

Wonderful comedy of 3 Hollywood Stars with amazing chemistry
I grew up knowing about Doris Day because my mother was/is a big fan of her comedies. When I first saw "Pillow Talk" I was a mere child (the film was made the same year I was born). Over the years I have watched it frequently, and now have it also on DVD. The film continues to entertain and delight me, even as my impressions have changed with time.

Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall had a wonderfully delightful chemistry amongst them! From the opening where Doris is humming "Pillow Talk" after the intro is completed, to the far-fetched but humourous end when Brad Allen (Rock) is trying to tell his friend Jonathan that he is going to be a father, the film is simply splendidly performed throughout! Credit must also be given to the script writers Stanley Shapiro & Maurice Richlin, director Michael Gordon & Producer Ross Hunter.

Even though I was born the year "Pillow Talk" was made, I didn't even know party lines existed until I visited a great-aunt in Northern Minnesota. I remember picking up the phone and hearing people talk. WHAT A DISCOVERY! It put the film in a new context for me when I saw it later (I am not sure if I had seen it before). I suspect that the younger generation might not understand even the notion of party lines in our age of cellular phones and internet. In this regard, the film takes us back to a less techonologically advanced time, but a time where life seemed somehow more relaxed.

I delight in seeing New York City, Central Park, and the American automobiles in the 1959 frame of context. One question that pops into my mind: did people in NYC really have such big apartments with a single woman living alone, and still affording a maid to come in each day??? Was the maid really paid enough to make a living from it? Did NYC really have that sort of "everyone knows everyone" feel such as when Kelly the police officer congratulates Brad Allen as he carries Jan Morrow from her apartment to his? I doubt it, but the fantasy is lovely!

Rock Hudson did a really fun impression of a Texan rancher up in New York. Tony Randall was extremely funny as the self-deprecating multi-millionaire in love with Jan, and Doris simply glowed from beginning to end. The last few times I have watched it, which has been recently, I have been struck by the sexual frankness it explored. Brad the playboy, always luring in the beautiful women, Jan the wonderfully moral interior decorator, who shakes her tush in a very sexy manner at a nightclub when Brad first spots her, and the budding romance that develops between the two when he becomes "Rex Stetson", a cowboy from Texas. "Rex" playing the moral companion who would do nothing to offend the proper Miss Morrow, while inside he is sizing her up and biting at the bit to ... well bite at her bits? When the gig is almost up, "Rex" innocently suggests that Jan join him for a weekend in Connecticut. While there was no actual sex occuring, it is made clear that it was about to happen when Jan figures out the ruse Brad Allen has played on her. Hollywood, perhaps afraid of the extent of this sexual frankness, has Miss Morrow crying at the diner where she and Jonathan stop for coffee, saying "I thought we were going to get married." Good girl image preserved!

Later, when Brad Allen conspires with Jan's boss to have her redecorate his apartment, the scene of the music beginning to play and the double bed automatically folding out with sheets in place left no doubt what sort of life Brad led prior to falling in love with Jan. He was a playboy through and through and measured success by the quantity of women he successfully "entertained" at home. Growing up believing that promiscuous sexuality was a by-product of the late 60's counter culture movement and "summer of love", it struck me how direct and unambigious this scene was. However, in a very moral and virginal way, Jan's virtues are protected until she hears that Brad wants to marry her and in fact, loves her very deeply.

I am particularly fond of stories where romance changes a person for the good. Being an adult and a male, however, I wonder if such a womanizing playboy could and would remain ever faithful to the woman he loves for all eternity and never feel the need to stray again. It is fun, however, to believe that love was the true redemptor and that Brad and Jan lived happily ever after. Isn't this the great promise of romance AND fairy tales.
In both genres, Pillow Talk succeeds beyond measure and I love it more each time I see it.

P.S. The music is great too. Love "Roly Poly", "Possess Me" and of course, the theme song!

funny!
This is truely one of the funnier Doris Day movies. I enjoy watching it. The first time I saw it was on tv and I just loved it. It's funny and it has a storyline that isn't tired and boring. I would reccomend this movie to anybody who likes musical comedies. The only thing I disliked a bout this movie was that Rock Hudson had to sing. He wasn't too great!

Pillow Talk
Rock Hudson and Doris Day always been one of my favorite classic couples of the 1950s films. Pillow Talk is one of my top titles for their team up. When an uptight decorator share a party line with a carefree playboy who would know that when they meet it would end up love at almost first sight. The late Tony Randall always seem to play the man stuck in the middle of the two in so many of their films that he's a terrfic straight man comic addition. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although it's been three years since we last saw Bridget (Renée Zellweger), only a few weeks have passed in her world. She is, as you'll remember, no longer a "singleton," having snagged stuffy but gallant Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) at the end of the 2001 film. Now she's fallen deeply in love and out of her neurotic mind with paranoia: Is Mark cheating on her with that slim, bright young thing from the law office? Will the reappearance of dashing cad Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) further spell the end of her self-confidence when they're shoved off to Thailand together for a TV travel story? If such questions also seem pressing to you, this sequel will be fairly painless, but you shouldn't expect anything fresh. Director Beeban Kidron and her screenwriters--all four of them!--are content to sink matters into slapstick, with chunky Zellweger (who's unflatteringly photographed) the literal butt of all jokes. Though the star still has her charms, and some of Bridget's social gaffes are amusing, the film is mired in low comedy--a sequence in a Thai women's prison is more offensive than outrageous--with only Grant's rakish mischief to pull it out of the swamp. --Steve Wiecking ... Read more

Reviews (101)

The sequel surpasses the original.
I've seen several movies that were sequels but they were never better than the first movie. But for the first time with this movie I found the second better than the first one. If you have seen "THE DIARY OF BRIDGET JONES", you must see this one and if you haven't seen it. I would recommend you to start with that one so you can follow better the story.
This time the picture starts with a very happy Bridget (Renée Zellweger) who is deeply in love with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and that love is mutual. Everything goes perfect until Bridget and Mark have a fight that ends with the relationship because Bridget is jealous of Natasha (Mark's friend who is beautiful and rich) and because Mark is still very arrogant with her. After this appears once again Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) who is called to work with Bridget. The story goes to several places from this point and you can laugh very much and have a great time with this movie that also has a wonderful soundtrack featuring songs by Joss Stone, Mary J. Blige and Robbie Williams along others.
With the speacial features you can find a hilarious interview from "serious journalist" Bridget Jones and actor Colin Firth and alternativebeginnings, deleted scenes plus others.

Hey Hugh, Colin called you a big sissy!
There's really only one reason to see this movie: a recap of the great girly-man fight between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. It's almost as funny as the first time around, with some great hair-pulling, body-slamming interludes. The rest of the movie left my mind almost at the same time I watching it, except some painful memories of cheesy looking sets and politically correct third-world prisons. Any movie set in Thailand with no filth and squalor goes way beyond comedy to a kind of propagandistic obscenity. Don't be fooled, tourists of the world, "Edge of Reason" is to the real Thailand what Woody Allen films are to the real New York.

Fall in Love All Over Again...
Bridget Jones is passionate about passion. She inspires a dreamy admiration for love itself as she longingly gazes at Mark Darcy, wrapped in lavender sheets. Unfortunately (and fortunately for the viewer) Bridget keeps tripping over herself in this sacred dance of love. Her antics are deliciously funny all while her heart reaches for the profound moments in life.

You can't help but fall madly in love with Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) because she is a real woman, struggling with all the decisions of daily life and all the insecurities society promotes. In this daily life she also retains the right to vivid fantasies and creative conclusions inspired by jealousy.

Life seems to keep getting in the way of her fantasy existence especially when she is drenched by passing buses. In fact, she spends a great deal of this movie running about in the rain or looking quite deliciously natural with her hair all a mess and very little makeup. She honestly tried, but it is like the elements have ruled in favor of the natural look.

While she obsesses endlessly over her main rival who seems to have her eye on Mark Darcy, she condenses her thoughts into sly little schemes with hilarious results. She has a tendency to put herself in physical danger - falling from airplanes and sliding off skylights into gardens. Her ever-curious nature makes her almost kittenish at times and I thought the humor was shockingly good.

How does Bridget go from being an "award-winning" journalist to being thrown into a Thai prison where she undergoes a hilarious name change? What is even more fun is how she always survives her mother's seasonal curry buffet.

Colin Firth is especially dashing in this movie as he ends up completely drenched in a fountain in his suit. He is at first emotionally withdrawn, but his heart reaches out through his eyes as he longs to be fully trusted and admired. Of course, Bridget can't fully trust him because of Daniel Cleaver's antics and she is just waiting for him to cheat on her and ruin their beautiful relationship.

Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) is still as naughty as always and his boyish charm and attempts to control his overwhelming appetites encourage our sympathy. I especially loved the scene where he recites the Thai Poem and when he tells Bridget she is the best he has ever had. Of course, current research tells us that women who are slightly overweight are much more interested in sex for very biological reasons.

I've been listening to the soundtrack in hopeful anticipatory mode, knowing the songs would sound perfect in a movie. I was not disappointed. This movie also has a quiz option. You can take the test after various scenes of importance. While the main plot elements from the book are still all in place, there are a few surprises.

In the end, I think this movie is romantic because it appeals to a man's need for respect and a woman's need to be passionately loved for who she is, just the way she is even if her hair is not perfectly done or her makeup perfectly applied. What is more beautiful than a man telling you he loves you, even if you are a few pounds overweight? This is about total acceptance and loving a woman as a soul. It is rather profound from a woman's perspective because society judges us on our weight and not our heart.

It seems Beeban Kidron shares my fascination with water images and I look forward to more movies in the future with rain, rivers and oceans. If you enjoyed this movie, also look for "Swept from the Sea."

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Mildly amusing, but ultimately pointless sequel
The first Bridget Jones movie was a perfect little human comedy.Although absurdly unlucky, Bridget remained a consistent and logical (in her own way) centre to the film.The humour grew organically from her "logical" reactions to the absurdity happening around her.And we had a nice, romantic happy ending.The same praise cannot be given to this sequel, "Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason."Don't get me wrong - I enjoyed the film in a superficial way, at least while I was watching it.Unfortunately, it's entirely unecessary, except as a money-making grab by the studio.

The plot: Mark Darcy is seen in the presence of another woman.Bridget assumes he is cheating on her and is then assigned a job in Thailand with Daniel Cleaver (the "ex").Therein lies the main problem I had with the film: the entire story is built on misunderstandings that could be cleared up with the tiniest application of logic on any one of the characters' parts.Similarly, actions are not driven by the nature of the characters, but rather the requirements of the plot.For example, almost immediately after starting the relationship with Mark Darcy, Bridget's friends are advising her to dump him.Why?I have no idea - I guess because the screenplay told them to!Similarly, if Bridget is thrown in a Thai jail while on assignment for her TV network, wouldn't someone at that network notice that she had gone missing?

Am I applying logic where none is required?Probably.But a sequel should be able to build on the characters rather than making them more two-dimensional (or making their actions arbitrary).I should be asking is the film funny?Are the actors good?The answer to both questions is undeniably "yes!"I applaud the idea of building a comedy around the question, "what happens after happily ever after?" Unfortunately, the film bails and gives us a series of silly little scenes that work on their own, but never add up to anything worthwhile.

On the plus side, Mirimax has deigned to give us at least a few extras on the DVD.There are some deleted scenes, the most welcome being the infamous "Bridget interviews Colin Firth" scene from the novel.Obviously, it became impossible to put this in the movie with Firth playing Mark Darcy, but they filmed it anyway at the end of a day's shooting and stuck it on the DVD as a treat to those who have read the book.There are also some scene breakdowns and a director's commentary.

Wonderful Experience For Me!
Having sat through the movie with a female friend, I now know that life will only get better, since seeing this movie was the absolute worst two hours of my life. I would rather have stomach cramps for two hours than watch this horrible tripe again.

I am a male - not the intended audience. I believe that the intended audience must be people with dementia. They would be spared the pain of possibly remembering even one second of this unbelievably bad movie. This movie deserves a rating of zero, plus, everyone involved with this film should be sentenced to prison.

Never has there been a more insulting movie passed on as entertainment. I seriously worry about those who enjoyed it.

Rating: negative infinity, the worst movie ever made.
... Read more

Reviews (14)

...not all butterflies are free...
Not a bad love story if one doesnt take it too seriously.We tend to forget that Goldie Hawn used to act in some very good movies at one time.She manages to shine in this charming but unoriginal romance between a flower child and a handsome young blind man played by Edward Albert,seeking independence from his over protective mother.The story is set in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco during the early seventies prior to Watergate and gay rights and the onslaught of AIDS.

Eileen Heckart gives a memorable and touching performance as the mother and well deserved her best-supporting-actress oscar that year.There is a wonderful scene where Goldie first meets Donnys mother in his apartment in the most inappropriate of circumstances.In her underwear!Enough said. Not exactly Shakespeare but it will keep your interest,and besides theres a happy ending...

Heart warming and funny
This is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and I saw it for the first time yesterday on HBO. Goldie Hawn is hillarious in this movie, and the story is beautiful. If you like Goldie Hawn, and if you like a good, real love story, you will LOVE this movie.

Very pleasant though a bit too stagey
There are two things that made me really enjoy seeing this film again for the first time in years. One is Goldie Hawn. She was both terminally cute and utterly adorable in this. The past few years I had mainly seen her in films from the past decade or so, and while she has remained extremely attractive, I didn't remember her in her twenties well enough to realize just how much she and her daughter Kate Hudson resemble one another at the same age (or nearly, since Goldie was 27 when she made this, and Kate is not yet that old). Kate Hudson is a chip off the old block if ever there was one. Goldie Hawn has had a fine career, but I always thought it should have been better than it was. She was a truly gifted comedienne, and one of the cutest women to ever walk the earth. Perhaps her sixties connection with LAUGH IN kept people from taking her seriously for many years, but she definitely should have been in more major projects. Even if everything in this film were bad, just being able to gaze at her extraordinary smile and riveting blue eyes would be enough.

A second thing that makes this film click is the remarkable Eileen Heckart. One of the premiere stage actors of her generation, the husky voiced, long-faced Heckart simply never found her place in the movies. While she managed a great stage career, many of us didn't have the privilege of living in New York so as to see her perform. One advantage of the movies is the ability for talented performers to display their talents in every godforsaken corner of the glove. Heckart is stellar as Don's overprotective mother, and it is an utter joy to hear her squeeze out a put down or insult. She won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in this one.

I am not overly fond of the rest of the film. The problem is that this isn't really a movie: it is a play captured on celluloid. Some film versions of plays manage to transcend the source to make an exciting film. A classic example is TWELVE ANGRY MEN, which takes twelve jurors and locks them in a single room for nearly two hours. But it makes a great film because the camera is so magnificently active, moving agilely from close up to group shot to isolating a couple of figures. The camera in BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE is, however, static and passive. It merely stands in front of each scene and lazily absorbs the action. It doesn't get close and explore what it happening. In other words, the camera isn't an important part of the telling of the story. As a result, it never becomes more than what it was onstage. I also am not fond of Edward Albert Jr., but that is a strictly personal reaction, and not an objective criticism of the film. My final problem with the film is that sometimes, because it is merely a filmed play, it sometimes gets a tad dull in the dialogue. Some of the talk is [not good]. For instance, the scene that takes place the morning after Jill and Don sleep together, before Don's mother shows up, is quite dull. I almost wondered if the reason Goldie Hawn spent the entire scene in her underwear wasn't to make up for the dullness of what the two of them were saying.

So, not a masterpiece, but definitely worth seeing for catching the young Goldie Hawn and for the magnificent Eileen Heckart.

An understated, but beautiful score.
This movie had very little music score, which worked well with the Broadway Play adaptation. Yet the few music moments were charming as well as beautifully written. It might be noted that the opening song was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. That, along with the 'Picnic On the Floor' music and several others, were delightful, overlooked segments, which happens more than often to the Hollywood film music people.

"Might I Have Seen You in Something Besides Your Underwear?"
The movie "Butterflies are Free" is a comedy/drama which is an old favorite of mine that I have seen in various forms on TV and video for a number of years.I am very happy now that it has finally been put out on DVD.This is basically a filmed play (with a couple of added scenes to "open it up")which explores the meaning of concepts like freedom and independence within the framework of a love story.The story takes place in a San Fransisco loft during those heady, 'groovy' days of flower power.Don Baker (Played by Edward Albert) is young man, blind from birth, who is trying for the first time to break away from his overbearing mother's apron strings by living on his own.One day he meets his new neighbor, Jill, a young, commitment free hippie and wanna-be actress.At first she is freaked out by Don's blindness, but soon they are "getting it on" and she spends the night.The next morning their little private, three room Eden is invaded, when Don's mother barges in unannounced, with the intention of taking her son home.It is within this scenerio that the three characters shout, argue and pontificate about such concepts as 'freedom', 'independence', 'commitment','love' and finally 'letting go'.They all learn a little bit about themselves and the changes they must make to get on with their lives.This is really a wonderful, funny movie that has a lot of heart. The three lead actors do a simply amazing job with their roles.Goldie Hawn is in all her giggly, post "Laugh-In" splendor.Underneath the bubbly persona she shows us a character, who is emotionally crippled and must learn not to be frightened of being loved.Edward Albert does a fine job as the blind, young man who is fighting for his independence.But the real scene stealer is Eileen Heckart (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this role)who is brilliantly funny as an overbearing, cynical, mother,who obviously loves her son, but must find a way to let go. The script by Lenord Gershe is very fast and funny featuring hilarious exchanges between Albert, Hawn and Heckart's characters. It is filled with lots of one liners that remind me a bit of the comic style of playright, Neil Simon and his comedies such as "The Odd Couple" and "The Sunshine Boys".Some of the hippie, flower power references and language in the movie are a bit dated, but I think it adds a touch of charm and quaintness to the script.Milton Katselas's direction of this film is a little stagey, but it does not detract as the story progresses.The DVD presentation is very clear and the sound quality is not bad for a film from 1972.My only real complaint is that the DVD features bonus trailers, but not for this movie (at least two out of three of them are for old Goldie Hawn films).For an evening of funny, yet thought provoking entertainment I highly recommend this film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Talk about cultural curios. That's exactly how Tickle Me wasregarded when it was released in 1965, the same year as the Beatles'Help! There was a musical revolution going on, but you wouldn't have known it from this would-be comedy, in which the King plays a rodeo championforced to take a job on a combination dude ranch/fat farm. Naturally, all of the women tumble at his feet; even when he's pitching hay, he's liable to burst intohip-swiveling song. What little plot there is deals with his romance with the ranch's exercise instructor (Jocelyn Lane), who happens to hold the key to afortune in gold hidden in a nearby ghost town. Nary a recognizable Elvis hit isto be heard in the score, and as for his acting, well, Elvis looks as though hehappened to be wandering past the set and was pressed into service at the last minute. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Pure Elvis delight!
"Tickle Me" might be underrated by movie censors, but it's funny, full of good songs, beautiful women, and some good fight scenes. Elvis is singing rodeo rider Lonnie Beale who, until the next rodeo season starts, is hired by Vera Radford (Julie Adams) who owns a spa/dude ranch called "Circle 'Z'". Lonnie takes an interest in the aerobics instructor Pam (Jocelyn Lane). Pam has a will that thugs are looking for because it is linked to $100,000 in gold left to her by her grandfather that is stored in a nearby ghost town. Lonnie is caught kissing the boss which upsets Pam. The next rodeo season begins. Lonnie can't keep it straight. After a long rodeo season, she still isn't speaking to him. Lonnie, Stanley (Jack Mullaney), and Pam end up at the ghost town and have to spen the night in the hotel. All night guys in goon masks, beast masks, a ghost in a rocker try to frighten away the hapless trio. They soon take down these thugs and learn they were from the ranch and were the suspicious ones. They find the money, and take down the sheriff who was behind it all. Lonnie and Pam marry in the end...with Stanley accidentally getting a free ride in the back of the jeep in the washtub. Elvis looks handsome and tough in "Tickle Me" and something you should see at least once. Go for more if you enjoy it!

Elvis Presley works at a ranch in Tickle Me
The company of this movie is Allied Artists. During the 60's, Allied Artists was in the red. And they figured if they could make thier own Elvis Presley movie, they might get out of the red, and keep making movies.

Lonnie Beale (Elvis Presley) is a rodeo cowboy. He hits a town and gets a job at a dude ranch. He was disovered by a woman named Vera Radford (Julie Adams). She puts him in with a man named Stanley Potter (Jack Mullaney). Lonnie falls for another worker named Pam Merritt (Jocelyn Lane).

The staff complains to Vera when Lonnie starts singing and takes away the girls away from working with them. But when Pam catchs Lonnie kissing his boss, she gets mad with him. Turning the rodeo season, Lonnie calls Pam and hangs up on him. When Stanley shows up, he asks Lonnie why he hasn't been writing her, and Lonnie says "What is this a ham sandwich?" The letter got marked Return to Sender. But when Lonnie and Stanley find Pam they check into a hotel. The late Gene Siskel aways loved to ask, "Is this movie better of a documentary of the same actors having lunch?" Watch out if somebody askes you what you are watching, and if you say Tickle Me, you might get tickled. I recommend this film if you have resevations.

The `Butt' of the Elvis Filmography
If you want the primest footage of the posterior of the lovely Merry Anders, who appears in tight hot pants [about 7 years before such pants got into vogue} then get this film. Her plush, plumeflous backside is the only reason for the one star! Otherwise, this is one the dorks on Mystery Science Theater 3000 will never get a hold of, even thought it's perfect for them, because Priscilla will never, ever let them!

Tickle Me...Usual Elvis Fare with a Slight Twist.
To paraphrase an Elvis quote about his movies..."I'm sick of singing to the guys I beat up...." A mindless, forgettable Elvis flick with forgettable songs. The title itself is mindless! However, it is entertaining nontheless. The Pelvis plays a rodeo star(Lonnie Beale) who is hired as a part-time ranch hand/entertainer at a western health resort with lots of women running around in tight half-tops and skimpy shorts. He befriends one of the health instructors, Pam Merritt (Austrian actress,Jocelyn Lane) who is involved in a search for hidden treasure at a nearby ghost town. Her great-grandfather has left her a letter/treasure map and certain baddies want that letter. There are the usual Elvis-movie type fistfights and the usual segues into song with girls oggling Elvis and guys green with envy. The plot is atypical Elvis boy-gets-girl, gets-her-mad, and has-to-win-her-back storytelling. However, the last part of the movie which involves the search for treasure at the ghost town could have been the inspiration for the all the plots of the SCOOBY-DOO cartoons. Overall, a fun forgettable Elvis movie, with good comedic moments, lots of pretty girls,fisticuffs, decent songs, and the usual Elvis charm.

Presley and "Tickle Me" Stink
I know not why Elvis Presley is big star. He look silly with big sideburns and very tall hair on head. He sings very stupid songs. This movie "tickle me" is very ridiculous. Me from Japan and I dont understand why Presley so popular. He is what Americans call hick. Me think he stinks very large. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Clever idea features every bodily function gag imaginable
A reasonably entertaining blend of live action and animation with the live action scenes directed by the Farrelly brothers.
Bill Murray is a lazy zookeeper who is unable to take proper care of himself. Inside his body live animated blood cells. One, a cop named Osmosis Jones (voiced by Chris Rock) decides to try and save Murray by challenging the orders of his superior (voiced by William Shatner) and give Murray the chance to turn his life around. The movie also features the voice talents of Brandy, Larry Fishburne, Ron Howard and David Hyde-Pierce. Kid Rock also makes an appearance in animated form as Kidney Rock.
OSMOSIS JONES is a movie all ages ought to enjoy, even if the animation is a bit iffy at times, but in general it's a clever, humorous piece of entertainment with Rock and Hyde-Pierce (as Jones's partner) providing excellent voice performances. As with SHREK, the character animation vaguely resembles the actors. Larry Fishburne is especially effective and menacing as the bad guy. I would also advise viewers not to eat during the movie as there is a rather low rent mucus gag and an amusing zit gag. Basically every bodily function joke you can think of is present in OSMOSIS JONES.

Ridiculous entertainment does not equal great cinema
Osmosis Jones is one of those movies you almost feel like you have to apologize for liking. Well, forget about it, because this is a very funny and downright entertaining movie with no class whatsoever!

The scenes bounce between live acting and full animation, determined by whether we are outside or inside the body of Frank. The casting for this silly and peculiar movie was expertly chosen for both live and voice roles.

Live, we have Bill Murray as Frank, in his most disgusting character since Caddyshack. Chris Elliot plays his brother Bob, and manages to challenge Murray in the "disgusting slob" category. Murray eats a hard boiled egg that landed in monkey doodoo, and thus introduces Thrax into his body, a red-death virus determined to take over Frank and kill him. (voiced by Laurence Fishburne)

Inside of Frank, we go to the animation where Chris Rock is the voice of our hero, a white blood cell named Osmosis Jones. Jones is a detective for the City Of Frank, where William Shatner does the voice for Mayor Phlemming. Jones knows something is wrong, but the Mayor denies any illness could occur in Frank. But just to be safe, he "manually overrides" Frank and has him take a cold pill.

Meet Drix, the huge and snotty cold pill, whose voice is played by David Hyde Pierce (Frazier's brother Niles). Jones and Drix make an unlikely team as they hunt down Thrax and try to stop him from killing Frank.

Nothing is taboo here; they go to the nose and get caught up in the wave of snot when Frank's allergies act up, they travel to The Zit, Frank's hottest new club where Kidney Rock is playing (Kidd Rock), and Jones reminisces about the time he hit the "Panic Button" in Frank's stomach, causing him to vomit all over his daughter Shane's teacher. (played live action by Molly Shannon)

Boogers, snot, vomit, farts, and zits; its all here. Ron Howard even does a guest voice as Tom Colonic, running for Mayor against Phlemming, who broadcasts his campaign commercial from The Bowels.

This is visceral entertainment with a squishy feel to it, riotously funny and well endowed with toilet humor; silly campy comedy at its very best. In David Litton's excellent review below, he mentioned that this was a "Fun Time-waster". Indeed it is, David. Enjoy!

Boring Not Enough Action Gross Stupid.
Osmosis Jones Stinks!!! I t was on Cartoon Network on Direct TV and worst it was at my school!!! I watch this stupid Movie Everywhere!!! Not Even Funny Its gross The story is dirty sick father ate an egg that was spit on by a monkey and the egg was pooped on and he ATE IT!!! Osmosis Jones a Terrible character This movie is short thankfully The reason i gave this movie 2 stars is because I loved the character RED DEATH He is cool!!! Red Cool Talker and He has a long claw that burns stuff. Anyway dont watch this movie. OVERATED