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tt0408642 | Crash Twinsanity | After Crash destroys Doctor Neo Cortex's space station and rescues Crunch Bandicoot from Cortex's control, Cortex and Uka Uka escape and are preserved in ice in Antarctica. Three years later, the ice that is preserving Cortex and Uka Uka is heading towards the Wumpa Island, home of Crash and his family. Cortex escapes, while Uka Uka is still frozen. As he tries to get his revenge on Crash, he paralyzes Coco Bandicoot. Poorly disguised as Coco, Cortex lures Crash over to a bay, where he attacks Crash with the Mecha-Bandicoot, a gigantic mech. After this fails to defeat Crash, the robot falls in a cave, forcing Cortex into Crash and causing the pair to fall. Cortex, infuriated over losing to Crash again, attacks him, and the duo fight roll all the way to the cave's exit.
After getting out of the cave, Crash and Cortex are confronted by a pair of odd, turquoise parrot-like creatures who proclaim themselves as "The Evil Twins", who have come to destroy the Wumpa Islands. When it is learned that they come from the Tenth Dimension, Cortex proposes that he and Crash travel the islands in search of crystals needed to power the Psychetron, a machine that will allow them travel to the Tenth Dimension. Crash and Cortex later face and defeat Uka Uka, and is ultimately convinced by his brother Aku Aku to help him defeat the Twins. However, they are easily defeated by the evil duo. Crash faces and defeats many of his old enemies during his quest, including Doctor N. Gin, Doctor Nitrus Brio and Doctor Nefarious Tropy, all three of which are interested in the treasure that the Evil Twins own (with fellow Universal/Sierra character Spyro the Dragon showing up to briefly torch the villains for stealing his gems).
However, after retrieving enough power crystals, Cortex is confronted by Coco, who believes he kidnapped Crash. Coco kicks Cortex, jettisoning the crystals onto the Psychetron, destroying it and paralyzing Coco again. In order to fix it, Cortex and Crash travel to Madame Amberly's Academy of Evil in order to fetch Nina Cortex, the only person who could do so.
After defeating Dingodile and Madame Amberly, it is later revealed that the Evil Twins are actually Cortex's former pet parrots Victor and Moritz, mutated by the radiation present in the Tenth Dimension. Once Nina fixes the Psychetron, she, Crash and Cortex travel to the Tenth Dimension, a bizarre and gloomy mirror universe version of Earth, where Evil Crash, the Tenth Dimension's version of Crash, kidnaps Nina. Crash and Cortex escape Evil Crash and rescue Nina, where they defeat the Evil Twins, who are subsequently eaten alive by Evil Crash. The game ends with Cortex trying to use the Psychetron to get rid of Crash; however, it malfunctions and sends Cortex into Crash's mind. Cortex is horrified as he is surrounded by numerous personifications of Crash who start dancing.
In the NTSC version, if the player beats the game and collects all of the gems, there is a secret cutscene where Crash and Cortex are sent to a psychiatrist (who is offscreen). The psychiatrist tells the two to do a trust exercise: Cortex's job is to fold his arms, close his eyes and fall backwards, while Crash's job is to catch Cortex when he falls. Cortex is reluctant to participate due to his distrust of Crash and his fear of falling, but decides to go with the exercise. Unfortunately, Crash is distracted by a Wumpa Fruit that falls on the floor and rolls past his feet and Cortex falls on his back. Crash glances at Cortex, shrugs, and proceeds to eat the Wumpa Fruit. The cutscene ends with Cortex grumbling "Oh, how I hate bandicoots". | good versus evil, insanity, psychedelic | train | wikipedia | It Definitely had its Moments.
I really like this games.It is fun,has good characters,some good levels,and sometimes where you'll just want to tare you're hair out!
Though it is funny,it is a good game,it can just get really really annoying because some of the levels are repeated.It is still a pretty so so game and deserves a 7.5 It has a really good plot and a great group of characters in its grab.They should really keep the games coming on Crash Bandicoot because they are coming a long way.Especially in animation!I loved all of the settings.They were beautiful and a just wanted to enter the game myself and see that whole world.I got mad that I couldn't go.It was too beautiful and perfect for a honeymoon.I wish it were real.Its fantastic.I give this a 7.5!It is definitely more than just a game.Its a whole new world!I love it..
My Favorite Crash Game.
My next Movie/Game review after "Garfield: The Movie"love this game!
Twinsanity Rocks!
In this one,they said funny stuff!
They said "Ooga Shumu away" LOL!
That is funny!
That is funny!
It's so stupid that it makes my friends and I crack up!
It's our FAVORITE show of all time!
"Cortex, He told me I was My Favorite playable, so I let him borrow my laser-blaster, and he never gave it bacccccccccckkkkkkkk" "Dingodile, Regular nose, or treasure nose, it's whats on the inside that counts which will carry you all the way through"^ What wonderful words Cortex!
I was playing it one day and............The pony pooped!
Well the game is still at my house.
If you don't like the game don't like it.
The show is for people who like CGI who look really funny and look like a 3 year old made it (Thats the funny part) and for people who like random funny things.
The "gross" things are not that bad.
The only bad thing is Dingodiles & N.
Tropy are not working for cortex anymore.
I don't think it's that inappropriate..
Here Comes The Boom!.
Here come a fantastic new(er) game 'Crash Bandicoot: Twinsanity'.
The story tells of aliens coming to Wumpa Island.
They want to have it as a base.
So it's up to Crash, Cortex, Aku-Aku, and the mighty Ooka-Ooka to stop them.
This game action packed, full of comedy, and most of all, just darn fun.
This game has come out to original Xbox and PlayStation 2.
This game is old(ish), yet still has the best graphics of all the Crash Bandicoot's.
You can jump, slide and run.
The definite best of the Crash Bandicoot's and my personal favourite.
So, in conclusion, if you have an original Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, or Playstation 3, then GET PLAYING!!!.
love the game...
love the game...
well...first of all the game is great,and it has a good plot but...I think the game is too easy!!!its just because they give too many lives,I don't remember exactly but by the end of level one(when you get out of the cave) I had about 17 lives!
and at the end of the game i had 30!.
the levels kept repeating their selves for at least twice....they could have been more creative,right?
I think that all the bosses were easy except for the last one.
Crash and cortex's deaths-is that right?- weren't creative...they could have been funnier!
after all the music was great,the game play was cool, the cut scenes were funny,but the game in general could have been much better.
This Game is a disgrace!!!!!!!!!!!!
piece of S***.
I've been a fan of Crash since I was 7 and when I was 13 and saw this game I thought it was going to be a breath of fresh air ever since Naughty Dog no longer was in production of this game.
When I started playing this game I (at first) liked it but as I continued onward I realized I was wrong.
The game-play is common sense like, not challenging but can be at times aggravating because it can get hard and repetitive.
The music was catchy the first two or three times you listen to it but can also be repetitive and annoying after a while.
The plot is stupid, I learned that Corty and bandiman should NEVER work together.
This game is really not for kids due to the adult references it make sometimes but most of the dialogue is stupid tedious retarded bathroom and cheesy pop culture references which you sometimes HAVE to sit watch since they won't let you click off it.
Another thing that annoyed me was the fact that Aku Aku SUX at protecting you he's says he will but when you walk into those TNT/Nitro boxes (even if you have three masks) you will DIE!!!
Which is stupid, I don't ever recall any Crash game doing that.
In other words you can EASILY die in this game!!!!
The Characters suck!!
Crash-Nothing more than a silent retarded unaware idiot Cortex-He really convinced me that he was some scary cross-dressing gay idiot!
The Niece-They seriously jumped the shark when they introduced her to the game!!
I hate her that stupid creepy emo brat!!!
That's as far as I want to go into these characters I don't want to talk about the rest!!
The only thing I like about the game is the graphics.
That's IT!!!People if you come across this game avoid it and walk away....
R.I.P. Crash Bandicoot 1996-?2001/2004(by the way the crash series may be dead again once they release Crash of the Titans!).
good and bad.
i don't know about this game, it has good graphics and storyline but it has poor game play and it is hard to complete.
this is the only Crash game i have played and i was a little disappointed with it, but i can't help but like it a little.
you can't judge a game by it's cover and thats what i did.
the cover made me think it was going to be brilliant but i felt let down by the game play as i think it is hard to control.
this is the kind of game you play when you're on a winning streak as it is hard to complete and the kind of game that makes that lucky penny you have, unlucky.
I suppose it's good for a challenge but if you have a short temper, stay away from this game. |
tt0291350 | Sennen joyû | The film opens with a woman leaving to embark on a spaceship from the moon to Earth. An earthquake occurs and it is revealed that this is simply a scene from a movie being played out on a television. Genya Tachibana, a TV interviewer, and his cameraman Kyoji Ida head off to a new job: Ginei Studios, a prestigious but bankrupt movie studio is being torn down and its best known star Chiyoko Fujiwara has agreed to do a rare career retrospective interview. When they meet, Genya gives her a key he believes she lost at the studio, which causes Chiyoko to reflect on her career. As she's telling her life story, Genya and Kyoji Ida, his cameraman, are drawn in literally to Chiyoko's past as they are blended into various scenes that concurrently reflect Chiyoko's filmography and life story at once.
Chiyoko, as a girl in 1930s Japan, is approached to become an actress by a famous director. While walking on the street, Chiyoko encounters a man running away from a certain scarred military policeman, and she manages to hide him away in a storage barn. It turns out he is a revolutionary against the war in China, as well as a painter; he escapes, but leaves a key behind. After his departure, she decides to become a film actress in hopes that he will see one of her movies, and heads to Manchukuo with the film crew for her first movie to try and give the key back to him. She meets Ginei Studios' lead actress, who treats her with contempt, as well as the director's young son, also planning to be a director. On a train however, local bandits attack. At this point, scenes are played from different movies from Chiyoko's career, ranging from samurai to kaiju: all with the theme of Chiyoko chasing down the mysterious painter. Various characters are seen again and again, such as the military policeman, and even Genya and Kyoji, who continually save Chiyoko and allow her to continue on her quest.
Through this narrative, it is seen that a younger Genya became an assistant at Ginei Studios. Chiyoko loses the key during filming one day, and resigns to marrying the director's son, who has become the lead director himself. Eventually, after the war, Chiyoko finds the key hidden away in one of the sets, and confronts her husband about it; the other lead actress reveals that she stole it for the director out of jealousy for her youth. Right after, the military policeman, now a crippled veteran, comes to the studio to apologize for his war crimes, and gives Chiyoko a letter from the painter. After Chiyoko leaves to resume her desperate search north, Genya hears from the scarred policeman that the painter was tortured and killed after his arrest.
As Ginei Studios begins filming the last scene of a movie, an earthquake shakes the studio and causes the roof to collapse on to the set, a spaceship. Genya jumps in and saves Chiyoko by shielding her from debris with his body, but after the earthquake, she runs away inexplicably, leaving behind the key for Genya to pick up. Finally back in the present, Genya asks why Chiyoko abandoned her search, and she replies that she was no longer the girl of her youth; the painter would no longer recognize her now.
During the interview, another earthquake strikes, and Genya once again shields her from debris. He and the cameraman drive her desperately to the hospital, but despite their efforts are told that she won't make it. On her hospital deathbed, Chiyoko surprises them by saying that it doesn't matter if she finds the man or not. As the film returns to its opening scene, she explains that despite never seeing the man again, she realized that it wasn't the man she loved, but the chase for him -- before blasting off in the spaceship to continue her search. | historical, cult, psychedelic, romantic, sentimental | train | wikipedia | Here at his second feature film, ripe after a four years hiatus, he makes the wait well-worthed with a cunning cinematographic experience that literally plunges the viewer into the wonderful world of film.Using the animation medium to push storytelling in film to new levels of effectiveness, Kon tells the story of a legendary actress who's life and career sparks the interest of documentary director Genya Tachibana.
Along with his trusted cameraman, he undertakes to interview the now very old Chiyoko Fujiwara, spotlight actress in her hay days, and together they delve into her past.This session blooms into a captivating narrative, blending elements of her life with roles in some of her films, and exploring her great search for love.
I just tried to project myself in the future, and thought of what I might be able to bestow to a younger inexperienced person like myself, with this increased wisdom that comes with life's trials and tribulations." I admit I am paraphrasing just a little (my japanese is not that good in any case), but that's essentially what he said, and this confirmed my belief, based on the artistic genius and masterful integration of complex thoughts into a simple, flowing, living piece, that this man is gifted.
I admit, I was teary eyed for several scenes in the movie, it's cinema at its best.The story, like Kon's Perfect Blue, is told in a way where reality and fantasy are blurred and joined.
They met just briefly, he gave her the key to "the most important thing in the world," and Chiyoko and the film characters she plays spend the next 1,000 years and the rest of her film career and the rest of her life trying to return it."Millennium Actress" and the techniques of animation were made for each other.
So-called live-action movies would have buried a live actress under layers of Yoda-like plastic to achieve the same effect.Presumably you will be watching this on DVD; after you have watched this movie through once or twice, go back and select scene 12 and just watch that: it begins with an apprentice Geisha, (as played by Chiyoko), risking everything to pursue the human-rights activist (in this generation he is a rebel Samurai.) A merciless Javert-like pursuer barges in to ruin everything, but a Quixotic stranger rescues her for sake of idealistic love and sets her free to ride through the land of Japan to continue her search.
After you have checked this out, look into Satoshi Kon's most recent movie "Tokyo Godfathers." Then investigate the movies of Hayao Miyazaki, who is the world's greatest maker of animated films, and also Miyazaki's fellow geniuses of Studio Ghibli.
The life story of an actress told to reporters that blurs the line between reality and fantasy as the movies she made become he life and vice versa.A wonderful continuation of of the ideas in the brilliant thriller Perfect Blue, we once again have our perceptions turned upside down and sideways.
If you have seen any other movies by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers), you get the idea that he knows how to tell a story.
The scenes we see are from the movies she has made, but the story is her own life; her reality and her imagination have just crashed into one another.The animation here is just visually amazing.
What i find great is that Satoshi Kon adds that tiny bit of surrealism; adding more dimension and thought, here its how Chiyoko's memories meld into the movies she's starred in.
Her reaction in each flashback and present to one particular entity is another indication of her perspective on her love, one of many signs of deep implication that enhances the film.The animation in the film tends to be minimalist except for a few instances where it is cast in significant passage of film (for example running), but the art direction and technique which realize various era of Japanese history and provides a fluid transition between fictional flashbacks to accounts rooted in reality is most elegantly and superbly executed.
So much so that it seems almost as if Chiyoko itself transcends to some abstract form of ideal love, only unrequited, and therefore something of great potential but not wasted; since it essentially defies time and space, as allegorically portrayed in her various film roles.The director Satoshi Kon commented in his interview on his pleasure with the music, which seems to be electronically assembled with a lot of repetition.
This film further reinforces my belief that Director Satoshi Kon is a master of depicting abstract ideas, especially love, time, and dreams.
He is a consistent example of how anime can create a work of art that can't be shown through live-action films.The Millennium Actress follows Genya with his camera man, Ida, as they interview Chiyoko and learn the life story of the actress, who has since retired and secluded herself in bamboo forests and hills.
The film does an amazing job of telling Chiyoko's story through the various movies she made throughout her life and showing the idea of forever chasing your dreams.The storytelling method by Satoshi Kon, where he puts Genya and Ida into the depiction of Chiyoko's past and movies, is fascinating and undoubtedly effective.
It was refreshing to see the two interact physically and emotionally with the past world in order to "shoot" Chiyoko's story, as well as helping her "bring the movies to life." The editing, as expected from Satoshi Kon, is phenomenal.
The depictions of Japan's historical eras all the way to the Space Age are not only well designed, but they are never too long nor too short, and they keep the viewers constantly engaged as they piece together Chiyoko's life story.As an aside, I personally think that I've never seen someone direct and edit scenes of running/chasing better than Satoshi Kon.The soundtrack also helps to bring the animation to life and works in unison with the film to draw out emotions.Overall, Millennium Actress is a touching story told in the most creative, beautiful, and elegant way.
Millennium Actress is a stunningly beautiful piece of animation.The movie begins by showing a pair of documentary makers, an old interviewer and his younger cameraman, who have been given the privilege of interviewing one of Japans biggest female movie-stars ever, Chiyoko Fujiwara, about 30 years after she unexpectedly retired from film-making.
As they start the interview they are shown the actress's story from two angles - her real life, and the movies she has made.
We are shown action, drama, science fiction and horror, often without any narration where the real characters can explain what is really happening on- and off-stage as other movies have thought us to expect - this most likely leads to some (or many) viewers not really understanding that what we see in Chiyokos movies at the same time is her real life story, in turn perhaps leading to a sense of unfulfilment.
Director Satoshi Kon plays with us, using refined techniques from his previous movie "Perfect Blue" in binding the two lives of Chiyoko together and making us question what we are watching.
Once again Kon proves himself to be a one of the worlds best directors.Now, if the two different perspectives doesn't make it complicated enough, the interviewer and his camera man also get to join in on the fun - appearing in the memories and films of Chiyoko's life.
Satoshi Kon's animated and directoral style has matured in a big way, and the fast-edits, obscure angles and incredibly rich colours used to convey the dream/memory sequences bordered on perfection.
Blending seamlessly through modern-day reality, cinema, fiction and history, Kon tells the life story of an actress, very much designed to make us reflect upon our own.
The story was incredibly moving; one of those films where you leave the cinema and wander around for an hour or so in heavy contemplation-mode.Loved the obligatory head nods to classic cinema greats.Millennium Actress is a heart-warming journey through cinema, life, love, loss and acceptance of one's fate..
This is probably the best movie from Satoshi.Life story of a very successful actress in her last days that she narrates to a hyper fanatic reporter.
The way the flash-back scenes transition from one point in time to the next is really well done, the main character Chiyoko is nicely developed and fleshed out as a three-dimensional character, the humour from the interviewer Genya, in the way he interacts with Chiyoko's past memories, is both hilarious and brilliant in the way it advances the story and the whole structure and ending to the film defies all expectations.
Millennium Actress is one of Satoshi Kon's finest works, and considering just how respected he is as a film director, that's saying something.
It's a story about an aging actress who reminisces about her life as a young film star in the early 20th century Japan.
All the flashbacks intertwine, making it one of those film you almost have to see twice to fully get.The voice acting is also topnotch, the character designs are fantastic and even though the way the story is told is almost better than the story itself - journey over the destination - it's not a bad story at all, dealing heavily with Japan's film history.Millennium Actress is a treat for all that appreciate non-conventional storytelling, deeply layered characters and gorgeous animation.
Though it has been over a decade since its release, Satoshi Kon's "Millennium Actress" continues to hold its place as a masterfully engineered film.The story begins with the demolition of an old movie studio that held a mystery pertaining to its most famous actress: Chiyoko Fujiwara.
Genya Tachibana, a movie director for Lotus Studios, hires camera man Kyoji Ida, in order to film a documentary concerning the runaway actress.
The gift opens up Chiyoko's long forgotten memories, and she begins telling her story to the documentarians."Millennium Actress" is a 2001 entry to the Anime industry, and earned the Grand Prize of the Japan Agency of Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival; truly a film that rivals the success of Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away." This particular film became a landmark in the anime industry, due to its innovative and clever use of visuals that brought the art of story-telling to a transcendental level.
As Chiyoko tells her life's stories to the two gentlemen, the true meaning of "Millennium Actress's" title materializes, as her tale is masked over by 1,000 years of Japanese history.
The film's presentation quality proves that Satoshi Kon's film crew paid sincere attention to the tools they had, creating an extraordinary woven set of stories, sounds, visuals, and drama that invites viewers on a seemingly innocent journey towards the discovery of "the most important thing in the world.".
When I watched this movie last night - date reviews - proved helpless to control their emotions.Who truly appreciate the film Millennium Actress I think it is important to analyze the history / story without writing "spoilers", so as not to ruin your first viewing.So the story about the director Genya Tachibana, who comes to visit with his assistant operator to the once popular and still great actress Chiyoko Fujiwara movie to make a documentary dedicated to her interview .
Over time, Chiyoko accepts the offer to act in films for the sake of traveling the world in search of the man, holding his key .To interview the actress is like a time machine .
Different images , scenery , music, but the story is the same.Journey actress in life, "which leads its audience wherever movies have not led" to the final summing up and leaves an impression as a tribute of admiration and love of life.I strongly recommend that you see Millennium Actress, if you are from those who are looking at the art of cinema and sure almost 100% sure you will not stay indifferent..
This sweeping anime epic follows an aging actress and she tells the story of her life to two documentary filmmakers.
And in the end, when the connection between actress and interviewer becomes apparent, it all ties together.It is a beautiful film, both visually and stylistically, both story-wise and in its construction.
How glad I am to say that "Millennium Actress" is focused, nuanced, deeply touching and one of the best animated films I have seen.The story about two documentary producers visiting a retired actress somewhat reminiscent of Setsuko Hara starts off a little awkward when the duo physically enters the world of her memories as she tells her story, but by regularly cutting back to the interview, it is suggested the visualisation may be part of the actress' imagination.
When he presents her with a key she had lost, it unlocks the secrets of her life in unimaginable ways.Co-written & directed by Satoshi Kon (best known for Perfect Blue & Paprika), the film begins on a calm note but things gets more n more intense as plot progresses.
Also, the shifting perspective never allows the viewers any moment to settle down.On an overall scale, Millennium Actress is an inward journey into one's own past that also serves as Satoshi Kon's ode to both Japanese history & cinema.
An elderly woman recalls her life, mixing facts with the stories of her films, accompanied by a fan in an interview, where reminiscing of the past makes them feel young again..
In this interesting, very attractively drawn anime from Japan, a TV journalist gets to interview Chiyoko Fujiwara, a once famous actress who mysteriously became a recluse after retiring from acting some 30 years ago.
A more straight- lined screenplay would have helped.Note: Though she doesn't look terribly like her, Chiyoko Fujiwara is obviously inspired on Setsuko Hara (born in 1920), the beautiful actress who starred in many of the best films of Yasujiro Ozu (she was the understanding daughter in law in Tokyo Story), and also in some films of Akira Kurosawa and Mikio Naruse.
Genya Tachibana is a documentary film maker, he searches for Chiyoko who was a great actress but had left acting 30 years ago and disappeared, somehow he tracks down Chiyoko and finds her and asks for her interview, he gives her a key which belongs to her, key had memories attached with Chiyoko's life, Chiyoko tells him about her life journey.
'Millennium Actress' is made a few years before 'Wall-E' and may have benefited from less technical expertise but it's consistency, sensitivity, and reverence to the history of the Japanese cinema make it memorable and most remarkably thing, this animation film is one of those fabulous stories about cinema actors that made so many great movies especially in the American cinema.The story of a TV anchor and his cameraman visiting a retired actress who lives in seclusion many decades after quitting film-making immediately reminds the story of life the fabulous Setsuko Hara, the star of the Japanese screen in the 40s and 50s and preferred actress of director Yasujiro Ozu. The reporter brings the actress a souvenir from her old life, a key which is related to the story of the love of her life, a key to her past life and career that triggers the retelling of her memories in a filmed interview.
Some of the IMDb comments suggest that the director denied being inspired from the life of Setsuko Hara, but the animated character in the film looks exactly like one of the heroines Setsuko brought to screen, and as viewers we love her as one.
And I wasn't disappointed, though if I would rate this movie amongst the others I've seen, then my preference will be in reverse chronological order, not that Millennium Actress is no good, but you do see the scaling of new heights in the newer works.I'm quite amazed at how a single theme (at least to me) managed to weave itself into a compelling story, and one which paid homage to the history of Japan, and to Japanese films.
And after you've slogged all the way through to the end - there's no ending!Basically the movie uses the paper-thin story as an excuse for a lengthy animated romp through a bunch of emulated scenes from various periods of classic Japanese films.
Millennium Actress is another great movie from Satoshi Kon, who also directed Perfect Blue.One amazing point about this movie is how well the movie blends the `reality' and the `fiction' of the story, which is her real life experience or which is only parts of movies she had been in.There are also some parts left unexplained, but that is the spice of the movie.
Told through the eyes of a Producer documenting the life story of Chiyoko through her films and roles, Kon plays tribute to various Japanese film genres during the course of this feature.
Millennium Actress is a multilayered story told in a succession of beautifully composed, film-inspired moments, which traces the fortunes of Japan during the twentieth century through the prism of the experiences of screen star Chiyoko Fujiwara.
Satoshi Kon's latest film Millennium Actress is even more of a pleasure to watch than his first film, Perfect Blue, not only from a narrative perspective but also from a self- referential one.
The film focuses on an actress and an obsessed director that is making a documentary on her life in movies.
He finds her living in the countryside, now a recluse, having retired from acting some 30 years ago.Much of the film watches as Chiyoko recounts her life's story for Tachibana.
This film is quite different to Setoshi Kon's previous film there is no roughness to the animation and nothing in it that would be offensive to anybody.The story is rather surreal; a journalist and his cameraman visit Chiyoko Fujiwara, an elderly woman who had been the top actress at a studio until it was hit by an earth quake many years before.
It's interesting watching a movie where you don't really want the character to get what she wants in the end, because she already has it...I like the idea of a documentary about an actress turning her roles into reality. |
tt0340376 | The Statement | Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine), a French Nazi collaborator, orders seven Jews executed during World War II. Some 40 years later, he is pursued by "David Manenbaum" (Matt Craven), a hitman who is under orders to kill Brossard and leave a printed 'Statement' on his body proclaiming the assassination was vengeance for the Jews executed in 1944. Brossard kills "Manenbaum," hiding the dead body after finding the printed "Statement" and discovering that his pursuer was travelling on a Canadian passport. Brossard for years has taken refuge in sanctuaries in southern France within the Traditionalist Catholic community, appealing to long-time allies who have operated in great secrecy to shield him and provide him with funds. But now they bring increased scrutiny to themselves for continuing to do so.
The murder of "Manenbaum" attracts the interest of local police and eventually the persistent Investigating Judge Annemarie Livi (Tilda Swinton). She becomes absorbed by the case, not discouraged by the lack of assistance she encounters from official sectors. Livi forms an alliance with the similarly dedicated Colonel Roux (Jeremy Northam), a senior French Gendarmerie investigator, and the pair initially suspect that "Manenbaum" was part of a Jewish assassination plot. They discover that Brossard has been the subject of several previous investigations, dating back more than 40 years, which have all failed. Livi and Roux discover hidden resources, tightening the noose around Brossard, who finds his allies increasingly reluctant to help him. Doubts arise over the theory of a Jewish hit squad, but it is clear that someone wants Brossard dead.
Brossard in desperation pays a surprise visit to his estranged wife Nicole (Charlotte Rampling), a maid who is living in lower-middle-class circumstances in Marseille and is very apprehensive about seeing him again. Brossard's allies, including certain priests and a wartime colleague who has risen into a position of great power within the French government, are feeling the heat from the relentless questioning of Livi and Roux. Now desperate and unsure whom to trust, Brossard seeks new identity papers and money so he can escape France forever. But he is now living on borrowed time. | revenge, dark, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | It's about a French collaborator, the Vichy Government, France's failure to confront the role its officials -- some still in power -- played in the Holocaust, and the efforts of right wingers in the Catholic Church to shelter the collaborator.
Michael Caine is superb in the leading role, and Tilda Swinton and Jeremy Northam are excellent as the judge and army colonel who are trying to bring him to justice while those who formerly hid him seek to execute him, blaming a non-existent group of Jewish vigilantes.
He was clearly fascinated by questions of faith, of good and evil - and he boldly tackled these themes in "The Statement." In France in the late 1980s and early 1990s there were several prominent cases of Vichy-era collaborators who were belatedly brought to justice by the French court system.
Moore was clearly fascinated by the way in which leading members of the French governmental and bureaucratic system continued to hide unpleasant truths about their own pasts - and by the role of the Catholic Church in France in providing refuge and assistance to some individuals who had been involved in the persecution and round-up of Jews.
Caine isn't a caricatured film villain - not like Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List" or John Malkovich in "Ripley's Game." But in a real sense, it's all the more disturbing that he seems like "just another innocuous old man."It was disappointing to me to see that fine performers Jeremy Northam and Tilda Swinton with so little to do in the film - other than looking bewildered as Caine's character continues to elude their grasp.
Pierre Brossard ( Michael Caine ) committed crimes against humanity and collaborated with Nazis in WWII .
Jewison cast some largely known actors as Michael Caine , his wife well played by Charlote Rampling , the starring duo as Tilda Swinton and Jeremy Northam , and a remarkable support cast as Ciaran Hinds as Inspector Pochon , Alan Bates as Bertier , Frank Finlay as the Comissaire and several others .
He considers The Hurricane (1999) the last in a trilogy of racial bigotry movies he's realized, the first two being In the Heat of the Night (1967) and A Soldier's Story (1984).The film terminates with an epilogue based on real events , that says the following : ¨At 5:00 am , on June 29, 1944, in Rilleux -La-Pape, France, seven Jews were executed ¨.
I've read some people comment about how the characters in THE STATEMENT film should speak with French accents as the film is set in France.
Intelligent movie-going audiences are supposed to be able to suspend their disbelief and assume early on that the characters are French, because the fact that they are French is, frankly, unimportant...The idea is for English speaking audiences to follow the plot and identify somewhat with the characters, and it's far easier to do that without the use of distractingly bad foreign accents.
So unless you commit to allowing the actors to speak the actual language, the next best thing is to have them go with the actors' native language, especially since the filmakers are trying to appeal to English speaking audiences!I've also noticed a couple of people being quite critical of the moment when Caine's character kicks a dog.
And this is why I believe THE STATEMENT will be a film that will stand the test of time...much like Michael Caine's 1971 film GET CARTER, which received mixed reviews upon it's first release but has become a celebrated classic over the years!
Someone I know who hadn't been to the cinema in decades saw The Statement last week and has had his faith in film restored by this movie.I can't understand why newspaper critics focussed on the fact that French accents weren't used.
Telling of an aging French-Nazi war criminal who finds himself on the run and squeezed in the jaws of subterfuge, "The Statement" is too vague in its historical flashbacks, gives poor depth into its sundry characters, breaches realism with a bunch of Brits in France, never makes its agenda clear, and doesn't sort itself out well in the end...to mention just a few of the flaws.
The motivations of the characters are never that well developed; the Livi/Roux parts are dull and quite routine although the sections with Brossard are more interesting.It is a shame then that the film cannot decide what it wants to do with him do we feel for him, hate him or just watch him?
adopt Gallic accents - that would have been too much to bare.As for the film itself, it seemed a complete waste of police time to have half of the French PD chasing round after an OAP with a heart condition who'd been *ordered* to kill seven people 50 years earlier during German occupation.
In Norman Jewison's tepid thriller, `The Statement,' English-accented Michael Caine plays Pierre Brossard, an aging French war criminal whose past has begun to catch up with him.
And although the French authorities have been unsuccessful in their attempts to locate him, Brossard has recently found himself the target of a mysterious group of assassins, possibly members of a secret Jewish organization seeking justice for his yet unavenged crimes against humanity.The idea of a Nazi war criminal still living in hiding all these years after the end of World War II has the makings of an interesting movie, no doubt, but `The Statement' is not that movie.
One also questions the propriety of taking a serious subject like Nazi atrocities and using it as little more than cheap window dressing for an undistinguished, run-of-the-mill thriller.`The Statement,' despite another fine performance from the ever-reliable Michael Caine, is a tired, lackluster and cynical exercise, strangely devoid of meaning, conviction and purpose..
Your comments will be displayed as follows: A good adaptation of Brian Moore's thriller novel, director Norman Jewison's "The Statement" has its ups and downs.Michael Caine, who has played many English roles as well as being an American abortion providing doctor, now takes on elderly Frenchman Pierre Brossard, once a shining star of the toady Vichy police force without which the Nazis could never have murdered some 77,000 French Jews.
He's been sheltered for forty years by members of the Catholic clergy.Tilda Swinton is Judge Levy assigned along with Jeremy Northam, a French army colonel, to find and bring Brossard to trial based on a new law reviving prosecutions against those who committed crimes against humanity.
Imagine Judge Judy flitting about in a chopper ferreting out facts.) At times I thought I was watching a travelogue about the abbeys of Gaul.There are, of course, hints of a dark conspiracy reaching beyond the Church that I won't reveal.Caine's peripatetic suspect is deeply religious in the formulaic sense that absolution and ritual salve his conscience but in no way mediate his actions.
Caine plays a dirtbag to perfection.Possibly to avoid charges that the film is unfairly anti-Catholic we're told that1) the Church is vast, has many subordinate bodies, and those at the top just can't know all that is happening (this defense comes from a gentle librarian-Jesuit priest who also happens to be black, the predominant racial group in the French church).2) responsibility for aiding genocide by clerics was individual so don't trot out any revisionist Hochhuth/Cornwell/Goldenhagen theories arraigning the Church's leadership.3) we can't forget that the Resistance was largely communist so maybe there's a rational justification for Vichy's supine collaboration and the very real clerical support for the Nazis if not for every French assisted atrocity.I despise the mindless Francophobic reaction to France's lack of support for U.S. policy on Iraq.
He plays the lead in this film, a harrowed, contemptible Vichy official who was responsible for the deaths of some Jews during the War, who now as an old man is fleeing the people who want to catch him.
Pierre Brossard is a man hiding an ugly past - he collaborated with the Vichy Regime in Nazi occupied France during WWII.
There's sort of a critique of Catholic Church's attitude during the Holocaust (how they turned a blind eye to it), and after it (sheltering some Nazis that had a warrant for arrest).The movie has kind of a classic style, it's been brilliantly filmed and the presence of Michael Caine is nothing but a nice present for all those who love cinema.*My rate: 7/10.
The entire message of the film is utterly simplistic: collaborating with the Nazis, bad; relentlessly hunting down Nazi collaborators, good."The Statement" plays out like a run-of-the-mill police detective story, with the 70-something lead character (played by Michael Caine) ludicrously providing most of the action/adventure sequences.
As things stand, his guilt, his attacks of conscience and his religious faith come off as phony and self-serving, rather than genuine contrition.Some may call me a nitpicker, but it irked me that the French characters in this film were portrayed and voiced by quintessentially English actors.
Caine is the best thing about this rambling and languidly paced suspenser about a true life French policeman who assisted the Nazis in WWII is now being pursued by the dogged investigator Swinson and Northam while marked for execution.
Based on a true story, Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine in a finely nuanced tragic performance) worked with the Vichy regime during the Nazi occupation of France and was responsible for the murders of seven Jews in 1944.
A new French Judge (Tilda Swinton in another fine performance) and military Colonel Roux (Jeremy Northam) join forces (somewhat unwillingly) and commit themselves to ferreting out Brossard.
In looking through the other comments here and listening to responses as I left the theater after watching 'The Statement,' I've noticed a lot of criticism about the use of English actors using English accents in a movie set in France.I won't venture to discuss the merit of this choice, but I wanted to point out, in case anyone is that interested, that this is an old stage tradition.
Norman Jewison's film version of a little-known Brian Moore novel posits a few interesting ideas - the role that the Catholic Church has played in sheltering Nazi collaborators from justice and whether it is right to pursue an otherwise penitent man for crimes committed fifty years earlier.
Given the subject matter, a director with a record for top-notch entertainments, a first-rate cast and a script by the redoubtable Ronald Harwood, the film itself never catches fire, at best passing the time rather than actively engaging the emotions.One fault may be in accepting the high-toned, plummy British cast as French, (Tilda Swinton gives a terrible performance as the judge on the trail of Michael Caine's war criminal).
I think there was no chemistry in this movie whatsoever except for the scene 1/4 of the way through with Michael Caine and his ex-wife (Charlotte Rampling).
While this is an interesting thrill ride (and Caine is a marvelous actor), the problems associated with the movie detract too much to make it worth watching.The basic story involves a former Nazi affiliate being hunted down after avoiding execution for over 40 years.
The viewer needs a little more affinity with the young female judge or one of the people pursuing the murderer for his crimes against humanity if we are to engage this film beyond its action-adventure.Secondly, the story is set entirely in France with all French characters, yet NO ONE speaks French!
I can't believe Michael Caine made something this poor at this point in his career.And now adding more content to satisfy IMDb's requirements: Michael Caine plays an ex-Nazi French collaborator; he "acts" exceedingly nervous throughout the film helped no doubt by the liberal application of some oil-based lubricant to his face; Church officials are of course portrayed as deeply corrupt and dishonest, protecting their pro-fascist sympathies until the heat gets turned on them when naturally they sell out their own man, and so on.
Back in 1943, Vichy leader Marshal Petain created the military force Milice to assist the Nazis.This movie should be an action thriller with Jeremy Northam hunting down his prey Michael Caine.
Michael Caine plays a Frenchman, Pierre Broussard, who collaborated with the Nazis during the war in "The Statement" from 2002.
Although his distinctly British accent subtracts from his performance, Michael Caine is given quite a good character too work with, even if the film does seem a tad ambiguous as to whether or not we are meant to side with him.
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsPierre Brossard (Michael Caine) was a traitorious Nazi collaborator during World War 2 and was responsible for war crimes in France.He was caught,convicted and sentenced to death but managed to evade his punishment.For nearly 50 years,he has managed to evade his pursuers and has been offered refuge and absolution by the Catholic church.However,a mysterious new chain of events mean that his number may soon be up...Veteran director Norman Jewison certainly has an intriguing concept on his hands with The Statement.Unfortunately,he doesn't have quite so intriguing a film.Caine's frenzied,forceful lead performance certainly gives you the impression that he's immersed in his role,but is sadly too hammy and never natural enough to convince you fully in any way.Although we're subconsciously aware that he is the bad guy and that he was responsible for appalling atrocities,the script,admittently,does cleverly confuse us whether to hope the authorities catch him and deliver him his comeuppance or whether to root for him as he flees his persuers.Unfortunately,for the most part,it fails to interest us in any way and thus the above OLS really says everything you need to know.**.
The film is full of some fairly decent British actors Frank Finlay, Alan Bates, Tilda Swinton, Charlotte Rampling (the only French-speaking one, presumably) yet it comes over like a shoddy made-for-TV daytime movie.
This is something touch on in the excellent recent film Le Promeneur du champ de Mars (2005).The funny thing is, you actually start empathasing for Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine), the Klaus Barbie-style war criminal of southern, Vichy France, and hope that he escapes whenever he nearly gets caught.
Even his killing of the assassin at the beginning of the film is genuinely self-defence, and Brossard seems genuinely full of remorse and religious guilt for his war-time crimes.The other factor is the amateurish political corruption plotting, where we never know who the real people are chasing Brossard are they Mossad-style vengers or agents of powerful political figures, successful but tainted by their war-time activities in Vichy France..
This movie can be enjoyed for its high production values, excellent acting (particularly Michael Caine and "ice queen" Tilda Swinton), and looking at the wonderful on-location photography of Europe.
,he almost makes us side with him.A collaborator in occupied France during WW2,he was responsible for the death of seven Jews and he was never punished for what he had done.Pierre Brossard puts his trust in God,and he's always praying Saint-Christopher and begging absolution from his crimes.Outside Caine,best performance comes from Charlotte Rampling ,who,as always,makes the best of an underwritten part.But the screenplay is a novel transferred to the screen ,and it's a NOVEL.There are as many holes in the plot as in Swiss cheese.The judge (a woman of course)and the military man are cardboard characters (but we are spared the love affair between them,just for that,M.Jewison,thank you!!!),and actually we could easily do without them.One of the judge's uncles is a minister/secretary,no less!
It's true that fundamentalist Christians have a tendency to support the far right.But making so many abbeys of the South of France a shelter for people like Brossard ,demands such an imagination...It seems that every priest, every monk and every nun of my country are here to protect those who killed the Jews !One often forgets that there are many of them who helped and saved children during those darker days of French history.I have not read the book but I do not feel like doing it.A movie was made in the eighties about Beate Klarsfeld (TV).People complained because they chose Farah Fawcett to portray her ,but at least it was based on accurate historical facts (Klaus Barbie)..
Pierre Brossard, (Michael Caine) was present during the execution of these Jewish people and after many many years pass, Pierre is still being hunted down and goes into hiding within the walls of the Catholic Church in France and he is even given financial help in order to stay protected from being killed.
I don't think so.That said, if you haven't seen the film, you would like to stop reading at this point.Pierre Brossard has led an easy life in the years after the end of the war.
Michael Caine plays a pathetic wretch who, 40 years ago, participated in the murder of seven Jews in France.
Michael Caine once again has done an outstanding job in his role as a French military or police collaborator in Nazi-occupied Vichi France during WWII.
This is a fact that shouldn't be overlooked.If I understand this storyline correctly, Caine's character, Pierre, was a Frenchman who became a Nazi collaborator in Vichi France.
While he was in hiding, he was given a full pardon by the president of France, supposedly through the influence of the Catholic church and friendly high members of the French government who also had a hidden Vichi past.But, now as an old and sick man, Pierre's problems began anew when the World Court enacted the "Crimes Against Humanity" laws.
The English actors gave strong performances, despite my needless diatribes, especially Michael Caine as the Nazi collaborator and Tilda Swinton as the French War Crimes Prosecutor, well as Colin Salmon and various characters that I know only by face.
So there's Michael Caine, Frank Finlay, Alan Bates, Charlotte Rampling and Tilda Swinton, but the mystery isn't who among the French establishment is protecting a number of ageing Vichy murderers, but what this august group is doing in a film which is sadly little more than a TV film with a bigger budget. |
tt4228746 | Zid | ZID starts off with a flashback which has the film's protagonist Rohan Achrekar aka Ronnie(Karanvir Sharma), a crime reporter with 'The Daily'(a newspaper based in Goa), narrating an incident to his newspaper's editor Karan(Mohan Kapoor) and the area's DSP (Rajeev Saxena). He says that with the help of the editor, he found a rented house at his friend's outhouse located far away from the rest of Goan civilization. Even though the said place looks haunted, Ronnie still adjusts himself to the situation despite having a paralyzed owner, who is driven on a wheelchair throughout and who also happens to be the father of Maya (Mannara Chopra). For Maya, it is love at first sight when she sees Ronnie, who incidentally is recovering from a break-up with Priya (Shraddha Das), his girlfriend of many years and who is now settled in London. While Maya leaves no stone unturned to get Ronnie's attention, Ronnie seems to be still 'lost in love' about Priya.
Maya instantly falls in love with Ronnie and this love soon turns into an obsession. She calls her sister and reveals her feeling for him. She even enters Ronnie's room and picks a picture out of his photo-frame. He finds it missing, but does nothing. She spots a picture of her on his desktop (a random picture he had clicked during his ferry ride to the outhouse, before he had even met her) and assumes that he's in love with her.
Ronnie is not in love with her, but thinks she is strange and cute, so he plans a date-night at a nightclub. There he bumps into a girl named Nancy (Seerat Kapoor), who happens to be Priya's step sister. Maya's left with uncontrollable rage when sees him dancing with Nancy and they quickly leaves the bar. On their way back, he continues drinking while driving, their SUV meets with an accident when it collides with a scooter which was being driven by Nancy. Due to the impact, she falls off the road and rolls down a slope. Ronnie turns hysterical and is desperate to save the girl but he waits while Maya rushes to save the girl because she is a nurse.
The next morning, it's all over the news and the Goa cops are on the case. The girl is found dead and Ronnie panics because he could be identified in the case. Priya comes back to India from London to hunt for Nancy's killers. Inspector Moses(Denzil Smith) suspects that Priya killed Nancy since she was her step-sister so as to covet her money and wealth and Ronnie is her partner-in-crime.
In the meanwhile, Maya does everything wrong to protect and save Ronnie in this case. He tells his boss that his SUV is in the garage, but actually she dumps it in a lake so that no one can trace it ever. She even takes him to the spot and shows him the immersed SUV in the lake.
Investigations reveal that Nancy had a chance to live even after she was hit by the car, but in reality someone murdered her. Priya visits Ronnie at his outhouse and requests him to help her find the murderer. Soon, they warm up to each other again. Ronnie even refuses to join Maya at her dinner date giving an excuse saying that he has a lot of pending work in the office and may be late. Actually, he was avoiding Maya so that he could spend the night with Priya. Ronnie ignores Maya's repeated calls. She then telephonically finds out from Ronnie's office that he is not there but is with Priya. Maya visits Priya's place and finds Ronnie and Priya in compromising position. She seethes with rage and returns.
Maya's lunacy reaches new heights. The next day Ronnie's pet pup Bobby goes missing. he frantically searches for the pup everywhere and shockingly discovers that Maya had fed him to her pet alligator. Priya finds out that Ronnie was at the same bar and he even met Nancy the night she was killed. She feels cheated and betrayed. Priya lands up at the outhouse and starts accusing Maya for everything – including Nancy's murder. They get into a brawl. Maya calls Ronnie for help. Ronnie arrives but she attacks him on the head from behind and he suffers a black-out.
Maya rushes to leave her house, but finds Inspector Moses there. She wastes no time in killing him. Ronnie wakes up and walks into a dark cabin between the woods to find out 'everything-you-want-to-know-about-Maya'.
There are her childhood and adulthood pictures pasted on the walls and his pictures, along with Nancy, Priya, Moses, Bobby (with red crosses on those who were dead). Maya reappears and reveals it all to him. She also tells him that she had killed her own sister (the dead girl on the other side of her phone) by pushing her from the boat in a lake because of jealousy and insecurity.
Maya then blindfolds Ronnie and takes him to the top of a lighthouse that she called as Maya's Kingdom. Her plan is to exchange wedding vows with him. She tells him to make love to her and he obliges.
All this while Priya is dangling in mid-air on a suspended chair. Ronnie lights a cigarette and spills a glass of wine over it causing a fire to break out. Maya pulls the gun on him but Ronnie snatches the gun from her hand (which he could have done earlier too) and throws her off the lighthouse. Now she's dangling from the rod along with Priya. Well eventually, Ronnie manages to pull Priya on top of the lighthouse and saves her. After that they both try saving Maya, but she lets go and falls to her death into the deep waters.
The DSP is convinced by Ronnie's story and tells him that he will be out on bail. Ronnie is relieved and as he walks out the real story is revealed. It was all a game-plan by Ronnie and Priya. In quick shots they show us how he murdered Nancy, brutally killed Moses, threatened and tortured Maya to write her suicide note and eventually killed her. All this for claiming Nancy's property. In the concluding scene, Ronnie says that one just needs a good convincing story and must narrate it with genuineness. No one would care whether its true or false. | neo noir, murder | train | wikipedia | Nice movie.
It's a great movie and thrilled towards the end.
..its like fresh air in the stale films like hollyday.
...naam bada Darsham chhota.
..anubhaw sinha has worked nice and a wachable thriller.
..manaara kapoor was gud ...just some more gud songs may leads it to top grosser of bollywood box office.
..and some more romance a bit more strong dialogue and the plot of accident is not well crafted it should be a tale in the twist rather but over all nice movie a must watch ...In the era of khans it was gud to see fresh new faces I would like to give 8 out of 10 stars overall but if u watch a movie for music masala and songs it's not that kind but a gud thriller it prooves at the end...
This rocket fails to launch.
Interesting concept and as unbelievable a goof-up the ruins the film.
The script had potential to change the way suspense thrillers are made around here, and the director and the lousy set of actors had the audacity to leave it as just another such B-Grade movie that is more about the skin show than story.
Karanveer, the protagonist has a real lot to learn in terms of acting to every be judged by critics, he is perfectly capable all by himself to destroy the film with the lack of effort for performing.
Shraddha Das was as ordinary and invisible as her role was, she lacked the punch to make her presence felt for the role allotted to her.
Barbie Handa was the best thing to come out of this mess.
She has potential, but not sure with all the unnecessary skin show she is taking the right path to stardom.
The director seemed to be one who would say 'CUT' to any pathetic performance, his sense of continuity, his skills at detailing and overall the understanding that is required to direct a sensible thriller is clearly lacking.
There are so many loopholes for such an interesting script that one ends up feeling bad for the story writ Wasn't this a twisted version of "THE CRUSH"(1993)?
Songs were good, cinematography not as good.
Sense was missing too!.
Sexy, Sensual and Surprising!!.
I had never expected such kind of a plot from this movie!
I was left shocked towards the end, completely shocked!
It is that surprising.
I so wanted to give this flick a 10/10 but that's not possible due to a few loopholes that the plot has.
Many instances in the movie are not explained in the climax.
Rohan(Karanvir Sharma) is a crime journalist who goes to a outhouse to revive his life as it is suffering due to his breakup with Priya(Shraddha Das).
There he meets Maya(Mannara), the landlord's daughter; and then begins a story of seduction, murder and deceit.
I won't give away any further plot details as it will spoil all the fun.
The movie is STUNNING!
Book your tickets right away.
It is not a mainstream Bollywood movie, it is a gripping thriller.
Mannara(Maya) has done an excellent job, she is so cute I already have a crush on her :) Shraddha Das does fine in acting and excellent in the sensual scenes.
Karanvir Sharma does an excellent job as the crime reporter.
My vote - 8/10.
Don't do any 'Zid' to watch this..
There are certain films that need to be released despite being a bad product, just to get rid of them by their makers as they themselves clearly know about the mess but can do nothing about it quite helplessly.
ZID is another of those ill-fated projects which though had a fairly interesting plot of becoming an engaging thriller but turns out to be so amateurishly presented and enacted film that one really feels annoyed thinking about the fact that it was supposedly the launch vehicle of another good looking girl from the Chopra family with an inspired foreign angle too.Loosely adapted from a German film, UNTER NACHBARN/THE GOOD NEIGHBOUR (2011) and re-scripted again with typical Bollywood kind of insertions, it's a perfect case wherein a fine plot gets ruined by the re-writers focusing more on erotica than the mystery element.ZID is the debut film of Mannara (earlier known with a different name), who is another cousin of Priyanka Chopra post Parineeti making her own reputed place in the industry.
And it is said that the movie was approved by Priyanka only to go ahead.
God knows what she saw in the project/script to recommend!Reportedly director Vivek Agnihotri prepared Mannara for her strange/difficult kind of role, completed more than half of the film and then walked away due to some undisclosed differences, which rightly explains its directionless proceedings post intermission like a lost wandering child.The film has more than 5-6 songs and a quite deliberate and at your face kind of skin show, probably added later to make it commercially viable catering a particular section of viewers in the smaller centers.
However, surprisingly the songs are not that bad in comparison to many other big films but fail to make an impact along with an average cinematography and background score due to all mediocre & uninteresting sequences on the screen generating no interest whatsoever.In short, if you wish to learn how acting can be interpreted as screaming, emoting weirdly, showing cleavages, kissing wildly and more, then you should ideally see ZID, which is an excellent example of how even a suspense murder mystery can turn out to be so boring and irritating watch at times.
Having a pretty confused script, strangely adapted from a foreign film with fine ratings, it simply tests the patience of the viewers and is strongly not recommended, particularly to the fans of this exciting genre.
You would not be able to bear it for more than two hours..
Awesome Movie.
This is new era of movie generation in India.
Excellent movie.
Great ending.
No one could have predicted the ending.
Don't wanna disclose more.
But if you enjoy Fight Club, Memento, The Prestige, Shawshank Redemption, The others, Sixth Sense and others, then you must watch this movie with full of twists and turns....Keeps you guessing....there are dull moments which are there in most bollywood movies....I loved this movie till the end...it kept my mind swirling around with my own guesses...but what an ending.....genius.....This movie is not for everyone but who loves suspense and darker side of the story, would love it........
Great story but worst acting..
Story is about a crime reporter who is in love with his ex-girlfriend but there is another girl who is very obsessive for him.
My Ratings are as follows Acting and star cast: 2 SStory is about a crime reporter who is in love with his ex- girlfriend but there is another girl who is very obsessive for him.
Basically, a cocktail of sex, suspense, and thriller.
Basically, a cocktail of sex, suspense, and thriller.
According to me, Storyline of the movie is very good, I mean, awesome climax (could be more elaborated but bus good anyway).
According to me, Storyline of the movie is very good, I mean, awesome climax (could be more elaborated but bus good anyway).
Acting was very dull and we can even notice the weak direction.
Acting was very dull and we can even notice the weak direction.
It could be made even better if the star cast would have chosen from good theaters.
It could be made even better if the star cast would have chosen from good theaters.
All over Zid is made to launch Mannara who can not do acting at all (as per this movie).
All over Zid is made to launch Mannara who can not do acting at all (as per this movie).
Sensual scenes were good.
Sensual scenes were good.
Director knew the people's psychology about intimacy.
Director knew the people's psychology about intimacy.
There were some geographical errors and continuity was missing.
There were some geographical errors and continuity was missing.
My Ratings are as follows Acting and star cast: 2 Story: 7 Direction: 6 Marketing: 7.
Don't watch if it is free also....
Story: Rohan Achrekar is a crime reporter with the daily who is nursing a broken heart.
Estranged girlfriend Priya has stopped responding to him.
He needs to move on and to initiate that he takes a home in the woods.
Maya, the daughter of the landlord has an air of mystery to herself.
She is positively smitten by him and can't get enough of him.
Amidst all this, after a drunken night the two have an accident where Nancy is killed.
Nancy is the younger sister of Priya.
Maya and Rohan shush up on it and run away from the spot.
Story leads to a series of mishaps and murders and Maya's obsession for Rohan keeps growing.Is jealousy leading her to murder those close to Rohan or is it all a botched up plan of Rohan and Priya to resolve permanently some old sibling rivalries?Performances: Manara is radiant to look at.
Resembling Parineeti Chopra a lot in many ways, the actress misses the enthusiasm and expertise of her sisters.
She needs a good deal more of experience before she attains the same.Karanvir is quite competent in comparison.
Though his acting too can do with some polishing, the actor has done a decent job.Shradha Das in her minuscule role was good and shares quite a sparkling chemistry with Karan even if it hardly has any screen space.Mohan Kapoor is a veteran and though barely used he was great.Direction & screenplay: Vivek Agnihotri had found a fan in me with Buddha In A Traffic Jam but the filmmaker's stark disparities in the standard of films shock me.
He is on extremes.
Either he is bloody brilliant or when he is bad or mediocre, he is way below his caliber.
I trust him to make a better film, but Zid was plain dumb.
I understand the story isn't any genius but the director often structures the film such that it can run chills down your spine.
The first point of put off is its depressing setting.
Gloomy and raining; I stop to wonder does these stereotypes come with thrillers.
The film is devoid of light and colors.
The screenplay isn't fast enough for a thriller and the build up is more irritating than enticing.
Once the climax was done, I bought the story giving it the benefit of being just another stereotypical thriller but the anticlimax left me so disappointed.
It was anything but extraordinary, rather it left too many loose ends untied in the end.
The music wasn't up to my taste and the film's end made me thank my stars for having the strength enough to survive it.The last word: Zid is not cringe worthy, just plain boring.
Selling itself in the garb of a few explicit shots, the film's fabric did not back itself in a solid enough story.
It doesn't have anything exemplary about it, not its acting, story or the chemistry between its lead pair.
The worst thing about Zid was its climax that was downright silly.
It's almost like a bunch of intelligent people thought of doing a crash course in making a silly film and Zid was made.
I am going with a very kind Rating of 1/10..
A wasted opportunity.
Zid is a thriller movie which tries to do something new.The story is very good and could have been adapted into a much better film.The screenplay of the movie is very sluggish and boring in 1st half.The story is about a crime reporter who has been dumped by his girlfriend.He changes his house to forget the pain of breakup.Their he meets the landlord's daughter,a sweet and mysterious girl.They fall in a hit and run case.Then how he proves his innocence and what happens next will blow your mind.The story was pretty good but contained some loopholes but its presentation is weak,especially in 1st half.The twist in the ending was not great but was very good.If they have paid a little attention then this movie had potential to become a great thriller.Last 30 mins of the movie was fast paced and saving grace of the movie.
Acting of everyone was bad.Karanvir neither looked handsome nor acted well.Mannara was a total waste.Every supporting cast member overacted.Music was good.Dialogs were average.Direction was bad.Locations were good and pleasing.
If you are a fan of thriller then you may like it.If you are able to bear its lousy 1st half and terrible acting then you may go for it.Overall it could have been better.
5.2 out of 10 is my rating..
What your're seeing it is'nt the truth.
The Evil Wins.
Maya is innocent.
dont watch or you won't get those 2 hours back EVER..... |
tt0141937 | The Uninvited | Kang Jung-won (Park Shin-yang), an interior decorator, is overcome with inexplicable anxiety as his long-overdue wedding with Hee-eun (Yoo Sun) approaches. One evening, Jung-won falls asleep on the subway on his way home. He is barely able to wake up at the last station. As he comes round, he sees two young girls asleep on the seat next to him. He cannot wake them before he has to jump off as the train leaves the station. He arrives home to find that his wife-to-be has bought them a new metal dining table.
The next day, Jung-won is working when he hears on the radio that two young girls were found poisoned on the subway. In the course of fitting some lights in a ceiling, he is hit by falling debris and cuts his forehead. After a trip to the hospital for some stitches, he goes home to find the two dead girls seated at his new dining table.
Jung-won, who is now working on renovating a psychiatrist's office, bumps into Jung Yeon (Jun Ji-hyun), a patient on her way out of a therapy session. She has been receiving treatment after her friend, Moon Jung-sook (Kim Yeo-jin), killed both of their children a year earlier. Another accident leads to Jung-won taking Yeon back to his apartment where she too sees the apparition of the dead children.
Having been tormented by nightmares and the hallucinations, Jung-won is desperate to find out something about the apparitions that haunt him. Yeon runs away refusing to help him, so he searches through the patients' records at the clinic to find out more about her. Using the information he succeeds in persuading her to help him uncover his past. Jung-won discovers that he had been born with shamanic abilities similar to Yeon and accidentally killed his father and sister.
Unfortunately, he suffers the consequences rediscovering his past. His fiancee Hee-eun suspects that he is having an affair and leaves him. Jung-sook is convicted of the murder of Yeon's child, but she suddenly commits suicide as she is leaving the courthouse. Shocked, Yeon calls Jung-won who comes over to console her. He talks to her husband, Park Moon-sub (Park Won-sang), who suspects that it was his wife, not her dead friend, who killed their children.
Jung-won, caught up in his desire to deny his past and his fear of Yeon, turns down Yeon's cry for help when her husband tries to have her committed to a mental hospital. His refusal crushes Yeon, who throws herself off Jung-won's apartment building. Jung-won sees her as she falls. In the final scene, Jung-won sits in his dust-covered apartment. Face lined like an old man, he brings a steaming dish of food to the dining table and sits down.
His dining table is full, not with the family he had been planning but the apparitions of the two poisoned girls on the subway and Yeon. | paranormal, flashback | train | wikipedia | This Is Based On A True Story ?.
I am particularly attracted to haunted house and ghost movies, even bad ones, but this movie which is supposed to be documenting the true story of Doretta Johnson's experiences in Madison,Indiana has every contrived haunted house plot point from every haunted house movie ever made, and a few new ones.
There's the bodies buried on the property (it's not built on a cemetary as some commenters have thought), there's too many special effects, a crazy psychic, a disbelieving husband and a child in danger.
Toss on top a mother whose stories are so crazy they have to be delusions and doctors more concerned in her than the truth and you have a movie that isn't really worth watching.
One the plus side, Sharon Lawrence really has some good moments and Alex D.
Linz shines as a true child actor.
The hauntings aren't very scary, though, but the movie does push maybe too hard for the emotional scenes.
If you want the real story, check out the re-enactment on "Haunted Lives" or the investigations on "Sightings.".
This movie was based on a true story the Johnsons from Tuckerman AR ...Charles and Sharon Johnson ...house was built on a cemetery ...these are my parents the house is the real deal still standing today ...there is also a short story wrote about my family and lots of newspaper articles that support evidence ...very cool to be a part of this and have a film wrote and directed about my family ...course it's made for TV a lot of it didn't happen ...we are actually twin brothers not brother and sister ...the hauntings were real ..the were very real ...I actually started a paranormal investigation team as a result of all this ...if your looking for the real story behind this movie ...look me up Off The Grid Paranormal ...easy to find ....
I'm amazed to see how low this movie scores in the IMDB rating (currently 4.3), it is a very good movie; it's like a light version of Poltergeist in which the main character is taken for crazy when she speaks about the paranormal things occurring at her home.The tension gets higher and higher until the last moment.
Best of all, it's based on true eventsI certainly recommend this movie.
Pattie and Charles and their two young children Molly and Jonathan move into a brand new house in suburbia.
Soon, little colored lights are flying around and the bath tub is belching up blood.
When little Jonathan nearly drowns in the same tub and is levitated above it right before Pattie's eyes, she seeks assistance from a local whackjob psychic woman.
Their investigation leads them to a little old lady who informs them that she once lived on the land where the new house now stands, and that there is a family plot on the property.
She also informs them that her brother was murdered many years ago by their father, and now it seems as though the wicked ghost has the same intentions for Jonathan.
But Charles, concerned for Pattie's mental state, has her admitted to a hospital for psychiatric observation and takes the children home.
Pattie now has to find a way to escape from the hospital and save her son before history repeats itself.Yaaawwn.
This is a very blatant rip-off of Poltergeist, watered down for television and starring a bunch of people who look like they should be on the Lifetime Afternoon Movie instead.
How the hell Beau Bridges ended up in this silly mess is beyond me - he deserves better.
The special effects are lame, the dialog is so corny it's painful and any seasoned horror fan is going to be bored stiff by this predictable tale.
The Uninvited, with Beau Bridges.
I read a post by aesgaard41 of Hendersonville, TN, about this movie.
This person wrote: " There's the bodies buried on the property (it's not built on a cemetery as some commenters have thought)".
I just watched this movie, for the second time, and it IS on a cemetery.
The bodies are buried around a huge, contorted tree and Beau Bridges digs around the tree looking for proof that it was a burial ground.
He finds several headstones before running into the house to his children.
I really like movies with Beau Bridges and the woman who played the mother showed love for children.
The first is one I have of many horror movies, is that the characters take too long to react.
A few seconds may not sound like a long time but if your child was drowning in a tub, you wouldn't stand there in the hall and watch for a few seconds before deciding to run and help him out.
The second is that the family proves the house is haunted and even wins a lawsuit (it's written at the end of the movie) but the house is shown being sold again, and still haunted.
The family doesn't stop the next homeowners from suffering the same fate.I just read another post on it.
Khultman from New York writes: "the poltergeist, of course, turns menacing".
The "playful supernatural force" he/she refers to is the first of 2 spirits in the house.
The first one is a playful little boy, the second is the father who murdered him.
I saw this movie on TV last Halloween.
I'm not saying it was a bad movie but then again I'm not saying it was good either.
It was just okay.I was hoping to see something really creepy and scary and that's NOT what I got.
The story was pretty good, it had one or two spooky moments but it was not a scary movie.
The effects were good but it was over done and it just wasn't that cool.
But it was interesting.I haven't seen very many scary movies in my lifetime.
But this definitely wasn't a movie I would buy..
I thought that the performance of all of the actors, especially Sharon Lawrence.
There was definitely not a dull moment throughout the entire movie.
If you haven't seen this, then i suggest that you find some way to find where it will be shown..
When I first saw the title of this film on my T.V. list I expected the classic movie made in the forties.
It started out in color which meant it was just a remake.
Much like the original, a tree is very important.
Then just as quick as a flash of lightening, anything classic about this film disappeared.
Suddenly the plot started to remind me of "Poltergeist." I also loved the first 2 "Poltergeists" but this was NO POLTERGEIST.
The ending was really the best part of the film.
I know that the writers of this film lost in their battle for something original..
Beau Bridges,(Charles Johnson), tried his best to believe his wife, Pattie Johnson,(Sharon Lawrence), that their brand new house was having strange things happen in the bathroom and closets.
Charles Johnson, was a truck driver and had very little time to worry about his wife's problems, having lost a child during her pregnancy.
There is a tree in the film, that looks like a pretzel all bend out of shape, and I really think the director's brain was twisted just like it.
The actors did their very best to carry this film on their backs, namely: Sharon Lawrence and Beau Bridges; they both must have had plenty of laughs making this film, because in some ways, it was comical and stupid.
The name I viewed this film under, was called: "The Victim of the Haunt"!
Unimaginative Rehash of Older Films.
I believe the writers were inspired by older films to write this script and it's characters - unimaginative.
The little boy will smile and follows the ghost sometimes (he reminds me a little bit of the boy in The Shining at times).
The father with an axe, although Beau Bridges' characters didn't go crazy he had to use an axe on the door, reflections of The Amityville Horror and The Shining here.
The psychic and the ending of the film reeks of Poltergeist.In these types of films, why is it the neighbors will never see all the bright blinding "strobe lights" and all the screaming from the family being terrorized?
This usually happens at the end/climax of the film.
LOL.This movie has a family-styled film written all over it...
especially the colorful orbs from the little boy ghost.
And the cutesy moments that happen, in particular with the mom, psychic and ghosts.It's far from being a good haunted house movie but it's got a few moments of being fun.
- Jeff Bridges is good in this one, he seems like an average dad with a wife seemingly going "mad".5/10.
I loved this movie.
it was filmed 4 houses down from me, in my friend sean's house!
like the boys playing with water guns and the girls roller'blading!
...but it was called Poltergeist and it really scared the bejeezus out of you and stuck with you for days.You probably understand the story line at this point from the other reviews here, but if not - here's a summation, with plot spoiler: Dad, mom & two kids move out into the burbs...
Dad's gone A LOT for work...
Mom & son are seeing "things" around the house (lights, movements, bloody water)...
Dad doesn't believe her...
Mom doesn't try too hard to prove her point...
Mom stumbles across a psychic that tries to warn her of the harm coming her way...
Dad has mom hauled off...
Mom escapes from the hospital only to save her son in the last possible moment from the baddie while dad exclaims "I should've believed you!".
Yawn.This completely undisguised and unnecessary retelling of the Poltergeist story flips and flops like a fish out of water.
It's almost painful to watch, but for some reason it is just barely able to hold you for the duration of the movie although it's rarely startling and never frightening.Unfortunately, it's terribly clichéd and predictable from start to finish and it didn't have to be that way.
The two main actors (although Beau is missing for long expanses of the movie (probably for reasons of salary)) hold this stinker together, and the supporting cast does a fine job of helping them along the way.For whatever reason, the producer or director tried to insert some amount of levity at completely inappropriate times, and you could only notice this by the musical score becoming suddenly very "Looney Toons"esquire when there was terror afoot (note: I keep putting e s q u e after Looney Toons but it keeps auto-changing it to "esquire" and my corrections don't stick).
These failed attempts at wry humor were completely lost, and perhaps I'm the only one that noticed they even tried.Still, the special effects are well done and the music (aside from the unfortunate segues, above) is suitable if not sometimes sparse.
If you've got nothing else to do and the couch is having a wicked gravitational pull on you, then watch it but be prepared to be unimpressed overall..
Pretty awful - If Poltergiest was a Made For TV Movie.
This movie had to be made by liftime television for women, it just had that type of feel of one of their movies, i think it had some of the same actos too.
It was pretty bad all around, if this was supposedly based on some true story I'm pretty sure it didn't go down the way it was portrayed in this film.
If it did, then that lady's kid is one stupid child.
I mean, what kid goes down into a flooded basement and just sits down and plays in the water?
And the guy that played the father had to be the weakest human being on the planet for not being able to break through a door with a huge ax and pick, yet he was able to dig a huge whole to uncover the graves buried in the backyard - oh thats right, did I mention this is a rip off of poltergiest?
Its entertaining, thats true, not scary and I wouldn't mind any of these actors being killed by the ghosts in the movie but undortantly it didn't happen.
One of many TV movies that should never have been made.
Methinks somebody has been watching POLTERGEIST one too many times...as is the case with many, many mid '90s television movies, this is utter rubbish.
Throughout the film little happens, apart from a few inexplicable events.
Maybe Jan de Bont saw this when he was making THE HAUNTING.
Absolutely nothing here is original, and even the best scare, a bath overrunning with blood, has been taken from countless other films (THE SHINING to name just one).
The acting is poor and Beau Bridges should be ashamed of appearing in this one.
He also has a wife about twenty years younger than him.So, if your idea of fear is a few doors banging shut and a bath filling with water, then this film is for you.
Unfortunately the film makers saw fit to have a sickening "cute" ghost around too, appearing via some "wondrous" special effects of sparkling lights.
Every plot twist is predictable, every moment boring.
Dull, pointless and totally irredeemable, this is just another in a long line of television movies that didn't deserve to have been made..
The best performance in this movie is turned in by the possessed garden hose.
But it's the unexplained appearance of a watery vortex in the basement that really seals the deal on this unintentionally hilarious crapfest.I hope Beau Bridges and Sharon Lawrence were able to pay a lot of bills off after making this movie, because it sure wasn't about the "art".
I've read better dialogue on bathroom stalls.A few highlights:Note the psychic who does nothing throughout most of the movie except point out the obvious and creep people out when they first meet her.
Also note that the 80 year old woman who was half out of her mind had the cajones to stand up to the malevolent specter, but not the psychic.
Wh does every little boy in film from age 3-6 have that same bowl haircut.
Is it a SAG thing, something in the contract for all boys that age?Finally, watch for the rotary pay phone in the hospital.
I thought this movie was made in 1996, not 1946..
This film is so similar to Poltergeist, it's scary!.
I saw this film for the first time recently and was amazed at the striking similarities between this movie and the original Poltergeist, made in 1982.
"The Uninvited takes place in an affluent, Cuesta-Verde-like neighborhood.
The family's house has a twisted old tree much like the one that the Freelings' have in Poltergeist.
The story here is a tad different, with Sharon Lawrence's character having a baby that is stillborn.
It is after this that she begins to witness strange phenomena in her house.
At this point, the parallels begin: When the poltergeist-like phenomena start to happen, she is amused by it and thinks of it as a "playful supernatural force" that we don't yet understand.
This also happens in Poltergeist: Remember Diane and Carol-Anne playing with their poltergeist in the kitchen.
Later in "The Uninvited" the poltergeist, of course, turns menacing, posing a particular threat to Sharon Lawrence's young son, played by Alex D.
Linz, just as the poltergeist targets Carol-Anne in the original.
Sharon Lawrence soon enlists the aid of an older psychic woman to help her make sense of it all.
She informs us that the "heart" of the house is in the child's closet.
In a scene that mirrors the original poltergeist, the closet lights up and opens to reveal all of the toys (including wind-up toys) moving around on their own.
Then comes an earthquake-like shaking followed by a shot of Sharon Lawrence clinging to the psychic with tears running down her face saying "Go into the light!
Your mother is waiting for you in the light!" We also learn that the house is built on a cemetery where, surprise surprise, they didn't move the bodies.
If you have seen Poltergeist, you will recognize the similar scenarios and camera shots throughout "The Uninvited:" The mother running down a moving hallway to reach her children to have the door slammed in her face and the door locked by the poltergeist; The classic "stacking" scene- here done with eggs rather than chairs; The father searching around a mud pit in the pouring rain discovers the remains of the cemetery; The confrontation between the mother and the poltergeist that, when it becomes visible, looks like the twin of the one in the Spielberg movie.
Bottom line: Rent the horror classic "Poltergeist" and forget this unofficial remake..
The Victim of the Haunt, aka The Uninvited,(1996) was a made for TV movie.
It was directed by Larry 'Shaw, and was written by Karen Clark, She gives us a decidedly feminist take on Poltergeist.
Even as The Uninvited I had no recollection of this I decided to give it a go,The, "Family moves into a house with a Dark past" genera was formulaic, even back then.
Oh, the changes we've seen, but not in the plot.The young couple here, Patty and Charles, played by Sharon Lawrence and Beau Bridges with their little ones, Jonathan and Molly, played by Alex Linz and Emily Bridges, move into a new home.
Daddy is always away at work, but Mom and the kids know that there is something not right with the house.
Formula plot point ahead.
Patty befriends a psychic reader, What is unusual here is the feminist slant.
It will be a woman's love that overpowers the forces of darkness,Favorite inevitable line, "Oh honey, I should have listened to you!" Six dreary stars out of Ten, the special effects must have seemed epic, not! |
tt0349330 | Dark Angel | === Season one ===
In 2009 a genetically enhanced nine-year-old female supersoldier designated as X5-452 (Geneva Locke) escapes along with eleven others from a secret U.S. government institution codenamed Manticore where they were born, raised, and trained to be soldiers and assassins. On June 1, 2009, months after X5-452's escape terrorists detonate an electromagnetic pulse weapon in the atmosphere over the U.S. which destroys the vast majority of computer and communication systems, throwing the country into chaos.
Ten years later in 2019 the now 19-year-old X5-452 (Jessica Alba), who calls herself Max Guevara, struggles to search for her Manticore brothers and sisters. In a recovering United States which is now barely more than a Third World nation she tries to live a relatively normal life and evade capture by Manticore, who wish to recover their lost asset. Logan Cale (Michael Weatherly), an underground cyber-journalist with the alias Eyes Only, attempts to recruit her to help fight corruption in the post-Pulse world. She initially refuses but accepts after Cale is rendered a paraplegic attempting the assignment he was recruiting her for. A romantic interest buds between the two. While assisting Cale, Max also makes a living as a bicycle messenger at Jam Pony, a courier company, along with her friends Original Cindy (Valarie Rae Miller), Herbal Thought (Alimi Ballard), and Sketchy (Richard Gunn). Other X5s are periodically introduced, most significantly the unit leader Zack (William Gregory Lee). The Manticore hunt for the escaped X5s is led by Colonel Donald Lydecker (John Savage). Near the end of the season Lydecker is betrayed by his superior, the even more ruthless Elizabeth Renfro (Nana Visitor), and he defects from Manticore. He aids Max and Zack in an assault on Manticore headquarters. Max is badly wounded and captured. Zack, who has also been captured, commits suicide to provide Max with his heart, as she needs an X5 heart transplant to survive.
=== Season two ===
Cale exposes Manticore to the world. Renfro decides to burn the facility to cover up the evidence and is killed in the process. Aided by Joshua (Kevin Durand), a transgenic with canine DNA, Max escapes the facility and frees the other transgenics including Alec (Jensen Ackles), a fellow X5, who later joins Jam Pony. When Max is reunited with Cale he immediately becomes ill and almost dies. Max discovers that Manticore has infected her with a virus specifically designed to kill Cale, and the two must avoid all physical contact to keep him alive. Max learns that Joshua was the first transgenic created by Sandeman, Manticore's founder. Over the course of the season, it is revealed that a millennia-old breeding cult has bred their own super-soldiers who rival the Manticore-produced transgenics. Ames White (Martin Cummins), a government agent tasked with eliminating the freed transgenics, is revealed to be a member of the cult. When a strange message written in Max's genetic code makes an appearance on her skin it is revealed that Sandeman is a renegade from the breeding cult and Ames White is his son. White is still loyal to the cult and hates his father's transgenic creations with a passion. Believing that Max is a threat to the breeding cult's plans they attempt to kill her, but she escapes to Terminal City, an abandoned part of Seattle where hundreds of outcast transgenics have been hiding. When the police begin to surround Terminal City Max convinces the other transgenics to stand their ground rather than run. The series ends with the military surrounding Terminal City as the residents raise their newly designed flag from one of the buildings, and wait for a possible invasion. | flashback, sci-fi | train | wikipedia | Dark Angel.
I want the show back.
Why did they cancel it anyway.
I totally loved it.
It has the perfect mix of everything and its an excellent show.
I am no stuck watching reruns at night on SItv. Maybe if they get enough feed back from viewers they will pick the show back up.
They probably wont but its a good thought.
Max is the ultimate super hero.
I mean what else could we ask for?
She's a super powered chic with good taste in clothes, morals and men.
I totally hope that the right people read this review and they seriously consider at least giving us a proper ending to the show with some kind of closure.
They at least owe us that don't they?.
mint series you need to see.
I think that dark angel is one of the best television shows ever made and i was hooked after one of the first episodes i seen a couple of yrs ago.
Its a good TV series with action and mint story lines and their all as good as the last one and sometimes better.
All the great new and old character brought in, you start to relate to one or all of the characters in different ways.
Which is good with all the great actors and actresses in the show that bring the characters to life such as Jessica Alba and Micheal Weatherly are only two of the big and brilliant casted crew.
So you should see this television series as i know that you'll like it as soon as you see the first episode and then you'll be hooked just like i was and me friends..
Jessica rocks!.
This show is my all time favorite.
Please make a 3rd season!
I really don't watch too many shows but from day 1 I always loved dark angel.
I think she is very talented and the show magnifies her talents.
The story itself is superb.
James Cameron had a great idea, screen play, best actors, and "no continuation".
Too many questions left, and not to mention all the thousands of fans this show brought.
Just because the petition wasn't big enough to keep it on the air, doesn't mean nobody liked it.
Thousands probably never knew there was a petition.
Please consider bringing it back.
It will do fabulous.The world is used to terrorists now, you don't have to take the best show off the air because it hits close to home.
All the better, people can relate better to it.In conclusion, I love the show, definitely watch the series.
I just finished it again.
Great cast, great directing, story line, beautiful actress.
Jessica Alba is Dark Angel!.
its was said max woul never run.
that show is no different then the world we live in today.
there always outsider.
people fear what there don't understand.
a world of creatures made for war with a conscience .not only did the science make it real, but the characters made sure you new them well.
like max and logan.
a very sad ending which hopefully will stretch for happy one.
each indivisual transetic soldier had a mission, just like everyone.
human or mutant.
it would be a waste of the time you put in this show, if u didn't stretch your imagination to bring max back.
so all ending cant be good, but least let max and logan get busy once.we love her and need her.
she's makes different, make sense..
Bring this series back!.
Great series, had good ratings, I got attached to the characters.
One of the only series where I was really disappointed that it was cancelled.
There was several seasons left of good material I'm sure, I think it was a huge blunder that some exec cancelled it.
Bring it back!Good action, good plot.
Excellent characters and character growth throughout the episodes.
This series featured an excellent atmosphere that is lacking in most series.
There were so many plot developments that were unanswered when the show was cancelled, bring it back for a few more seasons.
There's lots of good material here to keep watchers interested.
Why would a highly rated show get cancelled?
Especially considering the crap that isn't cancelled. |
tt0068997 | The New Centurions | Three rookie cops, Roy Fehler, Gus Plebesly, and Sergio Duran, report for duty with the Los Angeles police department. Roy is married with a daughter and intends to eventually become a law student. Gus is a father of three. Serge is a native of East L.A., who never expected to end up patrolling its streets.
Each is assigned a veteran partner. Roy's is the greatly experienced Andy Kilvinski, who has been on the force for nearly a quarter-century and has his own unique style of law enforcement. For example, he will drive a group of hookers, who he has supplied with liquor, around the city streets for hours, in a paddy wagon, simply to keep them off the streets for a night.
Gus rides with Whitey Duncan. As they answer a burglary call, at a market, Gus opens fire on a suspicious figure in a dark alley, only to discover, to his horror, that it is the owner of the store.
Roy begins to frustrate his wife, Dorothy, by becoming obsessed with police work, neglecting his family, and dropping out of law school. He likes the life on the street. But during a convenience store holdup, Roy tells a couple in a parked car to move. Because he was careless, he does not realize that they are the get-away crew for the robbers. Without warning, the man shoots Roy with a sawed-off shotgun before escaping, leaving him gravely wounded on the sidewalk.
Gus and Serge discuss their fear of being shot. Serge temporarily partners with Andy, and together they handle a call involving a slum landlord. During this encounter, Andy becomes enraged and threatens the landlord for exploiting the "wetbacks" living in the apartment, in deplorable conditions. Roy gradually recovers and quickly encounters a shootout, but doesn't flinch.
As the rookies mark a year on the job, Andy reaches his 25th anniversary and mandatory retirement. He discusses the difficulties of police work with the younger men.
Roy is assigned to the vice squad, where the job is anything but glamorous—mostly arresting "fruits" for homosexual behavior in public parks. Dorothy has had enough, saying she does not care about him anymore. She leaves for San Francisco (where she meets a real estate agent) and takes their daughter, Becky, with her.
The young cops are delighted to get a visit, at the police station, from Andy, who has retired to Florida but misses police work. He regrets never having spent more time on his personal life. After speaking with Roy one last time, on the telephone, Andy puts his service revolver in his mouth and kills himself.
Depression gets the better of Roy, who begins to drink on the job. He answers a burglary call and the victim turns out to be Lorrie, a nurse who helped him after he got shot. Later on patrol, a prostitute ("Silverpants" driving a Lincoln Continental) speeds off with Roy hanging from the car door. He barely avoids serious injury and Lorrie helps patch him up, but he draws a three-week suspension for being drunk on the job.
Roy begins seeing Lorrie socially and comes to his senses, appreciating the need for personal relationships, remembering what led Andy to end his life.
He goes on a shots fired call, which leads to a car chase, followed by a foot chase. Exhausted after booking the suspects, he is on the way to ending his shift, when he encounters a woman on the street who appeals for help with her threatening husband. Reluctantly, Roy, Gus, and Serge decide to investigate. As Roy takes the back stairs, the husband suddenly appears and, without warning, fires a single shot from a handgun. Roy dies in Gus's arms. | violence | train | wikipedia | Scott is a cool, uniformed policeman who employs his own unique methods of dealing with petty crime once again, it's the character who knows his beat and knows how to keep it under control
Faced with the task of rounding up prostitutes in the local Red Light district, Scott is well aware that dragging them into court will result only in nominal fines and a great deal of wasted time
So he packs them into a patrol wagon and drives them around the streets for the rest of the night, thus losing them a night's earnings and at the same time keeping the streets reasonably tidy...Scott isn't in the least vindictive; he is merely keeping the peace in accordance with his own law
He even takes the trouble to stop the truck and buy them a bottle of Whisky with which to while the night away
Yet this cop is a fast man with a gun
He is also the kind of policeman who is capable of administering a beating to the wrongdoers.
At times, on screen events resonant with such realism that it lends a dimension of docudrama to the overall production.CENTURIONS clearly transmits the boring nature of most of the daily, moment to moment activities that permeates police work, while, at the same time, emphasizing that this aspect of the job must be tempered by a heightened awareness intrinsic to survival owing to the ever-present possible reality of life-threatening scenarios on a one second event horizon!
Scott's cynical, scarred, veteran, Kilvinski, nearing retirement, has constructed a reality where his quasi-legal technique of locking up street- walkers in his paddy wagon and driving them around all night to keep the streets "clean and decent" is a necessary evil with which he feels, at least, reasonably comfortable!
Even with the obligatory mangling for our living room sensibilities, Richard Fleischer's film is a well-acted and gritty TV-looking version of Wambaugh's great, searing novel.For the most part, the casting--THE critical step to putting the book on screen--was dead on.
He's hardly on screen, but this was before the excremental CHIPS, the show that ruined his career while making him a household name, and he is quite good for the few minutes we get him.The problem with The New Centurions is that, since it is designed for mass consumption, it has been rendered more TV cop drama than searing expose of urban policing.
That book was even more dark (how Wambaugh was able to make such a brutal novel so funny is still an amazement to me), but the 1977 movie was about as awful--and unfunny--as you could ever hope to miss.Which, in comparison, makes The New Centurions all the better.
I've seen a lot of films that dug in and tried to paint a clear image of police life, but this story brings a level of realism that is somewhat missing in most cases - it was written by a cop (Joseph Wambaugh)."The New Centurions" is a title that hints at a much deeper perspective into familiar territory.
Rich, rewarding tale of an everyday struggle is told in a rather grim but entertaining fashion by accomplished director Fleischer.Despite solid performances from Keach and Alexander in particular, this is George C.Scott's movie, as the maverick older statesman with nothing but the badge to define his identity.
The highly emotional scene in which Scott telephones Keach and relays the metaphor of the old man and his burglar, resonates throughout the remainder of the film, and beyond.There's not the synergism that you'd expect and if it weren't for the distinction that Scott, Alexander and Wilson as the modest rookie, each bring to their respective characterisations, "The New Centurions" would be just another police story, and this is evidenced to a degree when their characters are no longer in focus.
I recently bought the Season One DVD set for "Police Story"--the cop show from the 70s that was inspired by Joseph Wambaugh's film "The New Centurions".
It shows the interesting side as well as the downside--and all through the perspective of a rookie cop, Fehler (Stacy Keach), as you follow his through the years.
There is a HUGE price to pay for loving a job like this--as his marriage falls apart and he pretty much gives his life for the department.I have noticed that other reviewers talk about Fehler's partner, Kilvinski (George C.
Joseph Wambaugh had a string of best-selling novels in the 1970's, all based on his experiences as a beat cop in the Los Angeles Police Department.
The point of the film is that yes, police work is physically dangerous, but the real threat to the officers' well-being comes from the emotional strain that they have to endure.
The friendship between rookie Roy Fehler (Stacey Keach) and veteran Andy Kilvinski (George C.
This is an under- rated film about the general lives of police officers from a Los Angeles Precinct.
Scott and Stacy Keach lead the way as two police officers who are initially teamed up for night duty around Los Angeles.
There is some good action along the way but "The New Centurions" works due to the acting, writing and direction.
Under- and over- rated at the time ('72), appropriately a good time in America to begin the Wambaugh cop legacy, this film has wonderful moments, but as a film it's a letdown overall.
is the best as always, Scott Wilson in a supporting role is crucially vibrant, and Stacy Keach at the HEIGHT of his wonderful movie beginnings is this Roy character (with great wife and actress Jane Alexander), but the script goes south 1/2 through trying to appeal to everybody, which was unnecessary in the early 70's.
THE NEW CENTURIONS is a trend-setting police procedural thriller based on a best-selling novel that was itself written by a Los Angeles cop.
It's a gritty and grimly realistic portrayal of the unrewarding life of a cop, where murder and alcoholism are just around the corner and the best thing a guy can hope for is not to be killed outright on the street that day.
Scott playing, you guessed it, a real hard-ass of a cop who takes rookie officer Stacy Keach (young, thin, and handsome) under his wing.
Roy Fehler (Stacy Keach), Gus Plebesly (Scott Wilson), and Sergio Duran (Erik Estrada) are rookie police patrolmen.
The book and movie never show incidents of dealing with rich people who threaten to destroy a police officer's career if they are arrested.If police fought for progressive change in America, then they would not have to face high divorce rates, suicide, and drunkenness on and off the job.
I later became a cop myself and other than the setting (Los Angeles) this movie, while flawed, shows a side of policing that people rarely see, or at least then.
Richard Fleischer is arguably one of the most underrated American directors.He tackled almost all the genres and almost always succeeded,except in his last years (roughly from "Ashanti" on).The detective movie was always one of his numerous specialties.It's a long way from the (often remarkable) first works ,such as "the clay pigeon" and "follow me quietly" to the psychological thrillers ("compulsion" ) to the stunning serial killer stories of the early seventies/late sixties "10 Rillington place" and "The Boston strangler"."The new centurions" is something drastically different,which can't be compared to any of Fleischer's previous works in the field.Fleischer's pessimistic side which was in the latent state in "compulsion" or "10 Rillington Place" , surfaces here as ever.It depicts the life of a cop (although George C Scott's name comes first in the cast and credits,he is actually supporting )played by Stacy Keach (a far cry from Mike Hammer;it's curious to notice he sometimes wears a mustache).And it's a life nobody would like to live.Happiness seems to elude him ,his marriage is already on the rocks when the film begins (" a plumber makes more money than both of us ,a cop and a bilingual secretary" says his wife (Jane Alexander));his nights are a very sad routine in which he risks his neck at every corner of the street ;he wants to study law and to get back to college but his job leaves him no time and no energy and he soon gives up.The documentary side and Fleischer's feeling for economy and sparseness precludes all forms of conventional sentimentality : it's sometimes so hard and the characters seem so resigned to their fate that the scene when Jane Alexander bursts into tears near the elevator seems almost like an anomaly;so does Scott's fit of rage when he learns that the owner charges 50 dollars a head for a bed in a slum.The title hints at the Roman Empire when Keach explains to Scott that they are like them,men who are here to protect ,to mount guard and to get a bullet in their hide so the others can go on;and he adds "and it worked...at least for a time in the Empire".SPOILERS There is at least a moment which will haunt you long after watching "the new centurions" :after a phone call to his former colleague,trying to sound casual ,Scott takes his gun and ...his life.
Naive, idealistic rookie cop Roy Fehler (a typically fine performance by the always dependable Stacy Keach) gets shown the ropes by wise maverick veteran policeman Andy Kilvinski (superbly played by the inestimable George C.
Roy's work as a cop takes over his life and causes his marriage to his concerned, but fed-up wife Dorothy (a strong portrayal by Jane Alexander) to fall apart while Kilvinski has trouble adjusting after he retires from the force.
Ably directed by Richard Fleischer, with a sharp and astute episodic script by Stirling Silliphant, an uncompromisingly stark, realistic and unsentimental downbeat tone, grainy, yet fairly polished cinematography by Ralph Woolsey, authentically gritty Los Angeles locations, a funky, syncopated score by Quincy Jones, a devastating grim and depressing ending, a powerful central message about the heavy toll being a police officer takes on a man's soul, and several strikingly vivid individual vignettes (the accidental shooting of an innocent man in a dark alley way, Roy getting blasted in the stomach while on duty, Kilvinski committing suicide in his empty house), this film packs a very potent and lingering punch to the gut.
Scott and Stacy Keach both give wonderful performances in this film.
Joseph Wambaugh was a member of the LAPD and has written many excellent books that really bring police work to life.
Scott is wonderful as the veteran cop who has "seen it all" and is a mentor to young officer Keach.
The New Centurions is directed by Richard Fleischer, has a screenplay by Stirling Silliphant, is based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh and stars George C.
Scott, Stacy Keach, Jane Alexander and Clifton James.One of the best films about patrolling the beat ever made in my opinion.
Scott is ferocious as Kilvinski the older police officer mentoring a young rookie called Roy Fehler(Stacy Keach).
The film is split into a series of incidents involving Kilvinski and other officers.The New Centurions is a really bleak film that shows the horrific things which police officers have to deal with on a daily basis.
It's not just the dead officers whose photos hang on the station wall who pay a price, all the officers do in one way or another.The film also shows the effect a police officers career can have on their family, they spend more time on the job and sadly their family begins to come second place.
Jane Alexander is excellent as Fehler's wife Dorothy who has to watch the job create quite an impact on their personal life.The entire cast give superb performances with special praise going to Scott.A scene that will stay with me forever is when one of the rookies is chasing a robbery suspect in the dark, somebody runs at him and he shoots them, when he gets closer he sees it's the father of the robbery victim who had come out into the alley to look for the suspect too.
When the officer sees what he has done he breaks down and looks haunted, it's a powerful moment for sure.Grim, gritty and powerful, The New Centurions is a film that deserves to be much more well known today..
Whether it's an exploitive early 70's crime flick with an underlying mainstream influence, or a mainstream cop movie that sporadically delves into a gritty no-nonsense peripheral, THE NEW CENTURIONS is an entertaining piece of cinema
After an opening credit montage of rookies – including Stacy Keach's Roy Fehler, Scott Wilson's Gus and Erik Estrada's Sergio – training at the police academy, we skip right to the chase
well, almost.
Your typical gruff sergeant (Dolph Sweet) is barking orders to a group of world-weary police officers
And with a fresh rookie partner in tow, they enter into the dark Noiry streets of downtown Los Angeles.At first, the centerpiece is George C.
Scott's veteran cop Kilvinski, who, with his own implied "laws" aka philosophies of life, provides Roy exposition through random busts including bickering prostitutes and, cutting back and forth from Clifton James's Whitey paired with Gus, and Ed Lauter with former gang member Sergio, domestic dispute calls that wind up humorously reminiscent of a television cop show.But there's a point where CENTURIONS, compared by Kilvinski as a new brand of Roman guard – equally hated and needed by that society like our own – kicks into second gear.
Standout scenes include Scott Wilson's Gus gunning down an innocent man
The IN COLD BLOOD actor's shocked/life-altering expression, as well as Estrada's Sergio explaining his backstory as a gang member reluctantly brought back to his hellish home town, make this more character-driven than action-packed.Although noted as a vehicle for the Oscar-winning Scott, remaining the wise mentor till a gloomy retirement, the story truly belongs to Stacy Keach, whose character-arc from an idealistic rookie to a seasoned cop to a reluctant vice squad officer to a hopeless drunk is underlined by the dwindling relationship with his wife and child: the domestic scenes border on melodrama but never take away from the gritty mainline
We always promptly return to the streets.
The author gives his best effort in looking beyond the uniform and badge; penetrating into the very souls of the guys who do the job.IN CASTING THE parts of the "Rookie" and the "Old-Timer", we have Stacey Keach and George C.
Likes so many street veterans, Kilvinski has his own rules and methods.BEING THE ANTITHOSIS of this approach, Officer Kehler (Stacey Keach) is educated, polished "by the book".
It is here that he finds his new love in the Nurse, who treats him.NOW BEING SERIOUSLY involved, putting the booze behind him and seemingly straightening out his life, he is fatally shot in the last part of a midnight to morning tour of duty.AUTHOR WAMBAUGH AND the production team managed to squeeze all of the main problems of the police into one story; not living happily after ever..
In 1971 while working as a police officer Joseph Wambaugh had his first novel published, THE NEW CENTURIONS, to popular and critical praise.
This first novel was so popular it didn't take long for Hollywood to grab up the rights and from that this movie was released a year later.The film follows three police academy grads in 1960 beginning with their first assignment and following them for several years, focusing mainly on Roy Fehler (Stacy Keach).
Where it will lead is anyone's guess until the end of the film.There are several things that make this movie work better than most of the genre.
The very first police novel of Joseph Wambaugh is the subject of this film.
Scott is top billed the story is carried through all the way by Stacy Keach.
The old centurions failed and the Roman Empire they protected eventually failed as well.Scott is the old timer ready for retirement and whose last partner is rookie Stacy Keach.
Keach does some time with the Vice Squad and Sikking who is perfect as an ambitious cop looking to rise by running up a score of arrests for victimless crimes.Devotees of police dramas and serious ones will like The New Centurions.
"The New Centurions" was the very first feature film adaptation of a novel by Joseph Wambaugh, a real-life former cop who parlayed his knowledge and experience into great success as a writer.
Keach is an idealistic type supporting his law studies through night shifts as a patrolman, but finds that he really enjoys this line of work, especially as he's mentored by a wise veteran, played by the wonderful George C.
***SPOILERS*** From the pages of Joseph Wambaugh first and best selling novel about the men of the LAPD the movie shows how a job like a policeman can change a person into a mentally unstable individual if he lets it take over his life.
Scott, a 25 year veteran of the LAPD facing retirement and breaking in young rookie cop Roy Fehler played by Stacey Keach with and without, at times during the film, a mustache.
Kilvinski shows young Roy in how to do the job based on "Kivinski's Law" which worked so well for him over the years.
By now the job as a policeman has taken over Roy's life so completely that his wife, taking their daughter along with her, left him leading Roy to drink which didn't make things that much better for him.***SPOILERS*** It's after Roy's partner Andy Kilvinski, who by then retired from the LAPD with 25 years service, came to visit his old precinct-the 25th- that Roy having better things to do like drinking and having an affair with a nurse-Rosalind Cash-who treated him for his injuries more or less fluffed him off.
Scott was a star and it was a cop movie.
The entire film seemed to have the quality that one might expect from an episode of Police Story or one of the other many cop shows that graced the TV screen in the 1970s.
I found the film full of clichés about life as a cop. |
tt0065009 | Some Girls Do | A series of inexplicable accidents befall the development of the world's first supersonic airliner, the SST1 - a man falls victim to a homicidal air stewardess (an uncredited Maria Aitken) and two women (Yutte Stensgaard and an uncredited Joanna Lumley) perform separate acts of sabotage during tests. The Air Ministry calls on Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond (Richard Johnson) to investigate.
Aided by ditzy American blonde Flicky (Sydne Rome), Drummond uncovers a plot by criminal mastermind Carl Petersen (James Villiers), who stands to gain eight million pounds if the aircraft is not ready by a certain date. Petersen, assisted by beautiful but deadly assassins Helga (Daliah Lavi) and Pandora (Beba Loncar), has developed a number of robots: beautiful girls with electronic brains to help him sabotage the SST1 project by means of infrasound (sound waves with too low frequency to be detected by the human ear) which can be directed at people or objects with devastating results.
After the initial sabotage attacks by Peterson's robots, Helga and Pandora begin systematically murdering various people associated with the SSTI, such as engineer Dudley Mortimer (Maurice Denham) and Miss Mary (Robert Morley), a spy who runs a cooking class as a front for his activities. Helga makes contact with Drummond at a shooting party, and attempts to kill him by planting a bomb in his telephone after sleeping with him. Then Helga and Pandora try to kill Drummond again by sabotaging a glider fight, having cut the ripcord from his parachute. Drummond manages to manually open his parachute and escape death.
The trail leads Drummond to North Africa, following up on a lead on an infrasound-powered powerboat, where he is assisted by Peregrine Carruthers (Ronnie Stevens) from the British Embassy. Pandora kills the boat owner with a miniature infrasound device, but is thwarted in her attempt to steal the boat. Drummond and Peregrine decide to drive the powerboat in a scheduled race: Helga and Pandora also participate in the race and successfully capture the men and the boat, delivering them all to Petersen at his island headquarters, staffed by an army of his female robots, including the defective but endearing No. 7 (Vanessa Howard). Drummond and Peregrine are also reunited with Flicky, who has successfully infiltrated Petersen's organisation.
Over dinner, Petersen reveals the full details of his plan to use infrasound technology to sabotage the SST1's maiden flight. That night, Drummond sleeps with Helga once more, while Pandora contents herself with seducing Peregrine. In the morning, Drummond attempts to retrieve the infrasound powerboat and is met by Flicky, who tells him she is actually a CIA agent assigned to help him. They are caught by Helga - Drummond escapes but Helga holds Flicky at gunpoint. Petersen sends his robots to search the island for the runaway agent - Drummond is cornered by No. 7, but to his surprise, she deliberately chooses not to reveal his location.
Peregrine and Flicky are held hostage in Petersen's control room and are forced to witness the SST1's destruction as he puts his plan into action. Drummond scales the wall of Petersen's hideout, and saves the SST1 from destruction by using Petersen's infrasound waves against him, destroying his control room. Petersen, Pandora and Helga are all apparently killed in the explosion.
Drummond, Flicky, Peregrine and No. 7 escape the subsequent mayhem, having retrieved the infrasound device. Flicky reveals herself to be a double agent working for the Russians and escapes on the powerboat with the device. Peregrine, wanting to improve his Russian relations, decides to go with her. As the base finally explodes, Drummond finds comfort in the arms of the beautiful No. 7. | cult, murder | train | wikipedia | Three years after 'Deadlier Than The Male', Richard Johnson was back as Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond, this time investigating mysterious sabotage incidents involving the S.S.T.-1, Britain's newest supersonic airliner.
The same ingredients ( beautiful girls, gadgets, nice location filming, fast-moving action ) are here, but with a dash more humour.
Daliah Lavi and Beba Loncar head a long line of luscious babes, including a young Joanna Lumley, and the delectable Adrienne Posta!
This movie should not be mistaken as a budget imitation of a James Bond film, as it possesses it's own distinctive characteristics.
Yet, for it's time (1969) it is just as adventurous and entertaining with Richard Johnson performing the role of (Bulldog) Hugh Drummond, similar to your James Bond Secret agent, but with a touch of humour and to some extent, a bit of sarcasm.
Like Bond, Drummond is well skilled, serious and intelligent and is out to investigate what is behind a series of murders disguised as accidents, that are carried out by what appears to be beautiful young women (hence it's title Some Girls Do).
Drummond is also targeted when flying a glider and is meant to crash down when his parachute has been tampered with by the beautiful robotic women who watch from below, but manages to skillfully and successfully release open the parachute, landing down safely as if nothing had happened..
A fine performance by Sydney Rome as the typical James Bond type girl, but Drummond is not at all fooled by her pampering and charming behaviour, as he is very intelligent in sensing her motives..
She does play the bimbo but is very cunning, as most Bond style girls are.In a nutshell I did enjoy this movie and am not surprised that any criticisms are really more to do with it's comparisons to modern released movies.
However, I am very surprised that the character of Bulldog Drummond was not pursued in later years like with remakes of `A Thomas Crown Affair', `The Avengers', `The Saint' etc.
I believe that the character of `Bulldog' Drummond could have been further modernized and made into a big hit in the late 1970's upto the 1990's with newer adventures, as it had all the charm and character of serving action/adventure style movies, but on a larger scale.
If you are tired of all the Politically Correct "no fun" offerings that Hollywood dishes out these days and yearn for some good clean fun from a bygone era when "Womyn" were just happy to be "Chicks" and men were having fun like no tomorrow (their grins say it all, lucky bastards!;-), and would like to indulge in an escapist fantasy with some naughtiness to it on a guys' night in, then you may find this film quite enjoyable.
Besides which guy doesn't like watching "hot chicks" in short minis being seduced with kisses that turn their heads, even if they are robot "chicks"?
This is obviously from the era when Jim Kirk was doing the same to exotically dressed "Hot Chicks" on TV in the original Star Trek series, and this film doesn't do such a bad job with the same naughtiness factor to it.And if you like this one then try its predecessor film.
The Movie industry just doesn't have the same level of beauty in their female actors anymore as they try to relate too much to a female audience to the great disappointment of the male audience.If like me you fall asleep during chick flicks and would love to watch a movie made just for guys then enjoy this one..
I enjoy the Bond movies and however similar, the two Hugh Drummond films from the 60s have their own, unique style.
But fans of the better known Bond films should find something to enjoy in either of the lesser known films Deadlier Than the Male or Some Girls Do.I can just about sum up what I like about Some Girls Do by using what I wrote for Deadlier Than the Male as a guide.
The 60s feel, Richard Johnson's Drummond, the villainous James Villers, scenes stealers like Ronnie Stevens and Robert Morley, terrific locations, and the implausible yet wonderful gadgets and traps, including a small army of female automatons, are all a delight.
Lavi, in particular, is one of those women that seem to have only existed in the 60s that I enjoy watching so much.It's too bad they only made two of these films.
This sequel for the 1966 trash classic "Deadlier than the male" is quite a disappointment compared with the original spy movie.
The movie lacks highlights like the great Robert Morley's hammy appearances, provided only in the first half of the movie.
The best scenes belong to Daliah Lavi as the bad girl, while pretty Sydne Rome (as the good girl) is absolutely colorless.
Campier, less successful sequel to DEADLIER THAN THE MALE (1967) – basically the only department where this surpasses the original is in the title track!
Incidentally, it makes no attempt to be a direct continuation of the earlier film – with, for instance, the figures of the boss and his secretary nowhere to be seen: in fact, here Bulldog Drummond (a returning but not-as-effective Richard Johnson) seems to have gone up in the world as he now has a female assistant of his own and, when we first see him, he is sun-bathing (and ditching a host of Hungarian girls!?) in the company of a debuting Sydne Rome.The latter's amiably klutzy character recalls those played by Stella Stevens and Sharon Tate in the first and fourth entries in the comparable and contemporaneous "Matt Helm" series with Dean Martin.
Indeed, the whole film seems to be closer to the spoofy spirit of that franchise (attributable perhaps to the fact that Hammer's Jimmy Sangster did not collaborate to the script this time around) – which, unlike the Drummond duo, had copied the gadget-craze that were a fixture of the prototypical James Bond extravaganzas.More illogically, not only does the supposedly-dead arch-criminal Carl Peterson turn up again here (albeit played by a different, younger actor i.e. James Villiers) but the two do not even recognize one another immediately (besides, Peterson had merely dual identities in the first film whereas he has three here and is a master of disguise besides!).
That said, it does attempt to duplicate elements that had worked first time out, namely Peterson's two principal hench-girls working as a team, except that Daliah Lavi (who had appeared in the first and best Matt Helm adventure THE SILENCERS {1966}) and Beba Loncar are not nearly as intriguing as Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina and, what is more, there is little chemistry between them!
GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMB {1966]): one is Yutte Stensgard (soon to take the leading role in Hammer's maligned – and Sangster-directed – LUST FOR A VAMPIRE {1971}) and Vanessa Howard (who more or less duplicates the Suzanna Leigh role from the first film, in that she improbably hitches up with the hero at the finale)
with Rome (who proves no nitwit but rather a triple agent!) going all of a sudden for Drummond's comic-relief partner (describing his car as "positively psychedelic" and eliciting a "Cool, baby!" response from Drummond at a party!).
As for the climax, in spite of all the ongoing action at the villain's fortress (which again includes a couple of non-entities for male underlings), Peterson's come-uppance is down to that infallible – and completely baffling – in-built self-destructing switch in his unwieldy controlling device!.
This follow-up to the James Bond-type thriller "Deadlier Than the Male" features the return of investigator Hugh Drummond, as played by Richard Johnson, who can pass for Sean Connery's brother from certain angles.
It's safe to say, even, that Johnson would have made a pretty good James Bond in the sixties, though Connery is hard to beat.
The plot and tone of this one seems to copy certain aspects of the previous Drummond adventure, especially the sight of two smiling femme fatales carrying out their assassinations in a good-natured manner.
As seems to be the doom of many an action spy series, the succeeding entries in a film series always succumb to the more banal and camp ingredients, as if the filmmakers have to shy away from making things too serious and make it more fun (Bond survived this, but others did not).
Of course, nothing can surpass the hammy performance of Morley in a brief role.The first half of this escapist thriller sort of plods along, with the highlight being a tepid sequence of Drummond falling from a small airplane/glider with an apparently malfunctioning parachute.
A lot of it is standard detective stuff, with the main femme fatale (Lavi, she of "The Silencers" and "Casino Royale" Bond spoofs) offering some intrigue.
But then, we and Drummond shift to the island base/lair of the main villain (Villiers) and his private army, composed mostly of female robots.
Still, it's kind of entertaining, in that lopsided fashion, and Johnson as the maverick agent is still very good in the role.
The last half reminded me of the 'Flint' duo of Bond spoofs, especially "In Like Flint." There's a bit of a twist at the climax, but it's fairly meaningless and arbitrary.
Betty Box, this time without her brother Syndey Box with whom she co-produced the predecessor to this bit of fluff, 'Deadlier than the Male' (slightly less fluffy, but equally inane), here returns with her final offering of a pseudo-James Bond film using the name, and no more, of Hugh Drummond, and the name, and no more, of Drummond's villain nemesis Carl Peterson.
Peterson is played here by James Villiers, trying as hard as he can to be deeply villainous but unable to convince.
James has got all these girls in short skirts who are robots, you see, 'under my complete control' as he boasts, who kill on command, and when they are not needed, he or Daliah Lavi presses a button in the neck of the girl and she goes to sleep.
Richard Johnson plays Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond, an upmarket Bond looking well past his sell-by date.
Daliah Lavi is there amongst the cyborgs and lower down the order there's a certain Joanna Lumley credited as 'Robot on a suicide mission', just like the director..
Sequel to the reasonable "Deadliest of the species", featuring the return of Richard Johnson as Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond.
More stunts, more girls and an even more exotic location fail to boost this flagging film, which begins to feel very tired rather too early on, and its' plot less run-around nature soon becomes tedious.
Cashing in on the success of Bondmania, this film failed to even show any understanding of what it was trying to copy in a film which features Robert Morley as a camp cookery teacher, called "Miss Mary", Johnson giving love-making lessons to a female robot, an embarrassing Bond-wannabe, played by Ronnie Stevens, a carbon-copy villain with a Napoleon complex, and a lot of embarrassing stuff you just wish would end mercifully soon.
Notable for featuring an early appearance by Joanna Lumley in the pre/during credits sequence.PROS; -A few airborne stunts look nice, and are mildly suspenseful.-Some nice scenery; the villains' base is particularly aesthetically pleasing -Ronnie Stevens is endearing in a terrible part -Daliah Lavi is a strong presence, as the film's central villainess CONS; -Richard Johnson looks tired, and can't act his way out of a bad part in a derivative film-The theme song is among the worst ever-penned, and is written buy should-have-known-better John Barry collaborator Don Black-No pace, no atmosphere, drive, plot or excitement really in any scene– the film is virtually dead, and merely exists to show women in bikinis and a lot of embarrassing gags -Drummond is not a real character, merely a Bond-clone, with no personality or interesting characteristics-A weak, overlong boat race/chase sequence -Robert Morley in a hugely embarrassing role for a good, if somewhat limited actor -Many of the main women in this film look very similar, and its' hard to tell some of them apart-Actually, virtually everything; it's not a good film.
Having watched - and enjoyed - DEADLIER THAN THE MALE, I was keen to see the sequel, SOME GIRLS DO.
In the first film, I thought Richard Johnson was pretty colourless ...
Whereas MALE had the joyous coupling of Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina as the prime murderesses, here we have Daliah Lavi, who looks good but simply doesn't work, and the dire Beba Loncar (how did she ever get a job?).
And nobody in the supporting cast is any good either, even talented and usually reliable stars such as Adrienne Posta, Robert Morley and James Villiers - a pale version of villain Peterson compared to Nigel Green in MALE.
Other than the title song, NOTHING in this film is any good.
why was Virginia North brought back from the original film, but playing a different role?
She must have had someone boosting her, as her small and indifferently played role in MALE warranted her special billing, and her minor role in SOME GIRLS likewise got her a good credit in the trailer, and several unnecessary (and badly edited-in) closeups.
Instead of being a man of adventure that gets sucked into solving crimes, Dick Johnson's version of Drummond is much more like a James Bond character--fighting and bedding very sexy ladies and trying to stop some big baddie who is bent on international wickedness instead of just murder or robbery.
It's best just to forget about the earlier Drummonds and treat this one like an all-new character.During the course of the film, various acts of sabotage are made on the SST-1 project (the 'SST' was an early name for what became the Concord project in the UK and France).
If this sounds a bit familiar, this is because it's much like the plot of Johnson's other Drummond flick, "Deadlier Than a Male".
However, Drummond is not alone in investigating the sabotage- -a kooky and sexy lady assistant (similar to Britt Ekland in "The Man With the Golden Gun") is there as well.
Also WHY and HOW these ladies work are a bit different from the previous film...as they are robotic in their actions and loyalty.While this film is a decent spy-type film, it's less original than the last.
Additionally, the film relies on two bad clichés ALSO found in the last film--the megalomaniac baddie who, instead of just killing Drummond, keeps him around supposedly to give him a chance to kill him AND all women (even robotic ones) find Drummond so sexy that they cannot control themselves.
It's a shame, as the film is pretty good otherwise.
If I've understood the movie, the two main "villainesses" weren't robots themselves, which makes the last scene just a little surprising.
This is a little surprising for the hero of a light, "escapist" kind of adventure film.
(Pretty bold, in other words.) Seeing her in this and a few other adventure films, it's a little hard to believe that Daliah Lavi never ended up in an ACTUAL Bond movie (apart from Casino Royale, which both is and isn't one)..
The problem with SOME GIRLS DO is that it goes too far out of its way to be tongue-in-cheek, meaning that the comedy is forced and laboured rather than natural-feeling, as in the original movie.
The good news is that Richard Johnson returns as the Sapper's dapper Bulldog Drummond, battling bad guys and bedding babes left, right, and centre, and the production values feel just as good as in the first film, resulting in a colourful, bright, action-packed little tale.
Once again, Carl Petersen is the bad guy, once again he's bumping off officials by utilising killer women, except this time the women are all robots.
While we had the excellent likes of Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina in DEADLIER THAN THE MALE, here we have the absolutely awful Sydne Rome and yummy-but-bland Yutte Stensgaard, who took away a lot of the enjoyment factor for me.In any case, there are a lot of laughs on offer here, some successful, some not.
Robert Morley hams it up something rotten as 'Miss Mary', the head of a chef school, while James Villiers is equally hammy as the chief bad guy; he's no Nigel Green.
There's some poor back projection in the action scenes aboard plane and boat which is typical of the decade, and an extended climax in the villain's lair which is fairly good.
However, Johnson seems to be having less fun in the role and his lines are less suave this time around; perhaps he was already tiring of the character on his second film in.
Maybe that's why there was no third Bulldog Drummond film – and if we look at the law of diminishing returns, perhaps we can be thankful for that!.
A Remake of the Movie "Deadlier Than the Male".
After several murders of key personnel involved in the making of a super-sonic airliner called the SST1, "Hugh Drummond" (Richard Johnson) is sent to investigate who the mastermind is behind them.
However, his investigation puts him directly in the cross-hairs of two attractive but deadly female assassins named "Pandora" (Beba Loncar) and "Helga" (Daliah Lavi) who are both very good at their jobs.
Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this film is essentially a remake of the movie "Deadlier Than the Male" which was produced only two years earlier.
To be sure there were a number of attractive young ladies to be found all through the movie but other than the aforementioned Daliah Lavi, and to a lesser extent Sydne Rome, none of them really stood out in my opinion.
In short, this was an okay James Bond clone but it wasn't nearly as good as "Deadlier Than the Male" and I have rated it accordingly. |
tt0039842 | So Well Remembered | At the end of World War II in the Lancashire mill town of Browdley, town councillor, newspaper editor, and zealous reformer George Boswell (John Mills) recalls the past 26 years of his life. In 1919, he defends Olivia Channing (Martha Scott) when she applies for a library job. Her cotton mill owner father John Channing (Frederick Leister) had been sent to prison for almost 20 years for speculating with and losing many people's money.
George falls in love with Olivia, though it scandalises the townspeople, and eventually proposes to her. That night, she has an argument with her father. He has Dr. Richard Whiteside (Trevor Howard) drive him into town to speak to George, but they crash on a washed-out road and John is killed. Olivia then agrees to marry George.
Trevor Mangin (Reginald Tate), Browdley's most influential businessman, asks George to run for Parliament. Seeing an opportunity to further his reforming efforts, George agrees, much to Olivia's delight.
Whiteside brings George an alarming report about the danger of an epidemic in the town's filthy slums. Mangin, who owns many of them, produces a more optimistic one. Given that Whiteside has taken to drinking heavily since the accident, George accepts Mangin's report, causing the council to vote to do nothing. However, a diphtheria epidemic breaks out, just as Whiteside feared. A free clinic is opened to inoculate the healthy children and treat the sick. George tells Olivia to take their son there, but she cannot bear to do it, resulting in the child's death.
When George drops out of the election because of Mangin's lies, Olivia tells him that she is leaving him. George realises that she married him solely for his prospects. They go their separate ways. He eventually rises to mayor, while she remarries a rich man and has another son, Charles Winslow (Richard Carlson). Meanwhile, Whiteside takes in a baby girl, Julie Morgan (Patricia Roc), orphaned at birth. George helps raise her.
Many years pass. A widowed Olivia returns, takes up residence in her father's mansion, and reopens the Channing mill. Her son becomes a flier in the Royal Air Force in World War II. On leave, he meets Julie and they fall in love. However, Olivia does not want to relinquish her son. Charles is seriously injured in combat, his face disfigured. This enables Olivia to isolate and retain control of him, until George manages to convince him to break free and marry Julie. When Olivia arrives, looking for her son, George reveals that he has figured out that Olivia did nothing to prevent her father from driving to his death, though she must have known that the road was washed out. Whiteside had overheard the Channings' argument; knowing his daughter, John Channing intended to warn George against her. | murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | A typically well-made British drama (with an Anglo-American cast including John Mills, Martha Scott and Trevor Howard); rarely seen today and deserves a far wider audience.
Based on a novel by James Hilton ("Lost Horizon"), who also does the narration, "So Well Remembered" captures perfectly the gloom of a poverty-stricken British village; chronicles the efforts of a newspaper editor (Mills) to fight for better living conditions.
Great atmospheric black-and-white photography; good performances by Mills and Martha Scott as his ambitious, class-conscious wife who grows ever resentful of her husband's dedication to his village.
It includes exceptional performances by two of the finest actors of our time, John Mills and Trevor Howard.
And sad too because from this talented cast I've seen some of the best performances from them.Another thing that puzzles me as far as the film being lost is that James Hilton was such a popular author on both sides of the pond.
I would have thought this film would have been as frequently revived as Random Harvest, Goodbye Mr. Chips, and The Lost Horrizon.Hilton narrates the film and for both British and American audiences it was a familiar voice, they heard it many times on radio.
Hilton was never shy about promoting his own work on the best media available to him.Like Random Harvest the story takes place in the years between the World Wars.
John Mills is an earnest young reformer who both wants to do some good in this old world for the people of the small Lancaster mill town that he comes from.
Leister went to prison and upon this the story begins as his attractive young daughter Martha Scott is looking for employment as a librarian.The towns folk want to visit the sins of the father on her, but Mills is a forgiving sort and persuades the town to hire her.
And that this performance was lost all these years didn't help Martha Scott for posterity's sake.Trevor Howard plays Mills's best friend, the alcoholic town doctor, no doubt a character Hilton borrowed from many a Hollywood western.
Except he does perform one good act of charity in the film.The hero/protagonist that John Mills plays would have been done by Jimmy Stewart if So Well Remembered had an American setting.
Mills is like so many Capra heroes, the decent and honorable man on whom the people look for leadership and who has his flaws as well.
First of all let me tell you that the copy I watched on video is produced by Hectic House Records and sold in the town of Macclesfield, England, - the location at which the movie was shot.
Trevor Howard once again plays a doctor (recalling "Brief Encounter"), except this time a sullen, often drunken character; but nevertheless a highly moralistic and commendable Dr. Richard Whiteside.
Martha Scott's performance as Olivia Channing reminds males of all ages how it is always possible for a weeping, vulnerable pretty young woman can be a devil in disguise!
Great performances from the rest of the cast, including a 'natural' performance from Hayley Mills as baby Julie.Macclesfield as a Town has changed considerably since 1947; in fact it's one of the wealthiest areas of the whole of the UK in 2004.
I viewed this 1940's movie on TCM last evening and was impressed by the quality of the film-making and the leading character's integrity and social conscience.
These qualities led the youthful councillor, played by John Mills, to defend the woman he would fall in love with, Martha Scott, little knowing the consequences he would face in later life.John Mills always seemed so gifted at portraying classy British gentlemen and this is certainly the case in this role.
The rain was so real it gave me a chill just looking at the screen as the young couple went running through the cobblestone streets and took refuge under a bridge.Though somewhat flawed, this movie is a worthy addition to the library of British black/white cinema from the mid-20th century.
The film was the big cinematic claim to fame of my home town of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England where the exteriors were shot.It portrays the often grim reality of life in a northern mill town when poverty and disease tool a grim toll and a Doctor (played by Trevor Howard) could be a really vital link between life and death contrasted with the ambitious figure of Mills as the would be Mayor.
The acting shows the young and developing talents of both Mills and Howard before they were the legends they were to become.Following its rediscovery it has been released on video.
Hectic House in Macclesfield bought an original print of this film and have released it on VHS & DVD- primarily as a historic record of the town in the 1940s.
It has been suggested that Macclesfield was chosen as the location for "the Lancashire mill town of Bowdley" in 1946, as the Luftwaffe had paid no visits in the preceding years - and much of the film is set in the 1920's.
John Mills and Trevor Howard head up a stellar troupe of actors in the British RKO-MGM co-production based on the novel by James Hilton, who also wrote "Lost Horizon".
Story is centered on the consequences of a mis-matched romance and marriage between an idealistic reformer, intent on improving living conditions for the working class inhabitants of his hometown, Bowdley (an English mill-town), and the daughter of the war-profiteering owner of the mill, a certain Mr. Channing.
The British Rank Organisation came up with a gem of a 1947 film, "So Well Remembered." Interesting to see the usually kind and sympathetic Martha Scott playing a nasty sort of woman here.
You wouldn't think that from the beginning of the film when Scott as Olivia seems to be a victim of her father's imprisonment.Sociologists would enjoy this film tackling the housing situation in Britain circa the post-World War 1 period.
Carlson is extremely good here,especially in his disfigured scenes when mother Scott becomes totally possessive.Trevor Howard shines as an alcoholic doctor.
The unevenness of the film may be shown from the problems of poverty to the all-possessive Olivia who tries to smother her war-injured son.(Carlson).
She is finally rebuked in her effort to do this by Mills, who should have done this years before.An interesting film, well acted..
This film had a great story about a small English town and its people during WWII and the poor living conditions for the average family and the poor health conditions.
John Mills,(George Boswell) ran a newspaper in town and fell in love with Martha Scott,(Olivia Channing) and they eventually were married.
There was great acting performed by John Mills, Martha Scott, and many other great veteran actors..
I bought this film on eBay.co.uk and its cover revealed it is distributed by "Onyx Media International" under the banner of "2 Classic British Movies", the other being "The Rakes Progress" with Rex Harrison, Lilli Palmer, Griffith Jones & Jean Kent.But to "So Well Remembered", like other reviewers I was mildly surprised that I had not heard of this film until now, especially as I am a connoisseur of 1940s films.In 1947 Britain was almost bankrupted by the second world war and only managed to repay its war debt in 2006.For this reason producers who wanted higher production values sometimes had to compromise on cast and market films like this to the U.S.(our biggest creditor), which had the money, to market to American audiences.For this reason and despite a plethora of British acting talent available at the time, they cast Martha Scott (born in Missouri) to play the Cheshire born wife Olivia of John Mills (George Boswell).It is hard enough for even English actresses to get the Lancastrian/Cheshire intonation right and in "Coronation Street" the long running (50 years!) British soap, they tend to cast authentic Lancashire born actresses for the sake of social realism.By the same token casting Richard Carlson as Charles Winslow, I found his American speech patterns destroyed what should have been a realistic story set in a grim northern English setting.Those two actors (not their fault just circumstances) completely destroyed the illusion, making the story seem almost surreal.Another reviewer points out that the fictitious town of "Browdley" was actually shot on location in Macclesfield, now considered an affluent enclave of Cheshire (which borders Lancashire).It is where rich Lancastrians tend to gravitate e.g. premiership footballers.I was pleased to see Patricia Roc (Julie Morgan) and Trevor Howard (Dr.Richard Whiteside) who gave top support billing to Mills & Scott.Also the ever reliable Beatrice Varley (Annie) whose favourite role of mine was as "Aunt Prowd" in "Gone to Earth" (1949).Even the minor actors got my attention, there was Roddy Hughes ("Quiet Wedding" 1941 and "A Girl Must Live" 1939") and Ivor Barnard popping up playing "Spivey" the type setter.Ivor appeared most notably in David Lean's "Great Expectations"(1946) playing "Wemmick" who was "Jaggers" clerk, again with John Mills as Pip.There was a social message in the film which portrayed the abject poverty and disease prevalent amongst the poor between the two world wars.Major improvements to housing and health were urgently required and the pacifist British Governments of the 20s & 30s put this as paramount in their social order (but ignored the threat from Germany).I marked this film 6/10..
I crave the DVD release of The Chalk Garden with Mills, Hayley Mills, Deborah Kerr and Dame Edith Evans!Trevor Howard is another great film actor who never received the recognition he deserved..
James Hilton was the most gentlemanly author in England's 20'th century together with John Galsworthy, and also this Bleak House drama is told very suavely with a gentleman's kind politeness all the way.
You have to love Olivia Channing as much as John Mills does, until he has to face the facts when almost everything is too late.To see this novel realized on screen I experienced as a miracle.
I always enjoyed James Hilton almost more than any other English author of that century for his always musical language, which even that is fully realized in the film.A few years later Edward Dmytryk, exiled from Hollywood, made his masterpiece "Give Us This Day" about Italian immigrant workers in New York 1929 completely filmed in London (with New York recreated in studios), another important milestone of social realism (see my review).
Trevor Howard had just made his "Brief Encounter" perfect gentleman of a doctor, while he here is hard on the bottle from the beginning to end, although John Mills after twenty years only has to carry him home from the pub twice a week.Martha Scott finally is perfect as Olivia, beautiful, charming and mysterious, giving from the beginning quite a good impression of herself as a beauty of mysteries that could be dangerous not only for your peace of mind..
Because they are based in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, they have a good reason for keeping the film alive as all the exterior footage was shot in the area and it provides an excellent historical record of how the town looked in the 1940's.
It was during the week between Christmas and New Years, so my mind was occupied with other matters so all I really remembered was that it starred John Mills and that it took place over the span of several decades, but something about the movie stuck in my head.
Thanks to IMDb I was able to identify it as "So Well Remembered", and that it was out on DVD.John Mills is great as George Boswell, reform-minded newspaper editor and member of the town council in a bleak Lancashire mill town, who falls in love with the daughter of the town pariah, a corrupt industrialist.Based on a James Hilton (Lost Horizon) novel, the film has it's share of soap opera-like moments, but enough of its literary heritage to tell a highly compelling story.
Nevertheless, it's one of a number of politically engaged films at that time to reflect the new broom sweeping British politics during the premiership of Clement Attlee.Based on a 1945 novel by James Hilton (who also narrates), it compares interestingly with the Boulting Brothers' adaptation of Howard Spring's 'Fame is the Spur', released a couple of months later, in which as Hamer Shawcross, Michael Redgrave as the film progresses is made up more and more to resemble Ramsey MacDonald as he ditches his early revolutionary principles to rise to the top.
George Boswell (played John Mills) by comparison, despite pressure from his self-centred, patrician wife, remains true to his youthful idealism, resigns from his parliamentary seat and is content to settle for becoming Mayor of the fictional Lancashire mill town of Browdley (actually shot in Macclesfield).The film's cynicism about the compromises required to get on in Westminster are sadly as relevant today as ever; as is attested to by the public support Tony Blair's New Labour received from lifelong Tory voter John Mills in the 2001 General Election..
As some film historians have demonstrated, when Hollywood's main audience began to shift from working class to middle class around 1920, class conflict as a political and economic issue (as opposed to a romantic and social concern) all but disappeared from American movies.But the portrayal of British class conflict is not the main reason to watch SO WELL REMEMBERED (which, in fact, also sets forth the conflict largely in terms of romantic relationships).
(John Paxton adapted James Hilton's novel for the film, and Hilton -- best known as the author of LOST HORIZON -- also narrates some portions.) John Mills makes an appropriate working-class hero, trying to remain loyal to his origins while at the same time tempted by the opportunities presented to him to rise above them.
Trevor Howard, however, steals the film as an alcoholic doctor -- he makes the most of every moment on the screen.
Martha Scott -- a very active actress who nonetheless did not become especially well-known to the public -- has the most difficult part in the film, transitioning from a sympathetic young woman into a selfish (and, horrors!
Patricia Roc was one of England's most popular film performers in the '40s but was rarely seen in the United States.
It would have been interesting to know more about his character, who, in some ways, is at the root of the story.One should also congratulate director Edward Dmytryk and his collaborators for the gritty location photography, another feature that makes this film worth more than one viewing.SO WELL REMEMBERED also is notable for the collaboration of Dmytryk and producer Adrian Scott.
And about the time SO WELL REMEMBERED was first being shown in the United States, Dmytryk, Scott and eight screenwriters -- the celebrated "Hollywood Ten" -- would be ruled in contempt of the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities for refusing to answer the committee's questions regarding Communist involvement in Hollywood.
Considering the class-conflict background of SO WELL REMEMBERED, perhaps it's not surprising that this film has been so well overlooked (one wonders how long it actually played in American theaters in 1947).
However, what makes it interesting is NOT this confrontation between the good man and the prejudiced town,...this is only the beginning of the plot.
He marries the daughter of the most hated man in town and the average viewer will probably THINK they know where the film is heading--and it takes a sharp turn in another direction.
Superb British film written and narrated by James Hilton.
It was filmed in location in England, giving the viewer a really good sense of what England looked like at the end of WWII.
The opening of the film is put in a very nice historical perspective with some interesting photography.As WWII closes, the mayor, newspaper editor, and reformer (John Mills) looks back on his years of knowing, marrying, and divorcing Martha Scott.
Soon, however, Mills falls in love with her and proposes on the very night that her father is killed when he is being driven into town by the local doctor (Trevor Howard) and the washed-out road reaches out and drags the car down into the river during a heavy storm (keep that in mind).
Olivia then agrees to marry George.Once married, Scott pushes her husband to run for Parliament, but an epidemic of diphtheria in the town's filthy slums sidelines him...and takes their own son's life when mother fails to have him inoculated in a mere public clinic.
Scott ends the marriage, remarries to a rich man and has another son, (Richard Carlson), who is badly scarred in the war.
Mills intervenes and helps the young couple marry, and only then learns that Scott knew the road had washed out and that her father was likely to be killed using the road, but intentionally did not warn him...thus, murder.And that last factor is the only part of the movie which I felt was handled poorly.
Yes, the viewer knew that Scott had just used the road, but it could have washed out after she used it, and so (at least to me) it came as a bit too much of a plot twist, which could have been resolved by simply giving us a couple of clues.John Mills is excellent here.
His co-star, Martha Scott is, as well, but the role of such a controlling, domineering, ...well, you know the word, leveled her to being totally unlikable in this film.
Trevor Howard had the only role (of the doctor), which I felt was NOT played well.
One of the best performances, though the character's death early in the film made it short, was that of Frederick Leister as Scott's father, who played a broken man after his many years in prison.Oh, and BTW, this is one of those films where the leading man slaps the leading lady...twice...and deservedly so, although when the scene where it happens begins, the viewer will assume it will be the other way around.This is an excellent film...and I say that as a person who is not very fond of British cinema. |
tt0061135 | The Ugly Dachshund | Fran Garrison (Suzanne Pleshette) and her husband Mark (Dean Jones) are a young happy married couple and the proud owners of an award-winning Dachshund named Danke. The movie begins with them frantically getting into the car and heading to the hospital as "the pain has started and it's about time". In a hurry to the hospital, Officer Carmody tries to pull them over for going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone. After notifying that they are on the way to the hospital and indicating that Fran is the one in labor, Officer Carmody pulls in front of them and turns on the sirens to escort them to the county hospital.
After he arrives and turns to find that Mr. and Mrs. Garrison have gone past him, he gets back on his motorcycle and follows them to the vet. It is then revealed that Danke is the one in labor. While Mark is outside waiting on Fran, Officer Carmody catches up to him and after Mark thanks him for helping them get to the vet on time, Officer Carmody reveals that he was under the impression that Mrs. Garrison was the one in labor and proceeds to write multiple traffic violation tickets totaling to $110. On the day that Mr. Garrison arrives at the vet to pick up Danke and her three female puppies: Wilhelmina, Heidi, and Chloe, veterinarian Dr. Pruitt (Charlie Ruggles) mentions that his female Great Dane, Duchess, has also given birth, but pushed away one of her male puppies because she didn't have enough milk for him.
Doc Pruitt convinces Mark to bring the Great Dane puppy home, because Danke had too much milk, and she could save his life. When he arrives home and Fran notices that there is another puppy, she is surprised but does not suspect that the puppy is from another litter and reminds Mark that he should thank Danke for giving him a boy like he always wanted. He eventually tells Fran the truth about the male puppy and named him Brutus. As he grows up with Fran's Dachshund puppies, he believes he is one of them and picks up mannerisms like hunching close to the ground to walk. The Dachshunds are mischievous creatures and lead poor unsuspecting Brutus through a series of comic misadventures with Officer Carmody (now Sergeant Carmody) being chased up a tree, Mark's studio being splattered with paint, and a garden party being turned topsy-turvy.
Fran wants Mark to remove Brutus from the house once-and-for-all but when Brutus saves her favorite puppy, Chloe, from the garbage truck, she changes her mind. Mark and Fran enter their dogs in a dog show with Brutus meeting others of his breed. He notices a female Harlequin Great Dane and stands at attention. He goes on to win two blue ribbons. Brutus finally finds out what it's like to be a Great Dane. | humor | train | wikipedia | Funny gags throughout the film and just a great comedic story.
If you are a dog lover than you will be an "Ugly Dachshund" fan.
The dogs are adorable and the actors do their part to make this wonderful family comedy.
Totally under-rated.I suggest sitting down a group of young kids and asking them what they think of it, I'll bet that the movie keeps their attention from beginning to end.
This is a classic Disney movie on the same level as the "Love Bug" series and all of the other great film s released by the company during those years.I recommend "The Ugly Dachshund" to anyone who loves family movies.
A fairy tale update of the classic story, this beautifully art-directed Disney movie in glorious Technicolor, stars Dean Jones at the height of his comedic powers and a very young Suzanne Pleshette.
Mark (Jones) adopts Brutus, a lovable oaf of a Great Dane, who, try as he might, can't fit in with Fran's (Pleshette) spoiled prize Dachshunds (think Lady and the Tramp's evil Siamese cats).
The film is full of sight gags and slapstick from director Norman Tokar (The Cat from Outer Space, M*A*S*H).
Best live action film by Disney!.
If your child likes dogs, this is a MUST see film.
A Disney Dog Delight.
After seeing the movie the second time, I realized the dachshunds did not need extra training to totally upset a household.
A delight to all dog lovers and dachshund enthusiasts in particular.
Although the title pooch is a great dane, it is a "doxie" movie delight..
Dean Jones' second film for Walt Disney came via this minor but lively family comedy co-starring another Disney regular, the late Suzanne Pleshette (as his wife) – plus veteran comic Charlie Ruggles (appropriately cast as their vet {sic}) and soon-to-be popular Asian actor Mako (as a cowardly caterer).
Although the plot sticks strictly to formula, dog lovers should be able to get a satisfactory amount of enjoyment out of this lightweight farce about a Great Dane, who being raised with a litter of dachshunds, creates all manner of chaos when he grows too large for their company and, besides, suffers from identity crisis at the most inopportune moments (namely a competitive dog show).
In fact, apart from the likable pair of leads, the film's trump card is the various slapstick sequences that involve the naïve but fiercely protective Great Dane chasing the amiably anarchic dachshunds around the house (especially during an all-important garden party).
Apart from the Asian caterers, a regular victim of the Great Dane's harmless ferocity is an overzealous cop who, in the film's most amusing non-canine incident, gives Jones the mother of all tickets..
Dated but still a good choice for a Disney live-action film.
Although I'm more a fan of the animated Disney classics, I must admit that Disney also used to do very good live-action movies back then.
This is not one of them."The Ugly Dachshund" is a nice comedy, full of funny moments with 4 Dachshunds and a Great Danes very well named Brutus.
It's so funny how those little "sausages" cause all that mess and the clumsy Brutus destroys everything while trying to stop the "little angels" (like Fran calls them).The destruction of Mark's studio and the party's destruction are some of the funniest destructions ever.Officer Carmody has got to be the funniest cinema policeman ever.
Both characters are greatly played by the actors Robert Kino and Mako.I also like very much the performances by Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette and Charles Ruggles.This is an enjoyable classic to watch, but it is already showing its age.
It looks very dated now, especially nearly at the end, during that sequence with the dogs's show..
Despite being an old movie, this is very cute and likable.
It is a tad predictable at times, but still adorable and fun to watch.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to watch a funny and cute story, while seeing some adorable puppies along the way.
I must agree with the reviewer who said "Dean Jones was just collecting another paycheck," that pretty much sums it up.I realize this is Disney and did not go into it expecting Oscar worthy drama, but in our home we really enjoyed the earlier films "The Absent-Minded Professor" and "The Shaggy Dog".
Family friendly, and entertaining for the adults as well as the kids, as were a number of Disney films throughout the late 1950's to the 1970's."The Ugly Dachshund" does not measure up.
There are a few cute sequences of the dogs making a mess out of the house, nothing that hasn't been captured equally well on television sitcoms of the day.
Outside of this, the story is boring, the couple don't like each other and are trapped in an unhappy marriage, the film manages to drudge up remarkably little sympathy for even the dogs.I don't think we'll watch this one again anytime soon.
If you're looking for wholesome Disney family films of this era, I'd recommend The Shaggy Dog, Freaky Friday, The World's Greatest Athelete, or even The Barefoot Executive.
Forget the dogs--give us Pleshette!.
Here it is, forty years later, and I could talk about Disney's minor effort in The Ugly Dachshund, a bland little quickie of a family movie that features not a single fresh idea or character.
It does have cute dachshunds (which I appreciate) and a great dane (two votes from my wife and daughter; no taste there!), Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, and Charlie Ruggles.The story is unimportant and, unfortunately, is not very well pieced together; usually live-action features from Disney in the 60's and 70's were pretty tightly plotted.
The movie just has one opportunity after another for the dogs to destroy the best efforts of humans.
I watched the whole movie and griped about the dozen minutes or so lopped off by Hallmark for a two hour time slot.
Throughout the movie, she appears in one lovely outfit after another, looking like a gift from Heaven (and she falls on a Japanese fellow at one point--he's laying on his back after collapsing from his fear of the great dane--and she's got these tight pants on and .
Just leave it to me to smut up a review of a Disney movie!
By the way, when Pleshette falls on the Japanese guy, he has this little grin on his face that made me think he went to the director and told him to forget paying him for the day--it was all worth it..
Disney films always have an animal, a child or someone suffering.
This film was no exception, as it's another dog movie.
This is a very wholesome film too, starring Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette.
One of the more memorable scenes I remember that makes this a very 60s film and more wholesome is a scene in the couples bedroom, depicting two single beds.
The ugly dachshund that the title refers to is Brutus, a great dane who gets into all sorts of mischief while growing up with a litter of dachshunds.
Great fun for the entire family, without provocative situations, language or violence..
Dean Jones picks up another paycheck in this weak, silly Disney outing about showdogs.
Along for the ride are Suzanne Pleshette (who was still a pretty fresh face when this, er, "dog" of a movie was made) and Charlie Ruggles, evidently suckered out of retirement to play a dottering trainer.
Ordinarily, cute dogs or cats or something will usually save an inane picture, since neither the plot nor the human actors can.
Dachshunds, for example, should never be encouraged to jump on or off furniture since this can result in severe spinal injury, and, even though this was known when the film was made, the dogs are made to do it anyway.
The aforementioned Dean Jones, a longtime Disney staple, apparently has no problem subordinating himself to animal acts, while Ms. Pleshette must have rationalized her part as "paying her dues".
If you have little children who just love seeing movies about cute dogs and watching grownups humiliate themselves, then this is the movie to see.
Advertising designer and his wife are at odds over their canine brood: her four Dachshunds to his friendly, clumsy Great Dane.
Noisy comedy from Walt Disney buttresses the endless husband-and-wife arguments with four-legged slapstick chaos and sight gags, some of which will no doubt please the impressionable.
Slick, empty nonsense with unconvincing marrieds at the center; Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette, sleeping in separate twin beds, lovingly refer to each other as "Dear" and "Darling" without any genuine affection between the them.
Disney's take on The Ugly Duckling with canines; animals wonderful, humans are second fiddle.
She is married to successful artist Mark (Dean Jones) and has a lovely home in California.
Therefore, Mark starts the car and drives the expectant dog to the vets.
It's triplet little wiener dogs.
When Mark finally makes it to the delivery area, he notices a Great Dane mother nursing ten puppies!
The good vet is trying to nurse another little pup who has been rejected by her mother.
Now Mark, who has tolerated his wife's tastes and wishes to the limit, has always wanted a bigger dog.
Therefore, when the vet suggests that Mark take home this runt Dane and get Danke to nurse him, too, he does it.
Initially believing Danke has had a fourth pup, it soon becomes clear that this pup, who Mark names Brutus, is another breed.
In addition, the trio, named Chloe, Heidi, and Ludmilla, get Brutus in trouble when they wreck the living room in a stampede but hide before Fran finds the mess.
Twice more, when the growing pups destroy Mark's studio and a posh party the couple gives in the backyard, will the Garrisons be able to keep Brutus?
This enjoyable, classic Disney has wonderful animal performers in four clever, adorable Dachshunds and one darling Great Dane.
But, alas, Plechette's character is just short of a harpy and certainly not a good example of a loving wife while Jones' husband, conversely, is much put upon.
As family entertainment for animal lovers, its pleasures are many..
This Disney comedy stars Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette as a happily married couple who have dog issues.
Pleshette is the proud owner of a pregnant dachshund who has to make a mad dash to the veterinarian to give birth which costs Jones a bunch of moving violations.But while at the veterinarian's, Charlie Ruggles after delivering Suzanne's three dachshund pups persuades Jones to take in a Great Dane pup because the mother rejected it from her litter.
Jones not too reluctantly agreed as he's always wanted a big man size dog.Of course when Suzanne finds out she reluctantly agrees, but not for long as the puppy grows up big and bumptious.
The bulk of the film is taken up with the big bumptious Great Dane making a wreck of their lives.
Poor dog whose named Brutus gets blamed for everything even when it isn't his fault.
But he proves himself a winner at the end, literally.Jones and Pleshette are a nice couple and the chemistry is good.
One thing I took exception to is the sequence where the big dog actually trees a police officer.
I mean really, we all know that cop Kelly Thordsen in real life would have just shot the dog.
But not in the Magic Kingdom.It's an innocuous Disney comedy that other than that scene holds up well as family entertainment..
Have loved this movie, since first seeing it 40 years ago.
The dogs are of course adorable, and the plot simple and captivating.
Mark Garrison, who is referred to in the summary as Jim, I believe someone has their movies mixed up, Jim Douglas was in the Love Bug. Anyway, Mark and Fran are likable folks, the movie is also a favorite of my Grandsons, 3 and 5.
Love Bug, Swiss Family Robinson, Old Yeller and Ugly Dachshund, are repeated often.
The movie opens with a race to the hospital for the birth of the Dachsie puppies.
Danke has three little girls puppies, and a Great Dane is pawned off on Mark, to be nursed by Danke.
Seems the Dane has too many puppies, and so this begins the story.
The Dane is the dog Mark has been yearning for, so he conspires to keep him in the family, even after he is weaned.
Don't miss this one, if you enjoy the Disney movie greats..
The Ugly Dachshund is a fun family film for dog lovers, especially Dachshund or Great Dane fanciers.
It is both a charming dog movie, as well as a romantic comedy.Mark (Dean Jones) and Fran Garrison (Suzanne Pleshette) are dog lovers, with Fran's choice breed being Dachshunds.
After Fran's blue ribbon dog Danca has a litter of three female puppies, Mark begins to feel overwhelmed by the "girly" dogs.
But when Mark goes to pick up Danca and her pups, he finds the vet Doc Pruitt (Charles Ruggles) trying to feed a rejected runt from his Great Dane's litter.
After some persuasive suggestions, Mark takes the puppy home with his wife's dog so she can wet nurse him.
Even when grown, the Great Dane Brutus doesn't seem to understand he is any different from his adoptive family.
But eventually the entire family, human and canine, find a way to live together.It's a fun and silly to watch, just a lighthearted family movie.
A must for anyone who has a Great Dane or Dachshund!.
This movie is why I have 2 Dachshunds.
I was 13 when I saw this movie in the theater in 1966.I fell in love with this breed and the movie.They are clever and mischievous and make you laugh every day.The movie is very accurate about Dachshund behavior.But it does have one major flaw that only Dachshund owners would know.Dachshunds do not yap.They have the wrong bark in the sound track.They have a very deep voice.
And they can be very laud.But other than that this movie is a joy to watch.Especially with my Dachshunds.Poor Brutus.
I can not help but feel sorry for him.And he isn't ugly either.Disney made very good family movies in the 1950' 1960's.
Where It's Lacking As Great Cinema, It Compensates With Cute Doggies.
hardly the outstanding family classic that 'Old Yeller' is, but it's still one of the cutest 'doggie' flicks produced.when the movie begins with footage of the newborn puppies in a box at the vet's with their eyes still unopened, any true dog fancier is going to get to get hooked in a little.
Disney always did make some of the most satisfying "animal lover" films of all Hollywood products.
this film is most certainly commercial product then actual cinema, but it knows what it's selling and it does it with economy and efficiency.
probably not as easy as it appears on screen given the extremely lightweight subject matter.i saw this film a couple of times while growing up and was curious to see it again after many years.
there are no children's roles in this movie, which is a good thing since it mostly aims for a "kiddie flick" audience and it's taste in comedy is purposely low brow and slapstick in order to appeal to the younger set.not that the slapstick chaos isn't funny.
the evolution of Great Dane Brutus from overgrown oafish slob to champion dog show society, was very amusing and all too real.
especially in the hilarious moment when he leaps onto the bed with Suzanne Pleshette in order to gain attention from the little Daschunds she is coddling.even though the adult relationship between Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette is one dimensional and superficial, it is adult enough to distract older audience from all the canine cuteness.
not to mention Jones and Pleshette are likable and charming and very "human".
their "humaness" seems especially essential to a film where the doggies are the true stars.competently handled by Disney director Norman Tokar, the movie holds true even today and is a primed example of efficiency if not ground breaking cinema.Disney always did warmth and sentimentality better than most of the other studios which tended to shy away from such congeniality.
something essential when making a film not just about animals, but about our ever lovable, and sometimes annoying, household pets which are so near and dear to so many of us..
Such a sweet family movie.
It starts off with Mark Garrison (Dean Jones) and his wife Fran (Suzanne Pleshette) taking their Dachsund Dante to the vet.
The vet, Dr. Pruitt (Charlie Ruggles) gets Mark's attention by telling him about a sickly Great Dane puppy that has been abandoned by his mother.To make a long story short, Mark takes the pup home, it grows and makes a huge mess.
Towards the end of the movie Mark shows everyone (including his wife Fran) that Brutus, the Great Dane, isn't just a confused dog that thinks it's a Dachsund, but a friend that needs to be understood.I was really shocked, because I loved dogs, and this movie really got me into the Dachsund and Great Dane breed.
It was really good, but it wasn't great.
Believe it or not, this extremely juvenile outing from the Disney studio ended up being the eleventh highest grossing American movie in 1966!
Actors Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette do try their best, giving appealing and likable performances that almost make the movie watchable.
"Predictable" and "dim-witted" is the best way to describe the rest of the script as well as the direction - most likely viewers will find the gags and the (very minimal) story very familiar stuff.
And the part of the movie that involves Japanese characters will displease many viewers since it smacks of racism.
While the slapstick and dogs will be appealing to very young viewers, anyone older will most likely find the movie to be quite tough to sit through. |
tt0083146 | Sweet 16 | In a few weeks, Scottish teenager Liam will turn 16. The film opens with him using his tripod-mounted telescope outdoors on a clear night to show other children the stars and planets. He and his friends exemplify the violent "ned" subculture; they no longer attend school, but instead, hang around isolated areas or wander about all day long. They get money by illicitly selling untaxed cigarettes in a pub, and defy the police. Liam's mother is currently in prison, for a crime she did not commit. She will be released in a few weeks, in time for her son's 16th birthday. She has a boyfriend named Stan, who works as a drug dealer with Liam's grandfather, Rab.
Stan and Rab take Liam in Rab's car on a visit to his mother in Cornton Vale Prison, and try to force him to smuggle drugs to his mother while they create a distraction. In the event, Liam refuses to cooperate by passing the drugs over. When driving home his companions beat him up; he fights back and gets away. Liam arrives back to find that he has been expelled from his grandfather's flat, and his belongings thrown down into the front garden (including his telescope, which has been broken). Liam then moves to his sister Chantelle's nearby home in Port Glasgow. Chantelle agrees to let Liam live in her house if he's good to Chantelle's little son, Calum. She has been taking free evening classes to get work in a call centre, and implores Liam to do the same because she wants Liam to do something more 'constructive' with his own life.
When Liam takes Calum for a walk along Greenock Esplanade, his friend Pinball arrives in a stolen car and insists on taking them joyriding along the coast. They drive up through the Cloch caravan (trailer) park where Liam sees a caravan for sale in a spot overlooking the scenic Firth of Clyde. Liam, who loves his mother very much, fantasizes that he, his sister, and his mother can escape to the seaside and live in the caravan, away from Stan and Rab's wrath. To purchase it he and Pinball steal a delivery of drugs from Stan's house and sell them, doing the very things Liam once hated – claiming that they will never get anywhere by selling cheap cigarettes. They soon develop 'entrepreneur skills' and raise several thousand pounds, which they pay as a deposit towards the caravan in Liam's mother's name.
Liam's efforts attract the attention of the local drug 'godfather'. Liam, who only wanted a peaceful life with his mother, agrees to work with them after the local godfather tells him to 'stay away from our shops'. Pinball, meanwhile, is thrown into the health club showers due to his disrespectful manner towards the dealer, and vows revenge. Liam and Pinball carry on selling drugs to the local area, with the help of Liam's other friends who deliver pizzas. Liam and Pinball meet again with members of the drug godfather's gang, and Liam joins them in their car. Pinball is kicked out, angering him further; the gang members advise Liam to 'dump' Pinball for good. They take Liam to a Glasgow nightclub and instruct him that he has to kill someone to join the gang. Liam attempts to do so, but is stopped by the gang, who inform him it was a test (which he has passed).
Liam, Chantelle, Calum and Suzanne (Chantelle's friend) drive to the caravan to have a picnic, only to discover that it has been burned down. Liam believes it was Stan who did it, and throws a rock through his window. That evening, Pinball turns up in the drug godfather's (stolen) car, telling Liam that he wants revenge. He proceeds to crash the car into the health club. Liam speaks to the godfather in the morning and, to his chagrin, is ordered to "take care of" the Pinball problem (i.e. to kill his friend). The next morning, Pinball - aware of Liam's intentions - first tries to stab Liam, then proudly tells him that he's the one who burnt down the caravan, not Stan. He then cuts his own face in rage. Liam is seen reassuring his injured friend after phoning for an ambulance, but in the next scene he notifies the godfather that the deed has "been done", leaving a viewer to infer that he has indeed murdered his friend.
The godfather promises to buy Liam an upscale apartment, and on the day before his birthday Liam's mother is released from the prison and taken to this new house on the coast of Gourock where she is welcomed with a party. She appears uneasy, and the next morning is found to have escaped to Stan's house. Liam blames this on Chantelle. Chantelle, now fully aware that Liam is dealing drugs, attempts to warn her little brother about their mother probably not being so thankful for Liam's efforts because she is too devoted to Stan, but this only provokes Liam even further. An enraged Liam goes to Stan's house, trying to convince his mother to go back to their new home, only to receive insults from Stan. In a struggle, Liam stabs Stan.
Liam is then seen walking alone on the stony beach. He is phoned by Chantelle, who reminds him that the day is his 16th birthday. She also tells him that the police have been looking for him, but that after everything that he has done, Chantelle still loves him. He walks towards the sea. | paranormal, cult, murder | train | wikipedia | Parts of it are quite masterful like a scene near the end (prominently featured in all the promotional artwork) where the central girl and a male admirer go skinny-dipping at night in a lake lit only by a single cross-shaped key light.
(It's unfortunate that most slasher movie fans are such gore-hounds that they don't appreciate the more subtle elements of horror movies like cinematography, setting, and atmosphere).
And they all meet a sticky end because they're sniffing around the new girl in town, played by Aleisha Shirley (but then it's kind of hard to blame them).The adults in town are played by such stalwart character actors as Bo Hopkins (as the town sheriff) and Susan Strasberg (as the mother of the new girl).
Dana Kimmel from "Friday the 13th Part III" plays the sheriff's daughter who befriends the new girl and eventually solves the mystery.
She actually looks a lot more like "sweet 20-something" than "sweet 16" in this movie, but her frequent nude scenes allow the movie to make up in skin what it lacks in gore.I'm kind of surprised they haven't re-made this, although I read about a movie in Gorezone magazine called "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" that seems to have a very similar plot (for some reason though it hasn't been released in the US yet, despite the presence of a currently hot actress, Amanda Heard, in the lead role).
Good Horror/Mystery Film.
RELEASED IN 1983 and directed by Jim Sotos, "Sweet 16" chronicles events in a West Texas town when a new family moves into town and there are a series of murders revolving around the 16 year-old daughter (Aleisa Shirley).
Dana Kimmell and Steve Antin play the Sheriff's kids while Patrick Macnee and Susan Strasberg play the parents of the new girl.
I liked the movie and enjoyed trying to figure out who the killer was amidst the red herrings, but found the wrap up a little eye-rolling and unsatisfying.
This average little murder mystery, is a must for Susan Strasberg fans, since it gives her some ample screen time, and a chance to display the legendary Strasberg acting ability and beauty.
I won't post a long and detailed review of the movie, because it is a great little horror mystery film and there are several positive reviews already posted that said it better than i probably could have.An interesting note is that this movie is actually on DVD in a couple of obscure "bargain boxsets".
Beautiful teenager Melissa Morgan is a bit of a wild child, quickly attracting the attention of most of the local boys; however, those lucky enough to get close to her have a nasty habit of turning up dead.This rather obscure 80s horror opens in classic stalk 'n' slash mode with a gratuitous shower scene, the 'sweet 16' of the title, schoolgirl Melissa (played by Aleisa Shirley, actually a good few years older than 16), giving herself a thorough wash for the benefit of the viewer.
Normally, such a scene would be followed by the young woman, clad in a towel, leaving the shower to be stalked by a masked maniac, or would at least end with a false scare, but here there's no such payoff; it simply exists to get some gratuitous T&A on the screen, as does a later moment when the lovely girl goes skinny dipping.Not that I'm complaining, because without the occasional spot of nudity from Shirley, this would be a lot less enjoyable, the actual horror content being fairly lame...There are a number of killings throughout the film, but these are unexceptional stabbings shot in a frenzied manner at night, making them very disappointing for gore fans.
The rest of the film consists primarily of dull police procedure, as Sheriff Dan Burke (Bo Hopkins) slowly pieces together clues to discover the identity of the killer, plus some clichéd racial tension between the town's rednecks and local Indians, none of which is particularly thrilling.
Still, this has an awfully good cast for this sort of thing, and Sotos and company do try to give the story a little extra something by introducing racism (the poor treatment of the local Indians) into the proceedings.
"Sweet 16" also banks a lot on the importance of its central character Melissa and the actress in the role, Aleisa Shirley.
She's a hot to trot 15 going on 16 year old who seems to enjoy making trouble and being the centre of attention.One problem with this is that we seem to be getting encouraged to ogle Shirley at every opportunity, and even though Shirley was older than her character, she wasn't *that* much older, making scenes such as a shower sequence highly uncomfortable.The tale, written by Erwin Goldman, shows what happens as bloody murders begin to occur as Melissa's 16th birthday approaches.
The plodding sheriff on the case is Dan Burke (ever amiable Bo Hopkins), whose mystery junkie daughter Marci (Dana Kimmell, a.k.a. the final girl of "Friday the 13th Part III") is eager for some excitement in her small town and follows her fathers' cases with interest.
Meanwhile, Indians such as Jason Longshadow (Don Shanks, a.k.a. Michael Myers in "Halloween 5") and his grandfather Greyfeather (Henry Wilcoxon, in his final film role) are targeted by rowdy racist rednecks Billy (Don Stroud) and Jimmy (Logan Clarke).At the least, "Sweet 16" boasts solid atmosphere, although some slasher aficionados are likely to be dissatisfied with a very small body count and too much murkiness in the gore scenes.
(Still, they may be pleased with the various revealing shots of Shirley.) The cast also includes Susan Strasberg, looking lovely as always, Patrick Macnee (who replaced Leslie Nielsen), Steve Antin ("The Goonies"), Sharon Farrell ("Night of the Comet"), Michael Pataki ("Dead & Buried"), Larry Storch ("Without Warning"), Michael Cutt ("Night of the Demon" 1980), and Glenn Withrow ("The Outsiders").The music, by Tommy Vig, is good, but viewers may cringe at the ultra-sappiness of Melissas' theme song.Also available in a directors' cut.Six out of 10..
On the surface, this would appear to be just another dreary slasher flick, but what separates this film from a lot of the crowd is the that director Jim Sotos (who also directed the rarer of the two 'Forced Entry' films) creates a real gritty atmosphere that makes the film feel a lot like a seventies exploitation flick and ensures that the film is somewhat nastier than the likes of Friday the 13th and Halloween.
The crimes are investigated by the town sheriff and his two kids, and naturally Melissa ends up on the suspects list.The film was obviously made on a small budget but that doesn't hinder it too much as Sweet 16 more than sets out what it clearly intended to do.
The cast is good, with the likes of Bo Hopkins, Patrick Macnee and Susan Strasberg leading the film, while Aleisa Shirley is more than adequate in the title role.
The film feels more like a seventies movie than an eighties flick and that's another positive element if you ask me.
With slashers, a twist at the end is pretty much mandatory and this film adheres to that - except unlike a lot of slashers, the twist here is both interesting and believable.
I can't say that this is brilliant or a classic, but I went into it expecting nothing decent and found a fairly good film so I definitely do recommend Sweet 16 to my fellow horror fans!.
Plot = Melissa is a new girl in town, she's fifteen years old and her birthday is coming up in one week.
Since Melissa is beautiful, every boy in town wants to hook up with her, but the few that manage to catch her interest mysteriously die.To be honest the real reason I wanted to watch this film is because Dana Kimmel of Friday The 13th pt 3 was in it which isn't a proper reason why to rush out and see a movie.
When I started watching it I realized that "Sweet Sixteen" isn't a very good slasher, it's really dull and boring and just doesn't go anywhere.
After over an hour, only three murders have occurred and the story hasn't really developed in any possible way.The movie is nicely shot with quite nice photography and good directing but just as with many other slasher flicks from the 80s, the movie suffers from being too dark at times.
The acting is actually pretty good though and Melissa's character is easy to sympathize with, even though she's a complete slut.The story line isn't completely rubbish but it's just way too dull to keep you interested, the only things that kept me interested was Melissa she was stunning and Dana Kimmel whose really sweet and cute in this movie.All in all pretty dull slasher flick that doesn't go anywhere I'd definitely wouldn't recommend it to Slasher fans..
It is a murder mystery that takes place in a small town where a sheriff investigates the recent brutal knife attacks with all the possibility angle.
Definitely you will begin to predict the suspect, that much the film evolves a bridge between you and the contents.It was a great story, I was stunned for its underrated status and for going unnoticed, but then it ended very cheaply.
Overall surely it was a fine film, a mix of the teen theme and the cop story, obviously excluding the bad ending.6/10.
Even the murder scenes are lackluster, with real close-up shots of generic stabbings that don't look good at all.
SWEET SIXTEEN (1983) **/***** 86 minutes Director Jim Sotos Cast Bo Hopkins, Susan Strasberg, Aleisa Shirley, Patrick Macnee, Dana KimmellFifteen year old bad girl Melissa is new in a desert town and it isn't long before folks around her start dying off.
The detective has to put together the clues with the help of his Nancy Drew good girl daughter played by Friday the 13th alumni Dana Kimmell.
These events all lead up to the revealing of the killer at Melissa's sixteenth birthday party.This below average slasher isn't too memorable.
But it turns out that all the guys that she spends time with all wind up murdered in this generic '80's slasher film.
It's up to the local town sheriff Dan Burke (Bo Hopkins, The Wild Bunch) and his annoying mystery-loving goody two-shoes daughter, Marci (Dana Kimmell, Friday the 13th part 3), to get to the bottom of these killings.This film focuses more on the mystery and melodrama aspects of the movie and less on the killings themselves and thus is able to differentiate itself from a lot of it's '80's Slasher brethren.
This movie opens with a totally gratuitous scene of a young girl showering, and if director Jim Sotos really wants us to believe that she's 16 years old, than that's pretty darn disturbing!
Sheriff Burke investigates the murders, although it looks more like his annoying teenage daughter is in charge, and the search leads him to the town's old history.
Here you have a very lovely, but lonely teenage girl name Melissa(Aleisa Shirley) who just recently moved from the city into a small Texas town where she is already causing a stir with the locals.
While the production values may generally be a notch or two up from other low budget movies of the time, it doesn't break the tedium that quickly builds and isn't much erased by the (few) murder scenes.
Melissa, the 15-year-old new girl, is the main attraction for all of the small town boys.
The director's cut isn't 1 minute into the movie or Melissa is already full frontal naked.
It really is a good movie but I only gave it a 4 due the reason that it was made full slasher era and it didn't deliver what we were used to that time being.
The official synopsis for this film is teenager Melissa (Aleisa Shirley) moves into a small town filled with racial prejudice and bullying and each time she meets up with one of the boys in town, they end up murdered, but who is the killer?We kick off with an odd scene with Marci Burke (Dana Kimmell).
It is also at this point that Billy's younger brother Johnny (Glenn Withrow) tells him he's going to leave for a bit, but will be back later.Jason runs into a young woman outside, Melissa.
His truck runs out of gas and he is then brutally murdered by someone.Marci's dad is the local sheriff, Dan (Bo Hopkins).
This also sparks up the hatred of the Native Americans in the area, with Jason being the prime suspect.I do have to say that I really liked the story of this film.
I thought the rest of the cast were fine for what was needed.The effects in this film were good.
I like the mystery of this young woman turning 16 soon and going on dates, only to have each boy murdered.
Overall I'd say this is an above average film with a pretty good mystery to it..
Bo Hopkins stars as a small town sheriff, Dan Burke, trying to uncover the one responsible for a series of murders towards young men surrounding fifteen year old Melissa Morgan(Aleisa Shirley)whose "sweet sixteen" is approaching.
Susan Strasberg(..still quite beautiful at this time)is Melissa's mother, Joanne, and screen veteran Patrick Macnee is her father, archaeologist Dr. John Morgan, excavating old Indian grounds for artifacts.
The horror escalates at Melissa's sweet sixteen birthday party, put together as a way for the town to meet the Morgan family..the killer will be revealed and Billy, along with Jimmy(..his shadow, pretty much)will attempt to have a little fun with Melissa when she goes skinny dipping with Hank.The film carves a psychological path as Dan soon discovers the history of a certain character whose traumatic past could have developed a disturbed personality willing to kill those who pose a fictional danger to Melissa who represents someone else symbolically.
Aleisa Shirley, a very pretty girl, has some nude shower sequences that left me rather disoriented..as a fifteen year old character, I didn't know whether to be mortified as the camera embraced her naked flesh, or jovial because it's obvious she was a much older woman than the Melissa she was portraying.
A great asset to the movie was the camaraderie between Hopkins and his fictional family, Kimmell and Antin..their chemistry together is quite fundamental to the overall success of this rural slasher.
I honestly loved it, although I was expecting a slasher movie and this turned out to be a small-town mystery, it didn't disappoint at all!
Melissa is fifteen (going on sixteen soon), and has just moved to a rural Texas town, desperate to meet new friends.
She unfortunately meets some older guys who are kind of pervy, and witnesses first-hand the horrible racism the town aims towards the Native American community, mainly Greyfeather and Jason, a father and son who are both concerned about Melissa hanging around with bad company and advise her to go home.
and it isn't long before the curious teens at her new high school start pointing the finger at her.One thing I have to say is, whether the movie had been good or bad, I love the soundtrack!
After two boys with the hots for Melissa are murdered, both folksy sheriff Dan Burke (the always excellent Bo Hopkins) and his inquisitive wannabe Nancy Drew daughter Marci (an appealing portrayal by Dana Kimmell) decide to investigate.Director Jim Sotos adroitly crafts a strong rural backwoods hamlet atmosphere, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, and delivers a satisfying smidgen of mild splatter.
Fortunately, the fine cast of reliable pros keep this movie watchable: Susan Strasberg as Melissa's friendly mom Joanne, Patrick MacNee as Melissa's uptight archaeologist dad Dr. John Morgan, Don Stroud as rowdy hell-raiser Billy Franklin, Don Shanks as tough Indian Jason Longshadow, Steve Antin as the jocular Hank Burke, Sharon Farrell as perky forensics expert Kathy Hopkins, Logan Clarke as racist jerk Jimmy, Michael Pataki as smarmy politician George Martin, Henry Wilcoxon as aged Native American Greyfeather, and Larry Storch as a bartender.
Melissa is new in town and already meeting men at the bar, even though she's just 15 - forget the title of the film - and taking one of them to make out in a Native American burial ground.
He soon gets stabbed and killed, turning the slasher conventions around.Sheriff Dan (Bo Hopkins, Uncle Sam) gets a call from Johnny's brother Billy and they search for him, finding no signs of foul play.
Then, the sheriff's daughter Marci (Dana Kimmell, Friday the 13th Part III) finds the body.
Sheriff Dan starts his investigation in earnest, looking into Melissa, as she was the last person to see Johnny alive.Everyone who gets close to her dies - like Tommy, a dude who just wants to hang out behind the bar with her.
Small town mystery with slasher elements.
It's a small town drama, a murder mystery of sorts, and it also contains a series of murder scenes which are straight out of a slasher film.
The film's backdrop of small-town bigotry and resentment is more interesting than the somewhat slow central story, but at least there are various familiar faces showing up here.Don Stroud does his bit alongside Dana Kimmell, making a small horror niche for herself with roles in this and Friday the 13th Part III in the space of a year.
The plot of "Sweet 16" is relatively simple:a beautiful young sixteen-year-old girl named Melissa is the center of male attention until all of her boyfriends are stabbed to death by unknown knife-wielding killer.A tough Native American is one of the suspects.I must admit that I expected more from this not very well-known slasher flick.The mystery element is pretty stagnate and there certainly isn't much slashing going on.The killings are rather bloodless and are mainly knife stabbings.The final plot twist is outlandish:the killer comes totally out of left field,but with the revelation comes a history of parental abuse,repression and psychosis.The nudity provided by Aleisa Shirley is a nice touch.A generous 6 out of 10. |
tt0045589 | The Caddy | The story centers around Harvey Miller (Jerry Lewis), whose father was a famous golf pro. He wanted Harvey to follow in his footsteps, but poor Harvey is afraid of crowds. Instead, at the advice of his fiancée Lisa (Barbara Bates), Harvey becomes a golf instructor. Lisa's brother Joe (Dean Martin) becomes Harvey's first client and becomes good enough to start playing in tournaments, with Harvey tagging along as his caddy. Donna Reed plays the wealthy socialite who Dean wins over.
Joe's success goes to his head and he begins to treat Harvey poorly. They begin to quarrel and cause a disruption at a tournament, so Joe is disqualified. However, a talent agent witnesses the comical spectacle and advises that they go into show business.
Harvey conquers his fear and they become successful entertainers. At the end, Harvey and Joe meet up with another comedy team who look just like them: Martin and Lewis! | flashback | train | wikipedia | When Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis split up in 1956, the consensus was that Jerry's comic talents would sustain his career, but that Dino would have a rough going.
Most critics did focus on Jerry's talents, Dean was the straight man who sang a nice song occasionally.
But of all their joint films, The Caddy is best remembered for Dean's singing of That's Amore.
It was nominated for an Oscar that year and until ten years or so later when Dino revived a song called Everybody Loves Somebody and made it his theme, That's Amore became the song most identified with the man from Steubenville, Ohio.Of course Jerry has his moments in The Caddy, clowning with the various golfers who made cameo appearances here, doing a comic obligato after Dean sings That's Amore and a number called The Gay Continental.
But That's Amore made this of all their films, Dean's triumph.In fact Dino had another great reason to enjoy this film.
If he wasn't involved in any of the scenes on a given day, you would find Martin on the links invariably.The plot such as it is involves Jerry Lewis as the son of a noted golf pro who also has an extreme case of stage fright.
Jerry is engaged to Barbara Bates who is Dean's sister.
Father Joseph Calleia is a commercial fisherman and mother Argentina Brunetti runs a restaurant, specializing in seafood and pasta.Jerry agrees to coach Dean and be his caddy.
I guess Joe and his brothers Vince and Dom must have been flattered because they didn't sue Paramount.Donna Reed plays the socialite sponsor of golf tournaments who falls big time for Dean.
And Jerry gets to have another straight man in this film in the person of Clinton Sundberg, Reed's snooty butler.
In fact Jerry gets even another substitute straight man in Fred Clark who is his and Bates's boss at the job they have at a department store.
Although to be fair, Lewis rehashed some material here the Marx Brothers originally used in The Big Store.The Caddy is one of the Martin-Lewis teams best and funniest comedies and if that don't get you, That's Amore will..
The Caddy is a Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis comedy film.
Also featured in the story are some leading professional golfers of the time.Middle tier Martin & Lewis movie that sticks rigidly to the formula that made them so popular.
Jerry causes mayhem but always endears in doing so, while Dean croons and catches the eye of the ladies.
Cue some goofing around on golf courses and chaos unbound as Jerry upsets the upper class toffs of society.
Cue carnage in a department store and chaos on the golf course.Dean sings the Oscar nominated "That's Amore," as well as "It's A Whistle In," "Kinda Mornin," "One Big Love" & "What Wouldcha Do Without Me?" Reed and Bates are pretty and adorable, and both play off of the boys with ease.
All of which builds to a fun double-take ending to seal the deal as The Caddy reaching its par on the course of Martin & Lewis movies.
How can you go wrong with Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Donna Reed and Ben Hogan all in the same film?!
The funniest of the Martin-Lewis pairings, with real-life players Sam Snead and Julius Boros adding to the goofy golf.
I have now re-watched all of the Martin & Lewis films and one thing I have noticed is how often Dean had to play characters who were complete louses.
This one finds Dean to be a bit of a jerk--though fortunately it's not nearly as bad in this one as in some of their other films and as a result it works a bit better.Jerry plays Harvey, the son of a pro golfer who is ALSO a heck of a player.
But when he meets his fiancée's brother, Joe (Dean), Harvey sees that Joe could be a pro himself--and with his help, Joe enters his first tournament.
"That's Amore" is the PERFECT tune for Dean's talents and you cannot help but love the song.
Pleasant viewing..
(Jerry Lewis) and Joe Anthony (Dean Martin) are two golfers and later Harvey becomes the caddy of Joe. But after causing a chaos at the big tournament their career as golfers is over and soon they find themselves from the world of entertainment.The Caddy (1953) is a great comedy from Norman Taurog.
It features the funny man and the king of comedy Jerry Lewis and the straight man Dean Martin.
Dean charmed the ladies and took care of singing and Jerry's job was to be the clown and make people laugh.
Those were the good times.In 1956 Lewis and Martin sadly broke up but they did just great on their own.
I've been a big fan of this comedian for five years, since they showed Lewis movies on TV in the summer of 1998.
Thanks for the laughs, Jerry Lewis!
The Caddy is a movie that offers you lots of laughs and also some great songs, like That's Amore.
It's been 50 years since this movie was made but Jerry Lewis movies don't age.
I love Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, and this film had to be one of the funniest, aside from Sailor Beware.
Martin and Lewis have a great chemistry that is so much fun to watch.
The Caddy was another enjoyable, though uneven, Martin & Lewis film.
Before I review The Caddy proper, let me just say that as a big fan of It's a Wonderful Life, I like to mention whenever players of that movie are in others I review.
Next, there's Argentina Brunetti-Mrs. Martini there-who's Dean Martin's mother here.
Okay, with that out of the way, I'll just say that with Dean & Jerry playing entertainers who were once golfer and caddy, respectively, there's some hilarious scenes of Lewis wrecking havoc at a department store, of impersonating an Important Rich Man, and of disrupting some famous golfers' games.
And Martin has an iconic moment when he sings a song that would be permanently identified with him: "That's Amore".
And not just him but Jerry and the whole family sings along to one of the most entertaining numbers on film ever.
What I didn't like was the way they have Dean treating Jerry like dirt in the middle of the movie and how dramatic that becomes at the expense of the mostly funny business that came before that.
And the leading lady Jerry has here is played by the stunning Barbara Bates.
Dean Martin was sure lucky too have Jerry Lewis with him he's a Great singer but an O.K actor especially in comedies.
This was the first Jerry Lewis movie i've ever seen and I'm happy I saw it cause now I want to see every single one So far i've seen The Caddy, The Bellboy, Hollywood or bust, The Nutty Professor, Family Jewels and Boeing, Boeing.
The Best part I find is when Jerry gets drunk at the party to stop Dean from drinking.
What contrasting views.
Perhaps in light of the fact that I became obsessed with the movies from the tender age of seven and was easy to please,I loved Martin and Lewis from the outset.
The songs are great .Dean does a smooth job of 'That's Amore' and 'You're The Right One' and his duets with Jerry are among their best.
I just can't be critical of Jerry Lewis when he still makes me laugh out loud,especially while being chased around the store by Fred Clark or when he hands over a tray of cocktails to an indignant guest.
''The Caddy" and "Living It Up" are my pick of the Martin and Lewis vehicles,probably because they contain their very best songs and feature Donna Reed and Janet Leigh..
The Caddy (1953) *** (out of 4) Joe Anthony (Dean Martin) and Harvey Miller (Jerry Lewis) are big stars on the stage but it wasn't always like that.
Before doing so the two men decide to try and win money playing golf since Miller at one time was great but just couldn't play in front of people.
Soon they begin to take off but things take a turn when Anthony becomes interested in a woman (Donna Reed).THE CADDY is another successful teaming between Martin and Lewis.
The film is certainly one of the better ones that the duo made together as there are plenty of nice laughs, a good supporting cast and then there's the soundtrack, which includes Martin's greatest hit "That's Amore." Apparently both Martin and Lewis were very goof golfers so I'm sure both were jumping at the chance to play around on the golf course and this here leads to a lot of fun.Some of the film's highlights include real life golfers who are used in the film and of course Lewis' crazy antics are there to mess everything up.
Reed and the supporting cast are fun as well.THE CADDY certainly isn't a flawless movie but there's enough charm and laughs to make it worth watching..
this was the first film of the famed martin and lewis team that i've seen.
A Martin-Lewis silly farce about two losers who are great at golf.
Trouble is that one (Lewis) can't shoot well in front of crowds so he becomes Martin's caddy and suffers many indignities along the way.Jerry Lewis does his usual shtick with great competence.
His scene of destroying a department store is so similar to that of a Marx Brothers film.Donna Reed, an Oscar winner the same year for "From Here to Eternity," is along for the ride as Martin's newly-found girl friend.
She was far better off in dramatic performances.Martin's sister is played by Barbara Bates.
You remember her as that girl from Erasmus Hall High School who hides out in Anne Baxter's apartment at the end of "All About Eve." After being in this silly nonsense, Bates should have taken the closest plane back to Flatbush and Church Ave. and resume Erasmus attendance.Martin nicely sings "That's Amore," which was nominated as best song.
Argentina Brunetti, who died in Dec. 2005 at 98, plays his mother.Fred Clark, who always tried to be serious but would come off funny, is victimized in this flick as the Department Store head knocked for a loop by Lewis.No hole in one for this flick.
Jerry Lewis's recyclable schtick (this time as Harvey Miller) as a 20-something virgin and all-round annoyance (with a pigeon-toed run and a decidedly gay streak, to boot) was not my idea of a funny character.I cannot understand how Lewis (and his totally grate-on-the-nerves screen-persona) became such a phenomenally popular comedian of movies, TV and stage for well over 20 years (from the 1950s through to the 1970s).To me, Jerry Lewis was just plain dumb and totally unfunny.And, in The Caddy, if Lewis's asininity wasn't irritating enough all on its own, his co-star, Dean Martin, was one of the blandest, most boring, most talentless actors/singers to ever emerge out of Tinseltown's woodwork.I am stunned beyond belief that this less-than-dynamic-duo of Lewis & Martin were a mega-popular comedy pair, going strong for close to a solid decade in movies together.To me, when it comes to comedy, Lewis & Martin were the absolute bottom of the barrel for laughs.
Even the dimwit antics of Abbott & Costello faired a helluva lot better than anything that these 2 did.Anyways - The Caddy's story (what there is of one) is so simple-minded that it can only be described as being nothing but pure brain-dead nonsense.Lewis plays Harvey Miller, a total golf-nut with serious performance anxiety.
This, of course, prevents Harvey from competing on the professional golf circuit and so he teaches his bosom buddy, Joe Anthony, everything he knows about the game and together (with Harvey being Joe's caddy) they go and beat the pants off of every other golfer entered at the all-important Monterey Golf Tournament.
A Martin and Lewis Movie
but Don't Tell Jerry.
It May be Hard to Believe Revisiting Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Today, as a Musical-Comedy Team They were Once Considered the Cream of 1950's Entertainment.
It is Possible that if Lewis could have just let Things Unfold Naturally with the Strengths of the Two, They could have been even More Respected Critically, Better Remembered, and Possibly the Act would have Stayed Together Much Longer.But Jerry Lewis could Not Help Himself.
The Fat Man Yucking it Up at Jerry in Every Turn is a Prime Example of the Self Congratulatory Lewis..
One of the best of the Martin & Lewis films.
This has always been my favorite of the Martin & Lewis films.
It just all comes together, and whether you prefer Dean (as I do) or Jerry, there's something for everyone.The film starts at the Paramount Theater in New York, where actual footage of the crowds outside the Paramount to see Martin & Lewis is used.
From there we see Dean as the young man who gets away from the fishing business his father runs in San Francisco.
A party ensues and Dean sings one of his signature songs -- "That's Amore".
Troubles begin when Dean enters a local golf tournament...and begins rubbing elbows with the upper class, while Jerry (as caddy) is relegated into the background.
Meanwhile, at a country club affair, Dean sings one of his best movie ballads to date -- "You're The Right One" -- to his love interest -- Donna Reed (surprisingly, this film followed her performance in "From Here To Eternity").
And then it comes down to the big golf tournament!
It's all great fun.Dean Martin is very comfortable here, and why not...he was Italian (as the role called for) and played golf.
Joseph Calleia as Dean's papa is fine, as are the rest of the supporting cast.Highly recommended as one of Martin & Lewis' early films..
Full of laughs for Martin and Lewis fans, also see golf legends.
Directed by Norman Taurog, with a story by Danny Arnold, who also wrote the screenplay with Edmund Hartmann, this Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin comedy is full of laughs especially if you like Lewis's antics: his many voices and physical humor.
The cast also includes Donna Reed, Barbara Bates, Joseph Calleia, Fred Clark, Clinton Sundberg, Marjorie Gateson, and Romo Vincent (among others).The story is pretty straightforward, and is aided by a plot device or two, to enable the headlining duo to show their stuff: Martin plays a suave character who's a natural golfer and terrific singer (in fact, this is the film in which he first sings his signature song, "That's Amore", which was nominated for an Academy Award); Lewis plays Martin's doormat and "brother-in-law to be", who always finds himself in odd, funny situations.
Reed plays Martin's country club gal, Bates plays Lewis's fiancée.
Clark plays the latest boss to fire Lewis's character.
Vincent plays the boys' agent, who discovers their real talent doesn't lie on the links.The film opens with Joe Anthony (Martin) and Harvey Miller Jr.
(Lewis) looking out their window to their adoring fans; apparently, they're a comedy pair much like Martin & Lewis.
Over the years he worked in various sport related jobs, but gets fired from his latest by Mr. Baxter (Clark), whom he's dubbed Old Skinhead, when he takes his fiancée Lisa (Bates) to see Ben Hogan play in a tournament.
Joe's Papa (Calleia) is a fisherman, but Joe gets seasick so he hits the road and does various odd jobs himself until he finally returns home to find his sister Lisa is engaged to Harvey, who's just started to work as a golf tutor.
After a couple of scenes during which each lead gets to exhibit their talents (Martin sings while Lewis does slapstick "gags", the latter attracting the attention of a laughing rotund Eddie), and Joe wins the tournament, he's invited to stay at Kathy's before the big $10,000 tournament while Harvey follows in a truck full of livestock with his golf clubs.
By this time, Joe has adjusted quite well to the good life, and treating Harvey as a servant.
But eventually he returns with great fanfare to the big tournament and mayhem abounds at the golf course ...
There's a brief mistaken identity gag at the end - Kathy and Lisa mistake (the real) Martin & Lewis for Joe and Harvey..
I am not a Martin and Lewis fan, but to my surprise I enjoyed watching the Paramount DVD of this entry.
Jerry does his best to upstage Dean not only at every opportunity, but you get the impression that he is actually making some of these opportunities himself, and knowing director Norman Taurog as well as I do, I would definitely say that Taurog would have certainly encouraged Lewis in this endeavor so long as it didn't delay production!
No wonder Dean decided that a little Jerry goes more than a long way.
Of course, if you're a golf fan you'll enjoy seeing some of the greats on the screen.
You'll love Jerry and Dean in The Caddy.
In some Martin/Lewis movies, Jerry is the one that is hard to take but in this one - it is Dean.
Dean Martin is a total schmuck through MOST of it.
*Spoiler* Jerry is his future brother-in-law and friend, acting as caddy.
He is supposed to help Dean win and then the winnings, when they appear, will benefit the whole family (Jerry then being a part) but Dean meets Donna Reed (AKA money).
He appears smitten by the 'good life' and doesn't want to admit to her that he isn't rich, like most of the golfer set, and admit to her too that Jerry is his friend.
And oh, the reviewer who complained about Jerry's horning in on Dean's songs ...
Their movies were, after all, made to make money and Jerry's shenanigans were very popular.
Jerry Lewis does have huge ego (to this very day and I am, by no means, a fan) but it really was Dean's idea to end the partnership and there are always two sides to every story. |
tt0095296 | Hero and the Terror | Danny O'Brien (Chuck Norris) is a cop who likes to work alone that never waits for his back up. In L.A. he is trying to apprehend the notorious Simon Moon (Jack O'Halloran), also known as The Terror. Simon has been killing women by snapping their necks and taking them to his lair in an abandoned movie theater. O'Brien is attacked by Simon who almost kills him in the struggle. When the killer flees the scene and climbs up a ladder he slips and falls, knocking himself unconscious. When the backup arrives they think O'Brien caught The Terror and the people of L.A. call him "Hero". Simon is then arrested and taken to jail.
When Dr. Highwater (Billy Drago) goes to visit Simon he escapes by cutting through the bars of his cell. He then steals a laundry van by push starting it but loses control and falls straight down into a cliff face. When the media hears about this they pronounce Simon dead and the people of L.A. are relieved.
Three years later the murders start back up again and O'Brien thinks it's The Terror. He eventually finds where his lair is and heads in to confront Simon himself. He encounters an enclosed room not on the map and heads in. In there he finds the bodies of The Terror's victims and starts searching around for him. Simon jumps out and attacks him and Danny tries to fight him off. O'Brien eventually kills The Terror and the film ends, as he marries his girlfriend who gave birth to their daughter. | good versus evil, violence, revenge, humor, suspenseful | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0119896 | Picture Perfect | Kate (Jennifer Aniston) is struggling in the advertising business in New York City: she cannot move forward despite her talent. Her boss, Mr. Mercer (Kevin Dunn), passes her up for a promotion because she is "not stable enough". Her co-worker, Darcy (Illeana Douglas), invents a story claiming Kate is engaged to Nick (Jay Mohr), a freelance videographer who lives in Massachusetts, with whom Kate had her picture taken during a friend's wedding
All seems to work out well for Kate. After Nick saves a little girl from a fire and winds up in the news, Kate is forced to bring her alleged fiancé to dinner with Mercer and his wife. She asks Nick to "break up" with her. Nick, who already likes Kate, complies to please Kate. Meanwhile, Sam (Kevin Bacon), a colleague that Kate had always wanted, takes notice of her. They have sex twice.
As Kate and Nick get to know each other, she starts to like him. The night of the dinner arrives and Kate and Nick are prepared for their "big fight". But, Nick tries to suppress the "fight" by complimenting her and expressing the desire for a future with Kate. However, Kate just wants the "fight" to happen. At the dinner table, Kate tries to drive Nick into a fight but it doesn't work. She pays a restaurant employee to call her number and tries to make it seem like Nick is having an affair with an ex-girlfriend. At first Nick is a bit lost but figures it out and finally plays along.
After a week, feeling guilty, Kate admits to Mercer (and several co-workers) her cover-up, stating that she was dressing for the job she wanted, repeating a line that Mercer had used on her earlier regarding her instability. Mercer pays a visit to Kate's office, where she tells him she's quitting. Mercer counters by admitting to her how he exaggerated his own past at one point in his life, as well as suggests she take a few days off to go to Massachusetts and patch things up with Nick. Mercer let her keep her job as an ad exec.
Kate walks in while Nick is recording a wedding and he rebuffs her attempts to patch things up until she humiliates herself in front of the soon-to-be-married couple, as Nick did in front of her boss earlier. Satisfied that the playing field has been leveled, he invites her to the wedding reception as his guest. They make up after Kate accepts. | romantic | train | wikipedia | I only saw this film because of Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Aniston both being in it.
She ends up winning the affections of a man she has a crush on in her office (Bacon), but then Nick begins to actually fall in love with her.The title derives from the fact that she works at a picture agency, and that's where a lot of the film's scenes take place.
Don't dismiss this as an expanded version of the TV series Jennifer is in, she's what she is, yet she fits into this story so well, playing opposite Jay Mohr and Kevin Bacon, with Ileanna Douglas as her best friend and Olympia Dukakis as her mom it's Jennifer Aniston perfect.The heart may not be evident in the beginning, especially with Jennifer's central character, but hang in there, heart becomes more and more ever present as you follow the story closely.
I remember I liked the movie in general and that Jay Mohr gave a very good performance he's just as becoming as Jennifer is.
They do seem like a perfect pair.This could be a date movie: especially for a single young woman with career ambitions (here it is in advertising), who thinks she can be self-sufficient without any ties or warmth from others, including mom.
The acting by Jennifer Aniston and John Mohr was very good, and the film gives an overall positive message for us all (Hollywood style, but it feels great).
Jennifer Aniston is not really her Rachel from Friends but she comes close in Picture Perfect as Cate.
I like her in Friends and I think because of that I liked her in this film.The story is even more predictable than movies as Notting Hill and Addicted to love, but I did like it.
It is simple, it makes you feel good, there's no real bad guy or girl, there is some chemistry and we all know it will end very happy.You can like Aniston here, or may be you don´t because she is too much Rachel.
Kevin Bacon was a little disappointing in a role that might be too easy for him and you will like Jay Mohr.
I enjoy the romantic comedy genre, so I gave it a shot.I won't say that Picture Perfect was completely awful because I did watch it all the way through.
Enough said.Kate's boss only shows his female staff respect based on whether or not they are "stable", which in this case is determined by whether or not Kate is showing signs that she's in a committed relationship.Kate's friend encourages her to lie and cheat in order to fool her boss into thinking she's "stable".Kate's mom is portrayed as an overbearing mother whose self-worth depends on the constant reassurance that her daughter cares about her.Kate's other work colleagues are portrayed as gossip-mongering and thoughtless.Don't be tempted to watch this.
Part of that is due to the fact that everyone in the cast is likable, particularly Jennifer Anniston, who I'm not a big fan of, and Jay Mohr, who I like but aside from JERRY MAGUIRE haven't seen much of.
However, if you enjoy charming little movies this will probably appeal and the characters add to the charm of the movie, and were "perfectly" played by Jennifer Aniston, who seems to excel at the quirky working girl, and Jay Mohr as Nick, who gave a convincing performance of the "geeky" but kind hearted soul.
PICTURE PERFECT is truly a bit of fluff, a story that has been posed many times before in other successful date movies, a movie that would easily be dismissed were it not for the reminder that Jennifer Aniston has a finely honed sense of comic timing that keeps her in the top of the league for actresses in this metre today.Aniston plays a career conscious young woman who hires a wedding photographer to pose as her boyfriend in order to test the interest of a man who has caught her eye and demonstrate to her company her degree of commitment to her job.
The cast includes the under-used Jay Mohr, a wasted role for Kevin Bacon, and only slight nods to the talents of actors such as Olympia Dukakis and Illeana Douglas.
Picture Perfect is my favourite Jennifer Aniston movie.
Still, even though not many of them do very well on release, (That will change soon though.) she still does a good job in all of them, including this one.Picture Perfect is about Kate, (Jennifer Aniston.) a woman who really can't find love.
One day Kate is at a friends wedding and she meets Nick (Jay Mohr.) who is there to film the wedding.
Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Bacon and Jay Mohr are all great here too.
Jay Mohr turns in a very likable performance as Nick and Kevin Bacon charms the audience in a lesser role.
A high grade supporting cast adds to the pleasure of this, Olympia Dukakis is a delight as Jennifer's brassy mom, the always dependable Ileana Douglas fun as her friend, Kevin Bacon has a snarky charm as the office gigolo and Kevin Dunn offers a nice turn as her boss..
Take nice-looking characters and direct them in super slo-mo, and you have "Picture Perfect." Some of the scenes--e.g., the one in the restaurant to meet Kate's fiancé--might have been funny, but the leaden direction turned them deadly dull.
Also, Jennifer Aniston & The Ever-Amazing Kevin Bacon give spirited performances.'Picture Perfect' Synopsis: Kate is working on a career at Mercer Advertising but is passed up for promotion because she's not stable enough, still being single and having no ties to the company.
A story is made up about her being engaged to Nick, a guy whom she just met at a friend's wedding, and all seems to work out well for Kate.
Glenn Gordon Caron's Direction is good.As mentioned before, Jennifer Aniston & The Ever-Amazing Kevin Bacon give spirited performances.
Jennifer Aniston appears to have quite successfully lost the friends tag with this film, and pulls off a successful performance opposite Kevin Bacon's cool support.
Desperately-single advertising employee, who apparently lands all the biggest accounts for the firm based on her sheer talent and drive, is passed over for a promotion because she lives her life like "a college student"; her gal-pal invents a fiancée for her friend, but soon this unkissed honeybunch has to pony up her non-existent boyfriend for a big dinner with the boss.
Jennifer Aniston struggles with creating a character out of absolutely nothing; she has a few nice, quiet moments, but her big scenes fall flat because the writing and directing are so bad.
Jay Mohr, as a video-photographer for weddings, probably comes off the best here, even though there are no romantic sparks between him and Aniston (they seem more like brother and sister).
Once again, Illeana Douglas is wasted in a second-banana role (she begins the movie calling the shots but then simply evaporates); Kevin Bacon has it even worse in a himbo role (and his long hair looks really unprofessional for an account executive in New York City!).
Picture perfect is the kind of movie that can be watched no matter what mood or frame of mind you happen to be in.
You simply have to put aside the serious side of your life for an hour and half and join the characters in a charming story of love, life and success!Jennifer Aniston puts in a convincing performance as the independent and determined Kate Mosley, and Jay Mohr plays the sweet and lovable Nick.
I have now seen it many, many times and it still captures my imagination and my heart.Contrary to popular belief - you don't have to be a slushy romantic at heart or even a Jennifer Aniston fan to enjoy this movie.
In 2005 a new film much like this one came out called "The Wedding Date" and I was disappointed in it, because they stole "Picture Perfect's" storyline.
But I still liked it - this is possibly due to the fact I'm a sucker for romance (and awwwww Jay Mohr's character is soooo sweet!) and I like Jennifer Aniston (but what is going on with her clothes and make-up in this film?!).
Picture Perfect Not Bad. Jennifer Aniston makes her debut as a bona-fide leading lady in Picture Perfect, in which she plays a talented and charming advertising director named Kate Mosley -- and I do mean charming!
On top of everything else, Kate, tired of dating an endless stream of losers, falls for bad-boy co-worker Sam Mayfair (Kevin Bacon), who unfortunately only dates `unavailable' woman and finds Kate `too nice.'Her colleague Darcy O'Neal (Illeana Douglas) invents a fictional fiancee for Kate based on a silly, random photo taken with a Bostonian named Nick (Jerry McGuire's Jay Mohr) at a wedding the week before.
We, the audience, are forced to root for Joe Ordinary (Mohr) over Joe Cool (Bacon), knowing that his hapless, hayseed schtick is probably three yawns too tired for a city-slicker like Aniston's character.
Whilst Kevin Bacon's character lacked substance, Jay Mohr created a guy, that even I fell in love with.
For some reason I really liked this movie because if you put yourself in Jennifer Aniston's shoes you start to get the goose bumps.
I thought that Jay Mohr was lovable and makes you want to take him home to your mom.The only thing that bothered me was Jennifer Aniston's character's name.
Hopefully she'll make the switch before her cleaving re-arranging affectations becomes sad and tired rather than cute and winning.Kevin Bacon either read a different script than the one they actually used, or he owed big money to the wrong people, because he's badly underused in this film.
Watching a young Jenifer Aniston is always amazing, but in this movie she portrayed her character Kate very well.
At the height of her 'Friends' success, this film really is nothing more than a showcase for Jennifer Aniston to launch herself on the big screen.So we get to see her play sexy, adorably goofy, straight talking - at times it feels like this is her show reel for future directors to see.
While 1997's "Picture Perfect" wasn't Jennifer Aniston's first movie, it was her first starring role.
Her best friend (Illeana Douglas) encourages her to fake an engagement to a guy she barely knows from Boston, Nick (Jay Mohr), and then stage a break-up after she gets promoted.
Meanwhile, Kevin Bacon lurks in the background as the office lothario.Jennifer proves that she has what it takes to carry a major film, no sweat; it's just that the movie in question is mediocre.
In Picture Perfect Jennifer Aniston is Kate working in an ad agency with a thing for work colleague Kevin Bacon, who only goes out for women with commitments such as being married in order to avoid commitments himself.One day Kate's friend tells everyone at the office that Kate is engaged to Jay Mohr in order to get promotion at work.
Jay is a photographer she met earlier at a wedding and now she needs to convince him to pretend to be her fiancé.Over time Jay falls for her although once she is seen to be attached Kevin Bacon finally makes a mover for her.There is a horrible odour of deceit in the plotting of this film.
Both Bacon and Aniston play nasty, self centred people with only Jay Mohr playing a decent character and he is the only one who uplifts the film thanks to the actors subtle and sincere performance..
- knew I was in for one of those 'bog-standard' americanized ham-fisted attempts at romantic comedy
and in that respect I wasn't disappointed.I have never been over-awed with Jennifer Aniston - yes, I don't deny she is attractive and appealing - but her on-screen performances always leave me non-plussed; she is invariably agreeable and wants to be 'likeable' and maybe it is that "desire to please" that I find objectionable?
Kate (Jennifer Aniston) works in advertising but can't really progress in her job because everybody else has a nice stable marriage and a house of their own, and she's unlucky in love and still staying with her mother.
It impresses her colleagues and bags her Sam. Kate pays Nick to pose as her fictitious man but her plan gets screwed up a little when he falls in love with her.I know that the advertising industry might be concerned with the 'image' of employees but I doubt that they would imply that being single and living with your mother meant that you had no career path.
Kevin Bacon is actually quite good as Sam- and he makes a nice bit of eye candy, of course (though the hair is BAD).
It starts off as lightly amusing but this is abandoned for a more serious romantic tone (it's rather depressing in places as well), which spoils the fun a little, seeing as both Bacon and Aniston show that they could have handled a rom-com script.
I saw this as the sunday night movie and switched it on to see my favourite 'friend' jennifer aniston.Picture perfect is perhaps more of a chick-flick (a romantic comedy), but I guess most guys would find it bareable.
A lighthearted movie, the story opens with Jennifer Aniston (as Kate Mosley) making out on the couch with a date.
To further secure her position at the agency, Kate is thrown at the deep end by her well-meaning though slightly pretentious friend Darcy; also a colleague at work, who lets slip that Kate is engaged (when she isn't even seeing anyone!) Kate works overtime trying to convince her superiors at work that she is the right person for the job, whilst at the same time 'dressing for the part' by parading around Nick (a guy she met at a friend's wedding for barely an hour or two) played by Jay Mohr, as her fiance.
Very much in the mold of 'Friends" stars' movies, Picture Perfect can best be described as cute but forgettable.
Jay Mohr(who I am a fairly big fan of, and because of whom I watched the film at all) does very good, as usual.
Jennifer Aniston carries the movie, but everyone is good.
Mom (Olympia Dukakis), Nick (Jay Mohr), and Sam (Kevin Bacon) are especially good in their roles.
It follows a very basic plot, with no twists but does so in a fun way.Sitting down to watch this on video my wife and I predicted the plot from the first few minutes, and so could focus on the way the portrayal of the characters happened.There is actually very little character development in this film, nice girl, good guy, bad guy, boss who ain't so bad by the end.
I think that Jennifer Aniston did a great job in this movie and that she is one of the greatest actresses EVER!
Jennifer Aniston is more than capable of pulling off the role required of her here - a character in the style favoured by many romcoms as their central figure, pretty and nice enough but a little self-centred, ready for the lesson in life that leads them into the happy relationship at the end.
If you are a big fan of Kevin Bacon,(Sam Mayfair),"Apollo13",'95, and Jennifer Anniston,(Kate Mosley),"Leprechaun",'93 you will certainly enjoy this very amusing and entertaining film about Kate Mosley who apparently has the hots for two men in her life and plays the real sexy role with both of them.
Jennifer Anniston put her heart and soul into this film and Kevin Bacon was a great supporting actor.
Jennifer Aniston plays Kate Mosley, who works in an ad agency.
'Picture Perfect' is a simple comedy that is somewhat entertaining, but nothing to brag about.Jennifer Aniston is a good actress.
A prop to help her get what she wants.What she wants is to sleep with a serial womaniser, to get promotion and higher pay and that's about it really.Then when she gets them she decides they aren't as shiny as she thought they'd be and wants the 'thing/stranger/wedding guy' to be her permanent plaything instead.She still has no idea about him as a person other than he took the time to get to know her (and for some incomprehensible reason given her behaviour and lack of any redeeming characteristics) and bought her a watch to replace one she lost as a child.Yet based on this tenuous reason she admits the subterfuge to her bosses and risks her job.
From director Glenn Gordon Caron, "Picture Perfect" is a predictable, everyday romantic comedy that is lifted above the drudgery by the movie's bright cast alone.Jennifer Aniston is a fresh, enjoyable movie newcomer.
"Kate" (Jennifer Aniston) is a young, single and promising employee of an advertising company who is held back because the boss, "Mr. Mercer" (Kevin Dunn) doesn't believe that her current life situation is stable enough to keep her fully committed to working at the firm.
Basically at Mercer Advertising, single Kate Mosley (Jennifer Aniston) is trying to build up to a better career at the company, and even when suggesting a great and chosen idea for a campaign, isn't promoted.
The story may be predictable mostly, and even on the preposterous side, but Aniston (in her days of Friends' success) is likable, and it is a good-natured romantic comedy.
One of the most memorable things about the movie for me that I really like and remember to this day is the watch story.
One of the most interesting aspect of this movie is its allegory with the real Aniston as she is also so obsessed with her career and never would end up with a guy like Jay Mohr more like Brad Pitt, and dated tons of dead beats.
I got this movie because I'm a big Jennifer Aniston fan.
Picture Perfect (1997): Dir: Glenn Gordon Caron / Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, Kevin Bacon, Olympia Dukakis, Kevin Dunn: Romantic comedy about expectations fooled by false representations of self.
It stars Jennifer Aniston as an advertising executive who invents the picture perfect date in order to advance her career. |
tt3527166 | Set the Thames on Fire | Art is a down-on-his-luck lowlife pianist, whose life has stalled in a grief filled frozen moment – shipwrecked on the lonesome shore of his own life. Sal is a cracked pinball machine; full of energy, light and fun but out of control and dangerously chaotic. Having escaped from Bedlam Psychiatric Hospital, Sal is an easy-going, sweet natured imp of the perverse and agent of trouble.
The two boys meet whilst working as the help at a vile cocktail party for the rich and corrupt. The boys make a connection, finding refuge in each other – the only shipmates on a drunken boat, tossed about on a stormy London sea. At the cocktail party, the elegant and sophisticated Colette reads the dangerously paranoid Impresario’s tarot cards, predicting the demise of the old, bloated and corrupt. This sets in motion a series of strange events that may connect together like a great unseen plan, or may simply be the random coincidences of an uncaring universe.
The boys become caught up in the cogs as they turn, like two rats caught in the machinery of Big Ben, as the cogs drags them ever nearer a terrifying climax. A confrontation between two different natures – the Impresario’s relentless "progress" of greed and brutality, and the boys’ urge for freedom, friendship and beauty. And ever present in the background is the dark and powerful Thames – representing the forces of nature, chance and instinct – but who will it back in this battle of heart and imagination versus bestial brutality? | psychedelic, alternate reality | train | wikipedia | Unbelievably SAD. I saw it with half an eye on my work - couldn't bear to watch it. There's a moment, when an aging magician performs one last trick, which made me pause and almost cry, but otherwise all of the other characters were representatives of a world lost onto itself - the horrifying image of every man for himself, when the *beep* hits the fan. "As long as Iam alright". "And if I'm more than a little stupid or hope is just as good as an occasional free drink, then at least the monotony of slow death is broken". It's probably one of the most bleak movies I have seen due to its severe chill of coming death.its as a dying body with an almost dead heart in it, which only has one more trick it it... The rest is just on auto, because that how humans get through the day, and the ages.Sorry, people - its a vision, not a failure. This is: "Don't go down this way". Which is way too much message for good art, but effective in all of its bleakness.But REMARKABLE acting during this death of civilization. Sally Philips, Lily Loveless, Noel Fielding, Sadie Frost, Gerard Mcdermott, who make BIG of few lines. Its like a new generation to me, not being British. Tight fear, real insanity, comic vulgarity as in "everything is a (painful) laugh, when you're on a slow sinking ship".I give it 8/10. Because its so goddamn painful! Sorry, I just could not look it straight in the eyes. Thats me. Too much truth.. They come from dark clouds like rain Melancholy floods and that is all. Here's a spoiler-free review...This film challenges depiction, classification and genre placement. Visual poetry tending to depress the spirit.Sadness, endless sadness, melancholy longing; pain. Miserable, sickening, incoherent, absurd, extremely inspired nonsense. A Deliciously Dark Comedy - Needless to say, I love every damn bit of it!!!Don't watch this if you have a limited sphere of thinking. It's important that you understand what you're in for. If you can't sit through a film that requires exertion and intuitive thinking, you're best to just stay away and prevent people from bashing a great film. Some Movies with a comparable Surreal Mood or Atmosphere: The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz (2000) - Bunny and the Bull (2009) - Dark City (1998) - Erasehead (1977) - Bad Boy Bubby (1993) - Brazil (1985) - Skeletons (2010) - The Catechism Cataclysm (2011) - The City of the Lost Children (1995) - Tuvalu (1999) - Night Train (1999) - Naked Lunch (1991) - Voyeur (1986) - Delicatessen (1991) - Wat is it? (2005) - Rubin and Ed (1991) - Plan 10 from Outer Space (1995) - A Fantastic Fear of Everything (2012) - Turbo Kid (2015) - The Lobster (2015) - Combat Shock (1984) - The Chumscrubber (2005) - City of Ember (2008) - Street Trash (1987) The Mighty Boosh - TV Series (2003–2007) Flowers - TV Series (2016)Not a masterpiece by any means. But strong performances, solid acting and cinematic atmosphere accompanied with quiet sound of rain.An Amazing First Film - I hope the makers will keep making movies like this. In addition to profitable work.After watching this picture for the third time it's still growing on me!. Absolutely atrocious. From what I had seen about this movie, I was looking forward to it. It was a huge disappointment! Just exactly how did this excuse for a movie get to be rated at 7.4/10 as of October 6, 2016? I've just watched it. It was a real struggle to endure it all. The only way that this movie is rated as highly as it is must be because of false voting by those who seek to benefit from its release.This movie is absolutely dreadful. I'm not able to find anything positive within it that might redeem it. It really is the worst of the worst! If I could have rated this movie at zero, then that is what I would have done. Hence my giving it one star. Avoid it at all costs ..... unless you are some kind of movie masochist. |
tt0097880 | The Mighty Quinn | Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) is the chief of police on a small, unnamed Caribbean island (the novel was set on the fictional island of St. Caro). When Donald Pater, the millionaire owner of a luxury resort hotel, is found murdered, everyone assumes that the culprit is Maubee (Robert Townsend), a petty crook who also happens to be Quinn's best friend. Quinn doesn't believe it and clashes with the local bureaucracy: Thomas Elgin (James Fox), an arrogant political fixer, and the island's underqualified governor (Norman Beaton). Quinn's worries over the murder exacerbate his troubles at home; he is estranged from his wife, Lola (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and rarely has time to see his son.
Maubee eludes the police at every turn, even appearing personally to Xavier now and again, before running off. On one of these occasions, Quinn questions a witness afterward, who says that Maubee was carrying a "$10,000 bill. Trying to track down Maubee, Quinn questions Ubu Pearl (Esther Rolle), the local witch and aunt of Maubee's current girlfriend, Isola; and Hadley Elgin (Mimi Rogers), Thomas's wife, who feels a powerful attraction to Quinn. The governor also introduces Xavier to Fred Miller (M. Emmet Walsh), an affable American said to represent the murdered man's company.
The cause of Pater's death seems obvious: he was found floating in a Jacuzzi tub, decapitated. Against the governor's instructions, Quinn has the body autopsied by the elderly Dr. Raj (Keye Luke), who reports that Pater died of a venomous snake bite and was already dead when his head was cut off. Quinn notices a Latin man following him and stops to apprehend him. The man, Jose Patina (Alex Colon), claims to be on vacation, but Xavier finds he has also been questioning people around the island trying to find Maubee. Quinn questions Hadley about her encounter with Patina. She tries to seduce him, but he resists, and wanders to a bar where he entertains the crowd with a piano performance. Half drunk, Quinn is picked up by Maubee in a stolen car, and they spend a night on the beach when they remininsce. In the morning, Quinn wakes up to find Maubee gone, despite the handcuffs that he put on him.
When Patina is bailed out of jail, he confers with Miller in a seedy hotel. Miller tells him the "operation" is over, then kills Patina with a silenced pistol. Miller then goes to Ubu Pearl and demands that she tell him where Maubee is. When she refuses, he burns down her house, with her inside. Quinn eventually works out that Pater, a close associate of the U.S. President, brought stacks of $10,000 bills to the island to be picked up by Patina. The President wants to fund an anti-Communist revolution in Latin America, but Congress doesn't agree. The President is using discontinued currency that is still good but will not be missed from its storage in the U.S. Treasury. The murder messed up the plan, so the C.I.A. has sent Miller to retrieve the money and "plug up the holes."
Quinn tracks Maubee down at their childhood playground in an ancient ruin, where Maubee explains the rest of the mystery: Pater impregnated Isola when she was a maid at the hotel. Ubu Pearl demanded that Pater support the child. Pater laughed this off, and Isola was fired. Ubu Pearl instructed Isola to go to the hotel and leave a snake in Pater's room. Maubee snuck into the house to see Isola and, when he found out where she had gone, sped to the hotel but was too late. He arrived just as Pater was dying from the snakebite and saw the money in the suitcase. Maubee cut Pater's head off, put his body into the tub to try to conceal the real cause of death, and grabbed the money.
Miller arrives, having also found the hiding place, and holds the pair at gunpoint. Maubee hands over the money, and Miller departs in a helicopter. Insanely, Maubee runs out and grabs onto the helicopter as it lifts off over the ocean. Seeing him, Miller sticks his gun out the window and fires, and Quinn watches helplessly as his friend's body falls into the ocean. A snake hidden in the money sack slithers out and fatally bites the helicopter pilot. Miller struggles to regain control, but the chopper crashes into the old ruins and explodes, killing them both.
Grieved at the loss of his friend, Quinn returns home and reconciles with his wife. As he walks on the beach with his son, the camera pans down to show a line of bare footprints emerging from the water, leading to a rock with a $10,000 bill sitting on it. | murder | train | wikipedia | I can't stop watching this old movie because it's so much fun, the characters are so comfortable to be with, the locations are so relaxing, and Washington is, as always, a wonderful actor.Though it is not the high point of the movie, my favorite moment occurs when Quinn (Washington) loosens up, sits down at the piano, and begins an amusing rendition of "Cakewalk into Town." Unfortunately, others subvert his song into "The Mighty Quinn," disturbing the atmosphere somewhat, but that's all part of the plot.Quinn's "serious cop" is the straight man to another worthy character, Maubee (Robert Townsend), an impish rascal loved by everyone on the island."The Mighty Quinn" makes me want to go to the island and party with everyone there, but, alas, it's only a movie..
An outstanding and entertaining mystery with Denzel.
This is one of the most entertaining movies I've seen all year.
It takes place in a town on a carribean island not unlike Jamaica, and tells the story of a drifter named Maubee accussed of murder, and his best friend who happens to be the town sherrif.
The film may not be action-packed, or even contain a gripping plot, but I assure any readers this movie will not dissapoint you.
Denzel Washington is delightful as the sherrif trying to prove his friends innosennce, and Robert Townsend plays the down-and-out drifter Maubee, in an equaly pleasing role.
While the films premise may not initialy draw you in, its wonderful characters and colorful island setting will.
I never tire of watching this movie.
It is one of my favorites, and a great showcase for Denzel Washington.
He gets to be the cool-headed Chief of Police that takes no crap from the rich white folks and, at the same time, is the butt of jokes from his own people.The cast of characters all add to this interesting mystery set in Jamaica.
Robert Townsend shows his amazing versatility as the childhood friend of Washington and the chief suspect in a murder.
Mimi Rogers is just luscious as the philandering spouse of James Fox, the man who wants Washington to go away and stop doing his job.
But, the whole film has a continuous soundtrack of fantastic music that adds island charm to the laughs and seduction and fun.It is the next best thing to a trip to Jamaica..
"The Mighty Quinn" is one of those movies that isn't a masterpiece by any stretch, but is interesting for what it shows.
In this case, we get to see Jamaica, where sheriff Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) is investigating a murder and trying to clear his friend Maubee's (Robert Townsend) name.
Considering that it happens in the Caribbean, you know that there's got to be some great music.
Like I said, "The Mighty Quinn" isn't a great movie or anything, but it's interesting for what it shows.
Do you want to see Denzel's beautiful brown skin against an all white uniform?
Robert Townsend is great as the wily Maubee, Mimi Rogers is convincing as a damsel in distress and Sheryl Lee Ralph showcases her talents as both an actress and a singer.
But perhaps the best part of this movie, in my opinion, is Denzel's character Xavier.
But more that that it's the way he embodies a role so much so that by the end of the movie you can't tell him from smooth tongued Jamaican police officer that he's playing.
This is an easy movie to like.I love Maubee's mystery and his history with Xavier.
I love Xavier's uniform and his relationship with all islanders.Even when Maubee is tearing down the house, he has a smile on his face.
Even when Xavier forgets to pick up his son and finds him hours later, alone and in the dark, it's not the end of the world, the child is entertaining himself and he forgives his father - easily.These island inhabitants are comfortable to watch.
What my grandmother would have called "easy in their skin.""Don't you know this is a goin' down road?"I love that line.And I love a place that would designate a mountain road "a goin' down" road during certain parts of the day.Also, this rendition of Bob Dylan "Mighty Quinn" is the easiest version to my ears..
While this movie is far from perfect, it is a great afro-centric murder mystery set on a Caribbean island.
Relaxed -- very relaxed -- murder story, with Denzel Washington as a detective ordered to find and capture his friend so the murder can be rapidly cleared up and the tourist trade flow along liquidly.
Halfway through, Washington begins to believe that there is more to the case than meets the eye, and that his buddy will be no more than a scapegoat.Very nice location shooting in Jamaica.
If you like reggae, you will LOVE this film's score.
The more desperately seedy areas of Kingston are avoided, as they would be in one of Hitchcock's movies set in an exotic locale.
The viewpoint is that of the tourist used to saying in nice hotels, the kind with jacuzzis but no venomous snakes.Denzel Washington handles the accent pretty well without quite shedding his own phones.
Everyone seems to be enjoying himself, as if on vacation.The movie is rather good-natured considering the plot.
It's not a bad flick if you're prepared to let it take you by the hand and lead you along the colorful streets, pointing out sites of interest, suggesting you taste the jerky and try one of those pink drinks in a tall glass with a flower and a paper umbrella sticking out of it.
You ain't seen NOTHING like 'The Mighty Quinn'.
This is one excellent Denzel film.
He's a Caribbean cop investigating a murder that his childhood friend (Robert Townsend) may be implicated in.
The locales and the reggae music exude quite an atmosphere, and the supporting cast (Mimi Rogers, James Fox, M.
They don't make movies like this too often.
In fact, the movie takes so long to reach at wherever it's going that you may feel like dozing off on several occasions.
Denzel Washington, in this particular role, doesn't show enough star charisma to hold the picture; his co-star, Robert Townsend, steals the show as the cheerfully irresponsible "victim of circumstances".
Truly love this movie - it has a great location, wonderful music, and an all-star cast.
The Mighty Quinn brings me to "the islands".
This is a great movie to rent on a rainy day, and after you return head to the music store and get the soundtrack..
This is one of my favorite Denzel Washington movies of all times!
The cultural issues were also well portrayed for the time that this movie is set in.
You really have to be in an attentive state of mind to appreciate this movie and have some sort of respect for the history of martial arts and the depths of having to fight a battle that you don't want to fight, to the death, because you are standing up for morale.
I really liked this movie and I hate authority.
The authority figure is the main character, so decide for yourself if these things sound interesting enough to give this movie a chance..
Released in 1989, The Mighty Quinn is currently rated as Denzel Washington's 46th best movie (on IMDB).
Denzel plays Xavier Quinn, the police chief on a Caribbean island where some stereotypical eccentricities are maybe rather over-emphasised.
The powers that be seem rather too keen to close down the investigation fast and pin the blame on Maubee - a colourful ne'er-do-well who was also Quinn's childhood friend.
A role that gives Robert Townsend plenty of scope to enjoy himself.
Denzel is still easy to watch and it's a gently diverting classic murder mystery set in a colourful community and beautiful scenery.
This May Be One Of Denzel Washington's Worst Movies!.
You will surely laugh at the awful singing when you watch this movie!
I was so annoyed with Denzel Washington, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Robert Townsend's phony Jamaican accents!
Denzel Washington cannot sing!
Washington plays a very low keyed Island cop who has a murder and some wealthy people to deal with if he wants to solve it.
Washington plays a very low keyed Island cop who has a murder and some wealthy people to deal with if he wants to solve it.
Excellent support cast led by Walsh and Townsend make this a very good and underrated film..
Excellent support cast led by Walsh and Townsend make this a very good and underrated film..
A good movie.
Denzel Washington was excellent.
The film is full of interesting, quirky characters and some great dialogue as well.
This is one of those movies that's so awkwardly bad that it's almost entertaining to watch, ALMOST!!!
A wealthy white resort owner is found dead in his hotel on the island of Jamaica.
When Chief Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) investigates he's met with resistance and simply told to find Maubee (Robert Townsend).
Quinn, not willing to simply turn away, pursues the investigation further much to the disapproval of the governor as well as Elgin (James Fox), another white bigwig.Based upon the book "Finding Maubee", it's an intriguing murder mystery with a Jamaican flare.
The movie primarily follows Quinn through his surreptitious investigation as well as his family and woman troubles.
The movie is easy to watch, easy to follow, plus you get to hear Denzel do his best Jamaican impression..
Plenty of action and great acting sums up this masterpiece in movie history.
Denzel Washington had a believable accent and very cool scenes.
The fact that almost everyone in this movie were American actors playing Jamaican roles really made this movie what it is.
The mystery made this movie a thrill ride and plenty of beautiful scenery.
Robert Townsend gave this movie the bonus of comedy and the huge manhunt going to find him.
Denzel Washington makes want to watch this movie over and over again in some of the dazzling action scenes and the great Jamaican signing..
Great movie!.
Great movie!.
This movie gives me a warm fuzzy feeling and I recommend that anyone that just wants to relax and watch Denzel Washington look awesome and enjoy a 1980s mystery this is it.
Always enjoy the great acting of Denzel Washington, who plays the role as Xavier Quinn, police chief in the Jamaican community and is very serious trying to uphold the law and order.
Robert Townsend,(Maubee) plays the role of a carefree individual who does just what he pleases and mostly the wrong side of the law and is constantly laughing at strait laced Xavier Quinn.
James Fox, (Thomas Elgin) and Mimi Rogers, (Hadley Elgin) give great supporting roles.
This is not exactly the greatest film but with the great talents of Robert Townsend and Denzel Washington it is a worthwhile film to view and enjoy..
Denzel as Jamaican is kinda fun.
Police chief Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) on a Caribbean island investigates the murder of wealthy Donald Pater.
His childhood friend petty criminal Maubee (Robert Townsend) is the main suspect with a briefcase full of money.
Quinn doesn't buy Maubee's guilt and has a tougher time catching him.There is one memorable thing about this movie.
Denzel Washington doing a Jamaican accent.
I kind of like it all.As for the murder mystery, it doesn't really work that well.
The movie is filled with hard-boiled stereotype characters.
M. Emmet Walsh is playing a stereotype grizzled white guy living on the island.
I rather have Townsend as Washington's sidekick.
The best scene is when Townsend almost gets hit by Washington.
Washington is in desperate need of a sidekick to make this fun.
It's not a bad movie, but the island feel can only go so far..
Oh the song from Manfred Mann does cop a work out from time to time, but that's one of its many colourful elements as Denzel Washington stars as a police chief Quinn of a small Caribbean island who begins an investigation after the death of an American tourist in a resort.
The evidence leads to his shady childhood friend Maubee (an enigmatic Robert Townsend), which starts to cause a ripple within all levels of the island society.
However Quinn believes there's more to it, as there seems to be some sort of cover-up occurring and this means that its less likely his friend was involved.
Boasting a strong title, "The Mighty Quinn" is a humidly standard investigative thriller that examines human nature, but in doing so it feels a little too unfocused in its narrative structure by going off in many different paths.
There's a capable cast in James Fox, M Emmet Walsh, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Mimi Rogers and Art Evans, but they seem like in a holidaying mood.
As the title of my review states, I am Caucasian and rarely watch African-American flicks (most are comedies these days, and I am more of a drama and suspense fan).I am also not a huge fan of Denzel Washington - however, what I do love, is the country of Jamaica!!
The Jamaican people are so very different than the African American's that I know here in the US.
With that said, the accents in this movie left something to be desired.
(In fact, there were some "accents" that weren't even close to sounding Jamaican).But alas, I still enjoyed this movie.
The clothing and hair "styles" in Jamaica are very far behind the US, so perhaps that is why I didn't immediately guess the movie was as old as it was.
The cars/trucks are always quite old, as are the buildings (minus the new resorts that pop up).As many other reviewers have pointed out, the island feel in this movie is great.
I am a huge fan of reggae - and although I dislike musicals, they blended the music with the scenes very nicely.The obvious tropical backdrop, combined with the small beach shacks, the colorful residents and the busy little towns with dirt roads winding around the countryside is a great setting for a mystery.
All in all, I feel that the main character of this movie is the island itself.
Without the setting, this movie would not have worked whatsoever.
This is a great movie to watch on a cold winter day - it's a bit of an escape, and always has me counting down the days until my next visit to Jamaica.5/10.
According to Ebert, who gave this flick a whopping four stars, "...Quinn" is a "spy thriller, a buddy movie, a musical, a comedy and a picture that is wise about human nature." And, though the film may be a jack of all genres, it masters none.
Nonetheless, this film makes for solid entertainment with a Jamaican flavor worth a rental for Denzel fans.
Smooth and charming Police Chief Xavier Quinn (a fine and likable performance by Denzel Washington) has to search his Jamaican island beat for lovable local rascal and old childhood pal Maubee (a wonderfully engaging portrayal by Robert Townsend) in order to clear Maubee's name after he's accused of murder.
Capably directed with considerable flashy panache by Carl Schenkel, with a pleasantly casual pace, and a colorful and absorbing script by Hampton Fancher, further buoyed by an extremely catchy'n'bouncy reggae soundtrack, nice touches of wry humor, and a flavorsome Caribbean tropical setting, this film possesses a certain affable laid-back appeal that's impossible to either dislike or resist.
The strong cast helps a lot: Washington and especially Townsend excel in the lead roles, with fine support from James Fox as jerky rich resort owner Thomas Elgin, the lovely Mimi Rogers as Thomas' neglected and enticing wife Hadley, the always great M.
something halfway DIFFERENT from Hollywood's usual fare; Denzel plays a rather straight-laced Chief of Police of a Jamaica-like island and must track down his free-spirit childhood friend, Maubee, suspected of murder.
the best thing about this movie (to me) was its island locations and people, a great change of pace from the usual SoCal or New Yawk stuff.
the numerous musical interludes are excellent (and its great to watch a movie without the usual hip-hop or angst-metal).
watch this some night with 'Countryman' for a Caribbean Film Festival..
Chief Xavier Quinn is in charge of policing on a relaxed, unnamed Caribbean island.
Plenty of people are keen to point the finger of blame at Maubee, a local ne'er-do-well who was also a childhood friend of Quinn.
Quinn however is determined to properly investigate the case properly and as he does so he crosses paths with a Central American hit-man, a dodgy CIA operative and a case full of US $10,000 bills.If you are looking for a gritty cop drama then this isn't the film for you; however if you want a fun, fairly light mystery then you could do a lot worse.
The film nicely captures the feel of island life; all the locals appear to know each other, the pace of life is more relaxed, the scenery looks great and the sea inviting.
Denzel Washington does a solid job as Quinn, any time his accent slips slightly can be explained since we are told he spent three years in the US military and a year studying at Quantico.
Also notable are James Fox, who plays the obnoxious hotel owner; Mimi Rogers who plays his wife; M.
Robert Townsend is also great as the elusive Maubee, he steals every scene he is in as this larger than life character.
The film has a good soundtrack that adds to the Caribbean feel and some solid if mostly unspectacular action
not that it is the sort of film that demands lots of action.
"The Mighty Quinn", a weak thriller by director Carl Schenkel, stars Denzel Washington as a police chief on an unnamed Caribbean island.
This film, however, finds him adopting a poor Jamaican accent.
The film co-stars Mimi Rogers and Emmet Walsh.5/10 - For a better 1980s crime flick, see Ivan Passer's "Cutter's Way". |
tt1169841 | Return of Hanuman | Devas are ’busy’ in their Swarglok (heaven). Technology has crossed boundaries of earth and even non-mortal devas have become techno-geeks. They converse in Hinglish.
Hanuman sees a village boy who is bullied by local hooligans. He decides to help him but for that he has to take birth as a human. He decides to do so after managing some conditional understanding with Brahma. He appears on earth in a village named Bajrangpur from a priest and his wife as a human baby. What makes the reincarnated Hanuman different from other humans is that he has a tail and a huge appetite. The baby is christened "Maruti" by his mother. After Maruti is three months old, he takes admission in school. Thereafter, he teaches a lesson to local hooligans, Gabbarsingh and his gang.
Meanwhile, on planet Shukra, there is a fight between danavs and accidentally the Sarpdansh comes to Earth. Danavs come to Earth to search for it but they have to face Maruti. Maruti easily defeats Rahu and Ketu with the help of his army of monkeys that came to help him to get free from the hands of culprits (who caught him because he stole the mangoes from his garden). In order to stop Rahu and Ketu from covering the sun, Narada must remind Maruti that he is actually Hanuman. After Narada and Maruti met and signed a contract, Maruti became the more powerful Hanuman, with more godly powers. He also had a new appearance which he looks like child Hanuman from the film's predecessor. Then a monster made of polythene and other non-biodegradable waste appears from a volcano that was said to form when Sarpdansh merged with the Kamandal thrown by Shukracharya which coincidentally fell in the volcano in Bajrangpur. The monsters keeps on swallowing the villagers of Bajrangpur.After struggling to stop the monster, Hanuman asked help from God Ram. God Ram then said that when a blockage, which is seen in the end, is cleared then the monster (mainly made of plastic and other waste thrown by humans) will finish up. Hanuman did what Ram said, and the monster was defeated. Finally, Hanuman said his farewells to his family and friends and leaves Bajrangpur. | good versus evil | train | wikipedia | Bajrang Dude..... I recently discovered "Returns of Hanuman". Now I really regret that why didn't I watch it on big screen. And thats the reason that ROH didn't do well on box office cos we all missed it on silver screen. I am very much sure that ROH would be discovered by larger population in near future (and its becoming a trend with all Anurag Kashyap' movies).ROH is not a master piece but I will say it is a first brick in the wall. I hope this would inspire many others and soon we will watch our own high budget animation movie. Actually I got scared after watching Koi Mil Gaya, Krish etc. cos it was starting a wrong trend. But ROH breaks that notion and promises a bright future of intelligent Animation/SciFi movies.Though ROH is a sheer mimic show of bollywood, mythology, politics etc but still I found it fresh and creative. Movie has got nothing but a mind blowing pace. Script of ROH takes lots of pressure from other departments because of budget constraints and Anurag smartly handled it.Thanks Anurag!! Keep it up!!. a foreigners comment.... I see that only people from India has reviewed this movie yet, and generally, they all liked it. However, I am not from India, and I didn't like it much.I don't know if my opinion only a matter of cultural difference, or is there something beyond that, but i assume it's the later.When I saw it at the Animaton festival at Annecy, there were a tremendous hype around it. There was even a kind of wager about it. It seemed as the movie makers were really prod about their work, and wanted us to see them as the pioneers on Indian cartooning, which has (thanks to them) became a cultural force to reckon with...On the other hand, one of my friend told me, that this movie is beyond horrible, and I will leave the screening before the the film reaches it's half. ...Well, since I trust my friend more, than strangers at wagers, I had really bad expectations when I actually decided to watch this movie. ..but it wasn't all that bad! I wouldn't call it good, but I'v seen much worse! Unfortunately still, this movie is pretty bad, somewhat beyond mediocre. Don't forget that I'm talking from an European point of view, so there might be some cultural references I just didn't get. But there ARE some things you can measure to international values. I'm only gonna talk about those things.What did I expect when I went to the screening? A lush, exotic looking film, with a storyline that might make sense, but I surely wont understand due to major cultural differences. What did I get? A film that looks like crap, with an understandable plot which however doesn't make any sense.Really this film looks as it has been designed and animated by Jetix channel animators. And if you know Jetix, you know it has pretty low standards. This is just inexcusable in a full feature movie. The 2d and 3d parts doesn't blend well, the editing is boring and uninspired. That's especially true for the action sequences. I mean, come on!!! A matrix spoof in 2007 ?! And a so badly executed one! The character designs could also be better, they're generic, boring, and looks as if they were made for separate movies.The story consists from way too much story lines and characters, and none of them has enough time to develop properly. There is a little boy, who's getting his ass kicked by bullies, there is Hanuman, a monkey-looking god, who transforms into a little boy, to help out the earlier little boy, and later on they discover some mafia activity, and there is a war going on between heaven and hell, and there is some sort of a natural disaster at the end, due to pollution. Again, less would be much more. And all these lines trigger some totally unimportant characters with needless roles (for example, Ghandi makes a really out of place cameo. That's another problem, none of the puns and spoofs blend into the story well enough. At most of the jokes, I could almost feel the director nudging my side and winking at me saying: "hehe, good one! get it?") The story is followable, but falls apart due to the lack of a proper editor and scriptwriter, who should've CUT the movie heavily. If they'd have cut the majority of spoofs and at least two of the plot lines (or add two more to make it even wackier), this would be a really good family movie. I still say, there might be vast amounts of cultural reference I missed out, since I don't live in India. But that's exactly the point! I saw this movie in France, at an international animation festival! The movie makers seemed WAY too overconfident about the international release of their work. It falls short on international expectation. This is just not enough to make us notice Indian animation. It's not a bad start (way better than for example " a Fox's Tale " which were also made to international release, but flopped everywhere, with a good reason), and I'm really looking forward to upcoming Indian animated movies, but it's gonna be a long, and hard road until Indian animation reaches the level of international recognition.. The funny side of Hanuman.... The film begins with a disclaimer, stating that RETURN OF HANUMAN is not a sequel to any film made before. But is it really possible to watch the new experience forgetting all about the first part? As someone who thoroughly enjoyed HANUMAN, you expect an encore with RETURN OF HANUMAN, although the makers, for reasons best known to them, have decided to alienate the new film with the first animation film on Lord Hanuman. The makers may have their reasons, but for the viewer, the comparisons are inevitable. Write your own movie review of Return Of Hanuman Honestly speaking, one shouldn't compare the two films for a very valid reason. While HANUMAN was a pure mythological film, RETURN OF HANUMAN merges mythology with the present-day kalyug ki duniya. In this film, there's Gabbar Singh, plus voice-over clones of, hold your breath, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjeev Kumar and Raaj Kumar. What's more, Baby Hanuman handles a volley of bullets like Keanu Reeves handled them in the MATRIX series. RETURN OF HANUMAN begins with the battle between the gods and rakshas. The focus shifts to a small kid, Minku, in a small village in present-day India, who's ridiculed by his friends. Lord Hanuman requests Narad Muni to convince Lord Brahma to send him to earth. Lord Brahma agrees, but Lord Hanuman is made to sign a contract, which has several do's and don'ts. It's innovative to merge mythology with the contemporary and a number of sequences do make an impression, especially in the first hour. But the film drags in the post-interval portions and a long-drawn climax only dilutes the impact of several interesting sequences.. Mathology Meets Matrix. The movie starts on a note of matured Lord Hanuman seeing the well being of earth, and deciding to take avatar in regular human form. He is made to "sign a contract" by Lord Brahma, the creator, who let him go.The story had a pace in the beginning, with a mystery about the "other side of the wall", but later on, it died in the monotony of the plot in the later half.Even with a dragging second half, the movie has a freshness of concept and a right mix of modernity and mythology.The songs are not catchy though, but the scenes are impressive. This movie marks the start of CG era in India, with lots of fresh concepts.This movie gives a message about pollution control in the end, which sounds a bit out of place, but could have been improvised.Bottomline: Watchable movie |
tt0276501 | Shiqi sui de dan che | Guei (played by Cui Lin) is a seventeen-year-old country boy who came to Beijing to make a living. Along with a number of other boys from the country, Guei finds employment with a courier company, which assigns them brand-new bicycles for use in their deliveries. The company manager (Xie Jian) announces to them that since the bicycles do not yet belong to them, they will only earn twenty percent of the commission. But once they have made enough deliveries to earn the bicycles, their share will be raised to fifty percent. Within two months Guei has made enough to earn his bicycle. However, on the day that Guei is due to take over the ownership, the bicycle is stolen while he is picking up a document. The manager fires Guei for neglecting to deliver the package, but, upon the latter's pleas, agrees to take him back if he succeeds in recovering his bicycle.
At the other end of the city, Jian (Li Bin) is a seventeen-year-old schoolboy who longs for a bicycle of his own so he can ride with Xiao (Gao Yuanyuan), the girl he fancies. His hopes are dashed when his father (Zhao Yiwei) delays buying a bicycle for him yet again so that his younger stepsister Rong Rong (Zhou Fanfei) can go to a prestigious school. This frustrates Jian, who steals some money from his family and pays 500 yuan to a second-hand dealer for a bicycle—the one that used to belong to Guei.
Meanwhile, the stubborn Guei embarks on a search for his bicycle. By chance, his friend Mantis (Liu Lei) spots Jian with the bicycle. Guei tries to make off with the bicycle but is stopped by Jian and his gang of schoolboys. The determined Guei follows Jian home and steals back the bicycle from where Jian hides it. The manager keeps his promise and takes Guei back. However, when Guei shows up at the courier company on another day, he finds Jian and his gang waiting for him. He tries to escape but the gang chases him down and, after giving him a beating, forcibly re-takes the bicycle.
When Jian returns home, he finds his father waiting for him at the door, along with Guei. Thinking that his son was the bicycle thief, the enraged father gives Jian a rapping and lets Guei take his bicycle. However, Jian and his gang track down Guei again the next day and after long hours of negotiation, the two sides reach a pact: Guei and Jian are to share the bicycle, each entitled to the use of it on alternate days. This arrangement persists for some days until Jian finds out that Xiao has fallen for Da Huan (Li Shuang), a bicycle freestylist. Jian hits his rival with a brick and rides off.
At their usual meeting place, Jian hands the bicycle to Guei and tells the latter that he does not need it any more. Meanwhile, Da Huan, along with his gang, comes after Jian on their bikes. Jian and Guei make off together but are cornered by Da Huan and his gang, who give both of them a serious beating. As the gang leaves, one member stays behind to wreck Guei's bicycle. In a rare burst of rage, Guei picks up a brick and smashes the head of his attacker, who collapses. Carrying his battered bicycle on his shoulder, Guei walks back alone. | bleak, realism | train | wikipedia | Beijing Bicycle, on the other hand, can serve as an instructional manual for any high-school bully wannabes on how to reduce the stammering geek next door to a shell of a man.It's therefore understandable that the movie can be very difficult to watch at moments.
Beijing Bicycle by Sixth Generation director Wang Xiaoshuai is an unsettling look at modern China in transition that depicts the relationship between two young men of different social status, both yearning for acceptance and stubbornly determined to succeed.
Guei (Cui Lin) is an unexpressive working class 17-year old who has come to Beijing to find work, while Jian (Li Bin), is a sophisticated middle-class student, desperate to belong, seeking approval from his biker friends and his beautiful girlfriend Gin (Zhao Yiwel).
The film explores the consequences when Guei's bicycle is stolen and ends up in Jian's hands.
The film is about the bicycle but is also about the city of Beijing.
With an original score by Felix Wang and magnificent cinematography by Jie Liu, the city comes alive with streets littered with traffic juxtaposed with mysterious alleys where old men play board games or do Tai Chi. Wang adds the little touches as well such as two friends sharing a toothbrush and a single spigot of water in an alley serving an entire neighborhood.Like De Sica's The Bicycle Thief, the stolen bicycle is central to the story, but here it is not about the hunt but about the consequences that follow from its recovery.
A poor man, having recently come to the city from the country, wins a job at a bicycle courier business, and, on a delivery, gets his bike stolen.
The two characters are compared and contrasted, and it works as an effective class study.The direction and editing are particularly great in the film.
For him, obtaining a position as a bicycle messenger for a company serving the commercial firms of the city seems to be a satisfactory end, not a beginning as it probably would be were this film set in a Western metropolis.For a New Yorker, where bicycle messengers are simultaneously often hated and frequently and with good measure feared, the operation of the Beijing counterpart, with messengers uniformly attired and equipped with identical mountain bikes, is both strange and familiar.Central to the film is the theft of the coveted bicycle one day before it would become the personal property of the messenger (the company's scheme allows employees to earn ownership after what appears to be a short period of service).
The details of Beijing life we see may or may not "develop character" or "advance the story", but they're worth watching all by themselves, and Wang only includes those details which he correctly senses are not out of place.
I even got a sense of why so many people were willing to align themselves with Qin (the one who either stole the bicycle from Guo or bought it from the real thief with stolen money - we're never entirely certain), even though he comes across as perhaps the least worthwhile person in the world.
We get a strong sense of the society in which all of these people live and of how the world must appeal to them.And even though there may be no "closure" at the end - although I don't know what "closure" is and I suspect that people who use the word probably don't either - few films are quite as satisfying..
Beijing Bicycle is certainly a layered movie that can be read at many levels.
The result of his aphasia, on the other hand, is more self-evident: at the end of the movie, Gui eventually turns to violence to break his silence
It is said that at least 60% of the crime that happens in Chinese cities comes from the floating population.
While watching this movie I couldn't help but be reminded of The Bicycle Thief (Ladri di biciclette).
One works hard for a bicycle courier and on the day he would have earned the bike, it is stolen.
"Beijing Bicycle" (Chinese, 2002): This is one of the purest films I've seen all year.
"Beijing Bicycle" is a simple, yet symbolic film about a young man who comes to the big city, gets a job as a bicycle messenger, and things quickly go from uncomfortable, to bad, to awful, to worse it seems.
A stolen bicycle leads two boys from one sad situation to another, and Wang lets those situations determine the film's form, rather than using deliberate techniques to give it shape.
Personally, while I appreciate the respectful approach to the film's inspiration, I wish Wang would have really cut loose with some radical new take on `Ladri,' as Tim Burton did with his masterpiece, `Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.' As it is, `Shiqi sui de dan che' left me a little bit cold; it was all done is good taste, but the result was curiously lifeless.
It's almost as if they feel sorry for the characters in it, so they feel sorry for a movie that was just OK.The story was OK, the directing was OK, the acting was OK, so I'm still wondering what is it that's making people vote a high rating for this movie?
Wang Xiaoshuai is grouped with the sixth generation Chinese directors led by Jia Zhangke and Jiang Wen. He is also clearly influenced by Italian Neo-realism as evidenced by the plots much noted similarity to De Sicca's Bicycle Thief.
This combination of influences has created a style which some have proclaimed innovative but which to a seasoned viewer of world cinema is derivative, generic and actually shot in a very workmanlike style without any particular framing ability, brio or gift for mise en scene.The premise of this movie could have led to an interesting examination of modern china, but the writers seemed unable to find any realistic way to bring about this premise.
Once the relationship between country boy and city poor is established the contrast between their lives is not used to say or show anything of interest but instead the director opts for fallacious pieces of symbolism to show their "innate similarity".The movie has been praised for gritty realism in showing the life of the Chinese poor, but it is actually incredibly false.
The movie also cops out by having every single character speaking putonghwa - very unlikely.Finally, the acting is poor and unnaturalistic and every plot point drawn out for melodramatic effect.
"Beijing Bicycle" the interesting Chinese film directed by Xiaoshuai Wang, has been compared with Vittorio DeSica's masterpiece of the Italian cinema, "Bicycle Thief".
In fact, we suspect this director is telling a story that seems to mirror the other film, but it's Chinese to the core.Young Guo, who has arrived in Beijing from a rural area, is hired as a messenger for an agency that delivers important packages and mail throughout the city.
The bicycle for Guo means the improvement of his lot in life, as well as freedom to go everywhere and be his own master.Jian, on the other hand, is a student that is seen hanging out with a rough bunch of school mates.
The film doesn't make clear if Jian himself steals the bicycle, or as he claims, he bought it at the second hand market, with the money he stole from his father, which seems to be the case.
In fact, Jian shows a stubbornness himself that is unusual for a city boy that should have known better and who should have realized the plight of Guo."Beijing Bicycle" shows a side of city living in a city that is crowded and can be cruel to anyone trying to make a life in a decent way.
We watch at the end a defeated Guo walking with his mangled bicycle on his way back home, perhaps.The film will not disappoint, in spite of some repetitious sequences thanks to the strength of the two principals and the direction by Xiaoshuai Wang..
This kind of plot is easy to poach if not always that easy to bring off but Xiaoshuai Wang manages it beautifully helped by a couple of wonderfully naturalistic performances from Lin Cui as the young courier whose bicycle is stolen and from Bin Li as the young thief, as well as by the superb cinematography of Jie Liu. This time the plot is less predictable and handled with a touch more humor than you might expect.
It's also a great 'city' film with Wang handling the milieu of a large, and to Western eyes, a virtually unknown metropolis with all the brio of a Lumet but also with a freshness of approach and, like Lumet, he manages to balance the comic and the tragic in equally brilliant measure.
A story of a young peasant from the outskirts of town (Beijing) struggle against societal oppositions, finding work, keeping bike from preying thieves, and learning survival skills.
I especially like the acting of the employer who hires the main character as a messenger boy.
One careful look at maverick sixth generation Chinese film director Wang Xiaoshuai's filmography will easily suggest that "Beijing Bicycle" is one of the best commercial films he has directed in his decade and a half old career.This is a film which has tremendously huge mass appeal as people all over the world prefer bicycles as environmental friendly means of transport.This has perhaps been a reason why this film was banned by Chinese authorities upon its initial release in 2001.A lot has changed in China ever since this film came out but it is still easy to comprehend natural fascination of Chinese people for bicycles.It is a different matter that this craze for bicycles is getting lost into oblivion as world's major car manufacturers are busy eying Chinese automobile market."Beijing Bicycle" has succeeded in revealing behavioral traits of young Chinese boys who are capable of outsmarting their western counterparts as far as bad,irresponsible,illogical behavior is concerned.There is absolutely no point in comparing "Beijing Bicycle" with Italian Neorealist classic "Ladri Di Biciclette" directed by Italian master Vittorio De Sica as both films are set in quite different cultural contexts.It is a mere coincidence that they have a bicycle as a common element..
Jian - forced down the road of no return for his dishonest and infatuation for Qin.Straying from any typical movie with a storyline leading to a happy ending - the sense of despair for Gui becomes greater as the story unfolds.
`BEIJING BICYCLE'Victor Bloom MD`Beijing Bicycle' has been compared to Vittorio de Sica's `The Bicycle Thief,' a classic of decades ago, but this film is a landmark classic that raises the bar on movies about poverty and the city.
The director, Wang, is being called a 6th generation Chinese film director, from a long tradition of great movie-making despite the political censorship inherent in communist China.
It is clear that Chinese entrepreneurs are beginning to accumulate great wealth as capitalistic enterprises are being not only tolerated, but encouraged by the old guard, who are realizing the tremendous economic potential of a billion energetic and hardworking people.Since China is becoming more open and industrialized, not to mention technologically sophisticated, the powers that be are showing off with this stunning film.
Therefore, the movie is a great bargain because in less than two hours the viewer is exposed to cinema art at its highest level, with a synthesis of a classic story, one dramatic situation after another, subtle and powerful acting, original and creative cinematography, tied together with a pounding and relentless soundtrack that keeps the forward motion escalating to the very end.The Shakespearean plot is mindful of `Romeo and Juliet' and `West Side Story.' The protagonists are teenagers, but the story is such that this over-used American term simply does not apply.
Instead of motorcycle gangs, the rich boys ride their daredevil bikes up the high stories of construction sites.If you know anything about Beijing, it is a city of millions of bikes, swarming like taxis in New York.
`Try Zhou Yimou' is the inside joke, as that is the name of the director's mentor, the Great Zhou.The bicycle messenger is a stubborn lad from the country and gets caught in a revolving door and into the machinations of the new posh living, and thus we are caught in the never-ending struggle between wealth and poverty, sophistication and ignorance.
No need to go into the details of the story--- suffice it to say it is a gripping one, a coming together of age-old irresolveable conflict, that of young men looking for romance and poor people looking for a better life.
Impossible not to have some Italian classic film while watching this movie as it used again the theme of the stolen bicycle.
For a very simple perspective, this as an interesting story that shows the changing society in China and contrasts that urban and rural cultures.
That is the emotion happening with "Beijing Bicycle".Could I watch this film again?
They should watch this movie to see how the reality of the situation actually is.The movie paints a modern portrait of the emerging China, with sky scrapers and yuppie elite juxtaposed with the dirt poor country folks and the urban beggars trying to make ends meat in this city of contrasts.This movie can work as a case study for modern China, as it contains many biting satirical scenes depicting the unfair economics and distribution of wealth in China, for example, how a simple bicycle - which are a dime a dozen in the west - is used as a down payment for the couriers and is then fought over by the two protagonists for the rest of the movie.
Having never seen the original Italian movie The Bicycle Thief on which this film is based, I am unsure of how to compare the two, but Beijing Bicycle, remake or not, is very good.
Like in the old times.This is a good movie, there you in the beginning are quite clear of which guy is nice and which isn't.
I don't think that the country boy would be willing to ride with them all together into that desolate place.China has made quite a few youth oriented movies about modern teenagers' life.
The film Beijing Bicycle is about a man from the rural country coming into the city and finding a job as a bicycle courier, he loses the bike that he finally paid off and gets fired for losing track of the whole day and not delivering his important package.
This goes on back and forth until they come to a compromise, but a climatic ending ensues when a third party comes into the picture and destroy both of their dreams.I found this movie very provoking, touching on subject of modern china, where in the case of the rural migrant, his livelihood depended on the bicycle, while for the kid that took it, it is a vanity item that is a must have in order to be cool and get the girl.
The extraordinary step each one takes to get the bike, from roaming the streets for days looking at each and every one of the millions of bikes out there, to the stealing of the parents money that was meant for the daughter's tuition, shows how desperate each member of the society is willing to go through to survive in this big city in their own way.It highlights the plight of migrants and their desires to climb up the ladder of modern china, one minute brushing their teeth with their finger in the streets, the next, spying on a girl in a high rise apartment that is trying on different dresses, who turns out to be another peasant migrant working as a maid, trying out her employer's dresses behind her back.The ignorant stubbornness is show here again, much like the character in `Not One Less', where they refuse to give up, but at the same time, don't know what actions to take.
It must be a rural type of characteristics.Even the ending signifies how the modern world provides inequities, no matter how much you try, with the kid's girlfriend being wooed away by another biker who knows how to perform greater tricks, the kid, being a city kid, does not take the ignorant stubbornness approach, instead goes for the ill-thought confrontational path, only to have revenge taken upon him and the rural migrant by the other biker and his bully gang, resulting in them being beaten up and the bike, which the two have come to share, be destroyed.
I liked Beijing Bicycle...but, then again, I am a sucker for most foreign films, particularly Asian films ...but unlike most Chinese films....this one seemed to meander and I guess I kind of compared it to What Time is it Over There, though Taiwainese..but I saw that last week and really found that more cinematic, more interesting and involving.
much like the boy here attempting to recover and re-recover his bike.So, I'm glad I saw it but I feel that way about most foreign films I have seen.....
But in the end we see each of them battered and bruised, the trio of Guo, Jian and the Beijing Bicycle - last camera shot focusing on the latter, busted-up, a booby prize floating through crowded streets...
Beijing Bicycle is a simple story of two teenage boys and a bicycle.
*SPOILERS* Jian lives in urban Beijing and for him the bike provides status and a sense of belonging.
Guo has come from a rural area to Beijing and finds work as a courier.
The ensuing struggle over the bike is entertaining and I found it easy to get emotionally attached to the characters, in particular Guo. The young actors in this movie are superb and the score is beautiful.
But to join this gang the city boy must first acquire a bicycle, which he does by stealing money from his father.
The other boy needs the bicycle to win the heart of a girl interested in him. |
tt0328733 | Bakuten shoot beyblade | === Beyblade ===
A young boy named Tyson (Takao Kinomiya) enters the Japan Regional Beyblade Qualifying Tournament, where he encounters Ray Kon (Rei Kon) and Kai Hiwatari. After defeating them, they organize a team, known as the Bladebreakers, along with Max Tate (Max Mizuhara). Kenny tags along as their manager. The Bladebreakers tour to China to register for the championships, while confronting the White Tigers, Ray's former team. It is seen that Ray's old team holds a grudge against him for leaving them. Toward the end of the Chinese tournament, Ray and his ex-teammates make amends, and the Bladebreakers win the tournament.
After this, Tyson and his friends arrive in the United States to fight the All Starz, who are coached by Max's mother. After winning the American league, the team finds itself stranded in Europe. They tour Europe and meet Oliver, Enrique, Johnny and Robert, who go by the name Majestics.
The Bladebreakers battle the Majestics and the Bladebreakers win the battle. They then go to Russia for the final tournament. In Russia, they meet the Boris's team, of which Kai was also a member of in the past. Kai had forgotten about Boris and the training grounds where he had learned almost everything he knew about Beyblading. However, he soon regains his memory. He finds Black Dranzer, his dream Beyblade and decides to join the Demolition Boys team, aiming to be the best Beyblader. Tyson finds out and tries to convince Kai to return to the Bladebreakers, but Kai rejects him, throwing his old Beyblade, Dranzer, at Tyson's feet. Tyson keeps Dranzer with him and vows to bring Kai back. Soon, before the finals, Kai challenges the Bladebreakers to steal their Bit-Beasts and become most powerful Blader. However, only Tyson and Ray show up. Max is still at the airport, returning from where he was training with Tyson and Ray with his new Beyblade, Draciel. Just at the moment when Kai seems to take the bit-beasts of Tyson and Ray, Max come and challenges Kai. Kai thinks that he could easily beat Draciel but he can't and soon Tyson uses Kai's own old Blade, Dranzer to beat the Black Dranzer and defeat Kai. Kai, shocked by the power of Dranzer, doesn't notice the ice beneath him cracking and falls into the frozen water below. Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny rescue Kai. Realizing the power of friendship as well as the power of Dranzer, Kai returns to the Bladebreakers.
In the final match, Tyson battles Tala, winning the match and becoming a Beyblade World Champion for the first time.
=== Beyblade V-Force ===
The Bladebreakers have gone their separate ways. But when Team Psykick and the Saint Shields attack the Bladebreakers and try to steal their bit-beasts, the Bladebreakers reassemble to defeat the new enemies. Tyson's classmate Hilary Tachibana (Hiromi Tachibana) joins the Bladebreakers but takes time to learn that Beyblade isn't just the stupid game she thinks it is.
In an attempt to steal the four bit-beasts from the Bladebreakers, Team Psykick creates four cyborg copies of the Bladebreakers' bit-beasts and recruit four skilled bladers named Kane, Salima, Goki blades. These teenagers were pure-hearted and innocent bladers with high ambitions, but the dark power of the cyborg bit-beasts gradually take over their minds and turn them evil. The first half of the second season ends with the Bladebreakers defeating Team Psykick. Tyson, Ray, Kai and Max battle Kane, Salima, Goki and Jim respectively and defeat them. After the cyborg beasts are destroyed Team Psykick come back to their normal selves and regain consciousness. The second half of Season 2 deals with the truth of why the Saint Shields and Team Psykick are after Bladebreakers' bit-beasts and about a rock that Max's mother found that contains bit-beasts, which is stolen by Team Psykick.
The Saint Shields' reason behind attempting to steal the bit-beasts is because they wish to seal them in a rock because they fear that the bit-beasts could get out of control like they did in the past. The Saint Shields battle the Bladebreakers and manage to seal off Ray's bit-beast Driger in a rock. Later Ray reclaims Driger and defeats all the Saint Shields in a team face-off. The Psykick's leader, Dr. Zagart, wants the bit-beasts to turn his android son Zeo (an exact replica of his son who died in an accident) into a real human.
After defeating the Saint Shields, Tyson meets Zeo and befriends him without knowing that he is the son of Team Psykick's leader. Zeo is unaware that he is a cyborg and that his father is behind all of Team Psykick's plans. Later Zeo finds out about his past and decides to help his father in his plans. Dr. Zagart gives Zeo a bit beast named Cerberus, the strongest bit-beast sealed in the rock. Zeo enters the world Beyblade tournament with the motive of defeating all the Bladebreakers members and stealing their bit-beasts. In the tournament Zeo defeats Kai and Max and steals their bit-beasts Dranzer and Draciel. But in the final battle Tyson and Dragoon (Tyson's bit beast) defeat Zeo and Cerberus. In the process Tyson and Max's team win the world tournament. Dranzer and Draciel come back to their original bladers, Kai and Max.
=== Beyblade G-Revolution ===
Kai, Ray and Max left Tyson and went their separate ways to rejoin their old teams so that they have a chance to beat each other at the World Championship which has been re-designed with tag-teams of two. This leaves only Tyson, Hilary, and Kenny on the team. A new character, Daichi Sumeragi, and Tyson's brother, Hiro Granger, join them. One week after the results of the World Championships, Boris, the secondary villain from the first season, says things will return to the way they were before. But he declares that all the Beyblade shops must sell Beyblades and their parts to BEGA associated Beybladers only, otherwise they will not be allowed to run the shops.
Tyson and the team find some parts at Max's father's store, which are insufficient. Then after sometime Kenny comes with the solution, he makes new type of Beyblades, using different type of parts. But they still needed one more blader, that's when Kai, who tried to join BEGA but lost severely to Brooklyn, rejoins the team. Daichi and Ray lose the first two matches to Ming-Ming and Crusher. Max ends the third match with Mystel in a draw. Then it is Kai's turn to face the unbeaten Brooklyn. Kai defeats Brooklyn in a match. Then Tyson beats Garland. Brooklyn becomes insane due to his loss to Kai and confronts Tyson. In the ensuing match, Tyson and Brooklyn battle it out in the tie-breaker match. As the final fight rages on, Tyson is able to absorb the powers of every single bit-beast and with a final attack defeats Brooklyn's Beyblade Zeus. And the BEGA corporation had fallen thanks to the efforts of the Bladebreakers (G-Revolutions). The episode ends with Tyson and Kai about to have one final match.
In the Japanese version the episode ends with a special ending showing every major character from the series. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | I found my old Beyblades and was inspired to watch the original series from beginning to end.
However, I was wrong and truly enjoyed watching this original series.The concept of Beyblades is quite simple.
It works well in the context of the series, although it was sometimes slightly too predictable as to the outcome.In series 1, Beyblades are suggested to be the main players in a Beyblade battle.
It was also very different to how we were made to understand Beyblades in series 1.
The Beyblade could be considered "possessed" by their bitbeast and the main focus of battle was now blade- on-blade, rather than beast-on-beast hologram battles.The animation quality in series 1 was representative of the time, being quite unrefined and slightly messy at times.
This all changed in series 2 and 3, where the animation quality was a lot crisper and the Beyblades looked as they did if you bought them in stores.
The issue I had was in series 2 where the main characters went from looking like teenagers to more like pre-teens.
This was rectified in series 3 and they looked their age and had the superior animation quality.Finally I just want to touch on the stories themselves.
Series 1 was quite simple since it wanted to set the premise of Beyblades.
Series 2 was quite different and I think they tried to hard to make a story.
Series 3 went back to much of what series 1 brought and I honestly thought it was the strongest series of the three.All in all, I recommend you watch the original series of Beyblades.
I know a lot of people say its bad and the Japanese version is far superior but its good how they change the show to suit our culture, making it easier for children (their main audience) to understand.
What kid doesn't want to be a part of something that can save the world like in a TV show.
I've only seen the dub version of Beyblade, and I rather like it.
What Plot?"The basic story for the first season is the Bladebreakers (Tyson, Max, Ray, Kai, and Kenny) are trying to win the Beyblade world championships.
The Dark Bladers seek to steal the 'breakers' bit beasts (animal spirits trapped within the Beyblade).
And in Russia, with the Dark Bladers still after them, the 'breakers learn that Kai's grandfather is seeking to take over the world by stealing other bladers' bit beasts!
The Russian Tournament turns into more than just a game!The second season, V-Force, begins with the 'breakers having split up.
This season, the animation style is different, making the 'breakers look younger than in the first season.I haven't seen the original Japanese version, but I suspect that it's better than the dub, seeing as the producers may have cut out "inappropriate" scenes and/or ideas.I really like Beyblade and would recommend it to others as a good anime.
It's as good as Gundam Wing or Rurouni Kenshin, in its own way.My favorite character: KaiMy least favorite character: Hilary, because I don't know what her purpose in the series is..
This show doesn't suck, honestly, don't just go watch a few episodes and decide how 'good' it is.
It has a good english voice over team, and the characters got their own distinct personalities.
You can tell the different traits between everyone, that is how I find Kai, the introvert so interesting.There may be some boring episodes, but other than that, I like it.
The plot is pretty childish and the animation is ok but in a way, its a show about friendship and trust.
My personal favourite character is Kai for being a bit different (okay very different) from the others and I like his sarcasm.
Anyways I hope that the movie is good and I hope they continue the series!Let it rip!.
"Beyblade" is about a kid named Tyson and his friends who go/travel around battling others with their beyblades (a metallic top-like thing).
However if you look past those, it's a good series with excellent animation and original music.
They should focus on more than just beyblade battling and practicing though.Also, I see all of these toys being sold related to this series.
At first when one of my friends told me that this series wasn't good I took his word for it until I watched the show and gave it a chance and I like it.
I only watch the cartoon series, Beyblade, I don't collect any of the toys or something like that.
The show is about a team of beybladers called the Bladebreakers, which is lead my Tyson (who is the main character).
The other characters on the Bladebreakers are Daichi (didn't come until Season 3), Max, Ray and Kai and there is Kenny who is the teams expert on fixing beyblades, beyblade stats and other things related to the sport.
The cool part about the beyblade is the bit-beasts!
My favorite characters are Tyson, Kai, Max and Ray. This show premiered on ABC Family back in July 2002 and each season to this show has a different title; Season 1 was called Beyblade, Season 2 was called Beyblade: V-Force and Season 3 was called Beyblade: G-Revolution!
This show has cool battles, cool music during the battles and I like the fact that when the beyblades are in play and spinning they are computer animated which I found cool!
You might like this series if you like Digimon, Medabots and some other good anime shows.
If you were thinking about an anime so awesome, then this is for you, Beyblade.
An animated tale about four boys named Tyson, Max, Ray and Kai, and one of them named Tyson (in the English anime) proving to be the best beyblader around.
Beyblade has three seasons and That was the first season of Beyblade, Now let's move on to Season 2 which is "Beyblade V-Force", where the series got a little different, Characters clothing changed, their eyes look different, the tops are in a three-dimensional upgrade, A different story, added some new characters to the series (Team Psykick- Jim, Goki, Kane, Salima.
10/10Beyblade G-Revolution is the final season of the series.
Season 3 features the same CGI tops, but with some improvement and the same characters and the new characters like (Raul, Julia, Brooklyn, Daichi, Mathilda, etc) and a different story.
10/10.I've have the video games of Beyblade on the PS, and GC.Beyblade (PS)Comment: "It's pretty fun", Bottom line: enjoyable, The reason I did that because I cannot enter GameSpot or IGN login.Beyblade for the Playstation is little difficult to control the beyblade, but you can get a good hit on them.
Game features all the characters from the Bladebreakers and some characters are in solo are (Micheal, Robert, Lee, Tala) Beyblade (PS): 7.2/10Beyblade V-Force Super Tournament Battle (GC)Comment: "If you like Beyblade, then this is the game for you!" Bottom line: Awesome.
A lot of people on GameSpot.com thinks this game is really bad, Well...it's not!!!!!!
Beyblade V-Force Super Tournament Battle: 10/10So anyway, Beyblade is another amazing anime with some new twists.Beyblade is the greatest show ever made.
Not some Spongebob crap here!!All that non stop action, fun, and excitement that you can enjoy.Both V-Force and G-Revolution are pretty awesome expansions to the series.I am a beyblade fan so, I like this show, the video games, and toys and everything.
Way better than Spongebob Squarepants.I recommend to watch this show, you'll be happy.BEYBLADE: 10 stars.
Kids playing with tops hardly sounds like an interesting show, and had me doubting at first.
The show isn't all about the beyblade battles (even though the battles are very well done), a lot of it is the character growth and how the team of the 'Bladebreakers' (main team) get to know and get along with each other.Good point #1: Bey battles Seriously, if someone told you that you should watch a show about battling tops, you would probably laugh.
The makers of Beyblade did a great job of making this questionably stupid sounding sport into a very exciting ordeal.
The battles are very fun to watch especially with the addition of bitbeasts (animals trapped inside the beyblades) and the fun dialogue that goes on with each battle.Good point #2: Music All of the music is extreemly original and fun.
The true reason I watch beyblade is for the character interaction.
the second series was painful to watch.
(Besides, the only reason I REALLY watch it is to see Kai >.< He's so awesome!!!)8/10.
OK, first of all, I don't watch beyblade anymore because I'm a growing kid and there are such thing that human created called 'school'.
At first, I just love season 1 because the plot was very good and the way they battle was just amazing.
I could ramble on and on but I think that this is enough.Oh if you're wondering who's my fav character, that would certainly be the leader of the bladebreakers, Kai Hiwatari..
Ok. So let me begin that I never got into the original Beyblade show when I was a kid.
However, when I was so obsessed with the Beyblade Metal series when I was 13, I decided to get into this to see what it was all about.
I remember finishing season1 of Beyblade Metal Fusion and watching season 2, Beyblade Metal Masters in japanese, but then I got upto date with the show nnear it's season finale and i was bored waiting for the last 8 episode of the season to air once a week.
Here's why.Season 1, titled Beyblade is about a group of kids who travel the world in a team to win the world champianships.
The Beyb;ade spinning themsels were so AWFUL and badly animated that it felt like I was watching a animate for a upcoming show.
I mean, good lord this season is bad.
I will commend the creators for improving the visual design of the characters and the beyblade spinning and batteling.
Tyson and the gang meet new people through this season, but there is one character they meet and towards the end, we find out some UNEXPECTED about him, it will throw you off guard completely.
2/10Season 3 is the third and final season of the original series and is defieantly the best out of the three of them.
It did nfeel like season 1, as they travel the world again, but this time, there are changes in the group.
But a uch better season.Overall, this show is for kids and maybe pre teens.
The characters are pretty flat and dull, the animation rather sketchy (though I'm sure this was intended), it is very predictable and pretty sad, and is really just childish.
The animation does kind of get better in a later series (which tries to be shocking and gripping but falls flat on its face), but this is definitely one best left sitting on the shelves and playing to no viewers at 1 a.m on a lesser-known channel in the morning.
It is a bit underrated (though the arithmetic mean for it is way higher), but people these days are always cruel and cynical about cartoons for kids, and this one is definitely one at risk from critics.
Sorry, I really don't like Beyblade.
I will admit I don't like Pokemon either(I am prepared for people to come at my door with sticks, fire and stones), but Beyblade is definitely for me the worst of the two shows.The animation is not good really.
Beyblade is all about the Bladebreakers, a team of Beybladers (if you don't know what a Beyblade is by now, you're probably a square); Tyson, the brash, spiky-haired kid who, if you think about it, acts like the leader, Kai, the wild but reclusively anti-social kid, who is the captain of the Bladebreakers, Max, the blondie with the scientist mom, and Ray, the eclectic cook type who appears to be Chinese.
I really like this show because it's anime, it has the coolest music, the coolest voice talent, and the coolest characters with the most intriguing histories ever.
Beyblades first season was OK.
OK First of all it should be made clear that Beyblade has a lot of cheesy moments and annoying lines but it should be remembered that it is aimed more at kids than adults so its understandable.Anyhow, there are some good sides to the show, now keep in mind I am referring to the first season, nothing else.
The soundtrack was actually pretty good and the storyline was basic but watchable, there were some good characters as well and it had its great moments, I think the Asian tournament was probably the best saga in the first Season.Anyhow, this show is probably OK for kids but it can be hard to watch if your older.VForce and G Revolution sucked so lets not even bother with that.I give it 5/10 it was OK to be honest..
Beyblade is a good show!.
Beyblade is a very good show and I don't care who talks $*** bout it.
To this very day Beyblade has been better then that dumb show (Battle b DA MA) or what ever it's called!
all of you guys know it "but" your just (for some reason) ashamed to like Beyblade.
my favorite season is the first one Because it tells you the story of how Beyblade started and it also tells the story of a boy named Tyson who gets some friends and they all go to the BBA championship together.It a good story and I also love season 3 because of the EG Beyblade.
The show is based around four kids, Tyson, Max, Ray and Kai, who are the new faces to the blading world.
The series is about a kid named Tyson and his friends who travel around battling bad guys with their beyblades (a metallic top-like thing)In one of the episodes I saw Tyson decided to quit his fighting team and his friends and grandfather show him he must come back.
In the other episode I saw one of the kids got a love note and a kid called him Lover's Boy. The traveling and battling is what this show is mostly about.
In my Opinion, I think some people are being too Harsh to the series.
One good point about this series is how every team is completely different,It doesn't feel like you've seen the same Team.
Of course be prepared, It can be childish but I think It's a good series..
But what's bad about fantasy competition style Anime, is EVERYBODY Cheats, and gets away with it.
And the Animation went from good, to bad.
I saw an episode of this dumb series on ABC Family.
This kid decides to run away from his fighting team in the episode I saw.
I do like some shows on ABC Family but this one is dumb.
Very stupid anime series made only with the purpose to sell toys to the children, just like "Pokemon" and "Yu-gi-oh".
Basically it's about a group of children that have some mechanic spinning top that have powers of some sort, but this show is quite boring to watch, because all the episodes are about how those kids keep battling with their spinning tops and talking about how powerful they are.
As you see, the plot is dumb and basic, and the character design is pretty ugly.
The animation is mediocre at best, and the music is terrible as well: All the songs are dumb as the show and all talk about the power of the spinning tops.
Its a great cartoon with good fun characters likkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkke cooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.
First season: The characters were interesting and likable.
I enjoyed how Tyson (Takao), Kai, Ray, Max and Kenny (Professor) all had different quirks; it made them likable.
Tyson's eating habit was good comic relief and saved his character, Ray's random remarks always made my day, Max's friendliness made him believable, Kenny's super genius ways were always a nice touch and Kai's sarcasm also made my day.
9/10VForce: What the hell happened here; how did a series that was once good become bad so quickly?
Why the hell did they change the animation style suddenly (and why take away Ray and Kai's muscles?
I was basically watching season 1 again with different animation and slower story movement.
The anime is aimed at children but that is not to say that has stopped older generations from watching the show.
The anime is based on 4 individuals who come together more and more as a team as they go around the world competing in the World beyblade championships.
The actually idea of using spinning tops to fight against someone else is a bit....
but then again this anime is aimed at kids in the first place, and spinning tops sounds quite straight forward.
Of course in the show the anime makes the battles seem intense etc but its anime of course it will but the actually spinning tops that was released do not make it feel the same and this is where a lot of older generation anime fans look down on the anime.
Throughout the anime you get to learn about each of the team members, where they come from, why they act the way they are, past storyline.
Each character is very well thought of and the back stories for each character (though the dub version slightly differs from the Japanese one) is interesting and makes you want to learn more.
The anime is told with a mix of seriousness and comic relief (mainly from the main character).
It should be noted that there were many scenes deleted or edited from the dub version of the show since Nelvana thought it was inappropriate to have in an anime aimed at kids (unlike the Japanese version).Overall I consider it a great anime to watch though it really does depend on what you are interested in.
While others might be interested in the customising beyblades and the battles of the show rather than the main characters. |
tt0085933 | Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence | The film deals with the relationships among four men in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during the Second World War — Major Jack Celliers (Bowie), a rebellious South African with a guilty secret from his youth; Captain Yonoi (Sakamoto), the young camp commandant; Lieutenant Colonel John Lawrence (Conti), a British officer who has lived in Japan and speaks Japanese fluently; and Sergeant Hara (Takeshi), who is seemingly brutal and yet humane in some ways and with whom Lawrence develops a peculiar friendship.
Just as Celliers is tormented with guilt, Yonoi is haunted with shame. Having been posted to Manchuria previously, he was unable to be in Tokyo with his Army comrades, the "Shining Young Officers" of Japan's February 26 Incident, a 1936 military coup d'état. When the coup failed, the young army officers were executed. Yonoi regrets not being able to share their patriotic sacrifice. Jack Celliers had betrayed his younger brother while the two of them were attending boarding school in South Africa. Although Celliers confesses this only to Lawrence, Captain Yonoi senses in Celliers a kindred spirit. He wants to replace British RAAF Group Captain Hicksley (the ranking Allied officer and prisoner representative) with Celliers as the spokesman for the prisoners.
As Celliers is interned in the camp, Yonoi seems to develop a homoerotic fixation with him, often asking Hara about him, silently visiting him in the small hours when Celliers is confined. However, later on, Yonoi becomes enraged by Celliers' behaviour and has him and Lawrence thrown into the punishment cells under the charge of possessing a radio. Celliers, who is known by the nickname of "Strafer" Jack (a strafer is a "soldier's soldier"), instigates a small number of rebellious actions, one of which is supplying the men with food after their rations have been suspended for two days for their actions during a seppuku of a Korean guard, which Yonoi deems as "spiritually lazy". Yonoi's batman (personal servant) suspects the mental hold that Celliers has on Yonoi so he tries to kill Celliers but fails in the attempt. Celliers manages to escape his cell and rescues Lawrence, only to be thwarted by Yonoi unexpectedly. Yonoi challenges Celliers to single combat saying "If you defeat me, you will be free" but Celliers refuses, thrusting his prior assailant's bayonet into the sand. Yonoi's batman then commits seppuku in atonement after urging Yonoi to kill Celliers before Celliers can destroy Yonoi.
A transmission radio is later discovered in the possession of the POWs by the Japanese when Celliers deliberately broke the ration suspension, with Celliers and Lawrence forced to take the blame. Thrown into nearby holding cells, the two men reminiscence about their pasts before their planned execution. During Christmas Eve, a drunken Sergeant Hara orders both Celliers and Lawrence to be brought to him. Hara then tells them that he is playing "Santa Claus," and orders for their release due to another prisoner confessing to having been responsible for the radio. As the men leave, he then calls out for the first time in English, "Merry Christmas, Lawrence!"
Although Yonoi was shocked at Sergeant Hara's release of both Celliers and Lawrence, Sergeant Hara is only mildly reprimanded by Yonoi for exceeding his authority and was to be redeployed elsewhere (with some of the prisoners) to oversee the construction of an airstrip. Hicksley, constantly worried that Yonoi wanted to replace him as the POW camp commander then demanded an explanation.
Furious that Hicksley pressed for an answer (and at the same time consistently denying Yonoi the information that he seeks), the whole camp is paraded on Yonoi's order. All prisoners are prompted to form lines outside the barracks, including sick and moribund ones. The climax of the film is reached when Yonoi is ready to kill the POW's commander for not having all the men present for parade. Celliers breaks the rank and walks decisively in Yonoi's direction, between him and the man about to be executed and ends up resolutely kissing Yonoi on each cheek with a straight face. This is an unbearable offence to Yonoi's bushido honor code; he reaches out for his katana against Celliers, only to collapse under the conflicting feelings of vindicating himself from the offence suffered in front of his troops and his own feelings for Celliers. Celliers is then attacked and beaten up by the Japanese soldiers.
Captain Yonoi himself is then due to be redeployed and his successor who declares that "he is not as sentimental as Captain Yonoi" immediately has Celliers buried in the ground up to his neck as a means of punishment and then left to die. Captain Yonoi goes to Celliers when there is no one around and cuts a lock of hair. He then pays his respects and leaves, and Celliers dies shortly afterwards.
In 1946, four years later, Lawrence visits Sergeant Hara, who has now been imprisoned by the Allied forces. Hara has learned to speak English while in captivity and reveals that he is going to be executed the next day for war crimes, stating that he is not afraid to die, but doesn't understand how his actions were any different from those of any other soldier. Lawrence tells him that Yonoi had given him a lock of Celliers' hair and told him to take it to his village in Japan, where he should place it in a shrine. Hara reminisces about Celliers and Yonoi. It is revealed that Yonoi himself was executed just before the war ended. Hara reminisces about that Christmas Eve and both are very much amused. The two bid each other farewell for the last time and just before Lawrence leaves, Hara calls out again, "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence!" | violence, cruelty, murder, sadist, flashback | train | wikipedia | Well, I re-watched it recently and it has lost none of it's power.The acting in the movie is adequate without ever being great (the notable exception being Tom Conti who is fantastic in his role as the misunderstood titular character).However, the movie moves beyond the acting and once you are embroiled in the atmosphere and realism you become oblivious to any acting shortcomings.The movie must be one of the most accurate depictions of human nature in a war.
Added to all that, it's also beautifully shot by cinematographer Toichiro Naroshima (Double Suicide).One of the best scores in history of cinema by Ryuichi Sakamoto (also 'Wild Palms' and 'Sheltering Sky'), who not only provides it with his strokes of musical genius, but also plays an important role: the androgynous and curious captain in contrast to the virility of Takeshi Kitano (dir and acted Violent Cop, Brother, Hana Bi) the self-confident and straight-forward sergeant.
The film starts off with Japanese icon Takeshi Kitano walking into a hut and waking up Col. Lawrence (played by Tom Conti).
Besides dealing with the war it also shows how man deals with events from the past as far as ones childhood, But in this film it actually works, not like in countless others, and you do feel attached to the characters.A lot has been said about David Bowie's performance as Major.
Based on Laurens van der Post's "The Seed and the Sower", "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" is an involving, almost unbearably moving and incredibly humane film.
While Bowie toplines, the real star is Tom Conti as the eponymous British Officer trying to reconcile his respect for Japanese culture and innate humanity with the barbarity of the POW camp.
Bowie has often been criticised for his acting, yet aside from a rather laughable flashback sequence where he impersonates a schoolboy, he is convincing as a mysterious and spirited "soldier's soldier" who has a beguiling effect on the young officer commanding the camp, played by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who quotes Shakespeare and issues brutal orders in almost the same breath.Sakamoto, who is also a pioneer of electronic music with the Yellow Magic Orchestra, also wrote the soundtrack, including the famous "Forbidden Colours" theme (you probably know this even if you don't know where it's from) which conjures up the atmosphere of regret, lost love and repressed heartbreak in which we see the strange, unrequited love of Sakamoto's character for Bowie's.
That is probably why the Japanese officer is doomed at the end of the film, a difference with Van Der Post's novel where Yonoi survives seven years of prison.
In the scene when Celliers and Lawrence talk to each other through the wall of their cells, as an introduction to his own narration coming after Lawrence's depiction of his love affair with a mysterious woman (the only heterosexual relationship mentioned in the film), Celliers states that he does not have much experience of that kind, his words being rather vague.MCML raises also questions on the nature of war, on what makes people friends or enemies, etc.
Sergeant Gengo Hara (Takeshi Kitano) helps us to understand the rather formal, misguided, traditional non-commissioned officer whose parallel is our own 'Sergeant Major' or 'Drill Sergeant'.The crisis of cross-cultural understanding is heralded by the arrival of a British soldier who inadvertently conforms to the Japanese ideal of heroism - Major Jack Selliers (David Bowie).
I use the phrase typical because it is very much like that to underrate a non-mainstream movie like this one.The story sets in Indonesia in the second world war, and tells the tale of a couple of British soldiers out in a Japanese camp for prisoners of war.It gives us insight between the raging camp of the British soldiers with their Japanses guards.
It tells the tale of ward Seargant Hara, who doesn't seem to want to understand the prisoners, and would rather execute them than have them here.Those 4 main characters come to interact with each other in very interesting ways, and the whole story rises to a dramatic climax which leaves it's impact.The first degree acting makes this one of the most important things to watch this movie.
Both British music legend David Bowie (As Jack Celliers) as well as Japanese music sensation Ryuichi Sakamoto (as Captain Yonoi) both have the lead in this epic picture.
Conti's uptight and friendly character gives a lot of sympathetic gestures from the audience, and Takeshi has both the laughs and cry's (Watch the final scene) at his hand, for playing such a funny bastard.Nagisa Oshima's direction is strong, and he leaves room for artistic influence for both cast and crew.
In 1942, in Java, the British Major Jack 'Strafer' Celliers (David Bowie) arrives in the Japanese POW camp and is submitted to a Japanese court to examine his surrender.
The liaison of the prisoners with Yonoi and Sergeant Gengo Hara (Takeshi Kitano), Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti), has lived in Japan for many years and can understand both cultures and their leader is Captain Hicksley (Jack Thompson).
This film has not lost the impact along the years and it is impressive how the difference of Western and Japanese cultures is depicted through the British Jack 'Strafer' Celliers and the Japanese Yonoi.
Two superstars of the rock era at that time from west and orient respectively, David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto's personal charisma works as the pillar of the film, their mutual feelings are constructed with an authentic and credible procedure, so that the whole film is way above just an unrequited love story.The background of Bowie's character with his relationship with his younger brother in their childhood is deftly portrayed too, which renders audiences another prospect which contrasts the Japanese prison camp setting.
Watch for the understated behaviour regarding the flower.This film is memorable because of a tremendous cast (including Jack Thompson- who keeps popping up in war movies) and a wonderful soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also performs in the movie.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence shows the Japanese after the World War II and their British prisoners.
Commando Major Jack Celliers (David Bowie) is a British who is now captured by Japanese forces in the P.O.W. camp under the supervision of the idealistic young camp commandant, Captain Yonoi (Ryuichi Sakamoto).
The main conflict in the film lays between Jack Celliers, a captured English soldier played by David Bowie, and Yonoi, a captain in the Japanese military.
Playing alongside Tom Conti as Lawrence, his defiance in the face of the Japanese oppressors in a prisoner of war camp.Well directed and written, and brilliantly acted, the torment of Selliers comes through excellently, and we eventually find out why he is as he is.Interestingly, much of this was filmed in New Zealand, the scene of a wartime tragedy in which dozens of Japanese were killed in a prisoner of war camp in Featherston.
As a matter of fact, I cannot forget the line "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", in Japanese accent, by one of the prison guards, listening the film main musical theme behind..
Cryptic Jack Celliers (Bowie) joins the titular Lawrence (Conti) and his crew of British soldiers under the auspices of the jocular Hara (Kitano) and Yonoi (pop star Ryuichi Sakamoto, pulling double duties as the composer).
Celliers and Yonoi's ambivalent relationship moves the film along while the Japanese-speaking and mannered Lawrence constantly bickers with Hara about equal treatment.The film has a definitive Western feel in the setting up of the story.
Bowie plays captured South African officer Jack Celliers, acting-up in a Japanese PoW camp in Java, 1942, in this torrid culture-clash drama-cum-psychological study adapted from 'The Seed And The Sower' by Prince Charles's friend and guru Laurens Van Der Post.
Bowie - sorry, Celliers - is so incredibly fanciable that even repressed young camp commandant Captain Yonoi (The Yellow Magic Orchestra's Ryuichi Sakamoto, who also composed the haunting score) can't tear his eyes away from him.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, directed by Nagisa Oshima and produced by Jeremy Thomas is about the relationships among Japanese prisoner of war during World War II.
Loosely based on Lauren's van der Post's trilogy 'The Seed and The Sower', Nagisa Oshima's English language film (1983) is set on the island of Java in 1942 (during World War II).Written by Paul Mayersberg and the director, this film explores the situation of English prisoners of war held by the Japanese on the remote island of Java, offshore of Indonesia, and their Japanese captors.In particular, it tells the story of Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti) - a man like Laurens van der Post - who has a deep understanding of Japanese culture, but is incarcerated like all the others.
Loosely based on Lauren's van der Post's trilogy 'The Seed and The Sower', Nagisa Oshima's English language film (1983) is set on the island of Java in 1942 (during World War II).Written by Paul Mayersberg and the director, this film explores the situation of English prisoners of war held by the Japanese on the remote island of Java, offshore of Indonesia, and their Japanese captors.In particular, it tells the story of Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti) - a man like Laurens van der Post - who has a deep understanding of Japanese culture, but is incarcerated like all the others.
A powerful mediator between the English and the Japanese, John Lawrence helps the audience to understand this violent and often perplexing behaviour of their captors.Captain Yonoi (Ryuchi Sakamoto) shows us the honest, understanding and straightforward face of the educated Japanese officer in these difficult circumstances.
A powerful mediator between the English and the Japanese, John Lawrence helps the audience to understand this violent and often perplexing behaviour of their captors.Captain Yonoi (Ryuchi Sakamoto) shows us the honest, understanding and straightforward face of the educated Japanese officer in these difficult circumstances.
Sergeant Gengo Hara (Takeshi Kitano) helps us to understand the rather formal, misguided, traditional non-commissioned officer whose parallel is our own 'Sergeant Major' or 'Drill Sergeant'.The crisis of cross-cultural understanding is heralded by the arrival of a British soldier who inadvertantly conforms to the Japanese ideal of heroism - Major Jack Selliers (David Bowie).
A very British sense of 'fair play' is somehow paradoxically engendered.It's not hard to ignore the obvious pop stars, in this great film whose sweep and focus leads us inexorably to confront the painful conflicts of our parents or grandparents, because we cannot help but feel the keen emotions evoked by it.How hard it is to bear the merciless execution of the violent Sgt Hara, when we truly understand how meekly he accepts it and why.And what great good fortune that Ryuchi Sakamoto could have written such a haunting musical theme to the movie..
A very British sense of 'fair play' is somehow paradoxically engendered.It's not hard to ignore the obvious pop stars, in this great film whose sweep and focus leads us inexorably to confront the painful conflicts of our parents or grandparents, because we cannot help but feel the keen emotions evoked by it.How hard it is to bear the merciless execution of the violent Sgt Hara, when we truly understand how meekly he accepts it and why.And what great good fortune that Ryuchi Sakamoto could have written such a haunting musical theme to the movie..
Set in Japanese POW camp during WWII the film tells a story of soldiers from two cultures so different they are like aliens from another planet.
There is a homoerotic tension between one English POW ( David Bowie) and the camp commander ( Ryuichi Sakamoto) throughout the movie that creates angst and suspense, I thought the film told a moving story of humanity in an hellish situation with impressive cinematography and an amazing soundtrack that really added something special to the experience.
It's not a war film, it's not even an adventure tale, it's really just a waste of two hours of film footage mainly showing people talking to each other.I can only remember a scene in which David Bowie, as a prisoner in a Japanese POW camp, eats some flowers.
Scenes between Bowie and Sakamoto are rare, but well worth the wait.Takeshi Kitano (famous Japanese comedian "Beat" Takeshi, more recently a renowned director) brilliantly performs as the typically brutal camp sergeant, and then successfully shows that even this character is not actually all bad: he has a sense of humour; he has a family who miss him.Tom Conti gave one of his finest film performances as the utterly human liaison officer, the Mr Lawrence of the title.
Although a fan of both Bowie and Sakamoto's music I had my doubts about their abilities to play the complex characters of Jack Celliers and Captain Yonoi.
**SPOILERS BELOW** Fueled by Ryuichi Sakamoto's exquisite score, "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence" is a strange and moody film that examines the tensions between self and group, masculinity and femininity, and spirituality and materiality all in the peculiar context of a WWII prisoner-of-war camp.
Both men are firmly grounded their final concerns are with the business of war, with the here and now.The second pair is comprised of English major Jack Celliers and his Japanese counterpart Captain Yonoi, whose preoccupations are with more spiritual matters.
However, with the violent Hara, who beats both prisoners and his own men mercilessly, peace is tenuous at best.Things in the camp truly change with the arrival of Maj. Jack Celliers, David Bowie, who Yonoi took a bit of a shine to when the former was on trial.
This film is amazing not only because of Kitano's chilling performance as Sgt.Hara, but Bowie does great as Celliers and Tom Conti is too good to miss.
The story i think is something very original from other WW2 movies and gives a better example of the triumph of the human spirit within such a confined a violent place better than any other war/prison film.The last ever scene with Conti and Kitano is enough for easily flowing tears,the friendship that has grown between them both and knowing that Hara is going to die is so heartbreaking.Much like John Coffey in 'The Green Mile' and Aileen Wournos in 'Monster'.
John Lawrence, a British officer who lived in Japan before the war and speaks fluent Japanese; Major Jack Celliers, a recent arrival who somehow captivates the camp commandant; Capt.
Director Nagisa Ôshima did a great job getting fine performances from all of the protagonists; Tom Conti is nicely understated as Lawrence; a voice of reason in and insane situation; David Bowie as an ethereal quality as Celliers, Takeshi Kitano manages to make Sgt. Hara a sympathetic character despite his sometimes brutal action and Ryûichi Sakamoto is fine as the conflicted Yonio.
It's become something of a Christmas tradition of mine, to wait up till 3am to catch Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence, one I hope will continue, even though I now have the DVD.It's a truly excellent film, based on the equally thought provoking books: The Seed and the Sower, and the Bar of Shadow by Sir Laurens van der Post.The plot is simple enough- an English prisoner of war (Mr Lawrence) is the eyes through the which the Japanese prisoner of war camp is seen in it's brutal simplicity.
"Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" is a grim look at a Japanese prisoners-of-war camp during World War II.
Throughout the film, there is some undefined tension between Japanese Captain Yonoi and British Major Jack Celliers who was under captivity.
He's authoritative, nobody can bear him and all fear him
he embodies the traditional Japanese way of mind, which will be totally jeopardized by a new captive, Jack Celliers (David Bowie) an English soldier.
The two guys
We can notice another duo ,with colonel Jonh Lawrence (Tom Conti) who is able to talk Japanese and sergeant Hara (Takeshi Kitano), they are in good term but the war create a gap between them
Characters: 1-David Bowie is major Jack Celliers
I think it's true to say that it is Bowie's best role on screen , however he ranks under the performance of Conti
moreover it's a bit pity that he didn't take part in the film music just because he thought it could discredit his performance
2- Ryuchi Sakamoto is captain Yonoi, Sakamoto was then considered in Japan as Bowie in the West, he did the soundtrack of the movie.
There are some stereotypes about the Asian performance (for example: the overplay) but here these ones are inexistent he suits the character without any kind of artifact
3- Tom Conti embodies colonel Lawrence, thanks to this movie Conti received an award for the best actor by the National Board of Review, and I think its nothing for such a good performance
4- Takeshi Kitano is Sergeant Genjo Hara, he is the one who says "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" , he is the only Japanese who has something
I don't know
human?
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is about two British soldiers, John Lawrence and Jack Celliers, who are prisoners of war in a Japanese camp during World War II.
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is, as the title would suggest, about as far from your typical old-fashioned prisoner-of-war movie as it can get.
Best of the bunch is the great Japanese Yakuza actor 'Beat' Takeshi, playing an unusual and ambiguous character; he gets the final scene to himself, which just so happens to be the film's most moving moment..
WE ALL know about Bowie - I've seen HIM in full drag.You guys are right: the film does show how brutal the Japanese soldiers were-are (?).
Basically in 1942, during World War II, in Java, an island in Indonesia, British-New Zealand Major Jack "Straffer" Celliers (David Bowie) arrives in the Japanese POW (Prisoner of War) camp, he has surrendered to avoid the Japanese soldiers murdering local villagers.
Liaison of the prisoners is British officer Lieutenant Colonel John Lawrence (Tom Conti), he can speak Japanese, often convening with Yonoi and Sergeant Gengo Hara (Takeshi's Castle star Takeshi Kitano).
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is was good Japanese/British Drama Christmas movie in World War II and friendship.Storyline is drama, characters is good, and acting done well |
tt0814023 | Battle Royale | Battle Royale takes place in a fictional police state version of Japan in the year 1997. The state, known as the Republic of Greater East Asia (大東亜共和国, Dai Tōa Kyōwakoku), originated after a population uprising was put down by the combined military and police forces. From time to time, fifty randomly selected classes of third-year junior high school students are forced to take arms against one another until only one student in each class remains in what is officially called the Battle Experiment No. 68 Program (戦闘実験第六十八番プログラム, Sentō Jikken Dai Roku Ohako Puroguramu). The Program was created, supposedly, as a form of military research, with the outcome of each battle publicized on local television. A character discovers that the Program is not an experiment at all, but a means of terrorizing the population. In theory, after seeing such atrocities, the people will become paranoid and divided, preventing another uprising.
Under the guise of a "study trip", a group of students from Shiroiwa Junior High School (城岩中学校, Shiroiwa Chūgakkō), a junior high school operated by the fictional Kagawa Prefecture town of Shiroiwa, are corralled onto a bus and gassed, only to awaken in a school on an isolated, vacated island, wearing metal collars around their necks. After being briefed about the Program by Kinpatsu Sakamochi, the students are issued survival packs and a random weapon or a tool, and sent out onto the island one by one. While most of the students receive guns and knives, some acquire relatively useless items like boomerangs, dartboard darts, or a fork. Hiroki Sugimura finds a radar device that tracks nearby students, and Toshinori Oda receives a bulletproof vest.
To make sure the students obey the rules and kill each other, the metal collars around their necks track their positions, and will explode if they linger in a "Forbidden Zone" or attempt to remove the collars. The Forbidden Zones are randomly chosen areas of the map that increase in number as time goes on, re-sculpting and shrinking the battlefield and forcing the students to move around. The collars secretly transmit sound back to the organizers of the game, allowing them to hear the students' conversations, root out escape plans, and log their activities. The collars also explode if the students go a full day without anyone dying.
In the end, only four students remain: Shuya Nanahara, Noriko Nakagawa, Shogo Kawada, and antagonist Kazuo Kiriyama. There is a car chase and shootout between them and Kiriyama is killed. Kawada fakes Nanahara and Nakagawa's deaths and boards a ship with the soldiers and Sakamochi. When Sakamochi reveals that Nanahara and Nakagawa are alive and attempts to execute Kawada, Kawada kills him. Nanahara and Nakagawa board the ship and kill the soldiers on board and meet up with Kawada, who succumbs to his own wounds and dies. Heeding Kawada's advice, Nanahara and Nakagawa escape to the mainland, where they become fugitives. | sci-fi | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0066863 | The Brotherhood of Satan | Ben (Charles Bateman), his girlfriend Nicky (Ahna Capri), and Ben's young daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl) are driving through the American Southwest to K.T.'s grandmother's house for a birthday celebration. They come upon an automobile accident in the town of Hillsboro, and when they attempt to report it, they meet the local sheriff, (L. Q. Jones), his assistant Tobey (Alvy Moore), Doc Duncan (Strother Martin), and a priest (Charles Robinson). These locals explain the unusual events in the town which involve several murders, the inability of the people to leave the town, and that many of the local children have gone missing.
A local coven of elderly Satanists have been taking the children and leading them to worship Satan in a plot to use their bodies as receptacles for their own souls. They use their supernatural abilities to kill anyone who interferes by turning the children's toys into instruments of murder.
The priest figures out that the coven is taking the children, and tells people, including Ben and Nicky, because K.T. has gone missing. However, he sees the murder of a man trying to find his son, Joey. He goes crazy, turning into a blubbering mess.
The people searching for the children, Sheriff, Tobey, Nicky and Ben, can't find Doc Duncan, (who is either Satan or the ringleader of the ceremonies. It is never said directly.) and search his house. They find the toy that came to life and killed Joey's father, Mike. It is a knight on horseback, and there is blood on the tiny sword.
They show the priest the toy and he starts to scream. They take the toy away and try to open a locked door.
On the other side of the door, a bloody ceremony, in which the coven members allow themselves to be killed by hooded bearers of flaming swords in order to take over the bodies of the now zombie-like children, is taking place. The camera flashes from the searchers struggling to open the door and the covern members being willingly slain.
When they finally open the door, they see the children staring back at them. They are in a practically empty room, with the children, a table, dolls that resemble some of the black-cloaked coven members and a music box. The children continue to stare at the people and the camera slowly pans to an empty, black hole in a corner. The screen goes dark, and bright pink gothic words show up, saying, "Come in, children." | paranormal, cult, murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0035657 | Baby Puss | A little girl named Nancy is playing dollhouse, and pretending to be the mother and has also dressed Tom, apparently the family pet, up to be her baby. She scolds Tom, who is hiding under some furniture. She drags Tom out by his tail and threatens to spank him. Tom is resentful over his treatment and feels humiliated. She carries him to the bassinet, tucks him in, and shoves a bottle of milk in his mouth. She warns him, under threat of more spanking, to stay in bed while she goes downtown to buy a new girdle. Indignant at first, Tom gets a taste of milk and quickly accepts his lot, cooing like a baby and drinking from his baby bottle.
Jerry peeks from behind a dollhouse and sees Tom. Incredulous at first, Jerry proceeds to mock him by playing "Rock-a-bye Baby" on the phonograph and pretends to be a baby himself. Tom is furious and chases Jerry into the dollhouse and puts a sign that reads "Measles". Tom looks in the window to see that Jerry is in the bathtub, pretending he is bathing and brushing himself and humming the melody of "How About You?". Seeing Tom, he screams, hits him with the brush, runs downstairs to the bedroom and hides in a bed, causing a doll to turn up and shout "Mama!" Jerry uses the doll's clothes to disguise himself as a girl holding an umbrella, but his shirt falls off of him leaving his shoes on his feet and white pants that goes under it. Tom opens the dollhouse roof until Nancy returns and scolds him again. Tucking Tom back in bed, she threatens to feed him castor oil should he go out again.
Tom goes back to playing. Jerry emerges from the dollhouse and runs to the window to get the attention of Butch, Topsy, and Meathead (first seen in Sufferin' Cats!), Tom's three alley cat friends who are outside. When the trio see Tom, they begin to make fun of him. When Tom confronts the other cats, they continue to tease and humiliate him, tossing him like throwing a ball, causing him to land in a fishbowl, resulting in a wet diaper. They then capture him and change his dirty diaper with a fresh diaper, a safety pin, baby oil, baby powder, and a tight frilly pair of girl's rubber pants over the new diaper and Topsy throws the fish from the fishbowl into his pants and they sing Carmen Miranda's "Mamãe Eu Quero" with Jerry joining in. Jerry laughs as the song goes on. But the whole song stops when Nancy returns and demands to know what is going on. The other cats flee as Nancy prepares to scold Tom. She then takes Tom to a high chair, forcing him to drink castor oil. He resists at first. Jerry then squeezes a nutcracker on Tom's tail to make Tom yell in pain and therefore drink the spoonful of castor oil. Tom feels sick to his stomach and rushes to a windowsill to vomit. Jerry laughs at his misfortune, but the castor oil bottle, having turned over after Tom ran off the high chair he was sitting on, spills some of the castor oil out and Jerry ends up taking a dose of it himself, feels sick to his stomach as well and quickly joins Tom vomiting at the windowsill. | comic | train | wikipedia | Once again, very enjoyable.
There may be the odd joke that I agree could be perhaps a little on the mean-spirited side of things, but this is occasionally.
Overall, Baby Puss is very well animated and very funny, well to me it is.
Tom is great here and takes his humiliations well, while Jerry is as cunning as usual, and the girl and alley cats are good support.
Even more impressive than the characters is the animation and music.
For me, Baby Puss in terms of animation is one of the best-looking Tom and Jerry cartoons, with the backgrounds and colours stunning.
The music has a lot of energy and beauty, while the cartoon goes at a cracking pace and while there is the odd sadistic gag(though none of them are as sadistic as the Gene Dietch cartoons) Baby Puss is very funny and makes the most of a somewhat unoriginal but never predictable story.
So overall, very enjoyable, well animated and funny.
9/10 Bethany Cox. awesome!.
One of the funniest Tom & Jerry cartoons ever made.
Tom getting dressed up as a baby by a little girl is priceless in itself.
Add Jerry, and a few alley cats to the mix, and you got one funny cartoon.
Not to be missed!.
puss in booties.
An annoying prepubescent white girl dresses Tom the cat up as a baby, a bonnet, little booties, a diaper, the whole nine yards.
Tom only puts up with it to get the delicious milk and is having a good time until Jerry the mouse sees him which enrages him while the mouse mocks him.
Later Jerry gets Tom's feline friends over and embarrass's him further.
I hear some people say this one is too sadistic.
Hello..
this is a Tom and Jerry cartoon people.
If you think it's too sadistic go watch the ultra-liberal crap-fest that is "Captain Planet" This hilarious cartoon can be found on disc one of the Spotlight collection DVD of "Tom & Jerry".My Grade: A.
Too Mean-Spirited To Enjoy.
This is one of the few Tom and Jerry cartoons I would never watch again.
You know, there are many times when I watch these entertaining Tom and Jerry cartoons I root for Tom, just out of compassion.
Many times he gets brutalized by Jerry but usually there's a decent reason.
Tom is usually chasing him.
But in this cartoon, Tom gets literally tortured by other cats and takes a lot abuse physically and verbally for no reason, except incredible meanness.In the house he resides in, at least in this cartoon, some idiot little girl dresses him up as a baby complete with bonnet and diapers, puts him in a little crib, scolds him and then - thankfully - leaves.
At Tom enjoys the bottle of milk she left him.
In fact, he loves the milk so much he doesn't mind acting like a baby while he's enjoying the drink.
Jerry is watching him go goo-goo over the milk and makes fun of him.
In no time, the usual chase is on, but only until the brat comes back.Once again Tom has to endure this obnoxious girl.
In all, it happens three times.
Between the second and third, Jerry summons the neighborhood cats in to tease Tom about his outfit and baby acting.
It becomes more than teasing and the cartoon becomes almost shocking in its sadismThere were some funny scenes but not enough to overcome the mean spirit in this animated short..
Unusual Tom and Jerry short marred by being overly sadistic.
Even by Tom and Jerry's own violent standards, Baby Puss is disturbingly callous.
It begins with an unusual premise - the usual 'owner', the plump black maid, is nowhere to be seen, and Tom appears to have been catnapped by an annoying little girl who wants to play mummy-and-baby with him.
Tom puts up with this nonsense because he loves the bottled milk she feeds him, but this cosseted life comes to an end when Jerry invites Tom's alley cat friends to see how their leader is being humiliated.
This leads to a lengthy slapstick sequence in which Tom is bullied relentlessly, and maybe it's because he's dressed as a toddler that I found this quite hard to take, especially the part where his head is blown up like a balloon and later stamped on repeatedly.
I'm no wimp and I usually love violent cartoons, but this seemed too close to child abuse for comfort.
Having said that, there are plenty of laughs and even - unusually for a 1940s cartoon - a couple of jokes about vomiting!.
one of the cutest cartoons ever made!.
This is one of my favorite Tom and Jerry cartoons.
There isn't much plot, but everything that happens is just so delightful, funny, and beautifully animated, it's hard not to love.
Tom's bratty alleycat friends are always fun to watch, and Tom is definitely at his most helpless and adorable.
For old music fans, Baby Puss features a dozen great old standards brilliantly orchestrated..
This episode is a little more sadistic than usual..
After he is forced to dress up and act like a baby by a sadistic little girl, poor old Tom becomes the victim of bullying by Jerry and a group of nasty alley cats.Tom is physically and verbally attacked for the entire duration of this cartoon by every other character, and, although the level of violence is not particularly any higher than in other episodes, Baby Puss seems more mean spirited than your average T&J adventure.
The result just isn't as enjoyable as usual.There is also an overlong musical number which feels rather incongruous, and an unsatisfying ending which sees both Tom and Jerry getting a dose of Castor oil that makes them violently sick (I wanted Tom to turn the tables on his tormentors)..
Tom the Baby.
This short is one of my favorite Tom & Jerry shorts from 1943.
In this short, Tom was forced to play "baby" for the little girl of the house and he did not like it one bit!
except for the milk from the bottle.
Then when the child left the room, Jerry peeks from behind a doll house and sees Tom, who is enjoying the bottle (for the milk) and mocks him by playing "Rock-a-Bye Baby" on the turntable and pretends to be a baby himself - I love that part.
Tom is furious and chases Jerry into the doll-house.
Just when it seems that Tom has Jerry cornered, Nancy returns and scolds Tom again.
Tucking Tom back in bed, Nancy threatens to feed him castor oil if he gets out again.Jerry emerges from the doll house and runs to the window to get the attention of Meathead (from the short Sufferin' Cats!
), Butch and Topsy, Tom's three alley cat friends who are outside.
When the trio see Tom, they begin to make fun of him.
When Tom confronts the other cats, they continue to tease and humiliate him...poor Tom. Overall, I love this cartoon..
SNUFF FILM!!!.
It felt like watching a snuff film.
The cruelty for the sake of sadism was unbearable.
Poor Tom did nothing to deserve this physical and verbal sadistic abuse.
Even films such as "Hostel" and "Saw" weren't so disturbing as this short cartoon.
I would never even dream to let my children watch this abomination!.
Baby Puss.
Baby Puss (1943) *** 1/2 (out of 4)One of the best in the series has Tom being dressed up as a baby by the little girl who lives with him.
This leads to Tom being picked on by Jerry but things get even worse for the poor cat when a group of alley cats show up to continue the abuse.
BABY PUSS is without question the best film in the series up to this point and it manages to feature one great laugh after another.
For starters, the voice of the little girl is just so perfectly annoying that you really can't feel Tom's pain.
The comedy aspect is extremely high and especially with the various abuses that Tom receives at the hands of the other cats.
The diaper changing sequence is just a classic as is the scene where Jerry does some cross-dressing.
Fans of the series will certainly love this one..
too brutal.
Tom and Jerry was my childhood.
I've watched it several times, each time it still brought me joy and relaxation.
There is a certain level of violence but it usually adds fun.
But this episode...
Tom did nothing wrong to deserve the abuse.
These street cats abused him physically and mentally for the whole episode, only because Tom looks funny.
Tom is a house cat, too gentle and vulnerable against the other cats.
It reminds me of my elementary school days being bullied by some classmates because I was quiet and timid.
Tom was so helpless, even Jerry felt nothing and even helped those bullies.
I was shocked.
I thought Jerry and Tom are rivals and friends..
Baby Puss H-Less Review.
This episode is definitely not the best episode for me, but I still found moderate enjoyment here because the jokes gave me a few chuckles, and Jerry, who was the reason those cats tortured Tom, did not really win in the end as he had to deal with the bad liquid in which I do not remember its name.
If it had not been for that little human girl in this episode, I probably would have enjoyed it a significant amount more, but all in all, I like this episode..
A different approach, and a forgettable outcome.
"Baby Puss" is an American 8minute cartoon from 1943, so this one will have its 75th anniversary next year and it is from the dark days of World War II.
However, Tom and Jerry were always really unpolitical back then, so you will not see or hear any references about the global political climate during these 8 minutes.
They were perhaps also there to have people laugh and distract them from the more important events for a little while.
Barbera, Hanna, Berner and Bletcher are all household names when it comes to (MGM) animation from back then, so the premise is there for a good film.
But the eventual outcome just wasn't convincing enough.
It hardly felt like a Tom & Jerry movie at times because in the center of it all were some alley cats and Tom was just there.
Jerry even disappeared for almost the entire second half.
And these cats also do not possess the same level of quality like other supporting characters in this universe, like Jerry's nephew.
And even if this is still among T&J's most known films today, I can see why it did not receive any recognition from the Oscars like so many other cartoons starring the world's most famous cat and mouse duo.
I myself also did not enjoy it too much.
The best thing about it was perhaps the music, a whole lot this time, but the comedy simply was not good enough in here.
Thumbs-down from me.
Not recommended..
best one ...
should have been awarded.
One of the best Tom and Jerry cartoons ever made, enforced by the tribute to Carmen Miranda (who's she?
Answer: a Latin American singer with a fruit bowl on her head and with amazing teeth....search her on the internet!!!) All our family get a laugh out of this cartoon and any time we watch it I say it's definitely the best episode out of them all.
The facial expressions really set out who the characters are.
The singing and dancing lighten the violence with the small cat being done just like the famous singer (Carmen Miranda; see above).
Watch it and enjoy.
it is a tonic!!!!
If I was a teacher, I'd grade it A+++++++!!!
(Just to tell you, I'm not a teacher). |
tt0029952 | Bulldog Drummond's Peril | The intended wedding of Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond (John Howard) to Phyllis Clavering (Heather Angel) at her villa in Switzerland is stopped short (once again) when someone murders the Swiss policeman who is guarding their wedding presents. The killer makes off with their prize possession, a synthetic diamond, made by a secret process by Professor Bernard Goodman (Halliwell Hobbes), the father of their good friend Gwen Longworth (Nydia Westman). A guest, Sir Raymond Blantyre (Matthew Boulton (actor)), head of the Metropolitan Diamond Syndicate, disappears at the same time, and Drummond suspects that Sir Raymond, who has the most to lose if Professor Goodman proceeds with his plans to publish his secret process, has something to do with the theft. He leaves Phyllis and chases back to England. Colonel Nielsen (John Barrymore), of Scotland Yard, as usual scoffs at Drummond's suspicions and insists that a man as respected as Sir Raymond could not possibly be involved in such a crime. An explosion that wrecks Goodman's house, and apparently kills him, makes Drummond more positive that the diamond king has again resorted to murder to protect his business. He follows Professor Botulian (Porter Hall), a lifelong rival of Goodman's, whom he believes to be involved in the affair. His hunt leads him to a lonely house on the outskirts of London where he finds Goodman a prisoner. Drummond's valet Tenny (E.E. Clive) soon joins them as captive, but brings with him the means of escape. After Goodman is taken to safety, Drummond discovers that Phyllis, who was searching for him, is now being held by the crooks. Drummond quickly returns to the house to confront Sir Raymond and his armed confederates. Drummond begins to fight his way out, but is met by superior forces.
=== Differences from novel ===
Loosely based upon The Third Round (1924) by Herman Cyril McNeile | murder | train | wikipedia | One of the weaker entries in the Drummond series, but it's still entertaining.
Perhaps I've seen too many of the Drummond films too close together.
The villains don't appear evil or sharp enough to harm a fly, let alone our hero.There is a nice sequence of that wonderful 30s "lab equipment" working its magic.
Another trip to the altar for Bulldog Drummond is averted when at a pre-wedding gathering in Switzerland a Swiss detective is murdered and an artificial diamond, courtesy of its inventor Halliwell Hobbes to bride and groom John Howard and Louise Campbell.
That sets off a round of a little over an hour of fast paced adventure as Drummond once again shows up Scotland Yard.Bulldog Drummond's Peril steps into the realm of science fiction with Halliwell Hobbes inventing a machine that can create diamonds, a process we know takes millions of years of geologic pressure.
The gizmo he has looks like it was made from spare parts in Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory.The film is blessed with two villains, industrialist Matthew Boulton and rival scientist Porter Hall both of whom want to get their hands on that formula and profit off it in some way.
The majority are industrial strength and used for things like oil drill bits.
A way to manufacture those babies on the cheap would yield someone a lot of money.John Barrymore plays the Scotland Yard inspector and by dint of his name is top billed over John Howard as Drummond.
It's a sad come down for Barrymore who reminds me of J.D. Cannon as Chief Clifford in the McCloud series, the way Drummond constantly shows up the Yard.
He also has a little bit of Perry White thrown in as he constantly is telling people 'don't call me inspector'.The science is a bit bizarre and the plot has way too many holes in it.
If you're expecting something as good as when Ronald Colman was Bulldog Drummond, you won't find it here..
Sharp dialog and decent plotting make this another of the better entries in the Bulldog Drummond series.
This time, John Howard as Hugh Drummond is entangled in a murder and diamond theft in Switzerland and tracking the heavies back to England.
Barrymore as Nielson doesn't have much to do, nor do Phyllis or even Algy, but faithful Tenny is on hand, of course (even riding a motorcycle!).
For those keeping score, in this one, Drummond starts out in Switzerland about to marry Phyllis, and for once Algy isn't worried about anything.Also interesting is how this little potboiler was well ahead of its time with the invention of artificial diamonds and corporate conspiracies to suppress rival technology..
I give it an extra point for the penguin--but it's still not that great a film..
While there have been a lot of Bulldog Drummond films, this one has something that none other has---a penguin wearing a top hat and bow-tie!
Unfortunately, apart from the penguin, this is a very ordinary B-movie--no better or worse than the average Dulldog Drummond movie--and this isn't saying a lot because the series was far from inspired and is not even close in quality and entertainment of many of the better series from the era.
I'm being very generous in giving this one a 5.The film finds Drummond about to get married.
As a wedding present, he receives a huge artificial diamond that is gem quality.
The story consists of chase after chase and is rather low on dialog--with a premium on action.Overall, a decent time-passer but that is about all.
I agree with another reviewer who felt that although John Barrymore was in the film, he was pretty much wasted.
Fast-Paced Bulldog Drummond Feature.
This is one off the more fast-paced features in the Bulldog Drummond series, with the usual likable regulars and a story that includes some interesting details.
For the first half or so, it's as good as any of the movies in the series.
In the last part, it gets a bit too tangled up at times, but it still comes out all right.The setup makes use of the series's running gag about the often-postponed plans for the wedding between Drummond and Phyllis, with the adventure this time getting underway with the theft of one of their own wedding gifts.
The main story centers around a scientist who has developed a way of producing synthetic diamonds, and some of it is rather imaginative.
It also incorporates some nice offbeat details, such as an endearing live penguin.The story is nicely paced, and except when it tries to squeeze just a little too much out of the material in some of the later sequences, it works pretty well.
John Howard is low-key but suitably unflappable as Drummond.
John Barrymore doesn't get as much to work with in this one as he usually does, but he is always entertaining when he gets the chance.
Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is finally marrying his long standing fiancé Phyllis, while on a retreat in Geneva.
During a reception party, Hugh and Phyllis receive a flawless man-made diamond from friend Gwen's scientist father.
Sir Raymond Blantree, a guest at the party and jewel magnate, sees the diamond and plans to get both it and Prof.
Goodman (Gwen's father) before the discovery decreases the value of all jewels around the world (smirk).
Hugh, Algy, and Tenny chase Blantree, and his accomplice Greer, back to London, but being of position, Blantree is able to avoid police persecution by Col. Neilson, who is still fed up with Drummond's wild adventures.
Blantree tries to buy the formula from Goodman, but he refuses to sell, saying he will give it away.
Blantree learns that Goodman plans to borrow equipment from a rival gemologist Dr. Botulian and plans to have Greer impersonate Botulian to get the formula, but the doctor has plans of his own for obtaining the formula.
Will one of their plans succeed despite the efforts of Drummond and company?
Good entry in the series, but it didn't live up to its potential with plenty of setup and weak execution.
The first half of the film focused on the villainy of Blantree and then he was discarded in the second half for Botulian, and frankly both of them were limp adversaries.
I had to laugh at Blantree's idea of the man made gems weakening the financial value of pure gems, apparently the executives at QVC would have given Bulldog more of a run for his money.
One of the gifts is a huge diamond, brought by Algy, and created by his father in law.
It turns out that he has a process for making diamonds for as cheap as a shilling each.
This, of course, would upset the balance of trade and the diamond industry would be destroyed.
The best scene is Tenny riding a motorcycle and crawling onto a moving car.
He, of course, is the best character in all of the movies I've seen, and once again is called on to fix things.
Drummond and the Diamond.
British adventurer John Howard (as Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond) is all set to marry girlfriend Louise Campbell (as Phyllis Clavering), in Geneva, Switzerland.
Back in Scotland Yard, ace investigator John Barrymore (as Colonel Nielson) sends the couple books as a wedding present.
While looking over their gifts, Drummond and Phyllis are amazed at the delivery of a stunning diamond.
Supposedly artificial ("glass"), the jewel is actually a valuable new synthetic diamond.
Of course, Drummond must cancel his wedding to solve the crimes...This was the last appearance by Mr. Barrymore in the "Bulldog Drummond" series.
Frequently shouting, "Don't call me inspector!" it's Barrymore's least successful characterization of Colonel Nielson.
Generally, the story is an improvement over the previous episode, with capable direction by James Hogan and editing by Edward Dmytryk.
Howard and the regulars are joined by Elizabeth Patterson (as Aunt Blanche), a fine addition.***** Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938-03-17) James Hogan ~ John Howard, John Barrymore, Porter Hall, E.E. Clive.
Hugh Bulldog Drummond (John Howard) is about to marry his great love, Phyllis, when the wedding has to be delayed.One lovely wedding gift they received was a beautiful diamond, which turns out was created by the father of Phyllis' friend Gwen.
He's interested in credit, not money; in fact, he plans on giving the formula away.At the party to celebrate the upcoming nuptials is Sir Raymond Blantree, a jewel magnate.
He wants the formula and Gwen's father, Professor Goodman to sink the invention before it wrecks the value of jewels everywhere.
Everybody wants this formula, and in fact, a detective at the party is found murdered as a result of the diamond itself being stolen.
When Blantree finds out that Goodman is going to borrow equipment from a gemologist, Dr. Botulian, he devises a plan to steal the invention.Little does he know that Dr. Botulian has a plan of his own.
Blantree is having someone impersonate Dr. Botulian and show up at 9 p.m. Botulian himself plans on showing up earlier.
Unfortunately I just couldn't tell who was who and before you knew it, I was totally confused.John Howard is a dapper and charming Drummond, and Algy (Reginald Denny) and Tenney (E.E. Clive) are on hand to help him do what he can to catch the criminals.
Not on board and mad as hell and not going to take it anymore is the Colonel (John Barrymore) who is sick of Drummond's machinations.
Phyllis (Louise Campbell), who thought her future husband was retiring, at one point tells him she never wants to see him again.
We know she doesn't mean it.Of course today we have all kinds of lab-created diamonds: Brilliant Earth, Moissanite, Affinity, etc.
Once again Bulldog Drummond is planning to marry his fiancée Phylllis.
This time by a mystery involving synthetic diamonds and, of course, murder.
This would be the third and final Bulldog Drummond film for both John Barrymore and Louise Campbell.
Barrymore would be replaced by H.B. Warner and Campbell by Heather Angel, who returned to the role she played in Bulldog Drummond Escapes.
The reason for Barrymore leaving is his alcoholism, which was affecting his performance.
The rest of the cast of regulars that would continue on with the series (John Howard, Reginald Denny, E.E. Clive) are fine.
Clive has some of the movie's best scenes.
There's a nice supporting cast that includes Halliwell Hobbes and Porter Hall.
As with most of the entries in the Paramount series, this is a middling B detective flick with a short runtime.
Still, if you're fan of the series you will want to see it.
Another Weak Bulldog Episode.
All assassinations that happened in this "episode" happened over a diamond.
Bulldog must find who is killing them.A real yawn.
A very weak plot, poorly filmed.
The plot is an over used plot that has nothing new to bring us to the table of 1930s crime films.
How this one plays out is not all that grand either.Seems to me they could have put Bulldog in films that will bring a new story or at least find a good way to change up an over used plot to make it more interesting.I'm sorry but this one is the worst of all the 6 Bulldog films I have in the Mill Creek Mysteries 50-pack.1/10.
OK but far from Bulldog's best.
"Bulldogs Drummond's Peril" has an outstanding cast but is not very well written and is slowly directed at times.
In fact, there are better movies than this available in the John Howard "Bulldog Drummond" series.Despite these problems, the cast is very watchable featuring the indomitable E.E.Clive and also Halliwell Hobbes.
John Howard is handsome and charming and although personally lacking screen impact, can be adequate as Drummond with more dynamic direction than he gets here.
Barrymore provides energy and brightens up the proceedings but is less steady in this outing than in his other Drummond appearances, and sadly appears to be an aging alcoholic on the verge of unraveling.
Although he looks unwell and is clearly struggling, I don't have any complaints about Barrymore's effort- he is trying to give the best he had left.The plot and script are sub-par, and combined with stodgy direction provide us with a rather nondescript film that is not as good as the better "Bulldog" movies of the era.
But worth your time if you are a Clive or Hobbes fan..
John Hogan also did a fine job of directing, with many dramatic angles and more closeups than were seen in the previous Drummond film by another director.
Louise Campbell and Nydia Westman, the two irritating women, are kept under control and their roles minimized, to my great relief, and to the improvement of the drama.
The lead billing once again is given to John Barrymore, who plays the Commissioner, but in this film, he acts up a storm and has many strong scenes, unlike the previous offering, 'Bulldog Drummond's Revenge', in which he sleep-walked through the story.
Hogan, having just directed her in 'Scandal Street' (1938), evidently was responsible for introducing Elizabeth Patterson to the series, as a hysterical Aunt Blanche.
Porter Hall puts in another of his villainous appearances, to excellent effect.
(Villains are always so much more menacing when they speak quietly, as he does.) There are some amazing laboratory scenes in this film, reminiscent of Tesla, with surging electric currents and so forth, and one half expects a Frankenstein monster to appear.
The story is about the manufacture of artificial diamonds, of the need to protect the diamond industry and, as Barrymore admits, to protect the Empire, from the threat of being able to make diamonds 'become as cheap as pebbles' and 'to be larger than the crown jewels'.
E. Clive as Tenny the gentleman's gentleman has the most energetic and active of all his Drummond roles, and hijacks a truck at gunpoint, hanging upside down from the roof.
But most ingenious of all is the cute trained penguin who has more scenes than Louise Campbell and is a finer bird.
He also discovers a corpse under the table, which was a fine feathered deed worthy of this fast-moving film, which does not disappoint any stout Drummondonian..
In this episode captain Drummond tries to find the killer of various people.
All assassinations were provoked by a diamond of great value, but Drummond will face the danger.John Barrymore is in this, but not playing Drummond.I've seen a few of these Drummond films and am not a huge fan of them..
Unsure.This one is typical of the others but Barrymore is interesting to watch.That's about it..
A low point in the series.
"Bulldog Drummond's Peril" is the first film that makes me think that maybe I should stop watching this series altogether.
You'd think a story (with a heavier-than-usual sci-fi quotient) about a formula for creating artificial diamonds that could pass for the real thing would be interesting; some people want to use the formula themselves, others want to destroy it.
You'd be wrong: there is nothing remotely interesting about this film.
The cast is bland; the sole survivor, as usual, is E.E. Cliver as the butler, with his trademark "I rather like it, sir!" phrase; this time, he even turns into an action hero!
His jump from a (speeding) motorcycle to a (speeding) van is the one memorable scene in the movie; the other is the final sword vs.
whip fight involving Drummond and one of the villains.
Miss Phyllis Clavering (Louise Campbell) is oh, so close to getting married to Captain Drummond this time out; they've made it all the way to the Clavering Villa in Geneva, Switzerland for the ceremony.
However one of the wedding gifts gets it the way, a synthetic diamond that looks just like the real thing.
It was made by Gwen Longworth's father, Professor Bernard Goodman (Halliwell Hobbes), and it appears so genuine, Sir Raymond Blantyre (Matthew Boulton) wants to steal it's secret formula to prevent the worldwide decline in value of real diamonds.
The plot relies on the theft of the fake diamond in the early going, though the whole lights out trick and murder of the detective assigned to guard the wedding presents seems to have been a bit much.
Speaking of wedding presents, the Longworth penguin seemed a fitting touch.
He winds up knocking over a statue of a cherub that Drummond and Tenny conspired to have fall victim to an accident.One of the highlights of the film is the rather elaborate looking lab used by Professor Goodman.
There's a great long shot with a view of all the impressive equipment, with glowing tubes and sparking wires to lend credibility to the professor's experiments - Dr. Frankenstein would have been envious.The story may have taken on a bit too many twists and turns by the time it really got going in the second half.
A rival scientist Dr. Botulian (Porter Hall) is introduced, performing the same kind of synthetic gem experiments as Goodman.
His presence turns out to be a wedge between the original villains and good guys, hoping to cash in on the the whole fake diamond thing himself.Drummond's regulars are all on hand here.
His associate Algy (Reginald Denny) doesn't have as much to do in this adventure, while butler Tenny's (E.E. Clive) role gets more physical.
One of the more humorous scenes involves a frantic Tenny aboard a motor bike chasing down a van.
John Barrymore reprises his role as Scotland Yard's Colonel Neilson, with repeated warnings to Drummond to mind his own business, and falling victim to a crooked tie gag twice.More so than most Drummond adventures, you'll really have to pay attention once the plot thickens with the real and fake Dr. Botulian.
As usual, good guys and bad guys trade the upper hand repeatedly until Drummond's side achieves victory.
The film probably could have used the penguin for a humorous send off, however by the time it's all over you get the feeling that Drummond and Miss Phyllis are one step closer to the altar. |
tt0079727 | The Plumber | The film opens as Dr. Brian Cowper (Robert Coleby) takes a shower in the apartment he shares with his wife Jill (Judy Morris), who is a masters student in anthropology. As he exits the building's elevator on his way to work, an ominous character is seen entering and randomly choosing the button for the ninth floor. He knocks on the Cowpers' door and announces himself as Max (Ivar Kants), the building's plumber. Jill insists that they did not call for a plumber, and Max assures her that he is simply doing a mandatory check of the building's pipes.
Max maintains an affable, loquacious facade. Once inside the bathroom, he starts to chip away at the tile under the sink. When Jill rushes to the bathroom to see what he is doing, Max impishly encourages her to leave him to his work. He closes the door and then takes a very loud shower. Meanwhile, Brian has been informed that a team from the World Health Organization is coming to interview him about his work. He calls Jill to share the news, and in his glee, he dismisses her concerns about Max.
Max tells Jill that the apartment's pipes are a mess and that he will come back tomorrow to replace them. After he leaves, Jill goes to the bathroom to look at the mess that Max made, and he suddenly appears behind her. He claims that the door was unlocked and that he was just bringing in her groceries, since he had noticed they were in a heavy box. This basic pattern of Max's odd, slightly ominous behavior recurs and expands throughout the film. He keeps finding excuses to visit the apartment, and his work in the bathroom only makes a bigger mess each time. Because Brian never sees Max, he dismisses Jill's concerns out of hand. In one shot, Max patiently waits in his car for Brian to leave before heading up to the apartment.
Max eventually erects an elaborate scaffolding in the bathroom which renders it largely useless. As the Cowper's host the WHO officials for dinner, one of their guests gets himself trapped in the rigging and injures himself. During an argument with Jill, Max finally promises to finish his work, threatening that he will do a haphazard job just to get it over with. Sure enough, the plumbing explodes, pouring fetid water all over the bathroom, and prompting the return of Max to the apartment.
The film ends with the police arresting Max. They search his car and find items that belong to Jill. She looks down on the arrest from her balcony, and Max screams at her that she set him up. | comedy | train | wikipedia | A bush-walk that defies explanation at HANGING ROCK, a country town with a lurid secret in THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS, oveflowing domestic storm-water in THE LAST WAVE and here, the humble PLUMBER, or maybe the stranger from Hell?Filmed for the most part in Jill Cowper's (Judy Morris's) apartment, if not the bathroom itself, her nightmare starts when she has need to call a tradesman to fix faulty plumbing in her bathroom.
In the bathroom however he rules unchallenged and Jill finds herself at the mercy of what appears to be a serially disturbed tradesman.Less of a thriller and more a black comedy, Weir places his protaganists each in unfamilar locales.
Jill, a highly educated anthropologist, married to a doctor and studying indigenous behavioural activity has absolutely no idea how to respond to this intrusive workman who stops for 10 minute tea-breaks every five minutes and composes a rock-song for which he asks her considered opinion.
What it actually shows is that just sometimes, fighting fire with fire works!THE PLUMBER was filmed in Adelaide and originally received limited theatrical release.
Hearing about this great little film from many people, I spent tireless hours on retail sites tracking a VHS copy down.
Finally I caught a cheap copy on Half.com and it came several days later, (cut to one month later, when Weir's "Cars that Ate Paris" debuted on easily-accessible DVD format with "The Plumber" as a double feature.
Go figure.) But I sat down to watch it and proceeded to laugh for quite some time.The story is basically about this Aussie anthropologist studying Aboriginal tribes as her boring nutritionist husband is constantly talking shop.
Somewhat threatening and somewhat a misunderstood doof, this plumber spends hours holed up in her bathroom doing nothing but lounging around, hammering shower tiles, writing folk songs and ripping pipes from the walls.It's a precursor to "The Cable Guy," but don't let that discourage you, (I liked "Cable Guy" myself).
A Real Sleeper that's Lots of Fun. Little known Australian gem that takes the old 'girl stalked by psycho' theme and gives it a fun twist with some astute social commentary.
This obscure Peter Weir TV movie from the late 1970s is a little dated, but still very entertaining and suspenseful.
The three main actors (Judy Morris, Ivor Kants and Robert Coleby) aren't exactly household names here in Australia but will be familiar to most TV viewers over the age of 30 for their roles in various soap operas and the like.
Coleby is distracted and concerned about an exciting career opportunity, Morris is currently working at home engrossed in her studies of New Guinea culture, and is timid and less confident socially than her husband.
I enjoyed 'The Plumber' a lot, it's a very effective low-budget, low key thriller shot through with plenty of black humour..
Peter Weir's "thriller" movie is a rare find..
Calling it a horror movie is an exaggeration on its own, but the plot is nerve-tingling as a plumber disrupts an Aussie woman's life through his wild behavior.
Peter Weir must be given a big hand on his films, and this one needs not to be left behind in the abyss of forgotten movies..
A married graduate student takes some time off to work on her thesis and play housewife to her doctor husband while living in a University apartment complex.
One day, a plumber shows up unannounced claiming he needs to do routine maintenance but ends up making a terrible mess of her bathroom.
The Plumber is pretty good, especially considering it was apparently a TV movie, but it is a bit on the dull side.
As seems to be a theme with Mr. Weir, this film explores the concept of The Other within the framework of a horror-thriller.
Peter Weir shows how a good film can be made from a solid script and very little money.A student of anthropology attempts to understand aboriginal tribes, but is completely baffled by the cultural chasm that separates her post-graduate sensibilities from the working-class plumber who is sent to work on her apartment.
Indeed, this was a story of psychology, and how we may react in a similar situation.It's possible I may watch this one again one day, but it's not a movie I would keep with my favorites.
In Australia, anthropologist housewife and thesis writer Judy Morris (as Jill) is startled when grungy plumber Ivar Kants (as Max) arrives unannounced, for a routine check into her bathroom's plumbing.
"The Plumber" becomes a menacing presence in Morris' apartment, but neither husband Robert Coleby (as Brian Cowper) nor best friend Candy Raymond (as Meg) sees any danger.
Written and directed by Peter Weir as a cheap TV movie, "The Plumber" is a hilarious take-off on horror, class and culture.******** The Plumber (6/8/79) Peter Weir ~ Ivar Kants, Judy Morris, Robert Coleby, Candy Raymond.
In Adelaide, the wife of Dr. Brian Cowper (Robert Coleby), Jill Cowper (Judy Morris), is developing her thesis at home to finish her Master in Anthropology.
When the plumber Max (Ivor Kants) unexpectedly arrives for a routine check and maintenance of the piping in the bathroom, Jill stays alone at home with the talkative weird stranger.
Her friend Meg (Candy Raymond), her husband Brian and the super's wife finds Max a simple, but nice man, but Jill does not agree.
When there is a problem in her bathroom and Max needs to stay with her for a longer period, the tension between them increases and Jill finds a way to get rid off the plumber.This low budget and theatrical film is a claustrophobic and scary study of human nature, based on the relationship of two different characters of different social classes spending a period together.
But I have a feeling that she still remembers this film because we both had a great time watching it, and we spoke of it for years afterwards.The Plumber is not a big movie.
It is a study of an obviously disturbed plumber who is set off for some reason by Jill Cowper, the tenant in the apartment where he is called to look at the plumbing.
Although he really did not harm anyone, he made himself threatening and tore the bathroom apart for no reason - neither of which is conducive to being a satisfactory plumber.I have to say that when I worked as a plumber I was quite competent and I did not wreck people's houses.
Nothing mean or scary like our buddy Max in this movie, but funny nonetheless.
She continued to look confused and sort of stammered out something like "yeah I guess so" and looked quite baffled, as if she was wondering if there was something more to water than meets the eye that a plumber might need to know about, and what it could be and why she didn't know about it.
Cut the the bathroom again, and there is Max, sitting on the toilet with a guitar and one of those harmonicas in a brace that fits around the neck ala Bob Dylan, composing a song that must have been titled "I'm Me, Babe" but we don't know for sure.
It's a classic moment, and I don't use the word classic very often.Overall, you don't have to be a plumber to enjoy this movie, but if you are, or even involved in a trade that brings you into people's homes, then the absurdity of the situations in this film will probably hit home a bit harder.
And yes, as others have noted, the ending is bit weak; but there are enough "moments" in The Plumber to overcome it.
Watch and find out what I mean.Class warfare, Aussie style, in this good early film from Peter Weir which, in its early 80s mixture of comedy and menace, brings to mind the good early films of Brian De Palma.
But there are fine performances from Judy Morris as the strangely passive victim of angry resentful Max the Plumber, Ivar Kants in the title role with his
A young couple, living in a campus apartment complex, are repeatedly harassed by an eccentric, Bob Dylanesque plumber, who subjects them to a series of bizarre mind games while making unnecessary repairs to their bathroom.For me, this may be Peter Weir's first really strong work.
In the 70,s we were gathering a following in Adelaide playing pubs ,clubs and large venue,s and were approached to write a few songs for the film.After putting the songs together in a short time,we went into a recording studio and laid down 3 tracks Unfortunately the songs can only be heard on the plumbers radio while he,s working, and even then it,s you can barely hear it.
At lest we got a credit at the end of the film I,d didn't see the film until the mid 1980,s a didn't think it was much of a horror movie, I found it laughable in parts hope I gave some help Mark.
I do like how it ends turning the whole movie on its head.
It's good early work from Australian filmmaker Peter Weir.
Here the lead does nothing sensible at any point during the whole of the film and the plumber who is very annoying indeed comes off as being not quite as silly as her.
A lady basically sits in her apartment the whole movie, while this"plumber" works in her bathroom.
If one is looking for horror, action, suspense, blood, and swearing- this movie is absolutely none of those.The plumber himself is not even scary- like I was watching a awful soap-opera!!!
'The Plumber' is an excellent movie.There have been other films about outsiders encroaching on a household and attempting to take over - but none (as in 'The Plumber') where the other characters are so oblivious to what is actually happening: 'The Servant' 1963 - Dirk Bogarde - wherein a manservant takes over the house and 'Ring Once for Death' part of the 70's 'Thriller' Compendium - (created by Brian Clemens ) starring Nyree Dawn Porter - wherein her manservant tries to poison her and also take over .
There is the fact that the other characters in the film - no matter how close to 'Jilly' as the plumber calls her - don't seem to have an idea as to what is going on and how the plumber's presence/actions have affected Jill.
In fact, Max - the plumber - seems to work at getting her husband / friend 'on side' by chatting to them or fixing their cars - perhaps to ingratiate himself because of what he sees as 'class' differences - very obvious when Jill - now exasperated - picks him up on misusing grammar.There is the 'men vs women' aspect of the film - in addition to Max - the plumber's relationship with Jill - we have the man aggressively watching the women performing their yoga, and admonishing them that other people need to use the hall.
Add to the plot the revolting story which Meg tells Jill about a woman entering someone's home to use the bathroom , and the lady finding that it is really a man in drag.
There is the subject matter about which Jill is writing her thesis - her experiences with the 'Bitu' man with whom Jill had interactions in New Guineu - and the intermittent sighting of the Bitu man during the movie via the artifacts and pictures in the flat.A humorous sideline of the film - is the overseas visitors' dinner to sight her husband's nutritionist work - and how one of them - hilariously - gets trapped under the bathroom rubble.
Brian (the husband) is doubtful about getting a post in Geneva - but after the dinner - is successful - which he irronically puts down to 'collapsing bathrooms and cognac.' I believe that Jill gets rid of the plumber in the same way that she dispensed with the Bitu man - by use of cunning, and I believe that the ending - in which Jill is looking down at the plumber whilst he screams "You bitch- you set me up" - New Guinea drums ablazing- is near to perfect.
A wonderful little gem of a film which doesn't give you answers - but makes you think..
Jill Cowper (Judy Morris) has a plumber (Ivar Kants) come to her house one day.
More than once I was wondering why Jill let the plumber back in considering how strange he acts from the beginning.
A plumber arrives and takes over the bathroom.
He turns the bathroom into a junk yard, crashes through the ceiling, erects scaffolding that forms a maze between the doorway and the facilities.Meanwhile the plumber, Kants, is insinuating himself into Morris's life, an infiltrating tumor.
The husband, absorbed by his problems at work, thinks Morris is misinterpreting things.Finally, in desperation, Morris frames the plumber for theft and he's hauled off screaming threats.
The film ends with a pointless freeze frame of Morris looking down from a balcony high up in the apartment complex, African drums beating in the background.So what's up?
It's cheap and generic but, knowing it was directed by Peter Weir, I wondered if there were more to it than just another woman in jep movie that ends in a cop out.
Then I wondered if Weir was deliberately trying to void the formula by having the wife frame the plumber when, in fact, he may be guilty of nothing more than social clumsiness, inferiority, and an ignorance of how to fix the bathroom pipes.
That's a typical assessment of Weir's intentions.Judy Morris, as Jill Cowper, is really perfect for the part.
Plumbing In The Cable Guy. After seeing The Truman Show,i wanted to see the other films by weir.I would say this is a good one to start with.
The Plot:The wife of a doctor (who is trying to impress his bosses,so he can get promoted).Is trying to finish her written course,while hes at work.But one day a strange man,who says that hes a Plumber,tells her hes been called out to repair some pipes in there flat.As time goes on it turns into a battle to see,how much she can take of this "Plumber".
View On The Film:Peter "The Master And Commander:The Far Side Of The World" Weir, keeps the film going at a really good pace and makes sure to keep it moving fast.Unlike a film thats very "similar" to this,The Cable Guy,this film does not go as dark as that film,which helps to give it a more realistic feel.Though Weir gives it some good comedy,(like,when the Plumber does a spoof of Dylans,It Ain't Me Babe,by doing a song called-Its Me Babe!).The cast that has no one that well known in it,do a really good job to make you feel,that this is really happening.
This Peter Weir made-for-TV movie could have been as absorbing as his best works ,since it had mystery,ambiguity and madness going for it.Almost all the action takes place in the heroine's flat.It could have been a fierce attack on the privileged persons of high culture ,and the girl who is not that much nice after all could have provided a target for it.And she does, in a way,as we see her rosy world collapse .The plumber does not give a damn about anthropology (do you?) and the bathroom becomes some kind of revenge on the highbrows.(spoiler)The ending is downright embarrassing though,and it ruins all expectations cause it shows the educated people's triumph ,and they get it all by a really mediocre trick.The high and low angle shots follow suit.One could have expected a better outcome,an open ending which Weir often uses .(Picnic at Hanging Rock,the last wave,mosquito coast).
Filmed in the latter 70s and made for TV, it is the story of Jill Cowper, a very educated anthropologist, who encounters an extremely strange plumber named Max. Unsolicited, he somehow appears at her door after Brian, her scientist/nutritionist husband, is away from the apartment (and repeatedly appears at her door when she is alone).
The plot goes is basically a plumber comes to a flat, tears up this couples bathroom; and doesn't go away.
The film has some tense, creepy moments, a couple laughs, and a pretty good Dylanesque folk song performed by the psycho plumber.
The main character is supposed to be an idiot I guess since it defies all logic that a woman in this situation would not call the Pigs when things start to get hairy.You can see director Peter Weir was still learning his craft with this film.He makes some rather amateurish mistakes, but it's good to see even the old pros took time to master their craft.
Plus I wanted to see a cameo by Terry Camilleri, star of Weir's The Cars That Ate Paris.The ending where the heroine double crosses the plumber and has him sent to jail is very tepid and leaves you scratching your head and saying, huh?
The heroine and her husband were supposed to go on a trip to Switzerland near the end, they discuss it.The better ending would have had the plumber getting out of jail and then showing up out of the blue in Switzerland.
The Plumber is more than a movie about a plumber, although he (portrayed by Australian-Latvian actor Ivar Kants with much relish) is a central character along with the academic couple.
The tension/psychological warfare is between the plumber and one-half of the academic couple, played by Judy Morris.
Robert Coleby, the other half, seems quite oblivious to what's going on around him.The movie takes an honest look at the class tensions here, especially in the town and gown aspect.
When you think about it, it's interesting to ponder the separation of classes, like would say a plumber marry an architect?
I would like to know where the university housing for the academic couple was filmed.
It really shows the times.I'm not sure why the plumber targets the Judy Morris character, and maybe we'll never know. |
tt0042281 | The Breaking Point | Harry Morgan (John Garfield), is a sport-fishing boat captain whose business is on the skids and whose family is feeling the economic pinch. He begins to work with a shady lawyer, Duncan (Wallace Ford), who persuades him to run illegal immigrants into California. Harry also begins a flirtation with Leona Charles (Patricia Neal). When his plan with Duncan goes wrong, Harry comes even more under the influence of the lawyer, who blackmails him into helping the escape of a gang of crooks, who pull a racetrack heist, by using his fishing boat to get away from authorities. Harry convinces himself that his illegal activities will financially help his family. His wife, Lucy (Phyllis Thaxter), suspects Harry is breaking the law and urges him to stop for the sake of the family. Harry refuses and walks out.
As Harry waits for Duncan and the crooks on his boat, Harry's partner, Wesley Park (Juano Hernandez), arrives. Not wanting Wesley around when the crooks arrive, Harry tries to send him on an errand. The crooks arrive before Wesley leaves, and kill him. Harry is horrified, but is forced at gunpoint to transport the crooks out to open sea without drawing the attention of the Coast Guard. Harry also learns that Duncan was killed during the escape from the heist. Wesley's body is dumped overboard along with Harry's only firearm. Harry uses a ploy to access a gun and kills all the crooks in a dramatic shoot out.
Harry, however, is critically wounded. Authorities find his boat the next day and tow it to port. Lucy rushes to Harry's side and tries to convince Harry to allow his arm to be amputated to save his life. Harry reaffirms his love for Lucy and is taken to the hospital. In the final scene, Wesley's son, who was briefly introduced earlier in the film, stands alone on the dock looking around for his father. | murder | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0120681 | From Hell | In 1888, Mary Kelly (Heather Graham) and her small group of London prostitutes trudge through unrelenting daily misery. When their friend Ann Crook (Joanna Page) is kidnapped, they are drawn into a conspiracy with links higher up than they could possibly imagine. The kidnapping is soon followed by the gruesome murder of another woman, Martha Tabram (Samantha Spiro); and it becomes apparent that they are being hunted down, one by one as various prostitutes are murdered and mutilated post-mortem.
The murder of Martha and her companions grabs the attention of Whitechapel Police Inspector Frederick Abberline (Johnny Depp), a brilliant, yet troubled, man whose police work is often aided by his psychic "visions." His colleague, Sergeant Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane), tries to grasp his friend's wild theories. Abberline's investigations reveal that the murders, while gruesome, imply that an educated person is responsible due to the precise and almost surgical method used. Ann is found a few days later in a workhouse having been lobotomized after officials and doctors supposedly found her to be insane, though it is implied this was done to silence her.
Abberline consults Sir William Gull (Ian Holm), a physician to the Royal Family, drawing on his experience and knowledge of medicine. During this meeting, it is revealed Abberline is struggling with opium addiction. Gull's findings, coupled with his superiors impeding his investigations, point Abberline to a darker and more organized conspiracy than he originally thought. Abberline becomes deeply involved with the case, which takes on personal meaning to him when he and Mary begin to fall in love.
Abberline deduces that Freemason influence is definitely present in these crimes. His superior, a high ranking Freemason himself, then makes direct intervention and suspends Abberline. It is then revealed that Gull is the killer. He has been killing the witnesses to painter Albert Sickert (Mark Dexter)'s forbidden Catholic marriage to Crook, who bore his legitimate daughter, Alice. Sickert is actually Prince Albert, grandson of reigning Queen Victoria (Liz Moscrop), and therefore Alice is heiress to the British throne. Gull tells Abberline that "mankind will remember him for giving birth to the 20th century." Abberline draws his gun, vowing that Gull will never see the 20th century, but before he is able to shoot Gull, he is knocked out by Ben Kidney, another Freemason.
The Freemasons try to have Abberline eliminated without leaving any witnesses, but Abberline fights back and kills two of the assassins by overturning a carriage. Gull himself is a Freemason and his increasingly sinister behavior lends an insight into his murderous, but calculated, mind. Rather than publicly charge Gull, the Freemasons decide to lobotomize him to protect themselves and the Royal Family from the scandal. Gull defiantly states he has no equal among men, remaining unrepentant up to his lobotomy, resulting in him becoming invalid just as Ann had been.
Abberline tries to save Mary, but arrives too late, and blames his superior for not helping him or Godley on the cases. Abberline does nothing but watch Mary's mutilated body being taken away. Abberline receives a mysterious letter, which he soon realizes is from Mary, but he decides not to look for her as a way to offer her protection, as the Freemasons may be watching his every move. Abberline decides to burn the letter, knowing that he can never have a normal life.
Mary Kelly was not killed; Gull mistook Ada, whom Liz said was from France (but is from Brussels in Belgium), for Mary and he killed her instead. Mary lives with Alice as her daughter in a cottage on a cliff by the sea. Abberline is found dead of an opium overdose, knowing he can never see Mary again without endangering her. Sergeant Godley comes to pay his respects for the Inspector. | dark, psychological, gothic, murder, mystery, paranormal, cult, violence, horror, atmospheric, flashback, good versus evil, insanity, revenge, historical | train | wikipedia | The critics, nit-pickers and historical pedants who've trashed this superb piece of truly cinematic movie-making have totally missed the point.So what if Johnny Depp's English accent isn't exactly "right" for his character?
For the record, the theory behind the killings is pretty much right out of JACK THE RIPPER: THE FINAL SOLUTION by Stephen Knight, and it's been pretty well discredited since it first came out twenty years ago, even though it makes a hell of an entertaining piece of fiction.I completely discount any criticisms of the movie where people say "it didn't happen that way".
It's enough to make the film beautiful to watch.Yes, I know that four of the five victims of Jack the Ripper were women in their late 40's, which on the streets of Victorian London would mean that they would resemble crones in their late 60's or early 70's.
I have never seen Sir Ian in any role that I didn't find completely believable, and that ranges all the way from KING LEAR to his role in ALIEN, for heaven's sake.My interest in the whole Jack the Ripper case has been reawakened thanks to this movie, and I'm trying to hunt down a copy of Alan Moore's graphic novel (which is very difficult to find).
Based on an ambitious graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Eddie Campbell, From Hell (named for the signature on the Jack the Ripper letters written to the police), is one man's carefully researched theory into the eternal mystery surrounding the Whitechapel murders of 1888.
This is not a factual display of guilt or innocence, as many of the answers behind these crimes will never be known, but as theory mixed with fact, it creates with chilling detail the mood of lower-class London in the late nineteenth century, where life was cheap, bloody and oftentimes short.The Hughes brothers, noted for their stylish direction, do a very good job of creating the mood here, involving all the grunginess and hopelessness of the streets, and combining the more mystical elements of Moore's story into the crime tale.
Johnny Depp is Inspector Abberline - an opium-smoking criminal investigator that often follows up on hunches he receives during moments of hallucinatory revelation.The style of the film - dripping with violent murder of prostitutes in alleyways - leaves more to the imagination than it reveals, although the gore level is by no means light.
While the acting was good (minus some quite unconvincing cockney accents - Heather Graham and Johnny Depp, I'm talking to you) and the direction assured, the script seemed a little reserved.
While dismissed by all the other characters in the film (for a learned man would never commit acts of such debauchery), we as an audience know better not to trust a detective like this - their preposterous ideas are usually right.
Had the love story been more developed, the ending would have been much more depressing, as we would have felt for the characters more (This could be what kept the film from an A+ rating).As I said before From Hell is great.
"From Hell" is an interesting spin on the familiar Jack the Ripper tale, using the iconic cultural image of the cloaked man with the top hat as the source for a spin-off not of history, but of a graphic novel.The lead performance by Johnny Depp as Inspector Abberline (who really existed in 1888 at the time of the murders and really was an authority on the case) is wonderful.
All in all this film kept me entertained because it was unique, and very different, and not particularly because it was "great." I didn't expect a whole lot, but I felt that the movie was directed as ably as it could (or should) have been and the performance by Johnny Depp was deserving of a better film.
This time around Johnny Depp plays Inspector Frederick George Abberline, who is investigating the work of a killer carving up the bodies of prostitutes in Whitechapel, London.
There's also a rather interesting take on the murderer's reasoning, which is not entirely unwelcome, but does feel somewhat as if they need to pad out the story and distinguish it from other Ripper yarns.Depp is, as usual, good.
It is an ultra-stylish, nightmarish Movie with some modern Film flourishes that work well in this hallucinatory Hell.There are some impressive set details and the story is rich with Masons, Whores, Royalty, Physicians, and Police.
30 Second Bottom Line: The infamous Jack the Ripper serial killer mystery unfolds in Victorian England as a stylistic who dun it.From Hell is an exciting murder mystery with a number of hints about who dun it to keep things interesting every step of the way.
It's clearly Oscar caliber work.Although From Hell is based on a comprehensive novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, with the focus on a real killer in 1888, the film is not trying to be a JFK and convince us how it really happened.
The fog in London finally is lifted on the murder mystery and on the Hughes Brothers being great directors.Message on the movie: We can't always have what we want from life.
It's so dark that it makes "Seven" look like "The Wizard of Oz." Then again, you wouldn't expect a movie based on Jack the Ripper to be light and cheery, now would you?London, 1888.
This film is a mix of historical fact ( Elgar), urban legend ( Take That) and surreal drama ( MOS Ibiza) coming together to form a strange yet enjoyable dance.The film is set in Victorian London when the poorer classes of London's Whitechapel area lived in fear of the most infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.
Directed by the Hughes Brothers, much is made of Inspector Abeline's opium, Absynth and strychnine addiction, something associated more with Sherlock Holmes than Abeline although historically accurate as the drugs of choice for the Victorian gent in London .Johnny Depp, an actor who seems to pick roles which allow him to showcase his versatility is convincing as Abeline, the unfortunate detective who became a sacrificial scapegoat offered up to the frustrated and furious Londoners by a powerful Masonic order.
No one has ever sufficiently answered how Jack the Ripper was able to get in and out of east London unseen and un stopped, and the murders, swift and brutal over a short period seemed to end as quickly as they had begun without reason or answer.The plot is simple to follow and unfolds with ease as the film progresses, there are no surprises or ridiculous unbelievable twists but there are some problems with the film.
It seems like the Hughes brothers couldn't decide between historic reconstruction, blood soaked thriller, weird romance, and hell, so we get a little piece of everything, but nothing real good or convincing.
So in that respect I was rather neutral on the whole accent business throughout the film.Yes, I know what an authentic B-C-I accent sounds like, and I too noticed that these weren't flawless, but I never gave it much thought, as both of them seemed at least realistic and convincing enough to allow me to enjoy the overall atmospheric "look and feel" of the movie, which was far more important.That being said, I can see where you are coming from.
Very well shot and stylish backdrops helped provide the movie's gothic setting giving London a truly creepy touch.My only disspointment was that the murders weren't so shocking and brutal as I'd come to expect (maybe the Hughes Brothers should've looked at some Giallos of Lamberto Bava or Dario Argento in order to help gain more reference to the blood and gore portrayed).Overall not a bad attempt, though it was a tad bit dissapointed.
This movie never succeeded at the box office, and I can see why: bad vibes and poorly told, despite the fine cinematography.Most films starring Johnny Depp are entertaining, and this is no exception.
Just curious because everyone with the exception of Robbie Coltrane`s character is either a cockney or a former public schoolboy , and of course by casting a bunch of native Brits you can`t help notice how bad the accents coming from Johnny Depp and Heather Graham are .
I'd suggest a trip to the Modern Classics section in the video store for the Hughes brothers too see how it should be done.If you approach this film expecting something other than an average teen slasher movie set in the Victorian era, I think you will be disappointed.
"From Hell", yet another "Jack the Ripper" flick, is somewhat over wrought with lavish cinematography imbuing what we'd like to believe is a bleak and dank Whitechapel District of London with richness; a street whore protagonist (Graham) somehow insulting in her sweetness; and a Scotland Yard sleuth (Depp) uncharacteristically dashing considering his beginning and his end.
Second, because I wanted to watch Johnny Depp's performance.I have watched many reports about Jack the Ripper and based on these TV reports, I can say that the film is fairly true to the reality, at least, what we are told about it.It's like travelling back through the years to this Victorian era and living the life of the most poor people.It's an interesting but also very dark and somewhat shocking film, the kind of films that remains printed in your mind.
But OK, it's a show, and the real background story remains captivating enough, as well as Depp's acquired accent and Coltrane's presence.Too many things strangle the effort, however, starting with the main weakness of Heather Graham being cast and outfitted as Mary Kelly.
Which is another very ill-advised idea, and we see virtually all cliché Hollywood-rules unfolding, a killer when it comes to this particular crime-case.The movie superficially shines with a cast of very able actors, Depp, Richardson, Holm, Coltrane, the late wonderful Katrin Cartlidge, to name a few, and yet, although the fantasy- and horror-genre ever so often tickles surprising performances out of well known stars, nothing breathtaking happens here, with the exception of Holm's play (although watch, he's doing the chin-thing again), too deep the tracks of expectation in character-behaviour are, and too dominant.Fusing an inspector and a self acclaimed medium, who both had been involved, to a clairvoyant inspector might have, with some tolerance, given this re-telling of the story some spice, but the idea went out in a puff in the end.
The choice to stick to the graphic novel's conspiracy-take and involvement of the Freemasonry, which Moore himself, with good reason, didn't insist on being the most promising one, decides a course, of course, one that had already been taken once with 'Murder By Decree', and by taking it a lot of rather interesting theories, indicators and characters have to go out the window, but here we go.'From Hell' is pure entertainment, shallow, spotless, with a camera-work good for the eye, lines that fit together and no claim for authenticity.
Basically any film with Johnny Depp in it will be pretty good, due to the fact that he is an incredible actor, and so is Ian Holm who holds another big part.
One suspected his heart was not really in this hotly steaming turd and he just went through the paces playing the exact same role as he did in "Sleepy Hollow," which, though it also had a tired old plot, still turned into a great movie.There are several interesting (and even believable) speculations on the Ripper murders, and of course most scholars have a pretty good idea who it probably was (hint: it wasn't a doctor, a royal prince or a Freemason).
No No No.....what have the Hughes Brothers done to this factual historical story, it`s awful....there are so many bad points, l think it is dreadful that a story like this can maline people so much...The good points...the atmosphere was good, the sets were good, the acting (apart from Johnny Depp-mind you his accent was superb)...The BAD points...(l have studied the Ripper Case-this is the known truth)Fred Aberline was not a drug addict, he did like his drink though...
"From Hell" contains a few nice sequences, exquisite performances by Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, and Ian Holm, a very convincing technical department, and it has a superb third act.
I usually enjoy Johnny Depp for his acting prowess, and in this movie, he did show his talent at doing an English accent and keeping it constant (unlike Heather Graham).
As per usual he does steal the show...but you cannot credit a film just because the producers had the budget and sense to enlist a decent actor to play the main character.Please, please, please just read one of the thousands of factual books that are out there documenting the Jack the Ripper killings if you want to know what actually happened....DO NOT watch this film expecting to see the truth because it merely portrays one of the FIVE quite plausible theories on the killings.However, if you are a fan of terrible films that merely give you hollywood glitz and gore rather than telling you the truth, then be my guest, stay ignorant and enjoy the movie.1/10...watch the michael caine tv movie, at least it gives you the vague truth on the killings..
The plot, characters and setting quickly had me believing that this was going to be "Sleepy Hollow Redux," which is never a bad thing.As with the aforementioned 1999 Tim Burton masterpiece, Johnny Depp plays a Brit-accented police detective who tries to solve a series of grisly murders.
Their partnership ultimately reveals an exciting twist in the plot.Ian Richardson is effective as Abberline's pompous, anti-Semitic superior (he immediately believes a Jew is responsible for the killings), as is Robbie Coltrane as the inspector's sidekick, confidante and sounding board.I'm always in the mood for a good murder mystery film, and "From Hell" fits the bill nicely.
The exterior master shots of London are so beautiful that they look more like paintings borrowed from an art gallery.There are no real negatives about this film; my only gripes were that the scenes involving Dr. Gull's medical procedures and John Merrick (the Elephant Man) served only to shock the audience and did little to advance the plot, and it also seemed rather odd that Jack The Ripper would have a partner in crime (a nervous, bottle-swigging carriage driver played by Jason Flemyng), which, as a result, doesn't make him as imposing as he should have been.
A police inspector (Johnny Depp) in 1888 London tries to capture Jack the Ripper.
This isn't the first movie about the notorious late 19th century serial killer Jack The Ripper and it sure as 'hell' won't be the last.
Johnny Depp plays an Inspector Abberline who is assigned to investigate the murders in Whitechapel attributed to Jack the Ripper.
The film follows the theory explored in an earlier film, "Murder by Decree" (1979), that the Ripper murders were really the act of a mad palace surgeon who was killing the witnesses to a scandal involving Prince Edward.I can't think of a more unlikely pair of actors to portray Victorian Londoners than Johnny Depp and Heather Graham.
In 1888, Inspector Abberline investigates the case of `Jack the Ripper', who is murdering his through a group of poor whores on London's streets.
This concept, added to the excellent mood and direction make up for the weaknesses in the plot and the occasional bad performance.Depp is good as Abberline - a stronger willed man that his Sleepy Hollow character, and manages to do a good accent for most of the film.
Great film, excellent acting, one for your home library -- one of Johnny Depp's best performances.
From Hell is meticulously produced and has some of the best cinematography I've ever seen in a horror movie.Although the story about who Jack the Ripper is is a little contrived at times, in general the plot is interesting.
It keeps you interested and involved for the whole two hours, not to mention it looks beautiful.Heather Graham and gang as prostitutes put in a great and touching performance, showing the human side of the women that are unfortunate enough to have been in this profession in the Victorian era, and Johnny Depp is amazing, as usual, although (as others have pointed out) his English accent may be a little off, which I wouldn't know about since I'm American.This film is great entertainment and I would highly recommend buying the DVD (if you rent it you'll more than likely end up buying it anyway, it's that good).
After watching this movie for the first time, I thought it was really good, but throughout that next week, images and the look of the film stayed with me.
His English accent was very surprising.I hope any history buff or person that is interested in the Jack the Ripper case watches this film.
I just watched this movie a little bit ago and I think I was able to confirm this as my favorite Johnny Depp film.
He'd be nowhere without the friendship of his sidekick played by Coltrane Perhaps the biggest problem with this movie is it is hard to see Inspector Abberline's (Depp) motivation to solve the murders, at least until he develops some interest in one of the potential victims, Mary Kelly (Heather Graham).
The sets are dark and atmospheric, some of the cinematography is stunning.We watched this with my husband, not a Jack historian who had been put off by the title but he enjoyed the film as much as we did.So the moral of this review - Don't let the title put you off, it is not a horror movie more of a period detective/drama, well worth taking the time to watch..
Set in 1988 in whitechappel, London, this film follows the story of Jack the Ripper, and the detective that is assigned to the case, inspector Albiline (johnny Depp).
"From Hell" is an excellent Jack the Ripper film, really well produced with good solid acting.
Loosely based on the Alan Moore graphic novel which itself is based on the Jack the Ripper murders this is a beautiful looking film.
Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to From Hell.I have always liked this one, and find it enjoyable. |
tt0267548 | Haseena Maan Jaayegi | Amirchand (Kader Khan) is the ill-fated father of two mischievous sons - Sonu (Sanjay Dutt) and Monu (Govinda). Both of them are always up to one prank or the other, most of them aimed at stealing money from Amirchand.
In the opening scene, they call up their father, acting as gangsters, and ask for a huge sum if he wants to live. The plan fails as Amirchand turns out to be the driver of the taxi in which they were escaping. Later, they fix up the marriage of their father with Shakuntala (Bindu) and take one lakh rupees as advance dowry from her brother Jamnadas (Asrani). This plan also fails as Amirchand refuses to entertain Jamnadas and his sister.
Amirchand warns their sons to become serious towards life if they want to live in his home. He asks Monu to join office and Sonu to go to Goa for claiming some money he had lent to someone. Whereas Monu plays another prank by calling up a girls hostel and flirting with Ritu (Karisma Kapoor), Sonu mistakenly goes to one Gulzarilal Verma (Anupam Kher) for claiming the money, where he meets Pooja (Pooja Batra). Both Ritu and Pooja are Gulzarilal's daughters.
Sonu and Monu fall in love with Pooja and Ritu, respectively. Sonu calls up Monu to come to Goa, disguised as his Uncle for fixing up his and Pooja's marriage. This leads to a series of confusions as Gulzarilal's sister Santho (Aruna Irani) also falls in love with Monu (disguised as Uncle).
To get rid of the problem, Sonu and Monu throw a dummy of the Uncle from top of a cliff, only to land up getting arrested for killing the non-existent uncle. Amirchand comes to know of this and reaches Goa with his assistant Kunj Biharilal (Satish Kaushik). As they, along with Gulzarilal are on their way to police station, they are kidnapped by a Bhai (Ashish Vidyarthi). Sonu and Monu escape from the lockup with Bhootnath's (Paresh Rawal) help and rescue their father and to-be father-in-law, thus proving to be worthy sons. | prank | train | wikipedia | Roller coaster ride of fun with many funny moments.
The movie is really a roller coaster ride of fun with many sub plots.From beginning to end there is fun in every scene.
Even though Govinda and Sanju are main characters in the plot he other characters also deliver fun.The movie is roller coaster of fun because every character has a funny moment which will always remain in our mind.Although the story is old and simple, it attracts everybody to watch repeatedly the movie.Govinda and Anupam Kher give their support to make this movie a funny one till end.The jokes are really fantastic.Lastly I want to say that Govinda's body language is best in this movie compared to previous movies.everybody mus purchase a DVD of this one and enjoy it frequently because this is a great stress reliever..
Poor story, great performances.
This movie has a very poor story, and a terrible direction.
What makes the movie survive is Govinda's BRILLIANT comic performance as "chacha ji".
Sanjay Dutt plays well, but Govinda takes the show.
He is the best in the movie, and makes you laugh like hell.
Nice movie to take away your stress...
not only once, but every time you see it!!!.
Go Govinda!!.
One of my favorite Govinda movies.
Not to be missed even if you are not into the Govinda style of acting AKA over-acting, It might just be Govinda's best performance in a comic role.HMJ is one of those movies which you can watch sitting at home with a group of friends, N number of times.
Great comic performances by Anupum Kher, Kader Khan, Sunjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal, the thin mobster guy, the fat mobster guy, Satish Kaushik!
(Kunj Biharii), even shakuntala(bua- ji).
Just feels like the entire movie was an improv.
The actors looked like they were actually having fun.
Loads of great one liners and dialogs.
On my list of top comedy movies this one stands right on top with Andaz Apna Apna and Chupke Chupke..
India's Equivalent.
A great comedy film that really bring in the belly laughs with witty dialogs and fine comic timing from the cast, which adds to the fine performances seen in this screwball comedy.
Kader Khan is perfect as the father and will provide the biggest laughs in this film.If you want logic in the comedy then don't expect this film to provide it.
A movie directed by David Dhawan means for two and a half hours you have to forget the world we live in.
The director provides us with his own world when the police are a perfect establishment, no-one is afraid of the Indian Mafia, where all the ugly guys get the good-looking females, and everyone lives happily ever after.Its pure escapism at its finest.
His work in this film is close to the early works of Indian cinema's great director's Manmohan Desai, and Hirishkesh Mukherjee, thought not as good as it lacks some form of moral or purpose of its storytelling.
Still it doesn't mean we can't enjoy it if it doesn't have any of those features!
The film has a couple of fine song scores provided by Anu Malik which includes the aptly titled song 'What is Mobile Number.' Well I told you there is no logic in the film just pure fun and that is where the film scores big.
A film which is India's equivalent (and improvement) to the British Carry On series.Millionaire Seth Amirchand (Kader Khan) has two spoil sons; Monu (Govinda) and Sonu (Sanjay Dutt).
Both have become very lazy and are used to the rich and easy lifestyle.
Their father decides to put an end to this by not giving them any more money.
So both Monu & Sonu try to con their father through numerous pranks, which always backfires.Seth Amirchand decides to have the two brothers separated in order to have better control and more influence on their lives.
Sonu is sent to his father's office in Mumbai while Monu is sent to Goa to collect an unpaid debt on his father's behalf.
While in Goa Sonu meets and falls in love with Pooja (Pooja Batra).
At the same time Monu meets Ritu (Karishma Kapoor), who is staying at a girls hostel while attending medical college, and falls in love with her.
Both brothers doesn't know that Ritu and Pooja are sisters.When Sonu wants to marry Pooja he goes to her father Gulzarilal (Anupam Kher) to ask her hand in marriage, but scared of his strict father he tells Gulzarilal that his uncle will come instead making up some excuse why his father cannot come.
But who does he find to play his uncle..?
His brother Monu of course, who disguises himself as an older man.But realizing that his girlfriend Ritu is there, after completing college, Monu makes sure that he remains under disguise at all times so that his brother can marry.
But what follows is identify crisis that will test the two brothers to the limit....
Childhood favorite.
HMJ was one of my favorite films in childhood such that me and my siblings rewinded its cassette and watched again.
The biggest plus point is Govinda who is good as monu and impeccable as chacha ji.
Also I loved Satish Kaushik's 'To sahiye' one liner.
Sanjay dutt had nothing great to do in this one.
Since it was before munnabhai, his comic timing was not put into test.
Heroines have nothing to do.I loved two songs haseena maan jayegi and chitti pahad chade.
The drawbacks I found was that the song placements were inconsistent and climax could have been better.
On the whole I still enjoy watching HMJ just like when I was a child today..
Mostly bad but has some funny parts.
I was struggling how to rate this movie.
In the beginning I had a feeling I would give this movie a 1/10.
After the absurd and absolutely unfunny scene with the wallet I thought the movie will be total garbage.
And actually it was such for about 1.5 hrs (which often is a whole movie length).
But at the end some fun got added with Govinda dressing up as his uncle.
The acting was not that great.
At least not when it comes to the two main characters.
They overacted big time.
But one of them still got me to laugh with his dressing up as uncle parts.The dancing and singing scenes were pretty good.
Although the meaning of them has to be overlooked to enjoy.
Otherwise it is this weird pattern of old guys harassing young women and them falling in love with them at the end for no apparent reason.
Weird.
Another weird thing is that there are men who are 40 and don't look any younger being treated like they are very young men.
What the hell is this about?
Do they have no male actors under 40 in India?
Do young actors just dance in movies until they are old enough to play a 20 year old who looks like it is timer to retire?
Well I just give it an average for some special scenes which came at the end and kind of erased the memory of how horrible the beginning was..
Pyaar Kiye Jaa remake mixed with typical DD situations..
David Dhawan has never been known for being an original director and he always used to repeat the same formula.
haseena Maan Jayegi with a title from a 1960s film, starring Shashi Kapoor and copies a subplot from Pyaar Kiye Jaa(1966) where Kishore Kumar dresses up as Shashi's rich father.
He also mixes his own formula from Aankhen(1993) where 2 heroes keep troubling their father(incidentally played by Govinda and Kader Khan again).
The film does have several humorous situations especially whenever Govinda and Sanju trouble Kader Khan, It does have it's share of corny moments like Govinda and Karisma romance.
The subplot of Pyaar Kiye Jaa although is humorous and the scenes between Aruna Irani and Govinda are funny.
The climax is funny though corny again.Direction is okay Music is decent, I Love You Bol Daal became famous,title song is good rest are okayGovinda is simply brilliant in his role as always, Sanjay Dutt is okay though he pairs well with Govinda, this was their comeback film after Taaqatwar,Do Qaidi and Andolan and was their first hit.
Karisma Kapoor does her usual act which she repeated in DD films though she entertain,Pooja Bhatra is awkward Anupam Kher hams as always,Aruna Irani is good Ashish Vidyarthi,Razzak Khan are cartoonish villains and okay Kader Khan is hilarious though he repeats his stuff Satish Kaushik is too good,rest are okay.
a suckfest of incredible proportion.
This is one of those movies that makes you want to hit your own head with a rock for trying to sit through it.
There is no plot.
What is attempted as a storyline is a tale incapable of holding even a baboon's interest.
And there are recurrent, periodic interludes of cacophonous braying that one later realizes were supposed to pass for songs.
The inane attempts at comedy though are the coup de' grace....
They are what will finally make the viewer's brain shrivel and wither into a charred lump if he/ she actually makes it all the way to the end. |
tt0197273 | Bartok the Magnificent | Russia is being terrorized by an evil witch known as Baba Yaga (Andrea Martin), and the only one who is not afraid of her is Bartok the Magnificent (Hank Azaria). Bartok, an albino bat, has just arrived in Moscow and is impressing everyone with his performances, including Prince Ivan (Phillip Van Dyke). However, Ivan's advisor, Ludmila (Catherine O'Hara), finds Bartok annoying and naive, and she tries to make a Cossack stop his performance. After Bartok's show, a bear suddenly attacks. Bartok saves everyone by stunning the bear, knocking it over, and trapping it in a wagon.
Delighted with Bartok's bravery, everyone around him rewards him with gold, including Prince Ivan, who gives him a royal red ring, much to the displeasure of Ludmilla, who reminds him that the ring is only for members of the Romanov family, not commoners. She asks that he take the ring back, but Ivan disagrees, saying it is time for a change. Ludmilla, seeing that she cannot dissuade him, reluctantly allows it and they leave. When Ludmilla expresses that she is upset that Ivan has given a ring to a commoner, especially a street performer, Ivan retorts that that was his intention, and his friend Vol (Diedrich Bader) agrees that Bartok was funny. Ludmilla, on the other hand, believes that Ivan needs to respect his duty to the crown, which incites Ivan, who is tired of listening to her, to say that he will do as he pleases and it is she who must respect the crown.
Meanwhile, Bartok is counting the money he received when the bear wakes up and scares him. It turns out Bartok's amazing rescue was just another act - the bear is Zozi (Kelsey Grammer), Bartok's business partner. Zozi is apprehensive about Ivan's ring and agrees with Ludmilla, that the ring should be returned. Bartok stubbornly refuses to give it back since it was a gift.
Back in Moscow, Ivan is kidnapped by Baba Yaga, which leads to an immediate investigation. Ludmilla finds one of Baba Yaga's iron teeth, and she informs the people what has transpired. When she asks for someone brave enough to rescue Prince Ivan, two children (Kelly Marie Berger and Zachary B. Charles) nominate Bartok. Bartok and Zozi are on their way to St. Petersburg when Zozi spots the Cossacks coming after them. The pair become worried because they assume that Ludmilla wants Ivan's ring returned. Bartok tries to conceal his identity, but he is brought before the people, who explain that Ivan has been taken by Baba Yaga, and that they are relying on him to rescue their prince. Bartok reluctantly accepts, and he and Zozi head to the Iron Forest to confront Baba Yaga and save Prince Ivan.
They find Baba Yaga's hut, but must answer a riddle given by a giant skull (Tim Curry) to enter. When the riddle is answered, Baba Yaga successfully captures Bartok and explains that to save Ivan, Bartok must gather three items from the forest without any help from Zozi, or they'll "both die": Piloff, Oblie's Crown, and the Magic Feather. However, these tasks are very hard, for Piloff (Jennifer Tilly) is frozen to a boulder, Oblie (French Stewart), a giant blacksmith surrounded by an aura of fire, must be tricked into letting his crown be stolen, and the magic feather must be obtained without flight, using only the boulder Piloff was stuck to and Oblie's crown. He gathers the objects demanded, but Baba Yaga still needs something from Bartok himself. He offers everything he can think of, but Baba Yaga rejects everything and bursts out laughing. Bartok, outraged, begins to yell, and he upsets Baba Yaga by accusing her of lying and cheating, and claiming that everyone hates her.
After he apologizes to her, he starts crying and Baba gets the most important ingredient: tears which are from Bartok's heart. She makes a magic potion from the items she had Bartok collect and reveals that she never took Prince Ivan and that the potion she made was meant for Bartok himself. Baba Yaga explains that when Bartok drinks the potion, whatever he is in his heart will show ten times in his exterior. Bartok and Zozi return to town and lead Ludmilla and Vol up to the top of the tower where Ivan is imprisoned.
When they arrive, Ludmilla locks Bartok and Vol up with Ivan and reveals she had Vol kidnap the prince (telling him to "get him out of the way" as in kill him, while Vol misunderstood and locked him up, supposedly for his own safety) while she framed Baba Yaga as part of her scheme to forcibly seize the Russian throne. She steals Bartok's magic potion and leaves Bartok, Ivan, and Vol trapped in a well tower filling up with water. She drinks it, believing her beauty will become tenfold, singing "The Real Ludmilla Comes Out" as she descends the tower, gleefully boasting that she will be unstoppable. Unbeknownst to her, the potion causes her to steadily transform into an enormous dragon as it is what she is on the inside.
Upon this discovery, Ludmilla goes on a rampage through Moscow, setting many buildings alight with her newly acquired fire breath ability. Zozi then comes to the rescue, saving Bartok, Vol, and the Prince. Bartok battles Ludmilla and tricks her into climbing the tower. When she gets to the top, the tower starts to become unstable and causes the top of the tower to fall, flooding the streets and dousing the flames. As the townspeople gather around Ludmilla's dead body, Zozi reveals that Bartok is a true hero, not only because he stopped Ludmilla, but because he had showed Baba Yaga compassion. Bartok returns Ivan's ring and Baba Yaga appears, writing "Bartok, The Magnificent" in the sky. Bartok gives Baba Yaga a goodbye hug as she and Piloff depart, counting on seeing Bartok again. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | This film, about a circus bat in Russia, off to save the prince from the "evil" Baba Yaga, will no doubt have a great appeal on children.
It is sure to entertain them and they will be likely to sing and dance along with it as soon as they know the words of the songs.As an older person, such as a grown-up or teenager, this film may fall flat on its face.
It is quite babyish and the animation - including the backgrounds, could possibly do with a little bit more work.
However, this film is likely to entertain the older anyway.
One thing that can be said happily, is that they use a very English actor to voice - not a baddie - but a goodie, a thing which many American films do not have (including "The Lion King")!
In this follow-up to ANASTASIA, the title character (and most of the others) are gone, so I can only suppose that BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT portrays the future of the Romanoff family (Prince Ivan looks like he could be Dimitri's grandson or something).
Bartok, after the demise of Rasputin, now works in his own two-man circus act that reinacts his fictitious heroic deeds.
After Prince Ivan is kidnapped by the evil witch Baba Yaga, the gullible people of Moscow force Bartok (whom they totally believe to be the real McCoy) and his supposedly dead bear friend, Zozi, to rescue him from the evil witch.When I first saw this on the shelf, I was dismayed.
Thankfully, my fears were dispelled as soon as I heard and saw the opening sequence telling the tale of Baba Yaga.
The animation is smooth, flowing, and the lip-synching actually works.
The voice of Kelsey Grammer for Zozi fits like Mickey's glove; you can tell Zozi is Frasier.
The story isn't quite as poignant as ANASTASIA: this time 'round, Bluth and co.
have opted for a comedy in the form of BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT.
If you liked ANASTASIA, certainly watch BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT, if you didn't like ANASTASIA, watch it anyway!
Bartok originally seen in Anastasia goes on a quest against his natural inclinations to save the Russian Prince..
As an earlier commentator noted, "Bartok the Magnificent" is a prequel to "Anastasia".
I guess animated bats live for a REALLY long time.
But if you are going to quibble about dates then just what will you say about the existence of talking bears, musical witches and a huge animated riddle asking skulljust go with it.
For all the sequential fuzziness, I find this film a real joy.The voice talents of Kelsey Grammar as the Russian Dancing (and classical theater loving) bear Zozi is wonderful as are also Tim Curry's, as the Huge Talking Skul and Jennifer Tilly's role as Piloff.
Whatever she is, Tilly's voice makes her seems gentle and funny (and a little ditsy but in an attractive kind of way) while also being impervious to whatever Bartok does to get her off the bolder (and a strange looking bolder it is toolooks more like a construction girder) as demanded by Baba Yaga.
Indestructible gentle femininity is a good thing.
Of course Bartok (voiced by Hank Azaria) is himself a hoot.
Also Kelsey Grammar's voice in song is as full of life and warm as is his speaking voice.
Both the video and the DVD comes with the songs separate with sing along lyrics--nice touch..
Best Animated Feature I've Seen In A Long Time!.
I just finished watching Bartok and I must say I was thoroughly impressed.
This movie had all the ingredients for a superb animated feature that so many cartoons these days lack.The cast was excellent and the whole story was downright hilarious.
Hank Azaria as Bartok is a wonderful, loveable and a funny little character people can't help but love.
Kelsey Grammer also turns in a great voice performance as Zozi the big bear.
Very seldom these days do I see cartoons taking time to match up the words of the character with the proper lip movement, but Bartok the Magnificent pulled it off wonderfully.I can't say enough about this fantastic movie that hasn't gotten enough recognition.
There is enough content and humour throughout to entertain adults and the fluent and colourful animation will be awe-inspiring to kids, no matter what their interests are..
I didn't expect to like the movie as much as I did Anastasia and I was right.
They chose the character I didn't care much for, but as I said in my Anastasia review he was very appealing to the kids.
So when it comes to Bartok the magnificent, this cartoon is more for just children.
So the drawing is not as beautiful, there are less details of Russia and songs are not as great.Also, as somebody who grew up over there and had a lot of Baba Yaga in my childhood, I really didn't like the portrayal of her or her house, was so different from what it was in my childhood.
This of course wouldn't make a difference for most viewers and kids but this is where movie lost some points with me.
I wish it was her old house with chicken legs in the middle of a beautiful Russian forest.It is still not a bad movie for kids.
And I personally liked to have more of Kelsey Grammar in it who now had a bigger part as Bartok's friend the bear..
I liked Anastasia.
It wasn't the best animated movie ever, but it was nice.
And Bartok was my favourite character, so....
I was all the more disappointed with this movie.
But please, please, give the movie a story!
This one mixes an old Russian fairy tale about a witch (in the original she lives in a house with 4 chicken legs, so the house can walk around, I believe) with a PC-game-alike plot:1) Go on quest.
Etc. etc.Add in some poor songs, some really really obvious morals, and you've got one of the worst direct-to-video sequels ever devised for a major animated feature.
Not as good as Anastasia but still entertaining!.
Anastasia is my personal favourite Don Bluth movie, but this film actually does it justice if not as good.The animation is mostly good, bright and colourful, that falls a tad flat in the scarier bits.
The story is a bit noisy, but well told, considering that the film itself is too short.
The dialogue is good, the best coming from Zozi, and the morals are admirable.The songs are quite good, but not as beautiful as Anastasia.
The voice talents are impeccable, Bartok is a little annoying but Hank Azaria voices him well, but Kelsey Grammar is perfect as Zozi.
Andrea Martin is convincing as Baba Yaga, and Catherine O'Hara is a suitably over the top villain, a bit too OTT perhaps.
Tim Curry is also very good as the skull who was brilliantly animated, and Jennifer Tilly is great as Pilaf .An entertaining movie!
Bethany Cox. Great film to go back to if you'd like to revive your childhood.
If you take this film outside of the world of Anastasia (cause they're only connected through one character) - you'll get a good impression out of it.Is it a great animation for today?
BUT: it has a very pleasant, unique magical atmosphere that makes you want to watch this movie with a sense of lightness, like you have nothing in the world to worry about.
It puts you right into your childhood mode, and especially if you've seen it before.AND, the music is simply amazing!!!
I would definitely recommend watching it, but just try not to expect a masterpiece or it being connected to Anastasia too much.
Bartok gets his own spin-off?
That little white bat from Anastasia.
Out of all Don Bluth films and characters, this one was the one that simply had to have a movie of his own?I mean...
What more is there to say?We could have had another Land Before Time movie.
(That one was actually pretty good...) Another...
Thank Cthulhu!)You know, the more I think about this, the less awful in principle it actually sounds.So, long insane rambling aside, is the film any good?It's not...
It's colourful, looks pretty damn great given the no doubt small budget, and the characters are...
And given that it has talking bears, Baba Yaga, mythical quests, kings, queens, dragons and all that usual jazz, that's something of an achievement.
Movie has to try to be this boring.
the best character is piloff....
Not as good as "Anastasia" but great fun besides!.
As a sequel/prequel to "Anastasia", Don Bluth's infamous Disney rip-off and one of my personal favourite animated flics, "Bartok the Magnificent" *does* fall short, but it still stands on its own with its own sentimental qualities; cute humour, great voice acting, and endearing (albiet childish) animation.
Even though Bartok is a pseudo-villain in Anastasia (he faithfully assists Rasputin without really seeming evil), he makes a great hero.The plot flows thusly - Bartok (played once more by the incomparable Hank Azaria) has a road-side, travelling show, in which he portrays himself and sings about his (completely made-up) heroic doings, while staging the dramatic killing of a vicious bear (portrayed by Bartok's partner-in-crime, Zozi - played by Kelsey Grammar).
Through these antics the little white bat gains quite a fan-base, including the young Czar-to-be, Prince Ivan.
And so, it is no surprise to anyone (except perhaps Bartok himself) when he is begged to rescue the Prince from the evil witch of Russian folklore, Baba Yaga (Andrea Martin).
In his journey, Bartok meets a wonderful cast of characters, including a snake-thing called Piloff (Jennifer Tilly) and a riddling skull (Tim Currey), and discovers the hero in him he never knew.While the ending leaves a few things unanswered (for example; if Bartok becomes a beloved hero in Moscow, as he does, how did he end up falling in with the wicked Rasputin?), "Bartok the Magnificent" gives for good fun for the whole family - kids will laugh at the corny jokes (maybe their parents too) and the talking animals.
Adults will enjoy the use of great voice actors like Azaria, Grammar, Martin, Tilly and Currey, as well as Catherine O'Hara, cast as the voice of diabolical Regent Ludmilla (a character so hilariously over-the-top that she becomes just as "magnificent" as the title character).All in all, yes, "Bartok the Magnificent" fails to live up to the very high standard set by its predecessor, but it remains a cut and entertaining addition to Don Bluth's resume..
Bartok the Magnificent, contrary to previous report, was not an actual sequel.
If you watched Anastasia, and know anything about history, you already know that the the Czar has not only abdicated, but has also been killed, with the exception of Anya.
While companies are not fully true to history, at the time Anastasia was made, it was believed that the infamous Romanoff was still alive, and going by the name Anya, later disproved.
Bartok the Magnificent is the sequel prequel, lol.
It was made after Anastasia, but judging from the palace(The palace was destroyed in Anastasia), and the fact that the Romanoff line is still alive, it is most likely a prequel.
I honestly was not thinking highly of this movie at first glance, however, after watching it, I LOVED it.
This movie is adorable and the animation of Baba's Skull Guardian thing, is well, magnificent.
This is definitely a cute movie for the whole family to watch, and is undoubtedly worth your while, despite the lack of hubbub about it..
Suffers from being put next to the better Don Bluth movies.
Well, I never thought for once that they would make a show about the little white bat from Anastasia but they did it and I have to say, it was a little bit annoying but overall OK.
The story seems to take place many years before Anastasia happens which makes me wonder how old Bartok really is.
He seemed the same age as when he was in Anastasia but yet we see Ivan Romanov as a little boy.
I know that it's a simple thing to want to fall on advisors overthrowing the thrown as the bad guy but they could have done something else.
It's only near middle of the movie that she seems to have something going for her.
The bear Zozi pretty much has no real character but to push Bartok into doing what he's doing and spout play quotes.
He had nothing more then to be a layed back side character with no real meaning.The artwork was rather disappointing.
I would have thought that it would be better coming from Don Bluth and how nice Anastasia was compared.
Sometimes it was well done with lots of detail but other times, it felt like they used the wrong colors for some things and took way little time with them.
The world outside the city of Moscow was very disappointing because it looked like a fantasy land rather then the landscape of Russia.The voices were pretty well done though seem to be rather downcast next to the artwork.
Each character was what I would imagine them to sound like.
Sadly, Bartok, the very center of the movie, was really annoying.
He was good as a sidekick for a villain but when he gets his own show, the whole movie suffers from his raspy voice.
I don't have anything against the voice actor but just like Iago from Aladdin, this was one of those characters that shouldn't be singing.
The songs and music were sub standard and not really memorable so it doesn't even feel like I should bring them up..
Not As Bad As It Could Be. I had seen Bartok The Magnificent several years ago and I recently re-watched it.
Along with The Pebble And The Penguin and A Troll In Central Park, Bartok The Magnificent is not as good as An American Tail, All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Land Before Time, and especially The Secret Of NIMH.
While re-watching it, I expected to be really corny but it's by no means awful and there are actually some good things about it.
The animation is quite nice and there are some pretty cool characters.
Baba Yaga is suitably menacing, Pilaf is adorable, and Zozi and the skull crack me up.
On the flip side, the script/story suffered from being somewhat predictable and I don't care for the songs.
Also, Bartok is kind of annoying but is actually less annoying here than he is in Anastasia.
Not the best movie ever but nowhere near as bad as it could have been.
PS: The way Baba Yaga reacts to being hugged is absolutely hilarious..
This is quite possibly the worst film I have ever had the displeasure of seeing, I don't know what made me want to see this, but everyone was saying how terrible it was so I had to see what the fuss was about.
The character are awful with no interest or morals.
The animation is atrocious, and looks like a five year old did it, I actually a five year old could do better.
I mean, my gosh talk about getting all the joy sucked out of me in the very intent the movie comes on.
After this I will say I'm glad I own How to Train Your Dragon, because after watching this piece of horse manure I needed to get my faith back into animation.
I needed something to get my mind off this terrible excuse of a movie.
Lets hope this is the last time we get an animated film this bad well at least in a long time.
And the last thing, should kids see this?
No. Not that its bad with inappropriate innuendos or jokes, its just kids will get bored with this.
Oh, and those rodent characters that try to be the minions, I have one thing to say.
Animation: D- Characters: F Story: D+ For Kids: No Music: C Voice Acting: D Overall: D-.
Disappointing follow-up to very well done 1997 film "Anastasia"....
1st watched 2/2/2013 – 3 out of 10(Dir-Don Bluth): Disappointing follow-up to very well done 1997 film "Anastasia" by Director Don Bluth and Producer Gary Goldman.
This straight-to-video release takes one character from the previous mentioned film, Bartok, voiced by Hank Azaria, and places him into an older setting where the Romanov's still reign and Bartok is a traveling entertainer in Moscow with his bear friend voiced by Kelsey Grammar.
He fakes the crowd into thinking he has powers – so when the current Prince appears to be kidnapped – the people want Bartok to rescue him from the clutches of a strange witch.
Technically this movie looks very good, and the animation holds up against the 1997 film.
The music was created by the original team from "Anastasia", but the songs do not hold up, and are not memorable at all.
The main problem with the movie, though, is the story and screenplay – which is not funny, and seems like it was pieced together.
Bartok is irritating at times and pretty much all of the secondary characters are pretty lame(although the bear voiced by Grammar isn't bad).
One of the villains of the piece is a strange witch that turns out to be very un-scary even though the initial music makes it seem like she's just the opposite.
She hands out three simple tasks to Bartok before she supposedly hands over the prince, and then ends up not having him??
It was done primarily to reveal the real villain which ends up being the backup person to the Prince's throne(how original was this??).
Sorry about the plot revelations, but if you watch this movie you won't really care about this anyway.
If you think the movie is OK for kids, it's not
it's a little too creepy in some scenes and has some adult humor.
So basically, this movie is definitely a flop in many ways. |
tt0048310 | The Lone Ranger | In 1933, a boy, Will, who idolizes the legendary Lone Ranger, encounters the elderly Comanche Native American Tonto at a sideshow in a San Francisco fair. Tonto proceeds to recount his experiences with that Old West adventurer.
In 1869, lawyer John Reid returns home to Colby, Texas via the uncompleted Transcontinental Railroad, managed by railroad tycoon Latham Cole. Unknown to Reid, the train is also carrying Tonto and outlaw Butch Cavendish, who is being transported for his hanging after being captured by Dan Reid, John's Texas Ranger brother. Cavendish's gang rescues Butch and derails the train. Tonto is subsequently jailed. Dan deputizes John as a Texas Ranger, and with six others they go after the Cavendish gang.
Cavendish's men ambush and kill their pursuers in a canyon and Cavendish cuts out and eats Dan's heart. Tonto, who has escaped from jail, comes across the dead men and buries them. However, a white spirit horse awakens John as a "spirit walker", and Tonto explains John cannot be killed in battle. Tonto also tells him Collins, one of the Rangers, betrayed Dan and is working with Cavendish, whom Tonto believes is a "wendigo". As John is thought to be dead, he wears a mask to protect his identity from enemies. Tonto gives John a silver bullet made from the fallen Rangers' badges and tells him to use it on Cavendish.
At a brothel Collins recently visited, Red Harrington informs them about Dan and Collins' fight over a cursed silver rock. Meanwhile, Cavendish's men, disguised as Comanches, raid frontier settlements. John and Tonto arrive after raiders abduct Dan's widow and son, Rebecca and Danny. Regretting his earlier actions, Collins attempts to help Rebecca and Danny escape, but is shot dead by Cole, who rescues them. Claiming the raiders are hostile Comanches, Cole announces the continued construction of the railroad and dispatches United States Cavalry Captain Jay Fuller to exterminate the Native Americans.
A Comanche tribe captures John and Tonto soon after the pair finds railroad tracks in Native territory. The tribe leader tells John of Tonto's past: As a boy, Tonto had rescued Cavendish and another man from near-death and later showed them a mountain full of silver ore in exchange for a pocket watch. The men murdered the tribe to keep the location a secret, leaving Tonto with great guilt.
Tonto and John escape as the cavalry attack the Comanche. At the silver mine, they capture Cavendish. Tonto demands that John use the silver bullet to kill Cavendish, but John refuses. Tonto attempts to kill Cavendish, but John knocks him unconscious and brings in Cavendish alive. Upon returning Cavendish to Cole and Fuller's custody, Cole is revealed to be Cavendish's partner and brother. Fearing that if his actions are publicly revealed he'll be charged as a war criminal, Fuller sides with Cole. Rebecca is held hostage, and John is taken back to the silver mine to be executed. However, Tonto rescues him and the two flee as the Comanche attack and are massacred by the cavalry. Realizing that Cole is too powerful to be taken down lawfully, John dons the mask again.
At Promontory Summit, during the union ceremony of the railroad, Cole reveals his true plan: to take complete control of the railroad company and use the mined silver to gain more power. John and Tonto steal nitroglycerin and use it to destroy a railroad bridge. With Red's help, Tonto steals the train with the silver, and Cole, Cavendish and Fuller pursue him in a second train on which Rebecca and Dan Jr. are being held captive. Riding his horse, John pursues both trains. After a furious chase and fights on both trains, both Cavendish and Fuller are killed, Rebecca and Dan Jr. are rescued and Cole drowns buried beneath the silver ore after the train plunges off the severed bridge and into the river below.
The town and railroad enterprise recognize John (whose identity is still unknown to them) as a hero and offer him a law-enforcement position. John declines, and he and Tonto ride off. Back in 1933, Will questions the truth of the story. Tonto gives him a silver bullet and tells him to decide for himself, and then vanishes, with a crow flying away into the night. | murder | train | wikipedia | Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels reprise their television roles in this western classic that has the Lone Ranger and Tonto defusing a war between ranchers and Indians.
The picture was filmed in beautiful color with excellent sound, and has a solid cast and a very good music score, including the signature William Tell Overture.
The grand mountain vistas of southern Utah provide the backdrop for this film and the Ranger and Tonto never looked better as they ride the trail for justice and bring peace to a young territory hoping for statehood.
Moore and Silverheels get great support from Lyle Bettger as the scheming rancher, Robert Wilke, John Pickard, Michael Ansara, Frank de Kova and Perry Lopez..
"The Lone Ranger" was the first of two feature films made in the 50s starring Clayton Moore as The Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels as Tonto.
The story briefly, involves big time rancher Reese Kilgore (Lyle Bettger) trying to incite a war with the local Indian tribe on whose reservation a mountain of silver is located.
Moore and Silverheels, who had been around the "B" movie scene since the late 30s, play their parts pretty much the way they did on TV but with a little more edge.
Moore has a knock down drag out fight with the Indian warrior Angry Horse (Michael Ansara) who is trying to take control of the tribe from sickly Chief Red Hawk (Frank DeKova).
Colorful Western in which the strange Masked Man and Tonto must prevent a war between ranchers and Indians.
Enjoyable Lone Ranger western film about the Masked Man and his faithful Indian sidekick .
The legend of the Lone Ranger is ¨the untold story of the man behind the mask and the legend behind the man¨ .
This flick follows the adventures of the Ranger , his white stallion Silver and his American Indian pal Tonto, as they attempt to bring local criminals to justice once again.
This cinematic adaptation deals with the Lone Ranger , here he comes , thundering up the West's deadliest silver mines trail , blasting his way and confronting baddies .
The Ranger accompanied by the Indian Tonto who rides with him, on Silver and Scout, throughout the West, doing good deeds and they dedicate their life to combat the evil that Reece Kilgore -Lyle Bettger- represents.
The two heroes ride off in a cloud of dust under classic musical background composed by Rossini and shouting ¨Hi-Yo silver¨.¨The Legend Of The Lone Ranger¨ is crusader's first silver screen outing .
Clayton Moore is good as the mysterious and righteous gunslinger, yet he shows have an endearing innocent charm , while Jay Silverheels is acceptable as his faithful sidekick Tonto.
Jay Silverheels played as Tonto in the long series and two films , he also played Geronimo in ¨Broken Arrow¨(1950) .
Furthermore , there appears Bonita Granville , she married producer Jack Wrather in 1947, who became the longtime producer of the "Lone Ranger" TV series and films.
Following this movie, Granville retired from acting to become a producer on the long running "Lassie" TV series ; her final film appearance was a cameo in ¨The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981)¨, also produced by Wrather .
In the scene where the Ranger meets the governor with his mask on, the music in the background is the soon to be "Maverick" theme , both this film and Maverick credit David Buttolph with the music.
The Lone Ranger was also a television series from 1948 through 1957 in which gained widespread notoriety on ABC television, as Clayton Moore donned the mask each week to fight crime and corruption in the old west and of course Jay Silverheels as Tonto .
Furthermore , new version by Willam A Fraker titled ¨The legend of the Lone Ranger¨ that wavers between irony and seriousness , starred by Klinton Spilbury and Michael Horse ; but the film bombed so badly at the box office , as the movie's star Klinton Spilsbury never worked in Hollywood again.
Jerry Bruckheimer Films has debuted a logo for the upcoming adaptation of The Lone Ranger , this is the last big screen iteration of the famous character .
The tagline on the site reads, "The Legend Returns." Gore Verbinski has been contracted to filmmaking the classic TV show film , a blockbuster retelling for the big screen, and Johnny Depp is attached to play Tonto ..
One of the things that amazes me about this film is its surprisingly modern attitude towards Native Americans (no, seriously!) The Indians in this movie are portrayed with dignity and respect, similar to the way "Dances With Wolves" would portray the Lakota years later.
Naturally, the Lone Ranger and Tonto are good friends and partners (Clayton Moore always said he loved Jay Silverheels like a brother), but the way the Ranger in which treats the Indian chief, Red Hawk, is touching.
No wonder this man is a hero.In an era when Hollywood more often than not used Indians as stereotypical savages and moving targets, "The Lone Ranger" makes a surprising plea for mutual respect and tolerance..
I never knew Clayton Moore had done a feature length movie as the Lone Ranger, so this was a pleasant surprise on many counts.
Michael Ansara is great as Angry Horse, the volatile Indian who is at odds with the Lone Ranger.
After having spent some time with old martial arts classics, I thought I'd set my sights on the western genre, and what more appropriate than the adventures of the legendary Lone Ranger astride his steed Silver, and his Red Indian sidekick Tonto.For those not in the loop of this character, he's like the daytime vigilante of the Wild Wild West, in his mask concealing his true identity, and loads his guns with silver bullets.
Not hard to imagine that I actually grew up on such stuff.The movie begins by diving right into the story, with our heroes up against some mean and corrupt and greedy cattle ranchers who are after more land, and some bad hats amongst them trying to stir up war with the Native Americans.
Called the "trusty scout' (Kemo Sabe) by his Red Indian ally Tonto, the movie also takes a look at the prejudices faced by the Native Americans amongst groups of white men, and the strong partnership between our leads, is testament to the fact that ignorance and the lack of understanding, isn't the way to go.The visual transfer isn't all that great, and it looks like it's VHS based, with little remastering done to remove the cacks and pops.
Nothing much comes out of this interview, although a trivia was shared that the Lone Ranger actually never kills anybody on screen.
Running at 17mins and 15 secs, I would recommend going straight for the second interview instead.The second interview has more substantial material discussed, and it's natural given that it's conducted by Leonard Maltin of Entertainment Tonight, with the guest Dawn Moore, daughter of the Lone Ranger himself Clayton Moore.
Conducted and recorded on 9 Feb 2001 and clocking in at 39 minutes, it is a heartfelt session with recollection of memories of Clayton Moore, about her childhood and growing up with the legend, many behind the scenes discussion at the production, anecdotes shared that only a child will know, and even talk about Silver the horse.
It's a shame that this film is not more widely known and available, because it represents the pinnacle of the Lone Ranger, at least the on-screen version.
In addition to being the Lone Ranger's zenith, it also ranks among the Greatest Super-Hero Films of All Time, and is very good Western in its own right.The TV series (which, BTW, I loved) was always hampered by shooting schedule and budget, so location filming, riding scenes, fight scenes, etc., were always kept to a minimum.
And usually the sets always looked as if they were constructed in 3 hours by the technicians at a local TV station in Cleveland, Ohio.But in this film, besides being in color and having lots of outdoors scenes, there are plenty of great riding and fight scenes, including a full blown stampede.
I won't spoil it how that situation resolves
) Additional treats include the Lone Ranger donning the Old Geezer disguise he often used in the TV series, and Silver doing some memorable work (similar to Lassie or Flipper, yet amazingly, this does not come off as corny).Certainly there were no other actors, at least on screen, who ever did or ever could portray the Masked Man and Tonto as good as Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels.
I attribute this to Silverheels' ability as an actor.It's undeniable that the Lone Ranger's target audience was mostly kids, and that his appeal to adults draws its strength from the well of our childhood.
The Lone Ranger himself says outright that in all the fights between Whites and Indians, it's the Whites who have always started the trouble.
There are anti-war as well as anti-racism messages that seem ahead of their time.The Masked Man and Tonto, as unequivocal representatives of Good, channel their energies into a desperate campaign to prevent a destructive war.
Near the end of his famous TV show of the 1950s, "The Lone Ranger," Clayton Moore made this feature film with costar Jay Silverheels as "Tonto." The main plot revolves around Lyle Bettger, who has plans of running the Indians off their land, so he can claim it and the silver mountain they revere.
Enough of the plot, the star of the film is Clayton Moore as the bigger-than-life Lone Ranger.
Throughout the film we find out how he became The Lone Ranger.
But all of it is the heart of the film, which makes us feel like we the viewer are The Lone Ranger.
(He wears his disguise until injustice has come to an end and there is no further need for his alter-ego.) And, this film really delivers the goods.
It is reported that Clayton Moore loved this chance to be The Lone Ranger, because, as a boy, he dreamed of being a cowboy or a policeman.
If anyone had told me I'd look at, let alone write a review for a 'Lone Ranger' film I'd have laughed at them Big Time!
Here is a film from 1956, based on a TV series that I fully expected to look and sound as bad as they could come....was I surprised to find this had elements you might usually expect to find in a major work.Technically, it doesn't get too much better than this curious show.
Firstly, an above average script credited to 'Have Gun Will Travel' creator: Herb Meadow (based on the original characters created by Francis Striker and George Trendle in 1932) this kicks things off to a good start, then you notice the great cinematography by special effects man Edwin B.
Although its script is strictly utilitarian and a bit dull at times, this movie is a worthy companion to the beloved TV series, with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels in their most familiar roles.
There are a couple good action sequences and some admirable horsemanship to help out the rather formulaic script.If that really is Moore playing the Ranger in disguise as an old prospector, then it's a treat to see him in something other than his one-note performance as the masked man.
Also, it sure looked to me like, contrary to legend, the Lone Ranger shot and killed a man!
The Lone Ranger is simply the Coolest Western Hero ever.
It's all done with Wit, Skill, and a Fearful Fighting Style Unique in the Untamed West.This Movie version of the Extremely Popular TV-Entertainment is a well-Produced, Colorful, well-Written, well-Done Addition that will Please Western Fans of All Ages.
The 1956 version I just watched is 18 years and several The Lone Rangers later.This movie took me from "no way am I watching this" to "OK, this might be decent" to "Ugh."Initially I thought this was an American Indian demonization film.
Because I didn't know the characters, or who was good and who was bad, it looked to be a film about noble white men trying to establish a living in the wild west but were being pestered by barbaric Indians.
Sure, the Lone Ranger is a bit pretentious and hoky but he's a real good guy.Then one scene ruined everything.
In this movie it was a scene of The Lone Ranger getting shot and looking near death only to reveal he'd only been shot in the arm!
I'm not a big fan of 'classic' American westerns, usually preferring a little 'spaghetti' with my saddles, Stetsons and six-shooters, but I do have a fondness for the adventures of The Lone Ranger, which were a part of my childhood in the '70s (repeat showings aired during summer holidays and on Saturdays).
Like an American Robin Hood, The Lone Ranger served up entertaining half hour slices of wholesome escapism and acts of derring do in which good always triumphed over evil.This, the first of two full length features to star Clayton Moore as the legendary masked vigilante, sees our dashing hero and his faithful sidekick Tonto (Jay Silverheels) coming to blows with dastardly rancher Reece Kilgore (Lyle Bettger) and his men, who have been stirring up trouble with the natives on a nearby reservation in an attempt to lay their hands on the silver lode within the Indians' sacred mountain.Plot-wise, it's a fairly routine and rather predictable escapade for the ranger, but one enlivened by strong performances from heroes and villains alike, enjoyable action (there are several impressive fist-fights featuring great stunt-work), glorious colour cinematography, a rousing score (including, of course, the show's signature theme, the William Tell Overture), and some welcome humour (as Moore dons the guise of an old prospector in order to investigate)—all of which adds up to a very enjoyable time.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for the sake of nostalgia..
i still get a kick out of watching white men play indian roles and ride saddled horses with blankets hiding the saddle.
The Masked Man and his faithful Indian companion Tonto struggle to thwart a greedy cattle baron from igniting a full-scale war with Native Americans on a nearby reservation.
Compared to the Spartan production values on the ABC-TV series, "The Lone Ranger" movie looks like a million-dollar spectacle.
Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels reprised their roles, and they have no trouble stirring up action.
The Lone Ranger swaps blows with a potential Indian chieftain and gets clipped by a bullet to the head.
Anyway I was a big fan of the Lone Ranger and his message of justice and racial tolerance definitely had an impact on my life, but he had been out of my life for at least 30 years until last night when I watched this film on TCM.
Why this film was not shown on TV is anyone's guess since they showed the TV show for so long, but whatever the reason, bottom line, if you are a Lone Ranger fan this is the movie to see.
I like also that there is death and injustice and prejudice, these are all adult themes that most kids shows lack, that is what sets the Lone Ranger apart from other kids shows of the past and today.
For someone who's either seen or been aware of all the various Lone Ranger movies including the early serials, I was caught off guard by the presentation of this story on Turner Classics the other night.
The bonus for movie fans watching today is that it was done in WarnerColor, though the color rendition varies in scene to scene from rather drab to quite brightly saturated given the type of scene.For viewers unfamiliar with the origin of The Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore), his friend and sidekick Tonto (Jay Silverheels) does a nice job explaining it by telling the story of the box canyon ambush and how Silver was nursed back to health by the Ranger following a fight with a buffalo.
It's easier just to take Tonto's word for it.The story here has the Ranger and Tonto trying to find out what's really going on in the town of Brasada as local rancher Reece Kilgore (Lyle Bettger) seems to be defying statehood for the territory against the wishes of the territorial governor (Charles Meredith).
Kilgore has a hot headed foreman named Cassidy (Robert Wilke), who turns out to be a fiery enemy of the local Indian tribe and puts a number of henchmen to work disguised as Indians in a familiar ruse in any number of Westerns whereby their destructive raids are blamed on the local tribe.Fans of the TV series will recognize Clayton Moore underneath the old prospector disguise whenever he goes undercover trying to learn new information.
Silver also got some commendable screen time making the save for the Ranger when he got shot in the left arm by one of the bad guys.
With the Ranger's good arm hooked into a stirrup, Silver dragged him over to a water hole until Tonto could come by.
I guess we were supposed to overlook the fact that the masked man was dragged over on his wounded arm, which should have sent him to the moon in pain.We finally learn that the motivation for rancher Kilgore's determination to keep the Indians on the warpath had to do with sacred ground known as Spirit Mountain.
That tussle was actually a pretty good one, the stunt men for their respective characters earning their pay by staging a wild fight while rolling down the side of a hill.With all the neat work by the supporting players, I was curious to see how many of them appeared in the Lone Ranger TV show, and was surprised to learn that Bettger didn't appear in a single one.
Pickard had a role in seven of the Lone Ranger TV episodes, including the very last one in a series that ran for two hundred and twenty one shows. |
tt0057441 | The Quick and the Dead | An unnamed gunslinger known only as The Lady enters the Old West town of Redemption circa 1881, where she enters a single elimination gunfighting contest held by Redemption's ruthless mayor and former outlaw John Herod. While there she meets Cort, a former Herod henchman turned preacher whom Herod has captured and forced to enter the contest. During her first night in town, The Lady saves Cort's life by shooting through the rope Herod's men had used to hang him. She also meets "The Kid", a brash young man who runs the general store and who hopes to impress Herod. The Kid believes Herod is his father and that he can earn his father's respect by entering and winning the contest.
In the first round of duels The Kid defeats a Swedish quick-draw champion while Herod kills a braggart named Ace Hanlon, who had taken credit for some of Herod's own accomplishments. The Lady defeats an enemy she had previously left shackled to a wagon. Cort, who has renounced violence and doesn't have a weapon, is taken to the general store. Herod buys Cort a gun and decrees that Cort (an exceptionally skilled gunfighter) can only have one bullet at a time so that he doesn't shoot his way out of town. Despite telling everyone he wouldn't fight, Cort winds up drawing his gun and winning his first round fight. During a rainstorm Herod meets with Clay Cantrell, a professional gunfighter hired by the townspeople to kill Herod. Before they duel, Herod changes the rules and proclaims that all contests are now to the death. After killing Cantrell, Herod angrily addresses the townspeople and informs them that he will continue to raise his taxes on them until they understand that he is in charge of everything. During a rainstorm that evening The Lady faces off with Eugene Dred after Dred rapes a young girl at the saloon. She defeats him but spares his life and returns to the bar, but Dred ambushes her and she is ultimately forced to kill him.
The next day, Cort is slated to fight Spotted Horse, an American Indian who claims he cannot be killed by bullets. The Lady, still upset over killing Dred the night before, saddles up and rides out of town before Cort's fight. Cort narrowly beats Spotted Horse after having to beg for a second bullet. The Lady is found at a nearby cemetery by Doc Wallace, who tells her that he recognizes her and knows why she is there. During flashbacks, it is revealed that the Lady's real name is Ellen, and father used to be the Marshal in Redemption until Herod invaded, killed all the deputies and had him strung up. Herod gave Ellen a pistol and three shots to try and break the rope her father was hanging from, but she accidentally killed him instead, something Doc Wallace witnessed. The reason Ellen returned to Redemption was to avenge her father, but the trauma of Dred's death has made her reconsider her decision. Doc Wallace tells her that Herod's men dug up her father's body and burned it. He hands Ellen her father's old badge and begs her to come back and help rid the town of Herod, as she and Cort are now Redemption's only hope.
Ellen rides back to town and accosts Cort. During sex, they promise to help each other overcome Herod. Ellen directly challenges Herod, but is sickened to hear that he has already accepted a fight against The Kid. Ellen and Cort are the only other fighters left and are ordered by Herod to face off. They both proclaim they won't fight each other, but Herod tells them he will have them gunned down by his men if they refuse. Herod takes The Kid aside and asks him to withdraw from the contest, telling him his time will come. The Kid refuses and they fight, with The Kid wounding Herod in the neck while Herod delivers a fatal bullet to The Kid. Ellen and Cort then face each other, but both refuse to draw their weapons. Herod begins a countdown from ten, declaring that if neither draws by the time he gets to zero he will have them both killed. Cort begs Ellen to kill him but she still refuses. When Herod reaches one Cort draws and fires. Doc Wallace declares Ellen dead, and Cort angrily storms up to Herod and demands they fight immediately. Herod refuses, telling Cort they will meet at dawn. Later that night, one of Herod's men, Ratsy, chains Cort to a table and beats him severely before smashing Cort's gunfighting hand and breaking it.
The next morning, Herod sees Cort's busted hand and orders Ratsy to leave town. He offers to face Cort left-handed, which Cort accepts. Herod kills Ratsy with a rifle and then squares off to fight Cort. Herod then secretly tells his guards to kill Cort if he is the winner. At the moment Herod draws, several buildings explode on the street. Herod's house and the clock tower are also blown up, and through the smoke and flames, Ellen walks back into town, having faked her death with red ink. Cort tells Herod that from now on all fights in town will be fair, and proceeds to kill Herod's men who were stationed around town. Ellen and Herod face off, and she finally reveals to him who she is when she throws her father's old badge at Herod's feet. They draw on each other, Herod shoots Ellen in the arm and she fires a shot though Herod's chest. Herod raises his gun to fire again but Ellen shoots him in the eye, finishing him for good. She throws her father's badge to Cort and names him as the new Marshal before saddling up and riding out of the town. | violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1282022 | Batman: Arkham Asylum | === Characters ===
Arkham Asylum is set in the fictional Arkham Asylum, a facility on Arkham Island off the coast of Gotham City that houses criminally insane supervillains. The game features a large ensemble of characters from the history of Batman comics. Three voice actors, who worked on the DC Animated Universe series of film and television, reprised their roles for the game. Kevin Conroy voices Batman—a superhero trained to the peak of human physical perfection and an expert in martial arts, Mark Hamill voices Batman's psychopathic nemesis the Joker, and the Joker's sidekick Harley Quinn is voiced by Arleen Sorkin. Batman is aided by his allies Oracle (Kimberly Brooks)—who remotely provides him with intelligence, and police commissioner James Gordon (Tom Kane).
In the asylum, Batman is faced with several supervillains; he must defend himself from an enraged Bane (Fred Tatasciore), subdue indiscriminate serial killer Victor Zsasz (Danny Jacobs), confront the monstrous Killer Croc (Steven Blum), defeat the plant-controlling Poison Ivy (Tasia Valenza), and battle his way through hallucinogen-induced nightmares created by the Scarecrow (Dino Andrade). The Riddler (Wally Wingert) does not physically appear in the game, but communicates with Batman and challenges him to solve riddles placed around the island. Other characters appearing in the game include the asylum's warden Quincy Sharp (also voiced by Kane), Batman's parents Thomas and Martha Wayne (voiced by Conroy and Valenza respectively), and asylum guard Aaron Cash (Duane R Shepard, Sr). The shape-shifting Clayface appears in cameo, taking on the guise of other characters as he tries to trick the player into releasing him. The Mad Hatter was almost included in the game, but the developers removed him. The body of Ra's al Ghul is in the asylum's morgue and the Ventriloquist's dummy, Scarface, appears several times in the story. Several other characters—including the Penguin, Jack Ryder, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Catwoman, and the asylum's founder Amadeus Arkham—are referenced in the game, but do not appear in it.
=== Plot ===
After the Joker assaults Gotham City Hall, he is caught by Batman and taken to Arkham Asylum, which temporarily houses many members of the Joker's gang, who were transferred after a fire at Blackgate Prison. Believing the Joker allowed himself to be captured, Batman accompanies him into the asylum. The Joker's plan is revealed as Harley Quinn takes control of the security and the Joker escapes into the facility, aided by a corrupt guard who kidnaps Commissioner Gordon. The Joker threatens to detonate bombs hidden around Gotham City if anyone tries to enter Arkham, forcing Batman to work alone. Tracking Quinn to the medical facility to rescue Gordon, Batman is exposed to the Scarecrow's fear toxin and hallucinates, seeing Gordon's death and the corpses of his parents talking to him. After fighting off Scarecrow, Batman finds and subdues Quinn before rescuing Gordon. The Joker then directs Batman to the captured Bane, who has been experimented on by asylum doctor Penelope Young. The Joker frees Bane and Batman is forced to fight him, during which Quinn escapes. Afterward, he goes to a secret Batcave installation he had hidden on the island, where Batman restocks his gadgets.
There, Batman learns that the Joker returned to the asylum to gain access to Young, who has been developing Titan—a more powerful version of the Venom drug that gives Bane his strength—intending to use it to help patients survive more strenuous therapies. Young learned that the Joker had been funding her research to create an army of superhuman henchmen; her refusal to hand over the formula precipitated Joker's return to the Asylum. While searching for Young, Batman is again attacked by Scarecrow and the fear toxin, and hallucinates the night of his parents' deaths. After he recovers, Batman destroys Young's Titan formula and rescues Young from Victor Zsasz. An explosion kills Young and the Joker obtains the completed batches of Titan.
At the Penitentiary, Quinn releases Poison Ivy from her cell before being imprisoned by Batman. Quinn accidentally reveals that Joker has a Titan production facility in the Arkham botanical gardens. Batman travels there and learns that Titan is created by genetically modified plants. He enlists Ivy's help to create an antidote and learns that it can only be made from spores found exclusively in Killer Croc's lair in a sewer. En route to Croc, Batman is again attacked by Scarecrow and overcomes several doses of fear toxin. Meanwhile, Joker injects Ivy with Titan, enhancing her powers. Ivy begins ravaging Arkham Island with giant mutant plants. Pursued by Batman into Croc's lair, Scarecrow is attacked by Croc and dragged underwater. Batman recovers the necessary spores and subdues Croc before returning to the Batcave, but can only synthesize one dose of the antidote before Ivy's plants breach the cave and destroy his equipment.
Batman returns to the botanical gardens and defeats Ivy, halting the rampaging plants. The Joker announces that the preparations for his party are finally complete and Batman travels to the asylum's visitor center where the Joker's applauding henchmen welcome him. The Joker reveals he has recaptured Gordon and tries to shoot him with a Titan-filled dart; Batman leaps to Gordon's defense and is shot instead. Batman attempts to resist the change, and an upset Joker takes an overdose of Titan, mutating into a massive monster. In a makeshift arena on the building's roof, the Joker challenges Batman to a fight as Titan-induced monsters in front of news helicopters. Batman refuses to transform, uses the antidote on himself, and defeats the Titan-affected Joker and his henchmen, knocking his nemesis unconscious with an explosive gel-enhanced punch. In the aftermath, those affected by Titan begin to revert to normal, including the Joker—who is restrained and taken into custody as police officers retake the asylum. Batman overhears a call about a crime led by Two-Face in progress and flies back to Gotham City in the Batwing. In a post-credits scene, a crate of Titan formula is shown floating in the ocean near the asylum when a hand surfaces and grabs it. | gothic, murder, violence, insanity, psychedelic, sadist | train | wikipedia | The long-time voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy, reprises his role as the Caped Crusader, and Mark Hamill sounds appropriately sociopathic as the Joker, one of the best voice-over jobs in the game, and that's saying a lot.The bad?
the game is excellent in all aspects (Story, game play, actions, level designs, graphics).The story starts with joker taking over the control of ARKHAM ASYLUM leaving batman into a trap.
Batman has to save and infiltrate the arkham asylum to stop joker from doing bad to Gotham.Not only against joker but batman also has to fight against his enemies like croc, ivy, bane, scarecrow ....It is a must play game for batman fans.
And if any one is looking out for a best 3rd person action game then they should go for BATMAN:ARKHAM ASYLUM I give 10/10 for the game..
The game begins with Batman (Kevin Conroy from the 1992 Batman Animated Series) returning The Joker (Mark Hamill) to Arkham Asylum after an attempt is made on the Mayor of Gotham City's life.
Some of Batman's greatest enemies make appearances in the game as bosses (Joker, Poison Ivy, Harley, Scarecrow, etc...) and other great villains are not in the game at all, presumably running rampant in Gotham, but files and trivia on these villains can still be found around the game.
Story: 10/10The graphics are truly a marvel to behold with Batman looking especially excellent, you can see each cut on his suit and even his 5 o'clock shadow, Arkham is enormous and is almost fully accessible, and Harley Quinn has never looked better!
Audio: 10/10The best part of this game is how you actually FEEL like Batman, solving the mysteries of Arkham Asylum as if you were the real Dark Knight.
Gameplay: 10/10 Just like how The Dark Knight was my favourite film of 2008, Batman: Arkham Asylum is my favourite game of 2009.
It also saddens me a bit as Spider-man is my favorite comic book character of all time, however Batman has now claimed my favorite movie based on a comic character in "The Dark Knight" and now my favorite video game.
This game though combines all of Batman's abilities to perfection as the fighting is fun and satisfying as you clobber wave after wave of Joker henchmen.
You can solve riddles from the Riddler and it is done a lot better than the collecting in most games of this type as the interview tapes and the spirit of Arkham things do not have to be found in any particular order.
Once I got over this hump though and got the feel for how Batman: AA plays and works, I got into it very quickly and found a very well designed game that features plenty of colour, plenty of variety and was a good solid challenge without ever being frustratingly difficult (in normal setting anyway).The game play is impressive; in terms of the straight story you'll be called on to work out how to get to places by using your eyes and the gadgets available to you; you'll have combat where your timing and skills are pushed in terms of pulling of combos, blocking and countering attacks but you'll also have stealth sections against armed foes where you get to be the shadowy Batman - taking them out one at a time and disappearing back into the shadows as your increasingly panicked enemies try and find where you are.
Some of these collectables also add detail and colour to the game - I won't say I listened to all the interview tapes, but the bio files (complete with comic-book pictures) were a nice touch and again added a sense of depth to the game beyond just the story.I am a fan of Batman but not to the point where I know all the characters, but it was enjoyable to see so many main ones have a large role in the game.
The Joker is particularly effective and is well voiced by Hamill but everyone does a good job - Poison Ivy was perhaps the exception for me but that is more down to me not really liking her character rather than a problem with the game.
The characters are full of colour and are well brought to the screen in terms of looks and voice work while the variety in the game-play means I was using my head, my eyes, a stealthy approach and also having button hammering combat - all of which worked very well together and individually..
The game comes from the Arkham Asylum comics but it is still it's own original thing as well.Gameplay- This game is flawless you get everything you need to make you feel like you are Batman, you fight like him, get cool gadgets, do a little sneaking around.
So yes Batman is voiced by Kevin Conroy and the Joker is voiced by the Mark Hamill himself.Graphics- These look fantastic granted the game is so much easier if you stay in detective mode, but I high recommend just getting out of that and admiring Arkham Asylum and all its glory.
Plus I personally thing it gives a sense of danger if the hero is getting beaten down.Story- So the Joker turns Arkham Asylum into his own personal playground but of course he has a more dastardly plan in mind.
In the story you fight The Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and there are appearances by other Batman villains as well.
With a compelling opening that sets the creepy, gritty and bleak tone(with Gothic architecture - tall windows, and gargoyles that you can perch atop, and hang goons from) as you escort The Joker deep into the Arkham facility(which is now a full island, not merely the mansion - albeit that remains part of it), with several stops along the way(such as a doctor checking on him), and you expect that any moment now, he'll break free - he suddenly does, surprising you in spite of the anticipation, takes over, threatens that he'll detonate bombs all over Gotham if anyone approaches the Asylum and has graffiti tagged and a statue of the warden defaced, as you now have to track him down, rescue the hostages taken, fight his army of henchmen - and he may just send some supervillains your way.Outside of The Killing Joke(which is where the inspiration for his appearance in this comes from) and Ledger, this is the best depiction of him.
Having played many Batman games throughout the years, FINALLY a game that really gives you the feeling of being Batman with his arsenal of gadgets and fighting styles that is innovative in execution.
You got all of Batman's rogues gallery that includes The Joker, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Bane, Scarecrow, and Harley Quinn; some of which are voiced by fellow "Animated Series" veterans such as Kevin Conroy and of course, Mark Hamill, whose chilling portrayal of the Joker is simply the highlight of the games overall narrative.In visuals, Arkham Asylum is a beautiful game, with a level of detail that's very impressive with stunning animation and lighting effects.
With stunning visuals, superb voice acting, and an innovative combat system that has you beating thugs like a pro, Arkham Asylum is simply the GREATEST Batman video game ever made.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is an excellent game by Rocksteady.
i may have only played the demo but as far as i can tell the controls are flawless the graphics are excellent the game play makes you feel like batman you actually need to think about your actions as one screw up can make the game impossible the stealth is very Metal Gear Solid and the fighting is that of the upgrade fight of matrix reloaded all in all if it lives up to the demo it will be among the finest games i have ever played my only problems with the game is it's no butcher bay or Metal Gear Solid and the fact that that you have to map out your actions i should also point out that the enemies set path and strategies constantly change making even the demo different every time i highly recommend.
We have a big return of voice actors Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as Joker and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn, from the old animated TV series.
Every track just makes this game more bad-ass!Overall, Batman: Arkham Asylum gets a 9.5 (excellent).
Batman: Arkham Asylum is the game that started the trend for videogames based on the Superhero genre.
Batman was the one character at the time that didn't have a decent videogame made about him, except for Lego Batman, of course!But after two whole years of programming and development, we finally felt like we WERE the Batman!An original story by legendary Batman Animated Series writer Paul Dini and starring veteran voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker; this game is like the PERFECT Batman videogame that kicked off a franchise that changed Superhero genre games for the better, with it's gripping combat and intense predator missions, this game really makes you feel like a badass vigilante trapped inside Arkham Asylum.Criticisms lead down to the lack of innovation in terms of the physics, upgrades, the map and also DLC.
Now it's up to you to play as Batman and protect Arkham Asylum from any danger.Can this game ever be any more awesome?
So far, Batman: Arkham Asylum is my favorite superhero game of all time!
My favorite game of all time is Batman Arkham asylum.
Greetings from Lithuania."Batman: Arkham Asylum" (2009) is an amazing game.
Overall, "Batman: Arkham Asylum" is a game that everyone should play and beat.
One bad thing I do have to say about this game is that some of the boss fights, even though playing on a lower difficulty, it is still quite hard to overcome the challenge of beating this superior enemy.
In that time period I wasn't exactly crazy about Batman video games only because a lot of the older games were so bad that I just didn't have the thrill anymore as a fan of Batman to buy it or play it.
The idea of confining the main character to Arkham island for one hellacious night wouldn't usually make for a good Batman game.
And while the people behind this game put some serious muscle behind the voice work (Conroy as Batman, Hamill as The Joker, Sorkin's back as Harley Quinn), the real winner is the gameplay.
But that disappointment pales in comparison to the distinct creepy atmosphere of Arkham, the thrilling fights and hearing these signature voices (Hamill really does make the Joker hilarious).Great game.8/10.
Either way, Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of the best superhero games I've played.
About the game...The game starts when Batman captures Joker and attempts to lock him up in Arkham for good.
The first boss you fight is Bane, and its fun, but you fight about five or six more like him at different points in the game and it gets a bit redundant and simple.
This game contains everything that a Batman game should contain.It has stealth, combat, gadgets, super villains and even a good (although simple and ) story.
batman arkham asylum was good but very dark in some places.
looking forward to the sequel, but i can say I've played the ghost busters game many more times then batman AA.
Arkham Knight also refined some of the upgrades and tools that Batman uses, so it renders some of this game's models amateurish.Lastly, I am unimpressed with the manner in which the game just randomly inserts Batman's main villains into the story with little regard to how they play any sort of role in it.
So Bane, Joker, Scarecrow and Posion Ivy are all enemies as well as other characters someone only being introduced to them won't know about such as Harley Quinn (to be honest I found her annoying - I guess it's that voice), Zsasz and Killer Croc.So the plot is very simplistic but things such as The Gameplay are fantastic.
With the help of his lady friend, Harley Quinn, he is able to keep Batman under observation through the Asylum, and making life a living hell for the Dark Knight.Now, I knew the story would be great.
When I first got my Playstation 3 one of the first games that got my attention when I play the demo was Batman: Arkham Asylum.Now Batman is my favorite superhero from DC Comics and I grew up with Batman from the movies to the classic Animated Series the action figures and video games.
With The Joker and Harley Quinn in control of the Asylum Batman has to be one step ahead of them along with fighting the other villains in the asylum like Bane, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and othersThe writers really took their time to make this game a joy to play and the story line just keeps you interested from the start as it proves to be one of the longest nights of Batman's life.
The only thing I didn't care too much for is The Riddler's riddles while they are for helping you unlock items and maps in my opinion The Riddler serves little to no meaning to the plot just a side mission.The boss battles will have you on your highest gaming sense my favorite battle in this game is Poison Ivy but you also fight Bane, Killer Croc, Scarecrow and The Joker in the climax of the game.
It gives you the feel of actually expect the unexpected.Seriously if you don't have this game you must get it because it one of the best video games ever created, the Best Batman Game and one of the best comic book games that really is a champion.With original story, Excellent Graphics, Tight Game Play and Superb Voice acting you will be in for a thrill rideI give Batman Arkham Asylum an 10 out of 10.
The Game begins with Batman capturing the Joker and delivering him to the Asylum.
I've never played an action game with a combat system that made you feel like such a bad ass It's just so simple and yet it looks so cool.
But the thing that makes the combat so addictive is that it's easy to learn but insanely difficult to master.The Other major corner stone of the game-play of Arkham Asylum is predator mode.
So despite the challenge the predator aspect of the game truly gives you the opportunity to feel like Batman and that perhaps is the highest praise that anyone can give it.One of the best things about the game, aside from The fun game-play, Dark atmosphere, and great graphics are the memorable clashes that Batman has with some of the super villains in the Asylum.
Asylum is a lot different than all of the other games, which gave you an open world, a main story, and various side missions which you could do at any time you wanted to.
I enjoyed this game a lot when it first came out, i thought that is was the best Superhero video game, but then after the sequel came out Batman Arkham City (my most favourite Arkham Game) it moved to second place on my list of Arkham games, but the game is still awesome after all these years, the characters were memorable, the story is good and Arkham Asylum just looks good, the only problems I have with this game is the Riddler trophies and the boss battles, the Riddler Trophies have always been an annoying thing in the Arkham games so this really isn't a problem but the reason this isn't my most favourite Arkham game is because of the boss battles, TITAN Jokers boss battle was easy, all you had to do was defeat his henchmen and then drag him down with the batclaw 3 times, Killer Croc's boss battle wasn't that hard and didn't really seem like a boss battle because you didn't have to fight him, you would just crawl around the place collecting whatever you were supposed to (i forgot what you were supposed to collect) and then throw batarangs at him when he would jump out of the water and try to attack you, then later when you finish that you have to wait for him to stand on top of where you planted the explosive gel then detonate it and you have beaten him, the final boss battle I hated was Bane, because he was just basically a TITAN henchmen, besides that the game was good.
As a die-hard Batman fan, this (along with the more recent Arkham City) is exactly what I have been looking for in a video game based off of various Batman characters and stories.
The game takes place directly after Batman has brought Joker over to Arkham Asylum; as you walk through the beginning with Joker on the way to his confinement, we meet a few characters along the way, and you can already tell things are not right.
Soon, Joker's plan explodes upon Batman and the Arkham Asylum guards, and you're then forced into working your way through the entire island to try and stop whatever he has planned.There are so many things to love about this game.
when i played this game i cried for these reasons: I'm so happy they've made a Batman game, I'm so happy it pulled of, the jokers in it, and its in arkham asylum.
this game is easily a classic, with batman fighting the joker, killer croc, scarecrow (who scared the living daylights out of me) and Zsasz.
the developers really showed love to this character and the gamer that will be playing this.there is just so much to explore to do to see that if u managed to sit and read all this then that you yes you must be interested in this game so get out there and buy it and experience all that Batman Arkham Aslyum has to offer you. |
tt0045013 | The Pathfinder | At the beginning of the French and Indian War in 1754, the Mingo Indians allied to the French massarcre the Mohican tribe allied to British. Pathfinder and Chingachgook discover the only survivor, a child named Uncas. Angered that the British did not protect their allies the Mohicans, Pathfinder gains entry to the British fort and threatens the Scottish commander Colonel Duncannon until it is discovered that the British were unaware due to a Mohican messenger being killed before he could bring the news.
Colonel Duncannon enlists Pathfinder and Chingachgook to spy for the British by posing as French sympathisers. When Pathfinder says they would not be able to discover the plans of the French as they do not speak their language the Colonel assigns Alison, a fluent French speaker to them. Pathfinder is dismayed that Alison is a woman but she earns her place by killing a Mingo with a pistol and infiltrating French society when they arrive at the French fort. Alison discovers that the French have built a road along a mountain pass bringing supplies to the main French port that has a harbour for ships. Blowing up the mountain road with black powder would deny supplies to the French fort meaning all their smaller outposts would fall to the English due to a scarcity of provisions.
Alison came to the North American colonies to marry an English Captain who disgraced himself through alcoholism. She unexpectedly meets him again as he has turned renegade, married a Mingo princess and has a commission in the French army. | revenge, historical fiction | train | wikipedia | Colorful and nostalgic western. George Montgomery stars in a minor western matinée feature that is a takeoff of "The Last of the Mohicans". Here, the plot angle has the Pathfinder and his Indian sidekick on a mission to divine French plans for an attack on the U.S. colonies in the Great Lakes region. The French have enlisted hostile Mingo Indians to enlist them in ousting the colonists during the French and Indian War. The two heroes path is fraught with danger as they trek through the wilderness with a pretty French interpreter who supplies the romantic interest for the Pathfinder. The technicolor is good and in spite of a thin story line, the film is worth watching for the nostalgia the fine supporting cast offers.. Routine but fun James Fenimore Cooper tale. Bloodless battle scenes are interspersed with fairly well-written dialogue scenes in this inexpensive (but in good 50's color) tale of Indians, French and English conflict. George Montgomery and Jay Silverheels ("Tonto") are dashing, and the first Helena Carter is pretty and plucky. Like a TV dinner served in a tin tray, this film is pure "comfort". I haven't read the book, but I'd bet that the plot is pretty close except for the love story (in Cooper, romantic incidents are usually mental but never become physical). If you know Cooper better than I do (I've only read "Mohicans"), please add a comment. |
tt0435576 | Point Pleasant | A young girl named Christina washes up on the shore near Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey during a violent storm. After being resuscitated by lifeguard Jesse Parker, the girl is taken in by the family of a local doctor, the Kramers, and quickly befriends their teenage daughter, Judy. The show follows Christina's attempts to discover who she really is, and to learn what happened to her mother, who disappeared shortly after Christina was born.
It soon becomes apparent that Christina's presence has a strange, profound effect on the people around her. Emotions are heightened, repressed feelings and secret desires awakened, and inhibitions weakened, turning what once were friendly competitions into bitter rivalries, romantic rivals into violent enemies, and so on. Freak "accidents" have a way of befalling those with whom Christina becomes angry.
Sinister forces have their eye on Christina, believing it is the girl's destiny, as the "child of darkness", to "bring [the world] to its knees". Christina is the Antichrist, the child of Satan. The resulting tension between the good and evil aspects of the girl's nature provides the basis for much of the show's conflict and suspense.
Christina is plagued by terrifying visions of death and destruction, glimpses of the dark future she seems destined to help bring about. A handsome, charming stranger named Lucas Boyd arrives in town, determined to help guide Christina toward her destiny, and Jesse Parker, who has become romantically involved with Christina, discovers that he may be the only one who can prevent the girl from ushering in Armageddon. Ultimately, Jesse is able to choose between accepting Christina, which will cause her good side to prevail, or rejecting her, which will cause her evil side to prevail. He rejects her and the series ends on something of a cliffhanger with Christina leaving Point Pleasant as it is engulfed in an apocalyptic holocaust. | good versus evil, paranormal, murder | train | wikipedia | Also I felt cheated by Fox, just as I was really getting into the program "WHAM THEY CANCEL IT"!!!I hope that the rest of the episodes will be either aired VERY SOON or put to DVD.
It is a teen supernatural thriller, but not like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - the monsters are more or less human and there is very little comedy to speak of.
Yes, the pilot was a turn-off for many but the show got over ten times better with the second episode.If you haven't caught "Point Pleasant" yet, you definitely should.
I really enjoyed this Gothic/Horror TV series, it was very well acted with a superb cast, especially the main character Christina, and was an ideal show for those of us that are missing the Buffy & Angel TV series that have now both unfortunately finished.
It was the one show during the time of its run that I looked forward to every week.Elisabeth Harnois and the rest of the cast were great, and the story got better and more intense every week.Sadly, this was one of the most poorly promoted and scheduled television shows ever...
Most people who are not into the supernatural type series (Buffy, Angel, Charmed, and etc.) probably would not like this type of show purely because of the genre.
A lot of the complaints I've heard regarding the show aren't unfounded- it can be a little slow, even boring, in places, the quality of the episodes and acting is variable, and at times the soap opera elements (who's dating who etc) seem to act as a distraction from the overall story, rather than complimenting it.However, the show does get stronger by the end- a lot stronger in fact.
Elisabeth Harnois deserves credit also- she seems to be the focus of a lot of criticism, but for me she really got across the vulnerability of Christina (you kinda want to hug her) but is also very convincing when the darker side of her arises.To conclude I guess there's only one thing to say- when I watched the closing shot of the final episode I found myself really wishing for more episodes.
Coming back to Point Pleasant only I conclude that the story is great (I can't wait to see how Christina manages to handle the the outside and especially the inner threats).
She said she has scoured the internet to find the second season, then to my horror I find that FOX isn't releasing one, I am horrified to say the least, it's the best series I've seen along with Alias, which I also love.
It's a good thing that parents aren't allowed to take this attitude with their children.As a big Buffy fan, I latched onto Point Pleasant as Marti Noxon was executive producer.
Christina's situation reminded me of Willow in Buffy season 6.It helps that all the women in PP are very attractive - even the mousy Judy (Aubrey Dollar) is actually gorgeous if you pay attention - and despite some criticism of Elizabeth Harnois she really does put in a gutsy performance and doesn't hold back in the more emotive scenes.
if people can watch some reality shows time and again surely for the benefit of the like minded supernaturel loving kind, there must be something fox can do to gain ratings?.
Being acquainted with the real town of Point Pleasant Beach, NJ (which is where the show takes place, not Point Pleasant, WV, as mentioned earlier), I'm curious to know what kind of effect a show like this will have on that town.I have been waiting for a show to come and fill the void that was left when shows like Buffy, Angel, The X Files, went off the air.
Take a primetime soap, and mix in a little sci-fi, and this is what you have : A great new unique series called point pleasant.
i really wish Point Pleasant had been given more of a chance to find an audience.while i do believe it was a bit slow for the first few episodes, i think it picked up considerably as it went along.and the last four or five episodes especially,i found quite compelling and fraught with tension.the last episode was a real nail biter of a cliffhanger ending(if that makes any sense,and if the show had picked up from that point,i think it would have found an audience.as it is,it only lasted 13 episodes.one minor annoyance for me,was that i felt the acting was not always as good as i'd hoped,but that too improved as the series went along.all in all,i found it worth watching and would recommend it to others.7/10.
I believe the show probably had good ratings but Fox wanted to boot it for the new series True Calling.
Having missed the first 5 episodes of ABC's Lost, I have been itching for a new sci-fi/drama to start watching and when I originally hear the pitch for Point Pleasant, I was looking forward to it.
Sure, the premise sounded interesting enough, but if I wanted demonic events in a small town I could write my own story or watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.That brings me to my point.
If you have already seen an episode of "Point Pleasant", then you know that it is a good- versus-evil teen soap about a girl born to a woman from New Jersey but fathered by the devil.
If you like the digital effects and production design of "Charmed" (which are actually pretty good) and its mystical premise (which is extremely silly), and the Tori Spelling quality teen soap melodrama of "90210"; then you are "Point Pleasant's" target audience.
You should be asking yourself how you missed the boat when it was still playing on Fox. Maybe you need to expand your circle of friends.Although Grant Snow does a pretty good imitation of Jason Priestly, "Point Pleasant" is hardly on the level of "Tru Calling" (although better than its weaker abbreviated 2nd season).
Snow, who looks amazingly like Priestly, is a considerably better actor and the main reason to watch "Point Pleasant".
Harnois is a former Disney Darling gone bad, moving from "My Date With the President's Daughter" to things like "Point Pleasant" and the "R" rated "Pretty Persuasion" (2005).
Christina, who has been living at elite boarding schools monitored by a bunch MBAs in league with the devil, takes an ocean cruise and washes up on the shores of New Jersey's Point Pleasant.
"Point Pleasant" is unique in that the story only appears to be a simplistic "good vs evil" tale.
The story is told from Christina's point-of-view and to her (and to identifying audience members) the extremes of good and evil seem equally warped; needing each other to even exist.
Christina occupies a more moderate middle ground along with a couple of allies but exploring this concept appears to be something intended for the second season that never happened.There are 13 episodes on the DVD plus a pretty good behind-the-scenes featurette.
Unfortunately the pace really began to pick up at about the time broadcasting ended; with episodes 10 ("Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Choked") and 11 ("Missing") exceptionally good.
I am not really sure why FOX cancels good TV-shows, just like the lost the rights on "The Shield "series, like "Firefly" and "Point Pleasant"...I mean , I always thought that this television series had some Stephen King kind of vibe on it..I guess the main reason for canceling a show is :"The viewers".When they don't reach the amount of viewers they want to reach then it is easy to say in the heat of the moment:"Let's cancel the show, it doesn't matter if it is a good show or finished or something..Just cancel the thing".They really don't have got a reason for canceling it and that hurts for both the fans and the Cast/Crew working on it.
'Cause the Cast/crew has put their entire effort in making these good shows, so they are more involved when it gets canceled and I guess that it hurts just as much for them then it is for a mother who has lost their Newborn child..The management of those companies don't think about that when they cancel it , and believe it or not I just have come to know of this shows existence (just released in the Netherlands)and as I should have known that It got canceled because I never heard of this show.
just look at Firefly that should of gone on for yrs on my opinion but hey to FOX and other corporations like that don't give a frick bout what the public think do they....??Anyway good series, should be finished.
Just like Fox to cancel good shows and keep the bad ones.
It so typical of FOX to cancel good shows and keep the bad ones and any network that is syndicated such as NBC, CBS and especially CBS who is losing the the syndication rating wars followed closely by FOX.FOX let a good show like this over American Dad, Don't Forget the Lyrics, King of the Hill and other trash in there line up and axed this great show give me a break.
"Point Pleasant" is a 13 episode TV series with a problem.
And the same applies to "Point Pleasant", here is an intriguing (if clichéd premise) about a young woman who washes ashore a small town, bringing with her misery, destruction and the unraveling of deep dark secrets, which is all linked to her being the daughter of the devil.
Network: Fox; Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Teen, Guilty Pleasure; Content Rating: TV-14 (violence, language, frightening imagery, strong sexual content); Available: DVD; Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4);Seasons Reviewed: Complete Series (1 season)One day, off the coast of the sleepy north eastern beach community Point Pleasant, a beautiful, blonde teenage girl named Christina is dumped in the ocean and washes up on shore where she is promptly taken in by the mired-in-tragedy Kramer family father Ben (Richard Burgi, "24"), mother Meg (Susan Walters, "Seinfeld") and Christina's adopted sister Judy (Aubrey Dollar, "Dawson's Creek").
The apocalypse is coming, Point Pleasant is Christina's training ground and three local families have a role to play in it.
While the idea of a demon child appearing in the form of a beautiful girl is not necessarily new, I like that "Pleasant" centers around a main character that we are not sure will end up being a force of good or evil.
Characters are left open ended, to fight again, but Christina's journey in Point Pleasant seems to be over.
First "Felicity" is consigned to the backwaters of ITV2, not even getting late night terrestrial airings a la "Undeclared" and "The District," then "Alias" gets the bum's rush from Sky One and Channel 4 and relegated to a post-midnight slot on Five (if ever an American show was justified in having English villains, it's this one), and now Channel 4 and its sister cable channel E4 delay "Lost" until the summer - ostensibly because UK audiences might not have been able to accommodate both that and "Desperate Housewives" simultaneously (hey, Americans seem able to) - but fall over themselves to show "Point Pleasant." Come on guys, "Forever Young" and "Taking Care of Business" weren't THAT bad.It must have been its status as co-creator/executive producer Marti Noxon's first post-"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" project that convinced them to swoop in early, not to mention the idea of a cross between said series and "The O.C." - but what it's most like in theory is the likes of "Rosemary's Baby." In theory.
In practice, it reminds me horribly of the one and only time I tuned into another attempt to fill the hole left by the departure of Buffy Summers (figuratively, not the crater left by Sunnydale), namely "Hex." The trouble with this series about a young woman called Christina (Elisabeth Harnois) found in the sea off the coast of the title town, who happens to be a key player in the Forthcoming Final Battle Between Good And Evil and who also happens to be Satan's little girl - though the apple may have fallen farther from the tree than Old Harry's representative (Grant Show) would like - is that it's a supernatural soap opera, and a dull one at that; do we have to have so much time devoted to all their love lives instead of moving the story along?
"The O.C." may be a prime time soap, but both that and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" come equipped with interesting situations, sharp dialogue and likable characters, all of which are sadly absent here.Things aren't helped thus far by the acting, particularly the lead.
Those shows, and even "Dark Angel," were/are more than aids to masturbation, but Elisabeth Harnois isn't really up to the job; though not in the Alba league she's undeniably a beauty, but she shouldn't start practising that Emmy acceptance speech just yet (not that the rest of the cast is that much better).So with all this loaded against it, capped by some painfully clumsy and unsubtle storytelling (such as the way Christina realises she's got powers of good as well as evil) and a chronic lack of humour, is it any wonder that - like the more accomplished but ultimately equally tiresome "American Gothic" - it's just about impossible to care one way or another who'll win?
Every time it comes close to being decent it slips back into its morass, and even allowing for it being on network TV and pitched at the Ryan-and-Marissa demographic, nothing in it is as frightening as the sight of Nastassja Kinski fondling a demonic creature in "To The Devil...A Daughter." I've never gone for the theory that Marti Noxon ruined "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but watching this tripe makes you wonder; a waste of some good behind-the-scenes talent like Ben Edlund and Diego Gutierrez (not to mention Dina Meyer in front of it), "Point Pleasant" has none of the former and is almost entirely the opposite of the latter.Rescued from the lowest score only by a theme by Danny Elfman (!) which is far too good for the series it's written for.
I watched the first episode of Point Pleasant.
I haven't liked many new shows when they first started - I didn't like Buffy the series at first (I really liked the original movie and the series was quite a bit different); the same thing goes for the first airings of Star Trek Next Generation and many others.
After several episodes, most of the new sci-fi type shows DO finally evolve, with the writers and actors finally molding the characters and plot into a wonderful story once they have 'matured'.Give Point Pleasant some time!
Thank the networks for then bringing on shows like LOST, Carnivale, and Point Pleasant!
Point Pleasant is about a girl named Christina Nickson (Elisabeth Harnois) who is rescued by from the ocean by a local lifeguard named Jesse Parker (Sam Page) and who was brought home by Judy (Aubrey Dollar) and her parents.
While she struggles controlling the demon inside her and the powers that come with it -- the fight her soul has begun, as the town Point Pleasant becomes the ultimate battleground of good versus evil!
The Dark One's minion Lucas Boyd (Grant Show) arrives in town to watch over Christina.The show starts out with an interesting premise.
It shows."Haunted" recently released on DVD (starring Matthew Fox before he hit it big with LOST) and if you're looking for an average-yet-entertaining short-lived TV series that you might've missed between the cracks, I highly recommend that over this garbage.
And one of the best points is the acting, especially by Elisabeth Harnois, who manages to portray the duality of Christina's nature, and Grant Show, as the kind of villain you love to hate.
The citizens of Point Pleasant are like the people of Twin Peaks, moral small town people up front, but very immoral down below and as the show unfolds, you begin to realize Christina has a choice of becoming good or evil, since she is the devil's daughter but has a mortal mother.
No wonder Point Pleasant was chosen to be Christina's first playground for her evil side, everyone in the town deceives her.
The Twin Peaks influence probably turned me off at first, since I loved that show, but given some time and the ability to watch all the episodes (Fox only aired up to show 8, but I only caught up to show 5), it has given me a new appreciation for the show.
Point Pleasant was a slow moving series and needed all 13 (a great number) episodes to be seen by viewers.
The ending leaves you with the feeling that "evil won" and really, it is a nice twist, made even more sinister by the fact the show isn't coming back and Christina is still walking down the street with thousands of ravens behind her (one of the main symbols of the series) soon to be destroying the whole town while Boyd watches.
I guess the casting knew these guys would be headed for greatness.I highly recommend this series to people who like supernatural or surreal shows like Twin Peaks, Buffy, Angel or Reaper.
Point Pleasant, a new show on Fox, is enjoying successful ratings.
While Fox is known for short-lived series (Dark Angel, starring Jessica Alba, That 80's Show, Oliver Beene, True Calling and etc ) I think this one is one of the better shows that will enjoy a healthy run.
In "Point Pleasant", Christina, a beautiful, mysterious blonde washes ashore on a quiet New Jersey town and stirs up trouble.
So, of course I would like this show because point pleasant has a little bit of both.
I was never a fan of Buffy, but POINT PLEASANT really got my attention.
Yes, she's the daughter of the Devil, no surprises there.The show is set in a small coastal town called 'Point Pleasant' and mostly focuses on the relationships of the teen characters. |
tt0079877 | The Seekers | In 1821, a British sailing ship, the Becket, anchors on the New Zealand coast. Philip Wayne (Hawkins) and Paddy Clarke (Purcell), respectively First Mate and Bos'un, land to explore. They discover a Māori burial cave, but are captured by the local tribe. Accused of sacrilege, they manage to impress the tribesmen enough to be offered a trial by challenge, which Wayne succeeds in. The Māori chief, Hongi Tepe (Inia Te Wiata) is impressed enough to adopt Wayne, and allot him a portion of land. The sailors return to the ship.
Back home, they are set up by the corrupt Captain Bryce on charges of smuggling contraband and arrested. Found guilty, they manage to pay the heavy fine. Wayne, now married to Marion, returns to New Zealand with Clarke to start a colony.
A village grows slowly and a tenuous peace is established with the local Maori, although some remain hostile. Marion starts teaching English, and also Bible classes.
The Becket returns and Wayne confronts Bryce, who is found to be smuggling shrunken heads of dead Maori captives into Britain as potentially profitable 'souvenirs'. News later arrives by the six-monthly ship that Wayne has been appointed a Justice of the Peace, and also that he and Clarke have been exonerated by a court of appeal.
Wishart, a new arrival, accidentally shoots a Maori warrior dead. Wayne's determination to dispense justice is put to the test. Two of the tribes declare a peace treaty with each other, but another tribe prepares for war against the colonists.
War breaks out, and the colonists are forced to defend themselves. Initially victorious because of their modern weaponry, the colonists find themselves under siege. Eventually, the Maori overrun them and all colonists are killed. The sole survivor is Richard, Marion and Philip's young baby, who is found and adopted by Hongi Tepe, who had come to their aid. | melodrama | train | wikipedia | historical drama at it's best. "the Seekers" is the third and last mini-series based on John Jakes best-selling Bicentennial books about the fictitious Kent family. Here the focus shifts from Philip Kent, played in the 1st two by Andrew Stevens, but here by Martin Milner to show how much time has passed), to his son Abraham and his stepdaughter Elizabeth. Abraham, played well by Randolph Mantooth of "Emergency" fame, briefly fights the Indians under Gen. "Mad Anthony" Wayne, abetted by William Clark and Meriweather Lewis, but finds the military no life for him. Returning he is conflicted over his feelings for Elizabeth,played by a very young, very slim Delta Burke! and his Father's desire for him to go into the printing business. Eventually with Elizabeth's encouragement, he decides adventure out west is the way to make his own life, much to his Father's consternation.Abraham and Elizabeth make a noble effort at farming and despite rogues like Pell, who only desires whiskey and Abraham's new wife Elizabeth, they do get help from the Clappers, erstwhile swedes who carry them till their corn crop comes in. Robert Reed, Mr. Brady!, is good as Mr. Clapper. With their young son Jarrod, it seems the Kent's have a shot a a good life. Alas, not so, farming is hard and unforgiving and when tragedy besets them, Abraham returns to Boston with his young son. There is a scene that will rip your heart out here, but I won't spoil it, watch and try not to cry! The fact that many young peop0le went through this in real life makes it all the more poignant.Abraham can't get a grip and loses custody of Jarod to his good-hearted, but frail brother Gilbert and his somewhat shrewish wife Harriet. Perfectly played by the aptly named Harriet Karr. So the torch is passed to a new generation; Jarrod and his young cousin Amanda. Timothy Murphy and Sarah Rush play the parts and both are good, despite that they never became "name" actors. Rush is particularly persuasive and appealing.Jarrod fights nobly in the war of 1812, but makes a bad enemy of the debauched Hamilton Stovall (George Hamilton, proving he's more than just a tan). Uncle Gilbert dies and even the outstandingly decent Mr. Pleasant, played by Ross Martin of "Wild Wild West" fame, can't save Kent and Son's from bad sorts. The worst of these is Mr. Piggott, a smarmy Hugh O'Brian, who deceives Harriet into marriage while eying poor Amamda. Just when you think it couldn't be worse, Stovall returns and Jarrod runs, literally, west with Amanda in tow.The West is still hard. Nearly killed by evil Captain Drew, played by Neville Brand of "Laredo" fame, they are shown gratitude by Rosey Grier and sent on their way, though neither knows where they're going. Amanda and Jarrod, close as can be, run afoul of the devious Rev. Blackthorne, played well by Stuart Whitman, he, along with every other red-blooded man, has noticed Amamda's striking looks. The dialog here is something to hear! Nice writing John! Jarrod is left on his own, guess what happens? and hooks up with fur-trader Elijah Weatherby, an excellent Brian Keith, to seek that which is lost.The mood, historical fun, music and sheer heartbreak just suck you in. They improve considerably over the book and Jakes himself has a cameo. Beware Stovall! I don't want to give away the ending, except to say your heart will break along with Jarrod's, but it's a terrific ending. The books view of native Americans is changed here and it's for the better too, making all the tragedies a little more palatable.It thought this the best of the Kent mini-series and enjoy watching it over and over. The relationship between Jarrod and Amanda is particularly moving and if you enjoy this, read the books! Amanda's story is cont well in the 4th novel, "The Furies" All in all this is as good as historical fiction gets, right up there with North and South and the Blue and the Gray.. I enjoyed The Kent Chronicles trilogy!. Filmed in 1979, this trilogy still feels fresh. Even though the most important events receive very brief attention, the viewer still feels the experience of life in those times. The books by John Jakes were very much enjoyed by many people. As I say, I could hardly stop watching the nine hours of historical fiction! I haven't seen this before. I think the sex and bosoms are unnecessary distractions, and not very historical!!! However, they do add interest!!! I very much enjoyed seeing so many of my favorite actors in cameo roles, too.. AWful Awful Awful. This the tale of a selfish gene,embodied in 4 generations of a family mostly named Kent.Kent men were,as a rule,not to bright and not prone to make good judgment calls.Frequently their heart ruled their heads and frequently they were in trouble. The Kents were frustrated action men I suppose.Anytime they entered into a field of conflict they seemed to harm bystanders,rather than the object of their ire. The story rambles through hours and hours where well-known actors do "bad guy" cameos and are thankfully dispatched quickly.The only "good guy" who is on the side of right and god is,Grizzly Brian Keith.More strength to his elbow,I say. I thought the story was pretty bad,almost funny at times but by and large an ordeal to watch.The third part,"The Seekers" descended into high farce and little Jarrard Kent's escapades were akin to those of Huck Finn. I would never watch this poorly acted,disjointed,poorly scripted flick again.Gets a big "OH DEAR" from me.. Randy Mantooth at his BEST!!!!!!!!!!. Even though he was only in the first part of the 2-part miniseries, Randy Mantooth delivered an excellent performance in the portrayal of Abraham Kent. I think it's quite unfair that he was not even nominated for the Emmy for Best Actor in a miniseries. Delta Burke was equally impressive as playing Elizabeth. (Even though Delta insisted on wearing a wig because she refused to dye her hair blond)Elizabeth and Abraham eventually marry and set out into the west to make a better life for themselves. During their travel, they meet a Swedish couple, the Clappers, played by Robert Reed of "Brady Bunch" fame, and Julie Gregg, who played James Caan's wife in the first "Godfather" movie. The Clappers become fast friends with the newlywed Kents. Elizabeth gives birth to their only child, Jarrod, while Abraham and Mr. Clapper are busy fighting the Indians. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when Elizabeth is murdered by Indians. But unfortunately, Abraham's troubles are far from over when he returns home in Boston with Jarrod. He gets heavily involved with liquor and prostitutes, and as a result, Gilbert makes his older brother leave the house and little Jarrod behind. The scene where the boy begs his father not to go is extremely heartbreaking. |
tt0112750 | Crying Freeman | Yō Hinomura, a Japanese potter, comes into the possession of some film showing an assassination by an agent of the 108 Dragons, a powerful Chinese mafia. When he refuses to turn the film over to them, they kidnap him. Hypnotized, he is trained as an assassin for them and his body is tattooed with dragons. He is given the codename "Crying Freeman," because he cries after a kill and longs to be free.
One of his killings is witnessed by Emu Hino, a lonely and beautiful Japanese artist. Knowing he must kill her, she paints his portrait and waits for him to come. When he does so, she tells him that she is tired of being alone and wishes to end her life. She asks for a favor before he kills her - to make love to her, so that she will not die as a virgin. He grants her wish, but finds he cannot kill her and they fall in love. The killing she witnessed was of a yakuza boss, however, so the yakuza want to find her so that they can find the killer. One of the yakuza attempts to enter Emu's home and force her to disclose the name of the killer, critically injuring her. Freeman takes her to the hospital and tells her to meet him at Hinomura Kiln, where he intends to part with her. Instead, she accompanies him back to the 108 Dragons, where he tattoos her with tigers and they marry.
The heads of the 108 Dragons decide to name Freeman as their heir. He is given the Chinese name Lóng Tài-Yáng, and Emu is renamed Hǔ Qīng-Lán, as both pass the tests given to them. It proves not as easy as that, however, as they must contend with challenges to the leadership from Bái-Yá Shàn, the granddaughter of the leaders of the 108 Dragons, and attempts to destroy the Dragons from other underground organizations. | flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0080474 | Brubaker | In 1969, a mysterious man (Robert Redford) arrives at Wakefield State Prison in Arkansas. As an inmate, he immediately witnesses rampant abuse and corruption, including open and endemic sexual assault, torture, worm-ridden diseased food, insurance fraud and a doctor charging inmates for care. Brubaker eventually reveals himself—during a dramatic standoff involving Walter (Morgan Freeman), a deranged prisoner who was being held in solitary confinement—to be the new prison warden, to the amazement of both prisoners and officials alike.
With ideals and vision, he attempts to reform the prison, with an eye towards prisoner rehabilitation and human rights. He recruits several long-time prisoners, including trustees Larry Lee Bullen (David Keith) and Richard "Dickie" Coombes (Yaphet Kotto), to assist him with the reform. Their combined efforts slowly improve the prison conditions, but his stance enrages several corrupt officials on the prison board who have profited from graft for decades.
When Brubaker discovers multiple unmarked graves on prison property, he attempts to unravel the mystery, leading to political scandal. A trustee decides to make a run for it when he realizes that he might be held accountable for killing an inmate. The resulting gunfight, in which Bullen is killed, proves to be the clincher that the prison board needs (acting with the tacit approval of the governor) to fire Brubaker.
A statement before the credits explains that two years after Brubaker was fired, 24 inmates, led by Coombes, sued the prison. The court ruled that the treatment of the prisoners was unconstitutional and the prison system was ultimately reformed. Meanwhile, the governor was not re-elected. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | Though Shawshank Redemption has gotten the critical raves and the box office receipts that could make it the best prison story ever filmed, my personal choice for the best film ever done about the penal system is Brubaker.Based on the true life experiences of Thomas Murton, the co-author of the book the film is based on, Brubaker captures the realities of prison life, the complexities of trying to "reform" the system without sacrificing one iota of entertainment.Robert Redford leads a great ensemble cast in this film.
Yaphetto Kotto and Tim McIntire are two such prison trustees, both of them showing very different reasons why they don't like some or all of what Redford is doing as warden.Among the supporting cast, I'd like to single out David Keith who was the best as the prisoner whose life Brubaker saves and ultimately becomes his biggest booster in the joint.
It's odd that whenever talk of Prison base films crops up you rarely see Brubaker mentioned as a viable piece of work, which to me personally is a damn shame because it's origin source provides a worthy story to be involved in.
Based on the writings of Tom Murton, a Prison Farm Reform Warden in Arkansas in the late 60s, the corruption and murder the film deals with is a very frightening reality, and although this film is obviously fictionalised to a degree, the evidence of the main themes can be found from many sources.
Robert Redford plays the title character who chooses to go into the prison farm as a convict to see at first hand how the Farm is run, what he sees shocks him to the core, which in turn rightly shocks the viewer as well.
BRUBAKER is my kind of movie; grim, realistic, stimulating and a story based around a great struggle between right and wrong.
Robert Redford plays Brubaker (based on the real life story of one Thomas Murton of Arkansas, not to be confused with Thomas Merton, the poet) who tries to bring decency to an Arkansas prison that is corrupt from top to bottom.
Very little background music is another mature plus.A good, feel-bad movie; and as a Bostonian, it's hard to hate a film that has a character in it named Fenway Park..
Redford who has always been a social reformer placed an emphasis on communicating the dedication of the Brubaker character in this role.If you happen to live in the Deep South where prison farms have used convicts as virtual slave labor for years, you can appreciate the storyas well as the attitudes of the government and local officials who are portrayed.
Robert Redford plays another dignified character, this time as new warden Henry Brubaker posing as an inmate in a corrupt prison to understand the deplorable conditions there.
Maybe "Brubaker" goes a little overboard in portraying its main character as a saint, but considering that the main point is to show the inhumanity of this country's penal system (which apparently hasn't changed much since this movie came out), they do a good job.
But as we got into this movie, she changed her mind.Robert Redford plays Henry Brubaker, a prison warden who is recruited to reform brutal Wakefield Penitentiary, in Arkansas.
The scenes in which Brubaker has to deal with the morally corrupt prison board are powerful and captivating.
Brubaker (Robert Redford) as a messiah-type, seemingly on the fringe of municipal importance, takes up the job of Warden at a Southern state penal farm and decides to see the extent of what he is up against by entering in disguise as just another inmate, with no privileges.
He is right as the thrust of the film would have otherwise been lost and the overall plot (simple though it is) is stronger for the fact that Brubaker has 'been there'.He manages to carve a bond with a few prisoners before he modestly reveals his true identity and, through a series of well acted confrontations, he begins to make the prison machine tick over nicely.
'Brubaker' was apparently a rather mournful, strained film to work on and the original director, Bob Rafelson, was sacked for smacking Ron Silverman (producer) in the nose during an early on-set argument.However, I think it is well acted and very absorbing to watch.
He also did the screen story for this Robert Redford film about prison reform.
The lead character, played by an unusual and remarkable Robert Redford, is introduced to us as a prisoner who barely speaks but observers everything concerning how inmates are treated by the guards, how the machine works behind bars and the constant brutality of the place.
In the film's case, it fails because one can't change a system unless if one being part of it; Brubaker made the terrible mistake of not firing the whole officials team, and those guys still managed to cause harm and work their way behind his back; and the people with the money will always speak higher.Such idealism wouldn't work today, that's sure but it could worth a shot, specially in countries where the private initiative isn't the option (because politics are having their big time with a failing system that pays them well).
Today's criminal minds are far more worse than the ones from the 1980's when this was made and they probably wouldn't leave a place where they could feel as if being on a hotel, practically with the cell keys on their hands, dictating orders like Pablo Escobar did in his "prison" time.
The film has a fine progression and it's greatly well acted by Alexander, Redford and heightened by convincing performances from trustworthy character actors Everett McGill, David Keith, Yaphet Kotto, Matt Clark, M.
Very good Prison system film that could have been a Masterpiece if it had better cinematography,screenplay and directing which were only average.But still,the story was powerfull and very positive.An Idealist's film that challenges us regarding our treatment of the less fortunate souls undergoing over punishment in most Prison systems even today.Excessive Prison punishment is not necessary.Their punishment is their loss of freedom and that is it.Inhumane treatment is not our right to bestow on criminals no matter what they may have OR HAVE NOT done.This is the burden of society.The burden to care for these Prisoners as they serve out their time.The burden to ensure that these Prison caretakers do not become criminals themselves during the process.This great film puts it out there nicely.Good cast and acting here as well.Only for liberal or idealist minded people who like prison dramas and for big fans of the lead actors.......
Enjoyed this film starring Robert Redford, (Henry Brubaker) who plays the role as a law enforcement officer who poses as an inmate at Wakefield Prison in Arkansas.
He portrays Henry Brubaker, a man who has been elected as the new warden of a state prison farm.
There's a good true-to-life story here, of a newly installed reforming prison governor attempting a root and branch reform of the corrupt, inhumane and as it turns out evil practices at a prison somewhere in the prison south.
Baulked by politics as his reforms start to make themselves felt, Redford's title character must decide whether or not to toe the party line and compromise his beliefs.For me, the story was weakened by just too any scenes coming over as second-hand, witnessed in so many prison dramas of yore.
At least the movie tells its story from a different point of view, in placing Brubaker at the centre of the drama and not the usually heroic prisoners.The cinematography is excellent, as, for the most part is the ensemble acting.
I wasn't convinced by the over melodramatic "Spartacus" meets "Goodbye Mr Chips" finish, which just didn't ring true.All that said, I was reasonably engrossed all the way through but didn't in the end feel the film conveyed a suitably dramatic arc, or insightful delineation of character, to really make it remarkable.Good, yes, but not great..
Redford's Character with Prison Board and other certain people the same way Jesus did with the Pharisees and the Sadduces..
It was a wound so hard to be healed, that's felling in everywhere that has a jail, who already went there know as it works inside, Brubaker err thoroug by excess for willy-nilly, find out the penal institution as detailed in movie is one thing, try to change the whole corrupt system right away in another, Brubacker plays with the audience try to making the good guy.....all or nothing, these things changes in slow pace and works very well, each generation has their basic principles, anyway Brubaker brings to us a sensitive issue to discuss, after almost forty years in most part of the world this corrupt system still go on....sadly!!!Resume:First watch: 1985 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 8.
Admittedly I've never been a great admirer of actor/director Robert Redford, but I do adore raw & gritty prison movies, especially from the 70s-80s period, and I was also blown away by the fabulous supportive cast!
Redford stars as the titular Brubaker, the newly appointed manager of a large prison farm in Southern Arkansas and initially posing as a randomly nameless inmate in order to observe how the institution is currently being run and how the prisoners are treated.
With his little act, Brubaker exposes far more than he bargained for, as the supposedly exemplary and most beneficiary prison facility of the United States is really a hellhole full of corruption, greed, physical abuse and slavery.
If you compare "Brubaker" with prison epics like "Shawshank Redemption", "Beyond the Walls", Cell 211", "Shutter Island" or "Nightmare in Badham County", it comes out rather pale, but it's nonetheless a recommendable film with terrific acting and marvelous settings..
These type of characters pop up in nearly all prison movies, but at least we have a very talented cast playing these roles with near perfection.Before I can delve in with what fascinated me the most, we need to discuss the plot.
Henry Brubaker (Robert Redford) decides to begin his new position in an unorthodox way-disguised as an inmate.
When the local business community led by John Deach (Murray Hamilton), whom benefits from the corruption begins to fight back, Brubaker is going to have plenty of trouble on his hands Now we got that out of the way, I will talk about what truly fascinated me about the movie: the corruption of the prison system and the attempted overhaul of the system.
The way Brubaker revealed himself to his prisoners is very genius and it gives him a sense of all the corruption happening around him.
Redford is a really talented actor and his performance kept you riveted, although I kept thinking he seems too nice to be a prison warden.
It is a drama that highlights the corruption in the prison system and what makes this film more interesting is that it is based on the true life events of warden Thomas Murton who was hired by Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller to reform one of the prisons, but was let go after one year due to bad publicity.
In jail, Robert Redford—and the audience—is exposed to some very upsetting goings-on, including senseless beatings for no reason other than to warn the other prisoners, knife fights, rape, inedible food, and corrupt officials.
If you like him best in All the President's Men and similar films, you'll probably feel differently than I did about Brubaker.To be fair, there's one really great scene in the movie, the Morgan Freeman scene.
Based on the real life story of Tom Murton, "Brubaker" tells of a new prison warden, Henry Brubaker (Robert Redford), who enters Wakefield Penitentiary in the South under the guise of being a fellow prisoner.
He will earn himself both allies and enemies in his bull-headed quest for changes, eventually getting wind of the fact that bodies have been buried on prison property for many years.It's interesting to note from the leading IMDb review that the film is largely faithful to the true story, with some standard embellishments and inventions for a movie audience.
The ultimate goal is to expose the skeletons in the closet of this corrupt system, and while Brubaker may come off as a stubborn sort, there's no denying that he's a man with the courage of his convictions.Redford is ideally cast as the protagonist, and he's supported by a simply phenomenal bunch of actors: Yaphet Kotto (who has some great moments), Jane Alexander, Murray Hamilton, a charismatic young David Keith, Morgan Freeman (in what is really a minor sort of role), Matt Clark, Tim McIntire, and Richard Ward.
The film's based on an expose of actual occurrences at Arkansas' Cummins State Prison Farm, especially the secret convict burial ground found there.One thing for sure—this is not a date movie.
Based on a true story, Redford plays a determined prison reformer who first impersonates an inmate in order to experience actual conditions at a prison farm.
That's not to leave out state government and its slick go-betweens that tolerate the system since it does produce a profit.Determined to humanize brutal prison conditions, Redford takes a hands-on approach by daily eating and mingling with the convicts.
The new warden (Robert Redford) of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.I don't think this is one of Redford's better-known films, and the true story it is based off of is not well known either.
"Brubaker" is a superb drama film staring Robert Redford.
Robert Redford gives an outstanding performance in this gritty but brutal prison drama fraught with edge of the seat moments...
This film, Brubaker may not reach that scale, but it's still a great movie that tackles the subject of prison corruption.
Stuart Rosenberg's film is about a man named Brubaker who is a new warden at this Arkansas prison.
There were also good performances from the likes of Yaphet Kotto and Jane Alexander as well as an early great performance from Morgan Freeman.Overall, Brubaker is a very good film.
The mysterious prisoner comes to the rescue revealing himself to be the new warden Henry Brubaker.
He institutes reforms with the help of inmates Bullen and Dickie Coombes (Yaphet Kotto).The scariest thing about this prison isn't the torture, the rape, or the corruption.
Robert Redford stars in director Stuart Rosenberg's biographical account of Henry Brubaker, who goes undercover as an inmate at a southern prison where he is to be the new warden.
Those in the system who profited from the illegal activities decide to fight back, and make political trouble for the new warden, who has further uncovered a worse scandal...a score of unmarked prisoner graves.Well-directed and scripted film features fine performances by all, which also includes Yaphet Kotto and Morgan Freeman as prisoners, and Murray Hamilton in his last performance.
Robert Redford is simply astounding in his role of the new warden trying to rehabilitate a Dante's inferno of a prison farm in Arkansas.
However, at almost 2:30am, I was still awake--ratcheted to the TV screen watching "Brubaker" until its exciting conclusion.The film is essentially the experiences of Tom Murton as warden of a hellish prison in Arkansas--although unlike the movie, he did NOT enter the prison disguised as a prisoner.
Robert Redford is a very very good choice for the role of brubaker.
Rather cold adaptation of Joe Hyams' book has Robert Redford appearing to play a convict housed at a rough prison work farm for men, but he's really the new warden getting to know his prisoners first hand.
This movie tells the true story of a man called Henry Brubaker.This man arrives at a prison as an inmate and witnesses all the bad stuff that's going on there.Later he reveals he's the new warden of that prison and he's gonna make some changes.Brubaker from 1980 is directed by Stuart Rosenberg.Bob Rafelson started as the director before being replaced.Robert Redford does excellent job as Brubaker.Yaphet Kotto is superb as Richard "Dickie" Coombes.Jane Alexander is very good as Lillian Gray.Murray Hamilton is great as John Deach.Morgan Freeman is good as always as Walter.Matt Clark is terrific as Roy Purcell.M. Emmet Walsh does convincing job as C.P. Woodward.Albert Salmi is great as Rory Poke.Noble Willingham plays Dr. Fenster.Nicolas Cage makes his debut as an extra.The movie succeeds in showing the cruelty of the prison world.One can ask is this something they deserve.Once you commit a crime, you need to be punished.But how much punishment is too much?.
If you like Brubaker, then i'm sure you will like another film he starred in The last castle is another great movie to watch i think.
The fact that it was a true story makes it somewhat interesting, but all in all this is not up there with the great prison movies..
Robert Redford has never been better as a prison warden who goes undercover in his new posting in order to learn the ins and outs of the place - the ultimate UNDERCOVER BOSS!
Robert Redford stars in this film about a new prison warden attempting to weed out corruption in a decrepit prison farm.
Redford shows a unique ability to respect many of his inmates, and this film is the only one focusing on the warden's perspective on prison.
In one sense, Redford is an inmate, a "prisoner" of the penal system corruption, fighting for the rights of the prisoner.
Robert Redford is probably too handsome an actor to be cast as a reform prison warden, but once that's out of the way, this is an effective and gripping story that's bound to put the viewer on edge for all the corruption on both sides of a jail cell.
Redford is Brubaker, the new reform warden who enters the prison in the guise of a prisoner in order to get a worm's eye view of the goings on.
It was directed by Stuart Rosenberg who injected a lot more life into Don Pearce's "Cool Hand Luke." Pearce, by the way, like Warden Brubaker, was a true original. |
tt0171135 | Brown's Requiem | German-American Los Angeles-based detective Fritz Brown is hired by the mysterious caddie Fat Dog Baker, who wants him to spy on his sister Jane and her benefactor, the much older businessman Sol Kupferman. Brown recognizes Kupferman as a man he had seen at the Club Utopia before it was burned down some years before. Brown suspects Fat Dog of being an arsonist, and also discovers that Kupferman owned Club Utopia through a figurehead. Brown, thinking there might be some connection between the two men, decides to look for Fat Dog, who had mysteriously disappeared, and force him to confess, but finds him dead in Mexico instead. He has been killed by Richard Ralston, with whom Fat Dog had started an illegal trade in social welfare benefits. However, Ralston didn’t manage to find a precious notebook where Fat Dog had meticulously noted down all their illegal transactions. It’s Brown who finds it, and thus learns how Fat Dog, apart from the Utopia arson, had previously burned the houses where he had lived as foster child with his sister. Kupferman is their father, while their mother was a woman of the upper class who was forbidden from having anything to do with him because he was Jewish. To avoid scandal, Kupferman gave the children to foster parents, and he also had to bribe a corrupt officer, Haywood Cathcart, for buying his silence about the matter. Brown, who in the meantime has developed a crush on Jane, finds Cathcart out and kills him after having made him confess his criminal activities. | neo noir, murder | train | wikipedia | Great looking film noir.
All of these reviews worth their salt catch on to the fact that this is a great adaption of the book.
What they fail to mention is that the locations in this movie really give it that dark, haunting feel that is the underbelly of Los Angeles.
The city's most interesting aspect is hidden in its shadows and the film captures that look perfectly..
excellent neo-noir.
It is definitely Michael Rooker who carries this film with his likable working-man persona.He really manages to show the heart and humanity under his character's rough exterior and when he needs to be menacing he delivers the goods;the scene where he takes a pair of brass knuckles to a creep in order to beat some information out of him is worth the price of admission alone.
Capable direction by Jason Freeland keeps things moving nicely.
There are excellent character turns by Will Sasso, Brad Dourif,and Barry Newman.
Excellent, underrated, modern noir.
I only saw it on video.I thought it was excellent thriller in the noir tradition.
First, the plot and feel of the film.
These are faithful to James Ellroy's book, more so than in the case of LA Confidential.
I was amazed how much of the detailed plot was included (and believe me Ellroy plots are detailed!) Secondly, Cynthia Millar's haunting piano score was probably largely responsible for my second viewing of the film.
Thirdly, Michael Rooker's performance.
He is a modern Robert Mitchum, born to play noir leads.
A great film noir!.
I watched this film on DVD and it was just a chance to catch Michael Rooker in the lead role of Fritz Brown, an ex-cop, repo man, and part time detective.
Michael plays him with streetwise honesty and toughness but makes it believable and yet shows the weaknesses, and vulnerabilities and flaws of the character.
I really enjoyed watching him play these kinds of characters and it's a nice change from seeing him not play a villain or a psychopath.
This is an excellent film noir and the best I've ever seen James Freeland has done a brilliant job with this film.
The beautiful music score in the opening and closing for the film just fits together with the sad tone of the character.
Michael Rooker is one of my favourite actors and I think he did an amazing job in this role he is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood I hope to see him in more future films..
The film succeeds at the most basic level: it creates a vivid lead character, and portrays a specific time and place accurately and memorably.Fans of noir should not miss this undeservedly obscure rendering of Ellroy's first (and most autobiographical) novel..
Really really a good film.
I'm a big fan of James Ellroy and truly believe that Jason Freeland's filmic rendition of this novel is fabulous.
I stumbled onto this film and was not really sure what it was about but the guy in it is from Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer and he was great.
The film was very dark and I came out of the theater wanting to have a beer.
I don't know that I can do a great job explaining it but it was more than a detective story.
It was about this guy and he really didn't want to drink and he gets this case...a weirdo caddie wants him to check out who's playing around with his sister.
The film made me feel like I sometimes feel when my life sucks and I guess that was the point.
So if you're looking for fun see something else, but if you like'em dark, check out this.
Fantastic adaptation of a great book.
Adrian Wooton is the new director of the festival, and he brings a deep love of crime movies to it.
So it's no surprise that Brown's Requiem should be one of the centrepieces of the two-week reelathon.Brown's Requiem is the third feature film based on an Ellroy book.
James Harris' Cop, with James Woods in the title role was based on Blood On The Moon, and last year's LA Confidential shot Ellroy into the mega bigtime of properties who are muy caliente.First time director Jason Freeland's is probably the first of these films to set out to be a faithful adaptation of Ellroy.
Fans of the Demon Dog will argue forever about the fidelity of LA Confidential, whether in spirit or in look, but close as it stays to Ellroy's basic story, Brown's Requiem brings a neo-noir sensibility to Ellroy which gives it an interesting spin of it's own.Freeland encountered Ellroy listening to one of his patented manic interviews on the radio in LA, and decided to start at the beginning with his books.
When he thought he was ready to adapt Ellroy for the screen, he found Brown's Requiem was the only property available, in the post-LA Confidential rush to option his work.The two biggest changes Freeland does make are both beneficial.
First he changes the female lead from a woman who gets involved with Fritz Brown to a younger girl who doesn't.
This is both more realistic, given Brown's personality (truer to the real Brown than even Ellroy was!) and it also provides a better plot motivation, particularly in encouraging Brown's fantasies of being the white knight, and theoretically a more shocking hook (which sadly is somewhat dissipated).Second he loses the musical sub-text by which Fritz Brown and Bruckner combine to make him a sensitive tragihero.
Only at the end of the film, where Brown gives his friend Hank an imaginary Viking funeral, do we get a hit of that grandiose dream.Neo-noire puts its emphasis on the dumbo nature of its would-be heroes.
Michael Rooker, as Fritz Brown, is a cross somewhere between John Malkovich and Woody Harrelson on the intensity meter, and if occasionally he remains too sure, and too strong, his physical presence is always undercut by a knowing voice-over narration.
Freeland has done an excellent job casting other roles: there are welcome cameos for Valerie Perrine (excellent in bringing depth to a brief part), Barry Newman, and Brad Dourif.Also impressive is 23 year old William Sasso, as 'Fat Dog', who sets the story in motion, and who is, to my mind, the Ellroy figure in this book (and movie).
Freeland admitted this was a tough part to cast: agents told him repeatedly "my client isn't fat, he's big." Sasso leaps into the part with such vigour it's a shame he can't carry a bigger load.
This highlights the soft spot of this film: in following out the plot, Freeland has to short change some of the supporting cast.
In the same way we only get hints of the incestuous cesspool lurking under the story, so things like Brown's relationship with Hank is never really given the depth to carry the force of Brown's final regrets.
This, however, is a small criticism of an assured first feature film.
Freeland has the feel, and an excellent score by Cynthia Millar helps build the emotional tension.
This is an adaptation of Ellroy which will surely please fans of the books.
I absolutely LOVED this film!.
Brown's Requiem is, in my opinion, modern day Film Noir at its best.
Jason Freeland's obvious understanding of James Ellroy's notoriously clever dialogue paved the way for one of the best adaptations I've ever seen.
The casting choices were right on and this was one of the few crime stories where I didn't guess the ending after the first half hour.
A classic film noir not to be missed..
I recently saw Brown's Requiem at a film festival and was completely impressed.
Being a fan of film noir, I really believe that director Jason Freeland knows his material well.
He was able to use the classic narrative style of the detective movie in a modern way.
I was also happy to see Michael Rooker in a leading role again.
If you see this movie playing in the theatre near you, go see it!.
Based on the novel by James Ellroy....
...Brown's Requiem tells the story of Fritz Brown, a private investigator and part time repo man who was at one time an officer in the LAPD -- and is currently an on-the-wagon alcoholic.
Fritz is hired by an obese golf caddy who calls himself Fat Dog (MadTV's Will Sasso) to watch over his sister (Selma Blair) who is currently shacked up with a wealthy older man.
Fritz soon finds himself involved in a complicated plot involving Fat Dog's murder, a former football player turned racketeer and the Internal Affairs chief who had Fritz thrown off the force (the late, great character actor Brion James).I've not read Ellroy's novel (it's one of the few Ellroy novels I haven't read) but I understand it was his first.
If this film is a faithful adaptation, then it serves as the filmic representation of the birth of Ellroy's signature devices: flawed "heroes," gruesome violence, perversions, sadism and a filthy Los Angeles underbelly, all of which are on display here.
Star/producer Michael Rooker does a fantastic job conveying a character who strives for redemption and allows the possibility of it to pull him into a world of murder and depravity he was not ready for.
The direction is tight, the mystery is intriguing and the film is littered with memorable bit roles by such character actors as the aforementioned Brion James, Brad Dourif, Lee Weaver and Tobin Bell.Fans of film noir should give this one a go, as should fans of star Michael Rooker and author James Ellroy.
It's not perfect but it surely deserved better than the direct-to-video release it received here in the U.S. A solid 7/10..
Thriller based on James Ellroy crime novel.
Only the third film adaptation of crime writer James 'mad dog' Ellroy's work and the first to be finished since the critical and commercial success of LA Confidential.
Although more modestly budgeted than that film, this US Indie is nonetheless an excellent cinematic translation of Ellroy's very first novel - true to the spirit, energy and atmosphere of the book.
A gripping, tough story of LA' s underbelly, it follows Fritz Brown, ex-cop, car repossession man and occasional private eye as he accepts a deceptively simple surveillance job.
Needless to say the job lands Brown in deep trouble, caught up in a fraud scam and running foul of his worst enemy in the police force.
A labour of love for director Jason Freeland, Brown's Requiem is a good looking, tautly paced thriller with an excellent lead role for the underrated Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Cliffhanger) and a great supporting cast of notable character actors.
(review by Adrian Wootton, London International Film Festival).
Fantastic L.A. noir, carried by Michael Rooker.
Brown's Requiem is a neat little slice of Los Angeles film noir in the tradition of L.A. Confidential and Mulholland Falls.
It's based on a book of the same name that's written by James Ellroy, who actually wrote L.A. Confidential as well, so the crime vibe here is thick, rich and genuine.
Michael Rooker is flat out fantastic as Fritz Brown, a world weary, hard bitten private investigator who is hired by a rotund caddie named Fat Dog (Will Sasso) to find his kid sister (Selma Blair) a wayward girl who has apparently run off with a her sugar daddy, and may be in danger.
Brown noses around and before he knows it he's neck deep in police corruption, violence and murder.
It's convoluted, but film noir always is, and when the plot is left to bake in the California sun, it's going to be nicely sinewy and labyrinthine to please all the filmgoers put there who fancy themselves gumshoes and like to decipher the happenings along with the protagonist.
The trail leads Brown to sinister police captain Cathcart (the late Brion James), brutal thug Richard Ralston (Jack Conley) and many other bottom dwelling nasties.
This is a rare lead role for Rooker and he's riveting, fitting this genre protagonist like a glove.
His innate menace and gruff whisper of a voice are put to good use as the hangdog tough guy takes care of business in style.
Watch out for Kevin Corrigan, Tobin Bell, Christopher Meloni and a brief but darkly funny cameo from Brad Dourif.
Where L.A. Confidential hid it's grit beneath a sheen of glamour, Brown's Requiem wears it proudly on its seedy sleeve, a scrappy little cousin to Confidential, and a sturdy little noir mystery boosted by Rooker's work..
NOIR at it's BEST.
Brown's Requiem is a gritty, realistic, detective story.
Michael Rooker is top notch and very believable.
Brad Dourif adds some veteran skills and Selma Blair gives a good performance as an enticing teen with trouble always in tow.If you like realistic suspense/thriller situations you will love this.It lifts the veil of the shiny city and shows the dirty, dangerous underbelly of a large city filled with unpredictable misfits.Dark, not so perfect, lead character with all his flaws and fears trying his best to do right against the odds.
More people should give this little movie a look..
Well handled if not particularly memorable neo noir tale, based on the novel by James Ellroy, who'd hit the big time the previous year with the movie adaptation of his story "L.A. Confidential".
Written for the screen by its director, Jason Freeland, it guides us through an appropriately twist laden plot, with some commendably dark if also admittedly uncomfortable elements such as incest among its revelations, and its setting is typical noir stuff - the seedy under belly of a city (Los Angeles) that one may not automatically associate with such a place.
Michael Rooker is solid and extremely well cast as a flawed but not unlikable protagonist, part time repo man and part time private eye Fritz Brown.
Fritz is approached with an assignment by young, corpulent caddie "Fat Dog" Baker ('MADtv''s Will Sasso, delivering an impressive dramatic performance) to watch the man's kid sister Jane (Selma Blair, in fine sultry form).
Naturally, Fritz will learn that he's not being told everything, and will uncover, among other things, a link to a former nemesis, an Internal Affairs detective named Cathcart (the late, great screen villain Brion James).
"Brown's Requiem" features a wonderfully effective, mournful, sometimes jazzy score by Cynthia Millar, and maintains a true noir feel, with nice widescreen cinematography by Seo Mutarevic.
What's really cool is seeing this very interesting collection of character actors, familiar faces, and notable veterans that populates the landscape.
First off, it's a treat to see Rooker, Brad Dourif, and Tobin Bell all in the same movie, 10 years after "Mississippi Burning".
Bell in particular is a hoot in a role that's nothing like the kind of bad guy roles he's often played.
Overall, the movie is nothing great, but good enough and fun enough to watch.
Worth a look for genre fans.
Grimy neo-noir ....................
Michael Rooker is an antihero private investigator, who gets involved with a nasty case revolving around incest and murder.
Rooker is excellent as the boozing detective.
Selma Blair is more in the background, while Brion James and Brad Dourif have small roles.
The bad guys seem to underestimate Rooker, and that often works to his advantage.
Character development is good, the pace is acceptable, and overall, "Brown's Requium" is entertaining, although at times the film is a bit confusing .......
First I want to say that I love James Ellroy.
You will certainly find L.A. Confidential in my top 10 for best movies of the 90's.So I really looked forward to this movie, but it really disappointed me.
The story concentrates the most on the main character, here played by a decent B-movie actor: Michael Rooker.
The film could have greater, with a lesser depressing tone, a bit more tempo and a better written adaptation.
The actual crime story is hard to follow and is told here on a very uninteresting way.I saw this in the movie theatre, but I think this should have been going directly on video.
I can almost certainly say that almost every Ellroy fan will be disappointed.
A shame, a pity, just forget about it...hopefully the next Ellroy film will be better.
The first thing I wanted to do after seeing this film, was watching L.A. Confidential again....
Beats me how people can describe this adolescent exercise as film noir.
This thing plays like reheated TV cop show stuff - lots of bloody beating & lousy continuity - with a dash of Chinatown memories thrown in.
Do ANYTHING other than seeing this film.
A film of no direction, little plot-line, an absence of meaning and leaves you with a feeling of being financially raped and abused ...
where the $5 million went on making this film is anybody's guess!Hugely disappointing and shouldn't have even been released as a 'direct to video' film ...
Although the film has not a big budget i seek for a good overlooked movie, but i only found a decent movie and a bad adaptation.
Yeah, it´s faithful, but the novel is great, i love it and the movie could have been amazing with a better script, better actors and above all a better director.I hope The Black Dahlia can be made with a good director.
If Fincher finally doesn´t make it, someone like Michael Mann, Anthony Minghella, Christopher Nolan or Curtis Hanson again..
The story is vague and uninteresting, the speed in the movie is absent and the voiceover irritating.
I can't understand why movies like this one are even distributed..
I'm suprised no one else seems to have noticed the Chinatown homage this movie does.
Kudos to Michael Rooker I'd like to see him in more lead roles.
I also liked the irony of Fatdog being both a big fan of Hitler and unknowingly being the son of a Jew. This is just what you want from a small film. |
tt0285312 | Ruîgi manshon | The game begins with Luigi having won a mansion in a contest. Despite not having entered any contest, he promptly told Mario about the mansion, and the two agreed to meet up outside it that evening. Luigi takes a flashlight with him and he follows the map to the mansion. Upon finally arriving at his new mansion, which looks much more sinister than the supplied photo, Mario is nowhere to be found. Luigi proceeds inside the mansion, entering the Parlor after he gains the key from a strange ghost-like shape. Upon entry, he is soon assaulted by a Gold Ghost, only to be saved by a little old man wielding a vacuum cleaner. The old man, however, is unable to reel in the ghost and is soon overpowered. After being helped to his feet by Luigi, the old man introduces himself as Professor Elvin Gadd. The two retreat from the mansion when more of the Gold Ghosts appear.
In E. Gadd's laboratory, he explains how Luigi's newly won mansion is obviously the work of something not of this world, as it only appeared a few nights ago. As Luigi further explores the mansion, he discovers that it was built by King Boo to shelter the now-freed portrait ghosts, ghosts whom E. Gadd had previously captured and contained in paintings with a device dubbed the "Ghost Potrificationizer". They sent Luigi the supplied photo and map to lure him into a trap. Gadd also tells Luigi that he saw someone wearing a red cap went into the mansion some time ago, but has not seen him since. Upon learning that the red capped man (Mario) was Luigi's brother, E. Gadd allows Luigi to take over his duties of ghost-catching and entrusts him with his powerful vacuum cleaner, the "Poltergust 3000," and a multipurpose invention called the GameBoy Horror that allows him to communicate with Luigi.
After numerous confrontations and challenges with many ghosts, portrait ghosts, boss ghosts, Boos, puzzles, and locked doors, Luigi confronts King Boo, who has trapped Mario inside a painting like the portrait ghosts and hung him in a secret altar in the basement. King Boo pulls Luigi into a painting for their final battle in an arena that resembles the mansion's roof within a fiery background, puppeteering a lifelike Bowser suit from the inside. Using spiked, explosive metal balls thrown by "Bowser", Luigi finds a way to blast off the suit's head and eventually vacuum and defeat King Boo, causing "Bowser" to collapse. Luigi returns to E. Gadd with Mario's painting and successfully extracts him from within it using the Ghost Portrificationizer in reverse. King Boo is turned into a painting along with the other portrait ghosts. The ending also sees the haunted mansion disappear, after which Professor E. Gadd uses the treasure Luigi collected on his adventure to build a new, non-haunted mansion on the site of the original mansion. The size of the house depends on how much treasure the player gathered before the end of the game. | magical realism | train | wikipedia | Very fun, very cute little game.
While Mario gets zillions of games to himself every year, it's not often that Luigi gets his own lead, unless you count 1993's MARIO IS MISSING on the SNES.In this cool little game, Luigi goes Ghostbusting in a haunted mansion (one of those Scooby-Doo types) that he has mysteriously won in a competition he didn't even enter.
The mansion is crawling with spooks of all kinds but Luigi get's help from a crackpot inventor living nearby.
Now armed with a special vacuum cleaner, Luigi must clear every room in the mansion and find his missing brother, who has apparently vanished inside.The gameplay is simple and very easy to get the hang of.
Some of the rooms you clean up require some extra investigation and puzzle solving so be sure to check everything (I though the piano room was a cool puzzle to solve) and use your Gameboy Horror to have a good look round.The graphics in Luigi's Mansion may not be up to the standard of Super Mario Sunshine but they're still very, very smooth and look amazing.
Some of the SFX look highly realistic and there's no loading times at all between scenes.
The music sounds like it's been done on a Commodore 64 and doesn't sound all that great but it's a cute little theme and I thought it was very funny when Luigi would whistle it whenever it wasn't playing.The mansion itself isn't that big and you'll finish the game in about a week, but when you have this much fun playing it is still worthwhile..
Excellent game, but too short..
Luigi's Mansion is one of launch titles of the new Nintendo Gamecube which was released just recently.
In the game, you play Luigi (Mario's little bro) who goes into a spooky mansion to save Mario who ends up being missing when he entered the mansion.
However, you have one big thing in the way: The supernatural!
You end up sucking these ghostly beings with your trusty vacuum cleaner, and sometimes you'll face boss ghosts along the way.
Though the game is fun, it's good while it lasts since it's far too short since the mansion lacks more areas to explore since it's small.
Still, if catching ghosts isn't for you check out the new smash bros game, or Pikmin (one game i'm looking forward too.)when they come out..
Nintendo has done it again.
We get hype, we get better graphics, we get the same old games!With Microsoft and Sony that is....With Nintendo we get innovation - this game is like nothing you have played before, you won't find an similar game because Nintendo have once again had an idea of there own and used it.
I am yet to see a game on any of the other consoles which can't be described using the phrase "Its a cross between x existing game and y existing game".The game plays well, and the graphics are awesome due to the extra alpha channels on the gamecubes 'gekko' chip (the other consoles couldn't actually run this game if they tried) the puzzles are all slightly tricky but not too hard to let you get bored.
My only complaint is that the game doesn't last long enough, but Nintendo probably had to rush to get it out for the launch date.If you want games, get a gamecube, and get luigi's mansion.
(super-monkey-ball is good too).
I had nightmares after playing this game!.
This is by far the scariest horror survival game ever!
And there is no end to the amount of gore in this game.
It begins with Lugi going to an uber creepy mansion and having to survive the terrors that await inside.
These include hideous spirits of the cronies of the notorious murder Bloody Jack.
these things will pop out of walls and try to eat you by making you explode.
Piano's come to life and try to disembowel you, books try to decapitate and beat you to death, and giant eyeballs stalk and shoot at you!
The boss is the creepiest part of the game!
He is so scary, it's too horrible ti describe!
So if you are faint of heart or scare easily, I urge you not to play this and instead play a nice, kiddie game like Silent Hill.
This is truly one hell of a horror game!.
Luigi Needs a Girlfriend.
Nintendo had Super Mario Bros.
Super Nintendo had Super Mario World.
Nintendo 64 had Super Mario 64.
Gamecube had Luigi's Mansion?
Yeah, Luigi FINALLY gets his own video game, a launch title even, and it's a game about him busting ghosts inside a creepy mansion.
Why is Luigi risking life and limb through this mansion?
What is his objective?
I was hoping to save a damsel in distress but instead, HE SAVES MARIO!
C'mon, Nintendo, can you please let Mario eat cake with the Princess somewhere?
Let Luigi go through ONE game without Mario!
His last starring role was "Mario is Missing" and you can see where that went just by the title alone!
You are basically equipped with some vacuum cleaner given to you by Professor Egads to bust some ghosts.
You go into some room, knock on things, basically looking for ghosts.
You use your flashlight to reveal their weaknesses and then you vacuum them up.
Vacuuming isn't easy cause you have to toggle your joystick to get them in there which can be frustrating yet fun at the same time.But what's great about this game is the creepy atmosphere which is weird considering this is in the Mario universe.
Some of the ghosts are downright scary, at least for kids or kids at heart, but the imagination that is put into them are downright clever.I also loved some of the boss encounters, as well.
My favorite and perhaps the most memorable was the first boss which is essentially this big baby.
I don't know why but it always stuck out in my mind.Luckily, Nintendo isn't letting Luigi's Mansion fade into obscurity as they featured it in both their Super Mario Galaxy games and in Super Smash Bros Brawl.
I, like many other people, is hoping for a sequel.
The Wii would be a perfect fit for a Luigi's Mansion sequel and hopefully Nintendo is considering on releasing one.
Just please, for the love of God, give Luigi a girlfriend or at least a love interest!
Unless you're trying to tell us something, Nintendo..
Great, funny, exilerating, Easy to learn, and easy to get hooked on..
My first GameCube game.
I put it in, played, and was soon dazzled by the graphics.
This new masterpeice can be funny, jumpy, and suspensful all at the same time.
Nintendo could have just as easily made this a big gore fest, scary for the little kids, and the basic formula of putting Luigi and a cast of Mario characters into a Resident Evil game.
But that's what amazes me is that they didn't and they had to pre-check it so it wasn't frightening.
It's like making pufferfish to eat.
You know what parts to keep in but you put just a little bit of the poison to tingle the taste buds.
(Yes, they do that in Japan by skilled chefs).
The only thing I found scary was that a first gen GameCube game can look so good.
I only had a beef about it being too short and the extra Hidden Mansion too easy..
Pretty decent.
For a Mario spin-off game, this is pretty damn good!
Although, the length of the game is underwhelming; on the bright side, it does make you want to play it all over again!
Upon playing the game for the first time, the dark atmosphere captured me.
The music is fun and addicting, making you want to hum along to the anthem of the haunted hallways.
Great game, short length..
Fun Because Of Its Quirks.
When it was released with the launch of the Nintendo Gamecube in 2001, "Luigi's Mansion" took both praise and criticism for being an a-typical "launch game" for the new system.
Both viewpoints are valid depending on what type of gamer you might be.Basically, this game puts you in control of the usually second-fiddle Luigi, who is searching for brother Mario in a haunted mansion full of Boos.
Armed with a ghost-sucking vacuum device, Luigi must suck up all the ghosts and get his fellow plumber out of the house of horrors.In terms of gameplay, this game gets old quickly.
Basically, you just go around sucking up ghosts and getting keys to rooms to...suck up more ghosts.
It's fun for awhile, but gets tedious after about the first 5-6 ghosts or so.The presentation, however, is what makes this game still fun to play even 10+ years after its inception.
The graphics are perfect for this type of game (cartoony yet clean), while the humor of many of the situations is pitch-perfect.
Because Luigi is such a quirky character in the Nintendo cannon, there isn't that "Mario pressure" and thus the game developers were just able to let things loose and have a little fun with this one.Overall, "Luigi's Mansion" is a fun game because of (not in spite of) its quirkiness.
Younger gamers will especially love this effort, as the gameplay will never feel stale for their skill set.
More seasoned gamers will just laugh at the presentation/atmosphere and take the goofiness all in stride.
I'd give it 3.5 stars to be exact, but it gets bumped up to four full stars here because it is just so innocent and fun..
Luigi's Mansion.
Now Luigi finally gets a solo video game and this time is it not a disappointment.Luigi has always been the second player character when you play games like Super Mario Bros and Super Mario World and other Mario titles this time he gets his own game.Luigi's Mansion centers on Luigi who gets a letter saying he has won a contest with his own Mansion although he never enters, When he gets to the mansion he realize that it is haunted and Mario is missing.
Now it is up to Luigi to find his brother aim with nothing but a flashlight and a Ghost Vacuum.Nintendo GameCube being Nintendo's first CD based video game system it had to have games to make it fun and Luigi's Mansion proof to be a success.The level designs give you the feel of being inside an haunted house and the ghost that follow you would make you turn around as they disappear.Nintendo took their time to make sure the game shows the power of the GameCubeAlso it is cool to have Luigi get his own game and this time is wasn't bad.The graphics in the game are very well done with great level and character designs and the animation for the ghost are superb it like you were in a haunted house.
The music and sound effects are superb and the controls work and gives you the feel of being scared when the game like you to be scared.The game boss battles do take time to take down also you can get lost easy so you got to be careful where you are going and where you been.Luigi's Mansion shows what the GameCube could do and is worth checking out.Luigi's Mansion an 8 out of 10.
Pretty good, but a bit too hard..
I know what you're probably thinking, I know.
It's about time Luigi gets his own game (not including Mario Is Missing for the SNES a long time ago).
This is a pretty good game, and it is actually a classic except for the fact that I get stuck quite often in this.
Like for example, the boss battle with the baby.
I do not know what to do to beat the baby to move on.
Little kids will probably be scared of this game, so don't let them play it.
It definitely delivers a scary, cool atmosphere, but for little kids this is definitely a no, for both challenges and scariness.
This is just cool..
This is one of the best video-games I have ever played.
This game could scare a teen and,could entertain an adult.
This game could scare anybody that has ever played it alone in the dark.
One night I was playing it alone in the dark then,a ghost came out of nowhere and,almost made me crap in my pants.
Though the ghosts look corny but,since this is such a great game I am not going to count off points for that.
It is so fun that I have cleared the game over 8 times and the game is still amusing.
One really nerdy guy I know says that this game is hard but it is clearly not.
This game is just the best.
Go out and buy it now because it is fun..
Who are you going to call?
Luigi!.
Had to make to make a Ghostbusters reference in here, and why not, this game plays a lot like Ghostbusters, minus three other characters, and the fact that you don't use traps to trap the ghost, but use a vacuum cleaner instead.((Spoilers!))Luigi has basically won a large mansion in a contest that he hasn't even entered, and his brother, Mario gets to the mansion first, only to be caught by the ghost and trapped in a picture by a large Boo ((thats what the main ghost are called in the Mario games)) and its up to Mario's younger brother, Luigi (who finially gets his own game) to save him.The graphics are great, from the ghost, to Luigi himself, and the sounds great, from the music (to which Luigi even hums!) and to the sound of the ghost.My only problem with the game is that it is way too short, but other then that, it is a decent buy. |
tt0101897 | Flight of Black Angel | Captain Eddie Gordon, a top gun pilot of an Air Force academy, is a talented and aggressive pilot who proves too much for his fellow instructees to match. His flight instructor, Matt Ryan (Peter Strauss) tries to encourage him to practice restraint, but with little success.
After his birthday party at his home in Las Vegas, Eddie puts a religiously motivated long-organized plan into action: He kills his brother (Rodney Eastman) and his parents (Ben Rawnsley and K. Callan). He then holds Captain Melissa Gaiter (Patricia Sill) of the Air Force base at gunpoint and forces her to arm his IAI Kfir jet with live ordnance, a radar-jamming pod and a tactical nuclear weapon. Melissa refuses to co-operate further and is murdered.
Later, Colonel Bill Douglas (James O'Sullivan) of the base's flight control is informed of the triple murder at the Gordons' residence while a training exercise involving Eddie is under way. Eddie takes this opportunity to shoot down his fellow instructees. Ryan manages to alert the base and tries to lure Eddie into the firing range of the base's surface-to-air missiles. Eddie however, eludes the missile barrage and destroys Ryan's plane. Before any armed aircraft can take off, Eddie devastates the base's communications, runway, and aircraft.
Eddie lands in Garrison, Utah to hide his jet in a deserted barn, but is accidentally discovered by a family on vacation, Richard (Michael Keys Hall) and Valerie (Michele Pawk) Dwyer and their baby. Before Valerie can raise the police on the CB radio, Eddie takes them hostage.
While Eddie works on defeating the fail-safes on the tactical nuke, he is exposed to lethal radiation, and his health quickly deteriorates. The next day, he and Valerie leave for a hardware store in a nearby city to obtain tools. Valerie uses a traveler's check and writes their hostage location on the back, but the clerk (Scott Menville) does not notice. Valerie then persuades Eddie to go to a drug store to find a cure for his vomiting and nausea. She repeats the same practice; this time, the pharmacist (John D. Brancato) notices Valerie's notes on the check.
Two police officers (George Fisher and Steven D. Simpson) arrive to investigate. Eddie kills one and engages the other in a firefight. Richard and Valerie try to flee with their baby; however, Eddie shoots the second officer, Richard and Valerie. Richard dies and Valerie is seriously wounded. Painstakingly, Valerie manages to collect her baby and crawl to the roadside, where she is picked up by a truck driver.
Ryan is cross-checking police leads when the report of Valerie Dwyer comes in. She insists that she has seen Eddie working on a bomb. Just before a surgery, Ryan learns Eddie's target from Valerie: Las Vegas. Subsequently, Ryan convinces Douglas to concentrate on Las Vegas; he travels to Hill AFB to take an F-16 fighter plane to fly lead. An AWACS plane confirms what Valerie had said.
It has been determined that although Eddie cannot launch the bomb, his jet fuel could detonate the bomb if he is fired upon. Ryan successfully talks Eddie into chasing him out into the desert by provoking Eddie into a duel to see if God made him "the one". After evading Eddie's last missile, Ryan orders the other pilots to clear away, and then fires on Eddie. Both pilots and 36 people on the ground are incinerated.
A recovering Valerie receives sanitized TV news on the incident in her hospital bed with her baby in her arms. The report assert that the pilots were on a "training mission" in the area. | murder | train | wikipedia | Surprisingly good.
Before he had the big budget of U-571, director Jonathan Mostow proved back in 1991 that he has what it takes to create a gripping movie.
I rented this because I was writing a screenplay with a similar premise.
The aerial combat sequences here are just as -- if not more so -- thrilling as anything in TOP GUN.
I wish they would have got someone else to play Cpt. Gordon aka "Black Angel" -- still, the thesp gets across a spooky desperation.
The script doesn't fully explain his motivation, but it's clear he has some kind of God-complex.
Peter Strauss is also believable as the Mentor.If you like military or doomsday thrillers, this is worth a rent or watching on cable.Also of note: screenwriters John Brancato and Mike Ferris (THE NET, THE GAME) are billed as assoc.
producers, though I don't know what their role in the production was..
Mildly Entertaining.
I bought this movie on DVD as I am a big fan of Iron Eagle and Flight Of Black Angel was suggested as a similar type movie.Firstly, I must say that I approached this with an open mind.
I realized that this wasn't a big budget movie and didn't expect it to wow me, but reading the reviews here made me hopeful that this might be pretty good.The movie starts very slow.
The acting in the opening scenes is mediocre at best.
The direction is pretty good, but relies heavily on slow zooms to invoke suspense and atmosphere - this works to some degree but is overdone to the point of becoming boring.
The lighting is pretty bad on some scenes.As the story develops, it starts to gather some momentum.
The acting seems to improve a little and the script is OK for the most part.
The flight sequences are taken straight out of Iron Eagle which kind of works, but having seen Iron Eagle, I couldn't help make comparisons and it becomes evident that compared to that, the script and acting doesn't come close.
Another annoying thing form me is that some of the scenes show the bombing of US troops and anti-aircraft weapons - these are taken straight from Iron Eagle and you can see the uniforms of the middle eastern enemies from IE who are meant to be US in this movie, but if I hadn't mentioned it you may not have noticed :-) The second half of the movie works much better, the pace is just about right and the introduction of new characters lifts the whole thing.Overall I would say this movie is maybe worth a look if there is nothing else on TV but I wouldn't suggest going out of your way to see it..
Rent it.
A movie about a dedicated pilot who is driven mad to extreme depression, and ends up trying to blow up Las Vegas in the process in order to fulfil his sick purpose.
Good acting, plenty of action, and an unexpected twist in the end makes this one worth watching..
Scary, and Very Realistic.
Just enough details to make this seem very real, and very possible.Makes you wonder about the military phrase "routine training exercise" used in actual news stories.No breaks in the action - and no subplots.
This is straight action from beginning to end.
Well worth watching..
Pretty Good.
This is an exciting action packed flick about a pilot gone mad and attempts to blow up Las Vegas.
Just when you think you know what is going to happen, it surprises you..
Highly recommended, taut storyline, great aerial dogfights.
Is it possible these days to tell a story -- a taut, relentless, no-fat-no-frills story -- in contemporary Hollywood?
This 1991 effort by writer/director Jonathan Mostow reminds me of Steven Spielberg's "Duel" in its relentless pursuit of a linear take-no-prisoners storyline.
No real characters, but who needs 'em?
Let Merchant/Ivory wander through sanguine tepidity ...
Mostow wants to grab you, must compel your attention -- he plies his craft for the MTV 15-second-attention-span generation.I stumbled across this unknown gem flipping through cable stations one meandering Saturday afternoon, and immediately wondered why Hollywood hadn't discovered this amazing director.
Then I searched IMDB and learned he recently finished directing "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." Hmm ...
guess he was only anonymous to me.The aerial dogfights are simply great.
The maniacal plan of the wacked-out Crazy Christian Crusader main character is riveting, and Mostow's script seems plausible in its attention to military technology detail.Highly recommended..
A real surprise.
I rented this movie one night just because I had nothing better to do.
To my surprise, I found it entertaining.
I will not tell the plot, but this is a pretty good action/thriller.
The colour on it is pretty dull, but the movie has some good special effects and explosions.
Renegade pilot thrills in this occasionally frightening TV movie.
FLIGHT OF BLACK ANGEL is another movie about a renegade fighter pilot taking the fight to the skies above America.
There were a few of these films made throughout the 1990s, John Woo's BROKEN ARROW being the one I know the best.
Although this one's a TV movie, it doesn't suffer from the trappings of that genre because it actually has some violent scenes of murder and destruction in it, so it's not one that plays it safe throughout.I watched this film out of interest because it was an early effort from director Jonathan Mostow, later to make crowd-pleasers like BREAKDOWN and TERMINATOR 3.
Mostow is hampered by a low budget in this one, but the story's interesting and I enjoyed the way that most of the material ends up taking place on the ground rather than in the skies.
Peter Strauss is a dull hero character but William O'Leary is rather convincing as the out-of-his-mind pilot.
The special effects again are limited in nature but there's enough meat in the surrounding scenes to make the whole thing frighteningly convincing in places..
Bottom gun..
"...Black Angel" pretty much just sucks.
There are too many deficits to go into detail.
The only reason to watch would be the flying and it's pretty ordinary....snap rolls are about it.
The story is lame and the execution worse with poor if any technical advice.
Only for hard up sofa spuds who love aerial combat dog fights.
good made for cable film.
This films tells the story of air force pilot who cracks under peer pressure,it was unclear if his parents pushed him to far,or what,he simply had to be the best,Barry Zetlin,who produce this film,assembled a good cast.
The pressure was too much,he cracked under it all.
The fight scenes in the air was well done,I suspect that quite a bit of stock footage film was used.
This is available on DVD in either the UK or Australia.
Before you order it,make sure your DVD player will play it,DVD's players in Canada and the US are region one,in Europe and Australia,they use region 2 and 4 which is Pal System.Region free DVD players can be purchased here in Canada and the US,if you do not wish to purchase one,go on to the internet and type in DVD players hackers list,this web site will give you instructions on how to change the region settings on your DVD player,not all DVD players can the region codes be changed.
Another interesting item,Barry Zetlin,who produced this film appeared in it,a cameo appearance,he has also done this in other films he has produced.
Alfred Hitchcock used to do the same thing..
Ecellent story, well acted.
This is an excellent story of United States Air Force Pilots that could possibly happen.
All parts in film are well acted and believable.
The only bad feature of film is parts of the film that were shown that were supposed to be in Western part of the United States looked like they were filmed in Israel.
The movie keeps you in suspense because when you see it you have no idea what is going to happen next.
I give the movie a 7 out of a 10 because of the non-authentic scenery.
If it wasn't for that, I would have given it a 9.
Peter Straus plays his part well but William O'Leary plays a very complicated part and should have received some kind of film award for his part!.
Great Film.
Flight of Black Angel is easily a great film because it relies on storytelling and characterization rather than special effects to get its point across.
It's low budget but I think that is what works in the movie's favor.
It doesn't have to rely on whiz-bang special effects.
William O'Leary is awesome as the psychotic Air Force pilot who's slipped a gear and decides to carry out God's will and Peter Strauss plays it straight and to the point as his mentor trying to stop him.
The story is very believable and hooks the audience instantly.
Easily one of the best films i've ever watched from a storytelling aspect.
If this movie had a bigger budget, I could see it winning some awards..
Silly movie, only good for when you're drunk.
Ludicrous plot, bad acting, glaring factual errors.
Stylistically, it's a bit of a Top Gun rip-off.
And seriously, who ever heard of anyone landing a fighter on a road and then taking off again later?
If you like to make up funny lines for the dialogue or you like to pick out errors, etc., then this is the movie for you.
And Peter Strauss, next time you play a military man, get a haircut..
meh.
the flight scenes look like they were filmed in Israel because they were.
This movie borrows all of the action sequence footage from the movie "Iron Eagle"...
which was shot using IAF F-16A/Bs and Kfirs (a Mirage III derivative).
Pretty low-budget, I guess if I hadn't seen Iron Eagle so many times before, I wouldn't have paid attention to it.
I rather rented the movie hoping to see more Tomcat footage (an F-14A is displayed quite prominently on the cover of the movie) but there is none.
The acting is good enough, all things considered...
even if the plot line is full of holes.
This is the only time I've ever seen O'leary in a truly serious role...
and he's wickedly good at it!.
Low budget movie shows Blockbuster Hollywood how to do it properly.
This is a made for TV movie and due to budget restraints all the flight footage is reused from the Iron Eagle films.
Hence Israel has to pass for Nevada.
So I originally went into this not expecting too much but wanting an aerial film fix.
Despite what one or two other reviewers have said, this has a very believable plot (especially compared to Iron Eagle films)and the acting was very good.
The reviewer who thinks it's totally ridiculous to land a plane on a road and take off again needs to Google the Swiss and Swedish Air ForcesAn ace aggressor squadron pilot has some kind of breakdown and decides to shoot down his fellow pilots and attack Las Vegas with a Nuclear weapon.
Spoiler ALERT+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ At first, this might seem a little ridiculous, but the way he achieves all this actually all seems very plausible.
Far more so than the way the kids get everything Chappie asks for in Iron Eagle.
He holds someone at gunpoint to get live weapons programmed, brushes off concerns by the armourer who loads the plane and then has to dismantle the nuclear weapon with the aid of a stolen wiring diagram,getting radiation sickness in the process (but as he's on a suicide mission, he doesn't care.) END OF SPOILER ++++++++++++++++++++++++++William O'Leary puts in a good performance as the cold, disturbed pilot,and Peter Strauss is pretty good as the older pilot and mentor who is eventually forced to take on his protégé.
While the pace is a little slow in paces (especially if you are used to the moronic modern Whizzbang Hollywood rubbish),the plot isn't totally predictable and no-one does anything out of character.
The Flight sequences are pretty well edited, especially considering that they are cut together from an entirely different film.
This obviously lends itself to a few continuity errors but I think that's forgivable in this context.
They are no worse than in bigger budget films like Top Gun. Overall, I found it a very enjoyable and well made film, and one I would certainly recommend, even to those who aren't that into planes.
The complete opposite of a film like Flyboys. |
tt0306359 | Monrak Transistor | The story begins in a jail, where a prisoner is being interrogated. The action is taking place in the background, behind bars and is blurred. The focus is on a bottle of laxative. Seems the prisoner has stolen a necklace and swallowed it. Soon, the necklace is passed. And it's not even real gold.
The old jailer picks up the story, saying the prisoner is a boy named Pan from his home village. Pan is a simple country boy. In the words of the jailer, he thinks about entertainment too much and is not respectful enough of his elders. In other words, he's not too bright. Yet, he is a good singer, and the story flashes back to a village fair, where he's up on stage singing his heart out, with his lyrics being composed on the spot and directed toward Sadao, a pretty village girl who is dancing in the crowd.
A local rich kid pulls up in his truck and asks Sadao to dance. Then, when the rich kid goes to the drinks stand, Pan hands his microphone over to another performer and moves to dance with Sadao. The rich kid returns, and Pan bumps into him, spilling the drinks. The rich guy, with his thuggish friends in tow, orders Pan to clean up the mess. Pan does so by spitting on the guy's shoes. A fight breaks out, but the music keeps going, with a guitarist picking up the beat and screaming a punk song as the fight intensifies.
Pan and Sadao retreat to Sadao's home, where Pan breaks into another song, expressing his love. But before long, Sadao's irascible father shows up with a shotgun, causing Pan to jump into the river to escape the shotgun blasts.
Pan is not easily deterred. Via his sister, he sends Sadao a pretty blue blouse, accompanied by a love note. He then shows up one day to dig a pond for Sadao's father, explaining that the man Sadao's father had originally hired was sick. He insists on calling the man Dad.
"Stop calling me Dad. When did I fuck your mother," the old man cruelly admonishes Pan.
The old man is complaining of various aches and pains. Pan offers to get him some folk medicine, something involving foot pollen, which because of the cultural association of the foot being the basest part of the body, gravely offends him. Pan is back in the doghouse with Sadao's father.
Yet the two become married. For a present, Pan presents Sadao with a new transistor radio. They have a baby on the way and they enjoy being together.
"The movie could end here," the narrator chimes in, "and you'd be heading for exits with a happy ending. But there is more to this sad tale."
Pan's run of bad luck starts when he draws the wrong number in the draft lottery and must enter the army. He heads off to basic training before his wife gives birth to their child. He promises to write her a letter every day.
A musical interlude depicts Pan and the other soldiers singing the mournful song "Mai Leum" ("Don't Forget) as they crawl on their backs in the mud under barbed wire, and during their haircuts.
One day Pan sees a poster for a singing contest and at the urging of his army buddies, he enters. He nervously gets up on stage and says he wants to sing "The Sad Soldier". The band doesn't know the tune, so Pan sings it a cappella. Though he wows the crowd, he faints onstage when the song is complete. Along with a local girl, Dao, Pan wins the contest and without giving thought to the consequences, he's on a bus headed for Bangkok, where he hopes to become a big singing star.
He ends up locked inside the music company's office, where he spends the night. The next day, he meets his new boss, a sleazy producer named Suwat, who insists Pan call him "Daddy". He lectures Pan about all the hard work he'll need to do before making it as a star.
So Pan pitches in around the office, mopping floors and running errands. Months go by. He mops the floor while the other singer who won the contest, Dao, receives training as a singer. Pan keeps mopping. Soon, 27 months have gone by. He's still mopping floors.
Meanwhile, Sadao is left alone to raise the couple's child. She has not heard a word from Pan and is looking careworn. The radio she was given as a wedding present is starting to wear out.
Pan sleeps in a storage closet, a room he shares with an old man named Yen, who reveals that he, too, wanted to be a singing star, but it's the young women who usually get all the breaks first, he tells Pan.
So Pan keeps mopping floors, washing cars and running errands. He also becomes close with Dao, whom he assists one night after she becomes ill.
Finally, one night at a show, Pan gets his big break when the star male singer doesn't show up. Pan is hastily thrown into a gold lame tuxedo and pushed onstage.
What he doesn't know is that out in the crowd is Sadao and her father. They have finally tracked down Pan and have come to visit him. She's brought him bottles of rainwater from the village, figuring the water in the city is dirty and unfit to drink. Pan and Sadao enjoy a brief reunion after the show, but Pan is quickly whisked away by Suwat, to Suwat's home, which is decorated with animal skins.
Suwat tells Pan to relax and goes to change. He comes out with some beers, wearing just a silk bathrobe and his underwear. Suwat puts on a porn tape – it's a film of the girl singer, Dao. Suwat tells Pan to strip and has him pose for photos. Suwat becomes bolder and bolder, and eventually sexually assaults Pan. Pan reacts in surprise and confusion, pushing Suwat off of him. Suwat lands on a glass table and is killed.
Pan runs out into the street. He sees a policeman. Now, not only is he AWOL from the army, he's also a murderer. He then spots a truck loaded down with other men, so he hops aboard, hoping to hop back off when the truck stops. But the truck doesn't stop until it's taken Pan to a remote sugar cane plantation, where he's set to work cutting cane in torturous conditions.
Meanwhile, back in the village, a smooth-talking travelling salesman, peddling deworming medicine from his boat, is passing through. He's taken a liking to Sadao, giving her some medicine for her sick baby and inviting her to a movie screening that night. He further charms her at the screening, by demonstrating his talents as a film dubber, improvising lines to tell her how beautiful she is.
Back on the sugar-cane plantation, the workers, tired of their diet of vegetables and rice, are restive. Pan has made friends with one of the workers, Siew, but Pan is also well liked by the tough boss, Yot. One night at a card game, Yot finds that Siew has won all his money. A fight breaks out. There is running through the jungle. Dead bodies are uncovered. The horror! Pan and Siew keep running, and eventually wind up in the city.
Starving and their clothes ragged, they happen upon a luxury hotel where they see beggers, street cleaners and motorcycle taxi drivers – poor people – being ushered in, Pan and Siew walk in and start helping themselves to the buffet, shoving food into their pockets. It's a charity ball where the elite are dressing up as the poor, and Pan and Siew win the prize for most authentic costume. But when all the food in their pockets is discovered, they are kicked out of the hotel.
Desperate for money, Pan and Siew hatch another plan. Siew snatches a woman's necklace, and, as she chases him, he passes it Pan, who is then chased by the police. Eventually Pan is caught, and this brings the story back to where it started in the jail.
Pan ends up serving two years in prison, where he and the other inmates work on the prison farm, fertilizing crops with their own feces and urine. While dipping a bucket into the sewage well, Pan falls in, and is covered in the brown substance.
On his release, Pan waits on the street for a ride. A truck pulls up. It is Siew, who is wearing a track suit, lots of jewelry and is carrying a cellular phone. With his hair dyed blond, he calls himself Peter and announces he is now a drug dealer, and has made quick money. And, to add more indignity to the situation, he's married a former singing star and porn actress - Dao.
Finally, Pan returns to Sadao. She looks more careworn than ever. In addition to a little boy, there's an infant in a crib. "Whose kid is that?" Pan asks when he sees the younger baby. "His father was a dog," she explains. "They are all dogs." Pan looks around. A photo of Sadao's father is on the wall. He's died. The transistor radio lies in a corner, broken and covered with dust. The pretty blue blouse is faded and stained and crumpled on the floor in another corner.
There's a final musical reprise of "Mai Leum", with all the characters in the film putting in an appearance to sing the chorus. Sadao reluctantly accepts Pan back into her life, and breaks down, weeping profusely as the couple embraces. | melodrama, romantic, flashback | train | wikipedia | Beautifully crafted and original movie.
I picked this movie up because it was "Voted Thai best film of 2001" - though I had serious reservations about doing so when I saw the artwork, which makes it look like a terribly sugary romance.
I'm glad I decided not to judge this one by the cover, because what's inside is so much more than the wrapper would imply.Pan and Sadaw are two young Thai kids growing up in a rural Thai village.
Life is good - simple, but sweet.
The two find especially large amounts of good in each other, and soon become sweethearts.
They're very much in love, and Pan even bursts spontaneously into song to express this on occasion.
Singing is Pan's other love in life, and he's jolly good at it too.
That's the part of the movie that resembles the DVD cover - very sweet and idyllic, but done so very nicely it is genuinely touching, even to somebody with as little tolerance for romance as myself.
It lasts about 20 minutes As the voice-over observes, they could leave it there and have a very short but sweet movie that would have the audience smiling on their way to the exits.
But they don't - the story continues, and develops into something far more complex and dark.MONRAK TRANSISTOR is in some ways a debunking of the romantic idealism represented on the DVD case.
It reminds the viewer that life is rarely so straightforward and co-operative in the modern world.
The movie presents a far more realistic view of life and love, which makes it much more interesting.
It reminded me a little of the exceptional Korean movie MY SASSY GIRL in that respect (possibly only because I rewatched MSG just before it though).It is also very well made.
Writer/director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang clearly had a strong vision of what he wanted his movie to be like, and he directs it with precision and skill.
The characters are very well written, and brought to life by uniformly excellent performances.
Lead actress Siriyakorn Pukkavesh deserves particular mention - her performance is one of the best I've seen.
The movie is technically excellent as well - absolutely beautiful cinematography and soundtrack.
It's no surprise to see Nonzee Nimibutr listed as producer, as he seems to be involved with nearly all the really intelligent and high quality movies coming out of Thailand in recent years.The acting, cinematography and sound would be enough to make any movie stand out, but it's the story that really puts MONRAK TRANSISTOR at the top of the pile.
It takes the characters (and the viewer) in quite unexpected directions, creating a unique and original movie.
Nothing outlandish or bizarre happens - in fact the whole movie feels very realistic.
That's what makes it unexpected - things don't turn out like they do in the movies
I believe MONRAK TRANSISTOR is Thailand's entry for the Oscars this year.
I don't suppose it will win, because Thailand's movie industry isn't nearly important enough for Hollywood to want to grease its palms.
Hopefully it will get the movie onto more people's radars though, because I think it deserves to be seen.Strongly recommended!.
A Thai Pilgrim's Progress.....
Watched this recently with a Thai lady - we both loved this film, that starts out deliberately naive and corny and descends into something darker whilst retaining a degree of pathos.
The style of the film changes to meet the changing mood - the English subtitles are quite accurate, though some nuances are lost.
All round good performances from the main characters Worth while....
A comic Thai "Odyssey".
I just saw this film at DC Filmfest 2003, and found it to be slightly flawed, but still a very charming story.
I feel it was impossible not to like, although I see that some commenters obviously do not agree with me!
I had actually been looking forward to seeing this film for quite a while, and I regret that I knew too much about the film, which ruined some of what would have definitely been "surprises".
The story revolves around Pan (Phaen), a handsome village guy of about 20, who dreams of marrying his village sweetheart, Sadaw, and becoming a singing star.
Unfortunately, Pan also has a lot of bad luck....REALLY BAD LUCK.
Immediately after marrying Sadaw and getting her pregnant, he is drafted into the army.
What follows is a musical comedy, melodramatic soap opera, chase scene action, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink tale of Pan's adventures as he tries to fulfill the second dream, which seems to take him further and further away from his first dream (Sadaw).
While watching the movie, I was reminded of two classic tales of wanderers...The Odyssey and Candide...and anyone familiar with these tales will see the similarities as the male lead wanders the world (in this case, around Thailand), dreaming of his long-lost love (who sits despairingly at home) and meeting a variety of odd characters along the way (including Dao, a innocent-looking, promiscuous female singer, Suwat, his sleazy, gay manager, Siew, a poor migrant worker and a grizzled old policeman).
Monrak Transistor meanders off track at times, but it is always entertaining.
No matter how bad things get, it always manages to keep its sense of humor intact.
You also get to see a lot of what Thai life is like, and more than once i was reminded of my vacation there a few years ago.
The actor who plays Pan is somehow always charming and likable, despite what most Western audience would certainly consider some "f***ed-up" priorities.
The actress playing Sadaw is even better, although her screen time is limited.
I would recommend this movie to people who like an original story, and want to see a love story that veers WAY OFF the beaten path.
Though not nearly as good as director Pen-Ek Ratunaruang's earlier effort, the manic, fast-paced, 69, I give it an 8/10 cuz it is so damned likeable..
Siriyakorn Pukkavesh.
This film is finally showing in London, at the ICA.
It's not the greatest piece of cinema I've ever seen and some of the performances are over-acted; but I just wanted to comment that the actress that played Sadaw (Siriyakorn Pukkavesh) gave one of the best performances I have seen for years.
She was absolutely brilliant.
Thailand's Gong Li?
Wait 'til Hollywood execs see this performance.
It was absolutely touching and she shone..
You have to see it to get in love with it.
The title of the movie may be misleading for a person who is about to see the movie, but once the movie is seen, the sentimental value of the small radio player becomes much clearer.
The movie has been described as kitschy, musical, Thai soap opera, etc.
The very first opening shot of the movie will convince you that the image is the work of the true artist.As the movie progresses, the "art" slowly transforms into "life, and nothing but".
The pace, images, story line - all reflect the slow disappearance of the "movie storytelling" and ever growing realism.
True, it is more convenient to see poverty through the wide lens with lush soundtrack, but this script superbly mastered the art of walking on the edges of all the genres without falling into any one of them.
It is a "must see" to appreciate superb acting, beautiful cinematography, very ironic, but never sarcastic, look at life of two young Thai lovers and the convoluted ordeals through which life (or was it the script author?
:) ) led them..
Pray, love, transistor.
This is an excellent film.
It is truly fascinating.
As the narrator of the film says in the opening scene: this is the story of Phaen (Pan), who is a good guy, but whom the gods, for whatever reason, chose to give amounts of bad luck.
In a sense, this is a very "black" film.
The film starts with a summary of Pan courting Sadaw, before the two marry, and Sadaw's consequent pregnancy.
However, due to his misfortune, Pan is drafted into the army, and from there, his misery continues.
No matter what Pan does, and no matter how nicely he acts towards, and attempts to do "the right thing", it seems that he is just pulled deeper and deeper into it.
He is pulled more and more towards the urban life, and the miserable conditions there, away from the romanticised peaceful life in the countryside, symbolised by Sadaw, and the transistor which he gave her as a token of her love, but which falls to the floor and breaks.
Throughout the film, traditional Thai music is used to describe what is happening, the most frequently used being a very romantic one, whose lyrics are "don't forget, don't forget"--words that give hope to Pan, as he suffers his misfortunes in the big world, because his fate is cruel, and has decided that his dream, although seemingly so close to being realised, will remain simply a dream..
best thai film ever?.
I saw monrak transistor twice and loved it.
Not many films can make you laugh as well as bring tears to your eyes but this one did.
You might not be so keen on this film if you are not a looktung fan, and I am an addict.
Even if you don't know the music the film is enjoyable just as a comedy.
Fun is poked at the legal system, record promotors, the well meaning rich and the poor.
Fate is the path our hero has to follow only to end up where he started, hopefully still singing-peter.
This is the 2001 best film of Thai movies.
This is the 2001 best film of Thai movies.
Pen-Ek did it by changing his style (from Ruang talok 69 (1999) and Fun Bar Karaoke (1997) ) to the native life.
This movie is the most SIMPLY than any movies he did, Full of laughs, tears and familiar with Thai Lifestyles.
This movie is for Thai people by Thai people..
Low-Class Comedy, What A Reductive Mess!.
The story takes on the adventure of a reckless guy who is away from his pregnant wife in the rural-area and seeks to become a singer in the city but things turns out badly (or funny?).
He goes through a series of unexpected events and finally returns home at the end.A lack of skills in filmmaking is obviously shown in "Monrak Transistor".
The music is somehow nostalgic, reminding me of the old days but the film itself has nothing to do with that feeling .
Predictable plot, poor adaptation from country songs to few musical scenes and formulaic ending make it totally dull from start to the end.
This film cannot lie itself exactly on what its gene is?
is it musical or drama?
I guess it's just a drama with some comic elements.
Is the stereotype of people livings outside a big city like Bangkok supposed to be funny in a sense?
Of course, there are many more ways to portray Thai country lifestyles than a bunch of unnecessary, pathetic jokes that only trigger your physical reaction from your stomach rather than your intellectual reaction from the brain.
You might laugh at some gags but later on you might realize that it is a kind of movies that are so bad that it makes you feel you should laugh at it.
This is one of the worst Thai films in recent years..
A stupid, terrible film!.
This is an old-fashioned way how a film is made.
The characters and the story are not what we can relate to.
They are totally dull and unconvincing.
Who cares about the pathetic jokes a guy putting himself in a difficult situation.
Just painfully waited until it ended.
This film is overrated and a big disappointment from Thailand..
Too Commercial?.
I went to watch Monrak...without having ever heard of it and not knowing what to expect.
It was enjoyable on the whole...but I felt it became a bit too commercial.
The courting scenes between Pan and Sadaw was beautifully executed and was tremendously realistic.
Siriyakorn Pukkavesh was delightfully brilliant!
I simply loved the song that he sings to her in the room (before the father comes to shoot him).
Visually, it was tasteful and well lit.But, I came out feeling the film was 'stretched' just to fill up the 90 minutes.Too many things happen to Pan and too many situations arise.
The "boat doctor' was totally uncalled for and didn't really add anything to the film.It could have been much better had it been limited to 60 minutes or so..
An interesting mixture of genres.
This film start out almost like a farce comedy.
We have a jester, there is an old man shooting a rifle screaming nonsense, etc.
It fades into a romantic story too good to be true, but makes a turn into dark social realism of poor Thailand meets rich Thailand.
There is violence and abuse, both drugs and sexual on display, very far from the silly humor the film started with.
Towards the end, some slow motion scenes like in an action film appears, before finally we reach the end, but the transistor (the symbol of the joyful start of the film) is broken and rusty.As seen, this film is a huge mixture of genres.
When I had watched this film, I asked myself: what was the purpose of this mixture, was the grim end a mocking of the joyful beginning?
Could it be that the ever smiling jester (Pan, the principal character) on his multicolored stage with his sugar sweet romantic songs, the idealogical cute Thailand, is mocked and stripped to the hard, poor, sexually raw and abusive Thailand as the film progresses?
Is this why the film maker mixes all these different genres in the story instead of keeping the form fairly fixed, that it in fact is the appearance that is criticized?
A lot of questions, but I fail to really answer them, because I am torn.
Sometimes I feel that this indeed is the fact, other times I wonder if the strange mixture is a failure of the film to put the rather traditional story of rise and fall (only in the setting of Thailand instead of Europe or America) in an interesting and challenging form.
I end up giving the film 7/10, but I recommend it since I at least was stimulated to think on the matter of film genre and how to escape, criticize and more deeply connect it with the story. |
tt0685628 | The Sign of Four | The story is set in 1888. The Sign of the Four has a complex plot involving service in India, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen treasure, and a secret pact among four convicts ("the Four" of the title) and two corrupt prison guards. It presents the detective's drug habit and humanizes him in a way that had not been done in the preceding novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887). It also introduces Doctor Watson's future wife, Mary Morstan.
According to Mary, in December 1878, her father had telegraphed her upon his safe return from India and requested her to meet him at the Langham Hotel in London. When Mary arrived at the hotel, she was told her father had gone out the previous night and not returned. Despite all efforts, no trace has ever been found of him. Mary contacted her father's only friend who was in the same regiment and had since retired to England, one Major John Sholto, but he denied knowing her father had returned. The second puzzle is that she has received six pearls in the mail from an anonymous benefactor, one per year since 1882 after answering an anonymous newspaper query inquiring for her. With the last pearl she received a letter remarking that she has been wronged and asking for a meeting. Holmes takes the case and soon discovers that Major Sholto had died in 1882 and that within a short span of time Mary began to receive the pearls, implying a connection. The only clue Mary can give Holmes is a map of a fortress found in her father's desk with the names of Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan and Dost Akbar.
Holmes, Watson, and Mary meet Thaddeus Sholto, the son of the late Major Sholto and the anonymous sender of the pearls. Thaddeus confirms the Major had seen Mary's father the night he died; they had arranged a meeting to divide a priceless treasure Sholto had brought home from India. While quarreling over the treasure, Captain Morstan—long in weak health—suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to bring attention to the object of the quarrel—and also worried that circumstances would suggest that he had killed Morstan in an argument, particularly since Morstan's head struck a table as he fell—Sholto disposed of the body and hid the treasure. However, he himself suffered from poor health and an enlarged spleen (possibly due to malaria, as a quinine bottle stands by his bed). His own health became worse when he received a letter from India in early 1882. Dying, he called his two sons and confessed to Morstan's death and was about to divulge the location of the treasure when he suddenly cried, "Keep him out!" before falling back and dying. The puzzled sons glimpsed a face in the window, but the only trace was a single footstep in the dirt. On their father's body is a note reading "The Sign of Four". Both brothers quarreled over whether a legacy should be left to Mary Morstan, and Thaddeus left his brother Bartholomew, taking a chaplet and sending its pearls to Mary. The reason he sent the letter is that Bartholomew has found the treasure and possibly Thaddeus and Mary might confront him for a division of it.
Bartholomew is found dead in his home from a poison dart and the treasure is missing. While the police wrongly take Thaddeus in as a suspect, Holmes deduces that there are two persons involved in the murder: a one-legged man, Jonathan Small, as well as another "small" accomplice. He traces them to a boat landing where Small has hired a steam launch named the Aurora. With the help of dog Toby that he sends Watson to collect from Mr Sherman, the Baker Street Irregulars and his own disguise, Holmes traces the steam launch. In a police steam launch Holmes and Watson chase the Aurora and capture it, but in the process end up killing the "small" companion after he attempts to kill Holmes with a poisoned dart shot from a blow-pipe. Small tries to escape but is captured. However, the iron treasure box is empty; Small claims to have dumped the treasure over the side during the chase.
Small confesses that years before he was a soldier of the Third Buffs in India and lost his right leg in a swimming accident to a crocodile. After some time, when he was an overseer on a tea plantation, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 occurred and he was forced to flee for his life to the Agra fortress. While standing guard one night he was overpowered by two Sikh troopers who gave him a choice of being killed or being an accomplice to waylaying a disguised servant of a Rajah who sent the servant with a valuable fortune in pearls and jewels to the British for safekeeping. The robbery and murder took place and the crime was discovered, although the jewels were not. Small got penal servitude on the Andaman Islands, and after twenty years he overheard that John Sholto had lost money gambling. Small saw his chance and made a deal with Sholto and Arthur Morstan: Sholto would recover the treasure and in return send a boat to pick up Small and the Sikhs. Sholto double-crossed both Morstan and Small and stole the treasure for himself. Small vowed vengeance and escaped the Andaman Islands with an islander named Tonga. It was the news of his escape that shocked Sholto into his fatal illness. Small arrived too late to hear of the treasure's location but left the note which referred to the name of the pact between himself and his three Sikh accomplices. When Bartholomew found the treasure, Small planned to only steal it but claims a miscommunication led Tonga to kill him as well.
Mary Morstan is left without the bulk of the Agra treasure, although she will apparently receive the rest of the Chaplet. John Watson falls in love with Mary, and we learn at the end that he has proposed to her and she has accepted. | murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | Excellent adaptation.
One of Conan Doyle's best Holmes stories is adapted to perfection in this, the first feature length Holmes adventure from Granada Television.
Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke are fantastic (as always) and the supporting cast are quite good, not to mention appropriately quirky (especially important in this adventure).The adaptation itself is, as was typical with the Granada series (and at least the first two feature length outings), quite faithful to the original story.
It's well crafted and beautifully directed, with all the twists and turns of the Conan Doyle original (one of his most remarkable tales).In short, this version of The Sign of Four manages to outshine all previous adaptations, and hasn't been rivaled since.
The 1983 television version with Ian Richardson was certainly passable, but doesn't come close to this.
Once again, Granada prove that their Holmes is without equal..
Shows How Great Stories Can Be Told Without Tampering.
Of all the Granada Sherlock Holmes presentations, I believe this to be the best.
It has an intricate plot with an amazing story behind it.
It is full of unforgettable characters.
It has action.
It has the Baker Street Irregulars.
It has a dog named Toby.
Mostly, it is full of life.
Jeremy Brett is never better than in this presentation.
The British imperialists in India must have been an interesting lot.
There's that whole thing with entitlement through domination and power.
The four men who become embroiled in the plot are dedicated to each other, even unto death.
The two brothers, whose father turns out to be the fly in the ointment, are incredible, both physically and in terms of character.
What is the revenge about?
What is the treasure?
What is the treasure?
Where did those strange footprints come from?
It all unfolds with hardly a wasted moment in the almost two hour feature.
There's also the romantic intentions of Watson who marries the young woman later, if you read the books.
This is the young woman he leaves behind constantly as he and Holmes run off on their adventures.
If you have an opportunity, see this..
My personal favourite Sherlock Holmes mystery.
Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant crime series, and has a brilliant star in the name of Jeremy Brett, who was without doubt the best Sherlock Holmes.What is excellent about this adaptation, is the closeness to the book, and of course the acting of Brett and Hardwicke.
And the fine camera work and period detail.
Jenny Seagrove and Ronald Lacey did very well in their roles.But for me, the highlight was the boat on the river chase, and the introduction of Jonathan Small(the flashback sequences were very interesting and beautifully played too), who was brilliantly played by the late John Thaw.
He was the best actor in the adaptation, apart from Brett.
Great music too, very haunting at the beginning especially.This is really good, if a little creepy, Tonga was very scary.
The Ian Richardson version is also good, but not as effective.
The Best of All Sherlock Holmes Granada Feature Films.
Out of all feature films with the great Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes this is by far the best.
It has great elements in it such as Imperialist India, Missing Treasure, Baker Street Irregulars, and a Dog named Toby.
What is not to like?
The story is complex, colorful, and intricate and as it progresses in words of Watson "it grows darker than clearer" but the solution to the case is clever and quite powerful.
It is faithful to the original story and it is beautifully crafted and realized.
Like many Granada Adaptations it creates a marvelous atmosphere.
Edward Hardwicke is superb as Dr. Watson with Ronald Lacey, Jenny Seagrove, and John Thaw (best known for playing Colin Dexter's grouchy and very cultured Inspector Morse) providing fine support as well.
The production values, music, and photography are excellent.
The only complaint is that it slogs a little bit towards the end but it is only a minor complaint.
In my opinion, this two hour adaptation of the classic Sherlock Holmes novella is one of Granada's finest hours..
faithful, but.....
This is an extremely faithful adaptation of the original Doyle novel, and for purists, it can hardly be objected to (although the novel does start and end with Holmes' drug usage -- but is clearly eliminated in this adaptation, apparently by Jeremy Brett who thoroughly objected to that aspect of Doyle's character).
As for the uninitiated, or general viewer, it's a bit of a slog.
Brett is snappish and somewhat rude at times, unlike the Holmes of the stories, but otherwise excellent, with a gritty baritone that is quite commanding.
Ronald Lacey almost steals the show as the Sholto brothers (and it's sad that he would die only a few years later).
The real problem with this film is the slack editing and low key direction.
Many scenes provide opportunity for dramatic punch but are handled matter-of-factly, with no help from an equally low-key music score.
Also, the series of requisite backstories presented in the novel is too much for the film, getting to a point where we're even given a flashback-within-a-flashback.
And to top it off, the climax of the story is yet another backstory flashback.
It IS Doyle and it IS faithful, so you can't complain that the filmmakers took liberties and fouled things up...
but the weakness of the novel as film material is also exposed.
Purists though, should be delighted..
Intricate Sherlock Holmes story gets the luxury of a two-hour TV treatment....
JEREMY BRETT and EDWARD HARDWICKE head the cast of an excellent version of THE SIGN OF THE FOUR, given fine support by JENNY SEAGROVE, RONALD LACEY and JOHN THAW.The intricate story begins with a young woman (Jenny Seagrove) coming to Holmes with a story involving the mysterious disappearance of her father.
Several years after his death she began receiving yearly presents of priceless pearls, one by one each year.
The story becomes more and more complex as more of the characters involved in her father's disappearance come to the fore.
Among them, RONALD LACEY, who gives a quirky performance as twin brothers whose father wanted them to receive his inheritance.
JENNY SEAGROVE and JOHN THAW are particularly interesting in well-defined supporting roles.All the Victorian atmosphere is here along with elaborate settings and fine color photography.
The two hours go by swiftly, since there's so much story to tell.
Well worth watching with only a few scenes toward the end that seem to go on too long..
Possibly the best of the lot..
Among the best of all the excellent Granada/Brett Holmes portrayals.
Careful use of locations, bold casting and holding firm to the original Conan Doyle story all combine to make for an excellent production, along with Brett and Hardwicke's ever brilliant representations of Holmes and Watson respectively.The production and direction pace the tale superbly well as Conan Doyle intended.
The only negative (no fault of the production team) is that in the riverside scenes, the gentrification of London's riverside and disappearance of the riverside historical locations is apparent.
All in all, if you are new to Brett/Granada's Holmes shows, or indeed to the Holmes stories in general, you could do worse than to start here with this excellent production.
Ronald Lacey lets a sly, dry fart slip out at 19.03 too as he smokes his shisha and gives the back story to Holmes/Watson and Miss Morstan, just as an amusing asides.....
Could this be the best Sherlock Holmes film?.
This version of "The Sign of Four" is the closest anyone has come to transferring the spirit and letter of Doyle's stories to film.
And it stars what might be the best Holmes and Watson to ever appear onscreen, Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke.
"The Sign of Four" is a very close adaptation of Conan Doyle's novel, but that would count for nothing if it wasn't stylishly directed, sumptuously produced, and perfectly acted.It was also made at the right time, when the Granada Sherlock Holmes TV series had proven a success and received the go-ahead and financial backing to expand its format.
"The Sign of Four" was filmed in 35mm with a lavish (for TV) budget and presents a convincing vision of Holmes's world, from the cluttered Victorian furnishings to a steam launch chase down the Thames.
Jeremy Brett was at the peak of his powers, before manic depression and heart failure permanently wrecked his health.
His mercurial Holmes lives only for detection--without a case he's twitchy and irritable; on the trail he suave and scintillating.
Hardwicke's Watson is grizzled paragon of common sense and decency.
The other players (Jenny Seagrove, John Thaw, Ronald Lacey) are a perfectly cast assortment of eccentrics.Director Peter Hammond is over-fond of compositions involving mirrors, but he keeps the eye (and the actors) occupied.
At its best the film is a catalogue of quintessential Sherlockiana: London fog, hidden treasure, the Baker Street Irregulars, and Holmes's outlandish disguises, violin playing, and elaborate deductions.
The plot is classically Holmesian, involving Imperial misdeeds coming home to haunt their perpetrators.
Some have criticized the film for the lengthy flashback near the end, but this is the emotional heart of the film, the why-done-it that comes after the criminal's apprehension and gives a tragic coloring to his crimes.
It gives the literal Sign of Four an ethical resonance.Like all of the Granada Holmes productions, "The Sign of Four" has been remastered and released on Blu-Ray. It looks great but whoever handled the color correction eliminated the day-for-night effects so many scenes are brighter then they should be..
Top-notch Victorian sleuth Holmes-Jeremy Brett and well accompanied by Watson-Edward Hardwicke.
While uncanny Sherlock Holmes and the ever-faithful Watson encounter into 221 Baker Street are visited by a beautiful young woman and they're hired to investigate why has been anonymously sent a precious stone .
Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and Watson (Edward Hardwicke , the perfect counterpoint to Sherlock) are involved in killing , poison darts , a fortune in Indian jewels original from luxurious palace of Agra and much suspect behavior by strange characters (Ronald Lacey , John Thaw).The film packs suspense , intrigue , unanswered mysteries , thrills and excellent set decoration .
This is a good Holmes mystery with gripping London setting and including first-range nasties .
One of the most charming Holmes television pictures and long runtime .
Intriguing blending of suspense , thriller , detective story and fun .
Well cast by the best TV Holmes , Jeremy Brett , along with Peter Cushing who starred the series in the 60s and in 1984 played ¨Sherlock Holmes and the masks of death¨ .
Jeremy Brett as Holmes plays in a clever , broody and impetuous manner .
Brett , Cushing in TV and Basil Rathbone in the cinema are the history's best Holmes .
Brett (he married Anna Massey and died in 1995) had an aristocratic beautifully modulated voice and he was usually a prestigious secondary actor (Medusa touch , My fair lady , War and Peace ) , but achieved fame and fortune with ¨ Adventures of Holmes , The Return , The Case-Book and Memories Sherlock Holmes¨ series and four long time films .
This story was nicely adapted by John Hakesworth and professionally directed by Peter Hammond , both of whom series' ordinaries .
Rating : Better than average , 7/10 .
Well worth watching .Other adaptations about this Arthur Conan Doyle's novel are the following ones : ¨Sing of Four¨ (1968) by William Sterling with Peter Cushing and Nigel Stock from Sherlock Holmes Tv series .
¨The Sign of Four¨ realized by Desmond Davis (1984) with Ian Richardson .
Another rendition filmed by Rodney Gibbons (2001) with Matt Frewer and a Sui Generis version by Fraser C.
Heston titled ¨Crucifer of blood¨ and played by his father Charlton Heston as Holmes..
Queer Street..
Conan-Doyle wrote four novellas that featured Holmes and Watson.
The most familiar, and by far the most often filmed, is "The Hound of the Baskervilles," and for good reasons.
(1) It's long enough to be a feature film without being padded, (2) Holmes is a fully blown character, and (3) the story isn't just an intellectual challenge or adventure -- it's positively eerie, with hints of the demonic.Of the others -- "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Valley of Fear" -- it can be said of the first that when we're introduced, little by little, to the young Holmes, he's really an oddball and has mental and behavioral habits that never appear elsewhere in the canon, as Watson himself does.
For instance, Holmes learns for the first time that the planets revolve around the sun and immediately tries to forget it because he doesn't want his storage capacity challenged.
Watson keeps a bull pup, which is never mentioned again."The Valley of Fear", to my knowledge, hasn't ever provided the framework for a popular feature film.
It appears late, and Conan-Doyle seemed to be grinding out the stories to make a living.
Holmes has no quirks, no affinity for dope, shows no penetrating insight or feats of deduction, and some of his inferences are plain silly.
The hero is dull.In "The Sign of Four", Holmes is fully blown, is driven by boredom to use his seven-percent solution, and rips off some apothegms from Edgar Allan Poe's August Dupin.
The story is full of delightful characters too, including eccentrics from India and a murderous cannibal dwarf.
The Baker Street Irregulars make a prominent appearance.
The movie gets it all down, with monster hookahs being used, mounted tiger heads, and a shivery performance by Ronald Lacey as an anxiety neurotic and a frozen, smiling corpse.
There's an exciting launch chase on the Thames near the end.The story has what I'd consider a weakness that it shares with "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Valley of Fear." There's a long, involved back story explaining the experiences of the villain that led to his criminal act.
It's as if the author was just itching all over to put his most famous creation behind him and get on to more ambitious literary things but the poor guy was stuck with Holmes and Watson.Yet, in the long run, grinding out his detective fiction didn't do either Conan-Doyle or Holmes much good.
Towards the end of the canon, in the Memoirs and the Case Book, the stories are becoming benumbed, as are the characters -- with some notable exceptions.
I guess it's possible for an author to just plain write himself out.As a feature, this film is quite good.
The heavy is played by John Thaw, "Inspector Morse," buried under a lot of make up and accompanied by a native of the Andaman Islands who is given a bad rap by Conan-Doyle.
The Andamanese were an outlier of the British empire, flung off the Indian coast and seldom visited except by anthropologists and second-rate colonial officers.
The islands were hit by the tsunami of 2004 but were so isolated that nobody knew or cared much about the damage.
(The anthropologist's name was A.
R. Radcliffe-Brown, if anyone wants to look it up.) I can chew over the villain's experiences in India because the rest of the story is so colorful and intrinsically interesting.
It includes one of those "locked room murders" that so fascinate mystery writers.And it goes without saying that, whatever Conan-Doyle might have thought of Holmes and Watson, Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke do justice to the characters..
Intricate mystery with Holmes and Watson and more than a touch of "Endeavour".
I didn't previously understand why the scene where Holmes discussed his cocaine use and the famous 7 percent solution wasn't filmed in this episode as in the Holmes canon but it became clear that it was because it was included in the first installment of the Granada series ("A Scandal in Bohemia").
Looming large in the denouement of this installment is the actor John Thaw (1942-2002) who was famous for playing Inspector (Endeavour) Morse in the original series and that explains my summary above.
It must also be mentioned that in the original Doyle story, Holmes reacts very badly to the news of Watson's impending marriage to Mary Morstan and, at the very end, he further reacts by reaching for his cocaine bottle but this is left unmentioned in the Grenada production.Another scene, better done in the Doyle original, has to do with another appearance by Holmes in a surprising disguise which fools all people present but which is here rather abridged and also abridges the effectiveness of the scene.This is also the episode where Holmes sends Watson to get his favorite dog Toby to help him in solving the mystery and also where he enlists the aid of his "Baker Street Irregulars" who actually seem more helpful, in the long run, than Toby, although they certainly upset Mrs. Hudson (As always Rosalie Williams) by invading their Baker Street household..
"jewels at not less than half a million sterling".
Granada Television made a solid 1987 TV movie of Conan Doyle's justly popular adventure novel, of 4 men who believed that they were in the right place at the right time.
I very much enjoyed this version, including the back-story during the last part.
As other reviewers have noted, Granada did not include all of Holmes's habits, the descriptions of some foreigners, and the romance between Dr Watson and Mary.What surprised me though, because Granada's script took many sentences verbatim from the 1890 novel, were the many errors in the subtitles in the US 2003 DVD version.
The actors did enunciate clearly for me, so I wonder if a machine -- or someone ignorant of various English phrases -- actually compiled the subtitles.
For example the subtitles have "my besetting thing" for the actual "my besetting sin".
If you're hard of hearing or a non-native speaker, the novel is of course readily available online.
And, as both Shakespeare and Doyle noted, "The game is afoot." |
tt0044320 | Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd | Oliver "Puddin' Head" Johnson (Lou Costello) and Rocky Stonebridge (Bud Abbott) are on their way to Death's Head Tavern, where they work. They encounter Lady Jane (Fran Warren), who asks them to bring a love note to the tavern singer, Bruce Martingale (Bill Shirley).
At the tavern, the notorious Captain Kidd (Charles Laughton) is dining with Captain Anne Bonney (Hillary Brooke), a female pirate. She accuses Kidd of raiding ships in her territory and is asking for restitution. Kidd informs Bonney that he has hidden the amassed treasure on Skull Island, and that only he has the map to its exact location. He agrees to take her, with her ship in tow, to the island so that she can receive her share. During the discussion, Oliver happens to be waiting on them, and inadvertently switches the map for the love note that he was carrying. Rocky discovers the mistake and goes to Captain Kidd, demanding a share of the treasure and a place on the voyage in exchange for the map. Kidd ostensibly agrees, but intends to kill Oliver and Rocky once he gets the map.
The voyage begins (with the addition of Bruce, who has been shanghaied), and Kidd unsuccessfully attempts to regain the map throughout the entire voyage. Meanwhile, Bonney mistakenly believes that Oliver wrote the love note and has now fallen for him (further complicating the whole situation)! Also during the voyage, Kidd raids another ship, which happens to have Lady Jane on board, and she is kidnapped.
The two ships finally arrive at Skull Island; Oliver and Rocky begin to dig up the treasure, when Kidd arrogantly declares his plans to dispose of them along with Captain Bonney. Bonney alerts the others to Kidd's true intentions, and her crew attacks. The treasure is recovered, and Bonney's crew wins the fight, with Kidd becoming her prisoner. | action | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0041509 | The Inspector General | Georgi (Danny Kaye), an illiterate member of a wandering band of Gypsies led by Yakov (Walter Slezak) escapes from a travelling medicine show after he innocently lets slip that the elixir they're selling is a fraud. Tired and hungry, he wanders into the small town of Brodny and whilst trying to sample the contents of a horse's feedbag, he's arrested as a vagrant and sentenced to hang the next day by a corrupt police chief (Alan Hale Sr.), desperate to prove his efficiency.
The town is run by a corrupt Mayor (Gene Lockhart), whose employees and councillors are all his cousins and equally corrupt and incompetent, but they are frightened when they learn that the Inspector General is in their neighborhood, and probably in disguise. The band of officials and the mayor want to protect their town and their lives, so, acting foolishly they seal off every road to keep the inspector from entering their town. They mistake Georgi for the Inspector and ply him with food and drink whilst plotting to have him killed. Yakov wanders into the small town and convinces Georgi to stay on as an inspector general and accept the bribes the officials so willingly throw at him. Of course, Yakov wants to seize Georgi's misfortune and turn it into a new start for his own life.
Meanwhile, hearing tales of his legacy and courageous efforts the mayor's wife instantly takes a liking to Georgi, hoping he will fall in love with her and whisk her away from the mayor and his lack of attention to her. However Georgi has fallen in love with a servant and wishes to marry her.
Naturally, their plans go awry and Georgi, despite his innocence, discovers how corrupt they really are. And when the real Inspector arrives suddenly, he also realizes that Georgi is the most honest fellow he's met since leaving Budapest. The Inspector General names Georgi the new Mayor of Brodny and presents him the mayoral gold chain, having taken it from the old mayor saying, "We'll put something else around your neck." Yakov becomes the new chief of police and Georgi gets the girl of his dreams. | comedy | train | wikipedia | Freely based on Nikolai Gogol's play , "The Inspector General" about a false Inspector who comes to examine a little corrupt town .
It deals with an illiterate called Giorgi (Danny Kaye, able to tongue twist faster than anyone else) along with his boss (Walter Slezak) , both of whom are wandering and acting as medicine men into a provincial town wherein panic .
Then Giorgi's detained for vagrancy charge but he's misidentified as a feared Inspector General who comes to check up on them and whom the corrupter town officers (the Mayor : Gene Lockhart married to Elsa Lanchaster and another officer played by Alan Hale) think is secretly moving in disguise .
The film is a Danny Kaye recital , he sings , dances , stooges , makes acrobatics , tongue twister and puts faces and grimaces .
Sylvia Fine , Kaye's wife , is the lyricist , composer , besides associate producer and dialogs writer , and responsible for many of the best known musical routines and songs for her husband .
Danny Kaye's films with Samuel Goldwyn established him as a leading movie comedian - singer from 1944 through the late 1940s.
It is likely that "The Court Jester" is his best film, but "The Inspector General" is close to the top.
Based on a 19th Century satiric play by Nicolai Gogol, Kaye plays Georgi, a decent fellow who works for the bullying Yakov (Walter Slezak).
Yakov and Georgi travel around the countryside selling "Yakov's elixir" which is supposed to cure all kinds of illnesses (that Kaye sings in a tongue-twisting song by Sylvia Fine, his wife).
Slezak knows that there are real opportunities here.The funny thing is that Gogol's play is not quite like the film.
But he liked THE INSPECTOR GENERAL, which attacked the worst aspects of Russian local government corruptions that the Tsar did want to see eradicated.
The Mayor and his cohorts (who do things like collecting for a church bell but pocketing the money themselves) do try to kill off the Inspector General - there is a funny sequence at a party where "Georgi" sings a song about "sing Gypsy, dance Gypsy", and keeps on just avoiding drinking his doctored drink during the song.
Although watered down from Gogol's stunning comic play, enough entertainment value remains in the film to make it worthwhile viewing, and a highpoint in appreciating Kaye's movie career..
A pleasant farce with a fine cast, "The Inspector General" gives Danny Kaye a chance to show off his many talents, and also tells a story that is quite humorous as long as you do not take it too seriously.Kaye plays Georgi, an illiterate traveling huckster who helps his boss Yakov (Walter Slezak) sell useless medicines to gullible peasants.
(The sequence where they try to sell their "elixir" is one of the movie's best scenes.) Georgi visits a small town, where through a series of coincidences, he is mistaken by the town's leaders for the Inspector General, an important official with sweeping powers to punish and reform.
The supporting cast is filled with fine character actors like Gene Lockhart, Elsa Lanchester, and Alan Hale, who add to the humor.
Not a lot of big laughs, but a steady stream of good-natured comedy all the way through.This is an enjoyable movie recommended for anyone who likes musical comedy..
A tramp (Danny Kaye) is mistaken for the Inspector General by the corrupt mayor and his equally corrupt officials.I find Danny Kaye one of the best performers of our times and he has given one of his best performances here.
Danny Kaye is a comedy genius.The Gypsy song was the best part of the film.
He gets to do his thing in a variety of songs, the outstanding one being "The Gypsy Drinking Song", another "Happy Times" penned by Sylvia Fine.He has the benefit here of excellent support from WALTER SLEZAK (a fake healer who, with Kaye, is a traveling salesman of his phony elixir), GENE LOCKHART (as a corrupt mayor), ALAN HALE, and especially ELSA LANCHESTER as the flirtatious woman who wants to run off with Kaye under the perception that he's The Inspector General.
It's the usual crazy identity mix-up that has all the villagers thinking Kaye is the man about to expose corruption of the town's leaders.Kaye does all his usual song patters and double takes and mugging with his usual zest and skill and the vehicle is clearly tailor-made for his talent.
True, it's overly silly at times and some of the routines are less than witty, but he's still fun to watch as he dodges the poisoned drink and swaggers through his impersonation while really trying to escape the clutches of the law.Best watched if you can find a good print--entertaining fluff with Kaye and Slezak obviously enjoying themselves..
Walter Slezak does a fantastic job of contrasting Kaye throughout the movie, but more of that later.Danny Kaye's performance here is not quite as seamless as many.
There were moments which, as I watched them, made me think, "That's so Danny Kaye." He has many of the same mannerisms and little twitches that make him so much fun to watch, along with an array of songs that would tie a normal tongue in knots.
His character (Georgi) is also contrasted masterfully with Slezak's (Yakov), making this movie a success.
It is Yakov's cruelty to Georgi that endears Kaye's character to the viewer.To sum up, The Inspector General is a lighthearted movie involving superb writing, excellent juxtaposition, and a wonderful star and supporting villain..
Danny Kaye was a wonderful performer, he would sing, dance, tell jokes, turn his face into rubber and just generally come off as a quality humanitarian.
Directed by Henry Koster, The Inspector General is loosely adapted from Nikolai Gogol's classic Russian story, and it finds Kaye as a stooge of Walter Slezak's iffy tonic peddler who is mistaken by iffy officials of a small Russian town for the much feared and respected Inspector General.
Also along for the ride are Elsa Lanchester, Alan Hale, Barbara Bates and Gene Lockhart.It's more a safe and solid Kaye movie for the family to enjoy, rather than a high end classic like The Court Jester, but sometimes the high energy jinks of Kaye is all you need to lift the blues away.
Danny Kaye steals the show as 'Georgi' in this Gogol comedy set somewhere in eastern Europe at some time in the 19th century that spoofs the gullibility of the masses and the venality of rulers.
Kaye plays an illiterate toady of a medicine-show operator who is confused with the Emperor's "Inspector General" who is charged with the duty to root out all corruption in any village to which he is sent.
Corrupt as they are, and scared of the consequences of being exposed, they expose Georgi (Kaye) to every peril possible -- including having to drink some of "Yakov's Golden elixir" that his boss Yakov (Walter Slezak) vends to unsuspecting suckers.
"Danny Kaye stars in this musical comedy about a case of mistaken identity and the poor fool caught in the middle of it.
Georgi (Kaye) is an illiterate member of a traveling medicine show who is mistaken by a small Russian village as the Inspector General, a royal official with vast powers.
Look for impressive Ida Moore in a great bit as the old "mother" Kaye wards off his potion.***** The Inspector General (12/30/49) Henry Koster ~ Danny Kaye, Walter Slezak, Elsa Lanchester, Gene Lockhart.
It is easy to see that this film was intended to be more of a vehicle for Danny Kaye's comedy antics than a fully developed and deep farce, but even so it is entertaining to watch, with some good tunes and a fair amount of funny moments to be had.
Even though we are Danny Kaye's devoted fans from his classic 'The Court Jester' he is most poorly directed in this movie.
Danny Kaye brings an innocence and energy to keep this movie going through the parts that try and bog the story line down I recommend this to for all ages although those under 10 may have a difficult time understanding parts of this film..
Very hilarious movie,very well crafted idea,near prefect screenplay,anyway everything is fabulous.....the sin was let Danny Kaye sings along the movie....he is awful as singer and outrageous funny as comedian and the smart Walter Slezak is amazing as cheater fulfilling the character and Gene Lockhart did not unnoticed,the remaining cast is colorful every single character has a fine and funny scene in this good picture....if Danny Kaye didn't has to sing!!
When he sings and makes his silly grimaces, it pains me--which is a shame, as the plot itself of "The Inspector General" is actually pretty good.Danny plays Georgi--a poor and slightly crooked man.
Danny Kaye was a crooner almost in the Crosby class and his talents are wasted in the "Inspector General".
I will admit it is entertaining.But I also have to say I'm not a big fan of the borscht belt style of overacting and Danny Kaye who started in the Poconos takes mugging to a new level.For me it brought the movie down, but I know everyone's tastes are different.It's a well made movie and has a bunch of songs.
The town's corrupt officials mistake him for the inspector general whom they think is traveling in disguise.
The town's corrupt officials mistake him for the inspector general whom they think is traveling in disguise.
Prior to seeing this movie I did't know much about Danny Kaye, other than knowing his name, what he looked like, and having a vague feeling that he's a "beloved" or "cherished" character actor.
The character she played in this movie was a total ninny (the mayor's wife who, along with the rest of the town, mistook Danny Kaye for the Inspector General and who was trying to get Danny to run away with her).
I'll be sure to steer clear of any and all Danny Kaye movies in the future!The story is decent enough (light farce), there's some singing and comedy and feel-good human decency and a love story ....
Good fluff for star Kaye as he masquerades as an important official in 19th Century Russia in this adaptation of the Gogol play.
Georgi is member of a wandering band of Gypsies led by Yakov.Our illiterate hero escapes after he innocently lets slip that the elixir they're selling is a fraud.He finds a town named Brodny and gets arrested as a vagrant.He's sentenced to be hanged the next day.The town is most corrupted, and there is a rumor the inspector general is coming, and he'd be wearing a disguise.Then they realize Georgi must be the inspector, which he's obviously isn't.In the town there's a sweet girl named Leza, and they're both attracted to each other.The Inspector General is a musical comedy from 1949 directed by Henry Koster.It's loosely based on Nikolai Gogol's play, which I read last year.Johnny Green won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Score.Kaye's wife Sylvia Fine wrote the original songs "The Inspector General" and Happy Times".Danny Kaye is really something as Georgi.Walter Slezak does excellent work as Yakov.Barbara Bates, who met a tragic end by her own hands, is wonderful as Leza.Elsa Lanchester is glorious as Maria.Gene Lockhart is great as The Mayor.Alan Hale is terrific as Kovatch.Walter Catlett does a great job as Colonel Castine.Rhys Williams is very good as Inspector General.Lew and Sam Hearn are funny as Izzick and Gizzick.I bought this movie on a DVD some time ago, and watched it a few days ago.I really enjoyed it.Danny Kaye was a really gifted comedian, and knew how to make people laugh.He followed the traditions of the early clowns but had his own unique style.A scene that makes you laugh is the eating scene, where he finds it very difficult to get anything in his mouth.It's a very funny scene where people keep coming to his room and he keeps hiding them.It's most hilarious how he sings "Gypsy Drinking Song" holding the glass filled with poison in his hand.For every Danny Kaye fan this film is a treat that can't be missed..
A fine example of this, "alone worth the price of admission" to this film, is where one of those corrupt officials, noted in other comments above, at first repeats about Georgi, "Less and less I like this Yakobovich...!" but as time goes on, and Georgi wins hearts & minds, his tune changes to repeating, "More and more I like this Yakobovich!" Gogol's original play was a bitter satire about corruption in Tsarist Russia, a theme and storyline that would likely puzzle Western audiences.
Danny Kaye got one of his most enduring and funniest parts in this adaption of Gogol's The Inspector General.
Kaye brings a lot of laughs as well as pathos to the part of the poor illiterate schnook who is a stooge for Walter Slezak, an itinerant peddler of snake oil known as Yakov's Elixir.
It seems as though the city fathers have gotten word that The Inspector General, personal emissary of the Emperor is coming to town and he's been known to go places incognito and then reveal himself and all the fraud he uncovers.The paranoid city fathers of Brodny who include such people as Gene Lockhart, Alan Hale, Byron Foulger all start fawning all over Kaye who decides to just go with the flow.
That policy is encouraged by Slezak who arrives in Brodny and sees the great possibilities here.The Inspector General is one of my favorite films with Danny Kaye, he's so right for the part.
Mrs. Kaye, aka Sylvia Fine wrote the score for The Inspector General and gave her husband one of his best film songs, Happy Times which he sings to Barbara Bates who plays a serving girl at the local inn.
Kaye also has to fend off the amorous advances of Elsa Lanchester who is Lockhart's wife and who is no slouch at getting a few laughs herself.The Inspector General is a timeless classic, taken from a classic and is one of the best showcases for the many talents of Danny Kaye..
As I understand it, Henry Koster's movie version of "The Inspector General" is only a loose adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's play.
Danny Kaye provides a lot of fun as a illiterate drifter who gets mistaken for a government inspector in a town overrun with corruption in Napoleon-era France.
There are a couple of scenes in the movie that truly elicit a lot of humor, and the songs -- which Kaye's wife Sylvia wrote -- just go to show what one can do with a language.
I'm going to have to see if I can find a production of Gogol's original play (called "Revizor" in Russian, often called "The Government Inspector" in English).Also starring Walter Slezak (the Clock King on the 1960s "Batman" show), Gene Lockhart, Barbara Bates, Elsa Lanchester (the Bride of Frankenstein), Alan Hale Sr.
An illiterate buffoon named Georgi (Danny Kaye), part of a traveling Gypsy medicine sideshow in Eastern Europe somehow winds up mistaken for the all-powerful, visiting Inspector General whose assignment from Emperor Napoleon is to root out all evil and corruption in every town he visits.
Of course, being an Inspector General also means you're a target and much danger looms for Georgi.No mistaking this is the Danny Kaye show all the way.
The rest of the cast including Elsa Lancaster, Gene Lockhart, Alan Hale and Walter Slezak are all good no doubt but it's Kaye's singing, dancing and comedy routines that prove this film's main focus.
I rate this a nine out of ten because I really feel that the love story was unnecessary, although the love story does lend itself to a lovely song, true.Above all, this is Danny Kaye truly living up to his reputation as a superstar of his era, almost like the Chaplin of his time, only better since most of his talent shows in the patter songs and lines.
The Inspector General is one of those real Danny Kaye movies.
The mayor and his men want Georgi(Danny Kaye) dead so that they can climb to higher places.
At last the real inspector-general turns back to Brodny from a visit to the emperor (I thought) and soon Georgi and Yacov, who gave Georgi 'advice'(he wanted him actually dead so that he could get a lot of money from the townleaders)are caught and would soon be hanged.
The real inspector-general and his men come to the jail to take Georgi and Yacov outside to kill them.
The real inspector-general appreciates this so much he let them go and makes Georgi mayor and Yacov a very high soldier.
Their comical Gypsy music conveys the story's shrewd/wily cynicism and serves to skewer provincialism as Gogol intended.Transposing the setting to Hungary introduces newer audiences to the story of an illiterate carnival entertainer mistaken for the Emperor's emissary--although referencing Napoleon gets problematic.The Mayor of Klimenti (Nestor Paiva of Zorro serials fame, d.1966) kick-starts the plot, riding madly into his cousin's town of Brodny.
From then it's just a rush to a fairytale ending.Merely second-best of Danny Kaye movies; see The Court Jester(1956)..
I doubt that Gogol's original play had the fake Inspector General singing gibberish songs, but somehow it fits.
Barbara Bates plays the girl he loves and she's cute, but Walter Slezak's 'Yakov' character ruins the fun because he's such a scumbag, and in the end, he doesn't even get kicked out of the picture, in fact, he gets to hang around and enjoy the show.Movie is too long without enough laughs, but it's Danny Kaye and if you're a Danny Kaye fan like me, you'll want to see it..
The best man for this role would have been Danny Kaye at its best , talent of musical , fun , singing..
To sum up , a very good set up movie with a phenomenal unique talented Danny Kaye .. |
tt0831399 | The Three Musketeers | In Venice, the musketeers Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, with the help of Milady de Winter, steal airship blueprints made by Leonardo da Vinci. However, they are betrayed by Milady, who incapacitates them and sells the blueprints to the Duke of Buckingham.
A year later, d'Artagnan leaves his village in Gascony for Paris in hopes of becoming a musketeer as his father was, only to learn that they were disbanded. At a rural bar, he challenges Captain Rochefort, leader of Cardinal Richelieu's guard, to a duel after being offended by him, but Rochefort merely shoots him while he's distracted. Once in Paris, d'Artagnan separately encounters Athos, Porthos and Aramis and, accidentally offending all three, schedules duels with each. Athos brings Porthos and Aramis to the duel as his seconds and d'Artagnan realizes who they are. Richelieu's guards arrive to arrest them, but, inspired by d'Artagnan, the musketeers fight together and win. All four are summoned before the young King Louis XIII and Richelieu urges him to execute them, but Queen Anne is impressed by their bravery and the king condecorates them instead.
Richelieu instructs Milady, now his accomplice, to plant false love letters among Queen Anne's possessions, steal her diamond necklace, and take it to the Tower of London in order to frame her as having an affair with Buckingham, which would force King Louis to execute her and declare war on England. At this point, the people would demand a more experienced leader: Richelieu himself. In order to secure her own position, Milady demands that Richelieu declare in a written authorization that she is working on behalf of France.
The false letters are found and given to King Louis, who is advised by Richelieu to set up a ball at which Queen Anne would be forced to wear the necklace. If she doesn't, then her affair is real, and there will be war. Queen Anne's lady-in-waiting Constance Bonacieux discovers Richelieu's plan and pleads with the musketeers to stop him. They follow Milady and Buckingham to London, while Constance is captured by Rochefort for helping the musketeers to escape from him.
In London, Milady tells Buckingham the musketeers have arrived to take revenge on him and teaches him all their tendencies in battle. D'Artagnan is captured, but turns out to be a decoy, allowing his associates to steal Buckingham's airship and rescue him. Milady's getaway coachman reveals himself as the musketeers' manservant Planchet and delivers her to his masters, who retrieve the necklace from her. Athos prepares to execute Milady for her treachery, but she leaps off the airship, apparently dying on her own terms.
The musketeers depart back to Paris, only to be intercepted by Rochefort in another airship, as Milady had given Richelieu copies of da Vinci's blueprints. Rochefort offers to exchange Constance for the necklace, but captures d'Artagnan and orders an attack as soon as he retrieves the jewels. His superior airship has the upper hand and severely damages the opposing ship, but the musketeers manage to crash both onto Notre Dame. On the roof, d'Artagnan duels and ultimately kills Rochefort. Constance is sent ahead to quietly return the necklace to Queen Anne.
The musketeers arrive at the ball and, for the sake of King Louis and his people, lie by claiming that Rochefort tried to sabotage an airship that Richelieu built for them, and that they executed him for his treason on Richelieu's permission. To convince the king, Athos presents Milady's authorization, which the former accepts. Richelieu, satisfied, offers the musketeers a place in his army, but they refuse, and Richelieu vows they will come to regret their decision.
Meanwhile, Milady is found alive at the English Channel by Buckingham, who declares his intention to exact revenge. He is then revealed to be advancing towards France with a massive fleet of battleships and airships. | historical fiction | train | wikipedia | One of Golden Films stronger animations. I say this as someone who generally likes the Golden Films Productions animations, my favourites being Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio. The Three Musketeers is such a timeless story, and I was expecting something decent while not expecting something completely faithful. Is this Three Musketeers completely faithful adaptation-wise? No, though it is far better as an adaptation than Burbank Films Australia's version. Is it the best version? Again no(the 1973 Richard Lester film), though not the worst. The story is charming and adventurous with the basic feel of the story evident in most scenes, and the dialogue doesn't suffer from being too overly-simplified, in fact it is suitably witty in spots. The music is wonderful, with many classical music favourites like Night on Bare Mountain, Pictures at an Exhibition, Marche Slave and Lohengrin shown and used to good effect, though the best used was the Charpentier Te Deum, the most fitting to the music of the time period and suitably rousing. The characters I had little problem with, Constance is far less annoying than she is in Burbank's version, the villains are suitably antagonistic and the heroes are engaging. Milady doesn't quite have the haunting quality she does in other versions but is enticing nonetheless. I loved the colour and fluidity of the backgrounds also, the character designs are not as fluid but serviceable at least. The voice work is solid. All in all, liked it very much. 9/10 Bethany Cox |
tt0494271 | La sconosciuta | Irena (Kseniya Rappoport), a Ukrainian prostitute on the run, is determined to find a job in an elegant apartment building in northern Italy, and starts by cleaning the stairs. She does it in order to inch her way into working for a family residing in that building. She befriends Gina (Piera Degli Esposti), the nanny of the family's child, Thea (Clara Dossena), who also lives with them in their apartment. When the nanny is crippled in a fall—tripped by Irena—but presumed to be accidental, Irena is hired to take her place. Through flashbacks, viewers learn that Irena has been physically and emotionally abused, and forced to bear nine children, all taken away at birth to be sold to adoptive families. After stabbing her pimp and leaving him for dead, she sets out to find her youngest child, whom she believes is Thea; hence the plot to work for them. Adoption documents in the apartment convince her that Thea is indeed her daughter. The mother grows suspicious of Irena and fires her, despite the loving relationship that has grown up between Irena and the child. Irena's pimp stalks her and sends out thugs to beat her up as she walks down the street. He rigs her employer's car, leading to a crash in which Thea's mother is killed. The pimp forces Irena to drive him to a location that may or may not contain the money Irena stole from him when she left him for dead. During a struggle, he falls and is killed as his head hits a rock. Thea's father moves to a new apartment and prepares a room for Irena, but as the police suspect foul play around the death of Thea's mother, Irena is taken into custody. She reveals both that the true culprit is the pimp and that she killed him. She is tried, and sent to jail. Thea stops eating until the judge allows Irena to visit her in the hospital and feed her. DNA testing reveals that Thea is not her daughter after all. After she is out of jail, she finds Thea, a young lady now waiting for her. | violence, neo noir, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0063402 | P.J. | New York City private eye P.J. (Peter Joseph) Detweiler needs the work, so he accepts an offer to be a bodyguard to protect Maureen Preble, the mistress of shady millionaire William Orbison.
Orbison takes the family to the Bahamas, where a romantic attachment between P.J. and the married Maureen seems to be growing. Orbison's business partner, Grenoble, is shot dead and P.J. is arrested by the police. It becomes clear to P.J. that he has been set up by the Orbisons, who wanted to rid themselves of Grenoble and needed a fall guy.
P.J. is released by the authorities and makes it back to New York, where he confronts the masterminds of the plot. About all he can do is stand by as Orbison and his mistress end up doing away with one another. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | Needs to be seen in its original form.
PJ was originally released in the late 60s when movies were rated either "G" or "M"; anything with any questionable content was rated "M" and Studio execs, with the wisdom of their breed, realized they might as well put in as much as they could get away with.
The result was some delightfully tasteless sex and violence in films like NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY, DEADLIER THAN THE MALE, GUNN, TONY ROME...
Unfortunately, when these were released to TV, the studio execs, with the wisdom of their breed, cut out all the best parts and substituted banal "made for tv" scenes.
As originally made, PJ contains some really gritty moments that really capture the sleazey aspects of the PI genre.
Hopefully, someone will make this available on Video soon..
Peppard at his best!.
I saw this movie many years ago and it has stuck in my mind.
I have always felt that someone made a huge mistake by not having George Peppard reprise this role for a TV series...it was classic George Peppard...definitely at his best.
It is my understanding that it has never been released on video, DVD, etc.
If someone knows otherwise, I would certainly like to know, too.
After all, we don't have George Peppard or Raymond Burr anymore and they were both excellent in this film.
The character seemed to be created just for George Peppard and he was certainly up to the challenge.
I have seen clips from this movie used in later films (i.e., the scene of the car coming down the mountain with no brakes and him running it along the wall on the right and into garbage cans, etc.
Wish I could see the whole movie again..
Great movie that should be released on video..
The private eye genre had something of a rebirth in the late 1960s, most notably with Paul Newman's excellent "Harper,'' Frank Sinatra's "Tony Rome'' movies and James Garner doing a nice turn as "Marlow.'' But George Peppard merits a tip of the fedora for his work in this forgotten goodie, "P.J.'' Peppard's PJ is hired as a bodyguard for a fat-cat's (played by a menacing Raymond Burr) mistress, unleashing a plot of double-crosses and, eventually murder.
Peppard is great as a wisecracking P.J. Detwieler and the above average script is perfectly matches to his rapid-fire, half-bemused delivery.
Gayle Hunnicutt is great as the kept woman, the fantastic (and overlooked)Brock Peters turns up in small, but pivotal role and a young, "pre-MacMillan and Wife'' Susan Saint James spews a few deliciously catty lines.
And there is a great ending.
Sadly, "PJ" can't be found on video or DVD.
And I haven't seen it aired on tv since I saw it (and recorded it, luckly) when a Chicago station aired it 1986.
This little gem deserves to be seen..
Re-release this film!.
This is a film about a smart, irreverent PI who gets pulled into a conspiracy and sorts it out.
Excellent script, dialog, and plot.This film, in its theatrical release version, may have been suppressed.
There's a fair amount of non-PC gay bashing which could have ruffled some feathers.The film was cleaned up for TV in the mid-70's.
It was heavily re-edited, objectionable portions were removed, and possibly there were new scenes shot that were not in the theatrical release -- some of the plot twists are different.
The TV version lost much of the punch of the original and is deservedly forgotten.I've been looking for a print/tape/DVD of the theatrical version for years, but I doubt one will ever surface..
lost film.
In the late 60s, censorship was temporarily relaxed: Ratings were "G" for Nothing Offensive, and "M" in case there was anything objectionable.
With the wisdom of their breed, Studio execs quickly realized they should try to get away with as much as possible, and films like GUNN, DEADLIER THAN THE MALE and NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY were filled with raunchy (for those days) sex and violence.
However, with an eye to TV showing, the studio execs also had alternate scenes shot for these films and the resulting Tv showings were tepid at best.
The movie version of PJ has a seamy, tasteless feel totally appropriate to a cheap Private Eye film..
Why hell Universal Pictures does not release P.J. in DVD ?
Does this film studio forgot this movie as one of the best thriller ever made in the 60' and 70' ?
I saw "Syndicat du meurtre" (french title) only one time 35 years ago, on the 1st french TV channel, black and white broadcasting!
So that my memories are black and white and that's perfect for this kind of movies (Can you imagine Asphalt Jungle in Technicolor?) As said in an other comment, P.J. is at the same level as Paul Newman's Harper, Sinatra's Tony Rome or Widmark's Madigan.
This movie was really modern for the time, and I really miss it has been let beside as long as mediocre movies block video shop shelves.
An interesting PI film set in 1968 NYC well acted by Peppard and Burr..
Realistic private eye.."I'll handle this case Bogey".
I saw this film as New Face In Hell when it was first released and enjoyed it, in fact I saw it over 10 times I thought it was that good.
I remember it was very realistic especially in it's depiction of violence.
The scene were he gets beaten up in a gay bar and manages to get to the juke box and play an all American record was very daring particularly here in Britain.
I thought that George Peppard made an excellent private eye, cleaning up someone else's crap, I think he compares very well with Humphrey Bogart.
I haven't seen the film for years and doubt very much if it will ever be shown in it's original release form here in the UK..
This was the first 'X' certificate film I was able to see, under the UK title 'New Face In Hell' (at 103 minutes as opposed to the original 109 minutes).
I've never forgotten it and have been searching for a copy of it for years.
It was an exciting, smart, brutal thriller with a great cast, very slickly put together by a respected director.
Here are some of the things I remember: a slow tracking shot going up to a white-haired Raymond Burr sitting at a desk as he explains to George Peppard what he wants him to do for him; George Peppard saying there'll be a "New face in hell for breakfast" when threatening somebody; a man being killed, very messily, under an underground train - a guard shouts "Somebody get a first-aid kit", to which George Peppard replies, "You're gonna need a big one"; and a huge splatter of blood when somebody's shot dead in the final scene.
and the gorgeous young Gayle Hunnicutt.
This was 'sex and violence' at its best!
Come on, Universal, find it in your archives and get it released!.
Not bad, but not good either..
My memories of the gritty but not totally successful private eye drama "P.J." are rather hazy and incomplete.
As several other writers have mentioned, the movie was heavily edited for television after the movie's original release.
(George Peppard) was badly beaten up without knowing who did it and what happened to the guy on the subway platform that threatened P.J.'s life?
The two sequences, as well as several others edited scenes, made "P.J." on TV a rather bland and disjointed mess.
On a hunch, I was able to finally see an unedited, pan-and-scan version of "P.J." a few days ago.
Regrettably, the movie was not as good as I remembered.
This is despite good performances by Peppard and Raymond Burr, who probably relished the offer of playing a bad guy after many years as Perry Mason, as well as Gayle Hunnicutt as the femme fatale.
The musical score by Neil Hefti and the New York locations certainly set the mood.
(Some of Hefti's interludes sounded a lot like his score from the movie "The Odd Couple".
"P.J." was released a few months before "The Odd Couple".)I don't consider "P.J." a classic because of some misguided creative decisions by the writers and director and production choices in which scenes that were obviously filmed on the Universal back lot took me out of the story on occasion.However, I believe that movie studios are doing themselves a disservice to the public by not releasing this and other movies to the web or on DVD.
There are horrible movies in the past few years that are on the web or released on DVD but a 1968 film that was not necessarily a classic and did not win any awards is shown illegally on a popular web page.
To Universal, release the film on a widescreen format and let the public decide if the movie is worthy..
An interesting PI film set in 1968 NYC well acted by Peppart and Burr..
This Private Eye drama, set mostly in New York City in 1968, is an above-average film which is largely (and unfortunately) passed over by both network television and the movie rental industry.
This Private Eye drama, set mostly in New York City in 1968, is an above-average film which is largely (and unfortunately) passed over by both network television and the movie rental industry.
The low-key acting by Mr. Peppard is superb; indeed, he is probably at his best in this gritty PI flick which takes one from the dark subway stations of 1968 New York, to the glamour of a Carribean island, and back again.
The low-key acting by Mr. Peppard is superb; indeed, he is probably at his best in this gritty PI flick which takes one from the dark subway stations of 1968 New York, to the glamour of a Carribean island, and back again.
All the while, there is fantastic music, from the opening score to the recurring theme of "P.J." Raymond Burr is interesting and convincing as William Orbison, a rich, arrogant, scheming tycoon who hires P.J. Detweiler (Peppard) to protect his mistress Maureen Preble (Gayle Hunnicutt), but whom we always suspect of having other, darker motives.
All the while, there is fantastic music, from the opening score to the recurring theme of "P.J." Raymond Burr is interesting and convincing as William Orbison, a rich, arrogant, scheming tycoon who hires P.J. Detweiler (Peppard) to protect his mistress Maureen Preble (Gayle Hunnicutt), but whom we always suspect of having other, darker motives.
Coleen Grey, in a somewhat lesser role, is excellent as Orbison's bitter, scornful wife.
Coleen Grey, in a somewhat lesser role, is excellent as Orbison's bitter, scornful wife.
Overall a very good, well acted drama, with plot twists, catchy music, and of course, a bit of Peppard's trademark dry humour..
Overall a very good, well acted drama, with plot twists, catchy music, and of course, a bit of Peppard's trademark dry humour..
Where's the DVD?.
I haven't seen this movie since it came out, and I sure would like to see it again -- whole & unedited, of course.
Raymond Burr was great, Gayle Hunnicutt was very sexy, and George Peppard was at his most flippant.
I still remember the scene where Orbison orders his long-suffering secretary to type all letters using a half inch margin in future, and do a study for him on the savings over using the prior margins.
I can even remember the calypso welcoming song the hopeful residents did for Orbison when he and his entourage arrived on the island.
Bright, beautiful scenery, snappy dialog -- just a really entertaining movie.What's up at Universal?
They have treasures in the vault like this that are totally unavailable..
I'd call it gritty.
I would like to see P.J. again.
I need one more time to make sense of the ending.
I saw it twice when it first came out.
The second of these two times was on a U.S. Navy ship, and the gay leather bar scene had been removed, presumably to protect sensitive sailors; in the edited version P.
(The irony is that a gay leather bar is a very subdued place, where the only fights are non-physical disagreements over china patterns and over recipes.)What I remember forty years later are several scenes: the bad guy dragged by the departing subway train; the gay bar scene, of course; and P.J.'s paying hubcap thieves to protect his car.
Yes, I'd call it gritty..
impossible - too long ago.
I saw this when it was new in Italian Switzerland (=Ticino) with subtitles in two different languages and remember it as being one of the best films I had ever seen together with these other films Peppard did in the late sixties: Pendulum, The Executioners, House of Cards and maybe The Third Day. These films were unique and Peppard was never better.
I would even go so far as to claim these films as unique in cinema history, creating an atmosphere all of their own but depending heavily on a George Peppard supplying the uniqueness maybe just by playing roles that were "beneath" him as an actor and therefore charged with surplus that comes across as unique atmosphere - I don't know.
All I know is that these were damn good films and are nowhere to get now except the Executioners in Spain..
A near classic - still not available in 2018.
I happened to see this movie in it's original release and thought it was terrific.
Then years later I caught a network TV showing, and thought I was watching a completely different, and much worse movie.
Almost every aspect of the film, including most of its more memorable scenes, were deleted and replaced by some other plot that was about something else entirely.
Recently I came across a (bootleg) copy of the original uncut film, and it mostly confirmed my positive memory.
P.J. is one of the most entertaining action movies of the sixties, and deserves to be seen in its original form.
P.J. Detweiler (Peppard) is a former Marine and Korea vet whose career as a private eye is not exactly flourishing - he works out of a New York bar and seems to owe everybody money.
Things start to look up when he is hired by super-rich William Orbison (Raymond Burr) as a bodyguard for Orbison's high-priced mistress Maureen (Gayle Hunnicutt).
Turns out that Orbison and Maureen are surrounded by a grotesque entourage of relatives and flunkies - who's out to kill whom anyway?
After a series of violent and sexy set-pieces, and a side trip to a Caribbean island, P.J. starts to think he is being set up and decides to solve the mystery on his own dime.
One of the main reasons the original film has been suppressed is a scene in which one of the characters lures P.J. to a Greenwich Village gay bar ("The Gay Caballero") where he is attacked by a gang of thuggish leather boys.
That scene would not be handled the same way today, but it is a fairly small incident in the context of the film.
Another of the many scenes deleted or censored in the TV version is the opening credits sequence, in which P.J. participates in a motel-room entrapment of an unfaithful wife.
The 6.4 rating here on IMDB is almost certainly skewed by people who saw only the TV version.
The original deserves much higher, at least a 7.2.
I can't quite call it a classic, but it is without doubt one of the most enjoyable action movies of its era.
It's very much a sixties film, filled with bright primary colors, eye-winking sexiness, and tongue-in-cheek humor almost from the James bond mold.
Peppard is a very likable hero and makes you wish for the never-made sequel.
It's also fun to see Burr revert to his pre-Perry Mason persona as a heavy.
You will enjoy this movie - if you can find it, that is..
Odd film-Studio bound and street gritty at the same time.
After years of trying to see the original release version of the film, I finally acquired an uncut copy from a collector and must say I was puzzled with the outcome.
There was the original, infamous subway scene intact, as well as the gay-bar beating.
There are some really gritty location shooting in NYC, but its mixed with the most banal, studio bound bland scenes.
If you can image a film that intercut the "French Connection" with an episode of "Kojack" then you would get a good idea of how this film plays out.
Not bad, but a disappointment.
Don't even bother watching it if its the TV version, which cut out most of the gritty scenes..
A pleasantly surprising movie for a person of my generation.
I came upon this movie online.
I must say, I found it intriguing and quite good.
George Peppard as a down-on-his luck P.I., was a tremendous delight.
Even Raymund Burr as William Orbison was excellent.
But all in all, I liked how the actors portrayed their respected roles.
They did their best to put on a stellar performances, in spite of some of the dialogue.
I am quite sorry that I cannot find a a decent copy to add to my collection of good movies.
They don't make P.I. movies like they used to..
Forgotten but very good..
This is an excellent PI film of the late 60's.
George Peppard is perfect in the lead as the classic Private Eye, world weary but basically honest.
He takes on a job for a ruthless tycoon played by Raymond Burr to protect his truly gorgeous mistress, the ravishing Gayle Hunnicutt, and of course the plot thickens.
Great scenes of the old somewhat seedy New York that I grew up in.
Maybe not so good as the classic " Maddigan" , which deals with New York around the same time, but well worth a look. |
tt0431114 | Today You Die | Harlan Banks (Steven Seagal) is a Robin Hood kind of thief who has always picked his own jobs and tried to pull heists that would leave him room to help out others. The work keeps getting riskier, and at the urging of his girlfriend Jada (Mari Morrow), Banks has decided to pull one final job, going in with some men who are planning a $20 million robbery.
After the heist goes bad, Banks heads to Las Vegas, where Jada wants him to get a real job. On the way to town, Banks and Jada passed a children's hospital displaying a going out of business sign. Banks gets a job driving an armored car for a man, Max (Kevin Tighe). The job is not exactly legitimate, and Bruno (Robert Miano), Banks' partner for the job, shoots a security guard, resulting in a chase through the Vegas strip in the armored van.
However, Banks is stopped and sent to prison, where he befriends an inmate known as Ice Kool (Treach). With Ice's help, Banks escapes, determined to hunt Max down. Along the way, Banks meets a federal agent named Saunders (Nick Mancuso), and it turns out that Saunders, who is in league with Max, is the man behind the setup. So Banks sets out to take down both Saunders and Max with a job. | revenge, violence | train | wikipedia | "Today You Die" is another ridiculous action film from Seagal.
Interestingly the car chase stolen from Weller's epic, made almost 10 years ago and ironically probably cheaper than this garbage, is actually by far the best action scene of the film.
Seagal does however feel the need to talk like he is a gangsta rapper, making me long for the days he would don his Brooklyn/Italian-American accent, in his classic early films.
There are a few small fight scenes with some classic Seagal aikido but when 90% is performed by his stunt double, who really does have a rigorous work out in this film, it really doesn't impress much.
I don't really know what to say about TYD, first it's a piece of crap, the story makes no sense at all, secondly he uses stunt men in all his fight scenes, and last but not least a lot of the footage is taken from other movies!
It amazes how this guy continues to find work, he comes to the set late and leaves early and because of that his films are full of plot holes and stunt men.
(Credit IMDb) A former thief who is trying to go straight seeks vengeance on those who framed him.Today You Die consists of more stock footage then I'd have liked, but considering the turds he puts out on a consistent basis these days, even stock-footage I'll take, if it has some good bits and pieces.
Today You Die is a pretty poor movie, however with stuff like Submerged and particularly Out for a Kill, Seagal has done worse.
A typical action-fest ensues.Steven Seagal plays himself (surprise!) wearing a trench-coat and sporting his beloved Colt 1911 along with his usual bone-breaking aikido.
His main buddy throughout the film is played by Treach (another new thing, a rapper in an action movie) and they both uncover a little conspiracy of bad-guys, on both sides of the law, and give each evil-doer his due.The film's main problem is that is it painfully, and I truly mean painfully, unoriginal.
After escaping, he recruits a sidekick and seeks his revenge.There are just so many things wrong with Today You Die that it's the kind of movie where you just don't know where to even begin.
Another of those Steven Seagal's straight to DVD films
boring, with no acting, no interesting characters
not even interesting fighting scenes.
He escapes to find guys who put him in there, on the way out he joins forces with Ice Cool (Anthony Criss) and that's it
a thief who seeks vengeance, like in the most Seagal films
nothing new.
Another daft and dull
well for most part straight-to-DVD action vehicle with him whispering his lines, providing intellectual discussions (about dreams and their meanings; "I had an awful dream.") and whooping some ass
well maybe not so as the director does a really good job hiding Seagal's face during many of the fight sequences.
"Today You Die" actually started off promising (with an explosively barnstorming car chase sequence), but when it hit's the prison yard and from then onwards it rapidly becomes uninterestingly old-hat with its heavy-handed plot devices (betrayal, corruption), try-hard attitude and flimsy characters.
Any film with Kevin ("Adam 12") Tighe as a bad guy has to have some virtues.The film starts with Harlan Banks' (Seagal's) lady, Jada, diddling with Rider-Waite Tarot cards, and getting some of the symbolism correct.
The two of them break out of jail, and the action goes on from there.The story is a bit silly, and, MAJOR SPOILER Like some of Seagal's other films, there's Corruption in some of the Good Guy ranks.The mystic element the film started with kinda peters out.
There is a story about that, in that no movie that has stayed longer than a couple weeks on the TiVo has ever been that good and in this case, this was no exception in fact Today You Die was painfully bad, trite and just plain dull.
The movie has Steven Seagal as a thief who steals from rich corporation and gives back to the community (Oh brother.) and in doing so gets caught one night and is sent to prison.
Today You Die is a bad movie plain and simple, I really feel sorry for Seagal fans, since they have actually rented this and put money down on such a clunker.
They should have kept it simple and it would have worked.4) In some of the action scenes it is not Seagal, it is his stunt double.
He also beats the guys with movie martial arts, not real ones like the aikido Steven knows.
I think he realized that the crew were amateurs or only in it for a quick buck and he did not give a damn anymore.In the hands of a better company and crew this might have been a damn good action movie for Seagal.
It has all the ingredients that a good action movie should have, but you can't get away from the fact that Seagal is 55 years old and weighs about 400 pounds.
I hope the up-coming Black Dawn movie will be another Exit Wounds or Beyond Justice, because these last chain of movies he made, especially Today You Die, really made me wonder if he has the stuff to make more great action movies like Double Team.
Now lets get it straight before you read this, i am a Seagal fan even after the rubbish he has made in the last couple years, but this is as low as it gets.TODAY YOU DIE is utter rubbish the story is poor and the acting is rubbish Seagal doesn't look interested in being in the movie and as for the action most of which is borrowed form other movies well enough said Normally you can watch this tripe if Seagal is in it because of the fight scenes but in this movie the fight scenes are done by Seagals stunt doubleI think its time for Seagal to hang up the acting boots because this type of movie is an insult on his name Avoid this film like the plague go rent Under Siege or another old Seagal title you will be glad you did.
Steven Seagal film gets a bit better than his recent crop.
The first really bad thing is the guy hijacking Steven Seagal would have been beaten to pulp by Seagal's driving, but that probably would have ended the whole premise for the movie.It seems like they decided to make all kinds of changes in the movie plot, so just plan to enjoy the action, and do not expect a coherent plot.
Turn any sense of logic you may have, it will reduce your chance of getting a headache.I does give me some hope that Steven Seagal is trying to move back towards the type of characters he portrayed in his more popular movies..
In "Today You Die" Steven Seagal succeeds in taking back the respect that he lost with a few bad Direct-To-DVD release in recent years.
Seagal's voice wasn't dubbed throughout the whole movie and he seemed like he enjoyed making this one.As far as I could tell the fight scenes were all him.
I usually spend almost as much time writing my reviews as I do watching the film, but with Today You Die, I feel that doing so would be a criminal waste of my time.So here is a five minute rant about how bad this film is.There was a time in the mid-80s when a single look from Steven Seagal was enough to crack your ribs; a full on scowl could knock you off your feet.
How this man keeps on working in the movie industry is beyond me.Today you Die is the usual Seagal mix of bone crunching fights, car crashes, gun battles and pyrotechnics.
sleepy Kevin Tighe is a long way from his emergency days.Nick Mancuso shows up in sleepwalking mode to take a check.No more rappers.Please?At this point the action scenes and plots are more predictable and recycled generically more than ever.Its a stale scene that Seagal needs to get out of or hang it up.He should have gotten out a while ago..
Today You Die. I have always had a mixed opinion about the action star, probably only because I haven't seen enough of his films to properly judge him, Under Siege is certainly good fun, so I decided to try and watch more of his stuff, starting with this straight to video film.
Basically half good half bad, but mainly good thief Harlan Banks (Steven Seagal) has one many jobs, but from the urging of his girlfriend Jada (Mari Morrow) he pulls off what will be his last job, with some guys trying to steal $20,000,000.
First off let me let you all know that I am a die hard Steven Seagal fan.I bought this movie and viewed it expecting something better than his last installments.Whoever edited this movie should be shot and quartered.There was a scene where he was fighting some guys and he was wearing a brown leather trench,but when he was attacked and countered he was wearing what appeared to be a black suit with a blue shirt.Another problem I have with this movie is that Steven Seagal did not do most of the fight scenes.There were a lot of shots from behind and you could see that his stand in was thinner and walked differently.Also I ran one particular fight scene in slow motion and caught the profile of the stand in.Terrible editing,direction,and acting of course.If you are an Ultimate Fighting fan you will catch a glimpse of Randy (The natural) Cotourre getting his ass knocked out by Seagal which is highly unlikely in real life.On top of that he had this so called psychic girl friend who was like 20 something.A very stupid and useless role in the movie since all she did was keep telling Seagal about her premonitions.Also when he was in prison he was strutting around like it was his house and he did not even have the uniform all the other inmates had on.The guards were considerate enough to let Seagal strut around in his dark blue denim jacket.The way he got caught by the cops was ridiculous.He drives this armoured truck around crashing into everything.He drives into an abandoned area and drags his captor out of the truck runs a distance and calls his girlfriend on a cell then passes out.If you are a Stephen Seagal fan buy it.If you like him a bit and are curious rent it.But my opinion on this movie is not good I have seen better kids movies then this.Actually I think 'Into The Sun' was way better than this garbage.In my opinion if Steven Seagal is not willing to take a more active role in his fight scenes maybe he should call it quits.It makes me wonder if there is something physically wrong with him..
I love watching steven seagal movies not because of the action of the great plot holes but just because it makes me laughoh it makes me laugh so hard this movie totally got no point and is ridiculous compared to this movie Pearl harbor rocks!!!
like some gangster would let that ever happen.the acting is also very worse at the fight scene in the jail outdoor place you can see steven clearly wait to come in action just rewind it a couple of time and you notice the bad actingits just makes me laugh i hope one day it comes to the cinema's here in Holland then i'll go there with as many friends as possible just to laugh my self to death.
Unfortunately, TODAY YOU DIE isn't in that half: it's one of his worst films, an utterly low-budgeted, unoriginal attempt at an action thriller that rips footage from close to half a dozen other movies from the last ten years.
These fights scenes would be quite entertaining if it wasn't for the obvious doubling, so it's a shame they found it necessary to do it.Elsewhere, the script is laughable and the film makes ANOTHER return to prison, where Seagal once again bonds with the black inmates and teams up with a black rapper-turned-wannabe-actor (sigh).
Today You Die. Steven Seagal is a thief who specializes in robbing wealther drug dealers, giving to the poor and unfortunate..heh, Harlan, the Robin Hood.
Today You Die starts as honourable criminal Harlan banks (producer Steven Seagal) is hired by sinister businessman Max Stevens (Kevin Tighe) to drive a security vehicle with $20,000,000 of cash in the back from point 'A' a Las Vegas casino to point 'B' him, sounds simple right?
FauntLeRoy one has to say that the shot in Eastern Europe straight-to-video action films that Steven Seagal specialises in these days aren't getting any better & Today You Die is a good case in point.
The infrequent fight scenes aren't great, most are either shot in shadow, very quickly cut & edited or with the camera played behind Seagal's character to try & disguise the fact that most of the stunt work done here is by a double.
The acting is poor & Seagal just mumbles his way through his lines as usual.Today You Die is a really bad film made up from other bad action films, Seagal looks old & fat, the action scenes are average at best & most of the story is fairly random & it doesn't come together at the end that well at all.
Get this, IMDb fault-finders.No.1 The Steven Seagal character is a whispering jacket-clad easy-going rogue with incredible stamina and a charming smile.No.2 The film is full of surprises.Surprise One Instead of fighting some crazy flipping bad guy (who is simply ridiculous with his unnecessary acrobatic moves before the real brawl) our hero just shoots him with a shotgun.
Our actors also did a great job, making Mr Steven Seagal sound like "Coolio".
As to the corny acting - I've got no problem with that, while the film is corny itself.It would have been marvellous if Mr Steven Seagal and Mr Jackie Chan had made a movie together, playing two rivals with dozens of wicked henchmen at their disposal.
Unfortunately this movie is non-existent.Fair job, Mr Steven Seagal, not perfect of course, but pretty fair: 6 out of 10 (the lingual twist alone deserves respect), just do what you can and make more zany action, keep off stupid bed scenes (like in this action flick) and don't be afraid to show yourself even if you are not in a top-notch muscular condition!
the end).2) steven has run out of money (there was a good car chase scene at the start, but i think he blew his budget on that and couldn't afford a decent script writer or editor).3) steven no longer appears to do his own action.
Ah yet another Seagal movie.In no less than a few mere months arrive to populate the video store shelves.As bad as Submerged?No.But that is not saying much.Like perfume on a pig.Seagal is professional thief who wants to quit,but goes for one last job only to be double-crossed by his boss.He lands in Prison and is befriended by a Gangster who helps him to break out and seek payback.Its good to see Seagal finally not playing an agent,cop,or what he usually plays.We actually get a USA Location in Las Vegas it seems.
Ah yet another Seagal movie.In no less than a few mere months arrive to populate the video store shelves.As bad as Submerged?No.But that is not saying much.Like perfume on a pig.Seagal is professional thief who wants to quit,but goes for one last job only to be double-crossed by his boss.He lands in Prison and is befriended by a Gangster who helps him to break out and seek payback.Its good to see Seagal finally not playing an agent,cop,or what he usually plays.We actually get a USA Location in Las Vegas it seems.
There is no wire-Fu either here.Don Fauntleroy does an okay job.However most of the action and fight scenes with Stevie are clearly doubles.Scenes from other movies,a lack of realism and logic in even tiniest situation.Seagal and Treech make a so-so team inspiring(unintentional) laughs one minute.Sighs the rest.Several notable faces turn up to slum it..
There is no wire-Fu either here.Don Fauntleroy does an okay job.However most of the action and fight scenes with Stevie are clearly doubles.Scenes from other movies,a lack of realism and logic in even tiniest situation.Seagal and Treech make a so-so team inspiring(unintentional) laughs one minute.Sighs the rest.Several notable faces turn up to slum it..
This film is what would happen if Steven Segal starred in "Prison Break" That is to say he would escape in about 10 minutes and have all the bad guys dead in about an hour and a half.
FauntLeRoy's slam-bang action thriller "Today You Die" is the first of three straight-to-video releases that he helmed with aikido star Steven Seagal.
The amazing thing about this stock footage is that FauntLeRoy does such as slick job of seamlessly making it a part of "Today You Die." Incidentally, the film draws its title from a line that Seagal's co-star Anthony 'Treach' Criss utters near the end when he has a face-to-face showdown with another villain who double-crossed Seagal in this tolerably entertaining shoot'em up.
Straight to video action film with lots of aikido scenes with explosions and pyrotechnics.**** May contain spoilers **** A thief (Seagal) quits.
If you are a fan of Steven Seagal or like action films, rent it..
After Submerged its Today you die Stevens next film and this film is an excellent action movie.
Steven Seagal had the last 7 years make bad movies.
I like Seagal and i hope that his movie black dawn will not so bad.
You see, for years, i've always thought Steven Seagal was a white guy.....but not so, as this movie would have you believe. |
tt3339966 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | In the first season, Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) was in 8th grade when she was kidnapped for fifteen years by Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm). The Reverend held Kimmy and three other women hostage in an underground bunker, and convinced them that doomsday had come, gone, and had left them the sole survivors of humanity. Once the women are rescued, they go on to appear on the Today Show in New York City. After the show, Kimmy finds herself not wanting to return to Indiana, but instead to start a new life in New York City. Roaming around the city, Kimmy comes across landlady Lillian Kaushtupper (Carol Kane). Kaushtupper offers Kimmy a chance to room with Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) in her downstairs apartment. However, Kimmy has to seek a job in order to get the apartment. Returning a child who has tried to steal candy, Kimmy encounters his mother, Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski) a Manhattan trophy wife, who mistakes her for a nanny, and who Kimmy mistakes as someone trapped in a cult. Soon after, Jacqueline hires Kimmy to be a nanny for her 10-year-old son. As Season 1 continues, Kimmy falls in love with a Vietnamese man, named Dong (Ki Hong Lee) from her G.E.D. class, goes to court to testify against the Reverend, and discovers how the world has changed in the 15 years she was locked up.
In the second season, Kimmy is sick of working for Jacqueline and acquires a job at a year round Christmas store and then as an Uber driver. She tries to get over Dong who enters a green card marriage with another G.E.D. student and eventually is deported. As Kimmy tries to move on, so do Titus and Jacqueline, who both find boyfriends. Titus begins dating a construction worker (Mike Carlsen) and Jaqueline begins dating a lawyer (David Cross). Jacqueline also goes back to her Native American heritage and decides to take down the Redskins, who her boyfriend's father happens to own. When Season 2 ends, Titus leaves to be a performer on a cruise and Lillian protests the invasion of hipsters on her neighborhood, while Kimmy makes amends with her mother (Lisa Kudrow) after advice from her therapist (Tina Fey) before receiving a phone call from The Reverend in prison, telling her that they need to get a divorce. | cult | train | wikipedia | I'm a little late to the party as I've only watched Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt this year, but I figured it was time to watch it since I'm a fan of Tina Fey and 30 Rock.
I wanted to like it and I was very excited to watch it, but it was honestly a big let down compared to the previous two seasons.
Overall, this show is an amusing, feel good comedy and it does bring a smile to my face, I just hope that the writers will have some more focus and direction in the coming seasons..
So I watched episode 2 and I found this show super funny and with adorable character that I connected to her very fast.In this show you will see woman who lived underground for 15 years, and then make new friends, get a job and a house.
Very independent women.In other words, if you feel kind of desperate and you need a character that will make you feel confident and happy with yourself, this show will make you that person and BEYOND!i can give example from the show, when one of the character felt miserable because her husband didn't show up, Kimmy make her feel better in just 10 seconds(!) and Mikky was for her best friend.Seriously, if you have free time and you don't know what to do, I'll recommend you to with this show.
Ellie Kemper, the subject of this show, is wonderfully quirky, sweet and her performance is enjoyable to watch.Tina Fey's writing is clearly asserted as the main character, Kimmmy, is a strong, powerful, determined and unbreakable.
While not as funny, binge worthy, or all together accessible as her first sitcom, 30 Rock, Tina Fey's second outing as head writer proves to have its own charms.
With a cast that gets better with age, writing that goes from zany and out of this world to surprisingly profound and sweet, and a stellar sense of humor, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is the kind of series that improves over time, much like Ms. Fey's first sitcom.
The cast includes a zesty Carol Kane, the funny as always Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock Guest alum Tituss Burgess, and our lead Ellie Kemper; these four hilariously colorful players take the normal NBC formula for comedy and make it into something far smarter and much sharper.
Titus is an exceptional character, and his subplots are consistently some of the better things on television.Some of the episodes can go on for a bit too long, and many of the jokes about the bunker are much over-used.
UKS utilizes many aspects of New York (Today show, times square, pick pockets).I think it's funny when Kimmy's lack of education comes into play (e.g. proclaiming "Urethra!" instead of "Eureka!") She also uses lingo from the 90s/00s that really clash with modern day.I know many people are comparing UKS to other shows (that I have not seen).
If you don't you'll fall in love with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and watch all 7 seasons of 30 Rock in one sitting.You'll know the story of Kimmy Schmidt by now, so I'll not get into that.
And I must say, she does a really good job as the girl who shields the cruelty of life with a big smile and an almost childish appreciation of the world.As in 30 Rock there is no room for subtlety in the way the characters are portrayed.
I've never felt so optimistic about a new sitcom since New Girl and it sure is one of the best new comedy shows in both 2014 and 2015 and after a whole lot of amazing drama series the first netflix comedy that is worth the watch..
The whole thing is just consistently happy and can really cheer you up within seconds.I admit that the story does get a little tiresome at some points, where there isn't as much joking, but the series manages to keep reinventing itself in new and fun ways that brings back your interest immediately.It's also a very subtly clever satire.
Whilst the majority of it may seem like silly fun, the back story of the doomsday cult, the theme song and a whole host of other stuff is actually very intelligent, and of course, a lot of fun too.You've got to watch this series, whether you want to binge it or not, because it's such a refreshingly happy show that stands out amongst the crowd of idiotic sitcoms and burning dramas.www.themadmovieman.com.
Lovable quirky characters, surprisingly honest and extraordinary writing make 'Kimmy Schmidt' a must-see comedy.
Tina Fey and her writing team already proved themselves with 30 Rock which had some of the best written comedy of all time with what is in my opinion one of the best television characters of all time, Jack Donaghy, and while Kimmy Schmidt is a different approach to her formula it still very much feels like something from the minds of the creators of 30 Rock.
It's lighthearted silly and at the same time smart and sometimes sophisticated fun with extraordinary writing, characters you WILL fall in love with, dedication from the whole crew in terms of lighting, set and costume design, cinematography, original score.
I really like this show but the new season which I binge watched today the day it came out on Netflix, is horrible!
This show started of brilliantly, very funny/quirky with a decent enough story line, had I reviewed it after the first season I'd have given it 9 out of 10.
Something zany is gonna happen until the writers get bored and try to carry the show on the novelty of Kimmy/Elle Kemper's adorability, Or over flamboyance of the gay character's stereotypes.
What a waste of time, it's no surprise NBC choose not to air it, it is very doubtful it would have made it past a few episodes.On the plus side, the show has a catchy opening song, some good actors (always fun seeing Carol Kane), it's upbeat and focuses on being upbeat, and it has a unique premise.
The base storyline touches on a very unpleasant subject (kidnapping, cults, belittling women, etc.) the characters for the most part are unflattering stereotypes, and not once did I laugh or smile while watching any of the episodes.
Tina Fey's worst work yet - it's literally cramp inducing, and they think it's funny!.
It is like watching a Tina Fey heavy episode of 30 Rock – it's just not funny at all.
I watched the entire first season in a few days hoping for redeeming qualities, but it's bad acting, bad writing, not even fart and d**k level humor just...poorly written scenes without any spark of creativity.
The high rating for this series is symptomatic of demonizing spending time away from pop up boxes and actually thinking for a moment about your life and being reflective...incredible how much people hate thinking and not going from one over used trope to the next to avoid seeing the world around them.
There are tons of great Netflix series out there like Sense8, Gotham, Mad Men (of course), Orange is the New Black, all have great writing, character development, and aren't DUMBED DOWN and RACIST.
I wanted to like this show, but i've watched half of the first season now and i did not smile, let even laugh, once.
I know this show is getting a lot of crap but I adore kimmy shes sweet and too cute for words I like the humor the story is great too its a fantastic show and its really too good too miss you cant resist kimmy or titious they both work perfectly together and are hilarious you really need to watch this one.
Tina Fey has written lots of comedic moments, and I certainly didn't hate the cast, but season 4 just makes it super clear they don't want me around as a viewer unless I voted the right way.So as a viewer who's clearly a GIANT GAY HATING BIGOT WHILE I WATCHED AND ENJOYED 3 PREVIOUS SEASONS OF REALLY THE ADVENTURES OF KIMMY AND TIDUS(which I clearly had no problem with in reality to watch 3 seasons), I have to say:Goodbye Tina Fey, you will not be missed..
the fourth season is unwatchable and makes me feel like I'm watching a kids show from start to finish..
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a good show to watch that it already makes me want the next season to come.
its not even funny, i feel like the true comedy is the writers writing as many awful terrible jokes and laughing at all the morons giving this high ratings.
judging by the writing this was for sure written by Tina fey (i think she is really over rated).
I have never been a fan of Tina Fey's humour, and after I noticed her name a few episodes in I quickly realized why the show was nigh unwatchable.I watched it all because, "hey, it's not that long, maybe I'll learn to like it".
To be fair, we just finished binge-watching three seasons of Grace and Frankie, which is a sharp comedy with great acting and interesting story lines.
(Kenneth's tall tales on "30 Rock" about talking pigs and hill-people rampages seemed not only funny but true; this one just smells like desperation in the writers' room.) I guess it might help if you were born c.1980 and the 90s pop-culture refs still resonate; I'd already forgotten all about "Billy Madison," for example.We only made it through the first couple of episodes, I admit, and other reviewers—there's a suspicious buildup of short, snappy 5-star reviews on Netflix, btw—keep insisting that you have to stay with it for a while.
TV critics are stoked that Tina and Robert Carlock could build a sitcom around a "mole woman" who'd spent fifteen years as the concubine of a crazed cult leader, but after the pilot episode (which is genuinely intriguing), this edgy premise mainly serves as a setup for routine time-warp gags: KImmy thinks an iPhone is a Gameboy and so on.
(I did peek ahead to see how the "Kimmy Goes to Court" episode turned out, but things hadn't gotten any better.) PS—just found out from a puff piece in the Times that the guy who plays Tituss also played F'Dwan, Tracy's annoying wife's annoying sidekick on "30 Rock," the most annoying character ever to appear on that incomparable show.
this extremely witty and well written comedy series takes it's inspiration from something dark, the entrapment torture and sexual abuse of women incarcerated by someone who is considered the worst type of human, and most closely resembles the 3 women entrapped in that woeful 10 to 11 year saga a terrible dead committed by Ariel Castro who suicided 2 weeks into his life sentence, the show had me think about those people who were held captive and I went and looked into the latest news and reports concerning them, a lot of recent stuff has been produced about them, go look if you care, the opening sequence of each episode of this tittle is based on the interview and then rap production of the interview with Mr. Charles Ramsey of Cleveland Ohio, which is a very funny take on something very dark, though Mr Ramsey was an entertaining character, the series is fast paced, so fast that I sometimes have to rewind and even look up the dialogue to get the jist of it, I find myself Laughing Out Loud then worrying about annoying my neighbours, I'm not normally a loud person, and also at times find myself almost covering my eyes and yelling "NOOO" at some of the more awkward and embarrassing scenes and then end up laughing at myself, The main character "Kimmy Schmidt" is a person unaware of the idioms and much of the cultural change during her 10 years in captivity in a bunker and is in many ways still the young person she was when taken from normal society, which gives the writers free reign to write jokes about her naivety, which is a common theme in many comedies, but this has the twist of her interactions in flashbacks with 3 others who were also captive with her and the self professed reverend who kept them captive, this is truly a gem, watch it if you have a sense of humor!.
I like 30 Rock a lot & love to watch Tina Fey do anything, so I rented 'Unbreakable' yesterday, and have been chuckling, ha ha ing & belly laughing my way through season 1.The opening credits are a hoot too & the song is almost like a workout/cheer up video clip, with sly and mocking undertones.
Ellie Kemper has a deserving hit show in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.Frequently compared with Tina Fey's 30 Rock, the new series, which has Kemper escaping a weird abduction cult to try to make it in Manhattan, a la Mary Tyler Moore or Carrie Bradshaw, seems closer in spirit to Seinfeld, and moves us through slices of the Big Apple in the way that Seinfeld was so adroit at.Jane Krakowski is cast as Kimmy's bizarre rich person boss, channeling the Elaine Benes lodestones J.
I've never watched 30 rock (though I will now!) so had no real preconceptions of the writing style.I thought the way the pilot wrapped up Kimmy's 15 years captivity up to present day clever.
I like Jane K., so I give it 3 stars, but SHE is the only thing good about Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.I am thinking that this is so possible because it takes place in my city?
The head actress playing Kimmy, has this quirky, funny, full of life attitude making this a feel good series.
Kimmy's step father is one of these, every time he comes on I want to skip forward as I feel he is rather irrelevant to the story and only says and does stupid things that really gets annoying.
I will make this review simple...if you liked 30 Rock you will love this show also.It's created by Tina Fey who also did 30 Rock.The type of humor is the same but the overall story makes it easier to work in more fun situations..
I love Kimmy though, her eagerness for everything and her naivety of things everyone else just assumed was normal make it a great idea and a great show.I was surprised to see a new season, watched 4 the first day and 3 the next day.
When "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"'s first season was released on Netflix last March I didn't really give much about it - the description about a woman being saved from a bunker and spontaneously deciding to lead a life in New York sounded a bit too cheesy for my taste.
Tina Fey (30 Rock) created one of the decade's greatest comedy series by making every episode seem like a 30-minute fairy tale stuffed with bright colors and insane characters all along the way.
The dialogues are so beautifully crafted you'd have to think the writers did nothing but perfecting "Kimmy Schmidt" scripts the last ten years: The lines shine with surreal humor, lots of jokes about habits of modern society (e.g. creating a phone notification via the voice recorder which leads Kimmy onto a porn site) and great life teachings.
This series can really uplift its viewers after a hard day and this year's second season just came in time when I really didn't have the best of times and just needed some relaxation in the hilarious, surreal jungle called "21st Century New York" :)But it'd only be half the fun without the outstanding cast: Ellie Kemper stars as Kimmy Schmidt and she really knows how to enchant her fans and to put a smile on the viewer's face after delivering another one of her great lines.
"The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" is a series I can highly recommend to everyone who simply wants to relax and feel better as well as to fans of cleverly-used stylistic devices and some of the best culture references ever brought to the screen..
Supporting cast is alright too.Watched five episodes and haven't lol'd once, however, it's better than shows like Trophy Wife.
She moves in with Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) a struggling actor who dreams of Broadway and gets a job as a nanny for Jaqueline White (Jane Krakowski) an uptown divorcee whose husband has left her with a young son and teenage daughter to look after.For the first couple of seasons, I felt like "Kimmy Schmidt" was essential viewing.
The core subject at the beginning is essentially quite dark (something I didn't really think that hard about until I got my mum to watch the first episode and she felt awkward laughing at it) but its instantly more feel good than anything else.
I love Tina Fey, and 30 Rock is my favorite sitcom ever, so I had huge hopes for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Like 30 Rock, it is very dense with humor, but it seems like they think every line has to contain a joke, and not only does it not always work, it gets annoying at times.
It worked for me through most of season 1, because it is funny a lot of the time.
This comedy starts off pretty good, but gets better in the season finale.
So Netflix picked this show up with a two season commitment after NBC dropped it !!!Honestly never laughed even for once :P The Trailer was encouraging but when i watched the pilot i just changed my mind.The story looked a bit like a female version of Blast from the Past ..
"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"- Another winning comedy from Tina Fey. Quirky and off-kilter in all the best ways..
First of all I loved 30 Rock so when I heard Tina Fey was involved in this I couldn't wait to watch it.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is overall good but I was slightly disappointed as I had high expectations given the plot and the people involved. |
tt0117483 | Ripper | Molly Keller (A. J. Cook) narrowly avoids being murdered by a serial killer, after managing to escape an island. Five years later, she takes a forensic psychology class taught by Marshall Kane (Bruce Payne), a world-renowned expert on deviant violent offenders. Also taking the class are Jason Korda (Ryan Northcott), Chantal Etienne (Claire Keim), Marisa Tavares (Kelly Brook), Eddie Sackman (Derek Hamilton), Mary-Anne Nordstrom (Daniella Evangelista), Andrea Carter (Emmanuelle Vaugier) and Aaron Kroeker (Courtney J. Stevens). During one lesson, Marshall pranks his class by pretending to murder one of the students, his intention being to demonstrate the potential of anyone to be a killer. The unorthodox lesson prompts Aaron to reveal to Molly that he is aware of her past, which angers her as she does not want to discuss the trauma she endured. Her mood is further upset by Eddie when he attempts to hit on her, only to be firmly rejected.
Later that night, the group, excluding Aaron, meet up for a study session, which soon degenerates into an argument over Molly's overtly hostile attitude. To ease the mounting tension, they decide to go to a party taking place in a nearby abandoned building. Here, Jason makes a genuine attempt to get to know Molly better, but she remains distant. Marisa, meanwhile, has sex with a masked man, after which she overhears Chantal and Andrea talking about her. Feeling hurt, Marisa decides to leave, but the elevator instead takes her up to an isolated floor of the building. Upon stepping out of the elevator, Marisa is attacked and viciously stabbed by a masked assailant. In her panic, she stumbles and falls out of a window, but a chain wrapped around her ankle catches her, enabling the killer to hoist her back up, where he brutally and graphically stabs her to death, before sending her body crashing through a window into the party below.
The next day, the group mourn Marisa's death, while deciding they will try and identify who the killer is. Molly meets Detective Kelso (Jürgen Prochnow), who was part of the investigation of the previous murders. The pair go to the murder scene where Detective Kelso warns Molly that he believes the killer is back. Mary-Anne is driving home to see her family when a black truck begins to ram into the back of her car. She attempts to drive away, but the truck pushes her to the side of a cliff. As she attempts to get out, the truck hits her car again, causing her to crash through the windshield and plummet to her death. Detective Kelso finds her body in a nearby shed, where the killer has stabbed her repeatedly.
Molly challenges Marshall, and shows the killer is following the pattern of the famous serial killer Jack the Ripper. Jason manages to persuade the group to continue investigating despite their doubt. Molly and Jason discover a murderer previously held Marshall hostage. Chantal kisses Jason, but soon apologises to Molly for doing so, and the pair make friends. While Andrea is at the morgue identifying Mary-Anne's wounds, she is pursued by the killer, who drugs her before gutting her.
Jason, Chantal, and Eddie find out about Molly's past, which causes an argument resulting in Molly removing herself from the group. An upset Molly is comforted by Marshall. The following night, Molly, Jason, Eddie, Chantal, and Marshall are taken to a cabin where they realize the victims share the same initials of the victims of Jack the Ripper. Suspicion falls on Aaron, who was the one that assembled the study group. They attempt to phone Detective Kelso, but the phone is not working. After Molly and Chantal fall out, Eddie, Jason, and Chantal leave to try and fix the phone satellite on top of the mountain. Their car soon breaks down, forcing Jason to proceed on foot. Eddie attempts to fix the car, while Chantal remains inside. The killer soon appears and knocks out Chantal before Eddie's hand is trapped inside the bonnet of the car. Chantal wakes up and panics, driving the car forward into a tree which crushes Eddie's back, killing him. The killer chases Chantal to a factory, where she accidentally activates a log splitting machine. She bumps into Aaron, who warns her he knows who the killer is. She tries to escape, but they fall into the machine, where they are both mutilated by the circular saws.
Back at the cabin, Molly becomes suspicious of both Jason and Marshall. As Jason arrives back, Molly knocks him out before running into the forest. She encounters Jason again and flees while the killer hacks him to death with an axe. Molly discovers Marshall standing over a murdered Jason, before Detective Kelso arrives and knocks out Marshall. Molly then hallucinates and sees her younger self in the forest, gesturing to the two men and suggesting that Molly is the one who killed them all. Later, Marshall is executed for the murders, and due to visible mental problems, Molly is put in an insane asylum.
It has been said that the killer was never definitively named in the film, and there is suggestion that Detective Kelso is actually the killer. During the opening murder scene, as the young Molly escapes on a boat, she stabs the killer in the hand while he attempts to climb onto the boat after her. Detective Kelso is seen in every scene in the movie to be wearing only one glove on the same hand that the killer was stabbed in. However, in the film's sequel it was revealed that Molly was indeed the killer. | revenge, neo noir, sci-fi | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0037098 | The Mummy's Curse | The Southern Engineering Company is trying to drain the swamp of Cajun Country for the public good. However, the efforts are being hampered by the superstitions of the workers, who believe the area to be haunted by the mummy and his bride.
Two representatives of the Scripps Museum, Dr. James Halsey (Dennis Moore) and Dr. Ilzor Zandaab (Peter Coe), arrive on the scene and present their credentials to the head of the project, Pat Walsh (Addison Richards). They have come to search for the missing mummies, buried in the swamp years earlier. Their conversation is interrupted by the news that a workman has been murdered in the swamps. Evidence at the scene convinces Halsey that the murderer has found the mummy of Kharis.
Later that evening, Zandaab sneaks into the swamp and meets Ragheb (Martin Kosleck). Ragheb is a disciple of the Arkam sect, and Zandaab is secretly a High Priest. The follower killed the worker that unearthed Kharis, and has taken the immobile monster to a deserted monastery.
Zandaab explains the legend of Kharis and Ananka to Ragheb as he brews the tana leaves, giving instructions on their use. The old sacristan of the monastery (William Farnum) intrudes on their ritual, and is promptly executed by a risen Kharis. Meanwhile, the mummy of Ananka (Virginia Christine) rises from the swamp after being partially uncovered by a bulldozer during the excavation. She immerses herself in a pond and the mud is washed away, revealing an attractive young woman.
Cajun Joe (Kurt Katch) finds the girl wandering listlessly in the swamps, calling out the name "Kharis." He takes her to Tante Berthe (Ann Codee), the owner of the local pub, who aids the girl. Later, Kharis finds her there and murders Berthe, as Ananka flees into the night.
Ananka is soon found lying unconscious beside the road by Halsey and Betty Walsh (Kay Harding), the niece of Pat Walsh. While in their care, and although apparently suffering from amnesia, the girl displays an incredible knowledge of ancient Egypt. Her stay at Halsey's camp is again interrupted by the appearance of Kharis, and the kindly physician, Dr. Cooper (Holmes Herbert), is killed. She again takes flight, and Halsey and the others go in search of her.
Fleeing the monster after he attacks and kills Cajun Joe, she comes to Betty's tent seeking refuge. Certainly, Kharis can't be far behind. He enters the tent and whisks away his Princess, leaving the horrified Betty unhurt.
Betty asks Ragheb for his help in finding Dr. Halsey. The treacherous disciple has other ideas, and takes her to the monastery instead. Zandaab, having already administered the tana fluid to the young Ananka, is angered to find Ragheb making advances on Betty. He orders her death, but Ragheb kills him instead. Halsey arrives, tracking them from the camp after finding Betty's tent destroyed. A struggle ensues between Ragheb and Halsey, until Kharis intervenes. The creature, sensing Ragheb's betrayal, advances on his former ally.
Locking himself inside a cell like room, Ragheb is powerless to do anything but watch as Kharis literally brings down the walls on the two of them. Halsey, Betty and the rest find the mummified remains of Ananka in the adjoining room. | murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0091178 | Haunted Honeymoon | Larry Abbot (Wilder) and Vickie Pearle (Radner) are performers on radio's "Manhattan Mystery Theater" who decide to get married. Larry has been plagued with on-air panic attacks and speech impediments since proposing marriage. Vickie thinks it is just pre-wedding jitters, but his affliction could get them both fired.
Larry's uncle, Dr. Paul Abbot, decides that Larry needs to be cured. Paul decides to treat him with a form of shock therapy to "scare him to death" in much the same way someone might try to startle someone out of hiccups.
Larry chooses a castle-like mansion in which he grew up as the site for their wedding. Vickie gets to meet Larry's eccentric family: great-aunt Kate (DeLuise in drag), who plans to leave all her money to Larry; his uncle, Francis; and Larry's cousins, Charles, Nora, Susan, and the cross-dressing Francis Jr. Also present are the butler Pfister and wife Rachel, the maid; Larry's old girlfriend Sylvia, who is now dating Charles; and Susan's magician husband, Montego the Magnificent.
Paul begins his "treatment" of Larry and lets others in on the plan. Unfortunately for all, something more sinister and unexpected is lurking at the Abbot Estates mansion. The pre-wedding party becomes a real-life version of Larry and Vickie's radio murder mysteries, werewolves and all. | satire | train | wikipedia | Gene Wilder is completely charming and does some great understated acting in this film; Gilda Radner is funny everywhere she goes.
Dom DeLouise pulls off a great drag character, and no one works too hard on their jokes--it's just a good time, filmed with surprising confidence.
Though it looks like it's going to be another bad script with tired jokes for a niche videostore crowd, it's actually an extension of many of Mel Brooks' best directorial moments.
I imagine it might look silly and dated on a TV screen with a movie channel logo in the corner, but when it's treated like a film instead of a schlock night, it's a respectable piece of work well worth anyone's time..
Haunted Honeymoon is enjoyable for Gilda Radner's final movie.
Having heard for years how awful Haunted Honeymoon was and long wanting to see Gilda Radner in her last movie, I taped this last night while the Emmys were on.
I love the performances in the radio studio with Radner and Gene Wilder playing characters in a show with the same title as film.
Gene Wilder plays a neurotic radio star called Larry Abbott, and on the eve of his wedding to co-star Vicky Pearle (the late Mrs. Wilder, Gilda Radner) his memories of a childhood trauma cause him to experience bizarre mood swings.
He only really shines with the 'legs' joke in the cellar, but his co-stars generate a lot of smiles, especially the dragged-up Dom DeLuise as Great Aunt Kate, Bryan Pringle as the alcoholic butler Pfister and Gilda Radner herself raises mucho smiles.
Naturally as you get older you see things with different eyes, and what I remembered as a scary tale of Werewolves is actually a rather sweet, funny and hugely entertaining trip down memory lane.It's tragic to think that this was Gilda Rander's before she tragically lost her life, but she gives a sparkling performance and bounced of husband Gene Wilder beautifully.It's a great little tail of Werewolves, deception, Transvestism and jealousy.I have never been able to decide who's the funniest, whether it's Aunt Kate or Rachel, both are so much fun, Rachel, played by Ann Way is a joy, especially when she's bashing poor Pfister about, she's a diminutive terror.The music is really nice the whole way through, it's so dramatic, it fits in great with the film, real 80's Chiller feel to it.I am stunned by the bad reviews that surround this film, to me it's just a bundle of fun.
Take Dom LeLuise's performance for what it is, hugely over the top, but truly funny.Best scene has to be Eagle Rock, which is a show stopper, I love it, Gilda had gorgeous legs.
I had wanted to introduce my daughter to Gilda's interesting style of humor and, since she loves Gene Wilder so much (we watch Young Frankenstein twice a week, at least), she instantly loved this one, as well.At first, the plot line is terribly hard to fathom and I had to watch it several times to catch all the straggling ends.
Dom DeLuise played the Great-Aunt perfectly, but my favorite in the movie was Jonathan Pryce whose performance was exceptional.
Writing, directing, and starring in Haunted Honeymoon with wife Gilda Radner and Dom DeLuise, Wilder was at his best.
It's funny to watch interviews of Wilder during the filming of Haunted Honeymoon in which he expresses, with exasperation, that he is finished directing and wonders if all the work is worth it.
Much more under control, Haunted Honeymoon was the hilarious comedic masterpiece I always hoped Gene Wilder was capable of.Larry Abbot (Gene Wilder) and Vickie Pearle (Gilda Radner) are on top of the world as the stars of the hit radio program Manhattan Mystery Theater.
As the nuptials loom, Larry takes Vicki back to his Aunt Kate's (Dom DeLuise) castle that he grew up in.
The chemistry between Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner was as apparent as it was genuine as the real-life married couple played a doting couple that was to be wed.
There were some great gags in the film, my favorite being Wilder acting out the upper body while his butler acted the lower body in the basement scene being questioned by the police.
Dom DeLuise was brilliant in this film as Aunt Kate and remains beautifully in character, playing a woman, through the entire film.
I wish there had been a bit more substance to the part of Gilda Radner, as I would have enjoyed more from her, but the film in all of its parts was wonderful.
It was also pretty magical to see Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner acting together as husband and wife to be.
Haunted Honeymoon would be the last film Wilder would direct, so, as the saying goes, he saved the best for last..
This is a fantastic film, with the extremely funny Gene Wilder behind it.
It is set in the Early 20th Century, and Gene and his future wife are two radio actors, and before they get married they go to his family house, where strange goings on happen.
If you do not like silly comedy's then this may not be your cup of tea, Gene Wilder is a comedy King and he shows it in this film.
My mother and father were big Gene Wilder/Gilda Radner fans and they were particularly fond of this movie.
I only found out recently that Gilda Radner died shortly after filming this movie.
It's hilarious...from dom delouise's dance with gilda radner, to gene wilders hilarious performance in the cellar, i was cracking up.
Plus, with Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, who could not love it?
The movie is about a radio talent named Larry (played by Gene Wilder) who has a deeply rooted fear of anything scary, especially lightning.
His fiance Vicki (played by Gilda Radner, a very talented soul) and himself decide to spend a weekend in a haunted mansion.
If you're in the mood for a stupidly silly movie to watch on a boring evening, then I would recommend "Haunted Honeymoon".
I give this movie 3 stars, mostly because of the funny things Larry (Gene) does when he thinks he's in trouble..
Featuring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner as husband-and-wife-to-be Larry Abbot and Vickie Pearle staying in a Gothic mansion where there may or may not be a werewolf, the movie's completely silly but pretty funny.
Dom DeLuise looks really zany playing a woman, and the movie also stars Jonathan Pryce and Paul Smith (the prison guard from "Midnight Express").If you want to know more about this movie, read Gilda Radner's autobiography "It's Always Something".
If your a huge fan of either Gene Wilder or Dom Deluise I recommend Haunted Honeymoon because its a funny movie..
The movie seriously lacked some good laughs at times and I feel that the movie in its core had far more potential.It's obvious that Gene Wilder wanted to make a Mel Brooks kind of movie.
Halve of the time I didn't even bother to wanted to know what the story was all about, it was that absurd really!The movie of course also features Gene Wilder but unfortunately he hasn't given himself better material and dialog to work with.
And portrays Gene Wilder's character as a very popular, yet troubled actor who is about to marry his on air co-star played by Gilda Radner.
The film's one big laugh is a direct steal from Wilder's classic "Young Frankenstein" bit involving the arm of a corpse coming out at a most inopportune time.
This one has it all, the old mystery radio show, a haunted house, and a killer cast, especially Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner together.
Now throw in a family worthy of James Thurber's, and great story line and you have entertainment.Dom Deloise as the eccentric aunt in drag is priceless, and mysterious happenings at a family gathering, a bizarre butler, his wife, and a fantastic story with wit, style, and loads of humor.
I enjoy Gene Wilder, and certainly I'll be the first to say that he has done some wonderful work both on screen and behind the scenes in many films.
He was writer, director, and star, and the result is way too much froth and not nearly enough substance.The premise of the film is clever, a parody of the spooky-comedies of the 1940s and 1950s that were popularized by the likes of Red Skelton, Abbot and Costello, and Crosby and Hope.
Sadly, Radner never found her place on the big screen before her untimely death, and HAUNTED HONEYMOON is no exception; Wilder doesn't seem to know how best to display her talents.
And when Gilda and Dom join forces to perform the old Vaudeville song "Ballin' the Jack" the result is pure movie magic.Unfortunately, though, it isn't enough.
Incidentally, this film is not to be confused with a Robert Young-Constance Cummings effort of the 1930s, also entitled HAUNTED HONEYMOON and based on the play and novel by mystery author Dorothy Sayers--a very good film, by the way, which sad to say has never been released to the home market.Gary F.
And it can't seem to find a consistent tone; for example, that brutal fistfight near the end is an unforgivable mistake.The film does have a few scattered laughs (Wilder's version of the song "Get Happy"), and Gilda Radner has a wonderful presence, but nothing can really redeem this confusing and convoluted mess..
The plot sees two radio stars (Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner) engaged to be married who stay at the family mansion with his eccentric relatives.
This movie has the sad distinction of being Gilda Radner's final film..
Stupid comedy that stars Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner as two 1920s radio stars who decide to get married at Wilder's childhood home.
I mean, with the likes of Gene Wilder and Dom DeLuise at the helm, you know that you will be in for a good time and a fun movie.
It was as if they had filmed various things independently of each other and just cut it together for making a single movie.Now, it is true about the cast, as they function as great bait to lure in the audience.
And true to what we have previous seen from Gene Wilder and Dom DeLuise, then they perform exactly as to be expected, and they do so with their normal flair and showmanship.
But they alone did not carry the movie just between the two, as the rest of the cast also really did great jobs in bringing their characters and role to life on the screen.While this is a comedy, there was surprisingly little throughout the entire movie that will actually make you laugh out loud.
Smirks and small chuckles is what is mustered most of the time.This is not the best of Gene Wilder movies as both actor and director, not by a long shot.
Gene Wilder made this film as a tribute to the 'old dark house' style movies popular during the 1930s.
It's very similar to MURDER BY DEATH, although not as funny or well-written as that film.Still, Wilder is on strong form here, as is Gilda Radner as his bride to be.
Except that Gene Wilder directed and he was more interested in being another Mel Brooks (maybe he was more interested in making a film that looked like a film made in the 70's that was spoofing films of the 40's).
Except that those old little comedies were in black-and-white (maybe Gene Wilder would think it would look like he was ripping off "Young Frankenstein." You think???) Except that those old little comedies were perfected by comedians who practiced their routines for years in vaudeville (Hope, Skelton, Abbott and Costello, etc...) so they KNEW they were funny before the camera rolled.
What a great "blast-from-the-past" when we were treated to Wilder and Ratner as radio personalities complete with a little musical number (just like in the old Bob Hope movies).
Gene Wilder's Haunted Honeymoon is an honourable failure.
Whilst I understood what Wilder was going for I felt the film missed the mark both in its comedy and plot.
The film was incredibly dull, after watching the film I can barely remember any genuinely hilarious scenes.Gene Wilder plays Larry Abbot a neurotic horror radio presenter, who returns to his family castle where he grew up after getting engaged.
There's also a badly underutilised murder mystery plot that's going on in the background, as someone wants to murder Larry.Gene Wilder is as always his charming self, he carries this movie, and I would hate to of seen this without him, because it would of been a total disaster.
Dom DeLuise seemed like he wasn't interested in the film and that came off in his performance.
Gilda Radner had a decent amount of chemistry with Wilder but nothing noteworthy.In the end this film, has many scripting issues, it's a film that want's to be its own film, whilst having the same comedic tone as a Mel Brooks film.
The only reason I would recommend this film is for Gene Wilder who shows again why he was an incredible on-screen talent..
Haunted Honeymoon (1986) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Radio vocalists Larry Abbot (Gene Wilder) and Vickie (Gilda Radner) wants to get married so he takes her back to a castle where he grew up as a child.
Also in the castle are a strange collection of relatives and Aunt Kate (Dom DeLuise) says that she thinks one person there is a werewolf.When you see that Wilder is working on a horror-comedy you can't help but think back to YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.
It should go without saying that YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN was a classic comedy and this here is no where in the same league but at the same time there are enough funny moments to make it worth sitting through.The biggest problem with the film is the screenplay, which just doesn't have enough jokes that work.
When you've got talent such as Wilder and Radner you expect a lot more laughs but sadly it just doesn't happen.
This same type of thing was seen in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and it's still funny here.Wilder and Radner are both good in their roles and there's no question that they had a nice chemistry together.
DeLuise gets a few nice laughs in drag and we get supporting performances by the likes of Jonathan Pryce, Bryan Pringle and Paul L.
His uncle decides that he needs to be cured from a neurotic speech defect and exaggerated bursts of fear: he gives him a shock therapy with palace ghosts.You really can't dislike any film with Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner and Dom DeLuise.
There's a lot going for this under-rated good, but not great, "spoof" of recent and old "B-grade murder-haunted house" films.
A notorious flop during its initial release, it was the third and last pairing of Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, and sadly her last film.
De Luise is actually two characters, one where "she" turns to the camera in the opening and says, "It's not what you think!"While de Luise won awards for "Worst Actress", he's actually very funny, performing amusing version of "Balling the Jack" with Gilda who never got that one film role to rise above standard comedy.
However, it becomes apparent that a plot is being set to kill Larry Abbott after an attempt on Aunt Kate's life fails.The cast are fantastic and old fashioned which is just what makes a film what it is - Dom DeLuise is wonderful as are Gilda and Gene!
Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner were brilliant, as they always are.
Dom Deluise was extremely funny as Aunt Kate.
Gene Wilder's constant covering up of the dead bodies in the house to the police in which he kept having to knock out the butler was hysterical along with Dom Deluise's speech about the werewolf and Gilda Radner's declaration that "this thing is pinching my butt!" I also fell in love with the song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" always playing, from Gilda whistling it to the organ playing it later on.
Haunted Honeymoon is set in the 1930's & starts in a radio studio where 'Manhattan Mystery Theatre' is going out live, actor Larry Abbot (Gene Wilder) & his co-star Vickie Pearle (Gila Radner, Wilder's then wife & her last film before she died) are soon to be married.
The script by Wilder & Terence Marsh is supposed to pay homage to the old dark haunted house mysteries from the 30's like The Cat and the Canary (1939) among others.
J. Bell) is embarrassing to watch, or a scene in which Wilder is sitting on top of a stuffed moose head hiding from a snake is just dumb & Dom Deluise in drag as Aunt Kate is a truly hideous & laugh free image.
The acting is pretty bad by all involved including Wilder whom I usually like, perhaps he was more concerned about behind-the-camera activities as director rather than acting in front of it, Dom Deluise is highly annoying & irritating as Aunt Kate.
As far as I'm concerned Haunted Honeymoon is a complete failure as either a horror mystery or a comedy & I just can't see what sort of film goer this would appeal too & enjoy it.
Gene Wilder directs & stars in this 1986 horror comedy co-starring Gilda Radner, Dom DeLuise, Jonathan Pryce and Paul L.
Wilder & Radner were great together, the rest of the cast is good as well as John Morris' score.
However I didn't find the whole storyline funny in fact wasn't that great to be honest with ya.I can't tell you how many times I got annoyed when Gene Wilder's kept asking too much to anyone if his tie was 'straight '.
The wardrobe department should really have gotten a better dress then Gilda would look like an actual bride for her character.The reason I came upon this film only because of Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner really. |
tt0098519 | Troop Beverly Hills | On the last day of school in 1989, Phyllis Nefler (Shelley Long) is a socialite Beverly Hills wife with a heart of gold recently separated from her husband, Freddy (Craig T. Nelson), a wealthy owner of an auto shop chain. Freddy feels Phyllis has become a self-absorbed "shopaholic" who never follows through on her commitments, and that she has drifted from the caring, imaginative personality that made him marry her. To prove him wrong, Phyllis decides to become the new den mother of their daughter, Hannah's (Jenny Lewis) unruly, leaderless local girl scout troop of Wilderness Girls.
While Phyllis is boutique-hopping along Rodeo Drive, the council is reviewing her application, then approving it as they believe Phyllis has the makings of an excellent den leader. Although Phyllis severely lacks the skills found in most troop leaders, she resolves to teach the girls how to survive in "the wilds of Beverly Hills," even customizing new merit badges for her troop. One campout results in the troop getting hit by a rain squall, which Phyllis and the girls flee to the Beverly Hills Hotel. Despite her unorthodox ways, Phyllis demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the girls' well-being and acts as a surrogate mother/friend to the girls, who are often neglected by their own wealthy and distracted parents. However, during an award ceremony on a yacht, her husband's new girlfriend gets knocked overboard and asks for a life saver and Phyllis responds which flavor. Fred remarks he was hoping to see Hannah learn a few outdoors and civil defense skills, such as first aid, and he is unsure about that under Phyllis' mentorship.
Phyllis' unorthodox methods also run afoul of another scout leader, Velda Plendor (Betty Thomas), a mean-spirited, retired army nurse who helps advise the Culver City "Red Feathers" (of which her own daughter, Cleo (Dinah Lacey) is a member) to run like a military unit. Because Velda has considerable pull at the regional council level, she declares Phyllis' customized merit badges ineligible and sends her assistant troop leader, Annie Herman (Mary Gross), to infiltrate Troop Beverly Hills.
Much to Velda's dismay, Troop Beverly Hills, which is yet unrecognized by the regional council, can gain recognition by passing a series of tests at an upcoming Jamboree. However, in order to qualify for the Jamboree, and to show up Velda, the troop needs to sell cookies, 1,000 boxes. To prevent this from happening, Velda sabotages Troop Beverly Hills by selling cookies in their own neighborhood. Seeing this, as well as realizing Phyllis' true personality, Annie becomes Phyllis' assistant for real, offering her abilities to get the girls recognized merit badges. The parents of the girls, appreciative of Phyllis and Annie's leadership, offer to buy the cookies themselves in order to go to the jamboree, but Phyllis suggests another idea both to beat Velda at her own game and teach the girls salesmanship - a series of star-studded cookie sales in an untapped district. This proves fruitful, as the girls sell over 4,000 boxes of cookies, more than enough to qualify for the Jamboree.
Phyllis is then hit with a one-two punch: even though Freddy has broken up with his new girlfriend, he wants to proceed with the divorce, including joint custody of Hannah; and Velda meanly tries to talk her out of attending the Jamboree, warning that it is in the backcountry "is 20 miles from the nearest campsite, and 100 miles from the nearest 4-star hotel". She sinks into a deep depression and finally decides to disband the troop, but Hannah and the other girls talk her out of it.
During the Jamboree, the Red Feathers try to get ahead of Troop Beverly Hills by misdirecting them into a snake-infested swamp which causes the troop to lose vital radio contact with Annie, but a skunk scares Phyllis and the girls into running through a shortcut, making them first in the qualifying event. In the final run, Velda takes charge of the Red Feathers herself and cuts down a rope bridge, but this also fails. However, when Velda cheats a final time by going into a restricted area used only for hunting, she wounds herself on a bear trap. Velda's boot and sock are removed and it is confirmed that her ankle is broken. The Red Feathers, especially Cleo, leave her behind for the sake of winning. Troop Beverly Hills finds her, barefoot and bitter, and reluctantly carries her to the finish, but only after Phyllis reminds the girls that they have to be considerate to those in need, even if they are adversaries.
The Red Feathers cross the finish line first but are disqualified because council law stipulates the leader must be with the troop. Although Cleo runs off with the trophy, Troop Beverly Hills is declared the winners of the Jamboree and are validated as true Wilderness Girls. Francis Temple, the regional leader, fires Velda from the Wilderness Girls Organization for cheating on the trail and for putting the Troop Beverly Hills girls in potential danger. In turn Velda hurls insults at the councilwomen for recognizing Troop Beverly Hills. The girls' families show up moments later and are very proud of them. Freddy, impressed by Phyllis' complete turnaround, decides to call off the divorce, and he and Phyllis get back together.
Next Year in Summer 1990, Troop Beverly Hills is seen as the new Poster Troop while Velda is shown with a very humiliating job at Kmart announcing a "Blue Light Special" on cookies in one of the aisles, a final fate she tried to threaten Annie with earlier. | horror, storytelling, home movie | train | wikipedia | A stereotypical portrayal of a Beverly Hills "Wilderness Girls" troup of pre-adolescent girls and their flighty but maternal leader, Phyllis Neffler, played by Shelley Long.
If only all girls scouts were as fun as Troop Beverly Hills!
The film about a down and out divorced house wife with a passion for fashion becoming a girl's scout leader is both hilarious,exciting and thoroughly entertaining.Comedic actress Shelley Long shines as Phyllis Nefler,the woman who dares to make alterations to her daughter's scout uniform,and modify the location of their bushland camping trips to the Beverly Hills Hotel!
Phyllis rejects traditional scout activities such as bush walking for manicures and pedicures,preferring her troops to live in the lap of luxury.Needless to say,the girls adore her,the leaders of the other scout groups despise her,and this is all makes the delightful,hilarious and wacky comedy that is Troop Beverly Hills!.
For those who have forgotten their childhood (and if you want some examples, the film critics serve nicely), this movie is inane and not worth the price of a video rental.
Its *target* audience (are you listening, critics?) is well served by this comedy, which along with its many laughs gives young people serious lessons in the meaning of loyalty and friendship, the sacrifices we're sometimes called upon to make for those we love, and the need for redemption.
The story is about a lady from Beverly Hills whom decides to take over her daughter's girl scout troop.
Troop Beverly Hills is a funny movie for pre-teen girls.
Goofy Shelly Long plays eccentric Beverly Hills mom, Phyllis Nefler, who decides to get involved with her daughter's life and prove that she can do things for herself (sort of), so she becomes troop leader of her daughter's Wilderness Girl's squad.
This proves to be an embarrassing experience for the young girls, seeking some much needed leadership from their mother who can't seem to gain independence from the luxuries of her Beverly Hills lifestyle.
But, once the pack is forced to compete with an aggressive, survival squad of hard core rival troopers, Phyllis and her team, tired of being a laughing stock (and also because Phyllis wants to gain her daughter's confidence and respect) are going to prove that they're not just a bunch of whiny rich girls from Beverly Hills.
80s fans will probably recognize many of the young troopers (from Jenny Lewis to Kelli Martin to Tori Spelling), and I'm sure pre-teen girls are sure to like the movie for it's silly story, young female cast, and the goofy antics of Shelly Long.
It's a hilarious little movie with a good message for kids about the importance of female independence (Phyllis doesn't want her husband to think she can't fend for herself without a man's guidance) as well as individual confidence.
hilarious Beverly Hills house wife proves that you don't have to have bad hair, no makeup or discount clothes to be a true wilderness girl....
this movie is a classic and anyone who says otherwise doesn't have much of a sense of humor..probably a bad childhood or something...whatever...GO TROOP BEVERLY HILLS!.
Shelley Long portrays a bored Beverly Hills wife whose husband is leaving her for another woman.
Deciding to make something of her life she volunteers to be the leader for her daughter's "wilderness girls" troop (I guess they couldn't get the rights to girl scouts).
Both her and her troop of pampered Beverly Hills princesses learn valuable lessons in character, courage, and friendship with a super happy ending (no spoiler).
Anyway the casting in this film is first rate with Shelley Long and Craig T.
Not a side-splitting hilarious romp, but Shelley Long gives it her all and is quite funny (besides being so CUTE!!) The story involves a self indulged Long who becomes the leader of a dead end Girl Scouts for Beverly Hills.
Mid-80's Beverly Hills was a magical time and I still find myself looking back on this picture and wishing I was there.Shelly Long stepped out of "Cheers" and into the shoes of Phyllis Nefler, the doting, diva of shopping, big-haired, Beverly Hills mother of a wilderness girl.
To bond with her daughter (and to prove to her husband that she can finish what she starts), she becomes the Beverly Hills Troop leader.This is where the fun starts.
For a light laugh and a movie you don't have to analyze, I think this film has timeless appeal..
In my opinion this is a sweet story about dysfunctional families that find a way of dealing with the fact that achieving "success" means a lot more than they expected.Through out the movie the journey of the Troop becomes much more than just belonging: Parents face the choice of truly growing up and figuring out a way to stop wasting time and search for a bond with their neglected children; while children find a way to stop playing the parental role, learning the value of friendship, teamwork and how `un-cool' it is to procrastinate.This movie has a heart and even if the story is simple minded and decorated with clichés about the rich and famous, it still rings true.
I thoroughly enjoyed this film and to see Shelley Long sing and dance is a real bonus.
The background shots of Beverley Hills were soo good and the crowd watching the roadside discos seemed to be enjoying the disco as were the young troop members.
There's no social commentary, or moment of dramatic epiphany, its just a fun escapist romp about what a pampered Beverly Hills Housewife would do if she was stuck in the wilderness.Shelley long is wonderful.
Shelly long and her daughter lives in posh Beverly hills and she is the ultimate fashionista.
She became mother of the wilderness girls troop which her daughter was a part of and led them to the finish line proving to her daughter all along the way that she was no quitter.
Let's say it together, "Troop Beverly Hills Sucks." However, I can't stop watching it.
No decade other than the 80s could have produced this film, as it has a direct not so subtle attitude of "rich people get a bad rap." So what if they don't like camping or first aid or low budget shopping, they can 'survive' in the "wild of Beverly Hills." It may just be me, but this is an extremely shallow movie and yet it is never ashamed of being so.
No true realization of the err of their way by the troop and Nefler and thus the film remains a cocky culmination of rich ideas and attitudes from the opening animated title sequence to the end credits.
Its fun to look at the young girls of 1989 Hollywood, which include Carla Gugino ("Son In Law" TV's "Karen Sisco" and 1st season of "Spin City"), Heather Hopper ("Saved By The Bell"'s Nikki) ,Kellie Martin ("Life Goes On", "ER"), Emily Schulman (the sister in the freakish 80s TV show "Small Wonder"), and Jenny Lewis (The Red Hed in "The Wizard") they capture a decade of idiocy and greed so well its fun to watch and scoff at the film's shallow message.
It was like watching Battle of the Network Stars - except it was practically a true story.I haven't watched this movie in a long time, so I can't be sure, but I bet this is the kind of movie that really holds up over the years.
In Beverly Hills, Phyllis (Shelley Long) has a blackbelt in shopping and a gloriously posh mansion.
Also at this moment, their daughter Hannah's Wilderness Girls troop needs a leader and Phyllis volunteers.
Long has one of her best movie roles ever as the shopaholic, trend-setting housewife from 90210 while Nelson, Thomas, Mary Gross and all of the other cast members do nice work, too.
But being the mall addicted mother she is, she teaches the girls the rules of Beverly Hills instead of what they should know.
This is a pretty amiable comedy about a Beverly Hills mother (Shelly Long) who becomes the leader of a troop of local girl scouts.
"Troop Beverly Hills" is not a very good movie, but it is somewhat entertaining in its own way.
Perhaps the funniest part of this whole movie.-An interesting premise: a spoiled Beverly Hills housewife (Shelley Long) decides to get involved in the community by becoming the leader of her daughter's Wilderness Girls troop (which includes Emily Schulman of "Small Wonder" and a pre-"Life Goes On" Kellie Martin).
Not exactly a high-concept film, but it shows some comic potential.-A few great lines, such as: "I may be a beginner at some things, but I've got a black belt in shopping!"-Some truly silly moments (Long doing the "Freddie" is the most notable example).-Long's performance: not Oscar-caliber, of course, but even when the film is at its lowest points, she puts a lot of effort and enthusiasm into her role.The bad:-The film is excruciatingly boring at some points, especially in the sub-plot about Long and her ex-husband (Craig T.
Even the usually funny Cheech Marin is wasted here."Troop Beverly Hills" may not be a great (or even good) film, but it is not without some enjoyable moments..
But (like i was saying) it's utterly boring with a few laughs and competion rights but other than that it shows kids in a way we'd have never imagined them, and Shelly Long is funny funny funny!!
"Troop Beverly Hills" is a the story of a Beverly Hills homemaker (who's going through a divorce) that attempts to lead her daughter's wilderness girl troop.
Phyllis Nefler (played by "Cheers" star Shelley Long) leads this group of spoiled Beverly Hills princesses.
Along their journey, they learn how to be "real wilderness girls" in a non conventional way while fighting the evils of Vesta Plendor (played by the very funny Betty Thomas.) Vesta will stop at nothing to prove Phyllis and her troop are nothing more than a group of pampered Beverly Hills brats.
While the survivalist's troop is out skinning skunks and felling trees, the Beverly Hills girls are being taught to appraise diamonds and where to get the best facials by their troop leader, Shelly Long.
I laughed at Shelly Long and didn't realize Craig T Nelson was in it.
Most fun segment is "Cookie Time." Best character interaction: Anything between Betty Thomas and Shelly Long.Overall rating: 7 out of 10..
However, this role was perfect for her personae, and the film, absolutely enjoyable.What it boils down to, humorously, is the a-typical "diamond in the rough" indulged Beverly Hills housewife; challenged to take on an area in which she is unfamiliar but at the same time intrigued.
Shelley Long was amazing in this, it had a heart warming message, I watched it today and still love it as much as I did when I was a child.
Nelson and Shelly Long was great, and the writing was so funny, I laughed so hard and I got a lot of the dirty jokes now as a 26 year old that I never did as a child.
Shelley Long wanted a movie career and this is how it turned out.
Bomb is a little unfair because the movie is really no worse than a lot of mainstream 80's movies that somehow got more popular than this one.I first saw this when it was just put out on video in Denmark and at the same time the show "Cheers" was still on the air both here and of course in the U.S. We also became aware of Shelley Long's reputation here in DK because of the increasing popularity of tabloid magazines and TV.
Long was embarrassed about being typed as a mere TV actress but to leave a hit show like Cheers to do this - well, the whole event speaks for itself.But just for laughs, let's try to describe the actual movie.
Long is actually pretty good but it's a shame that what she is doing was basically the same thing done by Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, (there even was a time when I couldn't remember if they were actually one person - don't let that get out - oh, crap it's out now) that means playing a spoiled snob who transforms herself into a caring person.
In Troop Beverly Hills we get a lengthy explanation of how Long got the way she is by having her and the husband (played by Craig T.
Betty Thomas of Hill Street Blues was born to play the role of the head Wilderness Girl but she is not given a lot to work with.
The tape included interviews of a number of 2nd AD's in the industry alongside clips of the crew working on the set of Troop Beverly Hills.In one scene during the end of the movie, one of the Wilderness Girls falls and hurts her leg.
needs more with the girls and less Shelley Long.
The Wilderness Girls of America is considering closing the Beverly Hills chapter with only 8 active members.
Rich wife Phyllis (Shelley Long) is the new troop leader for the sake of her daughter Hannah (Jenny Lewis) and furthest from a wilderness girl.
Phyllis runs afoul of militaristic troop leader Velda Plendor (Betty Thomas) who sends in assistant Annie Herman (Mary Gross) to infiltrate them.The premise is silly but it could still work as a kids movie.
It concentrates too much on Shelley Long when it should spend the time with the girls.
The movie needs more of those moments and time together for the girls.
This really needed to be a true kids movie but the studio made it a Shelley Long vehicle.
The wealthy wife of a Beverly Hills business owner, accused by her soon-to-be-ex spouse of never finishing anything she's ever started, applies to be the city-chapter's troop leader of the Wilderness Girls, a dwindling group of which her pre-teen daughter is a member.
The pampered rich kids (daughters of various celebrities, an unemployed actor, and at least one dictator) are either in therapy or full of attitude...but with a dismissal order handed down by their outraged commander-in-chief, the troop must work together (in their own colorful way) to bring a good name to Beverly Hills.
Troop Beverly Hills.
There was no big statement attempting to be made with Jeff Kanew's 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills, and that's OK.
Nelson join as a separated married couple attempting to overcome their own problems while Long goes out on a limb leaving high society life to mentor her daughter's wilderness girls group.
Phyllis Nefler (Shelley Long) reeling from a broken heart due to the impending divorce with her husband Freddy (Craig T.
Nelson) decides to be a troop leader for her daughter's wilderness girls Troop Beverly Hills.
The militant Velda believes Troop Beverly Hills should be disbanded in favor of the rough and tumble wilderness girls which make up the rest of the troops.
Troop Beverly Hills is a quintessential cliché-ridden 1980's film.
The story of a self-centered mother who finally put her daughter first, was nothing special, especially among the sea of other clichéd Beverly Hills parents who equally neglected their children.
Sure, Troop Beverly Hills is cheesy, tacky, and often brainless.
I was a Girl Scout for 5 years, and my troop would often watch this movie.
Too bad we didn't come with ideas as ingenius as theirs to sell cookies!Shelley Long is deliriously shallow but good-hearted as the mom who takes over the troop, so she can spend more time with her daughter, and Craig T.
Betty Thomas is still probably embarrassed about being in this movie.Great 80s fun!.
'Troop Beverly Hills' still holds up today and has a lot of heart..
I grew up watching 'Troop Beverly Hills', and even though I wasn't in the Girl Scouts or even a teenage girl, I still fell in love with story and characters in this extremely charming movie.
It's not all about the fundraising and parties, which is why 'Troop Beverly Hills' still holds up today and has a lot of heart.This 1989 film showed us that a group of very privileged and wealthy young girls who have never had to work a day in their lives and who spend most of their time shopping for the newest outfit at the mall, come together and learn the true values and ethics of life, like loyalty, friendship, and helping others.
In fact, 'Troop Beverly Hills' was based on a true story.
With this 'fish-out-of-water' storyline, the laughs and charm come in full.Phyllis Nefler (Long) is on the verge of divorce from her wealthy and successful husband Freddy (Craig T.
Phyllis can only do one thing, which is shop with her husband's money, but she flips the table and proves that she can lead a troop of young teenage girls to learn and enjoy the more normal things in life, such as things without caviar and a $10,000 price tag.
From selling cookies, planning local events, camping, and attending to annual wilderness hike, there is nothing that Phyllis and her Beverly Hills troop can't do.Director Jeff Kanew ('Revenge of the Nerds') doesn't change the game as far as new comedic stylings or adventure, but he does take a genuine approach with each character, giving every girl their own unique moment to shine.
Shelley Long is perfect in this role as the money-grubbing wife who learns to be a better person to herself and to her daughter, while keeping things light-hearted and very humorous.
And Betty Thomas as the evil Velda delivers each jab and put down with such comedic ferocity, that you can't help but laugh and hate her all at the same time.Even though 'Troop Beverly Hills' might be a tiny bit outdated with all the new technology that is out today, but with it's timeless charm, amazing characters, and great life-lessons, this film is surely to stick around for another thirty years..
Rule Number One: NEVER go to a movie with the phrase "Beverly Hills" in it. |
tt0025617 | The Painted Veil | On a brief trip back to London, earnest, bookish bacteriologist Walter Fane (Edward Norton) is dazzled by Kitty Garstin (Naomi Watts), a vain London socialite. He proposes; she accepts ("only to get as far away from [her] mother as possible"), and the couple honeymoon in Venice. They travel on to Walter's medical post in Shanghai, where he is stationed in a government lab studying infectious diseases. They find themselves ill-suited, with Kitty much more interested in parties and the social life of the British expatriates.
Kitty meets Charles Townsend (Liev Schreiber), a married British vice consul, and the two engage in a clandestine affair. When Walter discovers his wife's infidelity, he seeks to punish her by threatening to divorce her on the grounds of adultery, if she doesn't accompany him to a small village in a remote area of China. He has volunteered to treat victims of an unchecked cholera epidemic sweeping through the area. Kitty begs to be allowed to divorce him quietly, but he refuses, stating "Why should I put myself through the smallest trouble for you?" She hopes Townsend will leave his wife Dorothy and marry her. When she proposes this possibility to Charles, he declines to accept, despite earlier claiming to love Kitty.
She is compelled to travel to the mountainous inland region with her husband. They embark upon an arduous, two-week-long overland journey, which would be considerably faster and much easier if they traveled by river, but Walter is determined to make Kitty as unhappy and uncomfortable as possible. Upon their arrival in Mei-tan-fu, she is distressed to discover they will be living in near-squalor, far removed from everyone except their cheerful neighbor Waddington, a British deputy commissioner living with a young Chinese woman in relative opulence.
Walter and Kitty barely speak to each other and, except for a cook and a Chinese soldier assigned to guard her, she is alone for long hours. After visiting an orphanage run by a group of French nuns, Kitty volunteers her services, and she is assigned to work in the music room. She is surprised to learn from the Mother Superior that her husband loves children, especially babies. In this setting, she begins to see him in a new light as she learns what a selfless and caring person he can be. When he sees her with the children, he in turn realizes she is not the shallow, selfish person he thought her to be. As Walter's anger and Kitty's unhappiness subside, their marriage begins to blossom in the midst of the epidemic crisis. She soon learns she is pregnant, but is unsure who the father is. Walter – in love with Kitty again – assures her it doesn't matter.
The cholera epidemic takes many victims. As Walter and the locals are starting to get it under control, completely due to his importation of clean water through a system of aqueducts (as the local people did not understand water-borne infectious disease) cholera-carrying refugees from elsewhere pour into the area, forcing Walter to set up a camp outside town. He contracts the disease and Kitty lovingly nurses him, but he dies, and she is devastated. Bereft and pregnant, she leaves China.
Five years later, Kitty appears well-dressed and happy in London shopping with her young son Walter. They meet Townsend by chance on the street, and he suggests that Kitty meet with him. Asking young Walter his age, he realizes from the reply that he might be the boy's father. Kitty rejects his overtures and walks away. When her son asks who Townsend is, she replies "No one important, darling". | romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0056417 | The Road to Hong Kong | The story is told in flashback as Diane (Joan Collins) explains to American Intelligence how transmissions from passengers picked up from a missile to the moon are by Americans rather than Russians.
Harry Turner (Crosby) and Chester Babcock (Hope) are defrauding people in Calcutta by selling a "Do-it-yourself interplanetary flight kit" that ends up injuring Chester, giving him amnesia. An Indian doctor (Peter Sellers) says the only way for Chester's amnesia to be cured is through help from monks in a lamasery in Tibet.
At the airport, Chester mistakenly picks up a suitcase with a marking designed to be a point of contact between agents of a SPECTRE-type spy organization called "The Third Echelon." Diane (Colllins), a Third Echelon secret agent, is supposed to give plans of a Russian rocket fuel stolen by the Third Echelon to the man with the suitcase, who will be taking them to headquarters in Hong Kong. She mistakenly thinks Chester is the contact.
In Tibet, the two make their way to the lamasary in Lost Horizon fashion. Not only do the lamas cure Chester, but they have a Tibetan tea leaf that gives super memory powers to those who consume it. Chester and Harry observe as great works of Western literature in the manner of Fahrenheit 451 are committed to memory, one giggling lama (David Niven) memorizes Lady Chatterley's Lover. The scheming Harry decides to steal a bottle to give Chester the power of photographic memory for lucrative nefarious purposes.
Returning to Calcutta, followed by Diane, Harry has Chester test the results of the memory herb by memorizing the rocket formula that Diane placed in Chester's coat. Not knowing what it is, Harry destroys it after Chester has successfully memorized it. Diane arrives too late, but after seeing Chester recite the formula, she offers them $25,000 to meet her in Hong Kong. On the way to Hong Kong, an agent of the High Lama replaces the stolen Tibetan herbs with a similar bottle containing ordinary tea leaves.
The Third Echelon is seeking the fuel for its own spacecraft with an underwater launching pad in Hong Kong. The goal is to be the first on the moon, where a base is to be established to launch nuclear weapons against Earth and to bring survivors under the agency's control.
With a Russian launch to the moon carrying two apes imminent, the Third Echelon, which was going to emulate the Soviet achievement, decides to gain respect at the United Nations by launching two human astronauts, Chester and Harry, instead of apes. The two are used as guinea pigs (and fed with bananas) to test the capabilities of the spacecraft and the effects of spaceflight upon humans. The mission is successful, with moonlight bringing back Chester's photographic memory.
Diane decides to leave the Third Echelon when she discovers that once her colleagues have extracted the final formula from Chester, they plan to dissect Chester and Harry to see the effects of space travel on their bodies. Diane helps the boys escape. They are pursued through Hong Kong, eventually leading Diane to the authorities. Chester and Harry happen to meet Dorothy Lamour at a nightclub where they are recaptured by the Third Echelon.
Chester, Harry and Diane all end up in a rocket bound for another planet. They think they're alone after landing, but they're not—Chester calls out, "The Italians!" as they are joined by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. | flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0105792 | Waxwork II: Lost in Time | The film opens with a reenactment of final scenes of Waxwork, with Mark and Sarah leaving the burning waxwork (the part of Sarah having been recast from the first film). The disembodied zombie hand from the first film follows Sarah to her run-down flat and kills her stepfather with a hammer, a murder for which Sarah is blamed. No one believes her story about the evil waxwork.
In the hope of gathering evidence, Mark and Sarah visit the late Sir Wilfred's home, where they find a filmreel of Sir Wilfred speaking of his and Mark's grandfather's adventures and of the artifacts they collected together. A secret switch in Sir Wilfred's chessboard opens a door to a room full of objects where Mark and Sarah find a small compass-like device. They learn this device was used in history by light and dark angels to travel through another dimension consisting of stories that have become realities (including homages to Frankenstein, The Haunting, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dr. Jekyll, Alien, Godzilla, Jack the Ripper, Nosferatu, and Dawn of the Dead). According to exposition later given by Sir Wilfred in the form of a raven, these worlds comprise "God's video game," where God and the devil battle over the fate of the world, each victory being reflected in events occurring in the real world. When Mark or Sarah appear in each reality they take on the persona of characters in those stories, sometimes having their personalities and memories taken over by those characters until they regain their senses.
Mark plans to gather evidence of the reanimated dead to bring back to the real world as proof of Sarah's story in court. After several failed attempts and being lost in one world after another, they battle with an evil sorcerer and Mark is able to send Sarah home with an animated zombie hand as proof of her story. Unable to return with her, Mark instead arranges to have another compass delivered to Sarah after her trial ends so she can rejoin him. | murder, violence, cult, good versus evil, satire, romantic | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0156066 | Shake, Rattle & Roll | === Christmas Tree ===
Stephen (Nash Aguas), his mother Myrna (Gina Alajar), and his two sisters Hazel (Lovi Poe) and Eunice (Sophia Baars) planned to visit their Lola Susana (Boots Anson-Roa) during the Christmas Break. During the long journey, Stephen has a dream concerning his deceased father Chuck (Tonton Guttierez): He was running along a forest where he encounters his father's ghost, who encouraged him to be brave for he is the only male member of his family. Chuck's ghost morphed suddenly into a zombie, waking Stephen up, and receiving teases from his little sister.
Upon their arrival in Lola Susana's house, Jong (John Prats) had already erected their new Christmas Tree. It was over eight feet tall. Hazel even hypothesized that it came from the Amazon rainforest where its kind were a rare species. A day before the Christmas Eve, the family eagerly decorated it, making it look elegant. However, something eerie grips into the atmosphere. During a night stroll, Stephen noticed Elton John, Jong's parrot disappeared without a trace. Worse, even Eunice's giraffe doll was found torn in pieces, thus, blaming the latter's brother. Even Yaya Sonny (John Lapus) wonders why the Tree keeps getting tall.
Christmas Eve descended finally. After a sumptuous Christmas feast, the family was ready to sleep. However, Yaya Sonny, wanted to add a couple of Christmas balls. He noticed something strange within the leaves of the tree: green feathers, evidence that the tree supposedly "ate" Elton John. In a worse turn of fate, Sonny was tragically eaten by the Tree itself.
Things began to become tense. Stephen, having heard of the commotions downstairs, wakes his Ate Hazel to investigate. Jong then arrived to the scene next. The three witnessed the horrendous transformation of the Christmas Tree: All those times, there was a monstrous tree, that came from the deepest corners of an unknown jungle, dwelling within the leaves of the Tree itself. Before they could run, Jong was knocked out by the monster. Thinking he was dead, Hazel and Stephen raced to their mother's room, narrating them that the Christmas Tree was truly alive. Myrna dismisses Stephen's story, telling him there were no such things as monsters.
Myrna was wrong: Judging by the stomps heard in the stairs, the Christmas Tree was now upstairs. She peered on the door, only to find out that the monster tree was outside. Danger and tension prevailed over the next events. Myrna warned Lola Susana to stay in the room, while Hazel and Stephen make a diversion, tripping the Christmas Tree.
Hazel and Stephen rushed to the kitchen, while Lola Susana, Myrna and Eunice escaped to the car. Hazel found something: acid. Stephen also found his Uncle Jong unconscious on the floor. Acid will kill the tree. Stephen, having experienced being a baseball player, threw the bottles of acid, missing the first two. At his third turn, the acid went straight to the Tree's mouth, killing it.
=== Bangungot ===
Marionne (Roxanne Guinoo), a young and beautiful woman, falls in love with Jerome (Dennis Trillo). They fall in love and went on a date at an amusement park. However, a mysterious woman (Eugene Domingo) warns Marionne not to sleep otherwise she will die. Before the woman can exit the park, she encountered a red cloaked figure, that strangles her killing her in the process.
In her dorm, Marionne wakes startlingly, remembering it was a dream. Her office mate Tatin (Jaymee Joaquin) then saw her drawing a picture of the red-cloaked figure: the red-cloaked figure that strangled the woman in her dream. She remembered that her grandfather died of a bangungot (nightmare). Tatin said it was nonsense. Marionne, concerned for her grandfather's past, unlocked the latter's room. Shortly after she set foot, eerie things flew in the air.
The young woman was revealed to be a candle sales lady. She and Tatin have been friends. One day, her brother Tonton (Jayson Gainza) and a handsome man arrived at the shop. This man was Jerome: the same Jerome in Marionne's dream. The latter informed them that he will be leaving for one week; shockingly, he was engaged to a woman named Florence (Pauleen Luna), a fact that Marionne became jealous of.
Later on, a young girl (Andrea Torres) wants to order a large candle. Marionne notices the strange-looking parchment with strange words written in ink. She demands what is the girl's purpose for the candle. The latter said that if you want to dream of your love ones, and him to you, she must light a candle before sleeping, and chant the words in the parchment. But she must wake up before the candle is consumed otherwise she cannot leave the dream.
Eager to try this, Marionne kept the parchment and did as the girl said. After the ritual was performed, eerie events began to manifest to Jerome and Marionne. The red-cloaked figure reappeared and attempted to strangle the two. Thinking it was a hallucination, they both dismissed it.
Late at night, Marionne visited Jerome in the office, stating that she cannot sleep. She and Jerome began to hallucinate again: the phantom reappeared once more and tries to strangle them again. As they share a kiss of comfort, Florence appeared. Shocked by what she saw, she too was nearly strangled by the phantom, but was comforted by Jerome. Seeing this, Marionne cannot stand this, making her chase the two.
Jerome and Florence walked out of the shop, finally ending up in the peak of an overpass. Florence stumbled and she cannot walk. Meanwhile, the phantom once again reappeared, this time, Jerome confronts it and they both jumped off the overpass. Florence discovered that she too was dreaming.
Marionne, having witnessed of the events before, rushed into the hospital, where she reveals the shocking truth: she and Jerome entered a near-death state already after the spell was performed; this explains why Tonton, Florence and Tatin could not feel Marionne's presence. Florence told them everything, and so as Tatin: in a flashback, Marionne's astral projection saw herself performing the spell, afterwards, she collapsed in her bed, apparently dying. Tatin shook and jerked her up but she would not wake up. Florence's story matched Tatin's: the former found her fiancé hunched in the table but he was in the brink of death in his sleep. Another thing is: Marionne's grandfather did not die of a nightmare, but of a heart attack and the events happening now is only a bangungot for Marionne. Jerome, who was on a critical state, dreams of Marionne hugging him very tightly; it was revealed that Marionne was the bangungot all along. As Marionne and Jerome realize this, Florence cries and asks Jerome to wake up. Jerome tries his best, but Marrione holds him down, determined to spend the eternity with the man she love, but does not love her back. Marionne eventually dies, followed by a struggling Jerome.
=== Engkanto ===
A teenage gothic band heads for a gig in a remote province. During the long journey, not many of the young band members talked too much, while, their manager Hans (Jojo Alejar) keeps complaining why he's the one who should drive. Meanwhile, Tonee (Jewel Mische) and Ian (Felix Roco), who were long-estranged couple, ignored each other. Vince (Mart Escudero), the band's leader and Richard (Matt Evans) have a small commotion, only to be stopped by Vince's ex-girlfriend Dang (Melissa Ricks).
The group stopped into a small store beside the road. The others decided to relax while Vince and Dang disappeared from view. The two latter confronted each other; Vince revealed he will be leaving them soon, a fact that Dang objects strongly.
Back at the store, Lucio (Nanding Josef), a local townsfolk, warned them to stay in sight, for they might be kidnapped by an engkanto (forest guardian in Filipino mythology). He then told of the story of his son Paeng (Sam Concepcion): the latter was gathering firewood when he was suddenly grabbed by someone or something. He then also explained that the engkanto was the reason why they are lost in the middle of nowhere.
Worse, the bus ran out of gas, forcing the band to take refuge in an abandoned resort. Dang, Ian and Tonee then encountered a young and beautiful woman clad in white. Tonee and Ian asked where is the beach. They followed the woman's directions but were lost. Tonee lost her temper but Ian wants to court the young woman. Accidentally, he was bitten by the woman, who revealed to be the engkanto (Katrina Halili).
Vince then encountered Paeng, the aforementioned boy who was kidnapped by the engkanto. He, Dang and Richard demanded that who did this to him and who is this. As they speak, the engkanto summoned her slaves to hunt the band down. Hans, who was looking for gas, was bitten. Meanwhile, Dang met a retreating Tonee informing the former that Ian was killed by the engkanto and made her slave. Sadly, Tonee too was choked to death.
Paeng and Vince then lured the slaves to the beach, discovering they fear water. They formulated a plan: he and Dang will ward off the slaves while Paeng, Richard and Tikoy (Hector Macaso) refilled the bus's gas. Paeng then noticed the tree beside them; this was supposed to be the engkanto's lair. They must burn it to kill the engkanto.
The engkanto, who stopped in her tracks for she fears water, rushes to Richard and choked him hardly. The young man can hear what the latter was saying: he (Richard) was the one she need. Paeng, meanwhile tossed the matches in the air, burning the tree and killing the engkanto.
With all things seem to be alright, the remaining band members visit Paeng's home where his father warmly welcomed him. But, something in their plans went horribly wrong: Mang Lucio informs them that destroying an engkanto's home will not kill her, but only leave her temporarily homeless. She will only move into a new dwelling, for she is a spirit of the nature. Mang Lucio was right: Richard was kidnapped by the reanimated engkanto and was never seen again. The next day in the resort, the surviving slave of the engkanto, that was hidden in the box, survived. | revenge | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0031826 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex | The Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn) returns in triumph to London after having dealt the Spanish a crushing naval defeat at Cadiz. In London, an aging Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis) awaits him with love, but also with fear, because of his popularity with the commoners and his consuming ambition. His envious rivals include Sir Robert Cecil (Henry Daniell), Lord Burghley (Henry Stephenson), and Sir Walter Raleigh (Vincent Price). His only friend at court is Francis Bacon (Donald Crisp).
Instead of the praise he is expecting, Essex is stunned when Elizabeth criticizes him for his failure to capture the Spanish treasure fleet as he had promised. When his co-commanders are rewarded, Essex protests, precipitating a break between the lovers. He leaves for his estates.
Elizabeth pines for him, but refuses to degrade herself by recalling him. But when Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone (Alan Hale, Sr.) revolts and routs the English forces in Ireland, the Queen has the excuse she needs to summon Essex. She intends to make him Master of the Ordnance, a safe position at court. However, his enemies goad him into taking command of the army to be sent to quash the rebellion.
Essex pursues Tyrone, though his letters to Elizabeth begging for much-needed men and supplies go unanswered. Unbeknownst to him, his letters to her, and hers to him, are being intercepted by Lady Penelope Grey (Olivia de Havilland), a lady-in-waiting who loves him herself. Finally, Elizabeth, believing herself to be scorned, sends him an order to disband his army and return to London. Furious, Essex ignores it, orders a night march and thinks he has finally cornered his foe. However, at a parley, Tyrone points out the smoke rising from the English camp, signifying the destruction of the food and ammunition the English army needs. With no alternative, Essex accepts Tyrone's terms; he and his men disarm and sail back to England.
Thinking he has been betrayed, he leads his army in a march on London, to seize the crown for himself. Elizabeth offers no resistance to his forces, but once alone with him, convinces him that she will accept joint rule of the kingdom. He then naively disbands his army and is quickly arrested and condemned to death.
The day of his execution, Elizabeth can wait no longer. She summons him, hoping he will abandon his ambition in return for his life (which she is eager to grant). However, Essex tells her that he will always be a danger to her, and walks to the chopping block. | intrigue | train | wikipedia | She walks the razor's edge of lonely command and tormented despair.DeHavilland's Penelope is a pivotal character whose envy of the queen and discounting by Essex drives her to attempt to destroy their relationship but finally realises where her loyalties lie.But the highlight of the film is the intimate exchanges between Essex and Elizabeth that bring out the very best and the very worst in each as they explore their true intentions and their boundaries.
And the dramatic finale is truly heart-wrenching when Essex becomes the true unselfish hero Elizabeth has been seeking upon finally realising what he would do to England if he shared her throne and that even Elizabeth herself is prepared to sacrifice everything she holds most dear for the man she desperately loves.They just don't write movies like this any more and it is an excellent example of a masterpiece that can never age..
Until her death, at 81, in 1989, screen legend Bette Davis would express a combination of bitterness and disappointment over the Maxwell Anderson play that came to the screen as THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX.
ELIZABETH THE QUEEN was a Broadway sensation, but the studio was reluctant to gamble on it; the few Hollywood attempts to do royal epics had failed (MARY OF Scotland, with Katharine Hepburn in the lead, and John Ford directing, had been a major flop, and helped the actress gain the title 'Box Office Poison'), and it appeared that only the British could make this kind of film work.Nevertheless, when your biggest (and most headstrong) female star wants something, you GET it for her, so the rights were purchased, and ELIZABETH THE QUEEN was announced as 'prestige' production to be filmed with Davis as the lead.
Then the problems began...For the pivotal role of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, the ambitious lover who nearly costs Elizabeth her crown, Davis wanted Laurence Olivier, who, at 32, had already established himself as one of the finest actors on two continents.
That the film 'worked' at all was a testament to Davis' perseverance, the glorious Technicolor-filmed sets, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold's spectacular musical score.THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX garnered mixed reviews for Davis (although she would be praised for how convincingly she portrayed the much older woman), and terrible ones, for Flynn (which would be used against him, in future, whenever he asked for more substantial roles).Davis would again play Elizabeth, 16 years later, in the British production, THE VIRGIN QUEEN, but she never lost her resentment over the failure of the earlier film.In a year of 'classics', THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX would be an exception!.
It concerns her involvement with Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, a last foolish gesture on the part of a great monarch.Davis hated working with Errol Flynn since doing The Sisters with him a year earlier.
Cecil's greatest contribution to English history was to come two years later when Elizabeth died, it's due to him that there was an orderly transition from the House of Tudor to the House of Stuart.My favorite performance in this film is that of Alan Hale as Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone who led the Irish rebellion against the English at that time.
In the end Bacon gives up on Essex and just switches sides, lest he be brought down with him.So what we have here is Bette Davis giving a great performance with a leading man she detested and Flynn trying desperately to breathe life and heroism into a character who wasn't terribly heroic.
Watching the newly restored DVD version of THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX gives this viewer a new appreciation of the lavish attention to detail in sets, costumes--and even the performances surrounding BETTE DAVIS in her showcase role as the Queen who is unwilling to let the ambitious Earl of Essex share her throne.
And yet, despite all the rich atmosphere of court settings, the performances stand out as uniquely individual characterizations, thanks to Michael Curtiz's firm direction.ERROL FLYNN, despite a few weaker scenes in the film's final moments, does a sterling job as Essex, matching Davis' fiery temperament with a strong display of courage, cunning and nobility as Essex.OLIVIA de HAVILLAND, while demoted to a supporting role by Jack Warner (who never forgave her for outwitting him in her move to play a loan-out role as Melanie in GWTW), is breathtakingly gorgeous and shows that beneath that demure surface lurked an actress with sparks of her own to share with Davis.The glittering supporting cast includes such stalwarts as Vincent Price (handsomely attired as Sir Walter Raleigh), Henry Stephenson, Donald Crisp--and in an uncredited role as a member of the Queen's guard, John Sutton.
Notable in a small but effective scene is Nanette Fabray, at the very start of her career on screen.Not historically accurate as far as Maxwell Anderson's legend goes (there was no romance between Elizabeth and Essex), but this is a fascinating version of his stage play, "Elizabeth the Queen".Alan Hale does a superb job in a brief role as Tyrone (with Irish accent), cast as Errol's foe for a change.
But all in all, it captures the court intrigue and sympathetically reveals the demands that a Queen must face when her throne is challenged by men just as ambitious (and ruthless) as she is to rule.Director Michael Curtiz keeps things visually stirring throughout, as is his customary practice.A final note: It cannot be emphasized enough that the new DVD version brings out all of the detailed splendor of sets, costumes and photography and makes it all the more compelling to watch.
Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson, Nanette Fabray and Herny Daniell, among others, support the two stars well.Ultimately this was one of the best films Bette Davis graced with her appearance.
Her Elizabeth was so unlike what I've come to expect from Davis that it was like seeing her for the first time.Flynn, of course, is Flynn, and I refuse to say anything bad about a guy as handsome as him that wears thigh-high boots throughout the movie.I thought the script was intelligent, the dialogue realistic, and the pacing pretty good.
Errol Flynn isn't as bad in his playing of Essex as many are led to believe, certainly, he didn't equal Davis as a thespian, but he lends the film his energy, looks and finesse.
That and his stiff characterizations are major roadblocks to enjoying his work.But he was flying high in 1939, when Warner Brothers purchased the film rights for ELIZABETH THE QUEEN for Bette Davis at Davis' urging.
While Flynn's performance isn't bad it looks positively bland when compared to Bette Davis's superlative performance as the ageing Queen Elizabeth I.
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex has the setting and some of the style of an Errol Flynn swashbuckler, but really it has more in common with Curtiz's later classic Casablanca a bittersweet romance concerning the conflict between love and duty.Curtiz and his screenwriters actually throw us a fair few red herrings at the start of the picture.
De Havilland was being given a warning by Warner Brothers (no pun intended) after being loaned out to the Selznick studio for Gone With The Wind, and her appearance here was only in a supporting role.The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is a rather unique love story.
It's not as moving as Casablanca, and those looking for Errol Flynn swashbuckling excitement will be disappointed, but it's well worth watching for Bette Davis' acting talent and Michael Curtiz's lavish Technicolor wizardry..
Intense performances by the principle players highlight this historical movie focusing on the affair between an aging Elizabeth I and a young,arrogant and shallow nobleman, Essex.Shot in early Technicolor, the movie is lovely to look at and Korngold's lush score softens the impression that this is quite a talky piece.
It is fairly obvious from the start that Bette Davis did not want Errol Flynn as her partner/lover in this movie, and it is just as obvious that Jack Warner punished Olivia de Havilland for doing "Gone With the Wind" by giving her what is really a minor role here.
The supporting cast is chock FULL of other recognizable and delightful actors - with Olivia de Havilland adding some lustful looks.Suspend the questions about how the characters' motivations could possibly happen; and, how events like Flynn's army becoming powerless in an instant could possible occur - this is a film for appreciators of director Michael Curtiz' cast.
******** The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (9/27/39) Michael Curtiz ~ Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland.
I have little interest in old-time stars like Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.
Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The (1939) *** 1/2 (out of 4) An elderly Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis) and the younger Essex (Errol Flynn) battle their hatred through their wild passion for one another in this historical drama, while not accurate, still manages to hit all the right marks.
Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Vincent Price, Alan Hale and Henry Daniell all deliver wonderful performances but even they look poor next to Davis who is absolutely remarkable.
Featuring sumptuous color cinematography and production design, the film is headlined by a grand, deliciously brittle Bette Davis performance as hot-tempered Queen Elizabeth I, presiding over England in 1596 and battling with sometime-lover Lord Essex (Errol Flynn) during England's war with Spain.
Warner Brothers went all out on this opulent production of "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex," a 1939 film starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Nanette Fabray, Alan Hale, Vincent Price, and Henry Daniell.
The film is the story of the volatile love affair between Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex and how court politics and ambition thwarted it.Other reviewers have talked about the behind the scenes aspects.
It probably was a role she felt close to - she was not considered any great beauty by Hollywood standards, and like many celebrities, she walked the line between her personal and professional life and it often zig-zagged.One can certainly see how Elizabeth would have been in love with the Essex of Errol Flynn.
The rest of the cast is top-notch, with veterans like Crisp, Daniell, Price and Hale."The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" is a gorgeous film to look at.
It's a good movie - but I would like to see a film of Davis, Flynn, Jack Warner and director Curtiz when they thought the cameras weren't rolling..
Greatly enjoyed this great film classic with Betty Davis, ( Queen Elizabeth 1) and Robert Devereux of Essex, (Errol Flynn) who both loved each other in many ways and at times they both hated each other and their relationship was constant fighting.
There was a lot of tension between Flynn and Davis on the set and this translates well in the film, bringing an electric air between the Queen and Essex.This role took a lot of guts to play.
A love story really, between two "heavyweights": Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) and the Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn).
Olivia de Havilland plays a lady in Elizabeth's court who adores Essex, even after she discovers that his love is for the Queen only, though she's unknowingly used by Daniell's character against him.
In a year that arguably saw Hollywood at its zenith came this opulent Technicolor re-staging of the antagonistic love affair between an aging Queen Elizabeth I and the dashing young Lord of Essex.
It may be more hokum than history, but underneath all the studio pageantry is a compelling drama of power and pride, with a tense, meticulous performance by Bette Davis as the bitter, lonely queen, whose first loyalty, even in love, was to her throne.
Under Michael Curtiz's direction (still before his world fame with CASABLANCA), a solid period drama evokes where necessities of filmmaking transcend those of historical accuracy.Treated solely as a screen achievement and no basis for any history analysis, the film's greatest strengths lie in ACTING, MUSIC SCORE and VISUALS.ACTING: BETTE DAVIS: The dramatic resonance of the story is not achieved so well thanks to its source (a stage play by Maxwell Anderson) but, above all, thanks to the acting of great caliber by Bette Davis and her difficult (not to say doomed) collaboration with her male co-star.
But this did not stop Bette Davis to portray a neurotic character in an excellent way.ERROL FLYNN: Because of the requirements of the drama and the inevitable focus on the queen, Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex becomes a 'playboy' of the story who does not fully restrain the temptation of 'counting too much on queen's loves' (with reference to Lord Bacon's advice).
There are only a few minor sequences depicting Essex trying to overthrow rebels in Ireland, while the rest takes place in the palace between Essex and his queen, Elizabeth I.Playing these two lovers are two of the finest actors of Hollywood's Golden Age: Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.
Despite the costumes and settings being marvelous and epic in scale and beauty, the true center of each scene and the film belongs to Davis and Flynn, who despite not caring for one another are able to conquer it and convince us that these two did love each other.
The film was made in color (a rarity at that time), starred two of the studios biggest stars (Bette Davis and Errol Flynn), had an excellent supporting cast (including Henry Danielle, Vincent Price, Olivia DeHavilland and Donald Crisp) and was directed by the great Michael Curtiz.
Flynn's character is a lot like the one in THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX except he's given much more to do and doesn't seem so whiny.Given the overall quality of the production, the film still earns a 6--but with all these ingredients is should have been much, much better..
However, this is the only one with Errol Flynn, which depending on one's point of view makes it either worth seeing or worth staying away from.Mostly, Miss Davis' costar is a capable actor, and anyone who may have doubts about that should look no further than his death scene as the Earl of Essex.
Perhaps it is because the two lead actors do not exactly register the sort of romantic chemistry this story requires.Olivia De Havilland, usually cast as Mr. Flynn's love interest in the studio's other costume dramas, is given the supporting part of Lady Penelope Gray.
His co-star Bette Davis wanted Laurence Olivier in the role, but she was overruled by the studio, Warner Brothers, and possibly also by director Michael Curtiz, who had made several earlier films with Flynn.
In 1939 she was 31 (only one year older than Flynn); at the time of Essex's death in 1601 Queen Elizabeth was 68 and, try as she might, Davis was not yet ready to play a woman in her late sixties.
"The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" has some good points; it is visually attractive and there is an excellent orchestral score by Erich Korngold, if not quite as famous as the one he was later to write for another Flynn film, "The Sea Hawk".
"Queen" Bette Davis In A Great Film.
The Private Lives Of Elizabeth And Essex (1939): Starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Donald Crisp, Vincent Price, Alan Hale, Leo G.
Stanford Jolley....Director Michael Curtiz, Screenplay Norman Reilly Raine and Aeneas MacKenzie, Based On The Play "Elizabeth The Queen" by Maxwell Anderson."There is another love, greater than the one I have for you- England".......From 1939, a big year for the movies, "The Private Lives of Elizabeth And Essex", directed by Michael Curtiz, was another successful film for Warner Bros.
Flynn and Davis were essentially the Queen Elizabeth and Earl of Essex of Hollywood and therefore they actually did butt heads and quarrel on the set of this film.
Bette Davis gives a herky-jerky performance as the 66 year old Queen Elizabeth, madly and passionately in love with the much younger Essex (Errol Flynn).
The film charts a tumultuous affair between Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) and the ravenous fortune hunter turned lover - who might be King - Robert Devereux (Errol Flynn), the Earl of Essex.
In the final analysis, "The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex" is much more of a Bette Davis flick than an Errol Flynn swashbuckler though he's given ample purpose to don tights and do battle for the sake of queen and country.
Errol Flynn and Bette Davis put on great performances as Robert Devereaux (the Earl of Essex) and Queen Elizabeth I in this story of sixteenth century love and court intrigue.The essence of the historical era is well captured.
Bette Davis is Elizabeth I, desperately in love with the dashing younger Lord Essex, Errol Flynn, who loves her deeply in return but whose character is tainted with ambition to share the throne.
Bette is mesmerizing as she is playing Elizabeth when she was later in her reign, near the age of 60 (though Ms Davis was only 30 yrs old when she played this role) & was hopelessly in love with Lord Essex, played quite wonderfully by the gorgeous Errol Flynn.
Only in her 30's when she played the part, Davis became Queen Elizabeth, just as other actresses as worthy as her have done two or more times.
is how Errol Flynn indicts Bette "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?" Davis when she refuses to abdicate as Queen of Tinsel Town toward the end of THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX.
Bette Davis plays Queen Elizabeth I.
They are so melancholy and over done.Bette Davis, looking ever so lovely as the Queen, never even starts to perform like she did in so many other films.
The movie stars Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth in one the best performances of her career and Errol Flynn in his best work in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" in the previous year. |
tt0093072 | The Garbage Pail Kids Movie | A garbage can spaceship is seen flying near Earth. The same garbage can is then shown inside an antique shop owned by Captain Manzini. A boy named Dodger is being assaulted by four older teenage bullies in a park. Juice, the leader, steals Dodger's money and drops him in a puddle. Dodger goes to Manzini's antique shop where he works. Manzini takes Dodger's clothes and cleans them while warning him to stay away from the garbage can. Later, Dodger sees Tangerine, Juice's girlfriend, who seems to be the most compassionate one towards Dodger, and tries to persuade her to buy something. Dodger is attracted to Tangerine and covertly smells her hair while she is distracted. The other bullies enter the shop and attempt to rough up Dodger again, but he manages to outwit them. However, amidst the tussle, the garbage can is knocked over. The bullies then bring Dodger into a sewer, handcuff him to a rail, and open a sewage pipe on him. Dodger is saved by little mysterious people named the Garbage Pail Kids.
Manzini returns and is upset that the Garbage Pail Kids have been released from their can, but introduces Dodger to each of them: Greaser Greg is a leather jacket-clad greaser with a violent attitude; Messy Tessie is a girl with a constantly runny nose; Windy Winston is an insane boy who wears a Hawaiian shirt and often farts violently; Valerie Vomit is a girl who throws up on command; Foul Phil is a whining hungry baby with halitosis who constantly asks characters if they are his "mommy" or "daddy"; Nat Nerd is an obese acne-riddled boy who poorly dresses up like a superhero and wets his pants frequently; and Ali Gator, the group's natural leader, is an anthropomorphic half person/half alligator who has an appetite for human toes. Manzini explains that the kids are forbidden from going in public, because they'll be attacked by the "normies" (normal people), and that he can't get the kids to go back into the garbage can without magic.
The next day, Dodger goes with Tangerine to a night club where she sells clothes she designed herself. Dodger behaves awkwardly when Tangerine removes her shirt to sell it. Dodger then hides when Juice shows up. Meanwhile, the Kids then steal a Pepsi truck, flatten Juice's car with it, and then have a camp fire in an alley with stolen food. The next morning, the Garbage Pail Kids recover from hangovers and give Dodger a jacket they sewed. The jacket impresses Tangerine who asks Dodger to get more clothes so she can sell them. The Kids make more clothes for Dodger after stealing a sewing machine and singing a song about working together but then get bored and decide to wear disguises to go out in public. Valerie, Phil, Greg, Nat and Tessie go to a theater playing Three Stooges shorts and behave obnoxiously. Ali and Winston go to a bar where they start a fight with bikers, who are soon won over by the Kids' heroics, in which they celebrate with beers. Tangerine sells the clothes and begins to prepare for a fashion show based on them. She meets the Kids and is repulsed by them, but realizes she can take advantage of their designs.
The night of the fashion show, Tangerine locks the Kids in the basement of the antique shop so that they don't escape, and soon, they are captured by Juice and his gang who bring them to the State Home for the Ugly, a prison where people too ugly for society are brought and executed. People there include the "too fat" Santa Claus, the "too bald" Gandhi, and the "too skinny" Abraham Lincoln. Manzini and Dodger help them escape and head to the fashion show. The Garbage Pail Kids trash the fashion show and rip the clothes off the models, while Dodger gets in a fight with Juice. Juice and his gang are later arrested and it is implied that they may now finally be locked away in prison for a good while. Later that night, Tangerine apologizes to Dodger and asks to be his friend, but Dodger doesn't accept her apology for her greed. Captain tries to sing the Garbage Pail Kids' song backwards to coax them back into the garbage can, but the Kids sneak out and ride stolen ATVs away to cause more havoc. | cult, humor | train | wikipedia | I decided to find this movie and watch it because I hadn't seen it since it first come out, and I was sure I enjoyed it as a kid- What was wrong with me!!!
As a lover of movies, I sat down to see The Garbage Pail Kids Movie after hearing from so many people how bad it was.
The humour was also very grotesque, I know the cards are quite grotesque, and movies like Freddy Got Fingered had grotesque and very unsubtle humour, but The Garbage Pail Kids Movie takes the whole meaning of the word "grotesque" to a whole new level and in a bad way.
Juice and Tangerine are underdeveloped and clichéd, and Ali Gator, Greaser Greg and Nat Nerd are unlikeable and I think ugly characters with voices that have haunted me in my sleep since seeing the movie last night.
Like many movies based on TV shows or toys, they just made up a bull crap plot line that is incredibly hard to follow, not because its bad, but because most of those in the theater are probably throwing up or cringing.That being said the film is GROSS.
Now I know the cards are gross, but the film apparently thought that no one else knew that so they constantly remind us that the garbage pail kids are INCREDIBLY gross by having them fart, eat toes, play with snot, pee on the ground, you name it.
Yes, I know the kids are supposed to be ugly, but they gave me quite an uncomfortable feeling through out the film, but the awkwardness is made worst by the fact that there's PEOPLE in this costumes, allowing for more creepiness.I'm amazed that this movie did not appear on At the Movies with Siskel and Ebert, because this is easily worse than North or BattleField Earth.
Thank God I Grew Up. The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) 1/2 (out of 4) I must admit that I was seven years old when this movie came out.
I believe I watched it a couple more times when it first hit VHS but I haven't seen it since....until this latest viewing.What did I think of the film twenty-two years after being a kid who loved it?
The story pretty much as the Garbage Pail Kids coming to the aid of a weak boy (Mackenzie Astin) who might just be getting taken advantage of by a girl (Katie Barberi) he has a crush on.
The term "bad special effects" does not even begin to cover the creepiness of the Garbage Pail kids themselves, with creepy corpse-like eyes and gaping mouths.
Their ugly physical appearances are matched by their horrible inner appearances, spending the entire movie stealing, looting, vandalizing vehicles, beating up random people in a bar, puking on people, and other such rude acts that would land any other person in jail (and these are the heroes).2) This movie seriously piles on one unfunny potty-joke after another, making many people sick to their stomachs from all the gross-out humor.
I'm sure some people might think it's *hilarious* to see random pedestrians being covered in projectile vomit or see the zit-covered nerdy Garbage Pail kid pee his pants for the twentieth time, but I personally find this humor WAY to nauseating for my tastes.3) The message of the movie is SERIOUSLY contradictory to what we our shown, with the message being to not judge others on their physical appearances and to instead look at what is inside each person.
Some people might actually like this film, but I personally suggest that you don't even give this painful movie a second glance before running for the hills..
I'm also very generous in my reviews (I gave Troll 2 a 5/10 for goodness sake!) but there is no comparison, this movie is by far the worst thing in film history.
This ranks as one of the worst movies ever made.It's even worse than Plan 9 from outer space ,Tank girl ,Good burger ,Ricky 1 and Bratz.I almost passed out when watching this.It's so horrible even my DVD player tried not to play it.The memories of cinematic awfulness will haunt me until I die and probably beyond the grave to.A movie based on a card game can never be good.Which is why this should never of been made in the first place!!Even the title is lame.It does not even qualify as a movie.Every day I wish this never existed..
I subjected them to everything from 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' to 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'My piece dah rezistence was 'The Garbage Pail Kids Movie'.This movie is so bad, it is almost impossible to find.It makes 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 look like Citizen Kane'.Please release this on DVD.
When going through Nostalgia Critic Month, I guess it's only fitting that I would be watching what Doug himself considers to be the worst movie ever made, the Garbage Pail Kids Movie.
I actually myself wished that the Critic would review it in the early days and I got what I wanted.I remember watching his review and immediately thinking that this was the worst movie he had ever reviewed and I knew he'd say it was.
It does look like we're going to see more of the Garbage Pail Kids as they reference some others.
They were so popular that someone somewhere thought, "What if we took this shallow concept completely dependent on making fun of another property and turn it into a feature length film?" It's notable that the Cabbage Patch people never actually tried to go that far (or at least, never succeeded).What we got was an ill-conceived dumpster fire that is an abject failure in every way conceivable.
The Garbage Pail Kids sing a song, that means somebody had to come up with lyrics and music, like that was some one's life and all that's left to mark its place is a hideous song devoid of beauty or feeling.
Literally all the movie needed to be was a list of all and a description of each Garbage Pail Kid, almost like a wildlife documentary.
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie is a 1987 Cult Film Directed By Rod Amateau.
The main Garbage Pail Kids each have their own unique disgusting traits, like farting, puking, peeing, popping pimples, looking like an alligator, etc.
I think the worst funniest part of the movie is where the kids sing that "we can do anything by working with each other" as they steal machines to help Dodger impress Tangerine (Her boyfriend's name is Juice).
Greaser Greg was the most praised of the GPKs, unfortunately kids are supposed to look up to him, i'm pretty sure he pulls out a switchblade on people at least 6 times in the movie, great example.
And the Garbage Pail Kids were pretty cool, since they came in the form us trading cards, and they were characters with all sorts of crude powers or characteristics, however you want to define it.
As many viewers have already commented, I would rate this somewhere lower than much of the junk films on the bottom 100 list on IMDb.There was a Garbage Pail Kids cartoon that was to be aired on CBS in 1988, the year after this movie was released.
Why did that biker gang punk always throw him in the mud---as if he couldn't take the kid's money in an easier way.Don't watch this movie unless you first rid yourself of any type of analytical state of mind.
I certainly wouldn't say this movie is a classic, even having been one of the children that collected the disgusting gross-out Garbage Pail Kids cards.
If I was going to watch a movie like that, I'd rather stick with the somewhat amusing "Meet the Feebles." No, "Garbage Pail Kids" is not a great movie, but it's definitely not the worst I've ever seen.
I remember actually finding the movie to be hilarious when i was eight years old..the superficial 90's made me view it again..This time watching it in the 90's, i realized that i must have been in a crack induced coma to have liked this in this in the past!
Dodger must confront the struggles of life as he is visited by the Garbage Pail Kids and intimidated by some older bullies.Although apparently later owned by Orion and then MGM, this film was originally produced and distributed by Atlantic Entertainment Group.
Caryn James of The New York Times called the film "too repulsive for children or adults of any age", and it sits very, very low on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb. This abysmal (and fair) criticism aside, 2015-2016 welcomed a small resurgence of Garbage Pail Kids, with new cards coming out, and a very positive retrospective written in HorrorHound magazine.
A lower-lever trading card such as the Garbage Pail Kids is hardly likely to make great cinema.
If this sort of thing cannot appeal to you (I have broad tastes and I'm a bit too understanding of flawed films) then don't even bother watching.I wanted to rent this movie when I was a kid but my grandmother (who always evaluated the videos first) thought it looked quite inappropriate (I subsequently went for Rambo: First Blood Part II, which she thought was more fitting for a 7-year-old).
Luckily (if you like this sort of thing) MGM bought the rights, found a dusty print and spruced it up to give us a brand new digital incarnation of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie is certainly nothing like The Dark Crystal or even Ewoks: Caravan of Courage.
This movie has it all; the hunt to save the Garbage Pail Kids from the "State Home for the Ugly," flat-chested fat girl gangs, homo-biker groups and special effects that can be made under anybody's kitchen sick.
The "kids" all look retarded because they can't close their mouths and the same goes for the wimpy fellow (Mackenzie Astin) who befriends the puppets who continually piss on themselves, vomit and "want to party." This trash-movie was solely pushed towards pimply-faced twelve-year-olds in 1987.
If You Liked This Then You Probably Relate To Living In A Garbage Can. This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
Having watched "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie", I should feel as if I've lost my appetite forever.
The Garbage Pail Kids film is about fashionable clothing!
More disgusting than the pathetically tame Garbage Pail Kids who, and I'm not making this up, actually have a sing-along number wherein they sing about the joys and benefits of teamwork and helping people.
Honestly, what little boy who enjoyed little cards of pudgy little girls bleeding to death and disgusting corpses doing stuff would want to watch a puny little movie about teamwork, loving the ugly, and 80's fashion?
My mom had picked me and my sisters up a bunch of the cards at the flea market and when she gave them to me I did not know who the heck they were but she told me I loved them when I was little.Just a few days ago I was flicking threw channels and came across The Garbage Pail Kids movie so decided to watch it and I think it is OK and my 18 month old son and 4 year old cousin loved it.It is something that I would not mind seeing again but not something I would watch over over but I do think I'm going to go buy the movie for my son and my little cousin because they seemed to like it a lot.Also I have something to say to Tyler from Canada.
The fact that this movie is based on the Garbage Pail Kids trading card decks makes all the more hateful.
The character motives from the bullies, since they do appear in most movies sadly, are stupid, the timelines don't add up, the acting is mediocre, and the puppets look like they came from Jim Henson Productions, and put into the microwave when they arrived.
The movie takes an even weirder turn as the GPK turn out to be excellent at designing gaudy '80s fashions, which helps the kid impress an older girl he likes.
We're in some kind of "elves and the shoemaker" story now so it's best just to stop talking about the plot before we get a headache.The Garbage Pail Kids sticker cards were a huge part of my childhood, particularly around the age of 7 or 8.
The garbage pail kids looked exactly like the ones from the trading cards.
What kind of those names did those stupid writers come up with for human characters.), the garbage pail kids can easily sew some clothes, and more.The sets are lame and so hideous.
It also has some generic, uninspiring, and lifeless music and the song "We Can Do Anything" was terrible and a "Heigh-Ho" knockoff.Overall, The Garbage Pail Kids Movie is without a doubt one of the worst movies in the history in cinema and pure trash.
That dubious honor goes to "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie," which started as a Topps Trading Card set that was a parody of the chunky, cherubic Cabbage Patch Kids.
I mean were suppose to like the garbage pail kids and I just wanted them to go away.
If you were a boy growing up in the 1980s, you likely collected the Garbage Pail Kids trading cards.
To make an effective Garbage Pail Kids movie, I'm thinking it would have had to have been very surreal, and much much more grotesque.
So instead, you get a really bad story about some kid who likes an older chick who is a fashion designer, and wants to impress her.
A complete disgrace of the Garbage Pail Kids cards, and of movies as well!.
"The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" does all of that!
A powerful depiction of a herd of children's coming of age, The Garbage Pail Kid's Movie is difficult to watch, but more difficult to dismiss.
last year i received it as a valentine present and its the best yet my children sit and watch it with me and although the quality's not up to much and acting is to be laughed at i cant but love it with all my heart.many a Sunday i would watch garbage pail kids and wished i had my own snot filled toe eating pooping clothes designers, but Alas i never did and why were the bullies in the film about 30 years old??
Guilty Pleasure or Not. I remember seeing this flick when I was a kid years ago and recently seeing it on DVD brought back the old memories of collecting the old trading cards featuring everybody's favorite GPK Adam Bombhead.The movie has its good qualities like the characters, the plot, and believe it on not the puppet work on the Garbage Pail Kids.
it took me 2 years to find a copy and wuz worth the wait.hated by many people,the garbage pail kids movie is actually a good.yes the plot needs some working,but what do you accept from a movie based on some cool trading cards.the acting is very good i think mackenzie astin and anthony newly did well and katie barbi as the good/bad tangerine was pretty good.the garbage pail kids make-up was good even though some goofs were spotted(hint:the hands).its a typical plot boy meets girl,gross kids help boy imprise girl by making clothes etc.its a dumb plot but ignore it and you will do fine.it was a big faliure at the theatres(1 million only)but many kids enjoy.adults will hate it though.so sit down grab some popcorn and watch the movie of the garbage pail kids!9 out of 10!!!.
There are bad movies, and then there are the Garbage Pail Kids.
The owner (Anthony Newley, the only person who looks like he's trying) says to this kid not to open a Garbage pail and compares it to Pandora's Box. When he gets bullied by the thirty year olds again (Seriously!
I love The Garbage Pail Kids Movie!!!
I have loved the Garbage Pail Kids since 1985 when the sticker cards came out.
"The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" is about those would-be lovable titled dolls (which I hated back in those days as well) and their misadventures outside of the trash world.
A film that wasn't very good on it's own, but when you look at the fact that it came from some of the best (and now) classic trading cards, you have to wonder, can the movies called a CLASSIC?
It's a movie about the hugely popular trading card characters, The Garbage Pail Kids.
If you hate this movie, you must have been compared to the garbage pail kids when you were young.
What makes the Garbage Pail Kids movie so great is the fact that never in a million years would a film like this be made in todays PC market.
If this were made today for a children's audience, the Garbage Pail Kids would have been cute little CGI renders like the dreadful Alvin and the Chipmunks movie.
There's also some silly side plots about the kids going to bars, getting in with the toughs, all of whom look like they just got done filming the Michael Jackson "Bad" video, the "romantic interest" between the loser and the stuck up fashion designer.
I'm sorry but I never heard of Garbage Pail Kids or the trading cards.
Nostalgia has never been so appalling as Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie..
besides the fact that the kids themselves make chucky from "child's play" look like a care bear and they're disgusting as hell, this movie contains the two stupidest plots ever integrated into a film.
"The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" is an insult to cinema itself.
This is where the hypocritical moral starts as the Garbage Pail Kids are overall bad people that would be going to jail in the universe the film is set in whether they were ugly or not. |
tt0357054 | The Last Shot | FBI agent Joe Devine (Alec Baldwin) has been assigned to come up with an elaborate scheme to take down infamous mob boss John Gotti. He assumes the role of a Hollywood producer and tells all the right lies to enlist a stooge to help execute his sting. He finds unsuspecting wannabe screenwriter/director Steven Schats (Matthew Broderick), who'd do just about everything to get the chance to direct a feature. Schats falls for the pitch, but what Devine doesn't tell Schats is that the movie will never be made.
Though Schats' screenplay is titled Arizona, and the main character is supposed to euthanize herself in a Hopi cave at the end of the movie, he is so desperate to make the film that Devine convinces him to film it in Rhode Island. Devine's target there is Tommy Sanz, who muscles in on the production. Devine records Sanz accepting a bribe for the Teamsters' approval of the production. Instead of ending the investigation at that point as the FBI expects, Devine plows ahead with the film production, because he has fallen in love with the movie business.
Devine's mania leads him to pitch a three picture deal to his FBI superiors. He is convinced that he can ensnare more mobsters with a similar scheme, while also producing actual films. The FBI agrees to the idea, and Devine throws himself into production full tilt. Just as filming begins, the FBI arrests Gotti and puts an end to the production, against Devine's wishes. The film jumps forward two years to the premiere of a movie based on the sting operation. Schats is working as a manager at a movie theater. Devine visits him and apologizes. He reveals that he has been working on a screenplay, and Schats gets excited about the pitch. | satire | train | wikipedia | But it isn't until the first 20 or so minutes into the film that the significance of the movie can be appreciated.Based on an apparently true news article, THE LAST SHOT takes a pot shot at not only Hollywood, but also organized crime, production magnates, the FBI, and little people with big dreams lost in the elusive utopia of fame.The plot is well outlined on these pages.
Suffice it to say that the FBI sends Joe Devine (Alec Baldwin) to Hollywood to pose as a producer to lure the underground crime lord Tommy Sanz (Tony Shalhoub) to surface and be caught.
Devine needs a script as he discovers from the gross Fanny Nash (Joan Cusack at her hilarious best) and gradually encounters Steven Schats (Matthew Broderick) who with his pathetic brother Marshall Paris (Tim Blake Nelson) has written an unmarketable, non-salable script called 'Arizona'.
Devine grabs on to the project, making Schats the director (his dream come true) and casts the film with has-been actress with box office draw Emily French (Toni Collette who looks terrific and adds yet another priceless cameo to her brilliant repertoire) and Valerie Weston (Calista Flockhart) who just happens to be Schats' squeeze.The process of film-making and the infectious delirium of Hollywood affects everyone in this film - even the FBI and especially Devine who softens into a man who wants to provide the 'littleman' Schats with his dream.
I suppose I went to this movie for the actors: enigmatic Alec Baldwim, charming Matthew Broderick, turned-sardonic Tony Shalhoub, mafia man Ray Liotta (who resembles a "cappo di tutti cappo" even as the director of the FBI) and thin Calista Flockhart.
In the end I came to like it because of what it actually is: a frank story about goodness and dreams and not "another" cover up story for a gang heist.So you've got undercover agent Joe (Baldwin) who is so dedicated to his job, that he lets someone cut his finger off, just in order to get a longer sentence.
Joe and Steven get to know each other when the detective plans to frame a certain low-ranker of the notorious Gotti family (in this particular case, Tommy Sanz, played by Shalhoub) and decides to pose as a film producer in order to fulfill his assignment.
The Last Shot is a quirky, enjoyable art-house comedy based on the true story of an FBI agent, Garland Schweickhardt, who was in charge of an elaborate operation named "Dramex" to nab mob influences in the film business.The Schweickhardt character in the film is named Joe Devine (Alec Baldwin).
After a brief character establishing scene and an amazing title/opening credits sequence (featuring movie theater objects) that's one of the most creative and cute ones I've seen yet, Devine is transferred to the Providence, Rhode Island FBI office and learns of Tommy Sanz' (Tony Shalhoub) illegal mob dealings with the local teamsters.
So Devine, who knows next to nothing about the film business, poses as a producer and heads to Hollywood.He gets a crash course in the industry from insider Fanny Nash (Joan Cusack in a hilarious extended cameo), and he begins his search for a script and director.
The bulk of The Last Shot hinges on a few different conflicts, including the FBI's reservations about Devine's plan, which keeps snowballing and turning into a more far reaching lie.Although it's not every day that the FBI sets up a bogus film production, director and writer Jeff Nathanson uses his debut film as a helmer to comment on various levels of the typical craziness of the movie business.
Much of this material is hilarious, and viewers do not need to have any intimacy with the film industry to "get it", or to get that there is probably a lot more truth to these scenes than is usually admitted.The cast is excellent, including Baldwin and Broderick.
A lot of sizable stars take roles with far less screen time than normal--including Shalhoub, Flockhart and Ray Liotta, but this is a well-written script that turned out to be well directed, so it was a good move for them.At the same time that Nathanson enables a somewhat sarcastic, cynical view of the film-making process, there is a parallel plot featuring Devine that emphasizes a much more romantic view of the lure of the business.
On the one level, there is the FBI investigation on racketeers and on the other, he brings a man who yearns to direct movies into the picture by offering him a phony deal in which supposedly a film is going to be produced, but only as a cover up to trap a mafioso in Rhode Island.The idea of recruiting Steven Schats, an employee of the Graunman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood to direct his film "Arizona", is something that Joe Devine, an FBI man, dreams to get the results he wants.
The film, which makes no sense at all, undergoes a change when Joe tells Steven the production will be shot in Providence, in order to take advantage of a deal with that state's cooperation with the movie industry.
Joan Cusack makes the most of her character and a cameo by Ray Liotta round up the familiar faces in the movie."The Last Shot" is a delightful movie to watch as it's clear the director, Jeff Nathanson, clearly understands what make these people tick..
The Last Shot is a supposedly true story about the FBI, undercover on a fake film set, known only to the few agents involved, trying to lure in an unsuspecting mobster in order to arrest him.
While this was not a bad movie, I was still a bit disappointed.Director Steven Schats (Matthew Broderick) and fake producer Joe Wells (Alec Baldwin) are making a movie called Arizona, which Schats and his brother happened to write.
Along the way, Wells, AKA FBI Agent Joe Devine is talking the FBI into going further and further into actually shooting the movie until it seems that the FBI is actually interested in offering Devine a 3 picture deal.Meanwhile, the casting is beginning and actually getting the attention of worthwhile movie stars, most notably Emily French (Toni Collette).
In the Last Shot, the story begins Baldwin, an FBI agent trying to make a name for himself, voluntarily allowing the bad guys to cut of one of his fingers so that he can charge the bad guys with more serious crimes.The plot progresses with Baldwin setting up a façade of making a movie to trap other Mafia types.
It then progresses to a point where Baldwin and his superiors at the FBI are making what appears to be a real deal for a "three picture deal" and negotiating over marketing rights.That progression, together with some wonderful side trips,cameos by Joan Cusack and Buck Henry, caused something that is rarely heard in multiplex theaters with relatively small audiences-outright loud laughter and even a bit of applause as the movie ended.This movie is not Gone with the Wind or Citizen Kane.
This is based on a true story.In that story Alec Baldwin plays FBI agent Joe Devine who uses movie director-screenwriter Steven Schats (Matthew Broderick) to nail the mob.He claims to be a movie producer and promises to make a movie of Steven's script Arizona.Jeff Nathanson's The Last Shot from 2004 is some great stuff.It's funny with some pretty dark comedy.The cast is awesome.Broderick and Baldwin make a great couple.Other stars in the movie include Toni Collette, Tony Shalhoub, Calista Flockhart, Buck Henry, Ray Liotta, Joan Cusack and so on.Also the late great Pat Morita makes a visit in the movie.This is a fantastic movie about the movie factory called Hollywood and how things are done there.Steven Schats has a dream and so do many others who go there.Some of them get to fulfill their dreams, some of them just have to hang in there..
The movie stars Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Calista Flockhart, Tony Shaloub, Toni Collete, Ray Liotta, and Joan Cusack.
Baldwin is Joe Devine, an FBI agent who thinks the way to capture a big mob boss is to deal with the Teamsters by pretending to be producing a film in Rhode Island.
Of course, he first has to get Schatz to change the location and a few other things.Before you know it, the fake filmmaking becomes real as Devine gets into producing and convinces the FBI that they can capture even more mobsters by actually doing the film.
Everyone is excellent, but Toni Collette as insane movie star Emily French is a standout, as is Cusack as a Hollywood agent and Tony Shalhoub as the badly scarred mobster they're after, who says, "My wife set fire to me while I was asleep.
Six months later, our marriage fell apart." Parts of this film were laugh out loud funny, a highlight being Collette's audition as well as the opening scene of the film, an FBI sting, and Cusack's talk to the people who are going to work on the film.Some people will not like "The Last Shot" at all, but it's really worth seeing for the fun it pokes at the film business, for the performances, and some great quotes..
These behind-the-scenes types of films work because everyone wants to be in the movies and lots of funny stories get generated.
If that film had been directed like The Last Shot, even with the exact same cast and script, it would have been considerably less funny and would have undoubtedly flopped, like The Last Shot is inevitably going to.That's not to say The Last Shot won't make a good rental or that people won't enjoy watching it on HBO, but it could and should have been much funnier and isn't really worth a trip to the theater--that is, of course, providing that you even get the chance to skip it in the theater.
Baldwin plays an FBI agent that has gone undercover as a Hollywood producer in order to take down the mob.
Baldwin loses himself in his cover and begins to work in earnest with Broderick to make the film actually happen.The humor is clever and the film pokes fun at Hollywood and the movie industry in general.
Joan Cusack has a wonderful part as an overstressed Hollywood producer that the FBI calls in for advice on how to make a film that they don't actually intend to make.
Meet Matthew Broderick, he plays Steven Schats, the poor schmuck who actually thinks Joe wants to make his movie."The Last Shot" is actually very funny.
Calista Flockhart plays Broderick's actress/girlfriend, and her character is similar to Ally McBeal, but she's funnier.Unfortunately the story doesn't go far after it's pretty good premise, but it is a short and funny ride.
It's a movie-savvy group of people, y'understand.Even if you're not a big fan of Alec Baldwin or Matthew Broderick, it's worth seeing for the supporting cast.
And for anyone who is a screenwriter (like me!), wants to be a screenwriter, or thinks they know what it means to be a screenwriter...the quick montage of Baldwin's character hearing pitches on the street from everyone he sees is so brilliant and funny and true, it's a lesson in humility we could all use from time to time.I think the story is hampered by the idea that Baldwin's character, FBI man-undercover-as-Hollywood producer, would choose a script set in the desert of Arizona (even titled Arizona) when he needs to shoot in Rhode Island so he can set up the local mob boss there.
Sometimes what's true is too stupid to actually work in a movie.Speaking of a script, Jeff Nathanson, who has done some decent work in the past, most notably for Steven Spielberg, probably could have rewritten this a bit more, but does a very good job as a first time director.
An FBI agent goes undercover as a film producer to capture a mob boss who has influence in movie business.
He meets an aspiring writer-director to produce his fake movie but ultimately falls in love with the art of film-making.Quite interesting plot.
The over-the-top approach to every moment became predictable, and the timing of the lines could have been crisper, especially in the scenes between Alec Baldwin and Matthew Broderick.There was potentially a good film idea here.
Yes, the script and many of the performances (notably Calista Flockhart and an unbilled Joan Cusack) poke fun at Hollywood, but what gets you glued to this film is that you really root for Matthew Broderick's character.
Perhaps for lack of material, or not enough of a story to go on, the resulting comedy is at best a mediocre one with the potential to be much better.Props, however, to Toni Collette (always an excellent actress) for playing the bizarre, self-indulgent Emily French, and Joan Cusak (wasted here in a minor role) as the neurotic producer and the agent's mentor..
I rented this movie to watch on a plane because of the fantastic cast - Baldwin, Broderick, Shalhoub, Collette, Liotta, and on and on.
Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick, Calista Flockhart, Toni Collette, Tony Shalhoub, Ray Liotta, and Joan Cusak were all at the top of their game.
Alec Baldwin is good as always as is Matthew Broderick but Ray Liotta is completely and utterly wasted (he's only in the movie for about 5 minutes) and if this was the movie that Calista Flockhart thought could be her comeback then she was sadly mistaken because although every scene she's in is an utter delight, her absence affects the movie at times.
THE LAST SHOT (2004) ** Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Tony Shalhoub, Toni Collette, Calista Flockhart, James Rebhorn, Ray Liotta, Tim Blake Nelson, Buck Henry, Ian Gomez, W.
Earl Brown, (Cameos as themselves: Pat Morita and Russell Means) Anemic satire of Hollywood meets Washington based on a real life account of how the feds set up a sting operation to ensnare the Mafia by using the front of a film to be produced here with Baldwin as a down-on-his luck FBI op and Broderick the hapless schmuck as the patsy director wanna be.
"The Last Shot" is a mediocre comedy B-flick which tells of an FBI agent (Baldwin) who poses as a film producer and sets up a film shoot as a cover for a mob sting operation.
"The Last Shot" offers a good cast of familiar faces but plays out like the kind of low level flick which you might want to Tivo/DVR from cable and save for some time killing entertainment.
In the movie, Baldwin(Joe) is a FBI agent who plays the role of a movie producer in order to try to get racketeering charges against mobsters.
That part was funny.Joe gets caught up in the film and really wants to make the movie.
The last shot is about a detective Joe Devine (Alec Baldwin) that is investigating a mobster, Tommy Sanz (Tony Shalhoub), so he make a fake movie to lure him.I don't know if the actors that are in this movie don't read the script or something because it sucks.
I rent it for Ray Liotta that appears very little in the movie, Alec Baldwin do a great job and Matthew Broderick well no so much.Very disappointing, with this great actors, this movie could be good.
When you've never heard of a film with stars (ok, mostly TV stars) like Matthew Broderick, Alec Baldwin, Toni Colletti, Tony Shaloub, Calista Flockart and Ray Liotta, you have to figure that it had to be a minor piece - possibly a "straight to TV or DVD" release (seven months after a limited U.S. release, that is exactly what happened to THE LAST SHOT) and standards are appropriately reduced.Catching it on TV, it was easy to get caught up in the fun of the expert cast giving their all to a borderline farce based on the actual events surrounding the FBI getting involved (without telling the rest of the cast, crew or creative staff) in making a fake movie as a sting to capture a mafia big.
You can get an idea of the sort of potential they had (bearing in mind the then well known death of actor Vic Morrow under the blades of a falling helicopter) by reading the comment on these boards dated 16 June 2006 entitled "behind the scenes story." For most of the film's length it's easy to become pleasantly engrossed in the amusing character stories - especially Broderick's writer/director and Baldwin's increasingly obsessed FBI agent/producer.
The only let down - and the film makers are even able to give it a surprisingly touching coda - is when Ray Liotta's FBI man tells Baldwin that the goal of the mission has been achieved and the "picture" is being shut down - JUST as they are getting set up to make the first and, as it turns out, last shot of the supposed movie (hence the title).
Baldwin, an FBI agent, hooks an unknowing Broderick into making a movie in Providence, Rhode Island, as a sting operation to nail John Gotti.
Back in the 1980s a real FBI agent convinced his bosses to set up a sting operation around a fake movie production.
The DVD has an interesting extra, where the real agent from the 1980s meets up with and talks with the guys he set up to do the movie, and it is cool to see them reminiscing about it.Matthew Broderick plays Steven Schats with his patented comic style, very appropriate for this role.
Alec Baldwin plays Joe Devine, the FBI agent who thinks up the idea for the sting, and who roams Hollywood for a suitable script and director.
It's not hard either to convince or to lead poor Steven, who thinks he might finally get his chance, to film his Arizona-set movie in Providence.
Funny Shalhoub is cast as a serious mobster, Broderick's character never got any chance to evolve, Flockhart who plays Stevens hysterical girlfriend might have done well with more space, and I think Liotta appears in just two scenes. |
tt0144189 | Exposé | Paul Martin (Kier) is a novelist who rents out a secluded cottage in the British countryside in order to complete his new book, a pretentious sex romp. Plagued by recurring paranoid nightmares, he has split with his girlfriend Suzanne (Richmond) and is having problems writing his book. Paul employs a secretary, Linda Hindstatt (Hayden), to type the manuscript for him. Paul meets Linda at the railway station, where Linda is intimidated by a couple of youths, prompting Paul to give them a battering. After settling into the house, Linda takes a walk in a field where she is raped by the youths but soon gets revenge when she shoots them both with a shotgun. Meanwhile, Paul keeps having nightmares and all his advances on Linda are rejected. Linda insinuates herself into the household, displacing the housekeeper, Mrs. Aston. When a suspicious Mrs. Aston returns to the house at night, she is murdered: her throat slashed with a knife. As he and Linda work on completing the novel, Paul asks Suzanne to come back only to have Linda seduce her. As Linda and Suzanne have sex, Paul then crashes his car into a river, the brakes having been tampered with. Suzanne is murdered in the shower and everything erupts into a pandemonium of violence. | murder | train | wikipedia | Quite flawed, yet oddly compelling. Far from being incidental, the theme of continuing child sexual abuse *is* the story of "Footsteps." (Alternate title: "Expose.") A haunting, disconnected portrayal of the deep effects on the psyche of this type of abuse, the film itself takes on the characteristics of those sexually abused from a young age. The seemingly aimless, stilted, dissociative quality of the movie is a reflection of one of the main characters. Her story unfolds in an enigmatic fashion, deliberately drawing on one of the key aspects of the child victim's personality – the quest to be unknowable, yet cherished. Although the sexual capriciousness shown in the movie often seems gratuitous, it is also tragically characteristic. Told on an 'insider' level, there is no psychiatric consultant on the side constantly interpreting the characters and events for us. Even though this movie leaves much to be desired, it is nonetheless compelling, in no small part due to the music of Amilia K Spicer, whose compositions imbue the viewer with an awareness of subtleties which the movie's characterizations do not satisfactorily express. The artists who perform 'Sodom' undergird the final moments with a sense of inexorable ruination, which nearly makes their acting out superfluous. In spite of the fact that this film is often clumsy and superficial, and too thoroughly graphic, the compassion and purpose behind Daphna Edwards' effort shines through. Apparently, she took on this amateurish effort with a mission in mind. Those looking for mere entertainment will be unimpressed.. Who gave this a 10?. Whenever I see a movie that doesn't have a comment, I try to add one. A tough assignment for this nothing movie. The movie starts and ends like it is a "message" movie against the current system of returning battered children to their abusers. It's an interesting message, but the movie that occurs in between has nothing to do with it. It is kind of a whodunit, but the acting is so bad that it almost views like one of those softcore porn movies--it's just a little light on the sex for that style. Sandra Bernhard's acting is so stilted that it reminded me of a Saturday Night Live skit where they try to act badly. The daughter gives even the worst child actors hope.It isn't even good bad TV because it tries to get all serious at the end with its child abuse message. Kind of a buzz kill if the ending unintentionally cracks you up the same way it with me. |
tt3612032 | Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort | Daria and Nick ride their bikes deep in the Hobb Springs Bike Trail. After bathing in a small watering hole, they start having sex. Afterward, they ride their bikes again until Nick falls off and discovers that an unknown assailant has shot him with a bow and arrow. The assailant, Three Finger, then kills Nick with an arrow through the face. Daria attempts to flee only to ride into a strip of barbed-wire planted by One Eye and Saw Tooth. Three Finger then proceeds to kill her via decapitation with a machete.
Danny and his girlfriend Toni, Bryan and his girlfriend Jillian, Vic, Toni's brother Rod, and Charlie go to the Hobb Springs Resort, where they meet caretakers, siblings Sally and Jackson, who take them in. Agnes, a vacationer, is soon attacked, possibly by Saw Tooth or One Eye, throwing an axe at her. Jackson then snaps her neck, killing her.
Charlie, Vic, and Rod swim outside as Toni takes a bath and Jackson takes Danny out in the woods to hunt. Danny shoots a deer, when a sheriff is killed by Three Finger. As Toni gets dressed, she sees Jackson wipe off blood from the wall, and she takes Vic along with her to look for Danny. Vic sees Saw Tooth devouring flesh, runs away, and falls into a trap with Danny. Vic escapes the trap and seeks help for Danny. Jackson and Vic carry Danny back to the resort, where Sally attends to Danny's wounds and begins to seductively undress him. When Toni walks in, Sally leaves and watches the two have sex.
Vic, Rod, and Charlie harass Bryan and Jillian, who were having sex in the pool. Jillian and Bryan have sex while Sally watches, and the cannibals attack them. Jillian is killed, but Sally stops them from killing Bryan. Sally has sex with Bryan, but Jackson interrupts them. When he leaves, Sally kills Bryan. Jackson and Sally then introduce Danny to his long-lost family, though Danny does not believe he is related, and then they drug him to confuse him. As Vic hides in the bushes, he listens to the conversation. Saw Tooth captures him and Three Finger cuts his throat.
In the morning, Toni, Rod, and Charlie hear a knock on their door. When he enters, Danny tells them to leave, though he is staying. As they leave, they hide when they find that Jackson is cooking their friends. When they see Jillian's head in the freezer, they scream and flee, only to run into the hillbillies. Toni and Rod escape, but Charlie is captured and killed. Toni insists that she and Rod return to help Danny, but Rod tells her that they can send help later. Toni grabs a rifle and goes back for Danny. At the resort, Toni confronts Sally, whom she attempts to kill. Rod then attempts to leave but is captured in a bear trap and killed by Three Finger.
As Sally and Toni fight, Toni burns Sally's face in boiling water and wounds her with the rifle. Danny enters and asks why she is attempting to kill his family. After Jackson attempts to kill Toni, Danny lets her go; Jackson says she knows too much and pursues her, but Toni stabs and kills Jackson with door keys. As Danny says his goodbyes to Toni, Three Finger kills her. Later, Danny is shown as a caretaker at the resort. In the last scene, Danny takes Sally from a wheelchair and they have sex as the cannibals watch. | violence | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0062692 | Baazi | Madan (Dev Anand) comes from a once well-to-do family background who is now out of work and lives in a shanty with a sick younger sister Manju (Roopa Verman). Unable to find employment, he takes to gambling in a big way. He develops a reputation for being a lucky gambler and is one day found and escorted by a stranger named Pedro to the Star Hotel where he meets the seductive dancer Leena(Geeta Bali) and is offered a job by the mysterious 'Maalik' (Boss)of tempting rich gentlemen to come and gamble at the club. Initially reluctant to take up this offer due to moral pangs, he refuses and leaves. He meets with sophisticated and cultured Dr. Rajani (Kalpana Kartik), who has opened a free clinic in his locality to treat the poor and needy and helps him out in the treatment of his sister, who is suffering from tuberculosis. Both are attracted to each other and soon fall in love. Rajani's rich lawyer dad (K.N. Singh) does not approve of Madan, nor of his background, and prefers that Rajani marry her childhood friend Inspector Ramesh (Krishan Dhawan), who is in love with her. Dejected and in dire need of money for his sister's treatment who has been packed off to a sanatorium somewhere in a hill station, Madan accepts the job at star club and meets more frequently with the sexy club dancer Leena. He becomes friends with her and is seen discussing his troubles and thoughts with her. In turn, she is obviously charmed by him and evidently has a soft spot for him. Then Inspector Ramesh arrests Madan and imprisons him for the murder of Leena, who was killed with a revolver with Madan's fingerprints on it. The shooter intended to kill Madan, but Leena protected him and was killed instead. Rajani's father (who also turns out to be Maalik, the mysterious Boss of Star Club) had ordered the killing because he didn't consider Madan suitable for his daughter. Rajani's father threatens Madan that he will kill his sister if he says anything. Madan keeps quiet and is sentenced to be hanged at 6 am. Inspector Ramesh finds some evidence that it wasn't Madan who killed Leena. He sets a trap for Rajani's father and leads him to believe that Madan has been hanged, and in his joy, makes him confess to his plan to frame Madan. Then, Rajani's father is arrested and imprisoned and Madan is sent to three months' worth probation for indulging in gambling activities. He is freed after serving his small sentence and is united with Rajani. | romantic, murder | train | wikipedia | Dharmendra-Waheeda starrer suspense-thriller. There have been many Bollywood movies made under the title - Baazi. The most famous one among them is Dev Anand-Geeta Bali starrer film which was released in 1951 and directed by Guru Dutt. However today I am reviewing a lesser known Baazi starring Dharmendra and Waheeda Rehman which is a suspense-thriller and which was released in 1968.Baazi (bet) is the story of the mysterious death of Mr. D' Silva whose niece Liz (Waheeda Rehman) is a money-minded girl. Liz calls her beau, Ajay (Dharmendra) who is a responsible police officer, for her help when she gets the news of her uncle's death. When Ajay reaches there, he is told by the attending physician that Liz is not in her senses and he had better do the needful for the cremation of Mr. D' Silva. Ajay does everything with the help of a priest of a nearby church. Pall-bearers are called, coffin is arranged and Mr. D' Silva is peacefully buried in a nearby Christian graveyard. The thing which catches Ajay's attention is that a stranger, standing behind all the people present at the time of the burial, is found to be weeping silently. Upon Liz's coming to her senses, Ajay consoles her and decides to live in her house for a couple of days. However in the darkness and calmness of the night, he finds a stranger woman also weeping on the grave of Mr. D' Silva. He gets suspicious. He also finds that not much grief has occurred to Liz upon her uncle's demise and she is in a hurry to occupy her father's inheritance which, according to his will, would be hers only upon either her marriage or her uncle's death who was supposed to be her guardian. Now since the uncle is dead, Liz gets not only his life-insurance money but also becomes the heiress of her father's wealth. Instead of grief, Ajay finds her in a delightful mood.The twist in the tale comes when an old villager reaches the police station with the grievance of his son, Prakash's going missing. When Ajay sees the photo of the missing man, he is stunned to find that the same person whose name is being told to him by the complaint-lodger as Prakash, was buried by him as Mr. D' Silva. The mystery deepens with a couple of murders and the fact that when the grave is dug to verify the identity of the dead person, the coffin is found to be empty. Now Liz is the prime suspect in the eyes of Ajay and he arrests her. However his senior police officer releases her on bail and asks Ajay to keep a watch on her. The mystery is resolved in the climax.Well, I won't be surprised if any reader of this review tells me that the story is an adaptation of (or inspiration from) an Agatha Christie work. In fact, I was taken aback in the climax when the mystery is resolved and the identity of the real culprit is exposed. The revelation made me feel like reading the climax of a work of fiction by Agatha Christie.Director Moni Bhattacharjee has handled the suspense story pretty well and though the suspense takes some time in building up, the plot of the movie starts taking shape right from the very first scene. The curiosity is maintained throughout and a couple of scenes would have been spine-chilling for the viewers who had watched the movie in theatre when it was released. Guessing the culprit may prove to be difficult even for those who read (or watch) mysteries quite regularly.The flip side is the regular Bollywood formulae and some superficial characters (and scenes). Actually, prior to the multiplex culture, an Indian filmmaker was bound to stretch the movie to around two and a half hours because then only the traditional audience was supposed to find it to be its money's worth. That's why undue comic and romantic scenes were inserted in the movies to fill the time-duration. This movie is around 2.15 hours long but it could have been shortened by 20-25 minutes by omitting the character of an insurance company detective (Johnny Walker) and his comic encounters with two Christian ladies (Shammi and Helen). Johnny Walker has been given a second persona of Liz's so-called cousin arriving from London but despite giving him adequate footage, nothing is revealed about that character in the climax (though the audience can make its own guess).Kalyanji Anandji's music is just okay. Neither memorable, nor bad. Only Aa Mere Gale Lag Ja (by Lata Mangeshkar) remains in memory after the movie. A song picturized on Waheeda and Helen in the beginning reels of the movie is entertaining. In fact, the movie could have been trimmed by omitting a couple of songs too.Art direction, cinematography and production value aspects are satisfactory.Performance-wise talking, Waheeda Rehman has acted in many good suspense-thrillers. However Baazi is a low-profile movie as compared with her much talked-about suspense movies. Her character in the movie seems to be containing some gray shades and she has impressed like always. However, the heart-conquerer is Dharmendra, the dashing and smart hero who performs quite naturally. All others have supported the lead-pair properly.It's a thoroughly interesting suspense-thriller and a decent one-time watch. The mystery-fans will definitely like it.. A suspense movie with very much predictable sequences. Does not look like a suspense movie as you are easily able to predict what is in store in the next scene. But it's OK. Johny Walker, Helen & Shammi trio offers some comic relief but that does not leave you with some heart felt laughs. Music and songs by Kalyanji-Ananadji and Shakeel Badayuni team are not so popular but good ones. Like 1) Dil Toota Roye Naina, 2) Ek Anar Do Bimar, 3) Main Haseena Nazneena, 4) Aa Mere Gale Lag Ja and 5) Pyar Ki Baten Humko Na. Don't waste your time. |
tt1482859 | Hansel and Gretel | Hansel and Gretel are the young children of a poor woodcutter. When a great famine settles over the land, the woodcutter's second, abusive wife decides to take the children into the woods and leave them there to fend for themselves, so that she and her husband do not starve to death, because the kids eat too much. The woodcutter opposes the plan but finally, and reluctantly, submits to his wife's scheme. They were unaware that in the children's bedroom, Hansel and Gretel have overheard them. After the parents have gone to bed, Hansel sneaks out of the house and gathers as many white pebbles as he can, then returns to his room, reassuring Gretel that God will not forsake them.
The next day, the family walk deep into the woods and Hansel lays a trail of white pebbles. After their parents abandon them, the children wait for the moon to rise and then they followed the pebbles back home. They return home safely, much to their stepmother's rage. Once again provisions become scarce and the stepmother angrily orders her husband to take the children further into the woods and leave them there to die. Hansel and Gretel attempt to gather more pebbles, but find the doors locked and find it impossible to escape.
The following morning, the family treks into the woods. Hansel takes a slice of bread and leaves a trail of bread crumbs for them to follow home. However, after they are once again abandoned, they find that the birds have eaten the crumbs and they are lost in the woods. After days of wandering, they follow a beautiful white bird to a clearing in the woods, and discover a large cottage built of gingerbread, cakes, candy and with window panes of clear sugar. Hungry and tired, the children begin to eat the rooftop of the house, when the door opens and a "very old woman" emerges and lures the children inside, with the promise of soft beds and delicious food and a hot bath. They do this without knowing the fact that their hostess is a bloodthirsty Hag who waylays children to cook and eat them.
The next morning, the hag cleans the cage in the garden out from her previous captive. Then she throws Hansel into the cage and forces Gretel into becoming her slave. The hag feeds Hansel regularly to fatten him up, after three weeks Hansel gets nice and fat. On the final night she mutters to her self that he will be good to eat. The next day the witch prepares the oven for Hansel, but decides she is hungry enough to eat Gretel, too. She coaxes Gretel to the open oven and prods her to lean over in front of it to see if the fire is hot enough. Gretel, sensing the hag's intent, pretends she does not understand what she means. Infuriated, the hag demonstrates, and Gretel instantly shoves the hag into the oven, slams and bolts the door shut, leaving "The ungodly creature to be burned to ashes", screaming in pain until she dies. Gretel frees Hansel from the cage and the pair discover a vase full of treasure and precious stones. Putting the jewels into their clothing, the children set off for home. A duck ferries them across an expanse of water and at home they find only their father; his wife died from an unknown cause. Their father had spent all his days lamenting the loss of his children, and is delighted to see them safe and sound. With the hag's wealth, they all live happily ever after. | paranormal, psychedelic, avant garde, magical realism | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0072402 | Where the Red Fern Grows | When leaving work in Idaho's Snake River Valley, Billy Colman sees a pack of dogs attacking a stray coonhound. He chases the pack away and takes the stray home to feed it. Once it has rested, Billy sets it free, knowing that it will return home.
The experience reminds Billy of his childhood growing up in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma. He wants a dog, and his parents offer to get him a crossbred puppy from a neighbor's litter. He tells them he wants two coonhounds, but his parents tell him they cannot afford them. Billy finds a magazine ad for a Kentucky kennel which breeds Redbone Coonhounds and sells them for $25 each. He goes to work performing odd jobs such as selling vegetables to local fishermen and saves the $50 he needs with the help of his grandfather. However, since it takes two years to do so, his grandfather writes ahead to see if the kennel will honor the ad. They do, and the price has dropped so the two puppies only cost $40.
Since the mail buggy does not deliver live creatures, Billy's dogs are delivered to the freight depot in Tahlequah. His family does not have transportation, so he finds his own way to get to the depot and chooses to go through the hills. He picks up and leaves with his puppies, which are a male and a female. He buys a gift for each member of his family with his extra $10 before heading back home.
On the way back home, he spends the night in Robber's Cave in the Sparrow Hawk Mountains. There he builds a fire and plays with the puppies. While trying to sleep, he hears a noise that he realizes is the cry of a mountain lion. In the morning, he continues on. He comes to a sycamore tree and sees the names Dan and Ann carved inside a heart in the bark and decides to name the puppies Old Dan and Little Ann.
To train Old Dan and Little Ann, Billy traps a raccoon with the help of his grandfather and uses its pelt to teach them to hunt. During their training, their personalities become apparent: Old Dan is brave and strong, while Little Ann is very intelligent. Both are very loyal to each other and to Billy.
On the first night of hunting season, Billy takes Old Dan and Little Ann out for their first hunt. He promises them that if they tree a raccoon, he will do the rest. They tree one in a large sycamore, which Billy had previously nicknamed "The Big Tree". As he tries to call them off, they look at him sadly and he cuts the tree down, which takes him two days and costs him blistered hands. In the end, when he's about to give up his effort, Billy offers a short prayer for strength to continue. A strong wind starts to blow and the tree falls. Old Dan and Little Ann take the raccoon down.
Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann go hunting almost every night. As months go by, he brings more fur to his grandfather's store than any other hunter, and the stories of his dogs spread throughout the Ozarks. He and his grandfather make a bet with Rubin and Rainie Pritchard, that his dogs can catch the legendary "ghost coon". Rubin and Rainie set out with him to see if Old Dan and Little Ann can do so. It leads them on a long, complicated chase, and Rubin and Rainie want to give up. Finally, when they have it treed, Billy refuses to kill it. Rubin then orders his dog, Old Blue, to attack Old Dan, who is smaller; and Rubin starts to beat Billy to stop him from interfering. Little Ann then helps Old Dan, and together they injure Old Blue; Rubin runs to attack them with an axe, but he trips on it and kills himself.
A few weeks later, Billy's grandfather enters him into a championship raccoon hunt, putting him against experienced hunters and the finest dogs in the country. Before it starts, he enters Little Ann into a contest for the best-looking dog, where and she wins the silver cup. On the fourth night of the hunt, Old Dan and Little Ann tree three raccoons, making it to the final round. The sixth night, they tree one before a blizzard hits. Billy, his father, grandfather, and the judge lose sight of the dogs. When they finally find them, Billy's grandfather sprains his ankle. They build a fire, and when Billy's father chops down a tree, three raccoons jump out. Old Dan and Little Ann take two of them down, and chase the third one to another tree. In the morning, the hunters find them covered with ice circling the bottom of a tree. The last raccoon wins them the championship and the gold cup. The hunters also present them with $300 of jackpot money.
Billy's mother and sisters are overjoyed with the prizes. He continues hunting. One night Old Dan and Little Ann tree a mountain lion, and it attacks. Billy enters the fight with his axe, hoping to save his dogs, but they end up having to save him. Eventually, they kill the mountain lion, but Old Dan is badly wounded, and Billy finds his intestines in a bush. He dies late that night. Billy is heartbroken, and Little Ann loses the will to live, stops eating, and dies of grief a few days later on Old Dan's grave. Billy's father tries to tell him that it is all for the best, because with the money they received from winning the championship hunt, they can move to town. He goes to visit Old Dan and Little Ann's graves and finds a giant red fern between them. According to Native American legend, only an angel can plant one. He and his family look at it in awe, and he feels ready to move on knowing that his dogs are always going to be remembered. | tragedy, depressing | train | wikipedia | Good Family Movie.
Today's young people should really take a look a look at this family movie.
If your kids are acting up, force them to watch this movie, and then they will appreciate on how easy they have it.
Life was simple then, and family values were high, I especially liked when Billy spent the extra ten dollars on his family, rather then spend it on himself, try getting your kids to do the same, I really doubt that would happen these days.
I haven't seen the remake of this film, but it would have to be awfully good to top this one..
The 1974 version of "Where the Red Fern Grows" was shot in Tahlequah, OK at the time I was director of Theatre Tulsa, not far away.
Lyman Dayton, the producer, decided he'd make a new version some 25 or 30 years later, and he called me to ask if I'd reprise my role as Stationmaster in this new filming.
While the movie version of Where the Red Fern Grows is not quite as good as the book by Wilson Rawls, the film is still a quality family film and very much worth watching if you are a fan of the novel.The changes in the plot for the movie version are minor, and most of the same themes Rawls intended for his readers can be found in the movie.
The movie does little to build up Billy's "dog wanting" disease as well as Billy's dogged (pun intended) determination to secure himself some hunting hounds.
In the novel, Grandpa is clearly a wise man despite his one irrational act; in the movie, he seems plain irrational, and there is no sign of his wisdom on the subjects of life and coon hunting.
The extent to which the dogs are given characters and personalities in the book is not found in the movie, either.
Billy's mother and father do translate fairly well from the book to the big screen, but the fact that the protagonist and his dogs do not is the major weakness of the film.In closing, if you're a fan of the novel, then you should definitely watch this movie version, but don't expect it to be as good as the classic children's novel..
The best coon hunting dogs in the world.
He's a country kid who has his heart set on getting and training a pair of hunting dogs for coon hunting and on the advice of his grandfather James Whitmore works like a dog to get the money to buy a pair of puppies to train.Coon hunting is both a profession and a labor of love for those who get into it.
But it comes at a tragic price.Where The Red Fern grows is a fine family film that most likely never played in the cosmopolitan east during its release.
Petersen did films for the LDS church itself as well as other family features in the 70s.Where The Red Fern Grows holds up well today.
This was a good movie, a young boy works for 2 coon dogs and they happen to be the best coon dogs ever, don't listen to this lady calling it "gay" she is clearly retarded,the only thing i didn't like was that the night scene were shot in the day time.
This movie is also sad and has a good story to it.
This movie shows how the old times used to be and how much respect kids have towards older people and kids had to work for things they wanted and money was super tight, kids didn't have there parents buy them everything they wanted, and this movie shows exactally that, defiently worth watching again and is very inspiring for anyone..
This movie, without preaching, demonstrates basic American values of love and loss, and self reliability.
Most of the characters are very believable, and Billy is pretty good himself too.
While the dogs seemed well trained in the movie, only the human imagination can actually create the love that emulates from both of these animals.And of course, the book is always just a little bit better anyway.
If you've read the book and wish to see the movie, it might be a little disappointing.
If you've seen the movie and want to read the book, do so immediately!
Hello Everyone, I watched the original movie at a Saturday matinée, when I was 12 years old.I also, just recently watched my very 1st.
movie on Netflix and it was "Where The Red Fern Grows".I can not tell you, how many times, that I have watched this movie, over the last 42 years.
It left a life long impression on my heart and soul.There is not much more that I can say, that has not been said, over the years in other reviews, of this endearing, heart-warming movie.I may have one special advantage, over anyone else, I have had a 42 year old love affair with this movie.It was made in 1974 and for the time, I think it was well-made and they did their very best, too tug at your heart-strings.The only other movie or show, that would ever come close or even tie, is the show "The Waltons".I have also watched this show, since day one and also their original "Homecoming" movie.The original "Where The Red Fern Grows" and "The Waltons", have family values and morals and faith, that nothing is impossible, if you work hard and just believe.After watching this movie, as a young child, I became so much more of an animal lover.
Where the red fern grows is the best movie ever, and i think its enjoyable for anyone.
Billy works hard, selling fruit and bait to fishermen, so eventually he has enough money for the dogs.
I think it also shows how much times have changed, because back in the day they worked for what they wanted and now its nothing like that and most people get things handed to them and never work a day in there life..
Some people might just be mad that they did not have a great life like that young boy...This film showed a young boy taking responsibility in life to earn something instead of expecting it to be handed to him.
As a high school student who watches a lot of movies, I haven't seen many films that show a kid working hard for what he's got and being happy with what he has.
How about a boy and his two dogs.I vaguely remember reading "Where the Red Fern Grows" in elementary and I thought I'd watch the movie as a refresher.
It is a virtuous movie about a boy named Billy and his love for his raccoon hunting dogs that he worked so hard to purchase.It was an adorable movie if nothing else.
this movie was very old when my students and i watched it in the fourth grade after reading the novel.
Tthe movie has a classic storyline of a young boy who dreams of being a coon hunter.
He works and saves money to buy his own hounds and also buys something for each of his family members.The ending however is very sad, one dog is attacked by a cougar and killed and the other is so sad that it eventually dies.
the storyline is a little shallow at times but it is a kid's movie for crying out loud.
I don't know how I missed seeing (or even reading) Where the Red Fern Grows as a kid, but watching it as an adult for the first time was an interesting experience.
It's a simple story that takes its time and does its best to make sure the children that watch it are emotionally wrecked.
Maybe it's the fact that the book has so many elements to it that are hard to portray in movie form, such as heavy characterization and animal thoughts/beliefs, but it just seems that all the movies fall a little short.This movie version is clearly the best of a mediocre bunch, however.
I also liked Jack Ging's portrayal of Billy's father.On the flip side, Beverly Garland, a heavily experienced actress at the time this movie was filmed, was horrible as Billy's mother.
To be honest, I question whether Garland had read the book, because she basically replayed her TV show "cowboy's wife" characters in the movie.A lot of the gorier sections of the book are cut down.
It's hard for kids nowadays to think that a book could be more gruesome than a movie, but that is clearly the case here.
The ending, however, is nearly as gut-wrenching in the movie as the book.
Whenever I teach this book to 7th/8th graders, it's neck-and-neck for which draws more tears.From an artistic standpoint, some of the 70's film-making peculiarities are interesting, such as the fact that most of Billy's "night-time" scenes take place in broad daylight, even while Billy carries around a lit lantern!
Overall, it's a passable movie and does follow the book quite closely.
"Where the Red Fern Grows" is the heartwarming and adventurous tale for all ages about a young boy and his quest for his own red-bone hound hunting dogs.The number one reason to see this movie: it has early cinematography from the master, Dean Cundey.
The number two reason to see this movie: Beverly Garland (star of "The Alligator People") in a completely normal role.Unfortunately, the version I saw (on Netflix) is full screen.
Maybe it was filmed that way, but I suspect somewhere out there a widescreen version exists, and if the right elements were found, the picture could be sharper, too.
In any case, this is the tale of a 12-y/o boy during the depression who longs to acquire a pair of hound dogs with which he can hunt raccoons.
Other than that, I can tell you that the boy was a year older the next year, and that there's an old Indian story about a red fern and two lovers.
I suppose if this kid was your grandfather, this might make a good story to loll you to sleep on a cold winter's night, but since he wasn't related to me I found I didn't care for or about him any more at the end of the movie than before I watched it.
MINOR SPOILERS WITHIN!Where the Red Fern Grows Dir Norman Tokar -1974 Reviewed by Ollie
Stewart Petersen does a terrific job as young Billy Coleman, and makes the character immensely likeable.The film follows Billy's life, as he desperately saves money to buy a pair of hunting dogs.
It is evident that he leads a fairly poor, but honest life, and struggles with his decision to buy the dogs, as opposed to giving the money to his Father.
On going to collect the dogs, he is stared at by the local folk, almost looked down upon, each one in turn glancing at this scruffy, barefoot young character as he enters `their world'.
Picked on by local children, he befriends the local sheriff, who we meet again later in the film.There are some wonderful scenes, from his first encounter with his new found friends, as they lick his toes, and he gently picks them up for the first time, to the comical scene where he is training them, and they run, followed by three children, through the house, sliding every which way on their Mothers freshly cleaned kitchen floor, in a scene which borders farcical, but knows where to draw the line, in keeping the humour gentle.Billy is an idealistic young man, willing to take a beating and defy his mother, rather than break a promise to his dogs.
There is a death, which in itself is only mildly instrumental to the plot, but serves Billy a valuable life lesson, and the viewer is left feeling his pain and sorrow.The end is equally sad, which I won't give away, but there is a beautiful closing shot as the camera pans away from the family, focusing on a single red fern
.There are times when deep, clever plots, and intense dialogue serve no purpose, and this film is a shining example of this.
It is a lesson that true beauty is found in the simplicity and innocence of a child's world.It is quite simply, a nice film.
A great example that some of the older films, can still give modern Hollywood movies a run for their money.
I watched this anticipating it to be a little `ropey', and perhaps rough around the edges, given it is 30 years old.
A beautiful story and must see for dog lovers...or anyone!.
I remember watching this version on television with my father during a Saturday afternoon movie matinée when I was a young child.
The authentic setting, combined with the beautifully sung score (anyone know who sang it?) and touching storyline deliver a movie that makes an impact on any dog lover.
One of the scenes I liked best from the original wasn't in the remake: the scene where Billy is training his dogs and his mother inadvertently lays a raccoon scent trail across the kitchen floor...and both dogs, kids, and mother end up slipping and sliding across a kitchen floor covered in suds and water.
Although the remake is quite good and true to the original, I recommend this original version to anyone wishing to own a video companion to the novel..
It's been a coon's age since I've seen this movie or read the book.
But, that's where it ends.This isn't about childhood lifelong love in the sense of boy vs girl.Billy is a young boy who sees an ad for hunting dogs.
This trip alone is an adventure, but not the center of the story.Billy trains the pups, Old Dan, and Little Anne to be coon dogs, for hunting raccoons.
This is the beginning of their escapades.The love and bond between the three, Billy, Old Dan, and Little Anne, shows throughout the movie.
Near the end of the movie, you see just how strong it is when the two dogs make the ultimate sacrifice.The tail end of the movie will leave you in tears and thinking of the original legend of the Red Fern.In my belief, it's a MUST-SEE movie, but is well worth it.I love it, and hope the new one is at least as good as the original.
This is a good, wholesome, family movie..
While this movie (in my opinion) is touching in the way that any young child has to learn the ways of life the hard way - working hard to earn his/her wants, I think the acting of Billy in the movie was very dry and it was hard to really become interested in the character.
While this movie (in my opinion) is touching in the way that any young child has to learn the ways of life the hard way - working hard to earn his/her wants, I think the acting of Billy in the movie was very dry and it was hard to really become interested in the character.
It's an older movie that has something to relate to, so I believe that this is the perfect film for a younger person to watch.
It's an older movie that has something to relate to, so I believe that this is the perfect film for a younger person to watch.
It gives you the mindset of the simplicity of the way things were way back when, and for a short amount of time you're forced to question the morality of the family in the film.
It gives you the mindset of the simplicity of the way things were way back when, and for a short amount of time you're forced to question the morality of the family in the film.
I think most of the acting in this movie was very dry; especially after the tragic (spoiler) death of Billy's hound dogs.
I think most of the acting in this movie was very dry; especially after the tragic (spoiler) death of Billy's hound dogs.
red fern grows review.
I thought that this was a good film in the time period that it was made and the story was great also, it was a nice family film and the acting was okay but the actors sometimes were not convincing like when the dogs died.The movie was not like other movies that require special effects and action while this movie relied on story and the relationship between the boy and the dogs.The film's story was sad in some parts especially when Dan was killed by the cougar during the hunting competition,another sad part was when Anne died of heartbreak after Dan died.The movie inspired me because the kid worked hard for money to purchase the dogs and billy also bought things for his parents and his sisters..
In the movie Where the Red Fern Grows a young boy named Billy goes on an adventure with nothing but determination and the hope God will met him half way in his journey to get two hunting dogs.
This movie was a emotional journey following the life of this young boy who's goals are set achieved and destroyed in the end you can really feel for his character with his dogs dying if you've ever owned a pet who's passed away or been put down I feel like the acting could have been a little better but for a child actor he was stupendous I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even have a southern accent in really life.
I'd watch this movie once but the end was a little anticlimactic I feel it could have had more emotion.
Quite a sad film, but the story itself had a good plot.
I first saw this movie in 4th grade after my teacher had read us the book.
It's about a hillbilly boy who buys two hunting dogs and names them Old Dan and Little Ann. SPOILER ALERT What I didn't like about this movie is that the dogs die at the end. |
tt1168764 | Urduja | Set in the 13th century, the film is a fictionalized tale of Princess Urduja, legendary warrior princess of Pangasinan.
As the only daughter of Lakanpati, chieftain of the Tawilisi tribe of Northern Luzon, Urduja grew up as a warrior with the ability and willingness to defend her people from their rival tribe, the Badjaos. Lakanpati's age and failing health gave rise to the urgency of finding a man for the princess to marry and who will inevitably lead the tribe as the new chieftain.
The man Lakanpati considers most eligible to become Urduja's husband is Simakwel, a Tawilisi warrior but whom the princess dislikes. Oblivious of Simakwel's ambitious and scheming ways, Lakanpati tries his best to convince Urduja to marry him. However, Urduja meets Limhang, a Chinese pirate, who lands on the Tawilisi shore after he flees from the wrath of the ruthlessly greedy Wang. Urduja immediately falls in love with the stranger Limhang, which worries Lakanpati and drives Simakwel into madness. Afraid of losing both the crown and Urduja, Simakwel does everything to drive Limhang away from his dream. Eventually, Limhang's good deeds and genuine kindness win the respect and trust of the Taliwisi tribe.
Wang soon finds Limhang, who surrenders voluntarily to Wang in assurance that he will not attack Tawilisi. In the end, Wang still orders his men to attack the tribe. Urduja and her people bravely defend the tribe from the forces of Wang. Limhang escapes from his captors and with the aid of the Badjaos sends the invaders fleeing. | psychedelic, romantic | train | wikipedia | It Could've Been So Much More. I am not a cartoonist, nor an animator, nor a general 2D person. Professionally speaking, I avoid projects that require animation and movement. I hate it and I hate the technicalities involved with it.Now Urduja is a good try, considering the various factors that dictate that everything else that could make it so much MUCH worse.I would want to tell you the plot of the movie (probably spoil it too because I'd want to save you from ever watching it... too mean. Forget what I said), but there were too many subplots that within half of the movie you ask, "What's the story about again?" True story.The plot in itself is simple, but layers upon unnecessary layers of plot-fat, the premise (and the focus) of the movie invariably gets lost in translation. With the plot-fat comes, as a lack of a better word, plot holes that render succeeding scenes WTF-able, watch it and you will see, don't watch it and save yourself some time.The animation is good. In the beginning. You see a highly photographic-like atmosphere in the introduction of the movie, but as you continue on (more like struggle to) the middle, 3D becomes more apparent, textures become less obvious until ultimately, it's just flat cartoon, with no hint of the previous standard set earlier in the same movie.The one thing I noticed just watching the trailer was the fact that there are no ambient light to reflect on the characters. There were no changes in the colors when they move environments, night scenes, day scenes, flying through the air scenes were all of the same lighting, except for the underwater scene (KUDOS! plus points).There were no varying shadows and highlights whenever the characters move. As a matter of fact the shadow Urduja has was the one below her chin to show a bit of dimension. The most detailed shadows of any of the characters were the badjaos. Racism is also hinted within the dialogue.Glitches are apparent, for example, having two right hands of the same character appearing on the same frame, I think they forgot to tween it or something.The camera panning was exhausting. It pans too fast too soon even when the dialogue dictates that "ang ganda ng tanawin!" WHAT SCENERY?! it was too fast to appreciate! There were also inconsistencies with the actual character animation. Some scenes lacked frames, making the animation choppy, even rushed. Some scenes were extremely detailed, especially the close up talking scenes. The attempted slow motion scenes were a failure, instead of it being slow motion, it just feels choppy and incomplete.Plus points for the extremely detailed monologue scenes though.I'm not even going into the animation of the song and dance numbers.Audio is relatively okay. It gives of the dubbed soap opera audio feel. The dialogue was "in-your-face" direct but still inconsistent. At least it was clean.There were not much ambient sounds to realize the scenes comprehensively. You hear nuances, but rarely. Ocean breeze, or waves crashing? barely. Birds chirping? When there were birds around. Even the rustling of the trees when they were fighting in the jungle was missing.The script? O no. no no. no. no. no no. The story is initially focused on the main character Urduja (Regine Velasquez), but as the non-story progresses, Lim Hang (Cesar Montano) becomes the de facto lead. Even then, both characters fail to spark an interest. Comedy relief characters such as Mayumi (Ruby Rodriguez), Daisuke (Epi Quizon), and the Disney-archetype talking animals (Allan K. and Michael V.) were far more interesting.Historically, The story was painful and lacked research. It lacks the depth of primitive Philippine culture. Textiles within the Philippines, if not imported from China, was mostly dark reds and browns (as far as i remember from Philippine Art History) Not blue or green.I do understand the need of plain clothes as the animation process is extremely hard. Textiles in the Philippines tell a story. It's like the Grecian vases but with cloth. This makes Urduja a failure as a culturally relevant movie.Without the Filipino voices, there would barely enough visual evidence to suggest that the movie was pre-hispanic Filipino era. It could have been easily some other indigenous tribe anywhere in the world.What irkes me is the semi-frequent use of the English language in a pre-colonial Filipino culture. Considering that only the comedic relief characters were the only ones talking the wrong language, but the already lost Filipino hint fades completely even for a second.So what's left as purely good with the movie? Well... They give the succeeding Filipino films an extremely big room for improvement.. Great movie for kids about Filipino folklore. Great movie on Philippine folklore. Parents should take their kids to watch this movie so that they and their kids will get to know more about the Filipino culture of time past. Scenic rural Philippines was really captured by the great artists of this film.As for the technical aspects of the movie, there's not much to complain about. The animation was fair, the colors used were attractive. The music had a native Filipino feel to it, before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, and was really enjoyable to listen to. Also for the singing part, they should have gotten someone else to sing for the part of the lead male character, Lim Hang. It would have sounded better.. It has been unabashedly claimed and promoted as the first ever Filipino animated feature–the first in the nation is actually Adarna (1997) by Gerry Garcia!. Urduja (2008) has decent art, music and voice actors. Some of the characters are quite beautiful and all of the characters are differently colored; noticeable as it is obvious that each characters have different levels of sun burns and skin pigment which is great. The music and performances have a hint of traditional Filipino culture with some foreign elements such as the Chinese and Japanese as well, though the whole animated feature is just a fictional depiction of the Pangasinan warrior princess, Urduja. Then, although I do not understand Tagalog, the Filipino language; the plot seems to be average. I could tell that the main characters fall in love with each other pretty fast even though there are not much between them. I could be wrong though since I do not understand most words expressed by them but as Urduja (2008) progresses, I came to realise that it is a super fast moving animated feature. I thought less than a week has passed but in actuality, it might be a year or two seeing how fast things changes and moved on. There are also plenty of scenes which made me ask a lot of whys but overall, I guess it is okay as a family film as it can be fun sometimes although there are some frightening action and violence going on.Another note, I do understand that English is the other official language in Philippines today but the characters especially the talking animals occasionally used some English words in some of the scenes which is not so great. I guess they used modern Tagalog but I find it quite annoying because the whole thing feels not so classic anymore after they mix some English in. My verdict? Maybe some of you will enjoy watching this. As for me, despite it is fun being able to watch a Filipino production, Urduja (2008) is quite disappointing and frustrating to me. I started off quite excited to watch this one–I love people, culture and history stories in general–but there are just too many turn offs to me. I am also quite frustrated that I do not understand Tagalog since there are no English version of this animated feature out there but the worst turn off is probably the moment I found out that it has been unabashedly claimed and promoted as the first ever Filipino animated feature–the first in the nation is actually Adarna (1997) by Gerry Garcia...Not Urduja (2008)!PS. Still, I am happy that pinoys are quite good at animation! |
tt0806088 | Heyy Babyy | Arush Mehra (Akshay Kumar) lives a fairly wealthy lifestyle in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia with roommates Tanmay Joglekar (Ritesh Deshmukh) and Ali Haider (Fardeen Khan). Arush works for a popular dance club, while Tanmay entertains children as 'Eddy Teddy', and Ali takes care of their apartment. Mostly he watches cricket and does betting on it. All three are womanizers and usually end up sleeping with different women. One day, they find a baby girl (Juanna Sanghvi) outside their door with a note instructing them to take care of her, since one of them is her father. The three men go to all the women they dated and slept with, but none claims the baby is theirs.
The men try to take care of the baby, but she becomes a huge pain. So, they drop her off at a house near a church. They the set of for a Christmas party. They are all thinking of the girl. A big rainstorm occurs, the baby develops an illness after being caught in the rain. The three men stay with the baby in the hospital, realizing how much they love her. She recovers, and the guys become changed men. They love her, pamper her, and grow an attachment towards her. They name her Angel. One morning, a woman named Isha (Vidya Balan) comes to take Angel back, claiming the baby to be her daughter. The guys are shocked as Arush tells them about his past.
One year ago, Arush travelled to Delhi to attend his cousin Arjun's wedding. There, he met Isha Sahni, who also resides in Australia. He won her over and they spent the night together. Shortly after, Isha caught him in a compromising situation with Devika Sharma (Sindhura Gadde), Isha's friend, so the couple split up. It was not Arush's fault as Devika forced herself on top of him. Arush returned to Sydney and forgot about the incident.
The guys find it very difficult to live without Angel. Arush ends up challenging Isha to marry someone faithful within seven days who will accept Angel as a daughter. If she's unsuccessful, she will have to give Angel back to him. They sign a contract to finalise the deal. The men worry that they might lose the bet since Isha is beautiful and wealthy. Arush plans with Tanmay, Ali and Bharat, who is Isha's father in order to keep Angel with him.
His first attempt involves Ali posing as a botany professor named Parimal Tripathi who speaks very pure Hindi. Bharat is impressed by Parimal by this. They manage to get through a few days of the week until one day Isha asks him about marriage for the next day. After Isha says this, Ali talks to Arush and Tanmay who tell him to go to Disneyland where Ali gets Bharat attacked. He is stopped from further efforts by Tanmay in the 'Eddy Teddy' costume. Bharat decides that Tanmay is the right man for Isha. Tanmay, Arush and Ali make plans to stop Isha from marrying someone else. As the contract is about to terminate, Isha somehow manages to find out the truth that she has been cheated by her father, Tanmay, Ali and most of all Arush.
Isha goes with Angel to her private jet to go somewhere very far because she has lost the deal. As she is about to leave she is stopped by some cops because Ali and Tanmay called them. As they are arguing, Arush turns up showing Isha the contract and tearing it up indicating that Isha now has every right over Angel. But before the three men leave heartbroken, Arush says that a child needs a mother the most but it also needs a father. Just as they are leaving, Angel says her first word "Dada", but nevertheless Isha takes her away in the aeroplane.
The three men are depressed as they assume that they may never see Angel again until they are surprised to see her on their doorstep. Isha finally admits her love for Arush and the film ends with their marriage taking place, and angel's photoshoot. | humor, melodrama | train | wikipedia | Thought process as you watch "Hey Babyy":: First-half:: Is it the same Sajid Khan who directed the weakest segment of Darna Zaroori Hain?
Fardeen Khan, loved him in his Chupke-Chupke attire and of course the take it slowly episode.Ritiesh Deshmukh, dependable as usual and IMO he should stop getting slapped in every other movie.
And finally of course, being Farah Khan's sibling Hey Baby has a miniature parade of Bollywood faces in the title song, only fairer sex but..
Come on guys, making a movie on a subject involving an eight month old movie, and getting the right expressions when necessary is a tough task.Also, it featured Akshay Kumar, arguably one of the most versatile actors of this generation.The combo, along with Rietesh and Fardeen, does well in tickling the funny bone, at most of the places.Now, u may ask why didn't it get a 10/10, if the script is well-essayed and actors of such talent give their best?????The answer lies in the screenplay......Ya, couldn't resist a yawn at some places, especially in the second half.The movie kicks off very well(the title track is scorching).But post-intermission portions become really heavy at times.It again picks up though towards the climax,coming to a predictable end.The music is very peppy,the cinematography captures Australia well, though there are very few outdoor scenes.Coming to the cast, Akshay Kumar once again proves why he's one of the most bankable stars today.Flawless acting, with humour and sorrow expressed perfectly.Rietesh masters his supporting role quite well, Fardeen still has lots to do with his dialogue delivery.Vidya Balan is wasted mostly, what was Sajid thinking when he casted him for a role lasting only 30 min....Seriously,Vidya has to start thinking about the roles she's doin these days, whether it's Guru,Salaam-e-ishq aur Eklavya.Boman Iraani is good, though under-utilised.
The story as everyone knows is a horrible variation of the original Trois hommes et un couffin which was hollywooded into 3 men and a baby.The second half has some good scenes by Akshay kumar but not worthy enough to be called as "Saving grace".
What I hated about this film: too many sexual innuendos and jokes, the Australian actors were annoying, The scenes where they try to win over Vidiya's character were so boring and not even funny.
Anyway, people are considering this movie as a comedy film.
First half was good it really made me laugh & cry but in the second half when Vidia Balan came then got quite boring for some reason maybe because she spoiled it even Shah Rukh Khan's special appearance couldn't save it.There is nothing new it's just the same old comedy and makes no difference whether you watch it or not.
Music is OK the only good songs are the title song, Hey Baby by the Girl Band and Jaane Bhi De. 2007 is not a good year for Bollywood movies as 2006 e.g. Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Don, Krrish, Dhoom 2.
Akshay Kumar and Ritesh Deshmukh sounds a good combination for a comedy movie and that is the reason I went for the movie (promos also looked promising).
But it turned out to be a great disaster in all departments be it acting, direction (extremely idiotic) or screenplay.The way characters of 3 stars in the movie was developed was bad.
I think Sajid Khan needs to see Bheja Fry to understand that by doing stupid actions and creating childish situation, you cannot make someone laugh (though there will be people who will enjoy it).
Vidya Balan, Bomman Irani were a complete waste in the movie.This proves a point that if you are a star kid or from the industry it is easy to make a movie, get number of actors/actresses to do friendly appearances (which again was a waste) and boast on TV as if you are making the best movie ever seen.
Light hearted comedy...fun to watch...the guys have a definite chemistry and and the comic timing is hilarious.
Of course this is a new genre of Bollywood movies...comedy which is gaining popularity don't go looking for depth ...and sure it is a rip off the Hollywood movie three men and a baby but still I really liked the chemistry between Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan and Ritesh Deshmukh..the dialog are quite witty too...the movie starts off quite well and the scenes where the three guys are trying to handle the baby are quite hilarious...some kudos are due to the director Sajid Khan for keeping a good grip...Vidya Balan looks lovely too...and the just check out the cameo appearance of the great SRK and guess what he has a pony tail...all in all a good comedy:).
This is a brilliant film but not recommended for family viewing, its got comedy,emotions n love, But above all its totally 'Unpredictable' you don't know around the corner,its full of surprises!
Akshay Kumar n d Lads do a great job and vidya does her magic, well done to sajid khan for a successful movie !!
Based or stolen from THREE MEN AND A BABY this awful rip off with wobble head disco tracks actually manages to turn already idiotic oafs into hateful cretinous characters in the appalling cruelty shown to this baby in this dumb film.
As if one were needed, "Heyy Babyy" is a two-hour-plus remake of the1987 hit "Three Men and a Baby" (which was itself an adaptation of a French film from 1985).
Suffice it to say the script is unbelievably banal, the comic ideas antiquated and poorly executed, and the acting so cheesy and over-the-top that, after only a few minutes' exposure to this drivel, you'll be agreeing with the French as to the comic genius of Jerry Lewis.Yet, the only thing more insufferable than "Heyy Babyy" when it's in a playful mood is "Heyy Babyy" when it's being all high-minded and sanctimonious, cranking up the goo to almost unimaginable proportions, as this "angel sent from God" turns three self-indulgent and immature womanizers into hyper-sensitive and morally responsible young men - and the audience into a bunch of oohing and aahing sentimental slobs.So if your idea of a good time is religious symbolism mixed with poop jokes (and padded out to an unendurable length with endless musical numbers), by all means feel free to indulge yourself in all that "Heyy Babyy" has to offer in that regard.
The dialogs are not only explicit, they are vulgar, of low standards and do not add to the story.The use of explicit material is becoming more common on the Indian cinema nowadays and so many people may not find this a big deal but I think this movie went a little past that too.
So, this movie is for those who like slapstick and don't care about acting or poor jokes.
I don't watch much bollywood movies, only a select few which my friends tell me are very good.
The comedy part essentially lasts for the first half an hour or 45 minutes of the movie and is okay, not anything new or hilarious, after that, it's all the same old typical bollywood story with emotions and sad sobs thrown in.
The acting is good in the comedy scenes where it is needed.
You can easily skip this one if you're not one of those people who just have to watch every low or hi budget movie bollywood churns out..
this movie is an original and is a typical Bollywood comic flick at times its at par with some of the better comedies of Hollywood.
Hi my name is Aaron osahan here is my review of the movie This movie was so entertaining but it's really good story-line good comedy good romance good everything Akshay Kumar was superb ritiesh was hilarious fardeen is fine vidya is brilliant Songs are good Nice comedy by boman he was brilliant anupam was superb shahrukh khan had the most impressive epic cameo appearance ever My rating is 7/10.
This is the worst movie I've seen in my life (and I watch a lot).
Some of the films include blockbusters like "Sarkar , Lagaan..etc".Overall the movie is worth to be seen at least once by all movie goers .And yes the baby is also cute !!!!.
The main problem is that Sajid Khan couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to make Hey Babyy a comedy or a drama, which results in an uneasy mix of both.
Now onto the best aspect of Hey Babyy, the songs are tremendous, my favourites being Jaane bhi de and Mast Kalandar(which has a guest appearance by Shah Rukh Khan).
The moment i got to know that "Sajid Khan" was directing the film, i had already lost any hopes of the movie being any good anyways because he already has a very idiotic, blunt and stunted sense of humor and such a guy making a whole comedy movie.....Still i took my chances!
What more of a disaster can one expect!...the guy didn't disappoint, he not only created a stupid piece of cinema, made look the actors foolish, screwed up the screenplay, senseless direction & not only this but ruined even the script which was clearly like almost every Bollywood Movie nowadays lifted form a Hollywood original....well in this case it was "Three Men and A Baby"...
I went into this movie fully prepared, it was one of those movies, MOST PEOPLE EITHER LOVE IT OR HATE IT, and I was prepared for any of them.The fact is I had to cut 3 hrs (involves paperwork and college office, you know the drill) and this movie was ideally positioned to service that need.This movie starts out well enough, once again we have a foreign local, English titles, western clothing and hinglish dialogues with entire sentences in pure English.Despite my hatred for the above the start is brilliant, the first song is rocking with the multiple cameos from mostly hot chicks, WHEN THEY MISCHIEVIOUSLY PULL DOWN RIYA SENS TOP I HAD A HEART ATTACK, then the baby comes and we have a loads of R-rated jokes.AND MOST Definitely THE FUNNIEST SCENE IN THE MOVIE WITH THE FLYING DIAPER.When you start at the top the only place left to go is down, and the movie made is somewhat slow progress downwards, not the normal gentle slope even but the kind of up and down ride you would see on financial charts, in between there were some really funny moments like the children beating up Ritiesh.Then the tragedy happens and the melodrama starts, not the subtle kind, but THE KIND OF MELODRAMA THATS MAKES THE CRYING IN KARAN JOHAR MOVIES LOOK SUBTLE, "ITS ALL ABOUT LOVING THE BABY" you see.An entire half hour is dedicated to the reformed men, with a 3rd grade song to boot.AND IM THINKING HEY BABY, WHATS HAPPENING..??!!.Who is this movie, made for?
No no, I've got it wrong this movie is for the kids, I mean it has loads of kiddy jokes, and a few kiddy songs, and look how much the men like the baby, wait whats happening, wrong again this movie is for the women, i don't know how i missed it, the men reform, they love and take care of the child, stay at home to do house-work, THE MEN CRY (nothing turns on women more than to see men that cry, thats why married men suffer so much hehe), oookkkkkkkkkkk this time I've got to be right, this movies for the urban audience in general, i mean everything is in English entire dialogues and scenes are almost in English so it must be for them, but then ..........
women, men, urban, rural, children, adults aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrgh.THEN IT HIT ME.THIS MOVIES BEEN MADE FOR EVERYBODY.Not the kind of movie thats so good that everybody will love, but the kind of movie, that looks like cloth thats been stitched with many different colours because the tailor feels that since each colour is a different persons favourite colour if he puts all of them in one place all of them will love them.We all know what such a cloth would like wouldn't it.But ask any woman and she will tell you, "PATCHWORK IS IN RIGHT NOW", and maybe it is, because this movie isn't exactly doing badly.The acting is good, most of the focus is one Akshay, though the others have done well in the limited roles they have, and with whatever limited talent they have to.Im not gay and not normally one to dedicate paragraphs on how people looked, but Ritiesh actually looked gay, Fardeen looked fat,and Vidya looked like a fat aunty with a bad fashion sense.
But heres why i clarified that im not gay, Akshay Kumar looked fabulous SRK is looking the best he has ever looked and yet Akshay Kumar just outshone him in the song, im loosing weight and its actually quite an inspiration to see the long term rewards of being fit.The direction and script writing was haphazard as explained earlier, but was the potential was there, with some work Sajid Khan may actually pull of his new career.Technically this film was OK, there were lots of stock shots of Australia which comes with the free shooting that they provide.Songs were OK/bad, save for the title and the item song.In all truly ordinary film, that mostly incites extreme reactions, a few good scenes, are mixed with mostly ordinary and some really bad ones, THE AMOUNT OF MELODRAMA IS ALSO ALARMING IF YOUR NOT PREPARED FOR IT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU Don't ENJOY IT, LIKE I Don't.Watch with correct expectations, its also come to my notice after talking to my friends that this movies not for anyone whos not a hardcore Hindi movie watcher, the occasional watchers have all been disappointed.If you miss it, you probably wont miss anything, but you may not regret watching it either.Watching on TV for free will definitely enhance the experience.-s like patchwork, poor script OK direction, wasted performances and potential, too much melodrama.+/-s scenes for every important audience, you may enjoy the scenes for the many categories.+s Akshay Kumar (close of OD of him though), some really funny scenes, NOT A COPY OF THREE MEN AND....
(for the first time its actually and inspiration).total 5/10 (on absolute terms its more of a 4, but it served its purpose and there's definitely an audience for this film, even i feel i will enjoy the funny scenes, in isolation when channel surfing, hence the higher rating)..
Bad. Heyy Babyy is painful to watch.The story itself is a copy from Three Men and a Baby.The screenplay too is horribly penned.Even the dialogs are disgusting and offensive at times.It is like an ambitious project which has gone awfully awry.Direction by Sajid Khan is bad.The music is good.Performance-Akshay Kumar is very good.Ritesh Deshmukh is funny.Fardeen Khan is good too.Vidya Balan is bad.Boman Irani overacts.The baby irritates.Overall Heyy Babyy is bad..
No matter what Sajid would like to believe, until the moment Vidya arrives to take away her baby this is a complete ripoff of TMAAB.
Besides that it has Desi masala content which now people had enough from Bollywood movies, so no one likes them anymore.Songs are all over the place, never blending with the situation anywhere.
It gave totally wrong impression from the trailers.Director Sajid Khan should understand that he has made a movie for masses, and adding many songs & actresses in one song can't make a film any better.
Sajid's Inexperience Spoils It. Amount of disappointment I am getting these days seeing movies like Partner, Jhoom Barabar and now, Heyy Babyy is gonna end my habit of seeing first day shows.The movie is an utter disappointment because it had the potential to become a laugh riot only if the débutant director, Sajid Khan hadn't tried too many things.
Next 45 minutes were emotional and looked totally artificial and illogical.OK, when you are out for a movie like this you don't expect much logic but all the flaws tend to appear when you don't enjoy the movie and thats the case with Heyy Babyy.
Only problem is that these things do not come together properly to make a good movie.Anyways, I read somewhere that It isn't a copy of Three men and a baby but I think it would have been better if it was..
Love you Sajid, Love you Akshay, love you Vidya, and love you baby, the best movie of 2007, really a great movie, i liked it from the bottom of my heart, I have seen so many commenting ill about HEYY Babyy but i know they are jealous thats why commenting so, Everybody is well aware how good this movie is, I give 10 out of 10 rather I would like to give it 100 out of 10, since its a very good movie, and Sajid I love you for this movie, Keep it up, Well done I Congratulate you for this universal success of yours, very good man.
Good movie...worth the watch.
This movie was very good Akshay and ritesh and fardeen all have really god chemistry the baby was so cute Vidya looked nice The songs were really good i went to watch it at star city was a very good choice this is so funny and very entertaining i wanted to kill them when that baby drowned you could tell it was a dummy when the doctor put an injection in the baby.
Better than spending your money on RGVKAag. this movie was funny and witty and the songs were really nice especially mast kalander with shah rukh khan making his guest appearance.
and when ritesh bashed into that tree.Good movie go watch it.
Boys doing their usual stupid stuff and blaming girls over and over and over again.But something that this movie proved was that, Sajid Khan can surely make people laugh off-screen as well.
Her role wasn't that intense, but she did whatever she could.On a broader scale, this movie should be watched, certainly by guys like, who are out clubbing for THE certain same reason at times. |
tt0038671 | Kitty Kornered | The neighborhood's cat owners all (literally) throw their cats out for the night. Porky Pig attempts to do the same, but his four cats (a tall black and white lisping cat (Sylvester), a medium-sized tabby, a diminutive kitten, and a dumb drunkard cat) attempt to turn the tables and throw him out into the snow. Porky states that he's starting to hate pussycats. Porky bangs on the door, demanding to be let in, but the cats pop out of the door and proclaim in unison, "Milkman, keep those bottles quiet!", and then slam the door in his face which soon leads to a battle between Porky and his cats for the house.
While the cats are lounging around, Porky bursts through the window, making an incredibly menacing face. He chases them around the house until one of them throws him into a cabinet full of dishes and a teapot. Porky retaliates by setting his pet dog "Lassie" on the cats. The cats see the dog's shadow and run for their lives, not knowing that "Lassie" is really only a shadow puppet created with Porky's fingers and he doesn't actually have a dog.
When the cat with the lisp ("Sylvester") finds out that they've been tricked, he and the others plot revenge, which is exacted by having the cats create a War of the Worlds-esque sensation about invading aliens, and driving him into a panic over "Men from Mars!". Porky gets frightened and tries to shoot them with a gun but the cats charge at Porky with swords and run him out of the house once and for all and winning the battle. Homeless, alone, and cold in the snow, Porky turns to the camera and asks the audience if they have a vacancy for a house. | comic | train | wikipedia | Has To Be One Of The More Frenetic Cartoons Ever.
Porky Pig is trying to put out his four cats for the evening and one them is the cat we know as Sylvester, who became a lot more famous when he was paired with Tweetie, which began the year after this cartoon was released.At 9 p.m., according to this story, all cats were thrown out of their houses for the night, even in the middle of winter.
Where did that come from?
Well, Porky has three big cats and one little guy.
That's the one, the shrimp, with an attitude and there is no way he's going out in the snow.
Pretty soon all four cats are inside and Porky is outside and f-f-f-freezing in his nightcap.There are some funny visuals in here as the cats live it up for a short while, getting drunk on "Arsenic And Old Grape" wine, smoking cigars, binging on chocolates....until Porky gets back inside.
Then, look out!Great visuals and direction by Robert Clampett highlight this, although all the action and noise could give you a headache.
This is one, wild cartoon with something loud happening every second.
It has to be one of the wilder cartoons of the classic era.
I enjoyed how both sides tried tricks on each other, such as the "Lassie" and "War of the Worlds" imitations..
Klassic Klampett.
Bob Clampett was at his creative height and his last year at Warners when he directed this cartoon.
The plot involves Porky Pig trying to put his four cats out for the night (one of the cats is an early version of Slyvester).
Several scenes parody Arsenic And Old Lace and the Orson Welles' radio play of War Of The Worlds.
Everything gels together very nicely in this one; the jokes come fast and furious, the timing is razor sharp, and the art direction, use of color and camera compositions all greatly enhance the scenes.
A special standout is the animation, though.
It is suitably exaggerated and there are several great eye-popping "takes." The rest of the animators on Clampett's team had finally caught up to Rod Scribner's style of cartooning at this point.
(Rod Scribner was one of Clampett's head animators and was instrumental in breaking the Warner cartoons away from the stultifying and literal "realistic" animation of the day to a looser and more expressive style.) A very funny and energetic cartoon that for some reason has hardly been shown on T.V. Highly recommended!.
Classic Clampett.
Now THIS is more like it, after having to sit through the awful Tweety Bird cartoons.
The next short is this classic, hilarious tale of Porky Pig trying to let his cats out for the night and their retaliation.
Brilliant in it's execution, this Robert Clampett classic lampoons Arsenic and old lace as well as War of the Worlds.
Every single gag hits the spot and it'll leave you laughing with it's hilarity.
Just simply a great cartoon all around.
This animated short can be seen on Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2 and also features an optional commentary by Michael Barrier.My Grade: A+.
One of Bob Clampett's wildest.
Many of Bob Clampett's cartoons are superbly made, inventive, extremely funny and his style always shines through.
Porky is always watchable and Sylvester is one of the funniest and most interesting Looney Tunes character.
So 'Kitty Kornered' has much going for it.Clampett's style certainly shines through in 'Kitty Kornered', not just in the storytelling and gags but also the visual style.
It is one of his wildest and wackiest, and also one of his most visually imaginative.
The animation is really wonderful here, with several eye-popping and inventively exaggerated moments.
It's also very colourful and beautifully detailed.'Kitty Kornered' features yet another music score from Carl Stalling, which as always is fabulous and reinforces why he is my, and many others, personal favourite regular Looney Tunes composers.
Stalling always made a great cartoon even better with his music scores, with its lush and lively orchestration, high energy and character and action-enhancing synchronisation.The gags, which are many and come by thick and fast, also hit their mark, they are never less than very funny and a vast majority of the time are hilarious.
The goldfish gag is a classic, and one will love the references to 'Arsenic and Old Lace', 'Lassie' and 'War of the Worlds' (this reviewer will respectfully disagree about it feeling tacked on).
The dialogue has the usual razor sharp Looney Tunes wit, especially with Sylvester though Porky's dialogue is funnier than usual as well.
The cartoon is frenetically paced, but never feels rushed or over-the-top.Porky is always likable and watchable, he can be a little bland when a lead or pitched against characters with stronger personalities but he is far from that here.
Even better is Sylvester (looking different than he would become later), who is often a riot and even when evolving his characteristic personality shines constantly.
The other cats are fun too, especially Tiny, if not as memorable as Porky and Sylvester.
Mel Blanc excels brilliantly as always in multiple roles.All in all, wonderful cartoon and a Clampett classic.
10/10 Bethany Cox. Porky's Feline Follies.
I absolutely love this cartoon!
it is one my favorites from the late Bob Clampett.
It has scenes you will remember and laugh your head off; also I am a cat lover.
Out of Porky's four cats, I love the little, bitty kitty.
Also, you might notice that one of the cats is an early version of Sylvester only he's got a black nose not red; I love that speech he made :"Brother pussycats!
We've been skidded out, scooted out, backed out and booted out!
But tonight, we was scared out!
It's unhospitabitatble, and furthermore, it's un-cat-stitutional!"Another scene I love is when Porky crashes into the china cabinet, with a teapot on his head; through the spout he said "I hate p-p-p-pussycats!".
Good short, good characters, good fun!.
It's evening and homes all over the US are putting out their cats for the night.
However when Porky Pig attempts to put out his litter he finds that Sylvester is leading a revolution that tries to change the socially accepted order of things!Starting out with Porky being thrown out into the snow by his cats, this cartoon is a battle of wills between Porky and his cats, led by the despicable Sylvester.
The various rouses they all pull are all funny and the `alien invasion' broadcast is a nice throwaway reference to Orson Welles' reading of War of the Worlds!
The gags all work well and things are lively.The characters in the leads really drive the cartoon.
Porky is very animated and funny, while Slyvester is the best of the cats who, aside from him, are merely sidekicks.
Overall I enjoyed the short and it had plenty of gags and imagination Sylvester is in particularly good form..
never to be cat-atonic, especially when probably mocking Orson Welles.
In "Kitty Kornered", Porky Pig has a really hard time getting his cats to go out for the night, as they always seem to be one step ahead of him.
I assume that the whole part about the Martian invasion was probably a takeoff on Orson Welles's famous (or is that infamous?) radio broadcast.
It's the sort of cartoon where they just keep a gag coming every second.
But how could it not be, coming as it does from the crowd behind the Looney Tunes cartoons?
So, it may not be the greatest cartoon ever created, but you're sure to have a good time watching it.
And if you ever hear of a Martian invasion, you know just what to do..
"m-m-m-M-MEN FROM MARS!!!".
That about says it - only Clampett would have booted-out house cats try to scare their way back into the nice warm house by convincing their master (in this case, a terrified Porky Pig) that the Earth is being overrun by Martians!
One of the best double-takes ever..
"Oh, well, eh, p-pe-eh-eh-p-pe-eh-pussycats will be p-pe-p-pussy-c-ca-c-ca-w-will be kittens.".
It's nighttime, time for everyone to put their cats outside.
Porky Pig tries it and gets nothing but resistance from his four felines.
This becomes the premise for "Kitty Kornered", a wonderful cartoon featuring some of the wildest, wackiest animation imaginable, thus making the characters flexible and rubbery.
That can only mean this cartoon was directed by "Mr. Wacky" himself: Robert Clampett!
My favorite sequences from this cartoon include the following (DO NOT read any further if you have not yet seen it).
A snooty butler rolls out a carpet & pillow and then relinquishes his elegance by giving his feline a mighty kick!
Porky pulls one of his cats out of a mouse hole, and the cat in turn pulls a few yelping mice out of the hole; after the cat gives Porky a poke in the eyes (Bob Clampett must have been a fan of the Three Stooges), the cat & mice transform themselves into billiard balls.
AND, in a couple of references from the 1944 Warner Bros.
live-action feature film "Arsenic and Old Lace", all four of Porky's cats disguise themselves as Teddy Roosevelt and lead a charge up the staircase; and a very mean-looking Porky quickly draws open the curtains while his felines are drinking, smoking, and eating chocolates."Kitty Kornered" is a fine Porky Pig cartoon with a bit of a surprise - an early version of the ugly, slobbering cat Sylvester.
All he needed was to be paired with a baby canary or a Mexican mouse and he was in business!.
Brief flashes of brilliance can't quite save a cartoon that's too odd for its own good.
Bob Clampett's 'Kitty Kornered' is one of the most bizarre cartoons you'll ever see, even by Clampett's standards.
Perhaps the main reason for this is that Clampett wrote the script himself, which explains the wildly fluctuating plot.
It's filled with crazy animation, wild gags and nonsensical events.
But for all its unselfconsciousness, I've never warmed to 'Kitty Kornered' particularly.
It's just that little bit too odd and lacks the warped sense of logic that holds together most of the weirder Warner cartoons.
It begins with a simple premise: Porky Pig attempts to put his four cats out for the night (including Sylvester in his third appearance and sporting a black nose instead of his usual red hooter) but is continually confounded by their superior wits.
There's some good gags and the usual frenzied animation style that makes all Clampett's cartoons worth a look but the whole thing seems constantly on the brink of falling apart and finally does so as the cats decide to disguise themselves as aliens in a tacked-on satire of Orson Welles 'War of the Worlds' broadcast.
It makes for a strange climax to a head-scratching cartoon.
Despite my general dislike of 'Kitty Kornered' I'd encourage anyone to see it for its historical value as a Clampett-penned cartoon and to savour those brief moments of genuine brilliance such as the goldfish gag or the heart-stopping early moment when Porky bursts through the curtains to surprise the cats..
There are a lot of ups and downs .
. as well as ins and outs during the seven-minute running time of this Looney Story, KITTY KORNERED.
Across the Pacific in Asia, many snakes became so irritated when they lacked a pot to hiss in that they grew hoods (along with extra-deadly venom).
Porky Pig finds himself in less than a state of Perfect Bliss here, as he totally lacks pants, it's Winter, and his four cats keep locking him out of his house.
Suffering severely from blue bells being totally absent outside, along with the rest of the Flower Family, Porky resorts to canine shadow puppets to drive off his feline fiends.
But when the cat quartet nose out a moose in Porky's manger, they raise him four Martians, none of whom answer to "Mork" or even "Marvin." Then it's GOOD MORNING, SAN JUAN HILL!
as a foursome of saber-wielding Teddy Cats charge triumphantly up Porky's staircase, driving him from his home once and for all.
The pervert pig turns plaintively to the movie audience and whines, "Can anyone out there spare a pair of pants?" |
tt2027136 | Kristy | The film opens with a hooded figure photographing a young woman's corpse in an empty field, followed by a montage of internet screenshots and video of women being killed in what appears to be ritual murders by a cybercult, and footage of the murders being uploaded on an anonymous underground website, where members are encouraged to "kill Kristy," "Kristy" coming from a Latin name meaning "follower of God."
Meanwhile, college student Justine (Haley Bennett) and her boyfriend, Aaron, spend the afternoon together in her dorm room. It is the week of Thanksgiving, and Justine, who is attending college on scholarship, cannot afford to fly back to her parents' home for the holiday. Her roommate Nicole (Erica Ash), whom she planned to spend the holiday with on campus, leaves last-minute to fly to Aspen, Colorado to see her father, leaving Justine alone in her dormitory. Justine spends her Thanksgiving on campus in solitude, with the security guard Wayne (Mathew St. Patrick) being the only one nearby.
On Thanksgiving night, Justine takes Nicole's car to a convenience store to get a snack. Inside the store, a hooded girl, Violet (Ashley Greene) approaches Justine, complimenting her car and calling her beautiful. At the counter, the girl asks for a student discount on a pair of sunglasses, but has no ID. Justine offers to pay for them for her, and the girl refuses and calls her "Kristy." On the drive home, Justine nearly rear ends a mysterious car that is parked in the middle of the road. In the back window, she sees Violet, who draws the letter "K" on her window. Unnerved, Justine speeds off.
Upon returning to the campus, Justine calls Aaron and informs him of the strange occurrence, and though he offers to come stay the night with her, she tells him not to worry. After falling asleep on a couch in the common room, she hears odd noises coming from the direction of her dorm, and the lights begin to flicker. She passes a collage of photographs from other students, who all have their eyes scratched out. Inside her dorm, Justine finds that someone has accessed her laptop, playing the snuff film of the college student's murder from the beginning of the film. As Justine tries to turn off the film and contact someone for help, she finds that Wi-Fi has been disconnected in her building. While trying to reconnect, her laptop is hacked, and the letter "K" is spammed before it is shut down entirely. Meanwhile, Wayne, who was warned by Justine about the incident with Violet, notices something outside and goes to investigate.
Violet then breaks into Justine's room and confronts her with a boxcutter in hand. On the ground level of the dormitory, Justine witnesses a masked man brutally murder Wayne outside the front door. Another masked man carves the letter "K" with a knife into the wall. The four cult killers assemble, and Violet begins recording Justine, telling her that they will begin hunting her, and that she should "run to God." Justine flees, with the killers in steady pursuit. Inside the school parking garage, she finds the campus police car with a dead security guard inside. The killers quickly catch up to her. She flees to the house of the campus maintenance man, Scott (James Ransone). Scott goes to confront them outside, but is captured and hanged from a swing set in the backyard.
Justine attempts to call 911 from Scott's cellphone, but the gang has hacked into it. They begin sending Justine video clips of herself on the phone and menacing text messages. They follow her to the library, where she escapes onto the roof of the building. On the rooftop, she is confronted by the gang, and jumps from the building, falling through the branches of a tree which help break her fall. She sees Aaron's car arrive on campus; as she attempts to tell him what has happened, one of the men kills him. Justine gets into the car and begins driving as one of the men tries to break the windshield; she crashes the car against a concrete wall, crushing him to death.
She escapes to the gymnasium, where she hides in the swimming pool. As one of the masked men searches for her in the water, she emerges from the pool, and stabs him through the throat with her car keys; the two struggle in the pool and she uses his baseball bat as a garrote to break his neck. Justine then hides in a locker room, where the final masked man follows her. Inside the locker room's storage closet, she finds nails, which she covers the baseball bat in, and uses it to kill him. Justine hears his cell phone beep, and reads a text message from Violet asking if he's "killed Kristy yet." Justine responds yes, and Violet scratches out her face in a photograph and stores it inside her car's glovebox, along with numerous photos of other victims. While accessing the killer's phone, Justine finds the photos of the cult's numerous victims, and their declaration to kill the "Kristys" of the world -- pure, beautiful, and wealthy women who they believe follow God, the antithesis of the Satanic cult. By arriving in Nicole's attractive car and offering to pay for Violet, Justine unwittingly made herself a target. Justine also finds evidence that the cult is operating in locations all over the United States.
In the locker room, Justine uses pool chemicals to create a flammable powder. She then dresses herself in the dead man's mask and jacket, and approaches the car where Violet is, dousing it in the powder. Justine reveals to Violet that she's killed all three men. Violet attempts to lash at her with a box cutter, but Justine ignites the powder, and Violet is engulfed in flames; Justine watches as she is burned alive. She then photographs her corpse with the cell phone, and uploads it to the website, entitled /the fold/. A montage at the end of the film narrated by news footage reveals a series of similar cult murders had occurred in New York City, New York; Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and other major cities across the United States, but with Justine's testimony and access to the phone, many of the cult's members have been arrested.
A post-credits scene shows a young woman being attacked by another cult killer outside her home. | cult, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1433822 | The Apparition | On May 21, 1973, six people conduct The Charles Experiment, a parapsychological experiment, in which they stare at a drawing of a deceased man, Charles Reamer, hoping to summon his spirit. Years later, four college students, Patrick (Tom Felton), Lydia (Julianna Guill), Ben (Sebastian Stan) and Greg (Luke Pasqualino) attempt to recreate the Charles Experiment on a larger scale by using modern technology. During the experiment, something attacks the students and pulls Lydia into the wall.
Some time later, Ben and his girlfriend Kelly (Ashley Greene) are living together. One evening, they discover strange burn marks on their counters. Kelly finds both doors wide open, even though they had locked them. They decide to change the locks and install surveillance cameras. Later, Kelly finds a large amount of mold and spores on the laundry room floor while Ben finds even more in a crawlspace. Ben gets 36 "urgent" emails from Patrick that first inform him of a new attempt at the Charles Experiment, followed by a warning that "containment failed" and finally "you are in danger".
After witnessing the apparition, the couple go to a hotel, but they are attacked there as well. As they flee, they receive a call from Patrick and meet him. Patrick explains that the initial experiment enabled a malevolent entity to enter their world, but that he has built a room surrounded by a negative current that he believes protects him from it. They return to Kelly and Ben's house to try a new experiment to contain the entity. During the experiment, the house begins to shake and break apart, then abruptly stops. While Kelly and Ben are outside, Patrick is pulled into the darkness and vanishes. Unable to find Patrick, they flee to the safety chamber in his house.
Inside the house, they hear Patrick's personal log being played back, including information about the members of the original experiment. Of the original six, two died, one committed suicide and the other three disappeared. After entering the safety chamber, Ben disappears. Kelly exits the chamber and finds Ben's contorted corpse. Patrick's narration explains that the entity gets stronger with each person it claims, and that it will wear its victims down until they are too weak to resist.
With no escape, Kelly wanders around, and enters an empty Costco. She walks to the camping section, enters a tent and waits to be killed by the entity, having fully given up resisting. A number of hands appear from behind and the entity slowly grabs hold of her as the movie cuts to black. | paranormal, psychedelic, suspenseful, haunting | train | wikipedia | True to its title, 'The Apparition' arrives almost too quietly in cinemas this week – though rather than being a marketing gimmick like how the first 'Paranormal Activity' built its cult status, there is a much more straightforward reason why this low-budget B-grade horror flick has come without any fanfare.
After setting the scene with a 1970s séance experiment where a group of researchers used their minds to conjure the spirit of a lost colleague back into this world, the film opens with a similar procedure carried out by three amateur parapsychology students - Patrick (Tom Felton), Ben (Sebastian Stan), and Lydia (Julianna Guill).
Fast forward four years later, and the story picks up with Ben moving into a new house with his current girlfriend Kelly (Ashley Greene).
Then Lincoln remembers a certain horror movie he watched called 'Dark Water', and the said apparition begins appearing as a black mouldy patch on the ceilings and below the linoleum floors.
Couple Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) arrive in a new home only to discover strange things happening.
While watching THE APPARITION my mind started to go back to the mid 90's before SCREAM came along and the horror genre was just delivering some pretty awful movies.
Unfortunately, the movie is somewhat disappointing thanks to its so generic story and short runtime.The good: Ashley sizzles up the screen.
There were some good WTF moments and a couple of scary-ish scenes but to me it felt like there was something missing, that it needed a couple of more scenes to tie it all together as I felt left wanting more from the plot, and the film was only 73 minutes long.
When we finally do get a stand alone movie it is easy to say that it will most likely just be an average movie (especially with ghost movies).I for one am far past expecting horror films to scare me, so I was not very disappointed when I realized "The Apparition" was not going to be scary.
Nothing in this movie is going to really catch you of guard or makes you shiver with fear, but you will most likely be entertained through out.The story is interesting enough, I never really found myself bored or wanting the film to end.
It is also very short, which is actually a good thing in this case, since if it would have gone on for much longer I probably would have started to get fairly bored.I see people saying this film is terrible, boring, horrible, etc.
It won't be a film you will rush out and suggest to your friends, but it is still entertaining nonetheless and if you find yourself bored on a Friday night this will do a good job of occupying a little over an hour of your time.5/10.
I started to not care about what was going on, the characters were a bit annoying and I didn't really care about them one way or another.The film is not scary, it has its thrilling moments but all in all it's just a typical horror film for the new generation which really means its pathetic.I think the film would have been awesome if it had followed the group doing the experiment on getting a ghost to appear, in fact that's what I was thinking I was getting into but instead got a cheap shot at a horror film that left me feeling like I had completely wasted my time.It had some good moments but all in all it's not really worth watching..
The project goes awry and results in one student being sucked into the wall while the others escape but are being haunted by the presence.The tag line and trailer made the film seem promising but as the movie progressed I lost all interest in the film because the plot made ABSOLUTELY no sense.
Most thrillers or horror movies offer the same premise and that is almost to be expected these days, that is until those rare offerings are delivered like The Apparition.
And it turning out to be a poltergeist phenomena just makes it all the more interesting.As for the acting in the movie, well then people did good enough jobs with their given characters and roles, although no one really managed to stand out from the crowd.
Ashley Greene looks smokin hot throughout the film but her partner and her just don't ever seem like they are a real couple so you never really believe in the story.
Now Kelly and Ben are in danger and their only chance it to meet Patrick and send the fiend back to his world."The Apparition" is a terrible rip-off of "Paranormal Activity", with a senseless and lame short story associated to poor direction and acting.
why all the hate with this movie??I thought it was okay,very watchable...yeah i have seen better but i have seen way worse than this one..at the beginning it was very interesting...as the movie went on there were some flaws but nobody is perfect.One thing i did not like was how quickly the movie ended and nobody really understood who was haunting them.The leading actors did their jobs good the setting was decent,the dialogue satisfactory and the plot was interesting..well for me anyway..If you are a horror fan and you liked the Ring and the Grudge then do watch this,if you are not a fan then don't bother...This is Maryfeather and i write...
Fast forward to today, some college students get involved in trying to replicate that 70s experiment, involving the invocation of a spirit, and all goes awry.Before you know it, that narrative thread is left hanging in the hopes that it will create suspense and mystery, and the film went on for the most parts to tell the story of lovebirds Ben (Sebastian Stan) and Kelly (Ashley Greene), in showing just how awesome their lives are, and having to co-habitate in the holiday home of Kelly's parents, in a designer neighbourhood with all but one neighbour.
Perfect set up for things that go bump in the night, and before long, we follow the duo trying to make sense of shadows, open doors, moving furniture and the likes, before finally freaking out and looking for answers in the form of Ben's friend Patrick (Tom Felton), who was his buddy in that same college experiment seen earlier in the film.As mentioned, there is absolutely nothing here that will raise your adrenaline level, or make you cower from behind semi-closed eyes.
Everyone seemed to be sleepwalking in their roles, making it horrendous to sit through with scenes being fairly stand-alone with little links to one another, and the premise right at the beginning, well, was just that, not being exploited fully to keep everything under one coherent narrative.You can sense that Lincoln had probably wanted to tell of a more cerebral story than the usual run of the mill horror flicks, but surely this is way out of his league, and I'm sure many in the audience will appreciate a more direct approach in dishing out the scares.
He's got to realize that he's no Kiyoshi Kurosawa as the story tries so hard to become a spiritual peer to the Japanese director's acclaimed film Kairo (which was remade by Hollywood into Pulse), and that one shouldn't bite off more than one can chew.The Apparition makes watching paint dry seem like a roller coaster ride.
Is the writers blatant intent to write characters that don't feel the least bit real committing such mind baffling acts as staying in a tent in the backyard after being attacked in the house , running into the woods, staying in this damn house instead of going outside on so many occasions and crawling into a tent during the films somewhat interesting climax amongst others.
The sad thing is there are some talented people here Ashley Greenes performance is limited due to the script but it's solid, Sebastian Stan has some decent moments as well as Harry Potter's Tom Felton there are some inspired moments in the films creative direction leading me to believe that maybe he should assist someone before moving onto his next project.
Fortunately the film is barely over 80 minutes so it moves quickly toward it's stale climax and at least leading lady Greene is charming enough to get us to like her character even when she isn't parading around wearing only half her clothes.
I'm a wimp when it comes to scary movies, but this one had me sitting on my couch with still eyes wondering, "Was that supposed to scare me?" The acting on average was - well, average - for most characters, but I must say Ashley Greene was so ridiculously amateur in this film I felt like I was watching an abc family special.
After a paranormal experiment a young couple start experiencing odd things around their house.This film is not bad but I think it had much more potential.
Well I'm the kind of guy that finish what he started so as soon as I realized this movie would be terrible (10/15min in) I rubbed my bed thinking "Great, now I have to see ALL of this!"So basic notes: the plot wasn't original but it could have been better explored.
Cons: Plot develops too fast for an horror movie; there's no explanation for the identity of the ghost; Worst acting seen by Tom Felton (there aren't many I know); Past a certain point all we see are ghostly stuff meant to scare us but can't really do it.Mainly no acting or special effects could save a movie where the script is bad and the producers don't take pride in their workI give 2 to this movie just because of Ashley.
Got sooo excited that they quickly cast a couple of pretty people with decent acting skills and hired an alright film photographer & director and started making the film.And then they couldn't wrap up the story logically, excitingly or even mysteriously and left it with a "sorry folks sometimes the good guys...." ending...Its very disappointing to see some peoples talent get wasted by lousy scripting and decision making.
The Apparition combines a been-there-done-that plot with cheap scares, cardboard characters, and a climax so anticlimactic, that the average viewer is bound to be more shaken by the fact that they wasted money on such an inept attempt at a chiller.The Apparition takes a jab at the haunted house sub-genre of horror movies and if you couldn't tell by my introduction, it does so clumsily.
The movie sounds like every ghost story ever made, but thanks to strong direction and absolutely thrilling scares, it kept me entertained despite its very basic premise.
This one's the work of Dark Castle Entertainment, who first came to light with the remakes of HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and THIRTEEN GHOSTS at the turn of the century, but whose horror fare has steadily deteriorated ever since.The plotting of THE APPARITION is entirely boring for the most part.
Actually,there's so much missing on the basis of the film.When I look at the first movie cast,I said to myself that according to the staff that this film is really successful,unfortunately not.You can not find a realistic acting.Perhaps the reason is that the movie studio shoot.In brief,this movie will be worth for you.Even,If you like horror movies,you will be disappointed..
Would you really want to watch a terrible movie that is so bad, it has the same rating as the film fifty shades of Grey?
When the film started, to my surprise it had great promise, the makings of a real "chiller" with hints of Poltergeist for a story line with a pinch of Ghost Busters, the tale looked strong with good potential, just the right amount of special effects - but what happened, it was like the studio ran out of money, the story is progressing nicely then the rather abrupt and somewhat surprising ending.
This film could have been up there with the "great Horror movies" if only they had given it a different ending.
I NEVER POST TO THESE THINGS HOWEVER...in these times when money is tight I would like to help you save a buck or 2....If you are looking for a great scary/horror movie...this is NOT it.
One of the most unoriginal and predictable movies of all time, The Apparition should take the form of a Direct-to-Video film.
There are some interesting happenings and for the most part of its very short running time things move along at a not so boring pace.Some of the Movie's haters seem to think that to be scary you need a shaky camera and that fuzzy out of focus "Found Footage" look that implies "Reality", but Horror Films have been scaring people for a hundred years without that amateurish, sloppy and lazy technique.Here we have a straightforward telling of a much told story of Entities breaking through to our side with the usual creepy, crawly ("watch out for spiders") results.
Unless you turn the sound off and just watch her.On a more serious note and to those who blame everything on the male lead of the film: While that is true (overall), the character played by Ashley Greene, should've (re-)acted otherwise.
The Apparition (2012)Not really sure what to make of this movie, It was kind of waste of time really, it was really all that creepy or that scary.There were some strange scenes in this movie, that didn't make sense at times but I didn't really fully get what was going on.I thought opening scenes was decent But that was the good part of the movie for me and acting was really poor and over the top in some scenes .it was kind of boring and a some-what- predicable.3 out of 10.
'THE APPARITION': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five) Two 'Youth Book' movie stars, Ashley Greene (of 'TWILIGHT' fame) and Tom Felton (of 'HARRY POTTER' fame), star in this supernatural horror film written and directed by Todd Lincoln.
I like Tom Felton and think it's good to see him doing other things besides playing Draco Malfoy in the 'HARRY POTTER' films.
Then we move on to the pointless shower scene, every horror movie has to have them, then we see that the ghost was in the shower with her, kinda like the grudge, thats not all this film took from that movie, we'll get to that in a moment.
When a group of co-eds, Ben (Sebastian Stan), Patrick (Tom Felton), Lydia (Julianna Guill) and Greg (Luke Pasqualino), conduct a psychic séance similar to one held 40-years earlier, they open a portal for a spiteful spirit.Later, Ben and his girlfriend, Kelly (Ashley Greene), begin to experience strange occurrences in their new home.Overtime, Kelly learns of the séance, and of the entity they released, now she and Ben must escape its ubiquitous grasp.Suffering from a deficiency of tension, twists and character development, The Apparition fails to materialize as a horror of any merit.Besides, the only thing that will haunt you after a private séance is the psychic's fee on your credit card.
This is what happens when you take some decent talent, a decent (although not a very original idea, IMO) script and then turn what should have been a good scary 'R' rated horror film into a mediocre at best 'PG-13' romp by catering to the teens that aren't going to see it anyways, because it doesn't two really ugly stars that can't act in it...lol, and I think we know whom I am talking about.The shame about this is some young talent may have been destroyed by someone that has no idea what they are doing and quite possibly should not be in the business to begin with (writer, directer & producer).
Nevertheless, I think that this movie was a little better than many of these reviewers would have you believe.The Apparition actually had a lot going for it: sufficient production value, competent directing, decent acting, decent editing, decent sound design, et cetera.
OK it goes like this Attractive people+Scary Events x number of frights\plausible explanations=resolutions and upbeat ending means "wow what a great movie" This movie maybe a jumble of ghostly events to some but it does have its moments and while there is no gore some of the memento mori are pretty impressive on film.
It's not until the freaky things start happening in the couple's house that the movie becomes unexpectedly good.
I thought the movie would be good, when I started to see things moving around the house, but the characters never really showed any type of fear or real emotion.
Overall, if you like teeny bopper horror films with no scares what so ever, very little suspense, stupid plot holes, and annoying characters, you may enjoy this movie.
By the time I thought about leaving the theater it was over.Overall; unoriginal, bad acting, too short, little actual activity.I must however mention the scene when Kelly (Ashley Greene) was hammering the door shut thinking she was outside the room, when she was in reality hammering herself in with the apparition.
Additionally, my grandmother was evil or mad or both....if that makes a difference....Anyway, with the title of this film, I thought I could revisit this experience in my life and at least someone else's vision of what it looks like and perhaps what it means.Well, no - this movie is a lot of special effects...things that I don't even associate with apparitions, poltergeists maybe...The only thing I found intriguing is the concept of energy, electrical or emotional...in it's desire to alter our physical world.
Things don't go that well for Patrick (Tom Felton, Draco from "Harry Potter") and his crew as something has happened.The film jumps again to Ben (Sebastian Stan) who was part of the experiment and Kelly (Ashley Greene, Alice from "Twilight" ) one of the world's worse house sitters.
I have seen some bad horror movies in my time, but about this one i have 10 lines to write about.
The best thing about the movie is that the chemistry between Greene and Stan is actually really good. |
tt1193507 | My Own Love Song | In Marysville, Kansas, a paralyzed former singer, Jane, argues with her stuttering friend Joey about his belief that he can talk to the invisible world. One day, during her physiotherapy treatment, he messes up her house while searching for a book about angels that he has lent her. He is taken by the police to a hospital, where an angry Jane visits.
The following night, Joey escapes and comes back Jane's house in clean up. He finds a letter from her young son inviting her to his communion in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he lives with his adoptive family. Joey spends the night on the couch.
In the morning, the police ask her if Joey is in her house, but he has already left. Joey begs Jane to go to New Orleans, where an author writing about angels is holding a conference.
On the drive, the engine heats up and the car explodes. They buy a new car, but it is stolen. They board a coach and while Jane sleeps, Joey meets Billie by helping her find her wedding ring on the floor. She tells him her husband has disappeared without giving an address. The three dine at Billie's sister's house. The next morning, Joey, Jane and Billie are driven to a restaurant by a relative, but Jane forgets her purse in the car, so Joey elaborates a plan to get them to the bus without paying. The plan does not work but they eventually get into the bus, where they argue about what they've done. The bus driver abandons them in the middle of nowhere. Jane decides to go back home and Joey reveals her son's letter.
At night, the three hear music and meet Caldwell, an old musician with whom they share some cake enhanced with drugs. The following day, Caldwell gives them a lift, as Jane agrees to replace a singer. Shortly before the show, Jane argues with Joey about his mothering her. She leaves the group and meets fellow travelers going to Iowa. The woman of the couple is ill and they are going there on their last trip to their children. This inspiring meeting persuades Jane to perform the show. She arrives on stage while Joey prays angels for her to come back. She sings "This Land Is Your Land" accompanied by Caldwell on electric guitar, to applause from the club.
As they drive towards New Orleans, they notice their stolen car on the road and chase the thief. An accident ensues and everybody is arrested and subsequently freed except Caldwell, who is taken to prison. Jane gives him a song written for him, about the beauty of birds.
In New Orleans, Joey attends the conference about angels, but discovers the author is a racist and a liar. He does not believe in what he writes and hates his Black and Mexican readership. Joey punches him in the face and the three travelers are expelled from the conference.
They get to the train station and are bound to Baton Rouge when Billie receives a call. Her husband is on the phone and seems ready to come back home. She leaves Jane and Joey before their train departs.
In Baton Rouge, as they reach Jane's son's communion, she is afraid that she will not recognize him seven years after her accident and subsequent coma. Joey tells her to sing, so that he will find her. She listens to his advice, and her son, who was about to leave, stops in front of her.
The final scene is set later back in Kansas. Joey and Jane are sitting in front of a lake. Her son and his adoptive parents arrive for a visit. Jane and Joey hold hands as the three approach. | flashback | train | wikipedia | Two lost souls go on a journey to discover themselves again..
I saw a preview for this film in Paris in the presence of both the director (Olivier Dahan, who is French) and Forest Whitaker.
The director described it as simple and happy while Forest mentioned magic.
They were both right.
The film was beautiful.
The whole room seemed completely taken in.
Renee Zellweger was great and managed to make a number of the audience cry in her role as an ex-singer confined to a wheel chair.
Forest Whitaker was fantastic as was Madeline Zima who I had not seen much previously and was very impressed by.
The story was simple but moving and the pictures magical.
There are a couple of brilliant characters that they meet on their travels too who lighten up what could have been a rather intense movie.
I definitely recommend this film..
music and story and acting.
I guess I saw a whole 'nother movie than the other reviewers, because I simply loved this film.
Not that the comments and crits were wrong...sentimental, somewhat disjointed...but I found it moving and amusing and truly enjoyed the soundtrack.
The small roles were perfect and the marshmallow whip on top was Zelweiger's riveting rendition of Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land"...unlike any other I'd ever heard...AND she sang my absolute favorite verse (the one about the No Trespassing sign..."but on the other side it didn't say nothing', that side was made for you and me").It reminded me quite a bit of "Leaving Normal", another fave of mine...Don't let these nay-sayers put you off this gem..
Unconventional road movie..
I saw this via Netflix streaming video.
Written and edited by the Frenchman who directed the superb "Edith Piaf" story (La Mome') it is set in the USA, filmed in various parts of Louisiana, and ends up in New Orleans.
The story centers on the story of Renée Zellweger as Jane Wyatt, one time recording artist who, 7 years earlier, had become crippled and wheelchair bound as a result of an automobile accident.
So she pretty much put her life on hold.Seemingly her best friend in the small Kansas town is Forest Whitaker as the somewhat kooky Joey, who has visions of angels.
He goes off the deep end occasionally, often uses poor judgment in certain situations, but jokingly calls himself "Jane's body guard." He in fact does help her out at times.One day Joey finds an unopened letter in Jane's house, it is from her now 10-yr-old son, living in Baton Rouge, inviting her to his communion in July.
Joey doesn't tell her about the letter, instead puts it in his pocket and sets about to get Jane to take a road trip, he wants her to see her son.
The road trip does have its share of pitfalls, the first being their car burns up.
Literally.
At a motel along comes Elias Koteas as Dean, who sells them a car for $500, and it works fine, but the next morning they awake to find it gone.
Dean has cheated them.Then comes young Madeline Zima as Billie, whose young husband just seemed to take off, so she joins them in the road trip.
At one stopping point they need a place to crash, hear music, and go to find Nick Nolte as Caldwell, playing a guitar.
He joins in for the road trip.Describing it in my feeble manner in no way does justice to the movie.
It is very different, often touching, and very well acted..
Le nouveau Wizard of Oz. This movie is part of the "nouvelle vague" in cinema, a more evolved and profound cinema, with deep undergrounds of humanity and courage, with tranquility of sharing and understanding.
The analogy with the Wizard of Oz is obvious, since that is where this movie got its roots: three people experiencing different kinds of losses, two of them from Kansas, on a trip to discover the answers they long for - answers they will eventually find in themselves.The director does some terrific job, no matter what they say; he takes all kinds of risks, uses unconventional tools up to the point where a less circumspect and more neophyte viewer would lose track, leaning on extraordinary performances from all actors.
The characters are simple, yet sophisticated.For the simple-minded, this movie does not mean much - it's just a road movie with sparkles of unconscious and sentimental movements.
Those movements though are instruments of one's true self, as authentic and pathetic and sparkling as any true self is.Way to go for la nouvelle vague!.
Strong cast; weak story.
You've read the story in these critiques.
It's a road movie about a small group of damaged characters in search of some undefined salvation in the form of a huckster who claims that angels exist.
The Forrest Whitaker character, Joey, bothered me the most.
The slow-witted crazy man with a heart of gold, who takes care of the paraplegic singer played by Renee Zellweger.
The character is a movie cliché, straight out of Of Mice And Men, and Whitaker didn't bring anything new to it.
Is he schizophrenic and off his meds?
Is he bipolar and off his meds?
Whatever, he only shows up in movies, not in real life.
At one point, late in the story, there is a diversion into the "legend" of Robert Johnson losing his soul at the Crossroads in exchange for a supernatural ability on the guitar.
It goes nowhere.
What was the point?
Is our little band of characters somehow like Robert Johnson?
Apparently not, because the next sequence is a high-speed car chase down highway 61.
There were some nice moments, but they were poorly strung together..
Old Love Song.
Writer and director Olivier Dahan may have had sincere intentions behind making 'My Own Love Song' but the problem with the film is that it does not have much to offer in terms of novelty and it relies on several clichés.
With the exception of Zellweger's Jane, the characters are either clichés or one-dimensional.
Moreover, the film is overly sentimental at times.
While I enjoy road movies very much, 'My Own Love Song' does capture the beauty of the American landscape.
The camera-work is very good.
I enjoyed the animated bird sequence but otherwise it was completely out of place.
Renee Zellwegger does an excellent job in portraying Jane Wyatt, a wheelchair-ridden former rockstar who's estranged from her son.
In addition, Zellweger proves once again that she can sing beautifully.
Forest Whitaker tries the best he could with a poorly written Joey but the actor is unable to do anything new with this character.
Yet, I enjoyed most of his scenes with Zellweger.
Madeline Zima's Bilie lacks development.
Nick Nolte stands out in a small role.
Overall, 'My Own Love Song' isn't a bad watch by any means, it just doesn't have anything new to offer..
Slow, self indulgent and confusing.
This film is about a wheelchair bound singer and a man with psychiatric problems who embark on a road trip to escape from their broken dreams in their hometown.The initial twenty minutes are alright, portraying the love hate relationship between the two leads.
However, once the angels and the fantasy elements set in, the film becomes chaos.
What are those pastel birds doing on the streets?
What about those images of angels in the sky?
Instead of being innovative, it appears self indulgent and confusing.
The pacing is so slow, with too many scenes that are made to look artistic but are so boring.
The prime example is the scene when they sit under a tree lit in red.
The scene is beautiful to look at but quite a torture to sit through.The ending has the potential to be very emotional.
However, it just does not have that effect.
The ending has a heartfelt song, but there is inadequate closure.
It is not uplifting or touching enough either.
"My Own Love Song" could have been emotional and engaging, but it is a greatly misfired attempt..
Dahan out of his element, wallowing in sentimentality.
French director Dahan's first film set in post-Katrina Louisiiana and shot in English is a rambling, overly sentimental road picture about two damaged individuals who go on a quest.
Zellwegger's paralyzed from a car accident seven years ago, when she met Whitaker in the hospital.
He was there for mental problems.
He still thinks he hears the voices of angels.
They go off in an old Seventies car (which is later stolen) to see the author of a bestselling books on angels, and Whittiker's character wants to take Zellwegger to the birthday party of her little boy, who was adopted by a rich family when her injuries and poverty made her unable to raise him.
On the way they meet a run-down singer (Nick Nolte), something like Jeff Bridges' character in CRAZY HEART except that he only plays the guitar and has sunk so low he can only get gigs at an old hotel and that only if he brings a singer.
So he persuades an unwilling Zellweger to come along and perform.
There and at her son's birthday Zellwegger gives surprisingly powerful, earnest performances of two songs -- both written by Bob Dylan for this film.
The colorful southern atmosphere and the Dylan compositions (which include his own very Tom-Waits-esquire performances on the soundtrack) may be the main reason for watching this otherwise weak effort.
It would work better if Whitaker didn't give one of his most mannered performances and if the two principals were not written in as such hopeless losers.
Poor critical rating in France: Allociné 1.2 (26).
An error of taste, however well-meaning; the director is out of his element.
Some will enjoy the music and the settings but this is at best an interesting failure despite the name cast..
Forced empathy that takes us nowhere, slowly.
A road trip drama where lost souls are looking for their lost dreams, or as the title suggests, their own love song.
The filmmakers used characters who suffer from opposite inflictions to increase the sense of conflict, sympathy, and drama.
Jane (Renée Zellweger) is in a wheelchair and Joey (Forest Whitaker) is schizophrenic.
Do you feel sorry for them?
You should.It's an awfully long journey to somewhere that we, the characters, nor the filmmakers quite know where it is, and all we have to get us there is two people who learn to become more than they are by each using their own strengths.
Sound a little prosaic?
Sadly, it is.Perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects is that "My Own Love Song" is not a truly independent film by new filmmakers trying desperately to break into the industry, nor is it a Hollywood film where they threw in cliché ideas in a desperate attempt to make a dollar.
It is by award-winning filmmakers who had access to great actors and original songs by Bob Dylan.
Frustrating because it can't be as easily dismissed as one would assume.The plot summary, the title, the poster and DVD cover art all suggest that it will be boring.
I can't fault the marketers, it is boring.
And that is its ultimate problem.
Zellweger is perfect in the role, the messages are all quite respectful, and the idea that this journey is about dreams not about reality could have made it substantial.
But "My Own Love Song" doesn't go anywhere very interesting and it takes too long to get there..
Seemingly insurmountable loses can be redeemed with love..
I think that this movie is what movies are supposed to be.
The journey that the 2 main characters embark on is not only a physical journey but also an emotionally and psychologically healing journey.
Both characters have lost more than they can bear and they help each other to recognize that life goes on.
Jane learns that she can be emotionally engaged in life - that even though she has lost so much there are still elements in her life that can be reclaimed if she is willing to feel again.
Joey has experience loss so great that it has shifted him psychologically and he comes to realize that he needs to express only those things that he can share with others in their realities while keeping his unique reality for his benefit only.
The characters they meet along the way all add to their journey of healing.
The healing that occurs is subtle and inferred by the thinking person.
I view this movie as a masterpiece to be enjoyed by those who are not dependent on typical cookie-cutter tactics..
Excellent Movie.
Simply put...this movie is one of the BEST we've seen in a very long time.
I completely disagree with the negative previous reviews, perhaps these folks haven't had to live lives with a handicapped child, which certainly can help one to focus on the truly healthy aspects of this movie.
Gently told, it was well worth watching, and if my handicapped child could comprehend?
I'd have let him watch it...Not only was the acting excellent, considering the difficult nature of this movie, but we believe that the manner of producing reality was right on.
For those who perhaps don't have a handicapped child?
I recommend that you find a nursing home where these children are most often housed, and visit.
Bring your heart on your sleeve, keep it close.
We are unsure IF his mother was reunited with him on a permanent basis, but hope she was. |
tt1052040 | Seventh Moon | Newlywed Melissa (Amy Smart) and her Chinese-American husband Yul (Tim Chiou) are spending their honeymoon in China, where they intend to visit his relatives. During the day they participate in the "Hungry Ghost" Festival, a sort of local Halloween where they drink and celebrate and learn of the tradition of leaving offerings to the spirits on the full moon of the seventh lunar month, when the dead roam among the living.
In the evening, their affable guide Ping (Dennis Chan), whom the couple befriended during their stay, drives them through the countryside to reach the village where Yul's relatives live. However, a few hours later, while Yul is asleep, Ping stops the car and tells Melissa he has to go ask for directions in the small village nearby. One hour later, Melissa and Yul decide to seek out Ping in the village. However, all the houses have boarded up windows and there are live animals left as offerings along the empty streets. The locals start chanting something from behind the doors, but Yul, who's not perfectly fluent in Cantonese, does not understand what they're saying, although it sounds like they're summoning something.
The couple returns to the car and decide to drive away without Ping, trying to find the way back to the city. Soon they meet a wounded stranger on the road, and Melissa decides to help the man. But as soon as they leave the car, they are attacked by strange, pale creatures who start to chase them down. They seek shelter in a barn, where the stranger tries to knock Yul out in order to feed him to the creatures in his place. Melissa manages to subdue the man and drag a wounded Yul back to the car. The stranger follows them up, but is slaughtered by the creatures while Melissa and Yul are barricaded inside the car.
The creatures start smashing the car to reach the couple, but they manage to escape through the trunk, and lock themselves inside a crypt, where the creatures don't seem to be allowed to go. They suddenly hear the villagers chanting again, and they seem to be led by the same male voice they had heard on the radio while first trying to drive away. They are compelled to leave their hiding place and enter a house adorned with lit candles, where a large number of people are gathered. In their trance, they hear reassuring words in their mind. They let the villagers strip them down and start having sex on the floor in front of them, then black out.
Melissa and Yul wake up in a field, tied up to a tree back to back. The creatures are now all around them. Yul, realizing that they are the chosen sacrifices, start telling the demons to take him and spare his wife. The creatures comply, and Melissa wakes up inside the house, while Ping shows up again and explains to her that they have been forced to lure outsiders in as sacrifices, in order to stop the moon demons from taking one of the villagers. Ping says Yul did a very brave thing by letting himself be taken to save his wife. After an enraged Melissa assaults him and starts to savagely beat him for his betrayal, Ping reveals that Yul is still alive, as the moon demons need a live human to be turned into one of them.
Despite Ping's warnings, Melissa goes after her husband, following a trail of candles to the subterranean cave where she finds the moon demons standing still waiting for Yul to bleed out. Yul has begun to transform though the process is incomplete, and he is too weak from his injuries to move. He tells Melissa the creatures are already inside his head, and she has to leave or she'll be killed too once he's turned. They exchange a final vow of love, Melissa promises to visit Yul's relatives, who are still her family now. She puts back on the wedding ring the villagers had taken away from Yul, then resigns herself to leave the cave sobbing. Soon the moon demons begin to chase her again, but are slowed down by Ping, who sacrifices himself out of guilt to allow Melissa's escape.
Once out in the open, the creatures keep pursuing Melissa, and are nearly on top of her when the moon begins to set, turning the demons into silvery dust. As the sun rises Melissa stands in the light looking at the surrounding forest, and in the shade of a tree she sees Yul, fully transformed into one of the creature, staring at her sadly. They look at each other silently until he disappears, too. | dark | train | wikipedia | The concept of hungry ghosts is a central part of the tradition of Chinese Ancestor Worship, and had great potential for an excellent movie melding the supernatural and horror.
The script writers even set it during an actual event in the Chinese year, a festival sharing much in common with the true traditions of All Hallows Eve. Unfortunately, that is as far as it went.The film does not make the error that many movies make substituting gore for horror.
It's based on the Chinese myth that under the full moon in the seventh month of the lunar year the dead can cross over to the land of the living.
Some people may feel that the effects weren't terribly good but they didn't need to be; this movie was more about suspense.
There were a couple of times that left me scratching my head in confusion but overall a good movie.
Part of the Ghost House Underground DVD series, Seventh Moon is based on the Chinese legend that on the full moon of the seventh lunar month, the gates of hell open and the dead can enter the realm of the living.The film opens in China where we are introduced to newlyweds Melissa and Yul (Amy Smart and Chiou) as they walk the streets of China acting as regular and normal as any tourist – taking in the culture and enjoying the ethnical differences.
Sánchez emulates his Blair Witch debut by shooting Seventh Moon with hand-held cameras and quick edits.
Spooky as it was at times, the shaky camera doesn't allow the audience to get to know the characters as well as a steady-cam.
Couple the setting with the constant shaking and un-centered camera efforts, and there isn't any time for emotional investment amongst all the other distractions to care whether the two leads live or die.
In accordance with the Chinese Myth, on the full moon of the seventh lunar month, the gates of hell open and the spirits of the dead are freed to roam among the living.Melissa (Amy Smart) and her husband Yul (Tim Chiou) are spending their honeymoon in the month of the ghosts in China, where they intend to visit his relatives.
One hour later, Melissa and Yul decide to seek out Ping in the village, and they see the houses closed with live offering and the locals saying something in Cantonese.
Yul does not understand what they are saying and the couple returns to the car and drive away trying to find the way back to the city.
Melissa and Yul try to find a way to protect themselves and survive the hellish night."Seventh Moon" is a forgettable low-budget horror movie with a reasonable story and basically four characters only.
This is easily one of the worst movies I have ever seen, ever.Like the user comment before mine, I saw it at Fantastic Fest, an annual must of film festivals, and one year later with 09's fest about to start - I am still compelled to urge people not to waste two hours of their life on this nearly unwatchable waste of celluloid.The pacing is awful, the action is laughable, and it all culminates in one of the silliest, most disappointing endings Fantastic Fest has ever been privy to.
Spooky use of sound, silence and darkness.Some have complained of the hand-held camera-work but I was not bothered by it.Along with ALTERED, this is the best film from Eduardo Sanchez..
I must disagree with everybody who has written a review here ( 3 people to be precise ),and I will try to explain why it is like that.First of all,to the all the people who have commented about this title I must ask a simple question: Did anyone of you ever watched more than two horror movies in your life?So the movie is about old Chinese myth that turns out to be real and not a myth at all.The story is very simple and not very original.I have expected more of Eduardo Sanches since I liked ,,Altered,,.And to wait three years for something so average was certainly a disappointment.( Don't get me wrong,I don't think ,,altered,, the greatest movie of all time,but despite budget limitations and a few plot holes it was quite enjoyable and fun little b-movie).The acting by Amy and Tim was OK,but my biggest problem was the look of moon demons( they were quite lame and ordinary in my opinion ).Some scenes at the end of the movie were a total ripoff of Descent by Neil Marshall.Overall,this movie can be told in 2 minutes( I mean the story and everything that happens from the beginning to the end ).So the biggest problem of this movie is,like I said before,that it is so average it's painful.While this certainly isn't the worst movie I have seen,it isn't the best one either.You won't be missing anything if you don't watch it,and if you do you'll say : Oh,well nothing special.So since this is just an average movie I will give it an average grade 5 of 10.P.S. Also for a horror movie,this flick isn't scary at all..
Another good movie ruined by shaky camera.
The story was decent, the acting was actually pretty good, and, unlike most horror movies coming out these days, it didn't look like it was shot on home video.
The lighting in this movie is horrible, the camera shakes so much you can't see what's going on, and its constantly zoomed in so close to everything that you can't make out much of anything when the camera *isn't* shaking all over the place.Not one time do you get a clear shot of the ghosts.
A pretty good movie, but in my opinion the camera work completely ruined it.
Unfortunately, it is such a continuous cliché that I could not get enjoyment out of it, and that means it failed.The plot is as simple as possible: Cute blonde with blue eyes goes to China with her Chinese fiancée, but one that is tall and talking with an American accent and probably stepping foot for the first time in China.
Hell, I even liked Blair Witch 2, OK story, good dialogue...great cast.
Unfortunately, I watched Altered, a boring...clichéd...way overrated farce of a movie that should never have been made.Then, Mr. Sanchez lowered himself even more by making the atrocious Ghost House Underground film: Seventh Moon.
I'm disappointed, utterly disappointed in Mr. Sanchez - being a huge fan of Blair Witch even to this day - I'm sorry to say that I am boycotting all future movies by this director."George Clooney once killed the Batman franchise.
I think overall it's not a bad movie but it does stretch in credebility and hard to buy into the whole concept of these zombie like, Chinese demons..
First off - if you're one of the people who didn't like 'The Blair Witch Project' and don't put much into stuff like 'Cloverfield', 'Welcome To The Jungle' or 'Quarantine' then really don't go for this one either, but I gotta say it's your bad because this movie is and has all that a true horror movie should, and I don't mean horror like the whole 'texas chainsaw massacre' flick(of which I really like the 2 latest editions) or 'saw'(which I can't stand) etc.
What I mean is horror down to the bone; one of those master-pieces not very much unlike the classics such as 'exorcist' or 'Amityville Horror'(the first 2) because what all these movies share is a real passion and love in being a part of this most underrated movie genre.Well, I really don't care much about going into movie analysis or what not, the way that these things(This is my first review here) are meant to be done but I guess what I wanted(and felt obliged to) say is already said and that being the fact that this movie is rated so poorly and it doesn't even have a poster, so...All in all this is real horror whether you know/like it or not, this is an expression of pure passion for this downtrodden genre and I won't say it scared the hell out of me, it didn't but it did something that is much tougher to achieve, what that is exactly I couldn't say, at least not in a few words and like I said I don't care much about semi-professional reviewing that is so much sought after on IMDb pages.In short: If you think a new breed of horror has emerged with the making of Blair Witch Project and that it has continued uninterrupted ever since with some of the movies I mentioned above then this is your 2008's successor to that fragile but so far successful trend of making this genre stay fresh and up-to-date.Gojo.
This movie was also directed by one of the co-creators of "The Blair Witch Project," Eduardo Sanchez.
I hoped for steak and got Spam.The whole story is based on an old Chinese myth that on the full moon of the seventh lunar month the gates of hell open and the dead are free to roam the earth and feed.
Filmed in almost complete darkness, and with shaky hand held cameras.
Shooting a horror movie in the dark is nothing new, but for some reason it's just so frustrating to watch.
I will end this unpleasant review by saying that the best thing on the DVD is a five minute featurette in the extras of an old 1980's Chinese television special on the seventh moon myth..
"Seventh Moon" is an effective little horror film that does a good job creating paranoia and delivers a good amount of scares.
Melissa (Amy Smart) and Yul (Tim Chiou), are honeymooning in China to visit Yul's parents when they get lost in the countryside and end up in a small remote village.
Their misfortune coincides with the night of the Seventh Moon, which, in accordance with Chinese Myth means that the gates of hell open and the dead can enter the world of the living.It's a scary ghost movie that gets the basics right.
While there are a few moments at the end that aren't totally effective, and throughout the movie there are stretches that are poorly shot (to the point where you'll be frantically trying to figure out what exactly is going) it genuinely scared me.
American couple spend their honeymoon in China but get duped into becoming sacrifices to "Moon Demons".
On their honeymoon in China, newlyweds become stranded in a remote village while the locals are celebrating Hungry Ghost Month to honor their deceased relatives, and find themselves as the prized sacrifices intended for the ghosts.Good grief was this an utter disappointment.
It hurts so much to actually look at this due to those absurdly dismal shaking-camera footage that runs rampant throughout this, really coming off worse than found-footage films with a similar tactic as this one really makes it impossible to see what's' going on by being so blurry and out-of-focus during the whole film.
The documentary-style feel here just looks completely terrible since it's not something being filmed by either one so there's no excuse for doing this throughout here with the kind of dedication to utter chaos and dis-coordination that's featured here, which does lower this one so far that it remains so disappointing instead of being one of the more enjoyable efforts around.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity and a brief sex scene..
What's the point of watching if you can't see anything.Melissa (Amy Smart) and Yul (Tim Chiou) are on their honeymoon in Chins where they are left in a small village.
This movie is about a newlywed couple who are honeymooning in China during the Seven Moons celebration which pays tribute to the dearly departed.
We can clearly see the creatures attacking our main characters several times during the movie, so there's no need to employ all the shaky cam shenanigans to try to disorient the viewer.
This movie was like eating bad Chinese food and getting cramps.
It was probably seen in a couple of film festivals then went straight to Ghost House--a company that seems to be picking up more stinkers lately, than even After Dark.
But this time the storyline is weak, some scene's are too long and be honest, we have seen it all before with all those remakes of Japanese ghost movies like The Grudge and others.
i had never heard of it, was in movie store and seen it was a ghost house production(which i am a HUGE fan of) with Amy smart, i thought it had to be good.
i fell a sleep in the middle(no joke!!!) i have to say this is the first ghost house movie i have seen that i didn't like(in fact hate).
I'd never have thought someone like Amy Smart could pull off a role like this, and she did a great job.Unfortunately, the use of shaky cam just detracts so much from the movie that parts of it are almost incomprehensible.
His "style" (LOL) of film making is to shove a hand held camera right into the face of each actor in every single scene.
But the guy who made this film makes him look like he's standing still and filming in slow motion.And for all I know, they could have made this entire movie inside a closet.
SEVENTH MOON is another missed opportunity from director Eduardo Sanchez, the man who brought us THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT back in 1999.
I originally gave this move a seven, but then changed my mind after having fallen asleep TWICE trying to watch this film.The movie began well enough: newlywed Americans in China enjoying the sights and sounds of the region.
The couple goes to the little town and are haunted by the darkness, the voices, and the animals left out for sacrifice.Then they come; the moon demons(?), undead, "zombies"...
then it all goes to Hell.The movie lost it's way when the couple find a house where all of these people are just standing around.
I really don;t know why some idiot directors have to film their movies this way.
A pair of newlyweds decide to spend their honeymoon in China, where Yul (Tim Chiou) intends to visit his relatives, including his grandmother Nai Nai. His love Melissa (Amy Hart) finds joy in their first days of stay, extremely pleased with the exotic appeal of the Hungry Ghost festival.
Apparently the ghosts are not a myth, but actually the Asian cousins of the crawlers (from the movie "Descent").Eduardo Sánchez of "Blair With Project" fame executes his new endeavour with some old-style classical frights mixed with some of his trademark hand-held camera filming.
Several plot points to stick out like a sore thumb and given how little of a story there actually was it is a major flaw of the movie.
I'm unable to watch this all the way through because the jiggling camera induced a migraine of Biblical proportions, but the pattern is clear anyway.Two honeymooners, Tim Chiou and Amy Smart, are being driven by an older man named Ping to a remote village but Ping gets lost and stops the car in a spot that is close to a haunted village, or so he says.
The structures in the village are all dark, as is everything else, and the only light comes from Chiou's flashlight.I give the film points for its attempt at hybridization, crossing the cheap American horror movie with a Chinese milieu.
"They come to our village in the seventh lunar month on the night of full moon.
They took away one of our living each time." A recently married couple, a Chinese man and American woman, Yul and Melissa(Tim Chiou and Amy Smart), honeymooning in China, are left by their tour guide, Ping(Dennis Chan)in the middle of nowhere in the blackness of night.
What is really frustrating is that there's a damn good scary movie here that's obliterated, ruined, by the decision to shoot the story this way.
What infuriates me the most is the fact that Eduardo Sánchez's "Seventh Moon" could've been one of the best horror movies of the last five or so years..it contains a solid premise and a pretty frightening threat.
I can add little to the general view that this sure is a murky and shaky visual experience, and so there is no real point in watching a film in which a lot happens that you cannot see much beyond flashes of two characters running about trying to escape out of focus wraiths, which is not exactly what I bargain for when I sit down to view a horror film.
In terms of the positives, it is interesting to see a wider cultural take on the supernatural, and the Chinese Ghost Festival is genuinely interesting, so it is just a shame that all of the potential to be unique is cast aside in favour of a cinematographic style that looks as if the camera operator was filming the action from atop a rollercoaster, at night.
The couple is chased by ghosts that come to claim souls every 'Seventh Moon'.
The ghosts are very creepy and you don't really get a good look at them (which makes them scarier) until the end.
Like Sanchez's 'Exists' I found this to be a damn good, simple but intelligent and SCARY indie horror movie.
While it's true that many nighttime films are overly lit in that made-up way so that the audience can get into it, this movie does the opposite -- it's too dark to figure out what's going on most of the time.
Based on a Chinese myth of the hungry ghosts that arrive one night a year in China.
Melissa (Smart) and her Chinese/American husband Yul (Chiou) are on their honeymoon on this particular night as their tour guide Ping (Chan) gets lost in a rural part of China. |
tt0098194 | The Return of the Musketeers | Twenty years after the events of The Four Musketeers, Cardinal Mazarin has imprisoned the Duke of Beaufort. Mazarin hires d'Artagnan to bring together Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, to work for him. Porthos accepts, but Athos and Aramis decline. By this time, Athos has a son named Raoul.
Milady de Winter's daughter, Justine, questions the headsman that the musketeers hired to kill her mother. After finding out from the headsman that "Comte de la Fere" hired him, she kills the headsman. Raoul happens upon the aftermath of this event and chases after Justine, who is disguised as a priest. After a swordfight, when he discovers who she really is and her plan, Raoul leaves and tells d'Artagnan, Porthos, and Athos that Justine wants to kill them.
Comte de Rochefort helps Beaufort escape from his prison, and he is subsequently arrested by Mazarin. Mazarin sends d'Artagnan and Porthos after Beaufort, but Beaufort escapes them due to interference from Athos and Aramis, who are working for Beaufort. This starts a fight amongst the Musketeers, in which d'Artagnan slices Aramis' hand. Aramis breaks his sword and rides away. d'Artagnan and Porthos are fired by Mazarin for not catching Beaufort.
Rochefort goes into hiding until he finds Justine, and tells her the names of d'Artagnan, Porthos, and Aramis, revealing to her that the Comte de la Fere is Athos.
King Charles I of England is to be executed, so Queen Anne of Austria sends d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Raoul to rescue him. They attempt a rescue by knocking out the headsman, but Justine takes his place and executes Charles.
The musketeers have several encounters with Justine: in one, Raoul's true allegiance is revealed to her; in another, Justine and Rochefort attempt to kill the Musketeers by blowing up their ship (the Musketeers escape and Rochefort is killed by his own bomb).
Justine attempts to kill King Louis XIV, but is stopped by the Musketeers, and their battle concludes with Justine jumping out of the window into the water. Aramis rejoins the musketeers, and they force Mazarin to sign several forms in favour of them, including making Porthos a baron, Aramis a bishop, and Raoul being commissioned into the Guards. The film ends with the Musketeers riding together again. | cult, action, murder, romantic, historical fiction | train | wikipedia | Unfortunately, the tragic accident suffered by Roy Kinnear casts a palor over the ending.The original cast is as good now as in the original films.
C. Thomas Howell is completely forgettable as Athos' son, Raoul.Part of the problem with this film is that Mazarin never seems as formidable as Richelieu and Cattrall is a poor caricature of Faye Dunaway.
All-in-all, the film is fine entertainment for a quiet evening or a rainy weekend.One note of trivia: Philippe Noiret would later play D'Artagnan in Bertrand Tavernier's Revenge of the Musketeers..
It's nice to see many of the original cast members back for this third "Musketeers" movie, even though 15 years has elapsed since the second film.
That name is Justine de Winter, daughter of Milady de Winter (the female villain that Faye Dunaway played in the earlier films, who was eventually captured and beheaded by the musketeers).
With Justine out for revenge, D'Artagnan has to track down his old friends - some of whom are Beaufort supporters and therefore the very people he should be fighting against - and together they ride again into various adventures and dangers.There are certainly some problems with The Return Of The Musketeers, but none of them undermine the film as much as its detractors would have us believe.
Secondly, Richard Chamberlain's character, the musketeer Aramis, is not in the story much and the scripters have tried to compensate for his absence by introducing the character of Raoul, son of Athos.
Many reviewers have already commented that this was Roy Kinnear's last film (he died following a horse-riding accident on the set), so I won't add too much to what has already been said.
For the innumerable times adapted , it's filmed in the greatest splendor , the complete romance , the historical characters, the full novel just as Alexandre Dumas write it .
This delightful adaptation based on Alexandro Dumas classic novel starts with a mature D'Artagnan who attempts to reunite the remaining Musketeers , the three two-fisted Musketeers , Athos (deliciously performed by Oliver Reed), Porthos(Frank Finlay) and Aramis (Richard Chamberlain) .
DÁrtagnan invites to unite them in their objective to struggle against guards of astute Cardinal Mazarin (Philippe Noiret), his deputy Rochefort ( Christopher Lee ), and a devious secret agent , the Milady De Winter's daughter ( Kim Cattrall ) who such as his mother is lovely as a jewel, deadly as a dagger the wickedest woman in all Christendom , she seeks vengeance against the Musketeers.
Comic relief by Roy Kinnear who unfortunately died in an equestrian accident , falling down horse during the production and the film is dedicated at the same .
As the marvelous main actors are completed by stellar cast full of classical and veteran players as Roy Kinnear as unforgettable Planchet ,Philippe Noiret , Christopher Lee , Geraldine Chaplin ,Billy Connolly , Jean Pierre Cassel as Cyrano De Bergerac and several others.
Lush production design is well reflected on the luxurious interiors and exteriors mostly filmed at Madrid and Toledo .This classy story about the famous ¨Musketeers ¨ is subsequently remade on several versions , firstly take on about this classic is the following : 1921 silent version by Fred Niblo with Douglas Fairbanks and going on the 1935 adaptation by Rowland V Lee with Walter Abel and Paul Lukas ; 1973 amusing version by Richard Lester with Michael York, Oliver Reed and Raquel Welch ; 1993 modern adaptation by Stephen Herek with Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Chris O'Donnell, and 2001 rendition by Peter Hyams with Justin Chambers, Mena Suvari and Tim Roth , among others.
This fun instalment of the Musketeers series (fifteen years after 'The Four Musketeers' was released) reunites the original four cast members (Michael York still looking impossibly young as D'Artagnan, now in the King's army; Oliver Reed on good form as Athos, now with a weedy son Raoul (C Thomas Howell) who really doesn't need to be there; Frank Finlay in a very silly wig as Porthos and still accident prone; and Richard Chamberlain as Aramis, now an Abbe and the Queen's confessor, but ready (eventually) to join in the swordsplay).Kim Cattrall appears as Justine de Winter, daughter of Milady, and is completely inadequate.
Making a return are Christopher Lee as Rochefort, and Roy Kinnear (who died during filming) as long-suffering servant Planchet; and fine additions to the cast include Alan Howard as Oliver Cromwell, Bill Paterson as Charles I, Jean-Pierre Cassell as Cyrano de Bergerac (an idiot who thinks geese will help him fly in a balloon to the moon) and Philippe Noiret as Mazarin.Is it as good as the 1970s instalments, also directed by Lester?
The sword fights are there (and also an hilarious scene involving trapdoors in the rooms of Justine de Winter); there's the usual set of stunts and slapstick; and there's the darker sections - Athos remembering Milady, the execution of Charles I, the young French king imprisoned in the Tower, the gunpowder-laden ship.
For me the cast member who is most memorable (as in the earlier films) is Oliver Reed, in a perfect part which gives him chance to get lots of references to alcohol in there (in one bit son Raoul offers him tea 'a new infusion', which Athos sprays out after a swig when being told there's no alcohol in it!), has him stuck in a castle window, and plummeting into a water tank from the punctured balloon.
The film does have its good points, such as the beautiful production values, some witty jokes about the ravages of time and a good cast Oliver Reed and Christopher Lee being the standouts.
To be honest, though I have not watched them in ages, I am not quite as much a fan of Richard Lester's revisionist version(s) of Alexandre Dumas' swashbuckling saga as I would like (being more partial to the 1948 version which is the one I grew up with); with this in mind, I did not actively seek out to catch up with the belated third entry, neither when it opened in local theaters nor on its sporadic Italian TV appearances!
That said, having purchased Anchor Bay's SE DVD set of the 1973/4 adaptations regardless, I also made it a point to finally acquire the film under review
and, though I have been wanting to check it out for the longest time, only got to it now jointly in tribute to James Whale (by way of his definitive 1939 version of THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK) and as part of my current Easter epic marathon!
To cut a long story short, I quite enjoyed the film (though the comedy is still very much frenzied and hit-and-miss in the traditional Lester style) – which had been thoroughly ignored at the time, another reason I was in no special hurry to watch it.
Of course, Lester re-acquired the services of most of the principals save, obviously, for the ones who had expired or been replaced (Faye Dunaway and Charlton Heston respectively: amusingly, when the latter wished there was some way to bring Cardinal Richelieu back, the director obliged by having a portrait of him in character hung up in his replacement Mazarin's office throughout the film and which he later donated to the actor!).
Thomas Howell as the adopted son of Oliver Reed's Athos (the sole link to Dumas' "Le Vicomte De Bragellone" aka "The Man In The Iron Mask" – whereas the rest is an adaptation of "Twenty Years After", already solidly brought to the screen in 1952 as AT SWORD'S POINT); and Kim Cattrall as the true villainess of the piece (inevitably, we had to have one here as well), memorably introduced as an axe-wielding monk(!) catching up with the executioner who had beheaded her mother, Milady De Winter – born out of the latter's relationship with Rochefort (played once again by Christopher Lee, despite his vociferous protests over the years of having been paid for the previous outings on a two-films-for-the-price-of-one basis!) and whom she detests and humiliates for having abandoned her.The plot finds Michael York's D'Artagnan still struggling for a court position, Oliver Reed's Athos typically raising hell under the influence (as befits the actor who passed away in Malta 10 years later during the filming of GLADIATOR {2000} following yet another massive binge in a local bar that was subsequently renamed "Ollie's Pub"!!) – however, whenever he chooses to flex his serious acting muscles, he is as commanding as any thespian, Frank Finlay as an inertly-wealthy Porthos, while Richard Chamberlain's Aramis is now confessor to Chaplin and, though relegated to a "Special Appearance" credit, he does get a reasonably meaty role as a womanizing cleric!
Also on hand is Roy Kinnear as an amiably impish Planchet: unfortunately, he would himself die when thrown off a horse while shooting this, an unfortunate accident which led the director to give up film-making altogether (without wishing to pass judgment on him, this decision is in stark contrast to John Landis' essentially unruffled reaction at the even more tragic death of Vic Morrow while TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE {1983} was being made!).Anyway, the narrative here incorporates the taking of power from British King Charles I (Chaplin's character's brother) by Oliver Cromwell – in cahoots with Mazarin and Justine De Winter!
Richard Lester attempts to recreate the magic of his '70s "Musketeer" films, and for the most part he succeeds, but "The Return of the Musketeers" is a bit too episodic at times and occasionally feels rushed, particularly at the end.
Fast forward ten to fifteen years after that, and I'm channel surfing one evening when I come across some kind of period piece that happens to looks like a musketeer film on WTBS.And it is.
As you probably already know comedic actor Roy Kinnear's life was tragically cut short working on this production, and the film is appropriately dedicated to him.I guess the one thing that really stands out in this film is the fact that it's a relatively low budget affair.
You can tell that in spite of this being an expensive production that the money just wasn't there to do proper Richard Lester justice for this third installment of the musketeer movies.All in all I enjoyed it.
First of all, Richard Chamberlain (As Aramis)is not in the film all that much, the late Oliver Reed (As Athos)looks like he doesn't want to be there, and Frank Finlay (As Porthos)seems to be along for the ride.
There was only one moment when the film carried any serious depth for me, and that was in the confrontation between Aramis and D'Artagnan; although completely without basis in the book, that was the only episode that carried any hint of the bitterness of genuine feeling between the four reflected in the torn loyalties of the original.As for the rest, it was played for parody, pure and simple.
It might as well have been entitled "Return of the Son of the Bride of the Musketeers from 20,000 Fathoms", given its grievous case of 'sequel-itis'.Rochefort is gratuitously re-introduced, despite the fact that he performs no plot function at all and trails around like a mangy dog, to be pitied even by Oliver Cromwell.
We have overlong, over-slapstick fight scenes, epitomised perhaps by the opening sequence, where even Roy Kinnear's sad death during subsequent filming cannot excuse the tedium of his character's would-be comic antics.
At times, alas, the film is little short of a travesty.If you loved the originals -- this is one of the cases where I'd actively advise against watching the reprise, for the sake of sparing the embarrassment of the actors involved, if for nothing else.
Watch the French-made "D'Artagnan's Daughter"(1994) for next-generation comedy; or, if you want to see Michael York play an aging D'Artagnan with genuine boisterous charm, try the harmless bit of fluff that was the 'mini-series' "La Femme Musketeer" of 2004..
the iron mask) was never filmed ,because this one was not very commercially successful.Roughly based on "Vingt Ans Après" ,"the return" was made sixteen years later ,with the same actors (Faye Dunaway ,Raquel Welch and Charlton Heston are not present ,their characters being all dead).Also Louis the Thirteenth is dead,Jean-Pierre Cassel who played his role,returns as Cyrano De Bergerac who comes at the most awkward moment.The historical background is thin,although dealing with "La Fronde" ,a noble rebellion,and Mazarin's struggle to maintain the absolute monarchy ;and in spite of the musketeers,he was successful ,for the Sun King's reign only began with his death in 1661 ,when he was already 23.Unlike in the book,it's a daughter (Justine De Winter) and not a son who wants to avenge her mother Milady.It's first surprising but becomes repetitive in the long run.It lacks some imagination:why not an affair with Raoul for instance?The first movie of the saga remains the most successful:in this one,time has taken its toll,and what could have been another magnificent "Robin and Marion" ,a journey through the past tinged with nostalgia ,remains here a moderately entertaining swashbuckler..
Having greatly enjoyed Richard Lester's first two "Musketeer" movies, I was looking forward to seeing this one when it was finally released.
I know Oliver Reed's Athos is supposed to be a melancholy man, but in this film he seems continually on the verge of breaking into tears; Richard Chamberlain is too old to play the wastrelly ladies' man/religious as he did so enjoyably in the earlier movies, and Michael York seems to be in a perpetual pout.
With a script and story just as good as the original films in the series, The Return of the Musketeers is only let down by the cheap humour made at the expense of the physical inabilities of the now aged musketeers.However, even this is done so that you cannot help laughing at it, and so leaves us with a little comic jewel of a film.In the UK this film has remained quite high profile as it marked the death of Roy Kinnear, one of Britain's best and most beloved comic character actors of all time, who died while falling off his horse during the filming of one of the horse-riding scenes, and his families pursuit of compensation.Kinnear's death does leave the rest of the cast visibly downcast on screen and brings down the end of the movie with an over all somber mood as Kinnear's scenes are filled with a mixture of doubles and audio dubbing.However, this is still a very funny movie which is ideal for a late night of non-thinking entertainment..
In the early 70's many of the same actors made one excellent and a second really good but not quite excellent fun action film based on Dumas' classic stories with a small amount of fairly inaccurate history thrown in.
It is intended as a parody of the first two films--a lovely idea in concept--but it would work as a 15 minute skit, not a feature.Part of why it worked was the quality of the stars with the three central characters (not in order of billing) (of the film) D'Artagnon, Cardinal Richelieu, and Lady De Winter being played by Michael York, Charleton Heston and Faye Dunaway.
Also missing from this cast is Raquel Welch, playing the dumb, funny gorgeous sexpot (against Dunaway's scary, super-intelligent sociopathic sexpot).Given the quality of the original two films, and how mediocre the script for this is, I am surprised the rest of the major players returned: Christopher Lee (great in all), Oliver Reed (playing a drunk--big surprise), Geraldine Chaplin (her role is larger and Much more poorly written--she is not a comedienne), and Richard Chamberlain.
On September 18, 1988, during the filming in Toledo, at the great Puente de Alcántara, the actor Roy Kinnear fell from his saddle.
The movie "The Revenge of the Musketeers" was a pleasant surprise since I had read the book,"Twenty Years After" by Dumas.
The beauty of the film "The Revenge of the Musketeers" is in keeping the spirit of the first two movies, staying close to the original books by Dumas(instead of the kiddie version),the third movie was made with the original actors almost Twenty Years After the first was produced!
The film should have spent more time on Charles I's execution and how the musketeers fight to save him because we also see a pathetic attempt whereas in the book, they really tried and almost succeeded in saving Charles Ist. I miss Mordaunt so much.
It's still the same crew, and the same, definitive, cast - apart from the characters who aren't with us anymore - although Jean-Pierre Cassel does make a cameo appearance as Cyrano de Bergerac!One thing that nobody else has done on here is compare it to the book.
This doesn't happen in the book - although I did hear somewhere on here that Richard Chamberlain expressed a lack of interest in this film, possibly after Roy Kinnear was killed.
The best part of the film is the hilarious opening scene in which Kinnear tries to get his lunch, but it's all downhill from there.Kim Cattrall is a poor shoe-in for villainess although Christopher Lee is a reliable villain as always.
Richard Lester, who had cast Kinnear in numerous films before this one, was so upset by his death that he retired from filmmaking.
Prior to Kinnear's death, I imagine that the plan was for Planchet to accompany D'Artagnan, Athos and Porthos to England, where Aramis would have reunited with them.Leaving the real life tragedy aside for a moment, this is a hugely enjoyable film.
Kinnear, Chamberlain, Christopher Lee, Oliver Reed, Michael York, Frank Finlay and Geraldine Chaplin all reprise their roles from the first two films and are joined by Kim Cattrall, Philippe Noiret, Alan Howard and Bill Paterson (admittedly in a very small role as Charles I).
Of the newcomers, Kim Cattrall, whose work I always enjoy, was the best as Justine de Winter with Noiret as Cardinal Mazarin in a close second.
Jean-Pierre Cassel, who played the by now dead Louis XIII in the original films, has a lovely cameo as Cyrano de Bergerac. |
tt0137115 | Mothman | In Point Pleasant, West Virginia, home to the legend of the Mothman, a group of high school seniors camp out next to a river near an old mill where the Mothman is supposedly buried under the incinerators. While pranking their friend Jamie by trying to scare him with the Mothman's legend, the teenagers accidentally drown Jamie while they are pulling him into the water while swimming in the river. The teenagers decide to cover up the accident by claiming that Jamie hit his head while jumping into the river and even hit his head with a rock to prove this.
Ten years later, one of the teenagers named Katherine Grant (Jewel Staite), now a reporter for the Washington Weekly, returns to Point Pleasant after her boss sends her on a matter of the tenth Mothman Festival. Katherine meets with her former boyfriend Derek Carpenter (Connor Fox) and later with the rest of her friends who accidentally killed Jamie. After Katherine and her friends meet in a bar, Jared (Michael Aills) heads back to his RV where he is murdered by the Mothman himself. The next day, Katherine and Derek head to Jared's where they can't find him and leave. Yet they miss his remains and guts on the other side of the RV. Katherine and Derek head to the Mothman Festival where they meet a blind old man named Frank Waverly (Jerry Leggio) who tells them of the Mothman's legend; warning them that he will strike again. Later that night at the bar, Richard (T.W. Leshner), almost commits suicide over Jamie's death, but changes his mind just as he is about to shoot himself. The Mothman enters through a mirror and kills Richard with broken glass. The Mothman then goes after Sally (Jessica Erin Sylvia) who drives away in her car. Sally's car stops and she is brutally murdered by the Mothman.
The next day, Katherine, who is now starting to believe in the Mothman, comes to Frank for help. Frank tells Katherine of how Point Pleasant is the only land in North America never to be occupied by Indians. This is because they feared that the land was home to an evil spirit. When the white settlers took over the land, they killed the Indians and their chief Cornstalk escaped to where Point Pleasant is now. The whites found Cornstalk who offered a treaty with the whites. But the whites tortured him and before dying, Cornstalk summoned the evil spirit so that he could take revenge on any murderers in the area. The whites cut Cornstalk in pieces and put them in a mirror-lined coffin. Hence, the spirit Mothman can only enter our world through reflective surfaces. Katherine leaves and heads back to her motel room where she is attacked by the Mothman who enters through the television screen. Derek arrives and wards off the Mothman. Katherine and Derek go to Frank for help where Frank admits to blinding himself because he and one of his friends accidentally murdered the mayor's son while driving drunk in 1967.
Casey (Matty Ferraro) later discovers Jared's dead remains at his RV and is attacked by the Mothman. He manages to escape and calls Derek. Frank gives Katherine and her friends a bone-like object to perform a banishing ritual to stop the Mothman. Katherine, Derek, and Casey head to the old mill where they perform the banishing ritual near an incinerator. However, the banishing ritual actually appears to summon the Mothman, as it appears after the banishing ritual is performed and hunts down Katherine and Derek as he chases them through the mill. Just as the Mothman has Katherine and Derek cornered, Casey shoots him and the creature flies off. As Katherine and Derek attempt to escape, Casey shoots at the Mothman once more and is carried away by the creature as Katherine and Derek leave.
Katherine and Derek arrive at Frank's where he traps them in a tunnel where they are cornered by the Mothman. However, Katherine and Derek eventually escape and find Casey who is actually alive. The three head to the Mothman Festival that night where Frank is planning on the Mothman taking revenge on the entire town. Frank arrives at the festival where all of the attendants spot the Mothman in the sky as he attacks a woman on a Ferris wheel. Katherine and Derek arrive at the scene where Frank is finally killed by the Mothman, as well as the mayor who shoots at the Mothman. Casey rams the Mothman with his car and attempts to kill the creature. However, the Mothman kills Casey and prepares to kill Katherine. Katherine fires her gun at the Mothman which sets off an explosion that seems to kill the Mothman. However, the Mothman is still alive and again prepares to kill Katherine. Derek distracts the Mothman for a second until the creature carries him off and drops him. The Mothman then prepares to finally kill Katherine. Katherine stabs the Mothman in the chest with the bone-like object which causes the Mothman to burst into flames and black moths.
The next day, Katherine visits Derek who is wounded and in a hospital. Katherine's eyes turn red and black moths fly from her. She is seemingly the Mothman and is preparing to kill Derek. As the scene closes, a black moth is seen which bursts into flames and turns into the Mothman's glowing red eyes. | paranormal | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1303828 | Defendor | Dr. Park (Sandra Oh), a psychiatrist, is interviewing Arthur Poppington (Woody Harrelson), a vigilante known as "Defendor", who tells about assaulting a police officer who claims to be working undercover. Dooney (Elias Koteas) is a corrupt detective who Defendor believes is in the employ of his nemesis, "Captain Industry," who Arthur blames for his mother leaving him as a child, dying of drug abuse later; his grandfather ended up raising him, teaching him how to read through comics.
Arthur is arrested for assaulting Dooney, but Fairbanks (Clark Johnson), the police captain in charge, connects with Arthur because their grandfathers both served in World War I. After Arthur is released, he takes his trench club and disappears. Arthur is living in the government construction depot where he works during the day. His life is very solitary, but after another confrontation with Dooney, he meets Angel (Kat Dennings), a prostitute who was smoking crack with Dooney. After he is brutally beaten by Dooney's friends, she helps him recover. She also informs him of Captain Industry's whereabouts and that his real name is Radovan Kristic (A. C. Peterson). He lets her move in with him, and enlists her help in apprehending Kristic. Angel reveals her real name is Katerina Debrofkowitz.
Arthur's boss and close friend Paul (Michael Kelly) becomes concerned for Arthur after he finds that Arthur is living at the construction depot with Kat. Paul tries to help, offering Arthur the opportunity to come and live with him, which Arthur rejects. Paul gives Arthur a cell phone to use in case he is ever needed. That night, Arthur ventures out to spy on "Captain Industry" and Dooney, but he reveals himself. After a short chase, Arthur is beaten and shot. Paul gets Kat to take him to Arthur, and they call paramedics. While Arthur is in surgery, Paul tells Kat to leave Arthur alone. They are relieved when they find out that Arthur was shot with training bullets. Kat visits an unconscious Arthur and reveals that she ran away from home because her father was physically abusing her. After she leaves, Arthur opens his eyes, having heard everything. Angered at how Kat was treated, Arthur walks down to the mall and beats up Mr. Debrofkowitz.
After Park absorbs all this, she admits his honesty is admirable. At the hearing, Arthur is defended by Paul; Paul explains that Arthur is mentally underdeveloped and its best not too harsh with him. The judge agrees on the condition Arthur doesn't don his Defendor gear again. A reporter approaches Paul and convinces him to let her run a story about Arthur as Defendor, and he agrees. People are inspired by Defendor's attempts to save lives and fight crime.
Depressed about having to leave Arthur, Kat becomes desperate for a fix and tries reuniting with Dooney. However, knowing about her affiliation with Defendor, he takes her hostage and threatens Arthur against revealing anything he had learned to the police. Arthur decides to save Kat and once again assumes his Defendor persona. Kat manages to escape from Dooney and the pair reunites. Kat is devastated when Arthur reveals he still plans to go after Kristic, and she tells him that she lied about the identity of Captain Industry and that he exists only in Arthur's delusion. It's then revealed in a flashback that Arthur's grandfather, in order to spare him pain as a child, metaphorically blamed his mother's death on the "captains of industry," but Arthur's mental incapacity led him to believe it was a singular person.
Defendor manages to subdue the henchmen, but is shot repeatedly by Kristic. Arthur accuses him of killing his mother, and Kristic recognizes her name, implying he truly was responsible for her death. As Arthur lies dying, Kat runs to help him. She promises to stop smoking crack and get a job. In an earlier conversation, Kat had revealed she had always had a talent in writing, which Arthur had described as being "like Lois Lane". She promises to be like her as Arthur dies in her arms.
Dooney and Kristic are arrested. Dooney is sentenced to 26 years in prison and Kristic is extradited to his home country. A memorial service is held for Defendor under a spray paint mural that was drawn in his honor, which is attended by Park and her daughter. The film ends with Kat sitting at her typewriter, writing stories about Arthur for a newspaper. | revenge, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0005059 | The Captive | The Captive chronicles the life of a young woman named Sonia Martinovitch (Blanche Sweet) who lived during the midst of the Balkan Wars. She lives close to the Turkish border on a small farm in Montenegro with her older brother Marko Martinovich (Page Peters) and younger brother Milo (Gerald Ward). Nearby, a Turkish nobleman by the name of Mahmud Hassan (House Peters) lives in a lavish palace. Marko Martinovich fights in the Battle of Lule Burgess, and is tragically killed, leaving Martinovich and her remaining brother, Milo, helpless. Subsequently, Hassan is taken prisoner, and assigned to the Martinovich’s farm to help her with the chores Sonia is unable to complete without her brother.
In the beginning, Sonia holds Hassan captive with the use of her bullwhip and forces him to complete tasks like getting water, baking, and plowing fields. Hassan begins to befriend young Milo to alleviate his humiliation and suffering. Gradually, Sonia warms up to him and they fall deeply in love.
The war waged on, and the Turks recaptured the village where Sonia, Hassan and Milo live. Unfortunately, a drunken officer (William Elmer) tries to force himself on Martinovich, but she refuses. Fueled by love, Hassan intervenes, despite the fact that the officer shares his national origin. When the Turkish army is driven out of the village, Hassan returns home only to be faced with the grim reality that he has been stripped of his title, his land has been taken, and he has banished from his homeland, all for thwarting the drunken officer away from Sonia. Meanwhile, at the farm, a pack of unruly scavengers have burned the Martinovich family’s modest house, forcing them to abandon the place they call home. The siblings meet Hassan on the road, and the lovebirds and Milo walk off to begin a new life together. | cruelty | train | wikipedia | Entertaining Silent Highlights Forgotten Balkan Wars. Early in the 20th century, four independent Balkan states formed the Balkan League and defeated the Ottoman Empire during the years just prior to World War I. Set in Montenegro, one of the four independent states, Cecil B. DeMille's "The Captive," filmed in 1915, depicts events that took place only two years earlier. A peasant woman's brother is killed in a battle with the Ottoman Turks, and she is left alone to care for the family farm. To alleviate the labor shortage in Montenegro, authorities force Turkish prisoners of war to labor on local farms.Lovely Blanche Sweet is Sonya Martinovich, the young widow who loses her brother and, left with a son and a small flock of goats, struggles to work her farm alone. Meanwhile, Muhamud Hassan, played by House Peters, is a Turkish nobleman soldiering in the Ottoman army. Hassan is captured and assigned to work for Martinovich. Needless to say in this simple, but touching story, Hassan befriends Sonya's son and an attraction develops between Sonya and Hassan. Based on a play by Jeanie MacPherson, the short 50-minute film has no time to delve into any impediments to romance, such as religious, linguistic, and cultural differences, not to mention the dangers of Hassan's taking sides against his own troops.Although supporting players mug and twirl their mustaches, Sweet and Peters give naturalistic performances that largely avoid the pitfalls of the "grand style." While DeMille maintains a good pace, budgetary limits restrict his battle scenes, and the town's capture and re-capture appear to occur in one room. Appropriately tinted, the cinematography by Alvin Wyckoff is clear and sharp, although the landscapes are Southern California and not Montenegro. Despite quibbles that are largely a product of the period, aficionados of early silent films will definitely find "The Captive" worthy and perhaps essential viewing. However, European history buffs may also find the film of interest, because it throws light on the little-known Balkan Wars that were precursors to World War I. With a talented actress of early cinema, a rising directorial talent, and a surprisingly engaging story, "The Captive" is more than an historical curiosity, it is an entertaining movie.. Early DeMille Picture Delivers. War is declared between Montenegro and Turkey. Page Peters joins the Montenegran army and is promptly shot dead, leaving his sister, Blanche Sweet, and little brother, Gerald Ward, to manage the farm by themselves. Soon they are assigned a P.O.W., aristocratic Turk House Peters, who is amused by Miss Sweet's posturing with a pistol, but treats young Ward and his woolly lamb well. As time goes on, they get on, until the Turks invade the village and it is up to Peters to defend the farm from his countrymen.This early Demille movie counted coup with Miss Sweet, recently recruited from D.W. Griffith's company. For the period, it was not an expensive movie; estimates are its budget was about $12,000, and its gross of about $50,000 offered a handsome profit for the growing concern that would become Paramount. The performances are good, particularly Miss Sweet's (unsurprisingly) and, despite the costumes, it struck me as essentially a Civil War movie about the reconciliation of the nations that had been transferred to an exotic locale, to avoid comparisons to Griffith's blockbuster BIRTH OF A NATION.I should offer an admiring word or forty about the Olive Films DVD I saw this on. It was a fine transfer from a perfectly preserved print, with many colored sections and a good supporting score by Lucy Duke. Although the modern viewer may find the film techniques of 1915 a bit telegraphic, for the period it is a solid work and worthwhile viewing for anyone interested in DeMille or Sweet's career.. The 34 Year Old Cecil B. DeMille. Once DeMille joined forces with Jeanie Macpherson, he was able to write original screenplays like this one rather than relying totally on adapting novels or plays. This film says a lot more about the relationship between DeMille and Macpherson than it does about the characters. |
tt0084881 | Waga seishun no Arcadia | "At the end of their lives, all men look back and think that their youth was arcadia." — Goethe
During the early 20th Century, some time after World War I, aerial explorer Captain Harlock F. Phantom is embarking on what is to be the magnum opus of his long career, the traversing of the Owen Stanley Mountains in New Guinea. His major obstacle is the phantom of the witch that haunts these mountains. In a last desperate attempt to cross the mountains, Harlock ditches all but ten minutes of fuel in order to gain altitude. He carries on to his fate, amidst the mocking laughter of the Owen Stanley Witch.
Near the end of World War II, Harlock F. Phantom II is an Iron Cross-wearing German fighter pilot that flies a Messerschmitt Bf 109. During a major defeat for his side, he meets Tochiro Oyama, a Japanese exchange technician working in Germany. Tochiro's project is to design a new gun sight for use in fighter planes. Harlock's most treasured possession is the Revi C-12D gun sight which he calls his "eye". Both men believe the war to be wasteful and pointless and Tochiro especially hopes that the rockets being developed by Germany may one day lead to a more positive application, such as a trip to the moon. Tochiro wishes he could escape from the war and possibly go to neutral Switzerland where he might be able to fulfill his dream. Harlock offers to take him in his plane. Stowing Tochiro in the plane's fuselage, Harlock is able to fly to Switzerland, but only after surviving a fierce aerial dogfight which disables his plane and forces him to crash land just short of the Swiss border. Carrying an injured Tochiro across the river to sanctuary, Harlock departs, giving Tochiro his Revi C-12D, before crossing back into the warzone where Harlock expects to face the consequences of his actions. Although this Harlock's ultimate fate is unknown, Tochiro pledges friendship between their two bloodlines for all eternity.
At some time in the late 30th century (circa 2960s), a Solar Federation officer named Captain Harlock returns home in his battle cruiser Deathshadow to find that aliens from the Illumidus Empire have conquered Earth and enslaved humanity. However the remaining humans blame him and other warriors like him as they were not there to protect the planet when they needed it. Harlock, along with the Tokargans who are ashamed of their role in Earth's downfall, sets out to lead a resistance against the aliens and adopts the fighting strategy of ancient marauders. During the course of the struggle, Harlock meets a former Solar Federation engineer; a Japanese man who he's never met before but feels he knows. This man, Tochiro Oyama reveals his secret project, the dreams of all his ancestors. Hidden in a deep cavern under the occupation headquarters is a space battleship that he designed and built. This ship is called Arcadia, in honor of the eternal friendship forged between Harlock F. Phantom and Tochiro Oyama during another ancient war.
Harlock also meets Emeraldas, an old friend, who immediately offers herself to the cause. The Tokargans, after witnessing the death of the last female of their race, sacrifice themselves to save the Arcadia from the life sucking flames of the Flame Stream Prominence (aka the Owen Stanley Witch of Space). Harlock's lover and voice of the Underground, Maya is killed by Illumidas gunfire. After Herlock has honorably defeated the occupational commander in ship-to-ship combat, the quisling ruler of Earth, Triter, nonetheless declares Harlock and Emeraldas outlaws and exiles them to space. Amidst an Earth that prefers servitude to their new masters over the hard but noble fight for freedom, Harlock, Emeraldas, Tochiro, and their new pirate crew of idealists and romantics set for the stars, heading out for parts unknown. | flashback | train | wikipedia | Great movie. In my heart, I believe this to be a great movie, for its time. The 1982 animation was acceptable, but doesn't compare to Queen Emeraldas Or Harlock Saga.Now, on with the praise. I have grown up with Captain Harlock, under the guise of Albator (which is the French name) up here in Canada, and though I didn't see much of the series back then, Harlock stayed in the back of my mind to this day. I own Arcadia of My Youth, and love it. Its story is very straight forward, and easy to follow. Essentially, it is to fight for your dreams and survive to enjoy them, no matter the cost. I find the characters to be believable, such as Maya (Harlock's only love, and the Voice of Free Arcadia), because of her fragile nature and her devotion to try to save Earth from its catastrophic fate. Emeraldas a free-spirited, space-trader and Harlock's old friend, who crosses Harlock's path after she crash lands on Earth attempting a difficult passage in space. Tochiro, Harlock's new friend, a master engineer and kind of the comic relief in this movie, but not to the point of distraction. And then there is Harlock, which I identify with, because of his strong, silent presence. He is willing to do everything in his power to help his friends, just so long as they try to help themselves as well. He lives by his own personal code of honor, which echoes my own..."upon my honor, to do my duty." He turns his back on Earth, because they decide to side with the invaders, The Illumidus, instead of fighting for its freedom, and Earth's government doesn't want any rogue elements such as Harlock's group. Harlock and company are exiled from Earth, which Harlock couldn't care less, because he doesn't want to cling to something that is dead anyway. This movie is meant as an introduction to the characters of the Harlock series and try to make some sense of the convoluted mess that is the Matsumoto Universe, and I find it succeeds in this undertaking. I feel this movie is worth seeing, if only to see how it all began, due to the fact that the Harlock series characters are enjoying some renewed interested in the past couple of years with the release of the Queen Emeraldas OVA and Harlock Saga OVA. "I Live in freedom, under my flag.". Good intelligent anime. As a big fan of the original Harlock television series I got this film with big expectations. It's good, dark anime that has a few confusing moments. My real problem is the departure from the storyline established in the series. It makes the film a little incoherent if you remember the show.. A Nutshell Review: Space Pirate Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth (Waga Seishun No Arukyadia). The second movie for the festival is another anime, albeit an older one, belonging to the 80s. I vaguely remember watching the series on television as I recall the familiarity of the pirate motif spaceship. But maybe I remembered wrong, as there are plenty of such space aged cartoons in those days, like Macross, Gundam, and the likes.The introduction already put me off, with a really repetitive Phantom Harlock flying his red biplane and monotonous introduction of his name, over and over again. The plot takes some getting used to, with the bombastic names as we follow this rogue pilot/pirate in his quest to duel with Commander Zeda of the Illmidus alien race.Watching this early 80s animation brings about the obvious comparisons and observation of how advanced animated movies have become. It's obviously 2-D drawings here, and plenty of details which were not possible to be included. Things like background characters having continuity presence issues (varying numbers amongst a crowd in a constant setting), and objects appearing and disappearing for the same reason that drawing by hand, takes up time, and yet draws attention to themselves. And having to draw many, well, sometimes animators do become lazy. This is most unlike today's computer generated graphics where crowd and objects are rendered with a click of the button, and possibly given some artificial intelligence along the way so that they can seem to "act" independently.Space battles have become a dime a dozen, and watching this film today, sadly, the battles are not as exciting as it should have been, with its numerous laser cannon scenes. Some scenes were repeated by showing stock clips over and over again, and brings back fond memories of how, as a kid, you tend to see past these shortcomings, and enjoy the animation for what it is. In today's standards, this will be judged more like stemming from the indifference from the animators, and the lack of pride and professionalism.The characters here are typical of Japanese anime, with weird coloured hairdos, and quite surprisingly, this movie loads up on the melodramatics and exaggerated dialogue. Compared with anime of today, there has been vast improvement in story pacing, setting, and character design.While there were families and kids watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and this one, it wasn't unexpected that this anime too had its fair share of walk outs, probably because of the hard-to-grasp storyline for toddlers, or the insane need to read subtitles and then explaining to the kids what some of the imaginary words meant.P.S. somehow the screening was marred by the speakers set to maximum volume. The dialogue and musical fanfare just got drilled through your ears into your head and probably gave everyone a splitting headache watching it. The first boo-boo for the festival, and I really hope it's the last.. Sadly the most horrible thing i ever saw.. First of all it has to be said that i saw the movie in Italian language, so maybe the translation didn't help.The movie jumps from a scene to another without any sense, the "deus ex machina" director solves EVERY problem the characters may have: they must find someone? next scene somehow they meet him/her/them. They look for someone in a planet and magically they land right next to them. And this happens for EVERYTHING and anyone looking for someone/something.The story itself has many holes, some of them very disappointing, the dialogs are sometimes absurd: "it's impossible to find any weapons!" (said by the captain 20 seconds after punching an enemy soldier and taking his rifle). The characters are absolutely flat and do not evolve : the story adds nothing to the characters development: they start and end exactly the same characters like nothing happened.The appearing of Mr Bird is somehow ridiculous. This is a sad stain on my memory of the Captain. |
tt0040067 | Aag | Nasik-based Heerendra Dhaan (Ajay Devgan) and Raj Ranade (Prashant Raj Sachdev) are bodyguards of a politician but, after their employer is implicated in a scam, they end up assaulting a police officer and flee to Mumbai. Once there they meet with Rambhabhai (Rajpal Yadav), who in turn, gets them employed with a gangster named Shambhu. After a short while the duo are apprehended by Police Inspector Narsimha, questioned, and after they agree to cooperate to bring down Shambhu, are let go. The two succeed in assisting the police arrest Shambhu, but they themselves are arrested, tried in Court, and sentenced to a year in jail.
After their discharge they are again met by Inspector Narsimha (Mohanlal), who, this time, wants to recruit them to capture and kill dreaded bandit Babban Singh (Amitabh Bachchan), who had slaughtered his wife, Kavita (Suchitra Krishnamoorthi), and son, Subbu (J.D. Chakravarthy), as well as cut his fingers off. Heerendra and Raj agree to carry out this task for 8 Lakh Rupees. They re-locate to Kaliganj where Heerendra falls in love with auto-rickshaw driver, Ghungroo (Priyanka Kothari), while Raj gives his heart to Subbu's widow, Durga (Sushmita Sen). They then set out to capture Babban and meet with some success during Diwali, but Babban manages to escape. Babban then starts to ambush and kill Kaliganj residents to compel them to surrender the duo to him. The question remains will the residents carry out Babban's wishes or will they permit themselves to be slaughtered? | flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0810644 | Korgoth of Barbaria | Korgoth is infected with a deadly parasite by Gog-Ma-Gogg and extorted to steal an item known as "The Golden Goblin of the Fourth Age" from the wizard Specules, whom Gog believes to have recently died. He journeys with a group of Gog-Ma-Gogg's henchmen to Specules' castle, picking up a girl and killing several things along the way. The group reaches the castle, considerably smaller than when it had left, and begin to plunder it. As Korgoth searches for the Golden Goblin, Specules returns, explaining that he was on vacation. Specules uses his magic to kill or incapacitate all but Korgoth, who proves too strong for the ridiculous creatures that the wizard conjures through chewing gum. As a last resort, Specules uses his magic directly against Korgoth; however, he is knocked off-balance and accidentally kills Korgoth's girl. Angered, Korgoth takes a two-pronged candle stick holder and impales Specules through the eyes, only to find that the wizard has magically transferred his head onto the dead girl's body. Specules proceeds to fly out the window. Korgoth returns to Gog-Ma-Gogg with the Golden Goblin (a simple modern-age novelty item) and gets the elixir (a laxative) for the deadly parasite, though the elixir takes many seasons to take effect. Korgoth is last seen walking away, pulling a cart full of medicine bottles. | violence | train | wikipedia | This is the kind of show America has been needing for a long time.
Blood, Violence and the occasional maiden in distress.
Korgoth meets all the needs of teenagers who are tired with the Disney channel and Nickelodeon cartoons.
This randomness doesn't occur often in cartoons, well neither does a lot of blood and violence.
Thank you Aaron Springer for creating this show."You may take 12 of my finest men, and one or two of the weaker ones, just for fun." Gog-Ma-Gogg.
Korgoth of Barbaria is in the house.
If you like splatter movies and film/ comic violence in general, this is the show for you!
Personally I think this is the very best cartoon show on TV by the creature of Spongebob!
And seeing that this is the first episode, I think the best ones are yet to be made.
I love the fact that Korgoth is a straight forward type: when he get's a chance, he makes love to a chick, when he gets angry, he punches someone down.
So do check out the series for your and the shows sake.
If you find animated violence offensive, run far, far away, as fast as you can.
If you, like me, find it to be excellent in the ways of humor and/or stress relief, then Korgoth is PERFECTION.
The battles are gruesome and fantastic, unbridled violence, gore and bloodshed in the extreme.
To top it all off, it's funny as all hell!
The humor comes at you at multiple levels starting with basic low-brow bathroom jokes leading up to amusing parodies of more subtle situations.
Obviously, while a cartoon, this is intended only for adults.
Make more episodes, for God's sake and, Cartoon Network, air them, please!.
Imagine one of the funniest of the violent independent animations you've seen, fill it full of gag humor like you might see on Futurama, apply a mini-epic plot, add copious amounts of heavy metal, and you've got Korgoth of Barbaria.Made by Aaron Springer of SpongeBob SquarePants fame, the brilliant pilot suggests someone who has been under the constrains of a animation for children for a little too long.
While the drawing style is like few other things on TV (it really does have that independent feel), the animation direction of Genndy Tartakovsky is very apparent in the quick, jerky action oriented style, very similar to his Samurai Jack.This show shows promise like few others I've seen and is part of a lineup that will probably go down as a golden age in original programming for adultswim..
Sex, Violence, and Heavy Metal.
Korgoth of Barbaria is a fresh new adult swim cartoon.
The pilot episode shows us what we are in for!
Korgoth is the total bad ass barbarian that fears no one, and drinks like a fish.
Korgoth fights extremely all-out!
Bottom line, the violence is WAY over the top, but fun to watch!
Just remember, this is on Adult Swim for a reason!
I look forward to more Korgoth!
The Last Word: Korgoth rules!
Another wonderful piece of work from the brains behind Spongebob Squarepants,although don't be fooled by who made it,this isn't your little kids cartoon,while this is drawn by Genndy Tartakovski (from Rugrats,and various others) it has a very big feel along the same lines as Heavy Metal (not 2000)with the nitty gritty animation,metal soundtrack,and violence galore!though the pilot's just getting around now,I think this show could be another hit for Cartoon Networks Adult Swim lineup!although the title may suggest that this is a Midievil based cartoon series,that's actually an incorrect statement,as the story actually takes place years in the future,in a very bleak future where it seems as though all the worlds cities and structures have crumbled,forcing people to "regress" to an earlier time frame,this being why it seems so medieval.though somethings apparently still carry over to this time frame (ie-Bubblegum wrapped up like Juicy Fruit gum) and some other things that i can't think of at the moment,just watch it and see for yourself..
"ABC, not my flavor" - Korgoth.
Pilot episode was AMAZING..
Watch this when it comes out, you'll love it, and i want more.
Manly things that men do, and even incorporates Dungeons & Dragons, i could picture this sort of thing in a Role-Playing adventure even.
All set to a Thrah/Heavy Metal soundtrack which sounds amazing(I hope they sell it).
If you thought Family Guy and Aqua Teen Hunger Force were good shows, then Korgoth will blow you away, and unlike Family guy, Korgoth's obscenities are pretty forward and easy to understand.
you might want to take caution of your kids watching this, although my little brother loved it..
So there's only been one episode so far and it might be the best new cartoon in ages.
Korgoth is a Brock Sampson meets Conan brute who only speaks in raspy one-liners provided by Diedrich Bader who leads ultra violent adventures filled with sexy interchangeable women and ugly interchangeable henchmen.
This show dances the line between being an homage to 80s 2D animation and a parody of it.
I'm glad adult swim allows entertainment like this to air.
The shows creator worked on Spongebob and occasionally you can see it in the animation, esp the character movements and expressions.
All around very funny and entertaining show, I hope it sticks around..
This show is awesome I just wanted to get that out there before i went over it.
The show makes fun of barbarians and stuff like that, the over the top violence in this show makes it absolutely hilarious.
This show is very funny and i hope it does well in the future.
The show deserves to be on Adult Swim, and it fits in nicely, so i think you should go out and watch it.OH i almost forgot, one liners in this show are killer, as well as the creatures he fights.
Wonderful New Blood-and-Guts Cartoon.
For once, The Cartoon Channel has done something right for their "Adult Swim" lineup.
This cartoon is a lovely parody of the sword-and-sorcery movies, such as "Conan the Barbarian." It is filled with extremely goofy and exaggerated violence and swordplay.
It seems like the sort of cartoon John Krikfalusi would do if he were to choose a parody of the barbarian genre (instead, he choose to make the witless new "Ren and Stimpy").
So far, only one episode has been shown, but this new cartoon looks promising.
It follows in the same footsteps as the 1981 classic adult cartoon "Heavy Metal," which had some sword and sorcery parodies in their "Den" and "Taarna" sequences, both of which also had over-the-top comic and cartoonish violence.
"Korgoth" also features beautiful decapitations, oceans of blood, and grotesque lines of odor emanating from the fetid barbarians.
Clearly, this cartoon wants you to REALLY experience the smelly world of barbarians.It should be good, as the creator was the storyboarder for "Spongebob Squarepants," already a classic kiddie cartoon that also appeals to adults.
Hopefully, Cartoon Channel should pick this one up.
If they do, be sure to tune in and see if the quality of the cartoon remains constant..
If you like Heavy Metal The Movie, Bakshi's Wizards, Conan, etc, you will love this.
It was surprising how similar it is to those 70's/80's animation, with today's need to use so much digital animation.I understand the episode I saw is a pilot, but I think this show has a lot of potential.Since there was a lot of graphic violence it is appropriately rated 'MA'.
However, very few language and sexual situations.There were a few references to modern items (chewing gum, newspaper, etc.) in the show, but they weren't enough to spoil the feel.My vote is for more episodes!.
A humorous tribute to the original Conan.
Korgoth is awesome.
Brutal, funny and full of action.
To those who have read the Conan stories by the original author I think you will see many similarities.
This series depicts a barbarian as he was meant to be, no hesitation, no remorse,no annoying morals to drag him down.
The animation is good and seems to fit the characters and story well.
As an avid reader of sci-fi, fantasy and comics it is refreshing to see a well written, well drawn series for adults.
Let's hope he stays with us for a long time..
Every child should watch Korgath of Barbaria, especially the ones that don't have daddies.
The pilot episode has so many remarkable lines of dialog and gruesome fighting, that one is both appalled that you're laughing and wondering what the next vicious fight will entail.
I think it paints the barbarian hero in several broadsword like strokes: those being Action not words, strength not intelligence, food over riches, and save the busty lady for later.
Like most of Genndy's work on Samurai Jack, the story and action sequences are cinematic, and contain the right music, slow motion, and voice talent needed to hopefully give this series As long a life as the Samurai Jack series enjoyed..
Korgoth of Barbaria!!!
Ever since having watched "The Barbarians" (1987) -an admittedly poor movie- as a kid, I have been on the seemingly never-ending quest for some at least equally good barbarian entertainment.
Just by chance I heard of an adult cartoon named "Korgoth of Barbaria" in which Genndy Tartakovsky (Whom I highly venerate since "Dexter's Laboratory") is involved.
And now, finally, after years of searching I have found The ultimate barbarian!!!Korgoth is the most entertaining action cartoon ever!
It contains over-the-top violence that is tamed by the never missing hilarious humor of the series.
I could hardly stop laughing when I saw the prime episode for the first time.
I actually watched it four times in a row because I could just not believe that I was actually watching the cartoon I've been dreaming about since I was a kid.
This is definitely not a cartoon for children.
If you appreciate some good adult entertainment, you're in for one hell of ride..
Hairy balls of the gods!-Korgoth.
not only is the show a pretty awesome show but what makes it better is that you got a lot of the people that work on Sponge bob square pants on this one.
I think the pilot of this show would make for a awesome Adult Swim series.
This would be right up there with the likes of Home Movies and ATHF.
The shows over all plot of a future gone to hell is just awesome, as you can see when Korgoth leave Gog-Ma-Gogg's, also noted in the intro.
If you want to see the pilot again just jump to you tube and type in Korgoth you should be the episode in 3 parts "I don't know why but its in 3's".
The show makes for a pretty funny times and some line to use and your friends for a very long time"You will see another spectrum of pain".
Watch the episode on you tube you won't regret it!.
A flawless recreation of Conan the Barbarian as a cartoon parody..
My dad gave me all of his The Savage Sword of Conan comics a few years ago that he bought in the 80s, and I was absolutely addicted to them.
The Savage Sword of Conan is the only comic series I've ever read that didn't suck, but rather, kicked ass.
The manly Conan isn't a colorful, tight-wearing weirdo.
Korgoth of Barbaria is the exact representation of Conan the Barbarian in cartoon form, as a parody of sorts.
The main character, Korgoth, is exactly like Conan the Barbarian.
He was tricked into going on a pointless mission he had no interest in by some lowlife, and for no reason, he's accompanied by many of the lowlife's henchmen for the sole purpose of having them die a lot by doing things Korgoth says not to do.
The woman flirts with Korgoth, and Korgoth shows no interest, but a few seconds later they're having hot, rough sex behind a bush while the generic henchmen listen enviously.
The lowlife sent Korgoth to a wizard's castle far away in some mountains.
Korgoth wants to get in, steal what he's after for the lowlife and then get out without having to fight the wizard.
When the wizard sees him, Korgoth first tries to make his escape, but when forced to fight the wizard, Korgoth easily defeats him in as manly a way as possible.It's the best cartoon ever, which I mainly say because I'm such a huge fan of Conan the Barbarian.
This is a perfect representation of him, with a comical twist, but Korgoth still stays true to the Conan character in how he'd fight and react to situations..
This is Heavy Metal taken on a whole new level!Another Tartakovsky masterpiece, considering the animation, under skillful direction of Aaron.
And certainly something we've not by-far used to in cartoons signed by their names.If you've liked Futurama's humorous remarks, Heavy Metal's gore & violence, the original Conan The Barbarian medieval-style (tho depicted on quite humorous way), Samurai Jack's action, all with a tint of exaggerated 'attributes' of 'maidens' similar to Manga-style, and zombie-like barbarians you can meet in Grim & Evil, you'll just love this in all it's blood and gore!
Pretty good..
This was funny but there were too many gay jokes.
It's Samurai Jack with a Rick and Morty twist..
Okay, I know Rick and Morty came out 7 years after this one, but I still find it epic and awesome.
This was Aaron Springer's well-known creation before Billy Dilley's Super-Duper Subterranean Summer on Disney XD, which I will admit, is not as fun to watch as this one, but I still love it either way.
But THIS is admittedly Aaron Springer's best creation yet.
Yes, he hasn't worked on Rick and Morty, but I would imagine IF he did.
Heck, he even worked on Samurai Jack before this.
Speaking of which, Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory and Adult Swim's now owned Samurai Jack, directed the animation for this.
Yes, he also produced and directed Springer's other rejected Cartoon Network pilot: Periwinkle Around the World, which also is good, but this one is awesome.
It's too bad that the show was not green lit due to incredibly high budgets, and yet Adult Swim green lit Superjail!, Tim and Eric Awesome Show: Great Job, and Xavier Renegade Angel??!!
Oh well, I still find Korgoth of Barbaria to be very awesome.
Plus the voice of Hoss Delgado is in this show, which is awesome..
This show was awesome they should of made more!.
Let me start off by saying this show had it all blood, violence, humor, heavy metal music, half naked chicks, it even had a good voice actors.
I recorded it on my DVR back in January and I just got done watching it again.
I seriously could watch it over and over again.
I don't know why they never made a second episode but they should of.
There is only a few shows that I like on Adult Swim like Famly Guy, American Dad, Robot Chicken and then this show.
It's been 5 years and still no new episodes.
I'm hoping someday they will make more but I don't think that will ever happen which is a damn shame..
Me love Korgoth.
Korgoth of Barbaria is some crazy genius cartoon-imation.
There's also plenty of clever word-play for the intellectual who may think cartoons are beneath him.
I recommend Korgoth to any devotee of post-modern comics, especially if you find parasites funny.
Parents may find Korgoth too vile for children but I assure you there's scarcely anything here that kiddies haven't seen in other cartoons and I know plenty of well-rounded children who would find Korgoth hilarious on a visceral level.
It's quite clear that the creators of Korgoth were fed a steady diet of cartoons when they were tots, because they know how to deliver a satisfying piece of well-written, well-drawn animation..
Impressive Pilot, They Better Make More.
Korgoth of Barbaria's pilot episode is extremely impressive.
The animation is great.The pilot episode displays a whole lot violence, if it's either Korgoth slicing people with the giant axe or him setting ripped up people on fire.
The theme song is a great thrash metal piece, and the show is filled with lots of violence, considering it's from a writer from that kid-friendly cartoon Spongebob.Jam-packed with gore and an awesome plot(it's about a post-apocalyptic world and Korgoth is from the North and he must fight evil) with really good animation.All in all, a 9.6, a great cartoon, hope more episodes come.
I mean, if "Superjail" got instantly picked up for a show, how come this didn't?
(I've got nothing against "Superjail", but this needs to be picked up too, Adult Swim says you can't handle more than one.
Pretty sick, yet entertaining.
This 23-minute short film was written and directed by Aaron Springer, one of the driving forces behind Spongebob Squarepants, back in 2006.
It's a good piece of adult animation centering on a massive male fighter named Korgoth who just wants to have a drink at the pub, but is tricked into a trap when offered a huge meal with an old acquaintance.
The meal contained a stomach virus and, in order to be given the antidote, Korgoth has to go to a supposedly dead magician's castle and steal a golden goblin statue for his acquaintance.
So he does and we get to follow him on his journey, which is packed with obscenities, graphic violence, murder and, of course, large-breasted damsels in distress wearing almost nothing.All in all, it's a pretty good half hour of comedy and animation.
I'm not too tempted to watch it again anytime soon, but i'd definitely be willing to give a show centering on Korgoth a fair chance.
I'm sure there's lots of adventures that could be written for the hero. |
tt0030604 | Porky in Wackyland | A newspaper shows Porky traveling to Africa to hunt the rare dodo bird, worth four sextillion dollars. Porky uses his airplane to go to Dark Africa, then Darker Africa, and finally lands in Darkest Africa. When Porky lands, a sign tells him that he's in Wackyland ("Population: 100 nuts and a squirrel"), while a voice booms out "It can happen here!" Porky tiptoes along the ground in his airplane and he is greeted by a roaring beast, who suddenly becomes effeminate and dances away into the forest.
He watches as the sun is lifted above the horizon by a tower of stacked creatures. Nearby, another creature rises out of a tall flower, playing "The William Tell Overture", using his nose as a flute. The creature launches into a wild drum solo, plays a tiny piano, and plays its nose like a horn, which brings out many strange, weird, and oafish creatures, including a rabbit dangling in midair from a swing that seems to be threaded through its own ears, a small creature wearing large boots that encourages the rabbit to swing faster, a peacock with a fantail of cards, an upside-down creature walking with giant bare feet in his hands, a goofy looking creature wearing large glasses in a small pot, a little creature wearing oversized female mannequin legs, and an angry criminal imprisoned behind a free-floating barred window that he holds in his hands while a small policeman on a wheel appears and hits him on the head with a large stick. As Porky tries to find the do-do, he is distracted by a duck singing "Mammy!", a horn-headed creature, a conjoined cat and dog hybrid creature spinning around like a tornado while they fight, and a 3 headed stooge whose heads argue and fight amongst themselves.
Finally, the Dodo appears. Porky tries to catch it, but it plays tricks on him. The dodo pulls out a pencil and draws a door in mid-air, and instead of opening it and running through, reaches down and lifts up the bottom edge of the door like a curtain, darts underneath and lets it snap back into place for Porky to bump into. At another point, the do-do appears on the Warner Bros. shield logo and slingshots Porky into the ground. Porky is defeated when the dodo pulls a wall of bricks in the picture and lets him crash into it. At the end of the film, Porky triumphs when he disguises himself as a bearded paperboy, shouting "Extra! Extra! Porky captures Dodo!", before hitting the bird with a mallet. Porky loudly proclaims to the audience that he has captured the last dodo. The dodo mockingly replies, "Yes, I'm really the last of the dodos. Ain't I, fellas?". A multitude of dodos appear, all yelling out, "Yeah, man!". They and the Dodo all howl, which allows him to escape and stand on Porky's head. | psychedelic | train | wikipedia | This cartoon is an early pinnacle of animation insanity, the prototypical Warner Brothers short.
A blitzkrieg of jokes, puns, and free-wheeling mayhem, WB-style cartoons sometimes equaled, but never surpassed, "Porky in Wackyland".
For these, and many other, reasons, "Porky in Wackyland" is the blueprint for the best of WB cartoons, as well as a signpost to various late-20th Century highbrow/lowbrow aesthetics..
This black-and-white early Looney Tunes cartoon looks different, sounds different...and is terrific.We read in the "The Globe" that Porky is off on a rare do-do bird hunt, trying to get a bird that is nearly extinct and worth billions of dollars.
He flies off to "darkest Africa" and winds up in "Wackyland" where the population is "100 nuts and a squirrel" and the sign that says that audibly speaks to Porky saying "It can happen here!!!!"With that, we start seeing some really bizarre things regarding the scenery, the characters who inhabit this place and the weird things that happen.
It looked a cross between a Salvardor Dali painting and Alice In Wonderful.Porky is then led to "the last of the do-do birds" and this a one strange bird, who fits right into Wackyland.
This is great stuff, a real visual treat and a cartoon you could enjoy over and over just trying to catch all of the sight gags and great drawings in here.
In 1937 Robert Clampett was promoted to director and one year later he created his first, true classic cartoon of the many that he would direct for Warner Bros.
studio: Porky in Wackyland.
Along with Tex Avery and Frank Tashlin, Clampett was instrumental in creating the Warner style.
It was also the first of Clampett's many cartoons to use hallucinatory, surrealistic images; others would include The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, The Big Snooze and Tin Pan Alley Cats (which re-used animation from Porky in Wackyland.) Wackyland was later remade in color as Dough for the Do-Do by Friz Freleng..
"Porky in Wackyland" is a true milestone in animation.
The plot is simple, Porky Pig is searching for the last Do-Do bird.
In Wackyland anything can happen...that's what animation is all about if you ask me.
"Porky in Wackyland" represents many crazy dreams, and many wonderful drawings.
Over sixty years later, this cartoon short stands out as one of the greatest achievements in this medium.
Bob Clampett, given the complete freedom that producer Leon Schlesinger let him have, spun out some of the weirdest and wackiest ever made.We start out with a typical beginning for that era, Porky Pig is flying to Darkest Africa to find the last Do-Do, worth billions.
Some of the humor are stock Bob Clampett jokes that are repeated in others of his cartoons, but he was always best with visual humor, when he let the animation be the star of the show..
This is almost too wacky - but as long as you remember this Looney Tunes cartoon is supposed to be wacky it can be funny in places.
I say this because some of the wackiness in "Porky in Wackyland" seems very silly and almost disturbing, but as long as you see the funny side of it, it is perfectly fine.
If you do not like anything that is remotely crazy, wacky or silly, then this will be an utter nightmare for you (if you happen to be being forced to watch it, otherwise, you ought to stop watching IMMEDIATELY).I enjoyed this episode for its craziness, Porky, the Dodo, the animation and some of the jokes included.
I will have to watch this episode a great deal of times before I remember all of the jokes and you probably will have to as well (unless you did not like it).This episode starts with a newspaper article about Porky going to hunt the last dodo.
He goes to darkest Africa (the portrayal of this is not a comfortable one for me, which is odd), to a place "where anything can happen".
After this - most things do happen...I recommend this to people who like old Looney Tunes, Porky and wackiness.
Enjoy "Porky in Wackyland"!
Of course, this cartoon with Porky Pig doesn't include Crumb's sense of pornography (thankfully).
Porky Pig goes on a hunt to catch the surreally elusive last Do-Do bird.This cartoon has been credited as the 8th best cartoon ever made.
I am not going to get into the minutia of deciding if it is better or worse than 8th, but it absolutely needs to be on that list, because it takes such a simple thing and makes it so strange.The way I saw this was side by side with "Dough for the Do-Do".
Porky in Wackyland is a surreal if silly cartoon short that has been described as Daliesque but I guess the animators were surely on the funny baccy to come up with such a far out cartoon.In darkest Africa Porky Pig sets out to catch the the mythical Do-Do bird a plot point not lost on the makers of Pixar's Up!When he arrives he encounters all sorts of tomfoolery such as the sun coming up in the form of a human pyramid, a two headed dog fighting for itself and a three headed figure beast in the form of The Three Stooges before he starts the search for the Do-Do bird.When we do finally see the bird we can only presume he got a script and mannerisms normally preserved for Bugs Bunny.
The Definitive, Quintessential Looney Tunes Short..
I'm not quite sure how I first came across this, but I think I might have first seen it at least as a clip in which Porky encounters the Dodo (now known as Yoyo Dodo, as he would be named over three quarters of a century later in the video game, Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal).
Or I might have actually seen the whole thing when Looney Tunes used to be aired on Nickelodeon.
cartoons, Looney Tune or Merrie Melody, but also the best from representing the Golden Age of American Animation.
and out of any Golden Era American cartoons in general.This may be just one of, if not the Looniest Looney Tune ever made, because of how fast-paced it can get for one, that defines it and is what at the quintessence.
Yoyo Dodo is one of the Looniest Looney Tune characters who is reminiscent of the very early Daffy Duck, but a lesser, underused one as well and one of my favorites.
It's also ironic that whereas Wackyland is located somewhere in the vicinity of the Sudan in Africa here, it's instead within Acme Acres in Tiny Toons.
Porky heading to a bizarre place in Africa where he encounters the bizarre denizens while searching for Yoyo before attempting the catch him for a large bounty.
Despite rubber hose animation soon becoming less common and dropped in favor of the more realistic approach around the time this came out, it still has the former kind of animation such as when Yoyo stretches his neck as he gets back all up in Porky's face.
Coyote failing to capture the Road Runner, Porky fails the catch Yoyo when he actually does towards the end.
For as long as I had been watching Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies growing up, I've known of the name Robert "Bob" Clampett among others for the longest reading the opening credits in each of the shorts I saw, but at the time, I didn't know anything about differences in the various directors' styles or who did what in what way, or what distinguishes them from one another.
The surrealism sums up everything about this side of Looney Tunes's humor in a nutshell.
As Porky searches for the Do Do, he encounters creatures defying reality and situations that are unexplainable.
Once again, we have an animator whose random concepts and dream world's, along with some really interesting sound, set the table for the future.
As I understand it, "Porky in Wackyland" was the first of three cartoons in which Porky Pig goes thither*, followed by "Tin Pan Alley Cats" and "Dough for the Do-Do" (which was almost a shot-for-shot remake of this one).
But no matter what specifically we know about the cartoon's history, it's great to see just how outlandish the animators were willing to get.
Anyway, this is definitely a classic cartoon.
the first TRUE Clampett Cartoon.
This 21 minute documentary on the work of Bob Clampett can be seen on Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2.
This is great stuff and i loved watching every second of it.
This short has Porky hunting for the last of the Do-Do Birds.
short with wild and random things happening every second.
One of Porky's best..
Bob Clampett's famous black and white classic 'Porky in Wackyland' is a glorious glimpse into the mad mind of Clampett allowed to run riot.
His trademark energy and ability to stuff a cartoon full to the brim with content are both apparent from the outset as a newsboy invades the cartoon's credits to inform us that Porky Pig is attempting to capture the last Dodo bird.
Porky tracks the bird to Wackyland and from the moment his plane begins to tiptoe across the border of Wackyland all bets are off!
We are treated to a feast of bizarre, logic defying gags as we are introduced to the inhabitants of Wackyland through a long panning shot which contains literally dozens of jokes.
These wild, quickfire gags give way to the main plot after a couple of minutes and so begins one of the greatest cartoon chases of all time as Porky tries in vain to capture the nutty Dodo who constantly defies logic in order to evade and humiliate him.
'Porky in Wackyland' is an extremely influential and exceptionally bonkers cartoon that will appeal to anyone with a love of the surreal and the anarchic.
It was later pointlessly remade in colour by Friz Freleng as "Dough for the Dodo", an emasculated take on the original which lacked the essential ingredient: Clampett himself..
Still one of Porky's best cartoons.
I am a huge fan of Looney Tunes, and I do like Porky Pig. Porky in Wackyland is not only one of Porky's best cartoons but one of Bob Clampett's masterpieces.
The story is very well paced and interesting, and the dialogue and gags are wonderfully funny and surreal, not to mention wacky.
Porky is great here with great dialogue and personality and he even gets to ride a really sweet little plane, the dodo is the cutest cartoon dodo I've seen and they wouldn't be extinct possibly if they had the intelligence and skills that this dodo had.
In conclusion, a brilliant cartoon and one of Porky and Clampett's best.
10/10 Bethany Cox. Whenever I think of Clampett, I think of "Wackyland" (SPOILERS).
Robert Clampett is known for the surreal elements of his shorts (like the silkworm in "Porky's Birthday" who does his stuff when Porky says "Sew", but as Porky makes conversation with his friends in the party, havoc reaks with the silkworm as Porky stutters the word "So", with Silkworm thinking Porky said "Sew").
He is among my favorite Looney Tunes/Merry Melodies directors (him, Chuck Jones, and the best, Tex Avery).
The Tiny Toons character Gogo is based on the Dodo in "Wackyland".
In this surreal and original short, Porky goes to Darkest Africa (going past Dark and Darker Africa) to hunt the remaining Dodo bird.
Porky then comes to a surreal place called Wackyland, where "It Can Happen Here", where the Dodo resides (population: "100 Nuts And A Squirrel").
Porky goes across strange people and things in Wackyland, like people who make the sun rise in the morning, a man who makes jazz sound with his body, and a 3-headed person whose heads resemble Larry, Curly, and Moe. Then he comes across a man who knows all, and as Porky asks where is Dodo, he says "Thattaway" with arrows pointing at different directions,, and the man's sign forms a hall leading to the Dodo.
The Dodo uses surreal ways to escape, like drawing a door using a magic pencil and riding on the WB logo and firing a slingshot at Porky.
Ten, Porky uses his wit to catch Dodo, and I like the ending.
As Porky finally catches the Dodo, Dodo says "I'm the last of the dodoes...
Bob Clampett's masterpiece.
1938 was a peak year for screwball comedy, and "Porky in Wackyland" definitely fits that genre.
This black-and-white Porky Pig cartoon was directed by Bob Clampett, who, according to some cartoon buffs, put the word "looney" in Looney Tunes, and I agree.
"Porky in Wackyland" displays Clampett at perhaps his most quintessential; he stops at absolutely NOTHING in order to create a wacky, silly, anything-for-a-laugh cartoon.
In search of a rare Do-Do bird worth a pile of jack, Porky flies into an extremely bizarre world, appropriately named Wackyland, and encounters all kinds of screwball characters & crazy situations!
My favorite moments from "Porky in Wackyland" include the following (if you haven't yet seen this classic cartoon, don't read any further).
As Porky flies toward Wackyland, it's really nice to see him cheerfully greet the audience and display for everyone a photograph of the Do-Do he seeks.
During Porky's difficulty in capturing the bird, it hides behind a zooming Warner Bros.
And amidst all the kooky characters that Porky meets are a three-headed monster of the Three Stooges (one of my favorite comedy teams) and a small character who buds out of a flower and, after using his nose as a flute, suddenly bangs away on a drumset and tinkers on a very miniature piano.Without a doubt, "Porky in Wackyland" is a cartoon in which director Bob Clampett was not afraid to try anything, no matter how silly, in order to get a laugh.
And because we have the benefit of this cartoon being on DVD (Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2), it may be helpful to freeze-frame certain moments of the cartoon in order to clearly see all of the various inhabitants of Wackyland..
issued PORKY IN WACKYLAND as their long-term forecast for America's Future if the U.S. Id, historically referred to as the "Confederate States," but more inclusively dubbed as Today's "Red States," ever gained the Upper Hand in a Presidential Election Year (as Adolph the Looney Tuner had in the Deutschland of 1934).
sniffed out a day when a third of America would be totally Looney Tunes in Wackyland!.
This is a 7-minute black-and-white cartoon from 1938, shortly before World War II.
It features Mel Blanc, possibly the most prolific man in animation, maybe even movie, history and Billy Bletcher who also worked on a whole lot of films as voice actors.
The director is Robert Clampett who also worked on many more Porky cartoons back then.
After all, Porky won't get his bird.
Yet, he meets all kinds of strange and fantastic creatures on the Black Continent, even a few White ones, and also a very early version of CatDog. However, to me there were hardly no funny scenes in these 7 minutes.
Occasionally, there is some wit and humor, but it's just not enough compared to the best cartoons of that era.
Porky pig's looking for the last do-do, and his search leads him to wackyland, where "it can happen here!".
I'm a big fan of cartoons and Warner bros.
is the best among the old classic studios and Bob Clampett is my favorite director from that studio.
The endless imagination that's in his cartoons are amazing and "wackyland" is his signature cartoon.
I love the layouts and backgrounds, that's work of great surrealism, on the level of Picasco and Salvador Dali.
His cartoons are so free of inhibition and a lot of great humor comes out of it.
I love the monster who suddenly turns gay, the rabbit who swings in the air, the three stooges monster and then there's the do-do and I love the stuff he does, he creates a pencil, draws a door in the air, lifts the door up like it's rubber, goes underneath it, then appears in a floating window that is connected to the door, but porky falls through the window!
And it has the best ending of any cartoon!
Porky finally gets the do-do but 50 other do-dos come to confirm he's the last do-do!
While Porky in Wackyland was the original, I sort of like Dough for the Do-Do better.
Having now watched Porky in Wackyland on YouTube months after seeing it's almost shot-for-shot identical remake, Dough for the Do-Do, on the first Looney Tunes Collection DVD, I have to admit: I sort of liked the remake better.
There are two main reasons for this: the later color version had the "rubber band" sequence that was the most hilarious part of that version and it ended with Porky taking "the last of the Do-Dos" with him with the hundreds of other similar creatures saying "Yep, he got the last of the Do-Dos" and dancing their crazy dance after Porky left.
Here, Porky just stays put as he gets astonished seeing all the other birds surround him suddenly as they say their line and that "band" (with Mel Blanc's unique "instrumentation") is nowhere to be found here.
That said, Bob Clampett deserves all the credit for doing such a surreal cartoon not long after becoming a "supervisor" (director) for Leon Schlesinger.
And there were some gags that were deleted from the remake that added some enjoyment here like the prisoner saying, "Let me out!" constantly while just holding some bars in open space then getting beat up by a guard!
There's another gag in the beginning of a fearsome creature about to scare Porky who just says "Boo" real quiet when he confronts the pig.
With all that being said, if you haven't seen Dough for the Do-Do, I definitely recommend Porky in Wackyland. |
tt0277371 | Not Another Teen Movie | In the stereotypical high school community of John Hughes High in Southern California, attractive Priscilla (Jaime Pressly), a popular cheerleader, separates from her talented football star but slacker boyfriend, Jake Wyler (Chris Evans). After Jake discovers that Priscilla is now dating timid and weird Les (Riley Smith) just to spite him, one of Jake's friends, Austin (Eric Christian Olsen), suggests seeking retribution by turning Janey Briggs (Chyler Leigh), a "uniquely rebellious girl", into the prom queen.
Jake attempts to court Janey's love, but faces adversity from his own sister, Catherine (Mia Kirshner), who is sexually attracted to him; Janey's unnoticed admirer and best friend, Ricky Lipman (Eric Jungmann); and memories from his past football career. Catherine eventually assists her brother by slightly altering Janey's appearance (by simply removing her glasses and ponytail), instantly making her drop dead gorgeous.
Meanwhile, Janey's younger brother, Mitch (Cody McMains), and his friends Ox (Sam Huntington) and Bruce (Samm Levine), make a pact to lose their virginity by graduation despite still being in their freshman year. Mitch tries to impress his longtime crush, the beautiful yet perverted Amanda Becker (Lacey Chabert) with a letter professing his love for her. Bruce says that he does not have a chance with her, mockingly stating, "Keep dreaming!"
As the prom draws near, Jake draws infamy among his peers after he fails to lead his football team to victory at the state championship game the year before. The situation is further worsened when Austin tricks Jake into telling Janey about his plan to spite Priscilla by pretending to whisper the secret bet in Janey's ear, causing her to immediately leave Jake in anger. During prom night, Austin and Janey go together; a jealous Jake and Catherine have a dance-off with Austin and Janey, with Catherine dancing in a sexual manner. Janey runs off crying. Meanwhile, Mitch and his friends are having a lousy time at the prom until Amanda arrives and Mitch gives her the letter (to which she responds that she does not have sex with every loser who does such, but will give them handjobs), horny Bruce hooks up with the equally horny international student Areola (unrated version), and Ox later hooks up with Catherine after sharing a romantic and rather odd connection.
Jake is awarded prom king and the principal reads out that the votes for prom queen are tied. Everyone thinks that it is between Janey and Priscilla, but they are shocked to find that Kara (Samaire Armstrong) and Sara Fratelli (Nectar Rose), twins conjoined at the head, win prom queen. During the traditional prom king and queen dance, Janey supposedly left with Austin to go to a hotel.
Jake goes to the hotel room where he finds Austin having wild sex with a girl, but is shocked to find that it is Priscilla and not Janey, while Les videotapes them with his pants down. Austin tells Jake that Janey "ran home to her daddy". Jake coldly punches Austin and Priscilla, knocking them out cold for their part in Janey's humiliation. He then punches Les for "being really weird" (he also punches a plastic bag that happens to be floating next to Les); afterwards he runs to Janey's house only to learn from her father that she is going to Paris for art school.
Jake arrives at the airport and confronts her before she can board the plane, and uses a plethora of clichéd lines from other films (such as She's All That, Cruel Intentions, American Pie, The Breakfast Club, American Beauty, 10 Things I Hate About You, Can't Hardly Wait, and Pretty in Pink) to convince her to stay home in America. His final (and only original) speech suggests they would be better off separated, but Janey mistakenly believes he is quoting The Karate Kid, and she decides to stay with him. | romantic, humor, stupid, adult comedy, flashback | train | wikipedia | The point of spoofs and satires, to me, are not just to take familiar scenes and do something retarded and gross with them, but instead to actually make fun of all the things in the original movies that, while watching them, we all turned to our friends and said "wait a minute, thats kind of stupid".
It is, unlike many other movies that attempt to be like it, a true satire, taking characters and not just doing stupid things with them, but exaggerating the traits of their serious counterparts and, when it comes down to it, just making fun of them.
Sure it has some stupid jokes, and toilet humor (that I admit I chuckled at in disgust like the diarrhea scene and the lesbian kiss with the old woman), but it also has some very clever jokes, like when is it appropriate to start a slow clap, why do these teen movies seem to only have one black character, and how silly is it that things slow down for emphasis when the beautiful female lead enters the room.
If you've seen the other modern spoofs, I'm confident you will appreciate the noticeable and subtle differences between them and Teen Movie that make the latter much more enjoyable and palatable to watch..
It's light-hearted and not afraid to appear ridiculous (infact most of the time it does this deliberately) and it doesn't pretend to be "Just another teen movie", indeed it IS "Not another teen movie", it's a very enjoyable laugh at the expense of those films.Don't expect your life to be changed by this film, but if you want simply a fun film to watch then you won't go far wrong seeing this one..
Basically "Scary Movie" spoofing teen classics instead of horror films.
The school cafeteria is named "The Anthony Michael Dining Hall." The school is "John Hughes High School." There are send-ups of "Risky Business," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Pretty In Pink," "Sixteen Candles," and an absolutely priceless scene that spoofs "The Breakfast Club," along with the original "Breakfast Club" principal, Richard Vernon, spouting almost exactly the same dialogue.
Sure, there are much more recent films that are skewered, such as "Varsity Blues," (which was HORRIBLE) and "She's All That," (Which was EVEN WORSE.) There's an hilarious running gag spoofing "Cruel Intentions," in which the slutty sister will stop at nothing to bed her brother, high school football hero Jake Wyler, who makes a bet with his team members that he can turn plain-jain, boy-hating Janie Griggs into the prom queen.
Jamie Pressly, who you might remember from Jerry Springer's movie "Ringmaster," is a total riot as head cheerleader Priscilla, who schemes to copy cheers from a rival school's all-black cheerleading squad, spoofing "Bring It On." And the siamese twins who win Homecoming Queen(s) is an absolute riot, especially when homecoming king Jake has to share a dance with them and the band sings "Put your heads on my shoulder...." TOO FUNNY!
Making fun of movies like: She's All That, Cruel Intentions, American Pie, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Drive Me Crazy, American Beauty, and Pretty in Pink , Not Another Teen Movie leaves no film left alone to show us the utter cliché that came with every teen movie out of the 90's.Like I said, there are some moments that are a little much, this is a pretty raunchy comedy, but I think it's just making fun of the in your face movies with the sick humor as well.
The cast looked like they had a blast making this movie and I had a lot of fun watching it as well.
I have seen this movie quite a few times, and it was great to watch every time.Surely there are some scenes which can be termed corny, but they are few and invariably counterbalanced by the absolutely great ones, which are the majority.After seeing it so many times, I have come to realize that the script is the product of many years of work, and 'ripe' for making a movie of.
It's pretty much the same like every other teen movie, but then even more stupid, it spoofs many teen movies like American Pie's, 10 Things I Hate About You, Cruel Intentions, Bring It On, and many more.The reason why i personally really like it is because it is unlike any other of those movies, simply because it's pure comedy, it doesn't have those sappy parts about love and friendship.Like others said though, to really enjoy this movie you should of seen quite a few of teen movies, especially the 4 i mentioned, if you haven't seen them then it's still good, but you will not get all the jokes..
Not only makes a funny description of high school life, it also refers to scenes and situations that occurred in other teen movies like American pie, a letter to Amanda and some others.
The film also parodies clichés seen in most teen movies like the stereotypical pointless black guy (who makes it clear he's pointless), the stereotypical slutty European girl and the stereotypical cool guy who learns his the movies lesson and realizes the error of his ways towards the end of the movie after falling in love with an unpopular chick etc.
Rated R for strong crude sexual content and humor, language and some drug content.There are plenty of spoof movies that have been released.The most recent ones are the scary movie series and the date/epic movie series.I would say I enjoy spoof films.I really liked all the scary movies, epic movie sucked and I didn't see Date Movie or Meet The Spartans but I heard they sucked as well.I am a fan of teen films so I decided to check this one out.I must say, it was a fairly funny and good spoof of teen films from the 1980's and 90's.The plot of the film involves a jock trying to make a nerdy, un-popular girl, popular and ends up falling in love with her.The film spoofs scenes from many popular teen films such as Cant Hardly Wait,Pretty In Pink,Sixteen Candles etc.If you like spoof films, don't waste your time with crap like Epic movie, check this one out!.
If you love movies and (like me) have seen far too many of them, Not Another Teen Movie is really very enjoyable and, in a way, quite smart..
Though it had bland, boring moments - overall the film was funny and did a good job poking fun of Teen movies.The musical number was probably one of my favorite parts.
It was good to see her mocking the teen scene which she helped build in the 80's.Poking fun of movies such as Never Been Kissed, She's All That, Varsity Blue, Pretty in Pink, Ten Things I Hate About You and a list of others...NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE was fun, hilarious (sometimes) and overall brain dead fun - sit back and enjoy!.
I went to see the film with an open mind not expecting to be blown away with a fantastic performance from the lead character or be intrigued by its deep and complex story line - its a light hearted no-brainer that does its job.I think the problem most people have with this film is they haven't seen many of the films it spoofs which in turn would make it very unfunny.
Besides from that this new brand of teen movie, provides laughs around every corner, and the more you watch it the more funny it is.This film completely pokes holes in classic teen movies, for example "billy bob with bacon the pig from varsity blues" is "reggie ray and sausage the pig" you get what i mean.very strong acting from Chris evans and Jaime Pressly.the reason why some people are over critical is because that these people would not of got the jokes because the lack of knowledge of teen movies.And like it says in the trailer "if you have seen scary movie, who gives a...." that is exactly right, this movie far outbeats the latest installments of teen movies by far.A definate must see for fans of teen flicks.i will give it a 8.5/10.
Having seen 16 Candles, Pretty In Pink, Ferris Buelers Day off, The Breakfast Club and just about every film John Hughes ever made, I was able to appreciate this movie for all that it really is and make comparisons with the original.
"Not Another Teen Movie" makes fun of popular teen hits such as "American Pie," "The Breakfast Club," "She's All That," "American Beauty," "Varsity Blues," "Clueless," "10 Things I Hate About You," "Pretty In Pink," etc.
However, when Not Another Teen Movie does work its laughs, it is actually funny (the Randy Quaid scenes, Breakfast Club spoof, certain parts of the party sequence are the funniest parts.
This film is about a very popular hunk in high school and a cold rebellious girl in high school."Not Another Teen Movie" is so funny, it is actually much better than my expectation.
As I am pretty much impossible to offend, it was a big plus, and let the movie just go for things that a little kiddie PG-13 film would never have dreamed of touching.No time for being snooty or prissy with this one -- just sit back, leave your pretentiousness at home, and have a good laugh at the mayhem.
Jake has to transform Janey into prom queen material, which he attempts to do with the help of his extremely disturbed sister Catherine (a skilled parody of Sarah Michelle Gellar from Cruel Intentions, handled well by Mia Kirshner) Along the way they encounter every stereotype from every teen film, from the horny younger brother (Bring It On's Cody McMains) to the bitchy pretty girls, to parties, the prom, the big finale, the pining best friend, and so on.
Not Another Teen Film isn't brilliant comedy, and sometimes it tries too hard (or like in the parody of the kissing scene between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair from Cruel Intentions, it goes way too far), but there are some really good laughs sandwiched between the raunch.
Sometimes, they're actually funny, but other times, all they've done is recreate an old movie scene and hope you laugh from the nostalgia.
It falls victim to its own satire - it becomes another teen movie, loaded with sex gags, stupid characters reminiscent of "American Pie" and some lame R-rated crudity that isn't nearly as funny or risqué as it thinks it is.If you're just looking for some skin this has it, and plenty of it, but you can do better by just going and renting any '80s movies - heck, "Sixteen Candles" had nudity and it got away with PG, just imagine how all the R-rated movies were.
This was purposefully made to be over-the-top type humor because it is a parody of that genre.I've seen this movie 3 or 4 times, and I still can't help but laugh when I see the scene when no one wants to go with Janey Briggs because she's too ugly and weird with her "tied up hair and glasses," yet an albino girl with red eyes that plays the guitar wouldn't be such a bad catch.
It probably directly is making fun of movies like "A Walk to Remember." It's a great movie, but people think of it as actually being a "Teen Movie," and that's why they don't like it.
I like mindless jokes that get you plenty of laughs and this movie has some pretty good ones.
I highly recommend this movie, even if it means going back and watching every teen flick from the 80's just to get the jokes, it will be time well spent.
Finally, the thing they managed to do well is actually make this into a teen movie of its own, just with the difference that the plot's very self-conscious: but Chris Evans, the gorgeous Chyler Leigh, Jaime Pressly, Olsen, the three guys who want to get laid...
this is not a movie that is suitable for everyone.as I said in my summary,it is quite crude and offensive.but it is a real blast to watch.it is very absurd at times,but that make it even more fun to watch.it spoofs mainly eighties and nineties teen comedies.it skewers everybody.no movie is sacred or safe from its onslaught.i thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.it's not a masterpiece,nor does it pretend to be.i laughed hard and frequently and actually hurt myself as a result.if you are someone who gets offended easily,you'll want to sit this one out.otherwise,I would say to turn your brain off for about an hour and a half and enjoy it.for me,Not Another Teen Movie is a 9/10..
This film is a great lampoon of teen movies from the last twenty years: The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Cruel Intentions, She's All That, Can't Hardly Wait, American Pie...
The writers manage to weave the film parodies into a "standard" teen movie storyline that delivers serious laughs.
Heck, there's even a fabulous musical number.The cast does a fantastic job of adapting to the previous actors' portrayals of the characters they're spoofing (the best of them all being Mia Kirshner as The Cruelest Girl).There are a few moments where the gross out humor goes a bit far, but the moments pass by quickly, so if can bear it for a moment, you'll be pulled right back into the general comedy in no time.If you like parody and teen movies, check it out.7/10.
If you don't think it's funny, you haven't seen enough of the movies it parodies.
This won't become one of the great comedy classics, but it's the best parody of teen movies I've seen so far.
Rob Lester does the unspeakable, makes fun of his Varsity Blues charactor, but does a great job!Overall I think this movie was a good laugh!
Jabs are taken at everything...the cheerleaders of Bring It On, the kids of She's All That, the pyscho coach from Varsity Blues, Ducky from Pretty in Pink, Can't Hardly Wait, Risky Business, 10 Things I Hate About You, Grease, The Breakfast Club, Cruel Intentions, Can't Buy Me Love, American Beauty, Almost Famous, and there are small in joke references to Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Ferris Bueller's Day Off as well, along with an homage to Porky's...Overall, not a bad film though some of the jokes go beyond vulgar..
Also I heard about the gratuitous amount of nudity in the film, and that clinched it (I'm sounding more and more like a cliche'd teen movie fan by the minute).Anyway, it was a very funny movie throughout (I coulda gone without the toilet scene, but other than that) and really seemed to be made by people who were actually fans of the genre as weird as that sounds.
There was a scary level of attention to detail with little things like the names of buildings (the students go to John Hughes High and eat in the Anthony Michael Dinining Hall) to the constant use of music from the movies (off the top of my head, I'm thinking about the frequent use of Don't You (Forget About Me) from the Breakfast Club and the cover of Somebody's Baby from Fast Times at Ridgemont High (I started laughing my ass off as soon as I heard that one coming on)).
There was also quite a few people from those teen movies on hand, whether in obscure roles (Ferris Bueller's dad shows up briefly as a dad and the teacher who ran the detention (and lead villain) in the Breakfast Club reprised his role for that scene, "Bogey Lowenstein" from 10 Things I hate about You played the "Slow Clap" guy) to more important roles like "Billy Bob" from Varsity Blues playing the same character only stupider as "Reggie Ray" or Molly Ringwald (teen queen of each and every John Huges film from Sixteen Candles to Breakfast Club to Pretty in Pink) showing up in a pivotal role at the end of the movie.
So teenagers, I'm sure you will love this when you see it, and adults, free your mind, think back to when you were a pubescent teenager, and just sit back an enjoy a collage of both good and bad movies put together into one ball of scenes.It's not quite Mel Brooks' Spaceballs (another 80s reference), but it is better than Scary Movie.
The only ever good spoof film (with Scary Movie).
However, nowadays people may have forgotten that 'Not Another Teen Movie' was one of those rarities which actually worked.If you grew up in the nineties (like me), or just generally watch a lot of teenage 'rom-coms' then you'll probably be able to tell which films 'Not Another Teen Movie' is poking fun at.
It's a parody of all the teen movies with some great insightful jokes.
The story was okay and it made you laugh and the characters were done very well to depict all the stereotypical characters you see in teen movies such as Cruel Intentions, Bring It On, The Breakfast Club and American Pie. The acting was great and the actors and actresses made the characters that little bit more funny.
After spending more and more time with Janey, Jake really starts to think whether he wants to keep the bet on or not.Out of all of todays modern spoofs, 'Not Another Teen Movie' is probably one of the best out at the moment.
a real and funny parodie of all the American teen movies!!.
it is a funny movie, it will make you laugh a lot, just make sure you've seen all the movies that are in so you can enjoy more this film.
I remember when John Hughes released some of his most memorable movies, and I really enjoyed how this film poked fun at movies like "The Breakfast Club," "Sixteen Candles," and "Pretty in Pink." Even "Risky Business" is spoofed.
It makes sure to spoof every teen movie it can think of. |
tt0089878 | Rainbow War | In the Golden kingdom, a young boy creates a flying golden ring, large enough to carry a man. Using it, he leaves the Golden kingdom to explore the other lands. The Blue king sees him in his ring, leaving a trail of yellow light through the air, and gets an idea of his own; a blue hot air balloon, which his people can also use to visit the other lands! After he has seen enough of the Blue kingdom, the Yellow boy lands in the Red kingdom, and falls in love with the Red princess, and she with him. He gives her his golden scarf, and in return, she gives him a red flower. When the Red guards see this yellow intruder, they attempt to detain him, but he escapes on his golden ring, and heads back to the Golden kingdom.
Upon arriving, the Yellow queen hails him as a hero. But when he offers the red flower to her, she is offended, and the Yellow guards take the boy away. The Yellow queen then realizes that with the golden rings the boy has created, she can invade the other kingdoms.
Back in the Red kingdom, the princess looks at the Golden Kingdom in the sky, pining for the Yellow boy. The Red king is concerned though, and does not approve of her feelings for him, as he fears for her safety. The Red king is then called away, and through a giant red telescope, he spots the Blue Kingdom and Golden Kingdom's soldiers and leaders coming to his land... with paintbrushes! He rallies his men, and they prepare for war.
The Blue king is the first to arrive. The Red king peers at him through a periscope below the surface, and the Blue king smiles into it, offering to trade with the Reds. The periscope squirts him with red paint. Outraged at this treachery, the Blues retaliate, and begin to paint everything in sight blue. They then meet the Golden army, and their queen. The Blue king attempts to be diplomatic with them, but despite his many offers (A blue necklace, flowers, and a nightie), he only offends the queen and they attack, resulting in a very colorful three-way paint battle for supremacy between the Red, Blue, and Yellow army.
Meanwhile, in the Golden Kingdom, the Yellow boy is being forced to make golden rings for the army. He manages to outsmart the slavemaster though, and escapes. Back at the front, the battle is still going colorful and strong. But when a volley of blue and yellow paint collides, green is created, and the soldiers from both sides stop fighting, very interested and happy at what they have created. The Golden queen will have none of it however, and commands her troops to continue fighting. The battle resumes. The Red army, using a giant fire hydrant, coats the whole area with red paint, and when it mixes with the other paints on the field, they discover orange and purple, and the soldiers from all sides again are entranced and overjoyed over these new ideas.
However, all the fighting has not just created a huge mess. It has also created real danger. While standing on a bridge, the Red princess falls into the river, which is now flowing with paint from all three kingdoms. Before she can fall into the void between the worlds, she grabs the branch of a cliffside tree. When they see what their stupid war has caused, the soldiers of all three kingdoms throw down their paintbrushes and join forces to reach the princess. But as the Blue sentry reaches out to her and she attempts to reach out to him, the tree branch cracks, and she falls screaming into the void along with the colorful runoff of the battle.
But just in time, the Yellow boy soars through the air on his ring, saving the princess, and splashing through the paint waterfall in the process. Now the ring leaves a trail of all colors, both primary and secondary, and the soldiers and kings are overjoyed at the sight of the very first rainbow, not to mention the rescue of the princess. The Yellow queen still wants to wage war, and once again commands her troops to keep fighting, but they ignore her commands and splash her with all the paint colors, thus deposing her as ruler.
In the aftermath, all sides celebrate, trading colors with each other, combining their colors to make new colors, and reveling in the beauty of colors in harmony. Rainbow bridges are created to connect the three kingdoms, a symbol of the beauty that is created when all people come together. The Rainbow War has ended, and all kingdoms now live together, happily ever after. | fantasy | train | wikipedia | A Joyous Celebration of World Diversity circa Expo '86!.
Bob Rogers greatest triumph!
David Spear's beautiful score!
This short film made for the Canadian Pacific Pavillion at Vancouver's underrated Expo 86 extols all the virtues of good filmmaking.
A succinct allegory with gorgeous set design, rollicking special effects and infectious good cheer.
Worth seeking out as one of the best examples of big budget short film production.
Needless to say, a 10 out of 10.
And naturally, it lost to the vastly inferior talk-fest "Molly's Pilgrim" at the 1986 Academy Awards..
OSCAR NOMINEE screened at Canada Pacific Pavilion of Expo 86.
This is one of the great short films of all time!!!
I thrilled to it with members of the USSR pavilion as a visiting US journalist and its obvious yet delightful symbols of colorus representing the world powers was simplistic-undeniably- and brilliantly presented- absolutely.
A gorgeous score, handsome cast and stunning production collided in one of the great world's fair cinematic experiences of all time..
A beautiful and sweet children's film..
The first time a saw this film was a few months back, because of the fact that Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles are in it.
I must say I was very impressed by this film because it's actually funny and I definitely recommend it to parents.
It's very hard to find of copy anywhere, but if anyone is interested in seeing it, it's available for viewing at the North York City Centre Library in North York.
Messy but Brilliant.
I have to say that this film was Messy but Brilliant.My Film lighting instructor worked as a Lamp operator on this film and said that the studio, the actors, the equipment and even the entire crew got drenched in paint, but he had a lot of fun working on it.I couldn't stop laughing at the characters, the action, everything.
It's small films like rainbow war that are made fresh out of the box, brought to the screen and received such a response from the audience.although it had a small budget, it has imagination, a good story, funny characters and a wonderful message about peace.
I recommend this film to any aspiring young filmmaker who has the imagination that this film was made from..
You can buy it, but it's ridiculously expensive.
I remember seeing this at Expo 86, but I was only 7, so I really don't remember anything about it except that I saw it.
I would enjoy seeing it again.
I found a place where you can buy it, but it's $95...
For a 20 minute video, that's insane!
But if you're desperate, you do have the option of buying it here: http://www.pyramidmedia.com/item.php3?title_id=1231 They do have a 5-minute preview of it on that page!
I just watched it, and I have to say, I still don't remember it at all, except for the very beginning with the red outlines of the story book.
From what I saw, it looks very colorful and all, and Ryan Stiles is in it, but other than that, I don't see what the big deal is.
I guess I would have to watch the whole thing to give it a fair review....
I would have loved to have acted in this film!!.
This short film might just be the coolest film in the world for the actors--that is, if they don't mind getting covered in gallons and gallons of paint!
It looked like so much fun to be in the film and it's a lot of fun to watch.RAINBOW WAR is an Oscar-nominated live action short from Canada.
And, being a Canadian film, if you look carefully you might just recognize Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles among the extras (while Stiles is an American, he lived in Toronto at the time)--two of the wonderful regulars on "Whose Line is it?".
I think Ryan's a yellow guy and Colin's a blue one--it's hard to tell--especially since the extras all sport wigs or hats and so you can't look for Colin's shiny scalp!
The film is a very silly film that is appropriate for kids and adults alike.
It's a fairy tale of sorts about three kingdoms that have never learned that the other two exist.
Each is dedicated to one color alone--all other colors are banned.
So, when a genius from the Yellow land makes a weird flying machine, he lands in the red land and is amazed.
However, the Yellow Princess is NOT amused as ALL lands must be yellow!
About the same time, a balloon with people from the Blue kingdom arrive as well--and demand that everyone become Blue!
Soon, soldiers from all three worlds are involved in a funky and non-violent "war" where they are throwing buckets of paint on each other.
After a while, however, the anger subsides and they start to see all the cool possibilities these new colors provide.Overall, despite being a rather preachy premise, the film is so much fun you can't help but admire it.
A nice film and you can easily understand its Oscar nomination.
Oh, and by the way, no one talks in the film at all and it's silent other than its stirring soundtrack..
Good little film.
OK, I'll admit that I was only five years old when I first saw this "film", but I liked it.
I can recall that it was on long enough to entertain my kindergarten class (very short) but the concept was original and fun.
I'll admit the colors are what caught my attention at the beginning (hey, I was five!), but the futuristic traveling device and the love story was entertaining.
Considering I haven't seen this film since 1987, I still remember it.
It deserves credit for being a small art piece.
I would have to say that this film left a good first impression.
Consider this: I remember it twenty years later after seeing it once.
speech?
who needs that?
I remember seeing this at Expo 86 in Vancouver when i was four.
somehow, I have a tape of it.
Not an official one mind you, it has some other Canadian Airline conference taped right after it, and the tracking is terrible.
But I have watched it a countless amount of times, and have brought it to two of my university fine arts classes.
It's a simple, funny, and overall entertaining adventure of a film.
The settings open up like a pop-out book, and they use that feature to change scenes in some humorous ways.
None of the actors actually talk, but emit sounds (ie: beeps, morse-code, etc...).
This may seem cheesy, but never gets annoying and adds a unique touch that keeps this film fun and different.
Not to mention the deep implications of the colours of the three kingdoms.
Rainbow War sparked my imagination when I was younger, and it still entertains me years later.
A great film..
A great film..
awesome short.
The first and only time I have seen this short was at EXPO '86 in Vancouver, BC.
It was my introduction to animation, one of many showings I took in during my ten day visit to EXPO.
I found the story to be profound and think it would be an excellent short to show in schools.
Kids may think otherwise, but the story is telling of the ills of society and how absurd war really is.
It presents the bias commonly seen in today's society and puts it to light.
How better a way to teach the silliness of disagreement?see this short if you can!
Thanks to Spike and Mike for furthering my love of animation!.
Superb Fable Provided World Exposition Highlight.
I believe "The Rainbow War" was filmed for Expo '86 in Vancouver; at any rate, that's where I saw it.
It is a funny, enchanting, imaginative fable about tolerance & friendship in a fragmented, militaristic world.
It will appeal to fans of gentle, humanist efforts like "The Red Balloon" or "Life is Beautiful".
I was eleven years old when I saw "The Rainbow War", so it's possible I would be less effusive today.
As it stands, though, this movie is:my #1 all-time favourite Canadian moviemy #4 all-time favourite "war" moviemy #1 all-time favourite movie in which paint is the main weaponI have no clue where & how it's available today.
It ran at some corporate pavilion at the expo (where it was a big hit), and I haven't heard of it since..
Last comment missed the point.
The previous comment to this one comes across as rather omniscient and is all "look at me I hate a popular film" in attitude...kind of like a first year university student discovering critique and doing a hack job of it.Rainbow War was never about everyone being the same, as that reviewer suggests (SUCH a shallow reading of a pretty transparent film).
It was precisely about the fact that we're NOT all the same.
It was made in the context of the (pre-thaw) Cold War, and it was about breaking down barriers between cultures and nations.It was tongue in cheek in tone, with a simple message, and it intended to appear childish and light-hearted.
I guess some people are too dim to realise that..
Ummm .
I can help the other commenter find out where this movie can be found.
I was forced to watch it during my freshman orientation in HS (no joke.) It is one of the biggest running jokes in my school, since everyone had to watch it and everyone was left with their jaws on the floor due to its ridiculousness.
Although, I have to say the part at the end with the paint war was pretty cool..
Rainbow.
I can not say enough of this little gem.
Expo 86 was great and this was tops for me.
The screen was gi.normous at the Canadian pacific pavilion.
I think it was standing room only as well.
I loved the Red King, what character he had and the Blue king was so kinky.
Really a masterpiece of major proportions about race and equality.
All people should see this once for its spectacular color and great effects.
The Romance, how sweet it is.
Even the audio track was inspiring.
All in all this is one i praise and recall all the time in polite conversation.
Timeless work.
Great Job too anyone who helped create this short.
Much thanks..
Very colorful and bizarre, but not very good.
"Rainbow War" is a Canadian 19-minute short film from over 30 years ago and probably the most known work by writer and director Bob Rogers.
He wrote this one here together with a handful other writers and it certainly turned out an example of too many cooks spoiling the broth.
I personally did not feel this was too great an achievement.
Yes it was pretty colorful and spectacular at times, but it never looked like an 1980s film, rather something from the 1960s perhaps.
The story also did not convince me.
This one certainly lives through its style and the overacting by some of the cast members, even if that was intended I guess.
Anyway, all in all there were a handful okay moments, but it was not enough, not even for a film under 30 minutes.
I don't agree with the Oscar nomination and I don't recommend the watch.
Thumbs down..
A revolutionary film...
No wait, It's bad.
Seriously guys, GET THIS MOVIE!!It is sooo wicked.
There are no words to describe the emotion that you will undoubtedly feel from this classic Canadian film!HAHAHAHAJust kidding.
This is a waste of time.** NOT A SPOILER ** Let me give you a brief overview.
People are people, no matter what label they may have.
Such a deep and complicated movie has never before been made...
Who hasn't seen, read, and heard about a million different things with this meaning.
Every sitcom has done an episode like this.
I think everyone under the age of 50 now knows that people are people.
No matter what race, creed, sexual preference, age, or nationality you may be, it doesn't make you any better or any worse than anyone else.I may be generalizing too much, there probably are people who don't know this.
But those people are too thick-headed to get the point of this movie anyway.So in conclusion, you should watch this movie only if you are at least one of the following: - A person who is on the fence between discrimination and acceptance - A person who has 20 minutes with no possibility of anything as interesting as a clock ticking happening - A person on LSD (There are some cool colours) - A person who enjoys to read reviews of movies, and do exactly the opposite of what the review suggests.
You know who you are, you've seen such classics as Jason X, Crossroads, Freddy Got Fingered, and Battlefield Earth - A child between the ages of 2 and 8.
They'll like the colours, and it is probably at a level they will easily understandIf there's one good thing i can say about it, it only wastes 20 minutes of your time.It is a Canadian film, so the general rule is that I have to like it.
But in this case, I'll make an exception.If you want something good and Canadian, see Men with Brooms, seriously. |
tt2119474 | Maximum Conviction | It should be an easy day's work for former black ops operative Cross (Steven Seagal) and his partner Manning (Stone Cold Steve Austin). They and their group have been hired to oversee and orchestrate the decommissioning of a secret military penal facility, and organize the transport of the inmates to their new civilian prison.
Cross shows who's boss early on by beating up a large inmate who steps out of line, while Manning is given the task of running the prison's garbage facility. The day gets worse when a rolled up note is found that was accidentally dropped by an inmate, detailing times and locations for an attack on the facility.
Cross, on his way back to the prison from running an errand, and Manning, still dealing with that garbage facility, are suddenly involved in a foothold situation as Chris Blake (Michael Pare) and his mercenaries, posing as marshals, take over the complex.
Blake and his men are after the two newest inmates—Samantha Mendez (Steph Song) and Charlotte Walker (Aliyah O'Brien)—for their own purposes—Blake wants the information that's in an implant that's inside of Samantha, who is a CIA courier, because it could lead to a lot of money for Blake, and it turns out that Charlotte is working for Blake. It's up to Cross, Manning, and their team to stop Blake and his men.
MP Fields turns out to be a traitor and kills two of the others. Blake cuts off Warden Samuel's finger to force him to know where the detainees are. Manning is attacked Collins and his team. He manages to kill two and flee the area. Cross returns to the complex and kills two of Blake's men. Blake holds Warden Samuels hostage, forcing him to do anything so Blake can reach Charlotte. Later on Charlotte escapes as she wants to get paid. Eventually both sides meet up. Blake thinks he has Cross and Manning outgunned and then flees the scene, with Cross pursuing him. Manning catches up with Collins and kills him by impaling him on a bench. Samantha kills Charlotte, while the remnants of Blake's mercenaries including MP Fields are killed by Bradley and the others. Cross and Blake exchange gunshots till both run out of ammo. Blake attempts to strike Cross only to be thrashed around and badly injured. Cross talks to him about being a warrior in which Blake replies 'well that's me im the f***ing bad guy'. Cross says he's the good guy then hurls Blake into the laser trip wires, killing him. He reunites with Samantha and Manning. He jokes that 'in ain't over till we're dead'. | murder, violence, flashback, humor, suspenseful, sadist | train | wikipedia | null |
tt2290836 | The Healing | Odong (Robert Arevalo) suffers from a severe stroke, Seth (Vilma Santos) decides to bring him to Manang Elsa (Daria Ramirez), a faith healer. Elsa, who apparently has the ability to heal people from illnesses, performs the "healing" and prescribes herbal medicine. As Seth and her father prepare to leave, a man, who is next in line to see Elsa, collapses and loses consciousness and so the people immediately brings him inside. Seth looks back at the commotion before going home with her father.
The following day, Seth is welcomed by her father, who has now regained his strength thanks to the healing. His recovery and miraculous healing astounds their whole neighborhood. Amazed by his grandfather's new-found health, Jed (Martin del Rosario), Seth's perturbed son, asks his mother for help for his half-sister Cookie (Kim Chiu), who is suffering from glomerulonephritis so that he could take her to Manang Elsa. Seth refuses because she does not want to be held accountable by her ex-husband Val (Mark Gil) and his wife Bles (Carmi Martin) in case anything goes wrong. Jed pleads very intensely and Seth eventually agrees to give them the address under the condition that they do not tell anyone that she gave it to them.
One evening, Seth arrives home and sees that there's a party. She's extremely disappointed to see that her father, who has much improved health, has gone back to his old drinking and even "womanizing" habits. Seth decides to veer her attention away from that and started talking to the guests at the party. She finds out that they also want to be healed. Seth's housekeeper Alma (Pokwang) reveals that she has a strange growth on her foot which has prevented her from migrating to Dubai; policeman Ding (Cris Villanueva) is suffering from psoriasis; neighbors: Chona (Ces Quesada), suffers from goiter and Greta (Ynez Veneracion) has found a lump in her breast. Cacai (Abby Bautista), the young daughter of Seth's close friend Cita (Janice de Belen), is blind.
Eventually, the group - along with Greta's husband Ruben (Allan Paule) and Chona's husband Rex (Simon Ibarra), go to seek Manang Elsa's help but Melchor (Joel Torre), her brother, informs them that Manang Elsa is sick and refuses to see anyone. Due to Seth's pleading, Manang Elsa eventually cures all of them. On the way home, Seth crosses paths with Jed and Cookie, who are now secretly going to the faith healer.
The following day, everyone except Cookie is healed. She is taken to a hospital due to a high fever. Seth is then confronted by her ex-husband and grows angry. Days pass and Cookie is finally healed. One night, Seth invites Chona to go to Ding's wedding reception, but Chona just smiled and went home, which confuses Seth and the others. When everyone went home, they were terrified after Chona is found dead after slashing her own neck with a knife after stabbing a man passing by. At her wake, Rex tells Seth that Chona had seen a crow in her dream before she died. The batch of people who were healed speak out about having had the same dream. Seth saw Dodi (Chinggoy Alonzo), a man they met at Manang Elsa's house, walk past her.
The following day, during a breaking news bulletin, they found out that Dodi murdered men at the gym and held his partner hostage. Dodi, looking insane, kills his partner and himself with a piece of broken glass. Seth and her neighbors discussed if there's a pattern of deaths. Ruben annoys his wife Greta that she's going to die next, much to Greta's anger.
During a blackout that night, Seth was shocked to see Greta in her home. When Greta was walking away, Seth called her, but Greta suddenly looked back at her by stretching her neck backwards. Greta, who suddenly looked insane and is at home, stabs Ruben. Ruben then asked people passing by to help him, but the people were horrified when they saw Greta holding a huge machete while walking towards Ruben. Seth and Alma heard the screams of the people so they went out. Greta then decapitates Ruben before going back to the house to almost kill their sons. Seth and Alma followed Greta, but were horrified when Greta hanged herself. The next day Ding, who is on a raid at a sex den, kills the tenants and his teammates before his remaining teammates shoot him dead. Seth, worried about Cookie, explain to Jed on her behavioral changes and urges him to protect her. It turns out that the mysterious people who were healed that Seth saw were actually doppelgangers, who demonized the images of the people who were healed before their deaths. Seth is confused as to why her father has not suffered the same fate. She asks him if had seen a crow in his dreams, but instead tells her he had a wet dream, which annoys her. Seth, along with Cita, decides to confront Manang Elsa about the chain of deaths, only to be informed by Melchor, that she, along with his wife, had been killed by Dario, the man who much earlier, was thought to have only fainted but who had actually died from a heart attack. Melchor reveals the curse's real dark history that Manang Elsa unknowingly "cured" the dead, and now the life that was used to revitalize him was the lives of the following murdered patients that Manang Elsa "cured" after him. Melchor tells her that the best way to destroy the curse is to kill Dario again.
Seth sets out to warn the others. While stuck in traffic, she sees Alma's doppelganger walk down the street towards Alma's dormitory. Seth calls Alma to warn her that her doppelganger is on its way to possess her. When Alma refuses to believe her, Seth sneaks into her apartment to find her but is too late. Alma, who has already been possessed by her doppelganger, murdered her dorm mates by throwing them off the balcony and sets herself on fire. Afraid for her daughter's life, Cita brings Cacai to a Chinese temple to be guarded by their relative monks. Inevitably, Seth sees Cacai's image and warns Cita. However, Cita is distracted by a dragon dance and loses Cacai who is then controlled by her doppelganger. Cacai massacres the praying monks and kills herself by jumping from the roof and getting impaled on a flagpole. Seth is haunted by the spirits of her dead friends, who blame her for their deaths because Seth is the key to the healer. Seth then goes to Cita who is watching her daughter get embalmed. Seth apologizes for not saving Cacai, but Cita tells her that there's still a chance to end the terror: Cookie.
Determined to save Cookie, Seth and Jed (who finally knows everything and resolved the mystery about the curse) takes her to a secluded house and installs CCTV cameras to monitor her. To avert the curse and the brutal killings and suicides, Seth goes to jail to see Dario (Jhong Hilario) and bring him food that she has poisoned. Dario reveals to her that he is no longer Dario but a different entity. He warns her that those who have been cured by Manang Elsa will be possessed by their own alter-egos and their souls shall be offered to him. He then tells her that the best way to end the bloodshed and the continuous spread of the curse is to kill him. Seth discards the plan of poisoning him as she cannot kill anyone. When she returns to the house where Cookie and Jed are hiding, she is attacked by Cookie's doppelganger who has yet to possess the real one, and manages to get rid of her by electrocuting her with a toaster. At the hospital, Cookie's parents apologized to a confined Seth. Seth then watched a news report about a suicide bomber that implanted a bomb on a bus, killing him and some other passenger. The bomber was also healed by Manang Elsa.
After a few days, Cookie is chased by her doppelganger and possessed her. Jed found this out because of the CCTV camera showing Cookie's doppelganger chasing her. At her father's birthday party, Seth is visited by Cookie, who is already possessed but is only acting normal. When Seth is about to answer Jed's telephone call, Cookie then stabs her. While running away from the possessed Cookie, Seth finds Boni, her houseboy, dead with his neck twisted by Cookie. Jed arrives and stops the possessed Cookie from killing Seth.
As the fight rages, Cookie's doppelganger touches Jed's head, creating another doppelganger in Jed's image who then tries to stab Seth. At the prison, Dario is anticipating the new life that will be transported to him, but Melchor shows up at the prison and shoots him dead. A crow falls from the sky hitting the camera, showing the curse has ended. The doppelgangers disappear, the bloodshed ceases, and Melchor is pinned down by police officers. Seth and Jed,who are now free from the curse's reign of terror,shake the unconscious Cookie, who suddenly wakes up. | suspenseful, gothic, murder, paranormal, cult, violence, plot twist, flashback, good versus evil, haunting, psychedelic, revenge | train | wikipedia | Symptoms persist.
"The Healing" is a horror film by Chito S.
Roño starring Vilma Santos and Kim Chiu.
The movie revolves around the risks of believing in faith healers and the consequential phenomenon of evil doppelgängers.I am glad that this is not a horror flick taken from worn-out concepts.
The idea of doppelgängers is not popular in our culture, but the writers managed to come up with an engaging storyline combining it with superstition and folklore.After watching the R-18 version of the movie, I can easily tell which scenes were omitted from the R-13 version.
I commend director Chito Roño for his audacity in this project.
The movie is raging with startling murder and death scenes.
It departs from the usual fare and becomes one of the most gruesome Pinoy movies in recent years.In terms of writing, the movie is unstrikingly average.
After the first character dies, you already knew how the rest of the story would go.
The script heavily employs elements of "Feng Shui" and the "Final Destination" series.
The suspense relies on the viewer's anticipation on how the next victim will die.There were glaring loopholes in the story at the end of film, which makes me think that they're trying to come up with a sequel.
I felt that the conclusion was either rushed or not given much thought, which was disappointing considering the number of script consultants from Star Cinema that this movie had when I checked the closing credits.By the end of the movie, the biggest question left upon the viewers is the mystery behind the film's intriguing color schemes.
It appears that the film was somehow divided into chapters with the enigmatic use of color coding.
You can see the characters prominently dressed in blue, red, and yellow as some sort of a uniform.
The set design, costumes and props complement the same colors ubiquitously shown at certain parts of the movie, though no clear explanation was given to explicate the meaning behind it.
It's so vague it becomes pointless.
One could be forgiven for thinking that the 'blue chapter' was just a lame ploy to bring into mind Ate Vi's Bear Brand endorsement.Other minute observations: The opening credits did not complement the material.
The use of special effects was so-so.
The casting was great and the actors showed some believable acting (especially Vilma Santos and Janice de Belen).Though Filipino horror has yet to find its true strength, you can fairly say that it has evolved with this film.
With its well-defined characters and a taste for gore, "The Healing" is a notch above the rest.
It's better than most local scare flicks produced in recent years, notwithstanding its flaws and weaknesses.
As a horror film, its impotent scares is insufficient to produce a desired effect.
It fares better as an accidental slasher film..
the movie was OK.
The Healing has all the earmarks of a fairly typical Filipino horror movie.
It takes some element of our local folklore (in this case, faith healers) and brings it to horrific ends.
But the movie turns out to be much more than that.
Though it stalls the action a little too much, the film is still undeniably fun.
It cleverly works in a bit of humor within all the grisly action, and adds a plethora of stylistic touches to make everything feel just a little bit different.
Seth (Vilma Santos) takes her stroke-stricken father (Robert Arevalo) to see a faith healer.
The next day, he miraculously recovers from his ailment.
Amazed by the recovery, Seth's neighbors all implore her to take them to the healer.
Her son from an annulled marriage Jed (Martin del Rosario) also asks her to help him take his stepsister Cookie (Kim Chiu) to be healed.
When they arrive, the healer refuses to see them due to her own sickness.
But they all insist, and the healer eventually relents.
Everybody soon recovers from his or her afflictions, but it turns out that the healing comes at a price.
Seth's entire community is thrown into chaos, and she has to figure out what went wrong.
The movie suffers from a very common horror movie complaint.
The characters are entirely too passive about serious problems.
The characters figure out the connection between violent events and the healing quickly enough, but it takes them forever to do anything about it.
Movies tend to need characters to be active, trying to solve their problems with whatever resources are available to them.
Having said that, the movie does a great job of surrounding the central conflict with interesting little details.
There's a funny, subversive edge to the way the community is written, and a genuinely crushing dilemma complicating the eventual solution.
The film isn't afraid to get a little goofy, offsetting the violence and darkness with tinges of humor.
What could've been generic horror movie stuff is enlivened by a slight satirical bent that takes to task the very concept of healing.
And the film thrives on its relationships, building real stakes out of few well-placed lines of duologue.
The production looks quite accomplished, and the film makes room for quite a few stylistic touches.
Most noticeably, the film marks its movements by having the characters dress in the same color.
It's not entirely clear what the point of it is, but it does make the film more visually interesting.
Vilma Santos is really quite exceptional in her more mature roles.
Despite being who she is, she still somehow manages to disappear into the role, latching on to little bits of character that tear away the veneer of glamor and celebrity.
She is an every woman in this role, struggling to understand a dilemma that's far beyond her capacity.
A strong ensemble cast backs her up.
Robert Arevalo plays her father with an endearing lack of vanity.
Allen Paule shines while playing the constant skeptic.
Janice De Belen proves yet again to be one of the finest players in the industry today.
The cast as a whole is able to make the more clever bits of script really work, and that's a fine achievement.
The Healing could a little tighter.
The characters spend too much time not doing anything about their predicament, which makes it feel like they're just courting danger.
But if one can overlook that little wrinkle, the movie is just a whole lot of fun.
It has an inspired sense of self, a personality beyond what we've come to expect in every horror feature.
I would note that people ought to seek out the R18 version of the picture, which is the more complete vision of the film.
A film that strives to be so unique ought to be given that consideration..
Terror of "The Healing".
Last 29th Of July 2012 Watching "The Healing" Is A Straightforward Supernatural Thriller It is a Counterpart of The 2007 Korean Thriller "Voices" So this movie has eerie, gruesome, bloody, and Disturbing Effects,No Long-Haired Female Spirits,But Psychotic Persons And Buckets of Blood and Gore,The film tells the story of Ghostly Visions,Faith Healing, And Demon Possessions.
The film follows Seth (Vilma Santos) brings her sick father Odong (Robert Arevalo) To a Mysterious Female Healer Manang Elsa (Daria Ramirez) To cure his stroke Manang Elsa gives her a Herbal Medication so in order to be healed,But Elsa becomes ill and was coerced by Seth and her Family to heal one of her friends and Family Members,All at Once they were miraculously cured and their wish was granted,But at the same time it turned into a day of Terror and Blood,When one of Seth,s Family Members ,Loved Ones and Friends ends up possessed by unseen dark forces,And turning into Bloodthirsty Savages and starts to commit bloody homicides and suicide attempts,Strange and Weird Things starts on-going Now Seth has disturbing dreams and strange visions including a black crow and Doppelgangers of her Friends,With the help of Elsa,s Brother (Joel Torre) Who holds the secret key on what way to Destroy The Curse ,He reveals to her the Mystery of How Her Sister brings back to life a dead man named Dario(Jhong Hilario) And the dark secret was The lives of those who were cured from their diseases will be taken away so that Dario May live fully,He also told Seth the best way to Put an End to the curse is to Liquidate Dario so that his malevolent corpse will not live.
I really hope that "The Healing" Is Counterpart of 1976's "The Omen" and 1998's "Ringu",So when you are cured by a Faith Healer whom you have visited Watch Your Step,So you will be safe from the Curse,But "BEWARE" There,s Something Sinister and Evil is coming your way!.
Felt Like "Feng Shui" All Over Again.
I am a fan of Filipino horror films as I have mentioned in other reviews.
"The Healing" features a big Filipino movie star, Ms. Vilma Santos, in a rare appearance in a horror film.
It is also helmed by a director who had been responsible for two of the best Filipino horror films in the last decade, "Feng Shui" (2004) and "Sukob" (2006).
The well-made teaser trailer was an effective come-on.
It was a given that I should also check out this particular film.Ms. Vilma plays Seth, a woman who runs a boarding house in a middle- class community in the city.
After her father (Robert Arevalo) was successfully treated of his post-stroke condition by a faith healer named Elsa (Daria Ramirez), five of her friends and neighbors all convince Seth to bring them to Elsa to treat them of their various medical maladies.
In addition, her son Jed (Martin del Rosario) also brought along his half-sister Cookie (Kim Chiu) so her kidney ailment could be cured.After that day of the fateful healing, one by one, everyone in that group treated by Elsa begins dying of strange circumstances, each one more bizarre than the last.
Before each death, Seth would be visited by a crow and a puzzling vision of her friend's doppelganger.
Seth now has to race against time to find out why this macabre series of deadly events is happening and hopefully stop it before everyone in the group kicks the bucket.After the first side character dies, you already knew how the story would go.
The suspense you will feel as you watch on will be more in anticipation of which gory method with which that character will die, not exactly because you do not know what will happen next.
To Rono's credit, each death scene somehow topped the previous one in as much as the blood factor is concerned.The acting performances were nothing to be excited about.
Everyone did well at looking scared.
Ms. Vilma Santos is Ms. Vilma Santos.
She doesn't really disappear into her role as Seth.
Kim Chiu appeared in very few scenes despite her second billing.
Like on TV, she needs more energy in her performance though.
I did not know Martin del Rosario before this movie, but he actually delivered very well in his meaty role as Jed. Special mention would have to go to Robert Arevalo for daringly delivering the most embarrassing lines in the movie -- funny!
Not really sure why Ynez Veneracion had to show her right boob though, maybe for old times sake.Several camera angles used by Mr. Rono were very well-planned and executed to maximize the tension on screen.
Like other productions I see now, there was color coordination in the costumes of all the characters on screen.
Here though, I did not quite see why a certain color was chosen for which scene.
It was also distracting sometimes to see the common color scheme continuing into subsequent unrelated scenes.
The usual scare tactics and music were employed here -- nothing highly original.
But thankfully, at least there was NO Sadako-like creature in this one.
Overall, it is just OK.
I think that "The Healing" had been too reminiscent of other horror films the way the friends of the lead character were dying around her and it is up to her to break the curse.
If it was Kris Aquino who played Seth instead of Vilma Santos, it would just be "Feng Shui" all over again..
Solid Entertainment.
The Healing is an effective horror movie, I must say.
I didn't expect that it would turn out to be this good especially since it's a Filipino movie.
I definitely loved the gore and suspense that this movie gave because for once, I felt proud watching a Filipino movie.
It felt so different from other Filipino horror movies because of the fact that it's so thrilling.
Most horror films from our country tend to be stupid and cliché but this changed the game.
I admit that the premise of dying one by one (like Final Destination) is predictable but like FD, it's so effective in building suspense and intrigue that you have to watch and wait for it.
The execution of the movie was impressive especially during the death scene of that poor girl.
I was shocked when that actually happened.
"Did this really came from the Philippines?!" was my reaction.
The story is not inventive or new but totally engaging.
I was just distracted with the color coding in the movie (you'll know what I mean when you watch it).
Overall, it's a definite improvement in the Philippines' movie industry and is one of the better local horror movies. |
tt0038427 | Courage of Lassie | A collie pup is separated from his mother and grows to young adulthood in the forest. After being swept away in a torrent and then shot by a young hunter, he is found by Kathie Merrick (Elizabeth Taylor) and carried to her home. With the help of a kindly shepherd, Mr. MacBain (Frank Morgan), she tends him back to health, names him Bill, and teaches him to herd sheep.
One day, unknown to Kathie, Bill is hit by a truck and taken to an animal hospital. Kathie risks her life futilely searching for him on the island where they first met. Bill remains unclaimed in the hospital for two months and is sent to a War Dog Training Center, where he is referred to as "Duke". After training, he is shipped out with the troops to the Aleutian Islands Campaign. Duke performs heroically on the battlefield, but the stress and a wound cause him to become aggressive. Sent back to the War Dog Training Center to recover, he escapes, attacking livestock and threatening people as he finds his way back to Kathie.
Merricks' neighbors insist he be put down because of his attacks, and Bill is impounded. A hearing is held and Mr. MacBain acts as Bill's lawyer. He discovers an Army tattoo in Bill's ear; a quick investigation reveals Bill is a war hero. All then realize that the dog who served on the battlefield was not himself after his war experiences, and he will need time to adjust to civilian life. Bill is freed and joyfully reunites with Kathie. | melodrama | train | wikipedia | This film starts off with a collie named Bill who breaks away from his family and encounters all kinds of friends in the woods which are bears, ravens, hawks and even travels on a pile of wood through all kinds of rapids that almost drown him.
Bill no sooner takes a chance and relaxes in the grass when he is shot by hunters and Katie Merrick, (Elizabeth Taylor) comes to his rescue who had been following Bill because he ran off with her pants as she was swimming in the a lake.
Kattie manages to tell the hunters not to kill Bill, because she is going to bring him to get help from a good friend of hers, Harry MacBain, (Frank Morgan) who manages to bring Bill back to health.
Not only did she play two different parts in this film (with three different names) but she had two deathbed scenes and played a war hero who turns into a crazed killer.
We're talking about Lassie, who was played by the greatest female impersonator in the history of the silver screen, otherwise known as Pal.The star of this vehicle not only got away with playing both a male and a female in this picture (a son and his mother) but he/she was such a mega star that the producers could call the film COURAGE OF LASSIE without the character Lassie even being in it.(You wouldn't find Johnny Weissmuller playing the Thin Man in a Tarzan movie, would you?)Be that as it may, Lassie (or should I say Pal?) plays Bill with such acting skill that there should have been an Oscar awarded for the performance.
Toss in some cute animal scenes at the beginning and a tear-jerking ending, with some beautiful location footage at Lake Chelan in north central Washington in the middle, and you've got one of the most heartwarming animal movies of that era.
The storyline is packed full of adventure in which Bill saves the day, but when Bill is hit by a truck and taken away from young Kathy (Elizabeth Taylor), Bill becomes an army dog in the second World War.
(I think this is the only Lassie film to have a female girl as the dog's primary master.) There are also some happy parts of the movie, showing the deep friendship that the young girl and collie share.
This, intertwined with Lassie saving sheep in a snow storm and becoming a war hero makes this a good film.
It's not as good as 'Lassie Come Home', but it is still worth a watch if you enjoy films about dogs..
A young girl adopts a lost puppy and takes it in for her own, turning it into a first class sheep dog.
The film has the usual [and some unusual] assortment of adventures from the collie being shot, run over, drafted, shot again, ran to exhaustion, put on trial, exonerated, and then a tearful re-union with the little girl [the dog didn't shed a tear].
If you enjoy watching "A-Dog-As-A-Shining-Hero" movie, then you're sure to get a satisfying charge out of Courage Of Lassie (COL, for short) from 1946.Featuring plenty of carefully staged wildlife photography (especially within its first 20 minutes), COL had our favourite celebrity canine, Lassie, heading out on one daring, brave and big-hearted adventure after another.As something of a bonus - COL starred a fresh-faced, 14-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, who played young Kathie Merrick, the easily-excitable daughter of simple sheep ranchers etching out a modest living in the American North-West.All-in-all - COL was, for the most part, an enjoyable enough feature film, but I seriously think that its story was probably best suited for a much younger audience than myself.*Note* - What didn't make a whole lot of sense to me was that, even though this film's title clearly named this prized collie-dog as Lassie, Kathie kept repeatedly calling this pedigree pooch, Bill, for whatever reason..
Lassie, WWII Psycho Vet. How can you not like a movie in which Lassie is inducted into the army and comes out warped into a serial killer?
Like so many MGM stars during wartime Lassie found himself pressed into morale-building patriotic duty.
When Frank Morgan tells Elizabeth Taylor he has a son in the Philippines, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Lassie (who goes by a variety of aliases here) will find his way to some kind of military heroism.
The truly bizarre twist is that, pushed past the breaking point by his desperate Army masters to lead them to the rescue of a trapped patrol, he comes out with a grudge against the world, and winds up, essentially, on trial for murder.
(And I'd leap off a moving train, too, if I had little Liz Taylor waiting for me at home.).
Lassie as a shell-shocked war hero steals the show....
This is a mildly entertaining Lassie film in which the collie (who is named Bill in the story) plays the leading role while the human players (ELIZABETH TAYLOR, FRANK MORGAN, TOM DRAKE) are mere foils.
The plot concerns a pretty teen-aged Taylor who finds him in the Canadian wilderness, loses him when he goes astray, and finds him again in time for a heart-warming conclusion, but only after war-weary dog has gone on trial for, of all things, murder.It starts out slowly as a nature film with nothing but shots of rabbits and other woodland creatures before it gets to the heart of the story with the opening scenes of Frank Morgan and Elizabeth Taylor (in her early teens and seemingly unspoiled, giving one of her more natural performances).
Taylor's fawning over Lassie seems genuine, if a bit too sentimental, and it's a relief at the finale that she is reunited with her pet.Standout are the war scenes where Lassie is forced to help American soldiers in a dangerous assault on some Japanese soldiers.
Lassie is trained in these chores by soldier TOM DRAKE and after battle fatigue sets in he becomes another shell-shocked victim of war.
How he's able to return to Taylor for the film's happy ending is the balance of the story.Nicely done, filmed in wilderness areas of Canada and the state of Washington, but still just a minor entry in the Lassie stories..
Lovely Touching Lassie Story of Old. This is a Lassie movie.
It is not an Elizabeth Taylor movie, although her presence is just as lovely, young and innocent.
Courage of Lassie is a sweet and very sad story at times with a plot and storyline particular to WWII and is is not unrealistic or spectacular.
I recommend it,as I would recommend all Lassie movies and I, personally, am looking forward to seeing the new Lassie movie currently being filmed..
After emoting so sincerely in "National Velvet", Elizabeth Taylor looks almost forced into this absurd scenario: Collie pup, separated from its family, raises itself in the woods before finding the love of a dedicated young lass, and then--for reasons almost indescribable--is adopted into the Army!
Lassie plays the Collie (here called Bill, and later Duke!), and it's a strenuous part even for a dog.
After appearing in 1943's "Lassie Come Home", this must've seemed like a step backwards for the young star.
Wilcox returned to direct Lassie in his third film, but this is not a continuation of "Son Of Lassie", though original costar Elizabeth Taylor does return as a new character called Kathie Merrick, who rescues a collie pup, and names it Bill(Lassie is not the name here, despite the title!) whom she raises as a sheep-herder, until one day he is hit by a truck and taken to a veterinarian.
Bill's life is saved, but is not identified, so is instead sent off as a war dog to assist soldiers in the trenches.
The Dog Days of Lassie.
Elizabeth Taylor takes over the reigns as Lassie's owner.
Obviously, the filmmakers were still not sure how to use Lassie as a name; so it's implied that the dog you love as Lassie is playing "Bill" (but it's really "Pal" playing "Lassie" playing "Bill"; and, it gets even more complicated in the film).Since it is 1946, we'll just have to go along with Lassie being drafted; but, is this "Lassie Come Home from World War II" - is Lassie an unpatriotic deserter?
Then, the poor dog comes down with Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome, becomes a killer, and goes on trial.
On the plus side: Lassie is terrific, as usual; the dog tries to make a bad script hunt.
Elizabeth Taylor and the film look very nice in color; and, Frank Morgan feels like a good substitute for Donald Crisp, who was in the last Lassie film, and will be in the next one
**** Courage of Lassie (7/24/46) Fred M.
Wilcox ~ Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Morgan, Tom Drake.
When you've got a young Elizabeth Taylor and such scene stealing character
he's reunited with Taylor who does her best to rehabilitate him.Morgan plays a kindly neighbor to widow Selena Royle who is Liz's mother and Davenport is the judge who will decide the fate of the collie.
Seeing this in 2013 for the first time and as a 50-year-old adult, I really tried to imagine what I would have thought of this film had I been a young teen back in the late 1940s.
Several characters did highly moronic things, which, although they moved the story along, were very unbelievable, irresponsible, and disturbing.I'll give the film two stars for the outdoor sequences which had some gorgeous scenery, although I was wondering for about the first 15 minutes if I hadn't recorded a National Geographic nature flick by mistake..
This is because Lassie (here actually called Bill) is tortured and goes through more in one film than most of his others combined!!!
In this film, he loses his mother, gets shot, gets run over, gets sent to war and almost dies...and, naturally, ends up losing his mind.
While the term was never used, he obviously was suffering from PTSD...and the film was actually a metaphor for the millions of damaged soldiers coming home from Europe and Asia following WWII...which ended the year before.Fortunately, the film is not just one series of torment after another for good 'ol Bill/Lassie.
When he's not suffering, he's living with a lovely little girl (Elizabeth Taylor) and loves her dearly.
And, because it was a prestige project (after all, Lassie was a BIG star at MGM), the studio used some of its best supporting actors (Frank Morgan, Harry Davenport and Tom Drake, among others) and it really is a lovely film.
But some might tire of seeing the animal going through torment, so it's not nearly the film as "Lassie Come Home"!Finally, although I liked the movie I really would have loved a scene with Lassie lying on the couch being psychoanalyzed near the end of the story!.
In "Courage of Lassie," the dog gets top billing, but a pretty teenager (Liz Taylor) has plenty of crying and hugging to do as a supremely devoted mistress
Another heart-warming story, filmed in the wilderness of Washington State, the movie (which begins with a long, curious, wild-life sequence) mixes farm-family folksiness with an unusual dog story: Lassie goes to a training school for war dogs, is shipped to the front and performs heroically
Returned to America, the dog suffers a nervous collapse, becoming a menace to society
As the willful farm girl who finds a dog, loses a dog, and regains a dog, Liz Taylor is again the overwrought, ecstatic child, lavishing her attention on Lassie
Because her greatest fame came later, as a young woman, most people forget what a skillful child actress she was
Less burdened than at any later time by her beauty and fame, she is at her least self-conscious in these early performances
Untouched, she reveals in these animal stories her natural flair for tears and hugsthe paraphernalia of an emotional female.
Cry "havoc" and unleash the dogs of war..well,Lassie anyway......
This film does have something important to say about PTSD and the military's gradual recognition of it as a medical condition during the second world war despite ignoring all the evidence from the 1914 - 1918 conflict.Apart from that,"The courage of Lassie" is merely a mildly diverting tale of a lost dog who gets press - ganged into the U.S.Army and ends up in the Aleutian Islands helping to rescue some ambushed soldiers.
Miss E.Taylor is delightful as Lassie's erstwhile owner who is horrified to find her pet a changed animal when he makes his way back home after escaping from a railroad carriage carrying him to be p.u.t. d.o.w.n. after displaying aggressive behaviour to his handler.
A little girl and her dog are reunited and millions of 8 year - olds all over the world weep copiously.Or they did in 1946.
I'm reading glimpses of other reviews here and many are a bit skeptical of this movie and of Lassie being a shell shocked war vet.
Yes we should all know that Lassie was played by more than one dog (its obvious that thats the way they make dog movies, isn't it?), that Lassie was a female, all that geeky stuff, I say whatever.
I was not expecting anything from this movie and had it on in the background as I was surfing the web this morning and doing other tasks, I ended up getting very focused on this film!
It's just another testament that if it's a Lassie movie, it's good entertainment.
It has Liz Taylor and her pet's loving bond in Lassie which is very wholesome, it also has a lot of adult overtones with war and such, so it should keep any mature adult interested.
In todays overly skeptical world, I'm happy I have not fallen into the trap to not really enjoy a Lassie movie.
As the relative of someone who has suffered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) originating in his own experiences in the early part of WW II --- it is now some sixty-five years here in mid-2007 from those absurdly horrible and also unbelievable few months of his then-young life --- this is a terribly important film for me.
Although Bill/Lassie is allegedly just some lost dog in the movie, what he experiences as a K-9 dog-soldier within the U.S Army's campaign to push the Imperial Japanese military out of its conquests in the Aleutian Islands in 1942 forever scars him.
He comes home to the Elizabeth Taylor character in Washington state a haunted, and hurt animal and veteran.
First, there is no character in this film called Lassie!, although Lassie may have been the mother of Bill, sometimes called Duke, who starts out as a puppy.
Like the first 2 of this film series, the collie, whatever its name is, gets lost for part of the film, has a series of adventures, and eventually finds its way home......Apparently most of the shoots were taken around Lake Chelan: a long, narrow former glacial valley, with substantial mountains on either side, located in north central Washington state.......This time, 14y.o. Elizabeth Taylor(as Kathie) serves as Bill's non-military master, while Tom Drake, as Stg. Smitty, renames the dog as Duke and serves as his master while in the army.
In training Duke to be a War Dog, the screenplay is repeating the main plot of the previous film; "Son of Lassie".
So, after a couple months of rehabilitation, it's decided to give him to the army and make a war dog out of him, rechristening him as Duke.
But, Frank Morgan: a friend of Kathie's, notices a marking on one ear, and someone identifies it as a war dog ID.
Morgan calls up the nearby dog training center and asks for Bill's record, finding that he is regarded as a war hero.
I think so.......This film is currently available in economical 3 and 4 packs of MGM Lassie-like films..
Though "Courage of Lassie" has a simple plot, it is one of the greatest movies of the last century, and one of the most meaningful and greatest tearjerkers of all time.
The "Courage of Lassie" is a time capsule that reveals the decency of where we came from, who we were, who we truly are, and who we still can be - because goodness is a root of us all.
The "Courage of Lassie" also provides beautifully-crafted lessons in adaptation and the resiliency of both human and animal spirit.Everyone should be positively touched by this film and should be bettered by it.
However, it seems that those who lived at least part of their lives during the 1940's and 1950's will be especially emotionally struck by the realization of what has been lost, what's been gained, as well as by the automatically ensuing calculations of whether the gains were worth the losses.Every character in this film plays his or her parts naturally and flawlessly, including Lassie.
The only iffy scene in this film is where Lassie was a target of countless enemy riflemen but never got hit - somewhat like Kevin Costner in "Dances with Wolves." Other than that single stretch:The "Courage of Lassie" is a magnificent gift!The "Courage of Lassie" is Americana at its best!.
The third movie in the Lassie series, this one confusingly stars a male dog named Pal playing a female dog named Lassie playing a male dog named Bill, who is then, in the course of the film re-named Duke.
After growing up to adulthood, Bill is surprisingly non-feral and is discovered by a 14 year-old Elizabeth Taylor.
Taylor cares for him until he's well again, with the help of Frank Morgan.
Then Bill is hit by an Army truck (the poor damn dog can't get a break).
He finally gets back to America and finds his way back to Elizabeth Taylor, but not before he kills some farm chickens.
Frank Morgan saves him after discovering he was an Army dog and understanding he has post-traumatic stress syndrome.
She's a sweet kid, and, like in National Velvet, a pretty good actress already. |
tt0398839 | Cattle Call | Cattle Call follows the three male protagonists as they hold a fake casting call in Hollywood for a fictional independent film entitled Perfect for Me with the hope of meeting women. Richie is looking for a relationship, while Sherman and Glenn are more interested in sex. After going on dates with the girls, they eventually chose three women to be in their "film": Marina, Laurel and Nikita.
When Marina checks Richie's computer to find a dating site called Perfect for Me, he feels guilty and reveals to her that the whole thing was set up for the three men to find women. She storms out of his house and meets up with the other two girls at the empty 'casting studio'. It turns out that one of the other women isn't really an actress at all, and is investigating the three guys following complaints on the internet that the casting was a scam.
The girls ask to have a first read through audition of the 'script' (a translation of an old foreign language film that the guys had seen) and then tell the guys that they want to make the script 'sexier' and that they want to have lots of sex with the three producers to practice. The women set up a hotel room with cameras, and film Sherman and Glenn preparing to have sex with them - Richie refuses and leaves. They then send in two masculine women with whips and sex toys instead, and then the police burst in and arrest Sherman and Glenn.
After a night in jail, the two go to court facing 10–15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. The judge, Solomon Mendel, allows 24 hours for the defence to prepare evidence. Richie, stuck for ideas whilst watching a reality show Real Cops on TV, suddenly realises he can make a film from the footage of the casting that they have. He reaches the court the next morning just as a verdict has been announced, but the judge allows the evidence and finds Sherman and Glenn not guilty.
In the final scenes before the credits, Richie apologises to Marina again and as her (ex-)boyfriend departs he realises that she isn't leaving and they kiss. Three final quick closing scenes follow this. The first show Nikita running a casting call with men, in a project called Fresh Meat. The second shows Glenn working as the director on a Spanish-speaking set, pretending to speak Spanish to the production crew. The very final scene shows Sherman revealing to Richie that he is a sex addict; Richie doesn't believe it, and jokes that next Sherman will be starting a therapy group so he can meet female sex addicts. After a long pause Sherman replies "That's a great idea." | romantic | train | wikipedia | Dull and mediocre but it had a few chuckles..
It ain't no Vacation movie but I guess I could say it was worth the rental..sorta.
I had small mixed feelings about this movie.
The premise of the movie was good, it was just the movie itself that was bad.
Diedrich Bader had a very weak performance in this movie and Thomas Ian Nicholas showed me why again I never really found anything special about him.
Although there were a few times where I laughed, the romantic parts felt like I was watching a bad TV-movie.
If I were you, I would approach this movie with caution, you'll like it if you're a die-hard National Lampoon fan.
You'll be disappointed if you're expecting a Dorm Daze movie.
I just hope that there is no sequel in the works..
Calling this film 'crap' would be high praise..
I believe that there is SOME good in everyone.
In the case of the guys who are producing films for NL these days, you'd need a scalpel to find it.Bad script, bad editing, bad directing, but when all is said and done not good at all.
I would say this film was poorly acted but it's hard to tell with a director this bad.
NL would have been better off just putting the camera on a tripod in front of Jonathan Winters, hitting record and saying 'go.' Since Nicole Eggert doesn't get naked in this, Winters is the only thing worthwhile about the whole production.
He's only in it for about five minutes or less..
Yet another National Lampoon disaster ...............
It has been my experience that 9 out of 10 National Lampoon movies are unwatchable, and while "National Lampoon Cattle Call" is far from the worst, it is still bad.
Aside from the classic "Vacation", "Animal House", and "Van Wilder", and the marginal "Deadly Sins" and "Gold Diggers", everything else has been simply awful, including "Cattle Call".
This is essentially a one joke movie, and the joke is both unoriginal, redundant, and boring.
Most of the crude efforts for a laugh totally misfire, and the overly simplistic script simply has nowhere to go.
The entire film seems tired from beginning to end.
Throw in the towel early, because essentially you will not miss anything you haven't seen before.
- MERK.
A fake casting agency goes awry when the goods they are to deliver appear not to exist.
A very funny comedy that will appeal to most adults, I thought Diedrich Bader, Thomas Ian Nicholas and Johnathen Winters stood out in the movie with their very keen senses of humor.
Paul Mazursky played the perfect overbearing hapless judge, overall just a great supporting cast, a lot of laughs from beginning to end!
The storyline is completely believable in that a desperate guy played by Thomas Ian Nicholas aided by his good buddies that he also convinces to assist him and themselves,{they don't need to much convincing mind you} to cook up a scheme to "meet as many women/girls as possible, by putting advertisements in the paper and creating a fake casting call for a movie that really doesn't exist!
A person definitely gets the sense that this cooked up idea may have been attempted in the past by " guys looking to meet and date as many women as they can".
Ask any producer or director and they will tell you that casting calls routinely can draw literally hundreds if not thousands of people that want to audition for parts.I have seen most of the National Lampoons and this rates up there for believability,acting skills, realism and humor.
At the premiere I happened to sit next to a very well known "movie critic" and for what it's worth he gave it "two thumbs up"!!!
"A MUST SEE SLEEPER COMEDY THAT WILL BE COMING OUT IN THE THEATRES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 07 !!!!!!!!!!!!!1.
fun.
Okay, so it was shot on a shoe-string budget.
That's not the point.
Movie does elevate itself above its humble origin by showing a considerable lot of spark, even if firing in the wrong direction lots of timed.
Biggest saving grace is Jenny Mollen, whom I recognized from ANGEL only because I took note of her name.
Wonderful how a truly charming girl can brighten up the scene.
The three miscreants have their own charm though, and as for constructive criticism, I'd simply say the producers were on the right track, as the film has a correct feel about it, especially with the hand-held camera footage, and that the girls were samplings from all walks of life.A glaringly obvious Goof: If Reseda Camarillo reported the set-up after getting dumped, how come Nikita comes walking in immediately in the same scene as Reseda's getting dumped?
Sherman still wears the lipstick smeared on him from the encounter as he switches targets.
Filming clearly just took an efficient shortcut.People renting this one know very well what they are renting.
Don't complain if the content is kinda amateurish- looking.
It's kinda how it is supposed to look.
It is a fake casting agency with minimal equipment.
So don't take your ire out on the poor defenseless movie.
It is actually quite well done.
The laugh is on the kind of reviewers who would say 1 - 10.
They're in a bad place.This review was written by Mister Teets.
Please, Jenny, take me home!.
Quirky and very very funny.
I did a fake casting of a movie when I was in college.
It totally worked.
I met tons of girls.
I'm freaked out someone made a movie about it.
I'm sure others have done this too.
I wonder if the writer-director Martin Guigui lived it...Diedrich Bader is hilarious!
"Cattle Call" is the funniest National Lampoon film I have seen since "Van Wilder".
I heard they're making a sequel.
I'd love to sneak onto that set.
Chelsea Handler is a good actress.
She should do more films.
The actress Jenny Molen that played Marina is awesome.
I heard she married Jason Biggs recently.
I hope she's in the sequel.
She was the best thing about "Cattle Call".
There are a few very funny memorable scenes.
One that I keep remembering is when the character of Sherman Oaks (played by Andrew Katos) thinks he is playing a great guitar solo, but he sucks and then Chelsea Handler still wants to have sex with him.
The film reminds me of "Spinal Tap" sometimes.
I rented if from Netflix and then I bought it so I can relive it, my past that is....
The best in this movie is the intro music theme.....
The best in this movie is the intro music theme....The plot is somewhat OK but the execution is bad....The acting is bad....
I liked only the one that played the nerd strange guy from the leading roles but still he could improved his performance....The dialogs and black humor is far from top....
The movie does have 1-2 funny momentsThe movie does have a lot of pretty ladies!!!!
probably on purpose....I wouldn't suggest renting this movie...The best in this movie is the intro music theme.....
Dull, dull, dull.
You're thinking, "National Lampoon"?
No. It's not funny.
No. It's not funny.
No laughs, no chuckles, certainly no guffaws.
It's not even mildly interesting.Three deadbeats set up a fake casting agency.
Using no money.
Huh?
They rent a studio-like office and convince hundreds of desperate women that their stupid questions about sex and men have some connection to a movie audition.They get caught out, are sodomised by some butch lesbians with electrical implements, charged with fraud, go to trial, then, in one night, magically pull together some bits and pieces of video-tape, sufficient to convince a judge it was for real all along.Oh, and the main deadbeat gets the beautiful girl anyway.Dross.
Don't waste your time.
No, even the lesbians-with-the-electrical-implements bit was mercifully brief and dull.
Okay, some of the other stuff was even more dull, but this was dull, too.
This explains how KNOWING got released.
I gave this movie one bonus point for a total rating of 5 out of 10, for the insight it offered about the inner workings of Hollywood, which had puzzled me after seeing KNOWING the previous day.
It turns out that all you have to do to make a flick is cobble together some ideas from other people's scripts (the English caption function built into most DVD's can carry even the most illiterate crew member through the dialog portion of this step), and then tell anyone who shows up for the casting call (or "cattle call," here) just to do what they feel comfortable with (it obviously worked for director Alex Proyas and star Nicolas Cage in KNOWING, to the tune of this week's number one box office hit).
So thanks, National Lampoon, now all is illuminated. |
tt1112285 | Fear Itself | While carving jack-o'-lanterns in Xander's basement, the gang discusses plans for Halloween; Buffy continues to mope over her situation with Parker. They decide to go to the Alpha-Delta house for a party. The next day at school, Buffy and Oz both express their concerns for Willow and her use of magic. Buffy spots Parker and immediately runs away. Willow follows her, explaining that she should get over it and have fun at the party that night, but Buffy thinks that Giles will want her to patrol. When Buffy goes to visit Giles, she's surprised to find him embracing the Halloween spirit. He discourages her from patrolling and encourages her to go party.
At the Alpha-Delta house, the members are getting ready for the party. One finds a symbol in an old book to paint on the floor. Anya goes to see Xander, wanting to know where their relationship is heading. He agrees that they're somewhat dating, inviting her to the party. Buffy, who skipped her psych class, visits the professor and asks for her assignment, but she receives a cold response. Riley, however, gives her the assignment, telling her to have fun on Halloween. Oz and Xander carry a sound system to the Alpha-Delta house, and Oz installs it while one guy paints the symbol from the book. Oz cuts his hand, spilling drops of his blood, which activates the ritual to summon Gachnar.
Joyce alters one of Buffy's old costumes, Little Red Riding Hood, and talks with her about how things used to be. Buffy waits outside the house for her friends, and Xander shows up dressed as James Bond. They run into Willow, dressed as Joan of Arc, and Oz, going as God. Everything at the party starts to go awry as fears begin to become real, and the fake scary objects like plastic spiders and skeletons, become alive. The gang enters the house, but they encounter several obstacles. Later, Anya arrives at the party, dressed as a bunny, but she is unable to get inside because the entrances to the house have become sealed up. She sees a girl screaming at a window, and the window then disappears from the house. Inside, Buffy tells the gang to find a way out and get help. A skeleton attacks her from behind, but after she attacks, it becomes fake again. Buffy and Willow fight over Buffy rejecting help from her friends and pushing them away, as well as Buffy and Oz arguing with Willow about her use of witchcraft. Willow insists she can safely do a guidance spell. Meanwhile, Anya goes to Giles for help.
Xander tries to talk to the gang but finds that he's become invisible to them. Willow and Oz find a staircase and head up. As they're walking, Oz begins to change into a werewolf and scratches Willow before running away from her. Xander approaches a mirror, and a head on the table behind him says that he can see him. Oz sits in a bathtub, chanting to himself that he isn't going to change. Willow conjures her spell. However, it quickly spins out of control, and she screams for help as it attacks her. Buffy, hearing Willow's cries, tries to get to her, but she falls into the basement where bodies come up from the ground and grab at her. Giles and Anya are unable to find a way inside, so Giles cuts a door using a chainsaw. While fleeing through the house, the gang ends up in the room where the mystical symbol is painted. Giles and Anya break into the room. They determine the sign on the floor to be the Mark of Gachnar, and Buffy and Giles express fear about how scary the demon looks in the illustration. Buffy destroys the symbol before Giles can tell her that destroying the symbol will bring Gachnar forth. But when the demon has manifested, it turns out to be merely a few inches in height. After a laugh at absurdity of giving in to one's fears, Buffy squashes Gachnar with her shoe. At Giles' place, the gang eats candy while Giles makes a discovery: the arcane footnote below the illustration of Gachnar in his book reads "Actual Size" . | suspenseful | train | wikipedia | This show is not excellent but it isn't bad either, each week the show seems to be improving, not to mention a more well known variation of cast members.It is entirely up to the viewer their own points of view but in mine its worth giving it a watch, especially the new years day or eater episodes.Unfortunately those who expect this to compare or even match up to supernatural are sadly mistaken, this show is in an element of its own and should not be compared to anything else.
i think this is why the majority of people are quick to disregard this show, as they compare it to much more successful longer running shows.who knows maybe this will turn into a long running show.all we need to do is give it a chance..
As a whole this series is better than the second season of Master's of Horror by a long shot.
Spooked and Community are the two bright spots in the series thus far, in sickness and health and new years day where not very good.
I think my favorite episodes at this point are In sickness and in health and Skin and bones.
Come on fellows give it a chance, the series is only five episodes in and reviewers are already calling it the worst horror anthology to grace the TV!
Personally, i was always worried about Masters of Horror moving to NBC, MOH was hit and miss, the first season; quite excellent in my book, the second besides Gordon's and Rob Schmidt's episodes was mediocre, the only thing making it watchable at most times was blood and tits, 'Fear Itself' has none of those simple fall backs going for it and i have to say its been holding up better than the latter season.
Suspenseful and gripping in sixty minutes, instead of seeing the lead characters in "Supernatural" this show features some familiar and new faces and their performances are above average but their dynamics are what make the show great with a good pinch of subtlety; never knowing what's gonna happen next.
Even more impressive is despite having great production values, some of the best writers of horror fiction lend their pen to ensure good stories and keep the audience on the edge of their seat.
Although its obvious its a "season replacement" for the summer, it satisfies it's core audience really well in every regard and if time persists, may knock "Supernatural" as top-dog of TV horror series.Check it out!!.
A blood and gore horror series that has little twist and it's endings are to predictable..
"NBC's" new horror series "Fear Itself" so far has had plenty of blood and gore as the series always has spooky stories that centers around themes of vampires, crazy ghost, and gruesome serial killers.
Also so far only about two episodes have had a good twist that was the one in which Eric Roberts stared as a P.I., and the "Family Man" episode the rest are so predictable.
Still at times the suspense does remind one of "The Twilight Zone", with it's spooky feel similar to "The Hitchhiker" series and the gore and blood equals "Tales from the Crypt" in some ways.
Still the series falls almost flat because of the predictable and campy stories because so many of them don't have any plot twist and no humor is involved.
So really even if you like horror TV series you can be alright to pass on these feel-bad fables..
I love all things spooky and have watched many a not-so-great show just because it has a horror element.
When I watched the pilot episode of this series I thought it had potential.
But the production value of the following episodes never matched the pilot, the writing got more and more clichéd and predictable, the directing is not so great (pacing and timing, anyone?), and the acting...
Last night's episode was so freaking painful to watch (I have seen better performances at grade school talent shows) I turned it off after 5 minutes.Don't waste your time..
The ever-lowering bar of horror anthology TV hits rock bottom with Fear Itself..
Horror anthology on TV has been getting progressively worse since it hit it's pinnacle with Tales From the Crypt (TFTC).
TFTC was an amazingly brilliant masterpiece of horror TV anthology series that set the bar for this type of programming as high as it could possibly be.
TFTC still provided 6 Seasons worth of perfect TV horror.Then came Masters of Horror (MoH), and next notable TV horror anthology series.
Despite being a bad series overall, at least that's 8 brilliant episodes of horror television that MoH contributed to the annals of great TV horror.Then comes Fear Itself.
In terms of format and flexibility about what content they cannot show, Fear Itself is exactly on par with the old kids' TV shows "Goosebumps" or "Bonechillers" or "Are You Afraid of the Dark?".However, although they are exactly on par with each other in terms of tone and what they cannot show, the *quality* of the content of Fear Itself is laughably worse than all of those kids' shows, to an extreme degree.Fear Itself is horror anthology TV hitting rock bottom.The 'theme song' to Fear Itself sounds like it's sung by a laboratory baboon who has just been injected by mad scientists with all kinds of wacky drugs.
A shame that such good visuals during the opening credits are utterly ruined with that babyish assault upon the senses of a 'song'.You may often have heard that Fear Itself is an hour long - that's wrong, don't believe it.
It's a problem with bad scripts and bad writing far more-so than running-time.
The 42 minute running-time of Fear Itself is admittedly a less-than-ideal handicap for good storytelling.
But Fear Itself doesn't do much of anything with the characters or plot even with the time they *do* have.
In Fear Itself, the amount of content in the episode does not fit with the running-time of the episode.
For example, look at the 'In Sickness and in Health' episode; 17 minutes wasted on repeating the same content over and over again (a bride panicking about a note in the Church and having inane conversations with her friends).
All of that content which could *easily* have fit into 5 minutes or less.The acting in Fear Itself is terrible across the board.
Sometimes, like in the episode 'Family Man', the D-List actors can surprise you and be excellent at acting.
*Usually* though, they will be every bit as terrible as you expected them to be.Almost every episode has dozens of plot-holes.
To add insult to injury, the 'stories' are just rehashes of stale-old clichés that have been done a million times before.Any viewer of Fear Itself could *undoubtedly* write *much* better dialogue, characters, and plot lines than are in Fear Itself; even someone with no talent for writing whatsoever.A feature-length running-time is not required to tell a good story, as some have argued to try to make excuses for Fear Itself.
For example, the MoH episode 'Incident on and Off a Mountain Road.' 55 minutes minus a few for opening and closing credits, and it had brilliant character & plot development and is a masterpiece in own right.
Likewise with the MoH episode 'The Black Cat' which is ~57 minutes minus opening credits.TFTC was a half-hour show, but those characters and plots were amazingly immersing and fleshed-out *despite that* in almost every single episode.
In fact, some people remember TFTC as being 1 hour episodes because the episodes *feel* like they are due to being so richly-made with great characters and plots.
The problem with accepting Fear Itself , despite it being garbage, is that it sets the bar for horror TV as low as it can possibly be.
If that precedent is accepted, then future horror TV shows will be just as bad.
Therefore, it is better to be honest about Fear Itself in order to let the makers of horror know that a good horror product is expected in the future, not more crap..
From watching these episodes I can tell that the problem lies with the writers, I mean we're talking talking about the writers of The Fly 2, Road House 2, usually not a single good horror film to their name, so what makes them think they can pull off a horror series when the last things they did were crap.The acting is good though, the music's good, sets, props all good.
In fact, the title sequence is usually the only good thing about this series.
The two episodes I have seen so far had no plot progression at all, and in one case I predicted the 'twist' a mere 10 minutes into the show.
Fear Itself: Above Average Satisfying Horror Series.
Almost every disk comes with four episodes, containing a little bit of different genres, with metaphysical/mystical themes or murders with a twist.The theme song of the series is very charming and evocative, reminiscent of the Creature Feature kind of style for those readers familiar with it.
The arrangement of the episodes, two on each side, is a little peculiar by modern standards and the menu navigation is a little cumbersome, but the plots themselves are often worth the trouble and managed to surprise me with their twist unlike most detective stories which I can solve within minutes of reading or watching.
In contrast, the occasional subtlety of Fear Itself allows the answers to remain hidden for a while longer.In my opinion, such unpredictable twists of the murder mysteries along with the variety of the truly supernatural kinds of horror make for a delightful pastime.Although structurally the episodes are not connected, each following an entirely independent cast of characters and plot lines, I can appreciate why some episodes were placed together based on their thematic similarity or, conversely, opposition.Overall, I really like this series but I don't think I could like it as much if I expected another Twilight Zone(which it is certainly not, lacking a host) or R.L Stine's Haunting Hour(because each episode of Fear Itself is longer).
I hope after reading my review you guys would at least consider the very first disk, because it had, what I consider to be, the most brilliant episode of the entire series and if you don't like even it, you would know with relative surety that Fear Itself is not for you(I don't even have to spoil your fun by naming it or numbering it because when you see it, you'll know exactly which one I meant!)..
This is an anthology horror series from NBC filmed in Canada.
It's an anthology, which, depending, can be good or bad.I like most of the actors, the directing was good.I have yet watched all episodes, sort of 'hoarding' them.There were definite twists and turns, which is always good.
(You know, when you 'think' he/she 'did it', but, it turns out you're wrong.) To me, that's good writing, acting & directing..
Surely lighting a little bit that was on top of the cover will cause the contents of the well to be entirely engulfed in flame as depicted, even though very little gasoline save for maybe a medicine cup's even entered it, over a period of a few minutes.Spooked: Great episode until the end.
Aside from the ending though, this is great, one of the better episodes.Family Man: -Excellent-.
Without a doubt, this was the best episode of the series, and one of the best horror anthology episodes I've seen in a long, long time.In Sickness and in Health: You know that thing it sitcoms where someone acts really angry, but then suddenly they're complimenting you?
Pretty bad, doesn't feel like Landis did this at all.Easter: Great work.
It managed to make me jump a few times, and the ending was highly creative.New Years Day: Great until the fridge logic pops in and you realize that the plot twist creates a lot of plot holes.
Doug Jones makes this episode worth watching, but the rest is not really that good.
If you're a fan of the Wendigo legend or a Doug Jones fan, watch this.Something With Bite: -Hilarious.- This feels more like a John Landis episode than the John Landis episode did.
The plot twist isn't predictable, at least.Chance: Confusing, feels really unfinished.
I'm thinking maybe this episode -was- unfinished, maybe one of the last episodes made.The Spirit Box: Plot twist was -extremely- predictable.
The actors seem to just be having fun with it, like they -know- what they're doing is bad.
y'know, I'll just leave it at this: This feels like it could be expanded into a bad film that the Mystery Science Theater 3000/Rifftrax guys would love to riff.Overall, I'd say just watch Spooked, Family Man, Something With Bite, and Eater.
If you love to mock stuff, watch The Circle, Community, and Sacrifice.Also, don't base your decision on who directed what episode.
The better directors actually did some of the worst episodes, to the point where they don't feel like they were actually made by those directors..
I came across Fear Itself (and its prior 'Masters of...' series) a week ago whilst looking through the Sci-Fi listings on TV.com.
Lured by the idea of a new premise each episode, I downloaded all the aired episodes to date of this review.With everything entirely different each episode, the series seems cold and lost, which some will like, some won't.
Some episodes aren't too strong, for this, I would recommend the series to young or easily-scared viewers rather than more mature viewers who won't be as impressed.I've put some plot keywords down as tips (settings, characters, story) to each episode, nothing too spoiling, and nothing the current synopsises won't provide you with.
If you don't want to know *anything* about the episode, then avoid gazing at them, since the reviews don't spoil anything at all, and will be useful pointers as to which episodes to not waste 40 minutes of your life on.1.
The Sacrifice: 7/10 (Plot keywords; Vampire, survival, trapped, fort) The first episode was filmed in the same secluded fort used for the film Ginger Snaps Back, so more than top marks for the setting/scenery.
I can't say much about the episode basis without spoiling it, but the plot was 'good'.
However some the dialogue and voice acting could have been better, as well as some corners polished, but this is something to expect from the series.2.
Spooked: 4/10 (Plot keywords; Haunted house, set up, traumatic childhood flashbacks) This episode's premise was rather weak, combined with the fact I can't stand Eric Roberts for some reason, I didn't really enjoy it.
Family Man: 8.5/10 (Plot keywords; Spiritual transmigration, serial killer, family man, prison) Brilliant premise, this episode really stands out from the rest - extremely dark (if not too dark), well-written and well-executed - definitely a 'must-see'.4.
In Sickness and in Health: 2/10 (Plot keywords; Wedding, church, serial killer, chase, so-so) From the synopsis I could tell this episode wouldn't pull it off, but it really, really stank.
Seriously, I didn't know they could write plot holes this big.
I cannot believe how bad this episode was, two points for the slightly-eery church at night setting.5.
Eater: 2/10 (Plot keywords; Voodoo cannibal, prison) Again, pretty poor episode with no twist to it...
And like the last episode, the ending made it go from bad to worse...
New Year's Day: 8/10 (Plot keywords; Zombies, city chaos, survival) I quite liked this episode.
Both the twist and ending for this episode were great.
I'd say the sets were definitely 'well-used' over the time-line, there could have been less flashbacks, but great episode anyway.7.
Community: 6/10 (Plot keywords; Housing estate conspiracy, contract, brainwashing) Despite there not being much twist to this episode, I quited liked it's consistent conspiracy feel, and the ending was quite sad.If possible, I will update this review as further episodes air..
I missed the first episode and I thought to myself, maybe this will be horrible.Then 'Spooked' came on and it wasn't as bad as expected but Eric Roberts acted good and the shocker was that there was no one living in that house at all and the girl was the ghost's sister and he accidentally gets shot by his buddy in the end and the sister gives a little grin.
I found out what was happening when he walked into the empty house.Along comes 'The Family Man' which has to be the greatest episode I've ever seen, even better than 'Masters of Horror,' with an ending so magnificent, I was in shock.'IN Sickness and IN Health,' well, I don't want to talk about it.and Eater with a great ending, good ending and creepy characters, also a great story and sets, that one gets my vote.Overall I love Fear Itself and if it plays more episodes along the lines of 'The Family Man' and 'Eater' it might be the king..
I am amazed with all the negative feedback here, this show so far is superb, put it this way it is the twilight zone; tales from the crypt and the outer limits in one show, it is far more entertaining than the flood of B grade horror movies that came recently, the show episodes deals with different horror themes like Canibalism and witchcraft in (Eater), Zombies in (New Years Eve), Vampires in (Sacrifice), Ghosts in (Spooked), Body switch in (Family man) and the list go on.
The actors, the scenario, the direction and the cinematography are all excellent, in short words this series is for the die hard horror fan and I really wish that the producers of this show just keep making more seasons of this amazing series..
This episode was great.
Youfind you that the wife, who has been scared the whole time, spoke to her new husband and asked him if he wanted to know what the note said.
Fear Itself is a good addition to the summer drama shows. |
tt0111534 | U.F.O. | The story opens with a team sent to a house in the countryside at midnight. They find a truck with one man dead and a trail of blood leading back to the house. Inside they find several targets (none of which are seen) and receive the kill-order. A series of gunshots rings out, accompanied by a series of screams. Moments later a young woman named Dana stumbles out of the house with blood on her hands, and gazes up at the sky in disbelief.
Two days earlier, Dana and her friends engage in a night of heavy drinking, fighting, and carousing at a club: Michael a lieutenant in the SAS, his best friend Robin and Vincent. Robin proposes to Dana and she immediately accepts, while Michael hooks up with a beautiful American girl named Carrie. Vincent, however, acts very indecent towards a clubber and gets thrown out, along with Michael when he defends him. A fight ensues between Michael and the bouncers, with Robin and Dana joining in. Eventually the group heads back to Robin's house where Michael and Carrie have sex while Dana and Robin celebrate their engagement in a similar manner. Hung-over, they drunkenly stumble out of Robin's house, and discover that nobody on their street has mobile phone service or power. They are confronted by an apparently deranged tramp who insists that they are in danger from people with a purple mark. When a city-sized spaceship hovers over Derby, the city panics and society begins to break down. Michael, attempts to lead his friends to safety. They make their way to a store where their friend Pete works, but it is closed. The group rescues an immigrant from angry thugs, and Pete allows the group in through the side entrance. However, a riot breaks out when the crowd sees them gathering supplies, and looters attempt to steal their groceries. Michael frightens off the looters with a pistol, and the friends head back to Robin's house.
Michael and Carrie go out to get fuel and ammunition for Michael's handgun, and they run into John, a gas station attendant who believes that the aliens will attack. Carrie suggests that the aliens are explorers, but John says that there will be no lasting peace, because even if the aliens don't attack first the human governments will panic and attack the aliens inciting them to respond in kind. Back in the car, Carrie tells Michael that she is in England to learn about its culture and people, and they are involved in a car accident. Carrie frantically tries to save a survivor, but Michael administers a mercy killing when it becomes clear that will not make it. As Michael tries to drag Carrie away, she insists that there's a girl (seen earlier at the Market Square) still alive in the car. They rescue the girl, and the car explodes behind them. When they attempt to get supplies to bandage the injured girl, a policeman stops them, having locked up the place, but agrees to let them in when the girl identifies him as a "man with a purple mark". Once inside however, the policeman suddenly attempts to kill the girl. Michael engages in a long battle with him, only for the latter to overwhelm with superior him fighting skills. Carrie saves Michael from being strangled by stabbing the policeman with a shard of glass, causing him to choke on his blood and suffocate. Carrie is left disgusted at Michael, and viewing him as cold-blooded killer, but Michael counters that it was "him or us".
Aliens target Robin's house, and he, Dana, and Vincent barely evade alien patrol ships. Robin and Vincent go out to steal a car, and Dana is left alone in the house, where she is apparently stalked by a spotter ship. She is saved by soldiers Kenny and Sam who shoot the ship down with a rocket launcher. The group reunites and heads off to George's house when the deranged tramp appears and confronts them with a pistol and says that they are protecting the Devil. Michael tries to reason with him, but the soldiers shoot the tramp dead as the tramp accidentally kills Robin. The group drives to George's house, where they become convinced that alien infiltrators are hiding among humans, identifiable via a purple mark. The group learns from the girl that the policeman they encountered earlier was one of them and had tried to kill the girl because she knew too much. George reveals that he has monitoring the situation with a special transmitter, supposedly alien in origin, and states that no one would know if it was happening. He concludes that they should only trust people that they know. The group turns on Carrie, for whom none of them can vouch and because the tramp had been pointing his gun at her. Michael convinces the others to allow him to privately inspect Carrie for a purple mark. As they enter the room, Michael confesses that he was dishonourably discharged, something he had neglected to tell anyone, even his friends. He states that he doesn't want to believe she is an alien but that he needs her to prove it, when Carrie abruptly shoots him dead with his own gun. Carrie fights off Sam, Kenny, and George who arrive to stop, displaying the same combat skills that Michael had used earlier and survives a point blank shot from George's shotgun. She then takes Dana hostage and escapes outside George's house. Kenny follows her into a barn and shoots her just as she is teleported aboard a ship. George attempts to mollify the aliens by offering alien technology that he owns, but they disintegrate him.
Kenny and Sam attack the UFO with automatic rifles, but their weapons seem to have no effect. As they wait to be disintegrated, another UFO attacks and destroys that one. The sky fills with two different kinds of UFOs, which attack each other. Sam is killed in the crossfire, and the others retreat back to George's house. On his television, they see a newsreader in the form of Carrie announce that humanity has won the war and people should return to their homes. Vincent attempts to rape Dana, and Kenny savagely beats him and threatens to kill him. Before he can, an alien infiltration team led by a duplicate of the policeman breaks in and reports that there is a young girl there who can identify them. A series of flashbacks reveals there were several other copies of him who have followed the group and were presumably used as infiltrators. In the last scene, the infiltration team receives a go-ahead to kill everyone in the house, and their screams are heard over the radio. In the depths of outer-space, the battle between the two aliens rages on, as the mothership begins to descend. | humor, adult comedy | train | wikipedia | null |
tt0102469 | Mortal Thoughts | The film revolves mainly around a scene in which Cynthia Kellogg (Demi Moore) is interrogated by two investigators at the police station. The deposition given by Cynthia is supported by detailed flashbacks throughout the film. The interrogation arouses particular suspicion about whether Cynthia's own husband could have informed the police about the incident and anything which his wife could have confided in him.
In flashback we see Cynthia and Joyce are best friends who work together. Joyce's husband Jimmy is abusive, both physically and emotionally, and she expresses a desire to kill him several times. One night, Cynthia accompanies Joyce and Jimmy to the festival. When Jimmy becomes drunk and picks a fight with Joyce, he heads back to their van to go home. Cynthia follows him to make sure he gets to the van and to take the keys from him, to let him sleep it off in the van. Jimmy makes an advance to Cynthia, who spurns him and leaves him at the van. Later Jimmy is found dead in the van, with his throat cut.
After Cynthia's husband Artie is found shot to death, she comes forward to the police to tell her version of events. She also tells the police she thinks Joyce killed Artie to keep him from going to the police about what Cynthia told him, but at the time she didn't think Joyce was capable of killing him, so she didn't take her threats seriously. The police release her and bring Joyce in for interrogation at the same time.
In a final flashback, we see what happened with Jimmy and Cynthia at the festival, where he attempted to rape her when she helped him into the van. She grabs a box cutter and slices his throat to get away from him. She and Joyce initially head for the hospital but the fear that Cynthia will go to jail and Joyce's belief that Jimmy would kill both of them if he recovers convinces Joyce to turn around. They take the van back to the festival and leave him there to bleed out as if the attack involved someone else. Cynthia is then seen heading back to the police station to make a confession. | neo noir, murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | Not being a fan of either Demi Moore or Bruce Willis, I was not prepared to be blown away by both their performances in Mortal Thoughts.
The two actors give nuanced and very real performances as regular Jersey folks, and Glenne Headly steals the movie.
Joyce is constantly talking about killing Jimmy, and since the movie begins during the investigation into his death, the movie raises your suspicion from the start.The entire movie is told as a flashback during the police questioning of Cynthia, and Demi manages to bring to life a scared, distraught, exhausted and defensive woman whose life as a simple mother of two has been turned upside down.
Harvey Keitel, as the lead investigator into the case, gives an amazing performance, supplying the audience with the right level of doubt about Cynthia's story to keep the suspense flying until the end - and all while sitting in the same chair for most of the film!
Demi Moore stars as Cynthia Kellogg, a woman caught in the middle when her best friend (played by Glenne Headly) murders her jerk of a husband -- or so it seems.
Demi Moore,(Cynthia Kellogg),"G.I. Jane", played an exceptionally difficult role, where she gets involved with a very abusive lover played by Bruce Willis,(James Urbanski) who has mood changes like the weather, hot, cold and goes completely nuts.
By literally representing the character's words in images, the film exploited the trust that any movie-watcher has to put in what they see; the very concept of cinema only works if the audience can believe their own eyes, so it's a somewhat underhand trick to take advantage of this.
If all movies were like this, cinema would die, but as an isolated film, it definitely made the grade.Alan Rudolph's curiously named 'Mortal Thoughts' (surely "morbid thoughts" are actually what feature in this film) is a kind of precursor to 'The Usual Susepcts', but less acclaimed, and with good reason.
The film doesn't even try and fool the audience: Harvey Keitel's policeman tells the witness throughout that he doesn't believe what she is saying, and once you accept that the woman may be lying, then the possibilities are limitless (something Singer dealt with deftly by only uncovering the lie at the very end, before it truly sinks into the audience that if the story was a pack of lies, then the truth could be anything).
Yet in the true story, revealed at the end, there's actually a tale of human drama that might have driven a pretty strong film.
First of all I have no idea why this was named "Mortal Thoughts." More appropriate would be, "Fatal Lies" or "An Inadvertent Confession," or maybe "Desperate Friends." Be that as it may, this is a superior thriller mainly because the story is compelling and the acting is first rate.
She is as vivid and unforgettable as an Al Pacino or a Betty Davis.As an aside on the career of Demi Moore, I want to say that it's a shame for her that her off-screen personality is not well liked, which in large part accounts for the fact that she is one of the most underrated, although one of the most often seen and hardest-working stars of the last fifteen years or so.
Too bad.Glenne Headly (Joyce) is also outstanding while Bruce Willis is excellent as Joyce's drug-addled, boozing, wife-beating loser of a husband.
The dialogue is right on, realistically depicting the lives of New Jersey beauty shop people while the plot told in ersatz flashbacks unfolds nicely with a fine tension.The story is that of two friends, Joyce and Cynthia who find they have to cover up a killing (NOT a murder, but at worst a manslaughter, or better yet, a case of self-defense), but fall apart as the investigation closes in on them.
Presumably, the last flashback from Cynthia tells us how Bruce Willis's character met his end, but that doesn't solve the problem of how or why (somebody else) was shot full of holes.
True, Det. John Woods (Harvey Keitel) makes some compelling arguments along the way to suggest that Cynthia is not telling the truth, but we are mislead by the actions that our eyes see and the sounds that our ears hear.
In movies, since anything can be contrived, it is the usual rule to have the camera show the truth while letting the characters do the lying.What might have saved this (and what I was expecting all the way through) is Joyce's side of the story acted out on screen so that we could compare the stories and make our choice about who was telling the truth.Bottom line: better than one might expect with a realistic edge clearly a notch or two above the usual thriller fare.(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!).
I caught this on TV last night, and decided to give it a go because it started Demi Moore and Bruce Willis.
Cynthia (Moore) comes forward to talk to detective John (Harvey Keitel) about the murder of her best friend's husband.
Mortal Thoughts stars Demi Moore and her husband at that time, Bruce Willis.
The storyline is fantastic and the casting is superb (although I would say that as Bruce Willis is my favourite actor!) I was impressed by the acting, particularly Harvey Keitel, who plays police detective John Woods.
The hairdresser, wife and mother Cynthia Kellogg (Demi Moore) is in police department being interrogated by the experienced detective John Woods (Harvey Keitel) and his partner, Detective Linda Nealon (Billie Neal).
Through flashbacks, she reveals how her best friend and colleague Joyce Urbanski (Glenne Headly) married the scum and nasty James Urbanski (Bruce Willis); how hard Joyce's life with James was; and why Joyce became a criminal.
The smart detective finds some contradictions in her statement and presses Cynthia, trying to disclose the truth of two murders."Mortal Thoughts" is an intriguing and underrated low budget thriller.
Demi Moore very good in a better than expected film.
`Mortal Thoughts' is another of those films which I nearly did not see, not because of any forgetfulness on my part, nor from any other involuntary reason, but quite frankly I tend to avoid any film with people like Bruce Willis (you can put in the names of Lundgren/van Damme/Stallone/Bruce Lee and other assorted muscular brainless types at your leisure) playing the big macho he-man; I'd rather have a try at cards on the computer, even though the two of clubs always goes missing when I most need it.
If on the one hand Bruce Willis' participation is somewhat limited and what he did was really quite decent, on the other, a very young-looking Demi Moore (29 when she made the film) played a stirring rôle, which helped to put this thriller drama a head above most of similar ilk.Alan Rudolph's directing of a well-written script produced a more than acceptable result, aided by those timely flash-backs between the interrogation and previous events.
Cynthia (Demi Moore) is `helping police enquiries', which means interrogated, into the death of her best friend's husband (Bruce Willis), and as she recounts events, the film flashes back, at times even synchronising with the dialogues in the interrogation.
Good work here by Demi Moore and Glenne Headly as her best friend, and it was real good to see Harvey Keitel as the detective (see him in `Shadrach' (1998) (qv), Ridley Scott's classic `Thelma and Louise' (1991) and in `The Piano' (1993), to name a few of his best rôles.
I am happy to say that this movie was much better than I thought and as usual, Demi Moore is just awesome.
Bruce Willis is also in this film but he playes her best friends abusive, drunk husband.
The BINGO Performance Of The Movie Goes To Harvey Keitel As The Investigator Who Early On Realizes There Is A Truth That No One Knows About And Through Brilliant Manipulation Allows The Truth To Reveal Itself ...
Since then he's made a good number of movies of his own that, from what I've seen, tend to be rather uncommercial, slow, serious, painstakingly realistic, sometimes maybe a little dull, but often very interesting films.
It's a really first rate crime story comprising a long conversation between a detective, played by Harvey Keitel and the central character Cynthia, played by Demi Moore in one of her best performances.
The story she has to tell is relayed to us in flashback and deals with her best friend Joyce (Glenne Headly, another excellent performance) and her truly horrible, brutal bully of a husband James (Bruce Willis, also excellent - hateful and frightening but very believable); how Joyce always liked to fantasize about killing James off; how one day he does indeed end up dead; how they agree to lose the body and say nothing to anyone, how their relationship then bends and breaks under the strain; and what happens next.The film however does have one major flaw.
Without giving anything away, I will say that after working so hard on revealing the facts in the detective's questioning, the truth is unveiled by us seeing the thoughts of one of the major characters.
The Carnival Scene in Mortal Thoughts was actually filmed in a small-time amusement park in Scotch Plains, New Jersey called Bowcraft.
Yes Bruce Willis was believable as a total reprobate of a human being, and Demi Moore and Glenne Headley were almost believable as two Thoroughly Beaten Beauty Shop Chicks without the sense to get out of their caustic relationships.
I was pleasantly surprised by this film for its guts to take a story and almost present it all through Demi Moore talking to two police detectives(Harvey Keitel and Bille Neal) in a room - everything we see is via her character's thoughts and perceptions and ideas of truth and untruth and is entirely in flashback form.
The story centers around Moore and her friend Headly recently married to a brute of a guy played by Bruce Willis - and goes from there to murder, mystery, and the eventual uncovering of what is the truth behind everything.
Director Alan Rudolph does a good job creating a story convincingly told throughout by flashback and from the first person whilst coming back to present time repeatedly.
This is not as easy as it sounds and has been messed up in other films, but it does work here because of Rudolph's sure directorial talents and the acting of Moore, Willis, Headly and Keitel.
Demi Moore gives perhaps one her best performances(looking lovely I might add as well) as a New York woman torn between several things.
All of the actors give serviceable performances and the whole movie looks and sounds like a spin off from The Sopranos or something the way all of the actors walk, talk, and act.
"Mortal Thoughts" manages to sustain your interest throughout: it is a well-structured murder mystery with good performances by the entire cast, particularly from Bruce Willis (in one of his most unconventional roles) and Harvey Keitel who, despite his limited screen time, steals the show.
"Mortal thoughts" is the kind of picture from which I never saw a good critic from, but God what a movie it is!
The story is about Cynthia (Demi Moore) and Joyce (Glenne Headly).
Both are married and where as Cynthia has a workaholic as a husband, Joyce has to fill her hours with a swine, superb played by Bruce Willis who is swearing, fighting, sniffing and talking about sex during the whole movie.
Demi Moore tells her story with flashbacks and bit by bit we know more about the history...and believe us, the plot is totally different from what is supposed to be in the beginning.
A young woman (Demi Moore) starts to confess to the police, that she was a witness to a murder, which was committed by her best friend (Glenn Headly).
Cynthia Kellogg (Demi Moore) voluntarily comes in to give evidence about the case of James Urbanski (Bruce Willis) to police detectives John Woods (Harvey Keitel) and Linda Nealon.
I had this movie on a tape that my mom's friend gave to me..i wasnt really interested in seeing it until i heard that Demi Moore was in it then i gave it a chance....And what an awesome flick!
The characters were so real, and Demi turned in an excellent performance as usual...Bruce Willis is okay in it..kind of unbelievable at times but other than that, i seen a very good movie!
Glenne Headly indeed, steals the show with a good performance.Demi Moore?
Glenne Headly and Demi Moore portray friends who become accomplices in the death of Headly's abusive husband (played convincingly by, of all people, Bruce Willis).
When I first rented this film (I don't remember it being in movie theaters) I was excited to see what Alan Rudolph, who I associate with looser style character studies, would do with the taut, slick format of a thriller.
The music, the pacing, the INTENT of the film-making are markedly different from this director's other works.MORTAL THOUGHTS is not a wholly satisfying film, but I am humbled to say that I was amazed by Demi Moore's performance.
This is understandable with Bruce Willis (as he was her husband at the time) but she plays equally well with respected "serious" actors Glenne Headley and Harvey Keitel.
Who would have thought?Maybe the surprise of seeing Moore be so convincing makes the performance seem stronger than it actually is, but I truly was deeply impressed with her work here.
Two best friends who work together in a beauty salon are involved in the death of one's abusive husband; police investigate and question the girls, but get conflicting stories.
Anytime talk gets around to the career of Demi Moore, inevitably someone else will ask, "What was the name of that movie where Bruce Willis got killed and she played the beautician?" This picture got seen, but not by many, and that's a shame because it's effectively stylish, creepy and perceptive.
Moore and Glenne Headly (in her best performance yet) are amazing, and Willis is excellent too in support.
I'm not a big fan of Demi Moore but I have to admit that her performance in this film is very good.
Bruce Willis does what he does best; that is to say, he's annoying to the point where I was hoping someone would kill him and put us all out of our misery, even though I thoroughly enjoyed his character when he wasn't being mean to his wife.
Glenne Headly was amazing and Harvey Keitel, one of my favorites, was once again the consummate cop.But the best part of this movie, for me, was the realism.
Fairly routine mystery/drama about a young woman who comes forward voluntarily to tell of how she helped cover up the murder of a friend's husband.Alan Rudolph's film works thanks to a reasonable plot (the very alert may pick this), simple yet sensible construction and solid performances from Demi Moore, Glenne Headley, Bruce Willis and that growing Hollywood talent, Harvey Keitel.The narrative may never enthrall you, yet "Mortal Thoughts" remains interesting enough to keep you watching.
'Mortal Thoughts' believe it or not had the potential to be a decent thriller, if only the filmmakers knew what they hell direction they wanted things to go in beforehand (or if they did know, then they should've clued the rest of us in on it).Demi Moore is Cynthia, a distraught woman who comes in to testify about the death of her friend Joyce's (Glenn Headley) husband, a sick sadistic moron named James (Bruce Willis).
Cynthia sure was wishing she didn't tag along, especially when Joyce shows her James bleeding to death in the back of the van, and hopeless Joyce admitting that she "accidentally" stabbed her husband.In one agonizingly long sequence of flashback events leading all the way up to Cynthia's decision to testify, she tells the interrogating detectives (including one Harvey Keitel) how she helped cover up the murder to protect her best friend, Joyce.
The story does start to get good once Cynthia and Joyce get involved in this mess and then try one stupid thing after another to keep it quiet.
Also, the combo of Moore and Willis on film together wasn't very exciting.This was a movie I thought I'd like a lot but wound up actually disliking.
It really boils down to a murder mystery.Moore is being questioned by the police and she tells the story in a series of flashbacks.
It may be Demi Moore's best performance in an adult movie; Glenne Headly has the most curious epicanthic folds; fascinating to see Bruce Willis as a thoroughly rotten villain; Harvey Keitel (who also tried to reason with Thelma and Louise) pronounces the name of "Joyce" as "Jerse.".
The film starts off with Cynthia Kellogg, Dami Moore, agreeing to be interrogated and video taped in the police station in what were the circumstances behind the brutal murder of her friend Jimmy Urbanski, Bruce Willis.
Jimmy was found floating in the Hudson River with his throat slashed after he disappeared from sight at the annual Feast of Saint Rocco Festival.Interrogated by detectives John Woods,Harvey Keitel, and Linda Nealon, Billie Neal, with Woods doing most of the talking Cynthia tells the story of her friends the Urbanskis Jimmy and his wife Joyce, Glenne Headly, and what a violent marriage the two had.
What the or else turned out to be was Cynthia's husband Arthur, John Parkow, who was about to take off with the kids and leave her on her own ends up being murdered, with his head blown off, by a deranged Joyce who accused him of trying to turn her over to the police.**MAJOR SPOILER** Very good but not all that surprising twist ending that's all in flashback brings out the terrible truth behind Jimmy's death. |
tt1706598 | Every Secret Thing | The movie is told in non-chronological order, with present scenes intercut with flashbacks that slowly reveal the details of the past as the movie progresses.
18 year old Ronnie Fuller and Alice Manning have just been released from Juvenile Hall after serving 7 years for the kidnapping and murder of the bi-racial granddaughter of the county's first black judge. When asked about the crime, Alice continually insists that she is innocent, a victim of Ronnie's machinations, including Ronnie planting her jack in the box at the scene of the murder to frame her. In flashback we see the girls walking home from a pool party, when Ronnie sees the baby unattended in a stroller on a porch. Despite Alice's pleas not to, Ronnie takes the baby and runs off with her, insisting to Alice that they can take better care of the baby and that it is theirs now.
In the present Ronnie is working at a bagel shop in town, while Alice spends most of her days apparently aimlessly walking around town eating junk food, but lying and telling her mother she is searching for employment as per her request. Alice also secretly dreams of finding validation through reality TV stardom, and is shown several times practicing a speech about being a "victim" of the justice system. Alice's mother Helen Manning is a teacher at the elementary school, and it is apparent she and her daughter have a contentious relationship. Helen is ashamed of Alice being overweight, her unsophisticated tastes, and her lack of interest in the kind of things Helen likes. It is also shown in flashback that before the kidnapping Alice and Ronnie were forced to hang out and go to the pool party together by Helen, who showed favoritism toward Ronnie in front of Alice, connecting with Ronnie over art and with her more free-spirited attitude.
Two weeks after Ronnie and Alice return home a couple are shopping in a furniture store with their young curly-haired bi-racial daughter, Brittany Lyttle. While the couple are arguing about couches their daughter goes missing, prompting panic. The two detectives assigned to the case that come to visit the parents include detective Nancy Porter, who worked on the Fuller/Manning case, which still haunts and traumatizes her. Soon the connection between the current case and the previous kidnapping becomes apparent, including the resemblance between Brittany and the previous kidnap victim. Porter and her partner question both Alice and Ronnie. Ronnie is evasive and withdrawn, while Alice tries to subtly suggest Ronnie is responsible. Helen Manning is hostile when questioned.
Porter and her partner then dig into the girls lives during juvenile hall and discover some disturbing truths. Ronnie tried to kill herself several times and frequently got into fights. But more alarmingly, it turns out Alice gave birth to a young bi-racial baby girl in prison. Bringing in both Alice and Helen for questioning, the truth begins to unravel. It turns out at age 15 in Juvenile Hall Alice fell into a sexual relationship with a janitor named Rodrigo who worked there, and who was eventually fired when their affair was uncovered. By the time Alice realized she was pregnant it was too late for her mother to force her to get an abortion, so instead her mother forced her into relinquishing the child for adoption. According to Helen, Alice remained fixated on her child, obsessing over it endlessly. In an attempt to placate Alice, Helen lied to her, saying that she had seen her child living with a family in a nice part of town. She said that the girl had beautiful curly hair, and had a heart shaped birthmark on her back. However, unknown to Helen, upon being released from prison, Alice reconnected with Rodrigo, the janitor who had previously impregnated her. Alice’s supposedly aimless "walking" had actually been her combing the town, searching for her child. Upon seeing Brittany in the furniture store Alice took her and found that she had a heart-shaped birthmark on her back. Believing Brittany to be her child, Alice took her with the help of Rodrigo, who then took the child to stay at his mother’s house. Their plan was to keep Brittany there while Alice framed Ronnie for the crime, after which they would go be with their child. After being shown birth certificates that proved Brittany was not her child, Alice was convinced by Porter to take her to Rodrigo's mother's house, where Porter collects Brittany. This is intercut with Ronnie at home in her bathroom, where still overwhelmed by guilt over the original kidnapping and murder, she commits suicide by slitting her wrists in the bathtub. Porter returns Brittany safely to her grateful and tearful parents.
It is revealed shortly after that Alice made a deal with the district attorney, and that all charges against her have been dropped while Rodrigo is arrested for the kidnapping and statutory rape. Porter and her partner watch in disgust and Alice revels in the media attention, and gives the speech she practiced about being an innocent victim of the justice system for the news cameras. Finally, the details of the ending of the first kidnapping are revealed. It shows Ronnie worrying about the baby, and begging Alice to let her take the baby back. Alice is then shown manipulating and forcing Ronnie into strangling the baby, running away as Ronnie does it. Horrified, Ronnie goes to Helen and confesses what has happened. Helen says that she can make sure that Alice is punished equally along with Ronnie, and we discover that it was Helen who gave Ronnie Alice's jack in the box, telling her to plant it at the scene of the crime. Finally, in the last scene we are again shown the porch on the day of the original kidnapping, except this time Alice is shown standing over the baby carriage instead of Ronnie. This implies that it was actually Alice who instigated the whole kidnapping to begin with, and that it was Ronnie who was the innocent tag-along, not Alice. | murder, flashback | train | wikipedia | A three year old child goes missing in a small town where two teenage girls live, girls who had been recently released from prisoned for a previous child kidnapping and murder.
Of the former, it is perhaps not as intriguing as it could be, although admittedly it does have some twists and turns; of the latter it is perhaps more successful where it looks at why a couple of damaged girls and one mother act the way they do.
Director Amy Berg is better known for documentaries such as Deliver Us from Evil and West of Memphis; that might be the reason why her dramatic debut, Every Secret Thing, feels a bit dry and impersonal despite its sordid story and the scabrous themes it handles.
The chain of causes and consequences in the screenplay of Every Secret Thing is interesting, but the film lacks of the energy and expressiveness which would have made it genuinely transcendent.
Berg might have feared her reserved thriller to become a sensationalist TV movie from Lifetime, and because of that, she took a special care with the level of emotions and the volume of the drama, something I truly appreciate...
however, that decision slowed down the impetus of the film a bit, and the final result is an entertaining, but not completely satisfactory, movie.
As for the actors, Elizabeth Banks brings a brilliant work in which she proves her big talent outside the comedy once more; Diane Lane perfectly displays a good level of threat in her character, something completely different to her usual roles as victim or comprehensive wife; Dakota Fanning is used to playing this kind of solemn and tortured characters, but that doesn't make her performance less solid; and Danielle Macdonald is an authentic revelation, simultaneously displaying tragedy, optimism and a certain cruelty.
With a less shy director, Every Secret Thing could have been a much more memorable film; but in its current state, it's a decent movie which preferred narrative moderation over emotional impact.
The mystery of just how evil each of them potentially is just adds to things.For an under-the-radar film it has a pretty strong cast.
Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning all turn in strong performances and the lesser known actors do a good job as well.
It's also well directed and despite there being almost no action scenes during the 90 minute run time, the film never drags which is always a good sign.
Even more strong of a point considering the movie looks like it took place before social media.
It's a well balanced but very sad story about two girls who become the suspects in a missing persons case because they were convicted of the same crime seven years ago.
Elisabeth Banks and Nate Parker play two cops who catch the case of the missing persons.
Daykota Fanning plays one of the suspects recently released from prison for killing a baby when she was just a child.
It was also a better way to unravel the crime mystery.I really recommend seeing the flick, it's like a an episode of Law & Order Special Victims Unit, but with better cinematography..
Its a solid story about horrible people doing horrible things and ensuring that those around them think they are wonderful.The film was hard to watch and actually left me feeling fairly unpleasant when the credits roll, I can only assume this was director Amy Bergs intention.
If your a fan of great story telling, super believable acting and drama to spare this is for you.I am well aware that I've not actually described anything in the film as the synopsis at the top of the page does that, instead I've decided to describe the quality of the film in both story and direction.
"They've taken a child thinking it's mine, why are you still sitting here asking questions?" After a young child is taken Detective Porter (Banks) begins to investigate two prime suspects Ronnie Fuller (Fanning) and Alice Manning.
These two girls recently were released from juvenile prison for the kidnapping and murder of a small infant.
I do have to admit that it was a good movie and the acting was great.
Overall, a very good movie with a great story and acting but it is a little difficult to watch in parts.
This film tells the story of two eighteen year old girls, who were just released from prison for murder of a child.
They are under suspicion of recidivism because another three year old girl is missing.Nothing prepares me for the emotional intensity of "Every Secret Thing".
Been looking forward to this one for a while and was a bit disappointed to be honest, it could have been exceptional with a few changes.I believe this film is worth a view as long as you are not expecting too much.
Elizabeth Banks is solid as is Diane Lane and the other actors, directing is decent.
Forget the movie.Don't mean to be blunt, but that is reviewer-speak for a film which has great ambitions but never quite gels.
Fanning and Lane, ordinarily two standouts, seems lost to a director -- formerly specializing in documentaries -- who goes out of her way to make each scene "authentic" but in fact ends up making merely them awkward and uncomfortable and atonal.I believe this film will be remembered -- if it is remembered at all -- as another feather in the cap of Elizabeth Banks who seems determined to show Hollywood her range.
I give Every Secret Thing a seven star rating purely based on the fact that I was entertained during the whole movie and that the actors and actresses did a good job.
The story keeps you alert for almost the whole movie and that's perfect when it's a crime / mystery.
I was a bit disappointed by the ultimate ending but nevertheless it was a good story.
You don't figure out the whole plot until the end and that's rare with crime / mystery movies.
Worth Seeing for Lane and Banks But A Mixed Bag. Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks do the best work in this film, with Lane given an especially difficult role (and to my knowledge her first not altogether sympathetic one).
The film was intelligently scripted, unevenly directed, and for the most part held my interest throughout, more for the character revelations than for the plot points.
Also a quibble, but I think relevant when the filmmakers are striving for realism: when the second young girl has gone missing, only the two detectives seem at all involved in finding her.
Still I recommend it for the work of Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks..
Two girls, Ronnie Fuller (Dakota Fanning) and Alice Manning (Danielle Macdonald), are the prime suspects of the latest kidnapping.
A tense exchange between Jones and the missing girl's mother's boyfriend Devlin Hatch (Common) makes for good drama..
Plot gimmicks are all the rage in TV and movies today - twists and explanations once reserved for "immoral" (or properly amoral) roadshow exploitation films in the '30s and '40s (when there was a Production Code limiting mainstream cinema content) are now commonplace.These crutches to fool or confuse an audience in the quest for a "surprise" ending (or series of anticlimactic endings) sink the promising film EVERY SECRET THING, a title which heralds the use of several deus ex machina gimmicks that masters of suspense and mystery like Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie would have blue penciled away before publication.Another warning was opening credit Starz Digital Media, implying this movie is not a film but rather what we used to call a TV movie back in the day before ancillary media morphed into primary outlets.
Noted in IMDb as a pet project for actress turned producer Frances McDormand, I will not quibble with its fine intentions, only with the lousy execution.Structurally film gets off to a rocky start with a prologue that features "3 days earlier" card (cuing first of perhaps 50 flashbacks, some useful, many extraneous storytelling crutches), and then the key events setting up the tale are all presented in newspaper headlines during the credits sequence.
Basically two 11-year old girls are sent to prison for kidnapping and murder of a Black infant girl, and film proper picks up with their lives 7 years after, out of stir and adjusting to the outside world.As adapted by Nicole Holofcener and shakily directed by Amy Berg, movie turns into a suspenser and police procedural, revolving around both who (really) dunnit and also the psychological why?
As 18-year olds the two contrasting girls are played by star Dakota Fanning as Ronnie, not helping her cause in transition from child star to adult actress in a one-note, buttoned-up performance as the seeming "dom" of the femme couple and Danielle Macdonald as Alice, giving a very strong, central turn as the seemingly self-loathing obese "sub" of the pair.Structural resemblance (minus all the sex, of course) of the early reels to one of the hundreds of popular Lesbian psychodramas in the video market is evident, as all the characters are female.
Men are later introduced into the mix in subsidiary roles, of which Common, the famous rapper, gives the movie's best performance as the not-by-blood parent of a missing girl whose disappearance at a furniture store immediately brings our anti-heroine pair under suspicion.
Both kidnappings involve interracial couples and their female offspring, a quite interesting mystery clue.Cop on the new case is Elizabeth Banks, obviously cherishing a cast-against-type tough (yet still vulnerable) lady role, but hampered by a poor plot gimmick that makes her the same cop who was traumatized by finding the very same dead girl that put Ronnie & Alice in jail seven years earlier (though no one in the cast knows this -only Banks and the audience).
Other central figure (and the reason I wanted to see the movie in the first place) is lead actress Diane Lane, given an unplayable role as a teacher who is Alice's mother that ends up with her delivering exposition on several key twists, none of them credible, but the ostensible "solution" to the mystery in the final reels.I cannot go into too much detail without exploding several spoilers, but suffice it to say that unlike a legitimate, classical mystery structure (think the Clue board game at the extreme) there is a key character not introduced in the film proper but only in the myriad flashbacks later on that is necessary to make any sense of what happened.
I suppose that 21st Century audiences massaged by the hit acronym TV procedurals ("CSI", "NCIS" plus granddaddy "Law & Order") or influential head- scratcher series "Lost" are used to this, but it ruined the movie for me.Further detraction is use of the familiar literary trick: "the unreliable narrator", in this case not RASHOMON but rather intentionally misleading flashbacks early on to represent the point-of- view of untruthful characters, later contradicted by other characters' flashbacks and finally cleared up by the revelations involving personages we never hear from at all, but are merely cogs in the flashback structure.
I saw the movie in a theater so I can hold it to a higher standard.Berg and company also err in using the horror-film format of endless tension and no release - a gimmick that rather than keeping me on the edge of my seat (as intended) just bored me to death.
Real people, real situations, real tragedies.The director, Amy Berg, has previously directed "West of Memphis" and "Deliver Us from Evil", documentaries relating to crimes not completely unlike things that happen here.And the tragedies that occur here, separated in time by seven years or so, are likewise quite believable.
Every Secret Thing is a mystery drama about the previous murder of a young girl and the search for a currently missing girl.
It mainly relates to the two young adults who were found guilty of the death of a young girl 7 years previously and who are now suspects in the current missing girl case.
It uses flashbacks very effectively to show what could of happened during the previous murder so you don't really know who was responsible until the end of the film.
The strong cast featuring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning and Nate Parker are excellent but special mention goes to Danielle Macdonald who I'd never heard of previously who does a brilliant job as Alice Manning.
Did you ever think about that?""Every Secret Thing" is a meager attempt to create a thriller full of suspense.
Usually a story about missing children makes you feel uncomfortable and tells about the most terrible thing that can happen to you as a parent.
The two teenagers Alice (Danielle Macdonald) and Ronnie (Dakota Fanning) aren't really creepy or frighteningly.
Even though it turns out that one of them has a morbid, gloomy mind.At the age of 11, the two young girls decide to take a baby, sitting in an abandoned stroller on a porch, with them (and she's also a granddaughter of the first black judge in the community), after they attended a disastrous birthday party.
Alice is a chubby girl and Ronnie is an introverted child who also happens to have a sharp tongue.
You don't need to be a brilliant mind to know who they'll suspect again when another baby disappears in the same community.I thought this movie failed in several areas.
Nancy Porter (Elizabeth Banks), a female detective who's like a sort of adult version of Nancy Drew, is motivated enough to solve this mystery.
In other words, the whole movie lacked some true tension.The only one who could captivate me with her acting, was Fanning (The last time I saw her acting was in "War of the Worlds" as a very young girl).
For me she was also the only credible character.Even the strange twists at the end can't avoid this melodramatic thriller ending up at the same level as most average TV movies.
The mysterious beginning, the shocking subject and the sometimes superb acting eventually couldn't prevent it to become a clichéd thriller with no real surprises.
A CHALLENGE: Try making a film like this is modern day Britain, after what happened to Jamie Bulger in the early 90's.
Regardless, the baby is murdered, the girls are captured, and spend the next seven years in juvie.Flash forward to the present, and both have been released.
And guess who the prime suspects are?Every Secret Thing gives us two very distinct personalities, and slowly changes our perception of them, and the people in their lives, as it proceeds.
It raises interesting questions about the justice system, how responsible kids that age are for unspeakable crimes and the accountability of parents in such matters.The ending will split opinion, but I admired the realism of it.
Frances McDormand acts as a first-time executive producer in this psychological thriller entitled Every Secret Thing.Diane Lane,Elizabeth Banks,Dakota Fanning,Danielle Macdonald,Colin Donnell and Nate Parker stars in this film that tells the story about a detective conducting an investigation on missing children in a small town.Detective Nancy Porter remains haunted by his inability to save the life of a missing child from two children,Alice and Ronnie.After eight years,he finds herself conducting an investigation on another missing child after the two children convicted of the crime eight year ago were released from juvenile detention.She and her partner are determined to never let the current missing child from dying in the hands of the two released juveniles.They start investigating the mothers of the said children particularly Helen,the mother of Alice.
Then they begin to discover a lot of secrets particularly the events of the crime that had happened eight years ago.Well,this was a predictable thriller wherein everything was explained in the end.Also,we get to see a somewhat confusing movie considering that it was told in a non-chronological order to add complexity to a somewhat simple crime story.In the end,the viewer is treated to a film wherein the least expected suspect to commit the crime is evidently guilty all along.So it was basically predictable especially when Diane Lane's character Helen starts explaining things.One thing that is noticeable is the fact that we are treated to a female-centered crime story wherein the criminals,the detectives,the suspects,the victims,victims' relatives and the missing links are all female characters..
Did Dakota Fanning's character kill herself in the tub?
2. We don't see the dead child or anything recognizable in the dark hiding place so we have no idea what Elizabeth Banks' is seeing - we are only guessing and surmising thru the whole thing.
3. Why is Diane Lane's character, so fawning over Dakota Fanning while trashing her own daughter constantly?
or did Dakota Fanning actually do something (what?) to kill it because she was bullied by Alice?To me, if you are bored, give this a viewing, but I certainly wouldn't waste my time wanting to watch it again..
Two young misfit girls take a crying baby, care for it, and then kill it.
Her mom (Diane Lane) is best friends with other girl, Ronnie (Dakota Fanning) who is quiet and reserved.
Elizabeth Banks plays the detective investigating the case.
She was also the officer who found the dead child seven years ago.The film includes smartly placed flashbacks.
This film definitely borders on the macabre.Two little brats, equally disturbed, kidnap a baby and literally let it die and are sent to a reformatory for what they have done.Fast forward seven years later: The girls are released and begin telling varied tales which of course leads to one blaming the death of the child on the other.When a second inter-racial child is snatched, naturally suspicion arises regarding our two females.Diane Lane is in a most perplexing character.
Where is the shame that the Lane character should have for a daughter doing such a thing?
She states that with a life gone, she can now bring life to her child.On top of all this, the other girl is eventually shown to be the real culprit and Alice is totally exonerated. |
tt0066093 | Monte Walsh | Montelius "Monte" Walsh (Tom Selleck) is an aging cowboy facing the final days of the Wild West era. He and his friend Chet Rollins (Keith Carradine), another long-time cowhand, work at whatever ranch work comes their way, but "nothing they can't do from a horse". Their lives are divided between months on the range and the occasional trip into town. Camaraderie and competition with the other cowboys fill their days. They seek work and take a job at the ranch of Cal Brennan (William Devane), where they meet an old friend, Shorty Austin (George Eads), another ranch hand.
Monte has a long-term relationship with an old flame, prostitute and saloon girl "Countess" Martine Bernard (Isabella Rossellini), who suffers from tuberculosis. Chet, meanwhile, has fallen in love with Mary Wilder (Lori Hallier), a widow who owns a hardware store. As barbed wire and railways steadily eliminate the need for the cowboy, Monte and his friends are left with fewer and fewer options. New work opportunities are available to them, but the freedom of the open prairie is what they long for. Shorty loses his job and gets involved in rustling and killing, gunning down a local lawman. Then Monte and Chet find that their lives on the range are inexorably redirected.
Chet marries Mary and goes to work in the store, telling Monte that their old way of life is simply disappearing. Caught up in the spirit of the moment, Monte asks Martine to marry him, and she accepts. Monte goes on a drinking binge and rides a wild bay horse that even Shorty could not tame through town, causing considerable damage.
A rodeo owner, Colonel Wilson (Wallace Shawn), sees him and offers him a job. Monte considers the high salary, but decides the work is too degrading and refuses. Eventually, they all must say goodbye to the lives they knew, and try to make a new start. When Shorty shoots and kills Chet while trying to rob the store, Monte, distraught after the death of his beloved Martine, goes after him.
Shorty arrives, and it is apparent that he knows of the fight to come with his former friend. He tells Monte he is sorry to hear of Martines death, and walks off. Perhaps trying to give Monte a choice to kill him or walk away. Monte, unable to shoot Shorty in the back as he walks away, pursues. Shorty makes a long shot with a pistol at Monte, but runs off when the shot only wounds Monte in the left side. Monte then manages to slip around Shorty and shoots him. As Shorty is dying, Monte tells him that he rode the wild bay horse.
Seven years pass and Monte returns from working all over the West. His friends have gotten older, prices are rising, and he is seen by the townspeople as a relic of another time. However, one little boy asks for lessons in roping. When the accountant who manages the lands he used to ranch drives his primitive car into a mud puddle and asks for help, Monte jumps his horse over the vehicle and rides away. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | Yes, because "Monte Walsh" now joins my list of one of the five best westerns ever made; and, no, because at the tender age of 21, I would not have appreciated this masterpiece; which, in these especially troubled times, seems more relevant than ever.According to TCM host, Robert Osborne, William Fraker directed only 4 films during his distinguished career, preferring his role as director of photography.
"Monte Walsh" should be the role for which Marvin is remembered, as "Chet" should be the role to remember Jack Palance.
It is a reflective sensitive film, with the main character trying to come to terms with change.It deals with people and nature--fodder for good poetry.
This one has one of the finest songs I have heard "the good times are a'coming" by Mama Cass Elliot.I recommend this film and "Will Penny" as great unusual westerns that touch you if you appreciate good filmmaking--and do not evaluate a western by the action sequences..
One of the most touching and poignant westerns ever made, "Monte Walsh" is a love poem written to a way of life that only lasted about 20 years, but defined much of American culture.
The cowboy period only lasted from about 1865 to 1885, and this film shows several friends who have been cowboys for most of that time, deeply in love with their work, who see it all ending, and are powerless to stop it.
The wonderful theme song by Mama Cass Elliot "The Good Times Are Coming" is just marvelous, and perfect for the film.
This is a great film, primarily due to the metaphor near the end where Marvin tries to tame a horse, frustratingly attempting to control the nature of all things around him.
Lee Marvin heads an outstanding cast including Jack Palance, Jeanne Moreau and Mitchell Ryan in this elegant adaptation of the Jack Schaefer ("Shane") novel.
"Monte Walsh" offers a vision of a dying cowboy lifestyle, of large cattle corporations and fewer jobs, of the growth of towns and the death of rowdy freedoms, of hard lives and few attractive options.
Lee Marvin is at his rugged best in the title role with typical solid support from Jack Palance, who is excellent here cast against type.
When considering the acting career of Lee Marvin, the movie Monte Walsh must be included as an example of Lee Marvin at his best, Mr. Marvin gives a powerful, compelling and moving performance as an aging cowboy who has to deal with change.
So strong is his performance that he carries the entire movie, which, given the outstanding supporting cast, including Jack Palance, Jeanne Moreau, Jim Davis and Mitchell Ryan, is saying a lot.
Monte Walsh (1970)A large amount of Cowboy films or Westerns suffer from a cheesy song that either begins the show or ends it.
This song not only starts the picture, it repeats in the middle and ends it too.Apart from this terrible composition, Monte Walsh is an excellent, if gentle Cowboy film that shows the end of the Cowboy days in the face of corporate control of the "common" land.
The movie is really a character study of simple men facing an uncertain future and this is helped enormously by a wonderful cast and great performances by Lee Marvin and Jack Palance.Lee Marvin as usual commands the screen.
This is a far better movie than the shallow and more widely available 2003 remake starring the one-note Tom Selleck, even if it has a higher rating on IMDb.Monte Walsh (1970) is an unfairly neglected western..
Lee Marvin and JackPalance did as good a job of acting that I have ever seen them do.The supporting cast is full of wonderful career action characteractors who you would recognize if you watched a lot of films andTV in the '70's.
The way movie progresses noticed a lot of scenesseemed choppy and there must have been a lot left on the cuttingroom floor.Lee Marvin looked like he was playing his typical Marvin character,but Jack Palance was likeable and I believe did a better job andeven portrayed his character better than Carradine did in theremake and Carradine did a great job.
Lee Marvin is more melancholy in his approach to Monte Walsh, and as a result this version plays a bit more on the wistful side.
It is quite moving at times.Both films enjoy a sly sense of humor although this version is more subtle.John Barry's score supplies just a hint of the style he would later utilize for his epic Dances With Wolves.
Mama Cass sings her heart out on The Good Times are Coming Soon.Jack Palance plays wonderfully against type as the somewhat bashful Chet.Monte Walsh needs to be re-released as a proper DVD so we don't have to rely on inferior bootleg copies from eBay..
Sensitive Western with satisfying and impressive directorial by William A Fraker , in his film debut for this award-winning cinematographer , being based on Jack Schaefer's novel , author of ¨Shane¨ .
Monty Walsh (Lee Marvin) a veteran cowboy sees declining the ending days of Wild West era and the transition to a new century where horses are left .
Aging cowboy Monty is a good and professional man and embarks on mission to avenge his colleague .Moving and sensitive Western where the cowboys must say goodbye to the lives they know and some of them attempt to make a new upright start and others way to crime .
Moving Western , elegiac , subdued and worthwhile for genre lovers , including great Lee Marvin and Jack Palance in an unusual good guy character .
Great acting for all casting with magnificent main roles from Marvin as Monty who only lives his work and is enamored for a prostitute named Countess Martine and Jack Palance as his loyal friend .
Gray-haired cowboy Lee Marvin (as Monte Walsh) and sidekick Jack Palance (as Chet Rollins) arrive in the western town of "Harmony", looking for honest work.
Fraker takes "Monte Walsh" on a sometimes too leisurely pace; the film takes its sweet time, but pleases if you've got the patience.
That it's a post peak period western is ironically obvious as "Mama" Cass Elliott sings John Barry's theme "The Good Times Are Coming" (a minor "Easy Listening" hit).
If this is any indication, westerns didn't need to fade away as much as they needed to grow old gracefully.********* Monte Walsh (10/2/70) William A.
Fraker ~ Lee Marvin, Jack Palance, Jeanne Moreau, Mitchell Ryan.
It stars Lee Marvin (Monte Walsh) & Jack Palance (Chet Rollins) as two ageing cowboys who find that the era of the cowpoke is coming to an end; and that work for them is now very hard to come by.
Adapted by David Zelag Goodman & Lukas Heller from Jack Schaefer's novel, Monte Walsh is a gentle but astute telling of men who have outlived their time (think Will Penny/Ride The High Country).
Thus when the story takes its potent laced turns we are with them all the way, for better or worse.John Barry provides the music and the film opens with a delightful and ironic tune called "The Good Times Are Comin" sung by Mama Cass.
Monte Walsh is one of my favorite Lee Marvin films.
In this sad western, Lee plays a seasoned cowboy who must adjust to a changing West.
This is a poignant western about the decline of the cowboy and his way of life which has been told in several other films, but not quite as affecting as this one.
Lee Marvin and Jack Palance play off each other beautifully and one can feel the deep bond of friendship.
Whether Monte Walsh is one of the all-time greats of the Western genre I'm not sure.
William Fraker may have felt he was more comfortable as a cinematographer and he is perhaps more well-known for that, but his directing(his first and best) in Monte Walsh is most credible and does reiterate that he should have directed more films.
The film's song The Happy Times are Coming is a hauntingly beautiful song with a touch of irony and Momma Cass Elliot's singing of it is deeply felt and affecting.Also great about Monte Walsh is how well-written it is, with none of it feeling too wordy or meandering.
The acting is great, Lee Marvin commanding, noble and cool with a touch of steel, while Jack Palance has never been more restrained or moving with Chet being the most likable character of his career.
Jeanne Moreau is very touching, her eyes conveying a devastating effect.Overall, a wonderful film and you'd be hard pressed to find a Western with as much emotional punch(to me only The Shootist comes close).
He's simply wonderful as the title character, part of a romanticized Old West that can see that times are changing.
There's not as much need for veteran cowboys like him and his good friend Chet Rollins (Jack Palance), so they have a hard time finding work.
But making the acquaintance of short tempered Shorty Austin (Mitchell Ryan) will prove to be quite fateful indeed."Monte Walsh" is scripted by Lukas Heller and David Zelag Goodman, based on the novel by Jack Schaefer of "Shane" fame.
The music by John Barry is lush and romantic.The film also shows us just how great Jack Palance can be.
He and Marvin make for very believable friends, the lovely Moreau has much appeal, and Ryan (who's clearly playing younger than he actually was at the time) is a vivid antagonist.
And they're supported by many of the cream of the crop of American character actors: G.D. Spradlin, Michael Conrad, Bo Hopkins, John McLiam, Matt Clark, Billy Green Bush, Eric Christmas, Charles Tyner, Jack Colvin, and Richard Farnsworth.Well paced, with some good action, and violence that is effective without being particularly gory, "Monte Walsh" rates as a must see for fans of the cast and the Western genre.Filmed again in 2003, with Tom Selleck in the lead.Eight out of 10..
Its title character is played by Lee Marvin, (he was 46 when it was made), and his partner is Jack Palance, (who was 51), and the woman Monte loves is a French whore, (a lovely understated Jeanne Moreau).
Jobs for cowhands are drying up and old timers like Monte (Lee Marvin) and his friend, Chet (Jack Palance) are living anachronisms.
During the course of the film, not only is their way of life dying but all sorts of rotten things happen to the folks Monte loves and as they drop like flies, he's pretty much all alone.To heighten the effect of loneliness, the film has excellent melancholy music and is deliberately slow and brooding.
Another film that showed the changing and dying of the Old West in those aforementioned elegiac terms was the 1970 western MONTE WALSH.Set during turn of the 20th century, and based on the novel by Jack Schaefer, whose novel "Shane" was the basis for the classic 1953 western of the same name, MONTE WALSH stars Lee Marvin in the title role of an aging cowboy who, along with his longtime friend (Jack Palance), has been spending the winter on a cattle drive But more and more, Marvin and Palance are seeing the landscape become divided by barbed wire fences and the coming of the railroad; and opportunities for steady and gainful employment are becoming few and far between.
Indeed, Palance has designs on being a hardware store owner and marrying a widow (Allyn Ann McLerie); while Marvin carries on a relationship with a French woman (Jeanne Moreau, in her U.S. film debut).
Among the ranch hands that Marvin and Palance ride with is an impulsive wanna-be cowpoke (Mitchell Ryan, making his film debut), who is intent on breaking a wild stallion, and failing at every turn.
By the end, he is finally unemployed and more content to ride out into obsolescence, a trait echoed when he refuses to become part of some Wild West troupe, telling the promoter "I ain't spittin' on my whole life".William Fraker, one of Hollywood's great cinematographers (he had done the cinematography on two classic 1968 films, ROSEMARY'S BABY and BULLITT), made his debut in the director's chair with this impressive end-of-an-era sagebrush saga, capturing the wide open landscapes of the West (shot on locations in southern Arizona), and illustrating as well as anyone how rough a life it had to have been for the people of that era.
Marvin ends up alone and on his own in the melancholic coda.Featuring solid support from genre veterans like Matt Clark, Bo Hopkins, Charles Tyner, Michael Conrad, Richard Farnsworth, and Billy Green Bush, MONTE WALSH, though highly acclaimed and highly successful at the box office upon its release in October 1970, has largely been forgotten by most audiences who are not already fans of the Western genre, as indeed basically the entire genre itself has been in the 21st century.
I waited a long time to see 'Monte Walsh', from having seen the trailer when it first came out & thinking it did not look all that good.
Ex director of photography William Fraker tries his hand at his first directorial effort and John Barry's score adds some class to an otherwise 'should have been better' movie.A few reviewers tend to like this effort, and if you enjoy 70s American westerns this could entertain you.
Fraker's "Monte Walsh" is another bit of autumn
Here commemorated is the end of the cattle demand, and its key personality
Nothing in terms of Westerns can be deplorable than that
Blessed with the best of beginnings, a novel by Jack Schaefer, who gave a similar sound basis for "Shane," this depressed, impressive picture is a requiem for the cowboy...
The cowboy superfluous and looking for a shop-keeping job; big business moving in from the East to rationalize; a cow town with an air of an early stage ghost town
Any cowhand worth his coffee and beans could be forgiven for providing the thought: far better to go out in gun-blaze like the "Wild Bunch."There are violent happenings in "Monte Walsh," which had Arizona locations, but not violent-spectacular
Controlled melancholy covers them as it does everything else
Two grizzled characters, Lee Marvin and Jack Palance, who have both known better cow-punching times, ride into Harmony, another distant relative of the town portrayed in "Shane," and think themselves lucky to get jobs on an old ranch
Among the new ranch hands is Mitch Ryan, who is determined to break a wild gray stallion
The rheumy eye of Marvin still takes expert note
Relaxation for the two aging cowboys consists of a saloon-gal for Marvin (Jeanne Moreau, making both her U.S. and Western debut) and a widow (Allyn Ann Mclerie) with a hardware store for Palance, who ultimately makes a choice for marrying the store owner
The film is a realistic Western developed in an unhurried style with the emphasis on character and on the real drudgery of frontier life.
My favorite Lee Marvin role is the title role of the film Monte Walsh.
Lee and his friend Jack Palance are a couple of aging cowboys who are proud of the trade they have, but the demands for it are becoming fewer and fewer.Monte Walsh debuted two years after another film with the same themes, Will Penny brought great critical acclaim to Charlton Heston.
Heston and Marvin essayed the same kind of role, the aging cowboys who are finding less and less work for themselves as the years pass.Both Walsh and Penny practice their trade in the Brokeback Mountain country and you can bet that Ennis Delmar and Jack Twist when they got into town and went to the movies, really identified with both of these guys.
Ennis and Jack could easily be the descendants of both Heston and Marvin.Unlike Will Penny whose greatest challenge was with a bunch of renegade rawhiders, Monte Walsh has to deal with the death of his best friend at the hands of another he considered a friend.
Of course that was in an era when one could be proud of your labor and way of life.Fourteen years earlier Marvin supported Jack Palance in an excellent World War II film, Attack.
That's the movie business for you.Western veterans like G.D. Spradlin and Jim Davis support Marvin well.
There's a brief shot of Marvin returning to a town where he's had some raucous good times with old friends.
The cowboy way-of-life is quickly coming to an end, and Chet and Monte try to carve out a new life - with great difficulty.This movie has it all - authenticity, love, loyalty, and desperation.
Treat yourself to one of the best movies ever made starring Lee Marvin and Jack Palance.
The cowboy has never been underrepresented in film, but this masterpiece shows us with thrilling detail the personal struggles that came with the end of their way of life.
Lee Marvin portrays the title character, Jack Palance is his loyal friend and partner Chet Rollins.
The entire film pays tribute to a dying breed, the passing of the cowboy way of life, taking it's toll on those free and independent spirits who never had the time or inclination to just settle down.
It's that prevailing melancholy that pervades "Monte Walsh", the character and the movie, that makes it so difficult yet wonderful to watch.
Lee Marvin and Jack Palance are marvelous.
The great half is the first, where we meet cowboys dealing with a time when their world is coming to an end.
I was very disappointed in the way the film went.Often-cinematographer William Fraker takes the Director's Chair here and does admirably.
MONTE WALSH is one of the many 'death of the Old West' westerns to have come out over the years, with the most notable examples of the genre being THE WILD BUNCH and UNFORGIVEN.
He brings pathos and humour to the part, although I found the film's most valuable performer to be Jack Palance, cast against type as Marvin's buddy. |
tt0030879 | Too Hot to Handle | Union Newsreel reporter Chris Hunter (Clark Gable) is sneakier and has fewer scruples than his rivals in war-torn China. When the Japanese do not oblige with a convenient aerial attack to film, Chris fakes one with a model aircraft with his cameraman José Estanza (Leo Carrillo).
Outraged when he finds out, Chris's main competitor, Atlas Newsreel's Bill Dennis (Walter Pidgeon) decides to do the same, having his aviator friend Alma Harding (Myrna Loy) fly in "serum" for an imaginary cholera outbreak. Chris finds out and swoops in to film her landing. José, however, drives too close to the aircraft, causing it to crash and burst into flame. Chris rescues Alma, but when he starts to go back for the serum, she has to admit the truth.
Chris piles on lie after lie to romance Alma, even pretending to get fired by his boss, "Gabby" MacArthur (Walter Connolly), for burning the footage. Chris convinces her to work for Union. She reveals that she needs the money to mount a search for her brother Harry, lost in the Amazon jungle and given up for dead by everyone else. They travel to New York (where Gabby is eagerly awaiting the landing footage Chris is secretly bringing). Bill follows to protect the woman he has loved for years from his unscrupulous competitor.
However, the whole charade is eventually revealed, discrediting Chris, Bill and Alma. Both reporters are fired, and people begin to question whether Alma's brother is really missing. Chris's budding romance with Alma is quashed when she learns of his numerous lies. Ashamed, Chris and Bill hock their equipment and have José pretend to be a generous, kind-hearted South American plantation owner. He presents Alma with nearly $8,000 and a compass supposedly from Harry's aircraft. He tells her one of his workers brought it to him. In reality, Chris etched a fake serial number on it.
Alma buys a floatplane and supplies, and sets out for South America. Both Chris and Bill follow. They eventually find a native who claims to know where Harry is. Despite José's warning that the man is a follower of voodoo and means them no good, Alma is convinced when the native produces Harry's watch.
To protect Alma, Chris and José set out on their own with their guide in a canoe. As they near the village, the native escapes, though José shoots and wounds him. Chris spots an ill white man through his binoculars. José suspects the natives intend to sacrifice him that night, so, using their camera equipment, Chris makes the frightened natives believe he is a powerful magician or god. He and José tend to the unconscious man. Despite a tense moment when their former guide shows up and denounces them, Chris maintains a tenuous control of the situation. When he hears Alma flying by, he has the natives show the wreckage of Harry's aircraft. She and Bill land nearby. Chris disguises himself and his cameraman as witch doctors, and film Alma and Bill without their knowledge. The natives finally turn hostile. Alma and Bill get Harry into their aircraft, but when Chris and José try to board it (still in disguise), Bill hits Chris. The aircraft takes off, leaving Chris and José to paddle for their lives.
When Alma, Bill and Harry return to New York, they are welcomed by reporters. However, "Pearly" Todd (Henry Kolker), Bill's annoyed boss, wants to know how Chris got footage of Harry's dramatic rescue and he did not. Realizing that Chris must have been the helpful witch doctor, Alma reconciles with Chris (in the midst of a dangerous police shootout). | romantic, humor | train | wikipedia | very funny Gable and Loy outing.
Clark Gable is a newsreel photographer doing stories on the China-Japan war in Shanghai, Walter Pidgeon is his rival, and Myrna Loy an aviatrix in "Too Hot to Handle," a 1938 film from MGM.
Gable and Pidgeon know each other well and besides stealing each other's film, they fake stories so they can scoop one another and satisfy their bosses.
The funniest scene is Gable staging an airplane dropping a bomb over the house of a family.
Loy plays Alma Harding, trying to break air travel records so she can get money for an expedition to the Amazon to find her brother, who is presumed dead.
When Pidgeon fakes a delivery of serum by Alma, a childhood friend, it goes wrong when the plane catches on fire after crashing.
Whether or not it's justified is another matter.Everyone is great in this movie, including Walter Connolly, who plays Gable's frustrated boss, Pidgeon, Loy and Gable.
Gable is irresistible with that smile of his, and Loy is excellent as a determined woman who nevertheless succumbs to Gable's charms.
Pidgeon plays a more boisterous part rather than his usual gentlemanly ones, and he comes off very well.This is a fast-talking film where the action moves along at a rapid pace.
A great example of a '30s comedy, tinged with romance, that you won't want to miss..
WARNING: These comments may reveal portions of the film plot.This is what I enjoy about classic films -- good writing, good directing, and a tongue-in-cheek attitude.
It's a good laugh watching Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon both try to woo Myrna Loy. Don't take the film too seriously, and you'll enjoy it too!Acting: Gable, Pidgeon, and Loy all are great, although Loy doesn't quite carry off the "missing brother" pathos as well as she does the brave pilot parts.Writing: Also good, with lots of silliness to go around, while creating a solid romantic comedy.Direction: Jack Conway let the actors do their best, and they did it well.Effects/Cinematography: Why did they always speed up the fight sequences in those old films?
Anytime there is action, the film picks up speed.
The good news is, that the actual flying sequences look pretty realistic, considering that at one point Gable climbs onto the wing of a plane to get a good shot of a ship at sea that is on fire!Other: Makeup, music, soundtrack, etc.
all are solid, but these were not a big focus for films in the 30's, so there is nothing that stands out.OVERALL: Check it out.
I'm finding myself more and more of a Gable fan all the time, and this is the kind of movie that helps that image..
I happen to be a big fan of old newsreels.
From the dawn of sound films until around the mid-60s the newsreel was the source for visual news coverage.
I look at the educational channels when they have old 30s and 40s newsreels running.The cameramen played by Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon are not too different from the print reporter characters that are a staple character in Hollywood films.
These two have a friendly rivalry trying to scoop each other for news.
The rivalry gets a little intense when aviatrix Alma Harding (Amelia Earhart) played by Myrna Loy gets ensnared in the rivalry and becomes the focus of their hormones.The writing is sparkling with zingers and the direction is crisp.
Among the supporting cast I should single out Walter Connolly and Henry Kolker as the rival bosses of Gable and Pidgeon who are driven to their respective wits end by the antics of their cameramen.I defy anyone to watch this film and not split a gut laughing..
good time movie!.
I first saw this movie when I was in my 20's, and thought it was incredibly funny, exciting, and totally out of the realm of believability.
Gable and Loy, A list stars who could carry any picture on their own, seemed to let their status go by the wayside as they just jelled on screen.
Walter Pigeon was great as always, and every great character actor in the world was on board somewhere, it seemed, during it's 86 minutes or so...
I loved it then, still do, and watch it once a year just because it makes me feel so good..
A sometimes thrilling adventure that is first and foremost a Clark Gable vehicle.
There are some good lines and a few good laughs, but his performance completely dominates and overshadows this movie, even when he's in a chicken suit.
You would think that a movie with Myrna Loy would have some great zingers back and forth with the male lead.
This happens too few times, however, and Loy looks like she doesn't want to be in this movie.
This is some of the least amounts of chemistry from either of these two actors that I've ever seen.I liked the story a lot, with its focus on the "backstage" of early newsreels.
Much of the satire is still true today, and this movie doesn't look dated because of it.
There are some holes and only Gable is truly worth watching.
There are also a few too many racist references that might make a modern viewer uncomfortable.It's still worth watching though, even if just for the antics of Gable and the jokes about the news business..
The epitome of the madcap comedy/adventure genre!
From the Japanese invasion of China to the bustle of midtown Manhatten to the Amazon jungle, never a dull moment.
This could have served as the prototype for the "Indiana Jones" films or "Romancing the Stone".War correspondent Gable is not beyond inventing a scoop if none is readily available.
Myrna Loy, playing a sort of Amelia Earhart role, is duped by a rival news organization into a ploy to beat Gable at his own game.
How the action moves from China to New York to a burning ship off the east coast to South America is....too complicated to describe in a short review.
This may not be the best Gable film or the most convincing role ever played by Myrna Loy (although it's quite similar to her "Thin Man" roles), but it is highly entertaining.
Both the filming and the story may be a little simplistic for today's taste and is certainly a far fetched plot but it's a good rip-roaring yarn nevertheless.
When I saw the first time this movie I was a teenager and now after 15 years I have the same feelings, it's a masterpiece, really a great movie of the '30s.
Yes I'm a fan of Clark Gable and Myrna Loy. Everybody can enjoy the speech the timing, the screenplay.
Gable at his best, don't forget that in '38 Gable and Loy were nominated King and Queen of Hollywood.
Why?Just watch the movie and immediately realized!Let's have a lot of fun and malencony of a period that will never come back again.Walter Connoly was a great actor and his part of journalist was remarkable.Really a must to see for all of you who like the golden period of Hollywood and the movies of his king and queen..
The reviews on this board caused me to give this old one a look this time around, having skipped it before.
But were they ever right about this being a great movie, actually one of the best for the interaction of these stars.
Clark Gable just had the quality that always provided interest.
Same for Myrna Loy about being interesting particularly in comedy.
I like Walter Pidgeon differently, appreciating him in his active roles like this one and also for his gentlemanly portrayals.
If you can throw believability out the window and just enjoy, it's a heck of a good film.
Clark Gable and Myrna Loy were the number one box office draws of 1938 and it seems that what made them famous was not believability but that their films were so much fun.
Gable's films were always high on the action, romance and fun while Ms. Loy became famous for her wonderful banter in the THIN MAN movies.
So, in this case, you merge the two into a very light adventure film filled with laughs and some marvelous dialog--and a romance that doesn't always work.
It's certainly NOT the best film they did together, nor is it the worst and fans of both are sure to enjoy the film because it is pure "1930s MGM formula".
Now modern viewers might not find the film so magical--after all, the plot is pretty tough to believe and the characters seem pretty cartoonish.
Sure, it's not super-memorable, but it was more than worth the energy I spent watching the film.Clark is a "get it at ANY cost" cameraman for a company specializing in newsreels.
He meets Loy my accidentally causing her plane to crash.
Instead of being mad, she unbelievably praised Clark for saving her life (hey lady, it was HIS obnoxious actions that CAUSED the plane crash in the first place!).
The rest of the film is on again/off again romance between them with Walter Pigeon trying to horn in between them.
It's not at all believable and awfully silly, but the action and comedy bits are pretty cool, so they make up for the deficiencies and result in a decent and watchable flick.
But, for persnickety people like me who delight at spotting problems with movies, take a look at the Amazonian villagers.
They are all Black Americans who look and dress EXACTLY like extras from a TARZAN movie--and look not one bit like South American Indians!.
This film has everything!
And a painfully convoluted plotline!I don't have the energy to sort through the detailed set-up like I normally do, so let's make this simple-ish.Chris Hunter (Clark Gable) is the star reporter for the Union Newsreel Company.
His rivals at the Atlas Newsreel Company discover this and set up a phony image too ...
and this involves the lovely lady pilot Alma Harding (Myrna Loy).Chris and Alma hit it off and he manipulates her into working with him for Atlas.Then there's some nonsense where Alma flies a plane around a ship that is on fire and about to explode while Chris crawls out onto the wing to get some film of the event.
Yeah SRSLY.Eventually we get to the meat of the story where Alma's brother has been captured by a native tribe somewhere in the Amazon and she gets funding for an expedition to rescue him with Atlas ...
and doesn't know that Chris is there with another cameraman from Union.And it just gets even sillier from there.The only real bright spot was seeing Marjorie Main as a secretary at the office for Union Newsreel.The film tries way too hard to pack a whole lot of stuff into just 107 minutes.In the end it's just not worth the effort.
great combo of Conway, Gable, M.
Loy. The kings and queens of comedy are here in this 1930s comedy-exotic-travel-adventure.
Walter Connelly is the newspaper boss who has sent on-scene action reporter Hunter (Clark Gable) overseas to China to get the latest, hot, south seas action caught on film.
Hunter's nemesis is Bill Dennis (Walter Pidgeon), and every scene is a competition to see who can top who, or who can put one over on the other.
If Clark Gable is present, then Myrna Loy must be in here too, and she is...
A fun, fast paced good-natured contest between the two reporters.
Alma's brother is missing, and she talks Hunter (Gable) into helping to find him.
Gable had recently gotten HIS Oscar for It Happened One Night.
Myrna Loy received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.
Even Walter Pidgeon was nominated for TWO Oscars in the 1940s.
Obviously, they never left the back lot of Hollywood, but for the general public who had never traveled very far, this would have been very exciting and exotic.
This is a fun, exciting story, and worth every minute.
Directed by Jack Conway, MGM bigshot who made TONS of stuff with Gable and Loy. Catch this one when you can!
This movie stars Clark Gable and Walter Pidgeon as rival newspaper men.
They basically spend the entire movie trying to out scoop each other.
Myrna Loy is the woman both are interested in and she goes down to the amazon to look for her missing brother.
There are a few funny moments but not many, unless your a fan of the stars, don't bother to watch..
Rival newsreel photographers in all sorts of hi-jinks....
TOO HOT TO HANDLE is a screwball mixture of comedy, action and romance but most of it is too incredible even though it is well played by the star trio--Gable, Loy and Pidgeon.Throughout the story, the tricks and downright deception (including lots of unethical behavior) are the dominant factors that keep the plot spinning.
Walter Catlett has a high time as a temperamental newsreel boss who wants wartime footage from Gable, the kind that will scoop a rival newsreel company.
This rivalry pits Gable and Pidgeon against each other for the entire running time and includes rivalry over a woman aviatrix (Myrna Loy), who needs their help in finding her brother missing in the Amazon.The strands of the story are woven uneasily in a mixture of comedy and drama that doesn't always work.
Clark Gable has the pivotal role as one of the world's most conniving newsreel photographers.
He has one hilarious scene at the start where he's faking an aerial bombing in China, calling all the shots and getting everything mixed up due to the language barrier.
It's Gable at his comedic best.But the script is overly busy in too many directions and the hi-jinks become tiresome before the story is over.
Certainly not the best of Gable's MGM movies, even though he's paired with Myrna Loy. Walter Pidgeon has a livelier part than usual and makes the most of it.Summing up: A major disappointment, considering the cast..
Solid 1930s action film with great cast.
I liked this movie, probably a little more than I expected to.
Loy sometimes seems confused unless she's strongly supported by a leading man, but this is one of those cases where the leading man (Gable) is up to the task.
Pigeon also has a large role in the film but his is pretty much the subordinate role and almost no attempt is made to mask the fact that he will not "get the girl".The film's plot basically has Gable and Pigeon as rival photographers for newsreel companies in NYC.
Loy is a daredevil female pilot (think Amelia Earhardt) who they both try to woo on a professional and personal level.
Her main angle is that her brother was lost in a crash in South America and she's trying to raise money to send out a rescue party.The characters aren't too convincing or realistic, but this is an action/romance so that doesn't really matter.
The dialogue is fun and Conway's direction makes the film flow very smoothly.
The most impressive photography in the film is the aerial footage where Gable and Loy are photographing a burning ship at sea....
the effects for this were quite well done for the time.Overall a pleasing, not too memorable, adventure film.
I expected a sort of "Red Dust" type of film but found Gable's character somewhat less interesting, and the story somewhat more, than in that film..
Interesting to watch all those African natives who inhabit the Amazon.
The opening scenes of this film reminded me a bit of how the much later "Airport" (1970) begins, where you learn a little about how the business works.
In this case, the business is newsreels.This film was produced just a year before "Gone With The Wind", but what a difference with cinematography and general sophistication between the very 1930-ish "Too Hot To Handle" and the decades ahead of its time "GWTW".
And, the aerial stunts Gable supposedly portrayed here just aren't believable.Nevertheless, it's an entertaining flick, despite its flaws.
And one of the chief flaws is the likable scoundrel Clark Gable...and he was likable, but not lovable...so why exactly did Myrna Loy's character fall in love with him?
Just when you think the film is preposterous, things begin to look up.
Myrna Loy's brother is missing in South America, and our pals (Loy, Gable, and Walter Pidgeon) head for the Amazon where they encounter South American natives, all of whom happen to be African?????
And what those African transplants fall for is just plain hokey; where in blazes does Gable's compadre get a movie projector in the middle of the jungle, let along the electricity to run it.
Preposterous.The acting of Gable, Loy, and Pidgeon is all great.
And speaking of acting -- kudos to character actor Walter Connolly, who turns in a heck of a performance as Gable's newsreel company boss.Perhaps if they had simply had Latinos playing the South American natives one could forgive the inconsistencies in this film.
But this blunder is all too much.There's nothing wrong with this film...except 78 years of sophistication.
You would think that the bombing of China in 1937 would be serious subject matter.
Instead, this film turns into a nonsensical farce where two guys from two competing news services join forces to rescue the brother of Myrna Loy, a female pilot.
What happened to China?
The brother has been missing in the Amazon region.The usually reliable Marjorie Main could have been such a riot as the stenographer to one of the companies.
Instead, she is funny at the beginning of the film with her high toned sarcastic voice and then disappears for the most part.Clark Gable befriends Myrna Loy, the pilot, who is romantically linked to Walter Pidgeon.
Pidgeon gives up without a fight as it becomes evident that Gable shall take her away.The part of rescuing the brother becomes almost silly as Gable and his pal don tribal clothes to get the brother out.This is absolutely inane fanfare. |
tt0106393 | Best of the Best II | After returning home from South Korea, three members of the U.S. National Karate Team set up a martial arts studio in Las Vegas. Travis has been secretly competing at "The Coliseum", a brutal underground fighting arena run by Weldon, whose protégé Brakus is the owner and undefeated champion. Ordinarily a challenger must defeat three of its "Gladiators" in order to face Brakus, but Travis challenges Brakus outright. Amused by Travis's arrogance, Weldon grants his wish.
Alex's eleven-year-old son Walter begins testing for his black belt, but falls short. When his father makes an impassioned speech praising his son for his maturity, Walter cancels his babysitter. Alex insists that Walter accompany Travis to his bowling league. Travis reveals his secret to Walter, who blackmails Travis into letting him watch the fight with Brakus. Brakus pummels Travis and breaks his neck, killing him.
Walter runs home and alerts his father and Tommy, and together they proceed to the dance club which serves as a front for the Coliseum. They are intercepted by Weldon, who claims that Travis left the Coliseum on his own. Tommy searches the city until the police find Travis's body floating in the river along with his damaged car, the apparent result of an auto accident.
Alex and Tommy return to the club and confront Brakus, who admits to killing Travis. Tommy connects with a punch that sends Brakus crashing into a mirror, scarring his cheek. Brakus condemns Alex and his son to death, but orders Weldon's henchmen to bring Tommy back alive.
At Travis's funeral, Alex and Tommy are startled by the appearance of Dae Han, Tommy's old rival from South Korea. Still owing a debt to Tommy for sparing his life, Dae Han pledges to help his friends bring Travis's killer to justice.
While riding his bike home from school, Walter is tailed by a black vehicle. He returns home to warn his father and Tommy, but they come under attack by a group of armed men. After fending them off, they pack up and head out of town to seek refuge with Tommy's Native American grandmother. There they encounter Tommy's uncle James, a once-promising fighter whose career was ruined due to a clash with Brakus. Claiming to know how to defeat him, James begins to train Alex and Tommy.
Their training does not last long as Weldon's henchmen track them down. James tries to intervene but is shot to death. While Tommy is forced into the waiting helicopter, Alex and the others are herded back into the house. As Weldon's men prepare to execute them and blow up the house, Walter provides a distraction which enables Alex to overpower the gunman. Tommy's grandmother prompts Alex to fire four shots to signal their deaths, at which point the thugs set fire to the gasoline trail, causing a massive explosion. After emerging from the cellar unharmed, Alex leaves Walter with his girlfriend Sue, then recruits Dae Han and his Korean teammates to storm the Coliseum and rescue Tommy.
At the Coliseum, Tommy fights his way through the Gladiators, but is overmatched by Brakus. As Brakus prepares to finish him, Alex breaks into the arena, his presence giving Tommy a second wind. A barrage of kicks send Brakus to the canvas, and Tommy warns him to stay down. But Brakus does not comply, and Tommy has no choice but to break his neck.
With his champion defeated, Weldon announces Tommy as the new owner of the Coliseum and invites him to say a few words to the audience. Tommy takes the microphone and declares the Coliseum closed. When Weldon protests, Alex silences him with an elbow to the face. Alex and Tommy leave the arena and turn off the lights. | violence, murder | train | wikipedia | Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee avenge the death of their friend with some spectacular fighting.
Director Robert Radler wound up working on Power Rangers episodes, Eric Roberts usually appears in magazines making jealous comments about his much more successful sister, and Philip Rhee...well, the less said about Best of the Best 3 and 4, the better.
Judging action movies on the same scale as more respectable fare is like expecting your 59 cent hamburger to taste like steak, and Best of the Best 2 is better than a lot of comparable movies I've seen.
The fight scenes are refreshingly high-impact and plentiful, Newton is as deliciously slimy as Richard Dawson in The Running Man, and Moeller makes for a formidable bad guy in the ring.
The action is nonstop, and even though this is a reused storyline, the acting is incredible, Eric Roberts is an amazing actor, and he never comes across as fake or overacting, and Philip Rhee is an amazing martial artist.
The fighting is sensational and the performances of the actors are very convincing and even touching in parts, rare for a B martial arts film.
If you are looking for a great authentic action and martial arts film that is chock full of mindless and brutal violence, then look no further.
In this second movie of Best of the Best,we only see a few of the people from the original.This movie does not take place in a karate tournement,but instead in the coloseum which is a place where it is arranged illegal fights to the death.
This movie has much more hardcore fighting and explicit violence than the original,but it misses those important moments that the original had.Even though this movie does not show friendship and feelings like the original,it still is very entertaining.So I advice all fans of the genre to go see this one,because it has some really impressing fighting scenes..
Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee return as the two karate champs Alex Grady and Tommy Lee who team up to take on a Schwarzenegger style brute named Brackus (Rolph Moller) who kills their friend Travis Brickley (Christopher Penn), they begin training with Lee's uncle (Sonny Landham) who is the only one who can teach them the ways to destroy Brackus in this mediocre yet definitely improved sequel.
I enjoyed this film because it was not only an action movie with some pretty good fight scenes, but also because it spent a bit of time on character development.
Having the son of the main character be a martial arts student who demonstrates discipline and a bit of fighting courage made the movie a bit more dynamic in storyline than some early 90's action films.
The character of James played by "Predator" star Sonny Landham was kind of a good family conflict and climax within the movie thus adding some depth.
The fighting scenes were overall better than many other action films with animated injury sound effects and some good breaking clips.
The three fighters Grady (Roberts), Tommy (Rhee) and Travis (Chris Penn) are now good friend and they are enjoying their retirement after championship, but the infamous troublemaker Travis is participating in underground fights in so called "Colosseum", and dies after he challenged a champion called Bracus.
And now
as usual
just like in many martial arts films, the two remaining fighters Grady and Tommy are seeking revenge against Bracus and his manager Weldon.
This film is strictly for those who love martial arts film, especially for those who are trained in Taekwondo, Hapkino, Karate, or Kung Fu
So don't pay attention to other things like script, or make-up
because there isn't anything special about it.
We have Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee and Chris Penn from the first film.
Rhee was no longer to show his acting abilities, in this film, he was in his own terrain, to show really cool skills in spectacular fighting scenes.
The guys went free falling and delivered a stupid plot, like thousands of B martial arts movies that we can see everyday.
Eric Roberts performance is embarrassing, he really shows that the age is weighing on his shoulders; Sonny Landham is embarrassing, with his camp laughs and wood-faced expressions; Ralf Moeller is embarrassing, mumbling dumb dialogues all over the place and totally clueless; and Wayne Newton did not have to be so cheesy, he has more talent that that.
The only good thing about this movie is his length, short enough to not be completely boring, the tremendous effort by the director Robert Radler to save something and the excellent skills of Phillip Rhee, really fantastic.
This time Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee return to avenge the death of their former teammate and friend, Travis(Played by the late Chris Penn) seems Travis enjoyed fighting the late night circuits of to the death matches and Travis met his match in the form of Brackus(Rolf Muller, Arnold Schwarzenegger look-a-like) however all bets are off (As is credibility) when Roberts and Rhee scar Brackus' perfection and let him know the son saw everything, naturally this marks them for death.
The original was a dopey martial arts time killer that found an audience among those who really like the genre, the sequel though will probably disappoint even them.
The movie has too many stupid elements such as Roberts telling the bad guys "My son saw you do it!" which is stupid when you think about it.
It's a heck of a lot of fun.Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee, and Chris Penn all return from the first film, although Roberts and Penn have relatively limited screen time.
Rhee is the real star here and he holds his own in a series of brutally violent fight scenes.
Simon Rhee, Phillip's real-life brother, also returns from the original, and Wayne Newton (LICENCE TO KILL) plays a weaselly fight promoter.
Somehow the makers of the first film saw way into the future and noticed me whining like a beeyatch about how Best of the Best was played too straight and didn't have enough action in it, because the sequel is all about the action!
Tommy Lee, Eric Roberts, and Chris Penn are back as our Tae Kwon Do trio, now running a martial arts school.
This time round the film get it right, and just in time too before some of Brakus' men arrive in a helicopter and seemingly kill everyone except Tommy (Billy himself goes down fighting in an impressive Massimo Vanni style shoot-out).
Didn't feel like Brakus thought that one through too much.This film is a lot more fun that the last one and is non-stop action and cheese from start to finish.
The second movie may have deviated in a big way from the drama format of the original, and crossed into typical 90's action formula but, its still a well-made sequel.
Despite its differences, it pays enough respect to the first movie that it doesn't (or shouldn't)alienate fans of the first.Excellent cast, well-done fight scenes, good performances, a great bad guy, and spiffy 90's music.I'm just sad phillip rhee's career didn't go further.
i really enjoyed this movie.it's jam packed with action.the fight scenes are spectacular and many different styles are showcased.this movie focuses more on action than story or characters,compared to the first one,in my opinion.the intensity is much higher in this one and the stakes are raised.the first one is rated PG-13,while this one is rated R.it is certainly more brutal and graphic in its violence,though i have seen much worse.anyway,this movie is a lot of fun.it's very fast paced.the story is fairly weak,and has been done many times before,but like i said,the fight scenes are spectacular and pretty much make up for the story.all in all,i think it's certainly as good as the first one,maybe a smidgen better.for me,Best of the Best 2 is a very solid 8/10.
Its got great action/fight scenes for the guys and lots of gorgeous guys for the gals!
However, even though Eric Roberts gives it his all in the acting department, the storyline is too predictable to be involving.Ralph Moeller, who is a bodybuilder, plays the bad guy, king of the mountain type, who everyone will eventually have to beat.
When Eric Robert's and Phillip Rhee's buddy Chris Penn gets beaten to death by Moeller and ends up floating in some Las Vegas canal, the police write it off as an accident (don't they notice the broken back and broken neck, as well as the various signs of a struggle?) and Eric and Phillip go off to "confront" Newton and Moeller, during which Phillip scratches Moeller's face.
He steals the opening sequence with his hilarious introduction ("You have to have big, brass balls to fight here", "They're funkier than cat s@#t", "They'd kill their mothers", "They're so mean, they'd beat down a nun!").Ok martial arts movie, with some funny moments, if you're prepared to look for them..
Hey Kay make this quick and simple the film is cool and really good the fighting is the best and it isn't disgusting if u don't like blood why watch it?(i have a point).
This Movie is a really good movie based on the first Best of the Best.The 3 stars tommy Lee, Alex Grady and Travis Brickly is back and this time its against the brutal owner of a illegal fighting place The Collesium in Las Vegas.The Fight scenes here are fantastic and a lot better that in the first movie.
Ralph Moeller (Brakus) plays really great and I can´t figure out which actor could have played his role better that he.Great scenes when Tommy and Alex is trained by a guy named James that lives at Tommy´s Granmother.And a great end where Tommy Beat all 3 gladiators at the collesium and especially then he kills Brakus by braiking his neck followed by telling the crowd that "The Collesium ....Is Closed"Its really worth to own..buy it ..
Case in point: Best of the Best, a martial arts movie that tried so hard to imitate better movies that the only thing that made it interesting was the fight sequences and ending.All that is thrown out the window in Best of the Best II, a sequel that to my amazement is not only cheaper but also more disgusting.
Leaving off where the original ended, Alex (Roberts), Tommy (Rhee) and Travis (Penn) return home to the states to open up their own martial arts studio.But Travis has other plans in mind when he decides to fight to the death in an unsanctioned fighting arena known as the Colosseum, where the champion is Brakus (Ralf Moeller).
When Brakus finds the location, Tommy will have to fight Brakus to get not only his freedom but save Alex's life as well.Best of the Best wasn't exactly Shakespeare, but it looks like it compared to the utterly idiotic nature of Best of the Best II.
Cheaper than a Chuck Norris film, Best of the Best II mostly throws out the usual in any dumb action movie: thin characters, little plot and a lot of violent action that doesn't excite but rather disgust us with the way it develops.
The first Best of the Best was something of a feel good movie, but this one made me want to vomit all over my lap when I saw it.
Usually if there's one good action sequence in any movie, then it can't be all bad.
As dumb as Best of the Best II can be, it could have been at least watchable had the film emphasized the arena instead of the characters, who are so thinly drawn out that there is little attention as to how they actually get to the point of fighting their way out like that Bruce Lee wannabe did in Game of Death.Roberts does try so desperately hard to inject some kind of drama or passion in this sequel, but even his minor talents can't do anything for him and the others.
That's where the motivation for Best of the Best II falls apart, leaning on a flat personality like Rhee to carry the film when he has to fight Brakus.
Wayne Newton was fun to look at in Licence to Kill, but here he overstays his welcome and becomes something of a nuisance for those wanting a good scene stealer for the movie.
Does not mean it sucks, just means it is cheesier and not as good.Making their returns are Alex Grady, Tommy Lee, and Travis Brickley (Roberts, Rhee, Penn) who now run a karate studio.
Chris Penn of the first film is killed, so Phillip Rhee & Eric Roberts want revenge.
But basically, its a "fight for your life" movie, with ZERO morals and ZERO values, like the first one had.
As an action movie, it is not bad, some very grizzly scenes where Rhee breaks limbs of other "gladiators," but I HATED how the film destroyed everything that made the first one such a powerful film.
The end title song "(To Be) The Best of the Best" is a pretty inspirational, solid, soft-rock anthem performed by Mark Free, that is definitely a highlight of the movie...I just highly preferred the first film to this, because this delivers (besides fight scenes) close to NOTHING the original had to offer.
Not a bad action movie, but I did not like it as the sequel to "Best of the Best." Perhaps if it was a stand- alone movie.
The star of the show is the arrogant, powerful and unbeatable soulless automaton Brakus (Moeller).When the likable Travis Brickley (Penn) dies at the hands of the nefarious Brakus, only fellow fighter Alex Grady, his young son, inexplicably named Walter (Gross), and of course Tommy Lee (Rhee) can get to the bottom of this illegal Punchfighting operation.
And while it's great to see Chris Penn, Wayne Newton, Walter the kid (who looks more like a 35 year-old stunted adult), who loves his Tetris, and Eric Roberts, complete with his tomato apron, AND Phillip Rhee, Sonny Lanham, Meg Foster and Nicholas Worth, lest we forget....BRAKUS?
The invincible Teutonic muscleman is the antagonist, and our heroes must go out into the wilderness to train to beat him (why are Phillip Rhee's relatives Indians for some reason?), and of course the parallels between Apollo Creed and Travis Brickley.There are many funny bits, Eric Roberts seems tipsy (if not drunk) throughout the movie, and all is well and good, but even as lovable as it is, it is a bit overlong.
Both Wayne Newton and Ralph Moeller are superb as the bad guys in this, not to mention Tommy Lee(Phillip Rhee) is dress exactly as Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat in the final part of the movie even performing Liu Kang traditional finishing move.
I know MK actually got JCVD bloodsport character for inspiration of the character Johnny Cage, and that Sonya is based on Cynthia Rothrock, but since MK is from 92, when BOTB2 is 93, i would say BOTB2 had Tommy looked like Liu. Anyway i love everything about this movie, action sequences, the acting , the story, its a true classic.
You have to see this if you like American Martial Arts movies of the 90s.
Brickly makes it to Brakus but is killed in the ring, witnessed by Walter Grady (Edan Gross) the young son of fellow US Karate champ Alex Grady (Eric Roberts) he tells his father who along with friend Tommy Lee (co-producer Phillip Rhee) want to avenge Brickley's death.
However Brakus & his people play unfair & force Tommy to fight in the Colleseum while his armed men set out to hunt down & kill Alex & his son Walter...Directed by Robert Radler this was the sequel to the somewhat successful original martial arts film Best of the Best (1989) which was also directed by Radler & also starred Roberts, Rhee & Penn as martial artists.
While the original was full of itself, wanted to preach a moral message & actually featured very little fighting Best of the Best 2 is an improvement in every way on it's predecessor.
The script is far more balanced & far more like what I would call a proper martial arts action film rather than a lesson in how to get on & band as a team.
Sitting besides the martial arts fighting is a fairly basic but appreciated thriller as Alex & his kid Walter are hunted down by armed bad guy's, it's nothing amazing but it breaks the film up a little bit.
Having watched the original Best of the Best a couple of days ago I feel I am qualified to talk about series continuity, US Karate team member's Alex, Tommy Lee & Travis return while the other two don't.
While the original had something like six musical training montages Best of the Best 2 thankfully features about three minus the awful 'Best of the Best' theme tune.Filmed on a bigger budget than the original Best of the Best this has good production values & looks decent enough, a lot of the cast return from the original with Wayne Newton, Patrick Kilpatrick, Meg Foster & Sonny Landham appearing.
It's not surprising that the notable absentee is James Earl Jones who does not appear.Best of the Best 2 is far more enjoyable than the slushy original, there's more action & it's more brutal, there are proper bad guy's who actually speak English & there aren't as many musical training montages.
After a friend gets killed by Brakus, in the Coliseum, Alex and Tommy going on a mission to stop Brakus.The violence is turned up in this film, which makes it some what better.
The lines are cheesy one liners, like most martial arts films, and give a darker tone to the series.
The acting could be better, but like most martial arts films, acting is not the number one concern.If you like good fight scenes watch this movie, you will not be disappointed..
The usually decent Eric Roberts gets completely lost here, just like all the other actors. |
tt0078122 | Préparez vos mouchoirs | Raoul and his wife Solange are eating in a restaurant when Raoul expresses concern with Solange's apparent depression, as she eats little, suffers migraines and insomnia, and also sometimes faints. He finds another man in the room, Stéphane, to be her lover and hopefully enliven her again. Stéphane is puzzled by Raoul's plan, but gives in to his desperate appeals for help. The two men take turns sleeping with Solange, and both try to impregnate her without success, believing a lack of a child to be the source of her depression. Stéphane also shares his love for the music of Mozart and Pocket Books with the two and their neighbour grocer. The music inspires the men, but not Solange.
Raoul, Solange, and Stéphane work at a boys' camp in the summer, where they meet a 13-year-old math prodigy named Christian Belœil, who is bullied by the other boys. Solange becomes protective of Christian and one night lets him sleep in her bed. She awakes to find Christian exploring her body and scolds him. They make up and have sex, despite a drastic age difference. Afterwards, Solange becomes dependent on the boy, to the point where Raoul, Stéphane, and she kidnap him from his boarding school. Christian eventually impregnates her, and the film ends with Raoul and Stéphane walking away after serving six months in prison. | romantic, comedy | train | wikipedia | Offbeat Comedy About Love and Sex à la Bertrand Blier.
What might seem an already risqué love triangle between two misogynous men (Depardieu and Dewaere, repeating their successful teaming of "Les Valseuses") and a pathologically passive woman (Carole Laure) develops into a REALLY unconventional love quartet when a 13 year-old boy (Riton) is thrown into the story and wins the woman's sexual and emotional favors over the grown men, and nothing turns out quite the way one would expect.Good reasons to see this movie: A) cliché-free, offbeat satire with brilliant dialog and surprise turns everywhere (director/writer Blier's specialty is, of course, épater la bourgeoisie, e.g.
"Les Valseuses", "Tenue de Soirée", "Trop Belle pour Toi"); B) young, fit, ugly-handsome Depardieu's rounded performance; C) a very different approach to love and sex in movies, unlike the usual everyday stuff; D) wonderful Michel Serrault.Favorite sequences: the opening scene at the restaurant, in which the offbeat dialog states at once this is not "another love story" (very honest of Blier to show his cards early on); the cheese war sequence; Serrault extracting all the information he wants from Riton's mother with one single question; Riton's young mates asking him about how it feels like to make love to a woman ("Are there hairs inside?", they ask).
Minor letdowns: the so-so ending; Carole Laure's rather blunt approach to her apparently blunt but wonderful role (imagine Isabelle Huppert doing it!!); Riton's utter lack of appeal (he had a physique reminiscent of Benoît Ferreux, the boy in Louis Malle's "Le Soufflé au Coeur/Murmur of the Heart", but not an ounce of his charm).
As a footnote, it's interesting to remember that this film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, which tells a lot about how much more open-minded American movie industry people were in the 1970s.
Giving an Oscar to a similar film today would be unthinkable in sexually neo-prudish Hollywood of the 2000s(an adult woman falling for a 13 year-old boy WHILE being the lover of two other men!).
Recommended for viewers who enjoy unconventional story-telling and, well, unconventional sexual situations spiced with a subversive sense of humor..
"Get Our Your Handkerchiefs" is a funny little film about the need for sexual gratification and all the insecurities and absurdities it entails.
But it's also quite touching; the dismal woman, it turns out, only wanted someone she could identify with, someone who felt the same need for intellectual companionship that was masked by her sexual dissatisfaction.
The solution is provided by a 13-year-old wunderkind who, unlike the husband or his friend, knows how to relate to the woman, and their relationship is far more real and convincing that any other in the story.
Bertrand Blier constructed a film that questions and ultimately debunks nearly every `rule' on relationships, and provides more than a few belly laughs along the way.
Although he listens to Mozart and has every Pocket Book arranged in alphabetical order, Stephane fails to cheer Solange.This is not a film that will appeal to everyone.
And there are certainly some sexual situations that will be uncomfortable -- and could never have been filmed in America.But this is a very original, very unusual romantic comedy.
While the modern romantic comedy has a woman going through ups and downs before ending up with her dream guy, this is not that story...
It flows freely and is full of interesting and engaging twists, one of which is surprising but serves well in tying it all together.Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere play two gentlemen at the mercy of an oddly ailing woman, Solange.
Doctors are no help, and the two men obviously mean little to her, but they keep at it and decide that what she needs is a child, which she cannot give birth to.Things happen and as the story unfolds, it brings the viewer in closer and examines happiness from an offbeat angle.
The acting is great, (including a handsome and youthful Depardieu before he turned into a sloppy behemoth), the jokes are funny and the direction and camerawork make you feel like you've been dropped into a Van Gogh.
What I like about French movies or at least what i used to like, was their ability to transport you into their wonderful culture for the duration of the film.
If you've never been to France or are just yearning to take a return trip for 90 minutes or so, this film will give you as good a taste of the French way and outlook on life, as a 2 week Frommers trip..
This movie is quite similar to the American film "Rushmore," in that both films portray sensitive, intelligent young teen boys becoming infatuated with adult women twice their age.
Major difference: Blier the guts that the director of "Rushmore" did not have."Rushmore," like most films about teen boys having crushes on older women, took the easy way out.
So, the message is the older men have the right to take advantage of younger women, yet not vice versa?In Blier's film, the relationship of boy and his adult crush is consummated.
Préparez vos mouchoirs is the movie for people with open mind and different view for the life and surrounding problems during our life.
Blier brings classic elements of French farce films into cuttings that remind me of Melville.
He does a wonderful job of developing Solange, Raoul, and Stephane as caricatures...giving the viewer great understanding of how these characters will react in future situation.
An Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, a Golden Globe nominee, and a César winner for the music, this film is said to be what Rushmore wasn't.Raoul (a very young looking Gérard Depardieu) is a husband who is trying to make his wife Solange (Carole Laure) happy.
The three of them eat and discuss her situation while she sleeps peacefully.It is when they go out to the country to work in a camp for poor children that they find Christian (Riton Liebman, a 13-year-old in his first film), a genius who finally makes her laugh.It gets really funny when they can't remember who slept with her last night, and she suggests that she sleep alone.
Well, she was no match for his superior intellect and he played on her emotions until he got what he wanted.If it is possible, the film gets more absurd toward the ending.
The ancient tale of the king who wanted to make his daughter smile comes somewhat alive in this Bertrand Blier film..
Watching "Get Out Your Handkerchiefs", one gets the feeling that this ancient tale has come alive before our very own eyes albeit with minor differences.
French director Bertrand Blier is famous for films where sex or sexual lives of his protagonists amalgamate with other existential themes.
One watches with amusement the tug of war between two leading men, Patrick Dewaere-an intellectual with a beard who is a big classical music fan versus Gérard Depardieu-an ordinary person.
In many ways, this film is the perfect example of the maturity of French cinema and its audiences as it is not so easy for any national cinema to handle the theme of sexuality when a child is involved.
Whatever one might state, "Préparez Vos Mouchoirs" is the only film where a kid scores well than adult men in the field of sex..
Complex, very funny, sad, very French look at love and sexual dynamics.
Complex, very funny, sad, very French look at love and sexual dynamics, with terrific acting all around.
Gerard Depardieu plays a man who truly loves his wife, but can't understand her or her depression.
Ultimately only a love affair with a 13 year old boy – who in many ways is the most mature character in the film – gives her joy.
Transgressive, uncomfortable, and tweaking both sides of the war of the sexes equally; men are fools who can only look at women through a narrow prism, and women are complex and weird to the point of absurdity, this is a film that makes me laugh and cringe (in a good way) in equal measure..
"Get Out Your Handkerchiefs" begins as a typical French menage-a-trois tale, then goes off in original and unexpected directions (about which it is best not to be spoiled beforehand - read other reviews cautiously).
I don't know what the adults though of this film, but all I knew, was this woman got naked in front of a child.
This Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar winner from France is quite atypical material for such an accolade (though, admittedly, there was not much competition that year): not only is it a sex comedy, but a potentially controversial one involving both a ménage-a'-trois and paedophelia (hence, the title's suggestion of sentimentality could not be farther off the mark)!
Being familiar with the equally 'naughty' GOING PLACES (1974) from the same team of writer-director Blier and male stars Gerard Depardieu and Patrick Dewaere, I knew more or less what to expect: the end result, then, is just as entertaining (and overstretched) but also, perhaps, a tad superior.
Genuinely original and undeniably very funny, the films sees husband-and-wife Depardieu and Carole Laure going through a crisis because of the latter's perennial depression and resultant frigidity; the former sees a way out by asking perfect stranger Dewaere to become her lover, in the hope of relighting the woman's dormant passion.
The narrative takes an episodic form, wherein the trio first meet a flustered green-grocer a pre-LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (1978) Michel Serrault and manage to turn him into a lover of classical music (Dewaere is a Mozart devotee') and, later, a precocious teenage camper (Dewaere is also an instructor of Physical Education) who, picked on by his peers for being the son of an industrialist, is taken under her wing by Laure
and ends up being the one to provide sexual gratification for the unemotional woman, even getting her pregnant!
Perhaps the biggest visual gags involve the identical sweaters worn by most of the male principals from time to time (Laure gets over her particular hang-ups through knitting in the nude!) as well as the reaction of the boy's parents to his escapade the mother becomes an amnesiac when she overturns with her car on giving chase (and eventually hooks up with Serrault!) and, following the son's announcement of Laure's impending motherhood by his doing (the woman having ultimately taken employment/residence in their house), the father is reduced to a wheelchair-bound vegetable.
Incidentally, the very next day after watching GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS, I acquired another well-regarded Blier/Depardieu title i.e. BUFFET FROID (1979) to eventually go along with two more films of theirs I own but have yet to watch (TENUE DE SOIREE' [1986], albeit in French only, and TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR YOU [1989]).
A thin difference.The only good thing in this movie is the performance of the guys, Depardieu and Dewaere.
The character played by Carole Laure is uninteresting, and the young boy is really awfully played and boring.Before reading the comments here I didn't know this little misogynist comedy won an important award in some foreign country, and I still don't understand what makes it a winner.Too bad, as Both B.
Blier, Depardieu and Dewaere can be found together in better movies.
In this amusing French comedy, a man finds a lover for his depressed and sexually frustrated wife in an attempt to make her happy but even the lover can't satisfy her.
She eventually finds happiness with a precocious 13-year old - only the French can make light of such a pairing!
Depardieu as the generous and caring husband and Dewaere as the lover have good chemistry and provide most of the laughs.
The two had previously teamed with Blier in "Going Places." Laure doesn't do much except sit around and knit (usually in the nude).
I think the recent popularity of films like the Science of Sleep, I Heart Huckabees and Being John Malkovich deserves to rekindle interest in this important but largely forgotten director.Through the late 70's and 80's, Blier single handedly kept alive the French tradition of Absurdist Theater.
While films like Being John Malkovich and I Heart Huckabees incorporate elements of surrealism, they remained tied to conventional narratives that require that ultimately everything ultimately make sense.
After stumbling on Beau Pere (1981) earlier this year, basically by accident, I enjoyed it so much I wanted to see more by this French director, Bertrand Blier.
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978) was said to have similar themes, and I had actually heard of it before- as an Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film.
The film revolves around Solange, played by French Canadian Carole Laure, who's suffering an inexplicable deep depression with a range of negative symptoms.
Her husband, Raoul, thinks an open marriage might cheer her up and enlists a stranger named Stéphane (Patrick Dewaere from Beau Pere) to be her lover.Now, unlike some, the concept of open marriage doesn't quite shock me.
Both men, as well as a neighbour grocer, become a team working on Solange, trying to cure her of her depression, puzzling about women.
Earlier in the film, Raoul pulls a woman off the street to ask her about the situation; she later drops out of the movie, but it might have been funny to see her stick with the group, making the team puzzling over Solange even bigger.Half-way through the movie, Raoul, Stéphane and Solange work in a boys' summer camp, where they meet a 13-year-old prodigy, Christian.
From here, the movie is mainly about Christian and Solange, with Raoul and Stéphane dropping to supporting roles- a little jarring at first, maybe.
It's obvious Solange isn't in the best state of mental health, and when Raoul and Stéphane bitterly walk away after serving 6 months in jail, they realize the whole thing wasn't worth it.
What I'm really left wondering about is the character of Solange- who is she, and how did she get the way she is?
Ultimately, the audience is left to wonder along with Raoul and Stéphane while listening to Mozart and maybe sipping on a drink.
This is one of the many films where after you read the reviews you ask, "Did these folks actually see the same movie I did?"Further it won the Import film of the year Academy Award.
In fact, there is nothing at all to grasp.This is a French import that does not intellectually translate into any entertainment language known in the USA about a pre-teen boy who screws his bored governess Solange.
(Préparez vos mouchoirs, indeed).Seeing the Academy flip over this outrageous and tiresome film destroyed even the slightest desire I ever had to return to Los Angeles to view a far more important scene, the La Brea Tar Pits.
Delicate French Sex Comedy.
Raoul (Depardieu) and his wife (Laure) are in a restaurant.
Raoul has noticed another man, Stephane (Dewaere), giving Solange the eye, so he goes over and invites the stranger to take his wife home and make love to her.There follow some moments of confusion.
Stephane is soon seen wearing an ugly sweater identical to Raoul's.When she doesn't perk up, the men try to get her pregnant, without success.
She never reads a book or listens to Mozart." Stephane thinks for a moment and asks, "Is it possible she's just dumb?" Raoul is outraged.
Some thirteen-year-old genius kid is introduced into the film and Solange responds warmly to him, both as a child and a lover.
The end.It is in no way a sexploitation film, although there's a bit of nudity.
Acting - no comments please .....A bizarre relationship between a 13 old kid and an imbecile married woman.
An equally imbecile husband who finds the third imbecile in the movie to make love to his wife.
While some adore "Préparez Vos Mouchoirs" (as typified by the mostly favorable reviews and the Oscar win for Best Foreign Film in 1979), others probably see the film in such a radically different light.
Yet, to those who hate it, the film is not just bad but evil...or at least very, very morally suspect.What I am talking about here is that in the second half of this comedy(?), the leading lady has an "affair" with a 13 year-old boy--and this seems to be a good thing according to the film.
This is very reminiscent of "Le Soufflé au Coeur"--another French film that is adored by most "with it" people.
Yet, review after review on IMDb for "Le Soufflé" describe the movie with such words as 'vibrant' and 'marvelous' as well as saying that it's 'a beautiful coming of age film'.
But, in this one way, I think the French film makers have it all wrong.
Sometimes and with some issues we provincial Americans are wrong...in this case, however, I suspect the French have something to learn from us about the way we have taken sexual abuse cases more seriously in recent years (though, of course, we still have a way to go).So if I was totally offended by the scenes that involved the 13 groping and leering at a beautiful (and willing) adult woman, what did I think about the rest of the film?
Like director Blier's follow-up film, "Buffet Froid", so much of the film deliberately makes no sense and is intended to shock.
If you like this sort of craziness, so be it, but the average person out there will not be particularly pleased with the film as it just seemed dumb and the characters seemed so unreal.
I know that is the point the film makers intended, but that still doesn't mean I have to like it.
If I want something goofy and insane, I'll watch a comedy like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"--this is absurdism but with the aim to make people laugh.
It seems more intent on confusion and bizarreness instead of being a comedy--sort of like performance art instead of film.Overall, there is almost nothing to recommend this film (unless you want to see a young looking 13 year-old making it with an adult). |
tt0043482 | Drums in the Deep South | Best friends Clay Clayburn (James Craig) and Will Denning (Guy Madison) graduate from West Point and visit their friend and fellow graduate Braxton at his Georgia plantation in 1861. Clay had once loved Braxton's wife Kathy (Barbara Payton) and still does. When war is declared they soon find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War.
By 1864, Clay now a Field Artillery Major in the Confederacy is renowned for accepting but surviving suicide missions. He is given another. To delay General Sherman's March to the Sea, a local guide can lead a party of men and their disassembled cannon inside caves that lead to the top of Devil's Mountain where a battery of guns can destroy the railroad and the Union troop and supply trains that travel it, buying time for the Confederacy. Devil's Mountain is coincidentally near Braxton (who is now fighting elsewhere for the Confederacy) and Kathy's old plantation where Kathy remains with her uncle. Kathy agrees to monitor the activities of the Northern invaders and signal Clay's outpost from her window through a mirror by day and a lantern by night. Through her activities, Clay's men are notified of the arrival two supply trains and destroy both of them.
Arriving at the plantation is Will, who is now a Major in the Union Field Artillery. When the two men meet each other in combat, neither knows it as each is in an artillery position hundreds of yards from the other. However, the love of Clay's life, Kathy Summers, does know and tries desperately to save her two good friends from killing each other.
The Union Field Artillery cannot achieve the elevation or range with their cannon to clear the Confederate guns at the top of the mountain. Inside the mountain, the Union Infantry cannot find the path to the top and are delayed by Confederate snipers.
As the railroad line has been blocked by two destroyed trains, Union headquarters send a giant Naval Dahlgren gun manned by sailors and mounted on a flat car that has the capability to wipe out the Confederates. Kathy is able to supply Clay's guns with wire from her piano that is used to reinforce the barrel of one of Clay's guns that with a double charge and maximum elevation is able to destroy the naval gun and further block the railroad line.
Will has Union Army Engineers mine the inside of the mountain with explosives that will literally blow the top of the mountain. Kathy wishes to act as a mediator to get Clay and his men to surrender that the Union army is keen on as it will save time. However, Clay calculates that the explosion will send the cliff down over the railway line further blocking the Union's supplies. | romantic | train | wikipedia | Really a far better "Civil War" motion picture than I had expected although I must say I found both the Confederate major and his lost love a bit cardboard.
What is remarkable about this film is that it shows us in detail how some southern soldiers climb trough an inside cavern a gigantic rock taking some cannons and from there manage to hit the northern trains and everything that happens in the ensuing battle.
William Cameron Menzies is perhaps the best production designer in American motion picture history (Gone With the Wind, et alia) and his work as director applies the design principles which he espoused, such as with this film, including a prime emphasis upon cinema as a graphic art, a visual rather than literal interpretation of a script, filling that metaphysical space between scenario and direction with an artist's point of view, while avoiding a potentially incorrect objective sensibility.
The narrative tells of a pair of best friends and West Point classmates, Georgian Clay Clayburn (James Craig) and Yankee Will Denning (Guy Madison) who are wearing officers' coats of opposing artillery units during the War Between The States, and of the inevitable military engagement between them, featuring a most dramatic segment involving the difficult placement of Confederate cannons atop a mountain overlooking Union rail supply lines, shot with Menzies' intriguing pictorial effects and unique camera angles.
An independent King Brothers production under the aegis of RKO, DRUMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH is not replete with good performances, although Craig is solid as is his custom, while Barbara Payton, as Clayburn's lover, tries hard and is at the pinnacle of her short-lived beauty, with Dimitri Tiomkin's lush score properly evocative for this generally prescriptive film..
It was a bit distracting during the love scenes but he seemed to, thankfully, drift away from it during the action sequences.Guy Madison was cast because he was easy to look at.
Every time they passionately kissed I kept thinking about her poor naive husband off surrounded by Sherman's Army while she played footsie with his alleged old best West Point friend.The special effects were very interesting and quite well done.
If you are going to spend the special effects money to matte in a giant plantation house you can at least matte it into a rich green landscape rather than a rocky gulch.I won't even mention (well actually I will) the fact that the main geographical feature of the movie is a hollowed out, honeycombed, Devil's Tower from Close Encounters.
I can't say I've seen a film that only needs 2 seconds to wrap everything up and turn off the lights.But there are a few good things that made this movie appealing.
Your generic Civil War movie has a smashing good Cavalry charge in it and lots of dashing guys on horses waving swords and flags.
I recently purchased a 4 DVD set, which included "Shoot Out", "Apache Rifles", "Sitting Bull" and "Drums in the Deep South." Like most westerns of its type, it has a very basic plot.
Combine that with the added dramatic irony of two friends fighting each other without realizing it, and lots of fast paced action, it makes for a fairly good western movie.
What I found to be very disappointing was that two DVD's (I exchanged it today for another copy of the same movie) both have glitches, such as the picture skipping a little bit (kind of a like a skipping CD or broken record, except it's pictures, not sound) and pausing here and there for no reason.
Spectacular drama with intrigue during American Civil War. The film deals with an old rivalry between two former West Point Academy roommates , under the present circumstances are on opposite sides in Georgia 1861 during the American Civil War (1861-1865) .
War breaks outs , both of whom are Officers from Union (Guy Madison) and Confederation (James Craig) , besides they compete for the same woman (a gorgeous and blue-eyes Barbara Payton) and wind up in a military showdown .
In the movie , Confederates put cannons in the Mountain of the Devil for attack supplies trains lead towards Atlanta and the Union soldiers use a big naval cannon .This historic drama takes parts from ¨Gone with the wind¨ , it packs a loving triangle with action , shootouts and suspense .
Principal protagonist is Barbara Payton (she formerly acted in important films as ¨Dallas¨, ¨Only the valiant¨) as one of the saddest stories from dark chronicle Hollywood .
I watched DRUMS OF THE DEEP SOUTH for two reasons: because it's directed by visual genius William Cameron Menzies and it stars Guy Williams.
Even though it started slowly and this is basically a B-movie, the film eventually overcame those weaknesses because it contains one of the coolest things I've seen in a movie in a long time: a battle, with cannons, in and on Devil's Tower!
The story's setting is not in Wyoming, where Devil's Tower is actually located, but in Georgia and, like your typical B-movie, the script is filled with easy coincidences.
Had the friendship between James, Barbara and Guy's characters been a bit more fleshed out, the human aspect of the story could have been as riveting as the visual aspects, which is what really makes this little gem shine.
It's obvious that Steven Spielberg saw DRUMS OF THE DEEP SOUTH and was "inspired" to use the Devil's Tower as a setting for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.The image & sound quality of the DVD was pretty bad.
Hopefully, this movie will be released with a pristine transfer so we can finally see this cool William Cameron Menzies film as it was meant to be seen and heard..
The cast and characters are adequate, if nothing more, and while the settings and details sometimes stretch history and/or credibility, in a more general sense the situation rings true with the kinds of things that happened during the conflict.The beginning sets up two potential conflicts, with a romantic rivalry intersecting with a friendship that will be tested by the fighting between north and south.
The main plot, which concerns the desperation effort of a small band of Confederate soldiers to break up a crucial Union supply line, produces some interesting drama and is told with generally interesting details.
I usually don't hold out much hope when it comes to movies about Mr. Lincoln's War. Hollywood seldom gets it right on all things Southern and/or Confederate.
He is the fourth character, actually, in the love triangle, which is where he does best.The southern belle's husband appears only briefly, and is afterwards only spoken of in his endeavors in this Civil War adventure.The other member of the triangle is an artillery officer for the South, who resembles Gable in looks, but in character is more like John Wayne.Guy Madison plays the Union artillery officer opposing him.
He is also a friend of all three of the other characters.The story is a familiar one, one that has been made many times since, of Confederates on a mountain, trying to buy time for their army.What really makes this film special is that it could have been cliché, but it avoids all of the clichés.
Barbara Payton is who keeps those drums a beating in the Deep South.
In the film's prologue she and husband Craig Stevens are entertaining two old friends from West Point, Yankee boy Guy Madison and Barbara's secret paramour James Craig.Babs is planning to run away with Jim that night, but news of the firing on Fort Sumter brings everybody's plans to a halt as the men go off to war on their respective sides.
Flash forward to four years later and Stevens is in prison, but circumstance has brought Madison and Craig back to the neighborhood.Craig is given a rough assignment, bring a pair of cannons to the top of a hollow ridge called Devil's Mountain and rain fire and destruction down on Sherman's supply train on the railroad tracks below.
The main thing about Drums in the Deep South is the lack of preservation regarding both picture and sound.
Both were pretty bad in VHS, equally bad (of course) in DVD.The joy of watching this low budget Civil War era movie is seeing our brave men fighting against the invaders entering our Confederacy.
Others might care who gets Barbara Peyton, but I simply care about whether cannons are in place to effectively blast General Sherman.Although the North was industrial and more populated compared to the South's agriculture, the more numerous and well equipped army of the North was ill-matched against the Southern sharpshooters.
Director William Cameron Menzies served up one of the worst movies about the Civil War aka The War Between the States aka The War of Northern Aggression ever made.
In "Drums in the Deep South" the story begins in Georgia on the eve of the firing upon Fort Sumter at a plantation mansion that looks like a prefab golf clubhouse.
West Point grad Braxton Summers (Craig Stevens) returns from a business trip with a gift for his seemingly adoring spouse, Kathy (Barbara Payton).
He mentions that he's invited two academy classmates, Clay Clayburn (James Craig) and Will Denning (Guy Madison) for dinner.
Will is off to serve the Union, Clay and Braxton will fight for the South.Fast forward - literally - to 1864 and Kathy lives alone at the mansion with her uncle and an occupying Union outfit looking for her husband while also protecting a threatened rail line needed by GEN Sherman for his advance through the Peach State.
The federal soldiers are shown as crude, even cruel, but Kathy knows how to deal with them.Then Clay arrives with orders to destroy Union rolling stock at a critical point called "Snake Gap." Interestingly, Union forces did take a Georgia pass named Snake Gap during Sherman's offensive but the story that follows has nothing to do with the Civil War reality.Clay, a major, has to get cannon to the top of a prominence from which he can blow up the Yankee trains.
Why Will, of course (Guy Madison was a stock "B" film staple.)Clay also finds time to renew his acquaintance with Kathy who'll do anything for her beloved Confederacy.
The film is a rushed muddle of stereotyped roles and predictable outcomes.And, on top of that, the DVD transfer is very poor with washed out color, blurred dialog and text that doesn't fit the TV screen.Dimitri Tiomkin's score is good but nowhere near his best.Skip this one-"The Horse Soldiers" with John Wayne and William Holden is infinitely better, a fine example of this genre.4/10..
"Drums in the Deep South" is a very boring Civil War film that does absolutely nothing to explain the war and features a romance that is about as sizzling as one between siblings!
During the US Civil War, Confederate Major James Craig (as Clay Clayburn) finds himself fighting Union Major Guy Madison (as Will Denning).
As is the case in most Civil War stories, the opposing soldiers once had a close relationship; in this case, they were West Point buddies.
**** Drums in the Deep South (9/51) William Cameron Menzies ~ James Craig, Barbara Payton, Guy Madison.
Although he designed and directed a number of notable films, today William Cameron Menzies is best recalled as the director of the "so bad it's good" 1953 INVADERS FROM MARS.
Throw in a love triangle and some of the most uninspired acting you can obtain and you have DRUMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH.Today the film is best recalled for the presence of actress Barbara Payton (1927-1967), a performer who trembled on the brink of stardom in the late 1940s and early 1950s before she self-destructed in a hog-wallow of sex, booze, drugs, and front page scandal.
Unfortunately, none of these qualities have much to do with either film or role, and even her cult-status can't make up for what is basically a remarkably shallow, incredibly silly, and deadly dull film.Unless you are desperate to see what Payton looked like on the screen before she ended up as a five dollar hooker working the Sunset Strip, DRUMS ALONG THE DEEP SOUTH is a film to avoid at all costs.
The plot caoud have been great - Cofederates staying on Devil's Mountain and hindering Union train supply to General Sherman attacking Atlanta in 1864.
There is a pleasant visit from two West Point graduates, Good Old Boy James Craig, Payton's former lover, and handsome young Yankee Guy Madison.
Craig is now a Confederate Major and Madison a Bluebelly officer, and that damned Yankee Sherman is beginning his march through Georgia with the aim of destroying the crops that are feeding the Confederate Army.Sherman's only link to his supplies is a single railroad line that passes near Payton's Place and an unassailable mountain that looks like Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
Directed by William Cameron Menzies & based on a story by Civil War author Hollister Noble, this movie has nothing to do with drums.
Instead, the movie tells the story of a small group of Confederate soldiers leaded by Maj. Clay Clayburn (James Craig) trying to mount, cannons onto a mountain, before a Union railroad convey comes to help burn the city of Atlanta, down.
Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the original titled of this film, 'The Confederate Story' suite it better.
Another thing, so jarring about this movie, is how similar, the main characters are, to 1939's film, 'Gone with the Wind'.
First off, Guy Madison is not the main lead in this film, he's more like a supporting character, and second off; his character doesn't arrive at the battle site, until the end of the 3rd act.
I guess, the now new producers of this film, really wanted to target modern audiences, by making it seem that the movie is about Union forces, when it's not.
It resulted, with the film, falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of 'Drums of the Deep South'.
Despite that, you can still, mostly see the wonderful recycle production design that William Cameron Menzies, use for this film, as well as producer, David O' Selznick's 1938's 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' & 'Gone with the Wind", here.
Another thing that William Cameron Menzies did well, and pioneered, was the use of color in film for dramatic effect.
It doesn't help the fact that the author of the source material, was making things up as he goes, like when he said that Union General Sherman was having train being sent to him.
Although the South lost the war, the Confederates win the battle in "Drums in the Deep South!" Oscar-winning art designer William Cameron Menzies helmed this Civil War yarn based on a screenplay by "Whistle Stop" scribe Philip Yordan and Sidney Harmon from a story by Hollister Noble.
Kathy refuses to see Clay Clayburn (James Craig of "Flying G-Men") who has never stopped loving her.
Johnston indicates Devil's Mountain dominates the railway where it swings through Snake Gap. The General believes this constitutes "the weak link in Sherman's supply line." Johnston wants Clayburn to blast the railroad until the Confederate Army can regroup and counter-attack.
The year is 1861, on the eve of the American Civil War. In Georgia, Atlanta, cotton plantation owner Braxton Summers invites two of his former West Point classmates, Clay Clayburn & Will Denning, to dinner with him & his new wife Kathy (who was formerly in love with Clay).
It doesn't have the same resources as something like Gone with the Wind but Menzies makes it feel about as large with his resourcefulness.The story is a passably moving tale of a woman caught between two best friends fighting on opposite sides in a war that will end with one side losing badly.
James Craig & Barbara Payton both make a good couple & Payton's willingness to spy on her captors in order to help her old flame sabotage the enemy's supply train is both brave & ultimately reckless.
The film has one flaw & that is the lack of funds to make the battles look anything but cramped, but Menzies does his best with the limited budget.
The obvious connection between GONE WITH THE WIND and DRUMS IN THE DEEP SOUTH (and there are many connections) is its subject matter about Sherman's advance through Georgia, and the reign of terror that occurs for southerners who come into direct contact with the northern general and his men.
And there's an incredible shot where leading lady Barbara Payton watches her husband see his West Point buddies off (now on opposite sides), and she closes the door to everything simple and sweet and innocent they've ever known.At this point the story follows James Craig, one of the husband's buddies fighting for the south.
But the mansion is fraught with tension, because while her husband is off in battle, Payton's home has been taken over by Sherman's men and one of them has developed a strange attachment to her.What happens next is something you've never seen before, not even in GONE WITH THE WIND.
Also, the other West Point buddy (Guy Madison) who takes orders from Sherman returns to the area and is reunited with Payton at the mansion.
You'll have to be patient for this film to get going, the early set up involves former West Point classmates reuniting at the Georgia home of Colonel Braxton Summers (Craig Stevens) and his wife Kathy (Barbara Payton).
Union forces led by Denning are assigned to blow up a mountain fortress from which the Rebs, commanded by his buddy Clay, are tasked with the job of destroying the rail line below, preventing supplies from reaching General Sheridan's army.
"Drums in the Deep South" looks like a good movie, but it lacks something a good movie must have: characters the audience can care about. |
tt1309374 | House of Dust | 1951 - Having already killed OCD patient Billy Brown (Michael Goodin) at the Redding House Asylum, a psychiatrist (Stephen Spinella) experiments on simple-minded inmate Melvin Veman (Peyton Clarkson) and sociopath Levius Laitura (John Lee Ames). With Levius still alive, the psychiatrist has his orderlies put the bodies of all three men inside the crematorium to burn them.
Present Day - Camden College student Dylan (Eddie Hassell) tells his girlfriend Gabby (Holland Roden) and his roommate Kolt (Steven Grayhm) about the now abandoned asylum's haunted history. New student Emma (Inbar Lavi) moves in as Gabby's roommate and Kolt takes a liking to her. However, fellow students Allyson (Alesandra Assante), Christine (Nicole Travolta) and Blythe (Joy Lauren) do not.
Dylan, Kolt, Gabby and Emma break into Redding House after a party to look around despite a warning from campus security guard Clyde (Justin James Lang). Emma has strange experiences while exploring on her own. The other three knock over a container of cremated ashes and inhale the dust of the three men burned there in 1951.
A recovering psychiatric patient herself, Emma begins experiencing haunting visions upon returning to the dorm. The behavior of the other three students gradually changes as Billy possesses Dylan, Melvin inhabits Gabby and Levius takes control of Kolt's body.
Allyson is killed by someone unseen while doing laundry. Christine is later killed while taking her dog outside. Suspecting that the disappearances and the odd behaviors are related to the asylum, Emma tries to go back to Redding House, but Clyde prevents her from going inside.
With Levius in full control of his actions, Kolt attacks Emma. Emma eventually flees into the asylum and confirms her suspicions when she examines patient records and finds the empty urn knocked over by the others. Emma then finds the dead bodies of Allyson, Christine and Blythe (who was killed off screen).
Kolt captures Emma, but Dylan knocks him unconscious (he also knocks Emma unconscious as well) and traps Kolt in the crematorium with Gabby. Emma recovers and frees Kolt and Gabby from the fire, which releases everyone from their possessions. Dylan coughs up Billy's spirit as well. The four students escape Redding House with Clyde's assistance. The crematorium dust goes through the chimney and into the air, ultimately possessing a little boy (Anthony Scarpone-Lambert) playing in the park with the other children nearby. | insanity, psychological, murder | train | wikipedia | Not the worst, but NOT the best..
As far as the haunted house genre of movie, this one was not one of the best in it's field, by far, however there have been much worse.
The acting was actually not that bad at all.
The actress who plays "Gaby" also has a role on the MTV show Teen Wolf.
This is also not the first role for any of the cast, so more or less, they get the job done.
While I understand that this was based off something that happened at a real crematorium, I believe they went about explaining everything in a what that was not very believable.
I hate the type of movies where the lead characters do plan stupid stuff just to the movie doesn't end.
Everyone knows that no one in their right mind would do something "like that" but they always end up doing it anyway.
I say, if you're bored, you have nothing to lose.
Just don't spend money on it..
god.....
This film is "awful".
I cannot believe I just sat through this.
There is quite literally ZERO script.
House of Dust is like the worst improv you have ever seen.
There is literally nothing I can say about this film will make this any better for you.The review on here by Delia Berlin is "blatantly" written by the director or the writer.
It is "that" obvious guys.....
sorry to call you out.I have literally NO IDEA AT ALL of how this film got any funding with this screenplay.
Atrocious.The actress playing the lead character is obviously very talented, and was the 'only' reason I watched the film to the end.The script didn't seem to include any writing for any of the other characters, so the film seemed reliant on continual drone-like music, which drowned out every single scene.
Any film with continual music, should be an indicator that it is a bad film, because there is nothing else it can offer.You really shouldn't watch this if you see this comment.
If you have read this comment and then gone onto watch House of Dust?
then you know why you're feeling like a complete idiot right now..
No thrills, nothing creepy, just more wasted money..
I love anchor bay entertainment!
But like most other distribution companies, they run out of money, and I guess "House of dust" is what you get when that occurs..First off, the story of this movie.
Once I got the main idea of the story, a huge face palm was planted on my face.
In this case, the story of this movie is clichéd, and has been seen millions, of billions of times before, delivering absolutely nothing new in the sense of entertainment.
The so called "Legend" is a massive cliché that has portrayed in many, many other films, as well as the characters, location, etc.Next, the killer, or foe in this tale.
One word, once again, cliché.
The killed has been portrayed in many others films!
And in this movie, the killer wasn't even executed all that well, making him seem foolish, and stupid in a way that drags this film deeper then it already is..Lastly, the cinematography, sound, overall execution, and characters.
The characters, or in this case main characters were, like the rest of this movie clichéd.
They were a bunch of collage kids that listened to the strong, "better" guy of the group, getting themselves into trouble, and DEATH.
The cinematography of the film was shallow.
Some shots were flawed, making it look terrible.
Some of the lighting, as well made the scenes look dull, and misplaced.
Overall depressing - like when it wasn't meant to.
Moving along, almost everything of the film was reliant of CGI, and it was horrible looking.
They used CGI from fire, to a shattering light bulb.
All of which was horrible, misplaced looking.
Finally, the sound.
Most of the soundtrack didn't fit!
Some music sequences sounded like action when noting really was happening, throwing us viewers off track!
And concluding, the scares.
Horrible!
There were none, no tension, thrills, nothing.
Once we got anything, thought, it was lame, horrid jump scares!
In conclusion.
This is a bad, bad, bad low budget film that tried to be more then it was, leading in an ultimate downfall!
This movie failed from beginning, to end!
More money wasted!
Stay away from this one, I honestly have no intentions of recommending this to anyone, for it's another uneventful, cliché fest that angers, instead pleasing..
Will keep you on the edge of your seat!.
Beautifully shot ghost story full of spooky moon lit scenes of northeast Connecticut.
Recognizing scenes of the wonderful campus of Eastern Connecticut State University is a special treat for Willimantic area fans.
Inspired by a real story of cremation remains of patients found at an abandoned asylum for the "mentally insane" this fantasy often gets too close to reality for comfort.
A.D. Calvo has a knack for contrasting beauty and horror, both through images and sounds.
This is not a movie to watch alone.
In the end, the boundaries of mental health and sanity blur as fantasy and reality trade places.
As always, questions are answered as new questions remain..
Basic Horror.
Every once in a while Hollywood tries a new variation of the haunted house genre, and every once in a while, it works.
This is not one of those times.
The movie starts out with a flashback with a doctor doing lobotomies when one of his patients escapes and kills the doctor.
The orderlies then take him out, stage a murder scene and burn the evidence in the hospital crematorium.
Jump to the present and we get into the real movie; actress Inbar Lavi plays Emma, a new student at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Her roommate, Gabby, introduces her to Colt and Dylan and take her to a burning trashcan party in the vacant front property in front of the abandoned Redding Home Asylum.
In time, we learn Emma is psychic, although she has been using medicine to drown out the voices for years.
When she is drawn into the hospital by the voices of one of patients killed at the start, her friends follow her inside but accidentally knock over a shelf with the forgotten canisters holding the ashes of the three cremated in the prologue.
The spirits of the three patients infest the three as a result - Colt becomes psychotic, Dylan develops Intense OCD and Gabby becomes manic depressive.
After the local mean girl gets murdered, Emma starts to realize what's happening.
It's not very scary; in fact, the plot does get tedious and drags in places, but it is atmospheric and the acting is pretty good.
However, it kind of ends on an incomplete note with no police involvement or resolutions.
The other big problem I have is that the movie is based loosely on the discovery of actual abandoned human ashes found abandoned at Oregon State Hospital in 2015.
Making a horror movie instead of a documentary on this discovery seems quite in bad taste to me.
"House of Dust" is a fair horror movie that isn't really that memorable except for this fact.
It's worth a look for its creepy moments, but it's not as intense as one would expect a horror movie should be..
House of Dust needed more pace, bigger budget and it could have been something much more than it was..
This is a movie that is for sure good as a cheap rental.
It needed more action/a faster pace at certain points of the movie though to make it better for more people and to make it likable for a wider audience.
Also with a bigger budget they could have had some better special effects but what they did have didn't look bad on screen.
In regards to the story I liked the idea of how this spirit came about possessing people.
There also was an interesting back story even if it wasn't too complex but it was well set out for us at the beginning.
I also think the ending was interesting in that the spirit found a host which it should be able to control easier and mold into what he needs the person to become so he can create more havoc on the earth eventually.
Definitely a second movie could be made and be entertaining.
No way this movie was a 1 like someone said on the IMDb message boards for this movie and yeah it wasn't a blockbuster 8+ movie but it was watchable and enjoyable for the most part.
Also in regards to the acting for this it was solid if not spectacular.
I have seen much, much worse and the acting did not make me want to shut off the movie.
As for specific acting Inbar Lavi is smoking hot.
I don't think people are going to mind seeing more of her on the big screen.
She delivered her lines fine and it would have been interesting to see if this cast could have handled a more fast paced script which is what this movie should have had more of.
Hopefully we will see this in a sequel.
To be honest I can't remember the last person in a movie that I said was smoking hot before Inbar Lavi in a long while.
A new pretty face for the movies?
Maybe.I hate to put a score out of 10 on this and so I won't if I don't have to while posting this review. |
tt0035432 | This Gun for Hire | In wartime San Francisco, chemist and blackmailer Albert Baker (Frank Ferguson) is killed by hit man Philip Raven (Alan Ladd), who recovers a stolen chemical formula. Raven is double-crossed by his employer, Willard Gates (Laird Cregar), who pays him with marked bills and reports them to the Los Angeles Police Department as stolen from his company, Nitro Chemical Corporation of Los Angeles. Raven learns of the set up and decides to get revenge. LAPD detective lieutenant Michael Crane (Robert Preston), who is vacationing in San Francisco to visit his girlfriend, nightclub singer Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake), is immediately assigned the case. He goes after Raven, but the assassin eludes him.
Meanwhile, Gates hires Ellen to work in his LA nightclub. She is taken to a clandestine meeting with Senator Burnett (Roger Imhof), where she learns that Gates and Nitro Chemical are under investigation as suspected traitors, and is recruited to spy on Gates. She and Gates board a train for Los Angeles, followed by Raven. By chance, Raven and Ellen sit next to each other. The next morning, Gates is alarmed when he sees them asleep with Raven's head on her shoulder. He wires ahead to alert the police, but Raven forces Ellen at gunpoint to help him elude them again. He is about to kill her but is interrupted by workmen, allowing Ellen to flee. She tries to contact Crane, but he has left San Francisco to return to LA.
That evening the suspicious Gates invites Ellen to his Hollywood mansion, where his chauffeur Tommy (Marc Lawrence) knocks her unconscious to set up a fake suicide. Crane goes to the mansion looking for Ellen but Gates has already left. While Crane questions Tommy, Raven arrives and hides outside, where he sees Tommy discard Ellen's purse, to keep Crane from spotting it. Raven realizes that Ellen is in danger. After Crane leaves, Raven knocks Tommy down a flight of stairs when the chauffeur denies Ellen is still there. Raven searches the house and rescues her. Tommy recovers and warns Gates at his club, where Crane has caught up with him. Raven and Ellen are confronted as they enter the club, so Raven takes her hostage as he flees. She surreptitiously drops monogrammed playing cards as a trail of "breadcrumbs". The police corner them in a railroad yard but wait for daylight to move in.
Raven reveals to Ellen that he was orphaned at a young age and raised by an abusive aunt. One day, he snapped while she was beating him and killed her, for which he was imprisoned in reform school; there, he was abused by the other children. She tells him that the formula he recovered was for a poison gas that Nitro is selling to the Japanese and begs him to extract a signed confession instead of killing Gates. Ellen helps Raven escape the dragnet, hoping she has appealed to his patriotism. However he breaks his promise to her and kills a policeman to get away.
Raven arrives as Nitro Chemical conducts a gas attack drill and its employees wear gas masks, obscuring their faces. Gates orders Tommy to guard his door. Tommy spots Raven and gives chase, but Raven knocks him out. Raven disguises himself in Tommy's uniform and gas mask to surprise Gates, forcing him to take him to company president Alvin Brewster (Tully Marshall), the mastermind of the treasonous Nitro sale. Raven barricades himself with them when the police and Ellen arrive, and coerces both into signing a confession. Brewster dies of a heart attack while trying to kill Raven, who then kills Gates. Crane is lowered on a scaffold and exchanges gunfire with Raven, wounding him. Raven passes up the opportunity to kill Crane when he sees Ellen helping the detective. Other police fatally shoot Raven, but he lives long enough to assure Ellen that he got the confession and receive her assurance that she did not turn him in. | mystery, murder | train | wikipedia | Rather than a flawed, weak man and a femme fatale, "This Gun For Hire" gives us a coldly amoral killer as the male lead and a tough, streetwise woman as the main "good guy" (her cop boyfriend spends most of the film running around frantically and accomplishing nothing).
Note that I said 'reported robbery.' The second involves his girl friend, entertainer Veronica Lake being recruited by no one less than a United States Senator to get the goods on one of Marshall's top aides, Laird Cregar who they think is doing some fifth column work at the behest of Marshall.
But it's still an entertaining movie, and probably close to required viewing if you enjoy noir and/or Forties movies.Raven (Alan Ladd) is a hired killer, evidently without remorse or nerves, who is paid to knock off a blackmailer.
The movie bills Veronica Lake and Robert Preston above the title, Laird Cregar just below the title, and Alan Ladd last in big type as "Introducing Alan Ladd." Some introduction; according to IMDb, Ladd had already appeared in more than 40 films in unbilled and minor parts.
In very short order, however, he's taken a gun out, helped a stray kitten get into his room and given it some food, slapped hard and full in the face a maid who tried to kick out the cat, showed up at the blackmailer's place where he meets the blackmailer (who was supposed to be alone); the blackmailer has his "secretary" with him so he just kills them both; on the way out a little girl on the stairs asks him to get her ball which has rolled away; she sees his face, he obviously thinks about shooting her, too -- but gets the ball for her and leaves.
Two of the most beautiful actors in film history, Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake got together for the first time in this crime drama that also launched the former's career; a combined fact that in itself is enough to make this a must-see feature.
He could be a fine performer, against the average public opinion, and a film like This Gun for Hire proves his neglected status as one of Film Noir's prime antiheroes.As witty as she's a long-haired blonde, Miss Lake has a sexiness and a childlike casualness about her that only underline her smartness.
Based on a novel (or, as the author called it, an "entertainment") by Graham Greene, Tuttle made a star of Alan Ladd, and created the first of a series of films co-starring Ladd and Veronica Lake (as his cool, opposite number).
Veronica Lake is the stunning female of the piece, she glides through the picture with ease as Ellen, a character with her own issues, but thankfully she's integral outside of any sort of romantic plot, even though she is the only one who gets close enough to Raven to learn anything about what makes him tick.Robert Preston as Michael Crane was to be the pics focus but he becomes a mere side part thanks to Ladd's barnstorming show, and unsurprisingly Laird Cregar is suitably shifty as Gates.
Phillip Raven (Alan Ladd) is a hit-man hired by Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) to execute the blackmailer Albert Baker (Frank Ferguson) and retrieve a letter and some documents for his unknown boss.
Alan Ladd is superb as the cold-blooded killing man for hire and Laird Cregor - who unfortunately was to die at 30 only two years after this film - is equally superb in his role.
Alan Ladd as a youthful hitman who blows away everyone who crosses his path, Laird Gregar brilliant as an oily, overweight, camp villain, Veronica Lake sultry, blonde and devastatingly beautiful, raise this seedy film to an interesting noir that has been regarded by critics as a "classic".
Alan Ladd - Gone, but not forgotten.Adapted from the Graham Greene novel of the same name, TGFH is a tough-edged story about love, power, and betrayal set in the seamy underworld of the 1940's.Alan Ladd, as Philip Raven, plays a cold-blooded, professional killer who's been double-crossed and set-up for termination by his most recent client.
It took Alan Ladd a long 10 years and something like 40 films to make it, but make it he did as a cat-loving contract killer in "This Gun for Hire," also starring Veronica Lake, Laird Cregar and Robert Preston.
Adapted from a Grahame Greene novel, which it resembles only superficially, the movie is intelligently directed by Frank Tuttle, and features some good acting by, among others, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, Marc Lawrence and the aforementioned Mr. Ladd.
"This Gun for Hire" is a decent film-noir, although nothing really sticks out about it except for one thing: Alan Ladd.
Eventually, unfortunately, the film winds down, as we get to know Ladd, and he seems more humanlike, and he meets the character played by Veronica Lake, who I must admit was not the best Dame for the job.
His part reminded me of his uncredited role years later in Diamonds Are Forever.A good double feature would be this and L.A. Confidential (TGFH is seen on TV in the film.) Remember the lines between Basinger and Crowe?LYNN BRACKEN: You're the first man in five years who didn't tell me I look like Veronica Lake inside of a minute.
R. Burnett --"This Gun for Hire" has to be about the most unbelievable film noir in Hollywood history.It involves a likable contract killer battling cardboard villains,a beautiful blonde going undercover to support the war effort, and Robert Preston, abandoning his likable bad guy persona to play a rather bland, boring cop.And if the improbable, silly plot about a paid assassin who is double crossed by his loathsome employers, who turn out to be traitors to their country, isn't enough, to top this all off it includes some of the most ham handed acting as you will find in a major studio release during the war years.But the big surprise is, the film works.
It's a persona that worked well for Lake and when she had it clicking, it was hard not to like her.Aside from these two performances, the film's strength is Frank Tuttle's strong direction of his action sequences as the cops chase Raven across LA.
This first time pairing of Ladd and Lake obviously worked at the box office and it's far superior to their third teaming ~ the rather silly 'Blue Dahlia' --that film also heralded the first credited screenplay by Raymond Chandler --Chandler at the time, they say, was on the wagon, but had to get drunk to finish the 'Dahlia' script....and it showed.Most will still enjoy 'This Gun for Hire' but it should have been far Superior.
The film features a breakout role for Alan Ladd, who would go on to star in a number of noir flicks throughout the forties; and it also features a role for the beautiful Veronica Lake.
In this very early 40'ish whodunnit,whydunnit,set in and around the war effort we have a quite intense and stylish thriller at work.With outstanding performances by all the leads,we are taken thru the scenes on an intriquing tour thru early film noir,somewhat.Much more of a spy thriller/urban crime caper than actual noir,nevertehless,it moves and gravitates the underpinnings of bad guy/good guy movie roles.Even though we don't necessarily know good from bad until about halfway,if that,we are taken on nice ride in and around the laird,and lake and by ladd.
Alan Ladd is on scene from the get-go to establish reason for movie plot and sustained protagonist in need of help and interpretation as to killer profile.His first major film,which establishes him as crafty tough guy that can think and pound his way thru scenes.His character is fierce and demanding,and the story holds up well for his behavior.
This film needs all these characters to work well and would probably fall flat with any one missing.Still,it moves with a grace and style that is foundation for bigger and better movies to follow.But not by that much and not that many will follow suit,as fittingly.Thank goodness for Lake,Laird and Ladd to rescue a decade of glossy and overly pretentious movies,to follow.
Philip Raven (Alan Ladd) is a harden killer hired by Gates to kill Baker who was a blackmailer.
Such is the curiosity of This Gun For Hire, one of the finest examples of the B-movie noirs.Stoic hit-man Philip Raven (Alan Ladd) guns down chemist Albert Baker (Frank Ferguson) and his innocent secretary, and takes what he came for - a chemical formula.
In spite of its flaws and inconsistencies - For me, this tough, and decidedly gritty, little, 1942 Crime/Drama was something of an unexpected surprise, as it turned out to be a whole lot better than I had originally thought it would be.The overall success of this film's story relied significantly on the relative new-comer to the scene, actor Alan Ladd.For a man of such small stature as Ladd (he was only 5' 5"), he certainly managed to deliver quite a towering, multi-leveled portrayal of the Philip Raven character, a friendless, cold-blooded, professional killer with a clear soft-spot for cats and kids.Without a hitch Ladd certainly pulled off his complex part convincingly with a fine flair for understanding his character.As the story goes - Raven (who was one of the most unromantic, unglamorous, hard-boiled protagonists to ever play on screen) is double-crossed and set up for termination by his most recent client.
It's only a matter of time before Raven is put out of action for good.To avenge himself Raven must track down and eliminate, with extreme prejudice, those who want him out of the picture, permanently.Intelligent, well-scripted, and quick-paced, "This Gun For Hire" was adapted for the screen from the Graham Greene novel, "A Gun For Sale".Filmed in stark b&w, this classic slice of early, Hollywood, Film Noir moves along at a nice, brisk clip with its 80 minute running time..
A stark, compelling film noir which grips right from the start as we're introduced to Alan Ladd in his first major movie, one minute being as gentle as you like with his pet cat, the next slapping the face and tearing the dress of his lippy chambermaid.
Improbably cast as a magician cum cabaret singer cum special agent and beautifully dressed by Edith Head, she soon enough runs into Ladd and gradually builds up a testy relationship with him, even as she cosies up to her cop boyfriend, an altogether more anodyne character.It would be pointless to dwell too much on the plot - the source novel is one of the few by Graham Greene I haven't read, but it's all satisfyingly labyrinthine and suspenseful right up to Ladd's demise in a crisply directed shoot-out by the end.Fans of noir like me will love the plot's reference points of the femme fatale, double-crossing crooks and hard-boiled loners.
From the furious opening where Alan Ladd slaps the maid round the face and rips her dress to the slightly sentimental and patriotic ending as Veronica Lake asks the outclassed Robert Preston to 'Hold me', this is one amazingly creative and varied, noir ride.
This film launched the career of Alan Ladd as a great actor playing the role as Philip Raven who had a horrible childhood and developed a criminal mind that just wanted to kill and he became a hired killer.
THIS GUN FOR HIRE is a fascinating, grim look at a hired killer (ALAN LADD), a corrupt boss (LAIRD CREGAR), a gutsy femme fatale blonde (VERONICA LAKE), and the detective (ROBERT PRESTON)who has a hard time getting his hands on the much wanted criminals and their cunning ways.Paramount wisely cast ALAN LADD in his first starring role as Raven, put him opposite the very attractive and petite VERONICA LAKE, and added LAIRD CREGAR and ROBERT PRESTON for box-office insurance.
It's played very effectively by the entire cast and runs a brisk 80 minutes that moves quickly and assuredly under Frank Tuttle's direction.Ladd makes an interesting character out of his cold blooded killer, stroking a cat as easily as killing it when he has to.
This Gun For Hire" 1942, classic film noir with Ladd and Lake.
Directed by Frank Tuttle, a respected veteran helmer for Paramount, TGFH was no B movie as it featured rising star Veronica Lake opposite established leading man Robert Preston, plus hefty star character actor, Laird Cregar, but it became a gigantic hit with the introduction of Alan Ladd in his screen debut as a cold blooded gun for hire whose hardness is softened by an incredibly attractive and insanely beautiful Veronica Lake.
Alan Ladd (Raven) is a hired killer who carries out a job but is double crossed by his peppermint-munching businessman boss Laird Cregar (Gates).
When hit man Philip Raven (Alan Ladd) successfully completes a job, his sleazy employer Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) pays him with stolen marked bills.
Raven sets out to get revenge but along the way meets and befriends nightclub singer Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake), who's been recruited by the government to prove Gates is working with foreign agents.
She's also the girlfriend of the police lieutenant (Robert Preston) in charge of hunting down Raven.The movie that made Alan Ladd a star and the first to pair him with Veronica Lake.
Alan Ladd stars as Philip Raven, who was hired by Willard Gates(played by Laird Cregar) to pay off two blackmailers.
She agrees, but cannot tell her fiancée, a police detective named Michael Crane(played by Robert Preston) who is after Raven, who manages to meet up with Ellen on a train, where they team up to not only take down Gates, but his traitorous employer Alvin Brewster(played by Tully Marshall).Involved story is still most entertaining and enjoyable, with a fine cast and efficient direction by Frank Tuttle.
Its stars are pint-sized Alan Ladd and tiny Veronica Lake, who try to match wits with Laird Cregar, a huge guy who looks even bigger in scenes with either one of them.You can immediately tell it's a noir film, as Ladd is seen in his hotel room with no lights on (noir hotels always seem to have power problems), and wears a trench coat in most scenes.
It turns out that the main figures in this plot are Gates and his company president Alvin Brewster.What sets the film apart from many wartime spy thrillers is the quality of the acting, with three performances in particular standing out, from Laird Cregar, Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd.
Unlike, however, the sultry blondes played by other noir actresses such as Gloria Grahame and Lizabeth Scott, Lake's character Ellen Graham is not a seductive femme fatale but rather the detective-hero's girlfriend who plays an important role in bringing the villains to book.Officially, Robert Preston as the detective Michael Crane is the film's male lead, but it is Ladd, in his first major role, who is its real star, making Raven a compelling, charismatic figure for all his villainy.
In the film noir that launched him into stardom, Ladd plays a hired killer seeking revenge against the employer who double-crosses him.
The appeal of this film noir, the first pairing of Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, largely escapes me.The movie is based on a thrilling Graham Greene novel called "A Gun for Sale," but it's been reset in San Francisco during WWII and is more a sketch of the novel rather than a full-blown adaptation.
"This Gun for Hire" (1942), directed by Frank Tuttle, is the first pairing between Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, and is also the film that catapulted Ladd into stardom and into the front ranks of actors who could make a movie a hit simply with his name on the poster.However, the screenplay, based on the novel "A Gun for Sale" by Graham Greene, is standard war-time espionage melodrama: Raven (Ladd), a hired hit-man, is betrayed by his anonymous employer, Willard Gates (Laird Cregar), who pays him with marked bills; he goes on the run to kill him, while the police, aided by Ellen Graham (Lake), try to find evidence that Gates and his paymaster, the powerful invalid Alvin Brewster (Tully Marshall), are selling poison gas to the Japanese.In fact, "This Gun for Hire" isn't really that good; an average spy thriller that were numerous around that period.
"This Gun For Hire" is an excellent early film noir with an intriguing storyline and some memorable performances, especially from Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.
When Gates sees that Raven's on the train, he notifies the police but Raven's successful escape leads to a sequence of events which culminate in Ellen persuading Raven to abandon his quest for deadly revenge and to take a course of action which ultimately brings an end to the NCC's involvement in a plot to sell a secret poison gas formula to one of the US's wartime enemies.Alan Ladd is very impressive as the cold, laconic, psychopathic killer who hates and distrusts everyone and never shows any sign of humour or emotion.
Hard-biting crime drama with a hired gun, Philip Raven(Alan Ladd, in his first starring role) who takes out a blackmailer and his secretary(she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, collateral damage)for a client, Willard Gates(Laird Cregar, HANOVER SQUARE; THE LODGER), working for the head honcho of a chemical plant.
Great noir with Ladd utterly fascinating as the "gun for hire" Raven who, in between methodically knocking off people, has a penchant for pussy cats and shows flashes of kindness towards a disabled child and a gorgeous blonde (Lake).
Miraculously the complex plot works fine, mainly due to the brilliant performances give by Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and Laird Cregar!.
Very good Film-Noir starring Alan Ladd as Phillip Raven, an assassin who is paid for his last assignment with counterfeit bills by sleazy Willard Gates(Laird Cregar).
These films were often dubbed "Lake-Ladd" films, and today play like slightly poorer versions of the more famous "Bogart-Bacall" noirs."This Gun For Hire" was directed by Frank Tuttle. |
tt0081614 | Tendres cousines | The story begins on 5 July 1939. The film opens with a narration by Julien, who states that he is going on 15, and that he is in love with his cousin Julia, and also that Julia's younger sister, Poune, is in love with him. His self-obsessed sister Claire is about to marry for money. He lives with his mother who has taken on boarders due to financial difficulties: a German professor who fled the Nazis, his daughter, and a fading actress, Clementine.
Julien constantly tries to win the attention of Julia, whilst Poune tries to win the attention of him. Julien gives Julia a Swiss army knife as a gift, though she shows little interest in it. She later gives it to Poune. Claire's fiancé, Charles, shows interest in Julia. The professor continues his experiments into capturing a soul, whilst his daughter encourages Julien to pursue Julia. Julia writes of her interest in Charles in her diary, and talks of her pity for Julien, who she hopes will find a woman. Julien later confronts Julia and protests her friendship with Charles, to no avail.
Charles takes Julia for a drive, but she rejects his sexual advances. Claire questions Charles about his relationship with Julia; Charles pleads ignorance. When Julien pranks Charles by releasing the brake in his car so that it rolls down a hill and is damaged, he is confined to his room. There, Mathilde, one of the maids, tries to seduce Julien, but Julien's mother catches her naked in his bed. Mathilde is sent away and is replaced by Madeleine. Charles immediately pursues Madeleine, and Poune and Julien write a note to Julia to get her into the barn at the time Charles has arranged to meet Madeleine. Julia catches Charles having sex with Madeleine and is furious at him. Clementine comforts Julia.
The following day is Julia's 16th birthday party. The partygoers leave early, however, after it is discovered that Germany has declared war. Charles, the male servants, and Julien's father leave the home to go to war. The absence of the men creates extra work for Julien, the professor and the women. Julien, focused on work, loses interest in Julia. Clementine is informed she will have to leave the following week as her room has been rented. Exhausted from the previous day's work, Julien falls asleep in the hay and is awoken by Justine, one of the female servants. Justine asks Julien to undress her and then has sex with him.
The next day the women are preparing breakfast for Julien. Justine attempts to take it to him however one of the other servants insists it is her turn. Julien is next seen kissing the naked servant girl. He coerces her into performing oral sex on him. Julia walks in on Julien and the servant girl. Julia slaps Julien in the face upon finding them; Julien replies that it is none of her business. Later Poune gives the Swiss army knife back to Julien, telling him that they are no longer friends.
Julia tells Clementine she has decided to leave with her. Clementine tries to talk her out of it. Julien approaches Julia. The two argue; Julien tells Julia he is ashamed that he used to love her. The two fight, then wrestle on the ground before slowing down and eventually kissing. In the final scene Julien and Julia are lying naked together in the hay. Julia asks if he will give her the Swiss army knife again. In a cocky voice, Julien replies "Yeah sure, baby, sure" as he puts his clothes back on. Julia replies, "Don't speak to me like that." Julien replies in the same tone "OK, baby." Julia slaps him in the face, and the screen freeze-frames on Julien's shocked expression. | pornographic, romantic | train | wikipedia | More than just photography (and a lack of them).
Most reviews say that this is the weakest point in Hamilton's short movie career.
This movie is a bit different from the rest, and considering it the best or the worst depends on what you expect from a movie, and what you expect from Hamilton.Knowing Hamilton as a photographer, you can be slightly surprised.
While Bilitis looks like his books in a movement with all those young girls discovering themselves and relations with each other on the edge of lesbian, with a plot connecting these scenes, Laura concentrates on few characters what enables developing relations among them (male-female, artist-model) but though we see beautiful photos, many of them better than his average, their number is reduced for the sake of the plot.
Tendres cousines is different from both, it is only Hamilton's movie that looks more like a film than like a collection of moving photos.
Because of that it can be acceptable to wider audience than Hamilton's fans, looking like an erotic comedy (but not German soft-core type - "Schulmädchen report" fans would be very disappointed).
You won't laugh a lot, but you can smile (and that's something you don't often get from Hamilton).
Unlike all other Hamilton's movies the age of female varies.
Unlike other movies main character is a boy.
Unlike his usual works this one isn't put out of place and out of time.
We have characters that live their life, have their destiny and don't lead us only from one photo to another, from one nude girl to another.Unfortunately, Hamilton (again) gets lost with a script in his hands.
Girls on beaches, under shower, in low-light rooms, in gardens, under tents, in front of mirrors, regardless of the amount of clothes - this is his territory, he can shoot minutes and hours, and whatever he does you'll always feel the artist's eye and hand behind it.
But when he has to present us average everyday life he stops being Hamilton and becomes average director who just follows the script.
Hamilton is best known for his nudes, but they are just a part of his work.
And in Tendres cousines we have a reverse situation: his girls are not in the best shots.
Nature, garden, house remind us on Hamilton's work (often neglected part of it), while girls, even when nude, don't have anything special in the way he presents us.
Maybe Hamilton was confused having a boy in front of camera, maybe he was thinking about a line that censorship would accept, maybe he was really trying to make something new (and no one dared to tell him he shouldn't), but he neglected what he was mostly praised for..
Excellent french sex farce.
As others have mentioned, all the women that go nude in this film are mostly absolutely gorgeous.
The plot very ably shows the hypocrisy of the female libido.
When men are around they want to be pursued, but when no "men" are around, they become the pursuers of a 14 year old boy.
And the boy becomes a man really fast (we should all be so lucky at this age!).
He then gets up the courage to pursue his true love..
At least Hamilton gives us a bit of teenage male nudity this time!.
What's wrong with this guy?
As one reviewer elsewhere sarcastically suggested, Hamilton as a photographer at least, is such a legend in his own mind he thinks he is also a film director extraordinaire!
This little work-out should have convinced even HIM to give it away!As always in a Hamilton epic...I mean soft-porn flick, young girls cavort around in uninhibited fashion (presumably they are well paid in this regard).
THIS time however when all things even out, all they have left is a 14 year old boy (he looks it too).
Is this guy lucky or what?
still with such attention as comes his way (pardon the pun) he can at least finally "relate" to his own girlfriend.Gives new meaning to the term "Kissing Cousins".
child porn ?.
"Tendres Cousines" has generally been placed into two categories in the past: sex comedy and those kinds of movies which are mainly about artsy cinematography.
However, if it belongs in the first category, it is mostly boring, pretentious, dreary, and painfully unfunny (French movies usually fail to distinguish between cute and funny).
If it belongs in the latter category, than the cinematography is a grainy mix of shots which resemble traditional paintings and also of downright ugly shots which could probably be attributed to the film´s low production values.
However, the movie is notable for a different reason.
While it only has about 9 sex scenes, about 4 involve Julien, the film´s 14 year old hero who actually looks 14 if not younger !
These tend to be relatively explicit, chock full of nudity and even hint at incest.
Of course, the movie is probably intended to show a case of what can happen during puberty and what can lead adult or almost adult women (the women in the movie, by the way, are gorgeous) to have sex with a boy that young.
Or, it could just be an attempt at a teenage "Emmanuelle".
Nevertheless, it surprises me that this movie was not banned in the U.S. as child porn - not that it necessarily should be but Americans tend to be extremely sensitive to the problem of teen exploitation .
All in all, "Tendres Cousines" is a weird and somewhat twisted little movie.
Pedophiles and people who think that French people can do no wrong should love it..
Cremaster.
Film is still young enough for there to be credible arguments about just what it is.Its entirely possible for someone to believe it is about what photography is, what the majority of us think photography is.Here's a photographer, and he believes that.
His photographs evoke remembrances of an innocent sexuality, false memories certainly but sweet smelling.
There's a deliberate unreality in the photos, with girls in nearly surreal poses with the lens gauzed as if there were a barrier of sorts between our reality and that we see or is it imagine?There's all sorts of implied narrative in these still photos.
They are so, so very rich in what they imply.Now to film.
I've seem "Laura," which was successful in a minor way because the artist dreaming about the new woman was placed in the story explicitly.
Oh and he has vision problems, and he needs to translate his story by shifting senses (to touch) just as we do from photo to movie.This is his next project.
I really don't know what he was thinking.
Before he had sexual imaginings, here he simply has sex.
Before he focused on a wonderful symmetry: our imaginations of a young girl balanced with her imaginings of an older man.
I guess he thought he could work a similar symmetry here with a young boy instead of the older artist.
But it fails in an extraordinarily large way.I think that is because in this case he invested too much in the story, the power of the story to carry the thing, and he drifted too far away from where he has power, the image.
I think "Walkabout" successfully does what this attempts.
Go there instead.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life..
French cinema, coming-of-age erotic film.
I like David Hamilton's artistic photographs of nude women at the border of womanhood, sometimes erotic, though never pornographic.
Someone else liked them, too, because my David Hamilton books were stolen.
In one book were seen a few pictures of a young boy, obviously nude, intimate with a young woman older than he, also nude.
Though discrete, there was strong sexual connotation.
New territory for David Hamilton which proved to be either stills from the movie Tendres Cousines or perhaps photos taken on set.The art of still photography unfortunately does not automatically translate to cinematography.
Soft focus becomes out-of-focus and discrete angles become confusing, perhaps because, in motion, they cannot be considered.
You either see it or miss it and there's no time to observe, to comprehend.
The movie is supposed to be a farce, and funny things do happen, but it doesn't "hang together," perhaps because the story develops so slowly and one may wonder just what's going on.
Eventually, the 14-year-old Julien has intercourse with his cousin, but it's soft core, with no genital contact shown on camera.
Since it's a farce, we have a disappointing virgin and an embarrassing caught in the act gag and, having caught them, Julien's father even gives him a cigarette to complete the experience.
In fairness, the film is in French and conforms to French cinematic forms, which may just be too subtle for most Americans even with English subtitles to help us Phillistines along.It's been suggested that this film is child pornography and that certainly results from today's climate where sexual exploitation of children is clearly a serious problem.
Nobody in their right mind wants to endorse or appear to endorse the sexual abuse of children, so there's practically no room left for children to be seen in even the mildest erotic context without immediately activating alarms over sexual violence and exploitation.
Guys will think "Lucky Julien!" even as they agree that sex and children in the movies is a "bad thing," all the while still wishing they could have been a Julien at that age.
Women, too, may have similar thoughts, but all such considerations must be pushed out of one's conscious mind.
Hysterically, the worst assumptions have become automatic and matters of children and sex are rigorously avoided.
Too bad, since sexual awakening is a real human experience.
Afer all, children do grow up and become sexual beings as Julien does.
It's a fit literary subject, cinema included, but taboo under the threat of sexual violence against children.
David Hamilton, I think, was taking a risk to make a movie on this topic even in 1980.
He was somewhat successful at exploring this sensitive topic, and, unfortunately, we're unlikely to see better in the near future for fear of the child pornography label. |
tt0321021 | Without a Trace | Susan Selky is a well-known English professor at Columbia University. She lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with her 6-year-old son Alex (Danny Corkill). One March morning, Susan sees Alex off to school, which is only two blocks away. Alex turns to wave to his mother, then disappears around the corner.
Susan returns home after work, and becomes increasingly alarmed when Alex is late. She calls her friend and neighbor Jocelyn Norris, whose daughter is a classmate of Alex's, and learns Alex never went to school. She immediately calls the New York City Police Department, and officers descend on the townhouse, led by Lieutenant Al Menetti. Susan is questioned closely on all aspects of her life and her son's, and the police initially suspect her estranged husband, Graham, a professor at New York University, but he produces an alibi.
Susan's case generates attention from the local media, and citizens help in the search by distributing posters. Susan is initially criticized for allowing her son to walk to school by himself. Susan takes a polygraph test that clears her as a suspect. Numerous leads are checked out, including several reports that Alex may have been seen in the back seat of a blue 1965 Chevy. A psychic is also called in, but each lead fizzles.
The investigation drags on, and Graham is at odds with Menetti after budget cuts force Menetti to dismantle the command center in Susan's apartment and run the case from the precinct. Menetti's attention is soon diverted to other cases, but the Selky case is always a priority. At one point, Graham takes matters into his own hands after he receives a ransom call. Given a beating, he requires a hospital stay.
A break in the case finally happens on the Fourth of July, when Susan's housecleaner, Philippe, is arrested as a suspect. A pair of Alex's bloody underpants was found in his apartment, where the gay Philippe was picked up with a 14-year-old male prostitute. Susan visits Philippe in jail, and he tells her that the bloody underpants came about when he used them to stop bleeding after he cut himself washing dishes in Susan's house. Convinced Philippe is innocent, Susan tries to persuade Menetti to drop the charges, but he refuses, citing undisclosed physical evidence.
The renewed media coverage generated by Philippe's arrest dies down, and Susan faces increased pressure to drop the matter and accept that Alex could be dead. Susan's feelings come to a boiling point when a magazine cancels an article she wrote about Alex, and Jocelyn advises her to give up. Susan tries to resume her normal routine, although she never loses faith. One day, she receives a phone call from a woman in Bridgeport, Connecticut, named Malvina Robbins, who says Alex is living with neighbors. Menetti tells Susan he has also heard from Robbins, but Bridgeport police told him the woman is a crank. The investigation is closed, he says, and Philippe goes on trial within weeks.
On a day off, Menetti takes a drive with his son. When he sees a sign for Bridgeport, Connecticut, he checks out the lead personally. He recruits his young son as his partner on the case. Once he is sure that the lead is false, Menetti hopes to browbeat Robbins from disturbing Selky. When Menetti arrives at Robbins' address, he is shocked to see a blue Chevy (in which witnesses had reported seeing Alex) parked in the driveway of the neighboring house. Realizing that Robbins was telling the truth, he uses her phone to contact the Bridgeport police. They find Alex alive and unharmed. His kidnapper wanted the boy to care for his disabled sister who lives in the house.
Menetti drives Alex back to New York with a huge police escort (which grows with each jurisdiction it passes through), and the New York media is tipped off that he has been found, converging on Susan's Brooklyn house. Susan returns from grocery shopping in time to see Alex stepping out of Menetti's car. In front of delighted bystanders and reporters, mother and child are reunited. | violence, murder, romantic, flashback | train | wikipedia | null |
tt1073482 | Banshee!!! | Sage Ryan, daughter of a demised garage owner, is a professional car thief. The police know her, but have always failed to convict her. Due to her aptitude to elude police she is notorious known as "The Banshee".
One day everything changes when she steals a distinct vintage car (a 66 Dodge Charger) right before a date. Lacking in concentration, she drops her ID card at the crime scene and doesn't even realize the loss.
After she has delivered the car to her fencer she returns home only to find a threatening letter. The owner of the stolen car has kidnapped her lover and demands his car back.
Sage brings the car back to the parking area where she stole it and hopes that her lover will be released in exchange. Instead, she finds in her flat two police officers and her lover's corpse.
The police consider her the number one suspect and try to arrest her. She barely escapes and starts an investigation of her own. Hunted by police and by her furious fencer, she tracks down the murderer, who turns out to be a serial killer.
He has captured and is about to kill Sage's friend Brenna. She manages to save Brenna, only for the two to suddenly have to run for their lives. | fantasy | train | wikipedia | One Fine Performance is Only Redeeming Feature.
While this film deserves to be panned for its overall failure, an outstanding and memorable performance by Kerry McGann redeems this lackluster effort from total oblivion.
She is simply excellent as a local police officer who goes to battle with the dreaded titular banshee.
Her portrayal of a strong and competent female character is refreshing in this sort of horror outing.
Despite a weak script and poor dialog, she manages to make clear what a gifted actor can do in the worst of movies.
It is only because of McGann that this is not a complete waste of time.
The rest of the cast seems amateurish, as does the direction.
The special effects are terrible and the cinematography is abysmal.
The film is only recommended as an introduction to the work of Kerry McGann and little else..
Interesting but unfortunately unimpressive.
Okay, a film about people being stalked and killed by a banshee!!!
was pretty interesting at first, especially because as we all know, said critter can make people hallucinate.Actually, the oddity of the monster was pretty much the only thing setting "Banshee!!!" apart from the average creature feature and unfortunately, not much becomes of it.
does naturally use illusions but inconsistently.The banshee!!!
does wreck some things, like cars and such, unlike many other creature features.
Additionally, many supposed central characters are dispatched pretty quickly, and at least on scene featured the banshee!!!
killing multiple victims within one scene.However the protagonist is the most irritating character.
She comments on how some guy named Lake keeps stalking her; which is at least an exaggeration, although his making moves on her aren't too common, certainly not nearly as common as her comments about him.
Yet apparently she finds his immature jokes funny (in one scene, she's the only one laughing) and...
actually it's unclear how much he's bothering her.The only scene where he is occurs directly after said protagonist flirts with a guy she just met & they start mocking Lake.
Naturally this instigates conflict, after which the protagonist calls Lake out on his thinking about her being inappropriate in the situation.
Lake also wasn't currently doing anything that was cause for ridicule.
Naturally nobody calls out said protagonist out despite her..
Yikes!!!.
Actually Banshee!!!
is not quite as bad as the review title suggests, but it is hardly a good movie either, at least to me.
The only things that stop it from being any worse than it turned to be were some pretty good prosthetic gore effects and a couple of scenes where it is energetically paced.
But these few good moments fall far and between because the rest of the movie is to sum it up in one word...lame.
The creature of the title is cheaply made, inconsistent and apart from the fact it kills it is not menacing at all.
The look of the film also is not much better, the sets are decent actually but the filming generally is static and unfinished, with the use of various styles at the end proving to be too much.
The dialogue is choppy and does flow very well, the story is underdeveloped with a high predictability factor, and the character especially the lead are irritating.
The acting is not terrible, but it is never above mediocre level.
Overall, I've seen worse but Banshee!!!
was still a mess.
3/10 Bethany Cox. Cheesefest of the highest order.
On a camping trip for Spring Break, a group of friends run across a farming family engaged in a deadly struggle with a legendary creature and are brought into the blood-soaked war between both sides.This here was quite an enjoyable creature feature with a lot to like about it.
One of the more enjoyable aspects here is the rather novel creature are the center of the film, which has plenty to like.
The design and overall look to this one is pretty intriguing as this one plays out rather nicely here by being quite a unique and enjoyable design which fits the creature rather well.
It also has some rather intriguing effects on the other parts of the film by showcasing some pretty intriguing tactics and abilities to make this quite unique.
It's primary tactic of a hallowing, debilitating shriek which disrupts those around it as well as giving it a weapon based off its own history and is all executed quite well, while a secondary ability in the shape-shifting causes this one a lot of fun in the few scenes it's utilized.
The distrust among the survivors in the house at the end by switching out different people and bring along all the different confrontations in the house due to that are all really exciting which settles onto the film's best aspect which is the rather exciting action scenes within this one.
These are spread throughout here which makes for a pretty thrilling pace in addition to providing this one with a slew of exciting moments.
The opening attack on the campsite which leads into the chase through the train-tracks through the woods, the two different flashbacks showing the family's struggle with the creature and the encounter in the family barn all manage to include that kind of exciting and enjoyable action while still maintaining a healthy dose of fear for the creature.
Along with the rather bloody kills and a fine sense of cheese delivered through the different seduction techniques with this one, it has a lot to like though there's some minor flaws present.
One of the biggest here is that this one never really gives this a healthy back-story for the creature.
This one never gives up much of anything about the creature or why it's going after the family or why it's there to begin with, and there's little about that which fits this.
Aside from this, the only other flaw would be the lame CGI here for everything from the creature and the kills which stands out quite readily, and slightly lowers this one.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Brief Nudity..
Not very good..
is set in Connecticut where local man Jack Gorman (Kevin Shea) pulls a rusted thirty year old car out of a ravine thinking he might get some money for it for scrap metal, while checking the car the trunk opens & an odd large cocoon like things falls out.
Unknown to Jack an ancient creature known as a Banshee breaks out of the cocoon & starts to terrorise the area, first up is Jack, his wife Rosemary & nephew Rocker (David McCarthy) but when they barricade themselves inside Jack's place the Banshee then goes after a group of camping teenagers.
The Banshee kills some of them while the other's make it to Jack's house & hold up inside with him & Rocker.
As the Banshee prowls outside looking for a way in the terrified survivors inside look for a way out...Co-edited, co-produced & directed by Colin Theys who also gets a visual effects credit too Banshee!!!
(why three exclamation marks?
I mean why not two or four?) is a fairly poor low budget 'Creature Feature' horror film that tries to be a bit different, a bit modern & have a sense of humour but at the end of the day it's a pretty lame film that isn't nearly as much fun as it likes to think itself is.
I sort of got the impression that Banshee!!!
wasn't even finished & maybe there were a few parts that were unfilmed or unfinished like the baby Banshee maggot thing that literally comes from nowhere, the way a lot of the story is forgotten or never developed like a big deal was made of the fact that a Banshee is a local Irish legend but this is never followed up on & there's no reasons given as to why this thing exists, why there aren't more of them or what an Irish monster is doing in Connecticut killing teenagers.
Banshee does have a nice pace about it & it moves along at a fair rate, there are one or two nice moments & certain parts of the film feel quite energetic but the poor story that quickly turns into a standard The Night of the Living Dead (1968) scenario with a group of people trapped inside a farmhouse trying to keep something nasty out & ultimately goes nowhere, poor effects, annoying teenage character's only there to be killed off & a real predictability sink it.
A good effort but not good enough really, I honestly can't say I enjoyed Banshee!!!
& ultimately that's what watching a film is all about.There's an unbelievable bit at the end that has to be seen to be believed where Rocker gets his guitar & sound equipment out & uses his (awful) rock music skills to fend off the Banshee which doesn't seem to like certain sounds & the way it is shot is hilariously funny with his Uncle Jack & Veronica in the background dancing & it's just one of those priceless 'what were they thinking' moments that is one of the most absurd things I have seen in a while both from a conceptual & technical viewpoint.
There's some gore here, a sharp stick is thrown through some guy's mouth & it exits out the back of his head, there are guts, blood splatter, a ripped out throat, a splattered ripped apart Dog, a pair of legs are seen walking along after someone is ripped in two, someones head is torn off, a car crushes someone & in the best gore scene someones head explodes after a blast of a lethal sound-wave from the Banshee.
The special effects are a mixed bag, some of the CGI is alright while at times it's simply awful with some shots looking unfinished & very choppy.With a supposed budget of about $1,000,000 Banshee was filmed in Connecticut & as yet has no other IMDb reviews (both on site or external) which makes me wonder whether this has even been released in the US yet, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that it hasn't been picked up for distribution to be honest.
The acting from no-one I have ever heard of is pretty poor & for some reason Deputy Sheriff Julianna sounded (badly) dubbed for the first half of the film.Banshee!!!
does have one or two moments that save it from being a complete 'One Star' disaster but not enough & it's not a film I would ever want to see again.
Completely Awful.
This movie came on TV one evening when there really wasn't anything else on, and being a horror fan, I thought I would give it a chance.
It was astounding how terrible it was!
I think I watched it through to the end in order to see if it would improve.
SOME SPOILERS..
The basic premise is that there is a banshee, (a large, winged creature) killing and tearing local people apart and it does this by emitting high-pitched screaming and/or ripping people apart with its teeth and claws.
Strangers get stuck together after some teenagers get attacked at their campsite and some of them get killed.
The survivors run until they find some houses and are allowed in by two men.
In addition to being huge, fast and winged, the banshee can cause hallucinations which it uses to clone people, which then allows it to get close to its victims.
This hallucination ability is loosely explained suddenly by a zoology student who states that the low frequencies the banshee emits are too low for humans to hear and it becomes a hallucination if it gets too close to human eyes.I am not sure if the writers or the actors were bigger offenders here.
Not only were the lines boring and not ever what they intended to be (cool, tough or funny), the actors were not able to convey much either.
If you watch this movie, watch it with the intent to laugh AT it and you will derive much more entertainment from it.
As a horror movie, which it is billed, it fails miserably..
Wow...not in a good way..
I am not being hyperbolic: easily one of the worst films ever to find distribution.
With the exception of the acting (which isn't great really), every other aspect of this film is grossly incompetent.
From the writer of the script to the mixer of the sound, pretty much no one knew what they were doing.
Obviously, the director deserves most of the derision.
Scenes that make no sense and/or go nowhere; moments meant to be gratuitously cool that are laughably stupid; surprises that fail because you've long since stopped caring.
Let me give one example: In one later scene, one of the heroes fights the monster by playing an electric guitar solo.
It's entirely possible this was meant to be a comedy...but it failed on that point as well.
It ranks up there with "The Room," among movies that were made out of someone's shear ambition and ignorance without any regard to skill or content.
I highly recommend you watch it so you will appreciate every other film you'll ever see..
Banshee!!!.
Banshee!!!.
Banshee!!!.
A predatory creature, which can imitate human form and inanimate objects, hunts a group of characters for food..locals in a small town and college students on spring break camping vacation.
This winged creature screeches before attacking it's human targets and seems to be using a type of hallucinatory power which can help manipulate the minds of those it plans to assault by emulating it's victims.We follow a trio of remaining students holed up in the cabin of a local whose wife was lunch for the banshee and his visiting rock singing nephew, not to mention a female constable on patrol, all eventually coming in contact with the monster at one point or another, joining forces in an attempt to both fight and escape it with their lives hanging in the balance.
One weapon they discover is that the creature reacts painfully to loud noise, but doesn't seem to be affected by bullets at all.Some pretty good prosthetic gore effects early on, but the creature is a disappointing CGI abomination.
When it attacks law enforcement officers, the lame CGI effects fail to impress, and the series of decapitations are laughable.
Quite a low budget creature feature, shot in Connecticut, probably cast using locals.
My favorite scene shows the removal of a stick that went through a victim's leg..
Banal.
I have to agree with the previous poster who quite rightly mentioned the unfinished and/or incomplete feel of this movie.
It's quite evenly paced but there are a few superfluous scenes used as "filler" which beggar explanation.
For example, after the group witness two of their number killed in the most gruesome manner they very quickly revert to cracking jokes and giving someone a hard time because he needs to pee!!?
I mean..
The creature itself is passable given the budget but the Banshee of legend has more in common with the fairy folklore than what they have here, which seems to be some kind of hybrid "shrieker" from the Tremors movies, I was also reminded of Rawhead Rex (1986).
The acting was patchy at best but the most disappointing element of this film was the ending where it descends into some kind of lame pseudo pastiche of visual styles which ultimately fails to impress.
That said, I've seen a lot worse. |
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